Chapter 30
‘You look shattered!’ Ottilie cast a critical eye over Zoe as she walked into the surgery kitchen to put the bottle of milk she’d fetched in the fridge. Ottilie was making a tray of coffees. ‘Here,’ she said, handing one over. ‘Better have yours black.’
‘I’m fine, just had a late one.’
‘Oh…?’ Ottilie paused.
Zoe looked at her. ‘What? What does that mean?’
‘Nothing.’
‘I wasn’t partying, if that’s what you mean. Billie Fitzgerald had a fall last night. I went over to see if she was all right and ended up having to drive her to the hospital.’
‘Of course you had to go,’ Ottilie said wryly. ‘Couldn’t possibly leave it to the people who were actually on shift.’
‘A bit like you then,’ Zoe fired back with a tired grin.
‘Rumbled. Is she all right?’
‘She’s fine. They’re keeping her in for a couple of days, but it will be all right. Alex stayed up there with her, so I came straight home, but it was still early hours by the time I got to sleep.’
‘At least it wasn’t anything to do with Ritchie. I thought he might have been hassling you again.’
‘No, it wasn’t. I haven’t heard from him since he texted me about the house. Which reminds me, I still have that mess to sort out at some point, as if I don’t have enough to do.’
‘Just like Flo to get it wrong,’ Ottilie continued as she stirred milk into the drinks.
‘She came rushing round last night saying she’d seen his car going through the village.
I don’t know how she was so sure it was Ritchie’s, but she was adamant.
She said she’d seen him get back into it when he left the village celebrations.
Said there was some sticker or other in the window she recognised.
Honestly, that woman’s life is an unrealised police career. ’
‘It’s funny Flo should say that,’ Zoe said slowly as she began to piece things together. ‘Alex couldn’t take Billie to the hospital last night because all his tyres had been let down. Deliberately. He thought it was something to do with a pissed-off villager, but…’
‘You think it might have been Ritchie?’
‘It’s such a stupid, pointless, childish thing to do…’
‘Sounds like him then.’ Zoe frowned, and Ottilie shrugged. ‘Come on – you’re not still trying to pretend he’s ever been anything but a spoiled kid in a man’s body, surely? After the way he behaved last weekend? What are you going to do?’
‘He’d only deny it if I spoke to him.’
‘I’d scare him. Ask him if he did it and then go along with his answer, and lay it on thick that, because Alex’s car was out of action, something really bad happened up there.’
‘I couldn’t do that.’
‘Or tell him Alex is getting the police involved. Or setting up cameras or something.’
‘I do need to talk to him,’ Zoe said, wishing it weren’t true. ‘I’ve got to persuade him that he needs to be a grown-up about all this.’
Even as she tried to forget it, back in her room as she prepared for the first appointment of the day, her mind was constantly pulled back to Flo’s report.
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that Ritchie was responsible for the damage to Alex’s tyres.
She hated to admit it, but it was exactly the sort of thing he’d do.
To think she’d once loved him. Whatever affection she’d still had, even after their split, was fast draining away, and it was mostly down to his recent actions.
Perhaps it was better to confront him. He’d deny it, of course, but he’d know she was on to him, and perhaps that would be enough to make him think twice the next time he felt like causing mischief.
She checked the clock. She had a couple of minutes until her first mum. And so she sent him a text.
I know what you’re up to, and it’s out of order. Stop it.
And then she put her phone into the desk drawer and left it at that.
She didn’t check her phone again until lunchtime.
As predicted, there was a reply from Ritchie denying everything.
There was also a text message from Alex, updating her on Billie’s progress, though Zoe already knew about that because she’d spoken to a member of the hospital team during a gap in her clinic.
It was hard to read emotions from the words of a brief text, but he seemed much happier.
Things were going well and they hoped to have her home the following day.
She sent him a reply saying she was glad and that she’d visit Billie as soon as she was back at Hilltop.
Then she cleared down and made her way to the kitchen to join the rest of the surgery staff for their communal lunch.
‘Well?’ Ottilie asked as Zoe sat next to her. ‘Any developments?’
‘You mean Ritchie?’
Lavender turned from the worktop where she was slicing bread. ‘Your ex? Has something happened? Is this to do with him turning up at the quincentenary? Are you back together? What happened after you went home?’
‘Steady on, Lavender,’ Fliss said mildly as she ladled out chicken stew. ‘I’m sure if Zoe has something to tell us, she’ll tell us.’ She turned to Zoe. ‘You’d better tell us, or she’ll blow a fuse!’
Zoe couldn’t help but laugh. ‘There’s nothing to tell. I’ve come to the conclusion that it will be a cold day in hell before we get back together, so that’s something. Other than that, nothing much.’
‘How disappointing,’ Fliss huffed and went back to serving up.
‘I don’t know how you’re going to cope with retirement,’ Simon said. He handed a glass of water to Zoe and Ottilie in turn. ‘You’ll die of boredom without a dose of daily drama in here.’
‘I’ll cope – you watch me. Anyway, I’m expecting detailed reports. Don’t forget, I’ll still have sway around here, even if I’ve finished working. If I don’t get my fix, I’ll get you all fired.’
‘How’s Billie?’ Ottilie asked as the rest of them continued to banter about the probabilities of Fliss retaining enough influence once she’d retired to get them all sacked.
‘Good. The bed rest is doing the trick. I knew it would.’
‘Did you?’ Ottilie raised her eyebrows, and Zoe smiled.
‘I hoped so. We all get a confidence knock once in a while, don’t we?
I hope Tegan Forrester will be the only one for this year because one is more than enough.
Though I can’t help thinking that I almost missed Billie as well.
It was only when Alex told me he’d feel better if we took her in that I saw the blood… ’
‘You’d have caught it one way or another,’ Ottilie said. ‘If I know anything about you, I know that. And you did take her in, and all’s well.’
‘I suppose so,’ Zoe said quietly. ‘I suppose so.’
After three days in hospital, during which time Zoe had received regular updates, Billie was allowed home. Corrine called at Kestrel Cottage that evening with two casserole dishes in a covered basket and a tin of cake.
‘I made you some stew,’ she said, handing one of the dishes to Zoe. It was still warm.
‘Smells lovely, thank you.’
‘Steak with a drop of Guinness. I made some for Billie and Alex too. Billie will be able to eat it, won’t she? There’s not much Guinness in there.’
‘I’m sure it’ll be fine. They’ll be glad of the help – I bet they don’t feel like cooking after the few days they’ve had.’
‘And I made coconut sponge,’ Corrine said, getting out another package. ‘This is yours.’
‘Thank you – that smells amazing! Do you want to come in?’
‘I’ll dash up there and then dash home, if it’s all the same to you. We’ve got the vet coming.’
‘Oh… everything’s all right?’
‘Alice is a bit under the weather. I don’t think it’s anything serious, but Victor might need my help. You could come over to Hilltop with me, if you like.’
Zoe shook her head. Much as she might like to, she still didn’t really know where she stood with them.
Alex had spoken warmly about how good she was, how they didn’t deserve her, how he wanted to go back to them being good neighbours, but that was all in the heat of the moment.
There was still a huge shadow hanging over their friendship – and she was resigned to the fact that friendship was all they could ever have now – and that was Billie’s adoption plan.
Alex had said he didn’t blame Zoe for it now, but she wasn’t convinced of that.
As the pregnancy progressed and the day drew closer, would his attitude harden again, looking for someone to blame, a way to vent his frustration? She didn’t want that person to be her.
‘I’m a bit tired. I’ll go up over the weekend. Thanks again for the goodies.’
‘You’re more than welcome, my love.’
Once Zoe had seen her off, she took her food into the kitchen.
While the oven warmed to reheat her casserole, she went through the emails on her phone.
There was one from a financial adviser she’d reached out to, detailing some ways she might be able to sort her affairs, and she pored over that for a while, doing some sums of her own as she went through it.
It was encouraging that things might not be as complicated as she’d feared.
If Ritchie wanted to do this, then perhaps the best thing now was get on with it and cut ties after all.
Having him in her life was causing more problems than it fixed, and was she really better off for it?
Are you busy this evening?
Zoe was loading the dishwasher when the text came through.
Not especially. Everything all right?
All fine, yes. A bit out of the blue, I know, but do you mind if I come over for an hour?
Of course not!
Wondering what Alex might want, and with her tummy doing odd little flips, she went to freshen up and change into something nicer.
It might have occurred to her to wonder why she felt the need to do that, but it didn’t, and when he arrived on her doorstep with a large bouquet, she was glad she’d made the effort.
‘More flowers, I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘Sorry, a bit unimaginative.’
‘They’re lovely,’ Zoe said. ‘Thank you. What are they for?’
‘For being there when we needed you,’ he said. ‘And if you feel the urge to toss them onto the floor behind your front door, I won’t watch.’