As I passed that woman on the way to my GP’s office, I thought all of that and more. A heavy tiredness seeped into my bones, and I wondered when—or if—this would all be over and I could get into a normal life.
“Hi, Emma, how are you today? Hello, Aiden.” She didn’t miss a beat and I was glad for it. I’d had the same doctor since I was a baby—Dr Fiona Watson—and over that time she’d been a constant, albeit in a professional capacity. They hadn’t been friends, Mum and Fiona, but they’d respected each other, and Mum would have been pleased that Fiona had taken over the running of the surgery after she died.
“As well as to be expected.”
“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through, but it’s a pleasure to see Aiden again.” She smiled at Aiden but he didn’t react. Her eyes dropped, and I was glad she didn’t bring any of it up again.
After some poking and prodding Dr Watson sighed. “Your blood pressure is high. Now, you had some high blood pressure after Aiden… after the flood. I think it’s stress again. I’m going to prescribe you the same tablets you took back then. They’re safe for pregnant women to use. The little one been giving you any gip?”
“She’s a kicker,” I said. “But apart from that she seems fine.”
“Have you been to see your midwife recently? Have you got anything set up for the birth?”
“I had some blood taken a few months back and we discussed it then. This last week has been a whirlwind.”
She nodded. “You did the right thing coming to me.” She scribbled on a pad of paper and tore the top sheet away. “Try and get your feet up if you can. I know it’s hard given everything that’s happened, but it’s important. Is Jake looking after you?”
I smiled. “Yeah, of course he is. He’s been great.”
She nodded. “I’m really sorry about what’s happened. If…” she paused, and I could see she was struggling with the desire to maintain professionalism and seeing a person before her whom she had known for over thirty years. “If you need anything, I’m here.”
I thanked her and hurried out of the office, afraid I might begin to cry again. I was sick of crying.
When I left the surgery, the woman and her kids were gone. But when I reached my Focus in the carpark, there was a scratch running all along the length of the car.
22
I held off from driving like a maniac on the way to the pharmacy, even though the adrenaline running through my veins begged for speed. I’d never been a careless driver, but when my stress levels were high, I wanted nothing more than to put my foot down on the accelerator and drive as far and as fast as I could. But I wouldn’t do that with Aiden in the car.
As I made my way down the steepest hill in Bishoptown, I glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed a black transit van behind me. After turning right to drive over the bridge, I checked again and there it was—the same black transit van. Even when I turned left onto the main shopping street in the village the van was there. I frowned and wondered whether it was a reporter. Bishoptown was a small place so it was just as reasonable that it could be someone following the same route through the village.
When I parked up outside the pharmacy, the black van slowed down for a heartbeat before continuing on down the street. My suspicions were raised, but it could be just as possible that the driver had been looking for a parking space and hadn’t found anything.
“Wait for me to get out first,” I said to Aiden as I checked for oncoming traffic. I was still spooked from the van, but also, Aiden’s confinement had resulted in him missing out on the kind of ‘street smarts’ that most sixteen-year-old boys would possess. I didn’t feel comfortable even allowing him to get out of the car onto the pavement without me there. Not yet.
Aiden was silent as I exited the car and hurried around to his side. He opened the door himself and I took his hand to lead him down the street. With my free hand, I clutched my cardigan more tightly around me. It was a cool day, but the heavy knitwear and the anger coursing through my body made me feel sweaty and unkempt. My heart was still pounding from the unfortunate incident with the woman at the doctor’s office, and from the strange van following me along the street. I almost walked past the pharmacy, I was so distracted. I couldn’t stop my eyes roaming the faces of those walking around the village. No doubt they were tourists, but I couldn’t stop thinking about who had taken Aiden. What if Aiden had already been face-to-face with his attacker but hadn’t been able to tell me? What if the kidnapper came back and took him again?
The pharmacy was like every other shop in Bishoptown, in a small, limestone terraced building that looked more like a house than a business. Most of the shops had quaint hanging-baskets of busy-lizzies and marigolds, but the pharmacy had only one window and a wooden door with a bell.
As I was paying for the prescription, the bell on the door jingled, indicating someone else had walked in. Eager to leave, I hurried to put the change from my purchase into my wallet so I could get out of the small shop.