“Not a thing.” The old man shook his head and winced before doing up his shirt buttons.
“No cold or flu-like symptoms?”
“No.”
Liam thought fast. “I think we might run some blood tests and see what comes up. Take some pain reliever and if it’s not better tomorrow, I want you back here again, okay? An X-ray might be the next step but I’d like to see what comes up in the blood work first. I need to rule out viruses like the flu as well.”
“Sure thing, Doc. Thanks.” Mr. Drummond shook Liam’s hand and walked out. With no other patients listed for the day, Liam sat down at his desk to put notes into the man’s file and look over his past medical history for anything he may have missed when he heard a dull thump and the receptionist screamed his name.
He bolted down the hall to the front of the clinic to find Mr. Drummond in a heap on the floor. Liam rolled him onto his back and checked his vital signs. No sign of breathing, nor a heartbeat. He started CPR. “Call the ambulance.”
Paramedic Amelia Blue put a consoling hand on his arm a short time later. “Sorry, Liam. There’s nothing we can do. He’s gone.”
“But he just walked out of my room minutes before he collapsed. I don’t understand it. I checked everything.” Surely he’d missed something. Liam couldn’t think of anything; he was so shocked to lose a patient like this.
“I know you did. You’re always very thorough, and I believe you did your best. But we’ll have to wait and see what the coroner says. You tried to revive him. We both did, so don’t let that derail you. It might be something that nobody could have predicted. It’s possible nothing would’ve saved him.” She patted him on the back.
It didn’t make him feel any better when the man who’d come to him for help lay dead in front of him. “I understand, but I feel terrible. Like I missed something obvious.” He ran his hand over the back of his head and paced the room as the other paramedic took the stretcher out to the waiting ambulance.
“According to what you told me, you did everything right. There wasn’t anything else you could’ve done. Even if you wanted to admit him to hospital, which you had no reason to do, he wouldn’t have made it.”
“Thanks but none of it makes me feel any better.” Liam held out his hand and shook hers. “Thanks for coming so soon.” He glanced at the door as Officer Ben Symonds walked in.
“Liam. Amelia.” Ben nodded to the receptionist too.
“Come in, Ben.”
“I would’ve been here earlier but I was on a call. Heard you lost someone.”
Amelia waved and headed to the door. “I’ll leave you guys to it. Talk later.” She walked out, leaving Liam to discuss the death with the policeman.
“Come on down to my office, Ben.”
When they were sitting down, Ben pulled out his notebook. “Tell me what happened.”
Liam began to talk and when he was finished, Ben said exactly the same thing as Amelia. “Don’t rush into laying the blame on yourself. We need to wait for the coroner’s report. I’ll go and see Mr. Drummond’s wife and give her the bad news. Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No. I’ll be all right, but thanks.”
Ben stood and paused before he walked out. “You be at home later?”
“Yeah, I guess. Why?”
“Thought maybe we could have a chat.”
“Look, if it’s about my conduct, can we do it now?”
Ben looked around. “No. It’s personal. Not sure this is the right time though.”
Liam ran a hand over his head and blew out a breath. “Spit it out, dude.”
“So, you and Aggie finally got it together, eh?”
Liam shook his head. Ben knew Liam’s feelings for Aggie. “Not a chance. As much as I wish it were so, apparently not.”
Ben cocked his head. “I don’t get it. She was all over you when you guys left the wedding and I happened to see her walking home early the day after. I would’ve offered her a lift but Bradley started talking to her and I left it alone.”
“Seems it was just a fling. Emotions high and all that crap.” Liam sat back in his chair. “Something happened to make her the sad person she is, Ben, and I don’t understand it. It’s like she’s hiding from someone or something and I can’t get through to her.”
“Can’t Drew talk to her, or April? They’ve been besties forever.”
Liam shook his head. “No. I doubt that would help. April knows, and is keeping whatever it is close to her chest.”
Ben slid his notebook back into his pocket. “I don’t get it. I thought you two would end up together. Seemed like you were made for each other.”
“I thought so too but I guess I was wrong.” Seemed to be his lot lately.
“Did you know she’s signed up for the classes? I saw her name on the list.”
“Good. At least I’ve managed to do something right then.”
Ben raised an eyebrow.
“I told her it would be a good idea and apparently it must have made an impact, unlike my attempts to tell her I loved her.”
Ben smiled. “Don’t give up, Liam. Not if you really feel that way.” Ben put his pen in his pocket. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sure. Thanks.” Liam leaned back in his chair as the policeman walked out and closed the door behind him.
Chapter 14
Lauren called out to Aggie, who was changing out of her work gear in the back room a few days later before going home. “You have a visitor.”
Aggie wiped her hands on her apron, threw it over a hook, and walked out to the front of the shop. “Bradley, I was about to leave. What’re you doing
