Page 9 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

Grizzle licked his hand as Alex looked him over, feeling at his nose and belly and then peering closely into the dog’s doleful eyes.

‘I feel like I’m pretending to know what I’m doing,’ he said finally as he looked up at Zoe and Billie. ‘Has he had much to drink?’

‘A bit.’ Billie wrapped her arms around herself, the sleeves of her bobbled cardigan pulled over her hands.

‘That’s good, isn’t it?’ Zoe offered.

‘I think so,’ Alex replied uncertainly. ‘What do you think?’ He glanced from Zoe to Billie and then back again. ‘Keep an eye on him for the next couple of hours to see how he goes? If it looks like he’s getting sicker after that, call the vet? I don’t know what to do for the best.’

‘Victor’s pretty good with animals,’ Zoe said. ‘Should we ask him to come over? He might be able to tell us straight off if there’s anything to worry about.’

‘He is, but I’d feel bad dragging him out in this weather.’

‘I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. He’s such an animal lover, I think if he knew there was a problem, he’d rather come and see.’

‘I don’t know…’ Alex sent a doubtful look to Zoe, then to Billie and back again. ‘I bet he’d come out like a shot. Perhaps it would put our minds at rest, eh, Bill?’

Billie nodded, total trust in her face that was obvious to anyone who cared to look. Since they’d become closer, Alex had often confided in Zoe that he worried Billie had too much faith in him and that he was bound to let her down eventually.

‘I’ll phone him,’ Alex said. He looked at Zoe. ‘Help yourself to a drink if you like…unless you want to call it a night and head home? I’d understand. This wasn’t what we’d planned, and?—’

‘I’m happy to stay.’ She could hardly be annoyed that their date had abruptly ended, given the circumstances. And she wanted to be on hand in case she was needed.

Taking off her coat, she turned to Billie. ‘Want to come and help? You can fill me in on how you’re doing at the same time.’

Alex shot her a grateful smile as he began to dial Victor’s number, and she went to get cups.

Zoe and Billie didn’t speak for a minute, both listening to Alex fill Victor in on the problem and the response to his offer to come straight over. And then Alex went to put his coat away, leaving them alone.

‘So,’ Zoe said in a tone deliberately full of airy cheer. ‘How’s my favourite mum-to-be doing?’

‘Oh…’ Billie’s glance went back to Grizzle in his basket, head listlessly resting on his paws. ‘I’m fine,’ she replied.

‘He’ll be all right, you know.’

Billie turned back to her. ‘He looks so sad. I’ve never seen him like that.’

‘Victor has loads of experience with sick animals.’

‘Alpaca and sheep.’

‘And dogs. Don’t forget the family has sheepdogs too. He’ll know what to do as soon as he gets here. I bet he already knows from what your dad’s told him over the phone. He’s just brilliant at all stuff to do with farms and animals.’

‘What if he says to get the vet? Dad said the weather is bad and…well, he might take too long to get here.’

‘There’s no point in worrying about worst-case scenarios. Which I know isn’t exactly what you want to hear, but it is true. I also know it’s easier said than done, but you need to try. Worrying isn’t going to do you or your baby any good.’

Billie looked as if she might want to argue but then let out a long sigh. ‘OK. I’ll try.’

‘Your dad said you’d put the Christmas decs up,’ Zoe said in a bid to lighten the tone and distract Billie from her worries.

She gave the room an approving sweep. What Billie had put up was subtle and stylish and very Billie.

She suspected that if Alex had been allowed to do it, the result would have been a lot more traditional and maybe even a bit cheesy – more or less what they’d both done at her house, once they’d managed to find the time, which had been difficult considering how busy she’d been.

Still, Zoe loved how they’d decorated Kestrel Cottage.

It was very her. Billie hadn’t seen it yet, the weather being too bad for her to walk over.

Once she did, however, she’d probably hate it. ‘Did you order them online?’

‘Yeah, there wasn’t much in the shops around here. I mean, they’re fine but a bit…’

‘Old-fashioned?’ Zoe asked with a wry smile.

‘I didn’t mean that, but a bit ordinary.’

‘Traditional, yes, I know what you mean. But it’s quite a traditional area in a lot of ways, so it’s hardly surprising. Yours are a lot fancier than mine.’

Billie shrugged. ‘How long do you think it will take for Victor to get here?’

‘It depends on the weather. He’ll come as soon as he can.’

‘What if he gets stuck?’

Alex was back in the room to hear Billie’s question. ‘He’s got a tractor and a Land Rover – he won’t get stuck.’ He went to Grizzle’s basket and stroked his head. The dog gave his hand a listless lick in return. ‘He said he’d come straight away, so we’ll just have to sit tight.’

Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door. Alex rushed from the table to get it and returned thirty seconds later with Victor and a blast of cold, fresh air.

‘Right then,’ he said briskly, kicking off his boots and sending a brief nod to Zoe and Billie before going straight to Grizzle’s basket.

Ordinarily, the dog would have made some sort of fuss at Victor’s arrival.

Alex always said he wasn’t much of a guard dog, but he’d always mark the arrival of a visitor by a lot of barking that was more excited than fierce. ‘Let’s have a look.’

He spent a few minutes examining Grizzle with more obvious purpose and experience than Alex had done, asking Billie questions about where they’d been, what she could remember seeing at the location, what his vomit had looked like afterwards and how long he’d taken to show symptoms. Eventually, he seemed satisfied, gave Grizzle a brief fuss and then stood up.

‘Sounds like he’s had a chew on something off the fields he shouldn’t have done.

But he’s taking water, you said. Looking a bit sorry for himself but alert enough.

I’ve got a little potion with me that I use for our Penny’s dogs when they stick their nose where they shouldn’t – I’ll leave it for you.

As he hasn’t eaten for a few hours, it should be all right to give him a drop shortly.

Try him with some little slivers of ice, and when he perks up tomorrow, give him some boiled chicken and rice instead of his usual food.

I’d say it’ll do the trick, but if he looks like he’s getting worse…

say tomorrow morning he still doesn’t want to eat, then of course you’ll need to ring the vet.

You’ve got someone local? Because if not I can recommend a chap.

He mostly deals with farm animals, but he’ll take a look at a dog just the same, and he’s very good. ’

‘That’d be brilliant, thanks,’ Alex said. ‘We haven’t quite got round to registering him with someone local yet – you know how these things slip down the to-do list when you’ve got a million other things to take care of. I kept meaning to, but…’

‘I understand. You’ve got a lot on.’ Victor took a fizzy drink bottle from a deep coat pocket and gave it to Alex. ‘Only a mouthful at first, just to see how he goes.’

‘What is it?’ Billie asked, her eyes wide, torn between wanting to trust Victor’s assessment but clearly sceptical of what might be in the bottle.

‘This and that,’ he said. ‘Mostly electrolytes and a spot of ginger – pretty much what you’d give to a person who was vomiting.’

‘And that’s it?’ Billie asked.

‘What else do you want to be in it?’ Victor asked in a practical voice, not offended, but confident in his remedy despite Billie’s obvious doubts.

‘I’m sure the vet would come out and do something fancier, but he’d charge you an arm and a leg for it, and in the end, this will do just the same.

It’s never done me wrong yet with any of ours. ’

‘We appreciate it,’ Alex said, shooting a glance at Billie that was obviously meant to reassure her.

And it seemed to because she bent to fuss Grizzle and said no more about it.

‘We really appreciate you coming over. I’d pay whatever it took to get him well, but even then we’d have to wait for hours for a vet to arrive. ’

‘Aye, that’s true,’ Victor said.

‘Do I owe you anything for what’s in there?’ Alex asked.

‘No, not a penny. It was all lying about the house, and to be quite honest, we’ve so much ginger lying around right now, I’m glad to be giving some of it away. I love Corrine’s baking, but even I’m sick of gingerbread now!’

‘So she’s still practising like mad?’ Zoe offered Victor a mug of tea.

‘I’ll say. She’s not competitive, mind; it’s not like that, though folks round here will say it every year because she always wins the contest. She’s just a perfectionist. Likes to get it right. It’s not her fault that her perfect is better than everyone else’s.’

Zoe laughed lightly as she sipped at her own drink. ‘No, I don’t suppose it is. When you bake as much as Corrine does, you’re bound to be better than everyone else. I’m going to have a go for fun, but I don’t expect to place at all.’

‘What’s this?’ Billie asked.

‘The gingerbread house competition,’ Zoe said. ‘They have it every year here. And Corrine will win, just like she always does.’

Victor scratched his head through his hat. ‘I don’t like to say, but I’d save your money at the bookies if you’re thinking of betting against her,’ he said with a lopsided grin that was full of pride.

‘From what I hear, I doubt you’d get good odds betting on her either,’ Alex said.

‘I’ve never made a gingerbread house,’ Billie said. ‘I’ve never even made gingerbread. Is it hard?’

‘It is for me!’ Zoe said with another light laugh. ‘Still, the fun’s in taking part, isn’t it?’

‘You fancy a go?’ Alex asked his daughter, who shrugged.

‘I might. Something to do, isn’t it?’

‘We could bake together,’ Zoe said.

‘That’d be good, wouldn’t it?’ Alex said to his daughter, who shrugged again.

She’d never been big on expressing her true emotions, and so it was hard to gauge her level of enthusiasm for the plan, but she hadn’t outright rejected the idea, so Zoe saw that as a win.

Anything that gave her an excuse to spend more time getting closer to Billie, for Alex’s sake if nothing else, was something to be welcomed.

‘We don’t have a lot of time, though,’ Zoe reminded her.

‘Plenty of time!’ Victor said cheerily.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Billie said. ‘You all said Corrine was going to win anyway.’

‘We said she normally wins, but as we’ve never seen what you can do, you never know.’ Zoe gave an encouraging smile. ‘You might have some hidden natural talent for baking that you didn’t know you had. You might secretly be a gingerbread-house-constructing genius.’

‘Or maybe I won’t bother.’

‘Oh, please bother!’ Zoe said. ‘Even if you only help me with mine. Because, believe me, they’re so rubbish I need all the help I can get!’

‘Maybe…’ Billie’s attention went back to Grizzle, who was now dozing. ‘Do you think he looks better yet?’

‘How long since he was sick?’ Victor asked.

‘A few hours, I think.’

‘I expect he’s on the mend then. Follow the plan and I bet he’ll be right as rain this time tomorrow.’

‘I can’t thank you enough for coming over,’ Alex told him, but Victor just waved a hand.

‘Don’t think on it for another minute. It’s what neighbours do, isn’t it? At least they do round here.’

‘They do,’ Zoe said with a smile. ‘But especially round here, which is why I’ve started to think I’ll never want to leave.’