‘I think you’re right—’ Jon broke off as Chloe stumbled suddenly, his arm shooting out instinctively to grab her around the waist and stop her from falling. ‘You okay?’
‘Yes... Yes, I’m all right.’
She didn’t look all right. She was so pale that she would have made a good addition to any Halloween party. ‘Sit down for a moment.’
He looked around, and in the absence of anything more suitable Jon guided her to the low front wall that divided someone’s front garden from the street and sat her down on it. If anyone objected, he’d tell them he was a doctor.
She was rubbing her leg, just above the ankle. Jon couldn’t see any abrasions or swelling.
‘Have you hurt yourself? Let me take a look.’ He knelt down in front of her, reaching out for her ankle, and she moved it away. ‘Chloe...?’
‘It’s all right. I’m okay, just...I expect I tripped on that paving stone.’ She nodded towards an uneven bit of pavement just where they’d been walking when she’d fallen.
‘I expect you did.’ Suddenly he realised. She was hoping she’d tripped, instead of her legs just giving way beneath her. ‘How much sleep did you get over the weekend?’
‘Not much.’ She looked at him miserably.
‘And you didn’t sleep last night either. And you’ve been under stress for the last couple of weeks.’ He asked the question that he didn’t want to ask, and Chloe obviously didn’t want to answer. ‘Any tingling in your legs? Or pain?’
‘I...don’t think so.’ She seemed suddenly unable to make her mind up. ‘They feel a bit achy.’
‘Your legs do ache when you’re overtired.’ He reached forward, taking her hand in his. ‘Chloe, look at me. Now take a breath.’
The first try was more of a shiver than a breath, but the second was a little better. He nodded her on and the third was a good attempt.
‘That’s good. Now, you know as well as I do that a complete relapse for Guillain-Barré is so rare that we can discount it. Don’t you?’ He wanted her to say it, but she just nodded. That would have to do.
‘Right. And you also know that some of the symptoms might recur from time to time, but that they’ll be minor and we can deal with them.’
This time she said it. ‘Yes.’
‘Now we’ve got that out of the way, I want you to tell me truthfully whether you have any pain or tingling in your legs. Or if there’s any reason for you to believe that you just didn’t trip over that paving stone.’
‘My legs ache, that’s all. I...don’t know.’
‘Okay, well, that’s good. Because being afraid is okay. I would be if I’d been as ill as you have. But I think you’d know if this really was Guillain-Barré and not just the stress you’ve been under, both physically and mentally.’
‘Yes. I think I would.’
‘So do you feel all right to stand now? We’ll take it slowly back to the hospital.’
‘Yes.’ She seemed to suddenly pull herself together, smiling up at him. ‘I’m okay.’
‘Good. Take my arm.’
‘I can walk...’ She got carefully to her feet, ignoring his outstretched hand.
Jon grinned at her. ‘I know. Just humour me, will you?’
She smiled, the warmth in her eyes trickling over his senses. Every time. He was like a bee, unable to ignore the honey in her smile.
He wouldn’t let her fall. Not now, and not in the uncertain days that lay ahead. Jon was sure of that now, and all he had to do was to persuade Chloe to let him stay beside her.
* * *
When they got home, he made her sit down in the living room and put her through an examination that was rather more for show than anything else. The touch of his fingers as he slipped off her sandals. The look in his eyes as he care
fully massaged her feet, his gaze searching for any reaction in her face.