‘I don’t like to hold you up. I suppose there’s somewhere your station expects you to be with that Tilly.’ She flashed him a weak smile. ‘But if you could make a telephone call to Topsy and tell her I’m here, I’d appreciate it. I’ve got no energy to walk further.’
‘I’m hardly going to leave you at the side of the road. Let us give you a ride home. I’ll gladly take the rap for it.’
‘No.’ Bobby forced herself to sit up straighter. ‘I can’t go home. I have to get to Smeltham.’
‘Why Smeltham?’
She flushed. ‘Because… because that’s where the doctor is.’
Ernie’s face was full of worry. ‘You’re that sick?’
‘I… don’t know. I hope not, but I have to see him.’
Ernie was silent for a moment.
‘About the baby, I guess,’ he said.
She met his eyes. ‘How did you know there was a baby?’
‘I started thinking about it that night you told me you felt sick from my smoke. I noticed you’d abandoned your favourite legwear recently as well. I guess skirts are better when you’ve got something to hide.’ He looked searchingly into her face. ‘Is it an emergency?’
‘It might be. I haven’t felt him – the baby, I mean – move all day.’ She closed her eyes. ‘I’m so frightened, Ernie,’ she said in a whisper. ‘You don’t know how much this baby meant to Charlie – to us both.’
Ernie stood up and held out his hand. ‘Come on.’
With an effort, Bobby got to her feet. She could feel herself swaying, and was grateful when Ernie put a supportive arm around her waist. He seemed to notice the thickness there, and his face filled with tenderness.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked in a faint voice.
‘To the doctor, of course. Don’t worry about a thing, kid. I’ll get you there.’
He supported her to the truck and helped her in, then turned to the young Canadian warrant officer driving.
‘Cloutier, get in the back,’ he ordered. ‘I’ll drive the rest of the way. We’ve got an unscheduled stop to make.’
‘Does the CO know?’
‘No. It’s on my responsibility.’
The lad looked worried, but since Ernie outranked him, he didn’t have any choice except to do as he was told. He got in the back of the truck and Ernie climbed in beside Bobby.
‘I’m so sorry about this,’ she murmured, slumping against the hard seat. ‘I’d hate you to get into bother on my account.’
‘Oh, I can cope with a few days of peeling potatoes.’ He took his hand from the gearstick to press her arm. ‘I hope it isn’t bad news.’
‘I’m praying it isn’t.’
Chapter 19
Half an hour later, Ernie stopped the Tilly outside the cottage from which Dr Minchin ran his general practice.
‘I’ll walk you to the door.’
‘People are going to gossip fit to burst if they see you escorting me into the doctor’s and I announce I’m having a baby right after,’ Bobby said, with an attempt at a smile. She pressed a hand to her forehead. ‘Still, you better had. I might fall down otherwise.’
Bobby clung to him as he walked her to the cottage. Her knees felt like they’d been replaced with jelly.
‘I’d better not come in with you or there really will be talk,’ Ernie said. ‘We’ll wait here to give you a ride home.’
