by Joanna Neil
‘Did I hear my name mentioned?’ Jessica came over to the desk and started hunting for a file. ‘I hope nobody is planning on giving me a job to do, because I’m up to my eyes. Mr Kirk’s planning to sit in on the case conference—he wants to follow up on recent patients with cardiac problems who have turned up in A and E.’
‘We were just saying that you’re a good listener,’ Phoebe murmured. ‘Alex is trying to get on the good side of his consultant, and the case presentation was just a beginning. I think you’d be a great help to him if you were to go through some of the patients’ notes with him. You’ve already done your orthopaedic rotation, haven’t you? It might be a good idea if you and he were to get together some time.’
Alex was looking horrified by Phoebe’s intervention, and trying to warn her off by making wild signals with his hands and mouth, but Jessica was too busy thinking things through to take any notice.
‘That could actually work two ways,’ Jessica said, pondering the idea. ‘I didn’t do too badly in Orthopaedics, but I’m finding Cardiology quite difficult.’ She glanced at Alex. ‘Maybe you could help me out with that?’
‘Um…yeah, sure…any time,’ Alex said, blinking, his body jerking a little in surprise. ‘I had no idea you were struggling.’ He frowned. ‘You should have said.’
‘As if I’d do that.’ Jessica’s tone was scornful. ‘Your dad’s a GP—I thought he kept you topped up with information so that you were nigh on invincible. I thought you had a problem with ortho because you were too busy taking time out and enjoying other things to be able to keep up with your studies.’
Alex rolled his eyes heavenward. ‘I wish…I wish.’
Phoebe could well imagine what he was wishing for, but she didn’t stay to hear any more. She left the two of them and went in search of her patient.
Connor was in the case review room, flicking through a pile of X-ray films that went along with patients’ notes, but he looked up as she passed by, and said, ‘Hi, Phoebe. Are you sitting in on the follow-up meeting?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m expecting a patient to arrive in the next few minutes.’ Her glance shifted over him. ‘You look as though things haven’t been going too well. Is there a problem?’ She slid into a seat beside him. When the ambulance arrived with the baby, the siren would alert her.
‘I’m concerned about the man who was admitted yesterday—the forty-year-old with the young family. I did everything I could for him—morphine, oxygen, nitro and aspirin. Then I put him on thrombolytic therapy to try to reduce the size of the blood clot and buy him some time. What he really needs is surgery, to remove the clot and put a stent in place to keep the artery open. I still don’t know if he’ll end up with a decent quality of life. It all depends on how much of the heart muscle was damaged after this second attack. I just feel that if the waiting lists for surgery weren’t so long, problems like this could be avoided.’
‘You can’t put the world to rights overnight,’ she murmured, laying her hand on his. ‘Anyway, there are other factors to take into account, like preventative measures, diet, exercise, cutting out smoking, and so on. For the rest of it, you do the best you can, and that’s all any of us can do.’
‘Maybe.’ His mouth flattened, and she could see he wasn’t convinced.
She changed tack. ‘I saw your friend John earlier, going from one person to another in A and E, doing interviews. Is he gathering material for his TV programme?’
Connor nodded. ‘He tried to talk to Mr Kirk, but the man wasn’t best pleased. He said there was no way he was going to be interviewed on TV, and while there might well be a long waiting list for surgery, he was doing everything possible to clear it, but he wasn’t Superman.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘I think John went away with a flea in his ear.’
‘Oh, dear. That doesn’t bode well for the case review this morning, does it? I’ll be with you in mind, if not in body.’
She squeezed his hand, and he covered her fingers with his palm, giving her a warm, sexy smile. ‘I like the bit about the body,’ he murmured, looking her over. ‘Shall we make a date for later? Say lunchtime, around one o’clock?’ Then he frowned. ‘Or will you be too busy with Alex?’
Her mouth twisted in a wry shape. ‘Like I said before, you’re incorrigible, totally beyond help. And as to Alex, I wasn’t expecting him to kiss me, you know. He took me totally by surprise.’ She paused momentarily. ‘Though I can’t say the same for you and Lisa, can I? You knew what you were doing when you went and put your arm around her.’
An ambulance siren sounded in the distance, and she stood up, tugging lightly at her hand so that he reluctantly released her.
‘That was different,’ he murmured. ‘And I’m not a completely hopeless case. You could do a lot to soothe my furrowed brow.’ He gave her a puppy-dog look. ‘Ditching Alex would be a start. He’s never going to swear undying love for you, you know?’
‘That had crossed my mind,’ she said, beginning to move away. She wasn’t going to admit to him that she’d realised some time ago that Alex wasn’t the man for her. Neither would she tell him about her conversation with Alex. That way, she might manage to keep a defensive wall in place for a while, at least. ‘But that still doesn’t mean you’re in the running.’ She frowned. ‘I have to go.’
Hurrying away to meet the ambulance, she thought wistfully about what Connor had said. How deep did his feelings for her really go? Could she trust him to love her and cherish her for the rest of her life?
The baby who had been brought into the hospital was clearly ill. ‘He was born prematurely, but was released home a couple of weeks ago,’ the paramedic told her. ‘His mother says he’s floppy and is breathing fast, and hasn’t been feeding well. He’s also had a couple of episodes of jerking in the last few hours, so I’m guessing he had seizures. His temperature is low at 35 degrees.’
‘Thanks. We’ll get him into Resuscitation and I’ll do a complete work-up.’ She glanced at the paramedic. ‘Is there anything else I ought to know? Any illness in the family?’
‘His brother and sister both have runny noses and are coughing.’
‘Okay. I’ll keep that in mind.’
As soon as the baby was in Resus, Phoebe began to make a thorough examination. ‘I’ll have to do blood tests, take a urine sample and send cerebrospinal fluid to the lab,’ she told Katie, who was assisting her. ‘There’s possibly a viral cause for all this, but I’ll get him started on antibiotics anyway, in case there’s a bacterial infection. All’s not well with his lungs, and it could possibly be pneumonia. We can’t run the risk of leaving it until we have the test results back…And we need a chest X-ray.’
Katie was busy preparing the equipment trolley so that Phoebe could carry out the procedures, and some time later Phoebe began to write out the forms that were needed for the laboratory.
‘I’m concerned about the seizures,’ she said, gazing down at the baby. The child was lethargic, and had a nasal discharge along with his lung problems. ‘He’s had another one since he’s been here, and that means there could be some inflammation of the brain.’
‘Are you going to do an EEG?’
‘Yes.’ Phoebe nodded. ‘And we’ll need a CT scan of the head. In the meantime, I’ve started him on medication for the seizures. I’ll do a nasal washout, and we’ll send that for testing as well.’
A short time later, Katie went to organise the chest X-ray and CT scan, before taking the samples over to the lab.
Phoebe stayed behind and gently stroked the baby’s arm. ‘I’m so sorry to put you through all that, Ryan,’ she said softly, looking down at his tiny, fragile figure, ‘but we’re doing everything we can to make you better. It’s not fair that you should be so ill when you’re so little.’
She moved away from the crib, and went to talk to the parents. It was never easy doing that, but she’d learned that if she kept people informed about what was happening to their children, and explained carefully what was going on, the parents wer
e a little easier in their minds.
It would be some time before the test results came back, though, and perhaps it would be sensible to go for her lunch-break now, while things were quiet. She checked her watch. There was a good chance that Connor would be free around about this time, too.
She went to the cafeteria to pick up some sandwiches and coffee before going in search of him.
He was giving medication to a middle-aged man when she stopped by the treatment bay a few minutes later, and she heard him quietly explain to him how it would work.
‘Just try to relax,’ he murmured. ‘This will help to widen the blood vessels, and you should find that the pain starts to ease off fairly soon.’
He waited a moment, and then said, ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Better,’ the man said cautiously, nodding. ‘You were right.’
‘That’s good. You need to rest now, and the nurse will keep an eye on you. I’ll arrange for you to be admitted so that we can see how you go over the next couple of days. We’ll need to do some more tests, but they’re nothing to worry about.’
He spoke to the nurse for a moment or two, and then came out into the central area where Phoebe was waiting.
‘Are you busy,’ she asked, ‘or do you have time to go for a lunch-break?’
‘I should be okay for the next hour,’ he said. ‘You must have read my mind…or maybe you decided to take me up on my earlier offer?’ He sent her a questioning, hopeful glance.
‘I don’t know about you,’ she said, giving him a quelling look, ‘but lunch was what I had in mind.’
He grinned. ‘Then I guess that goes for me, too.’ He started to walk with her out of the emergency department. ‘I was thinking I would like to get out of here for a while, maybe go for a walk along by the stream at the back of the hospital. Would you like to do that with me? I know there was a shower of rain earlier, but the sun is out now, and a drop of rain makes everything all the more fresh.’
‘Sounds good to me. I was hoping you might be free, so I bought some lunch from the cafeteria…a couple of packs of sandwiches and some coffee.’ She showed him her packages. ‘I bought enough for two, just in case. I know you like cheese and salad, and there are some Chelsea buns for afters.’
He sent her an appreciative smile. ‘If you’re trying to win me over for some devious plan that you have in mind, I have to tell you that you’re halfway there already.’
‘Well, that is good news.’ Her lips quirked in a mischievous curve. ‘I don’t have to worry about signing you up for Mr Kirk’s next round of lectures on surgery for chest trauma, then, do I?’
He backed away momentarily, his mouth dropping open. ‘You are kidding, aren’t you? He’s not really arranging a course, is he? Sandwiches or no sandwiches, I don’t think I’d want to be doing that for a while. He and I are not exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment.’
‘You surprise me,’ she murmured, as they walked towards the main doors of the hospital. ‘He’s an eminent man, and if he was to talk about new procedures in cardiac surgery, he’d be guaranteed a huge audience. Are you really going to let a thing like a small difference of opinion stand in your way? You could learn so much.’
He laughed. ‘Okay, so I know that he’s the best in his field. And if I was on a cardiology rotation I’d be more than happy to hear what he had to say. Right now, though, it has to be said I’m not flavour of the month with him.’
She shot him a quick look. ‘Seriously, I’m sorry to hear that. I know how much it meant to you to get him on your side.’
By now they had crossed the road that skirted the car park and they started out on the footpath that would take them into the wooded area edging the hospital to one side. Here the shade of the trees lent a cooling effect, and the air was fresh and sweet, inviting them to walk on further.
‘There’s a clearing in here where we can sit and eat,’ Connor told her. ‘There’s a huge old tree that’s been cut down and the trunk makes a perfect bench seat. It should be big enough for us to lay the food packages out as well.’
As he had said, the tree was a perfect place for them to stop and eat lunch. It was dry now, leaving everything brighter, more vivid, the scent of leaves filling the air and mingling with the fragrance of mosses and lichens.
Phoebe set down the packages on the tree trunk and sat down. ‘It’s beautiful here,’ she murmured, looking around and seeing here and there glimpses of colourful flowers, the tiny dog violet, an occasional pink purslane and a small clump of foxgloves.
‘That’s why I like to come here and just sit for a while,’ Connor said, following her gaze. ‘It’s very restful.’
He opened a pack of sandwiches and handed it to her. ‘How did your morning go?’
She made a wry smile. ‘It started off well enough. I managed to cuddle a couple of the babies who were on the road to recovery. There’s something really satisfying about being able to hold them and feed them, and watch them suckle hungrily. The baby you admitted from A and E a while back was one of them. He’ll be going home soon, and in some ways seeing them well enough to be discharged makes up for all the anxiety.’
He smiled. ‘I knew you would love that side of things. I saw how you were with your sister’s children years ago. I couldn’t help thinking that maybe you would go on to be a paediatrician. I still can’t see you doing anything else.’
Phoebe bit into her sandwich. After a moment or two, she said, ‘If it was just a matter of holding them in my arms and nurturing them, I would agree with you, but I still have to get over this great hurdle every time a baby comes in suffering from a life-threatening illness. Like this morning…I have to wait for the results of all the tests before I can do any more than give supportive treatment. It grieves me. I hate the waiting. I hate wondering about the outcome every time.’
He studied her thoughtfully for a second or two, and then took a drink from his coffee-cup. ‘It’s a shame you feel that way. You’re such a good doctor, and you should be filled with confidence about what you do. You give so much to these babies. They need you to look out for them.’
‘I’m not so sure that I can do it. Perhaps it would be better if I left it to someone else.’
‘So you’re still thinking about applying for Mr Kirk’s team next time?’
‘I don’t know. Possibly.’
His mouth made an awkward quirk. ‘Then you won’t want to jeopardise things by helping me out, will you? I was going to ask if you would let John interview you for this TV programme. I thought maybe you would put the case for cutting down operating lists. I’ve already been interviewed on camera, and said my piece, but the more people we can get to add a positive point of view to the debate, the better chance we have of changing the culture that goes through the hospital.’
She swallowed her coffee, and looked up at him. ‘What you really need is Mr Kirk on your side, because if just one of the consultants were to agree with you, the others might consider following suit.’ She shook her head. ‘The trouble is, I can’t see that happening.’
‘It isn’t going to be easy, that’s for sure. Lisa had a word with the consultant she used to work with—Mr Byers—who runs another cardiac team, but even he was sceptical. He agreed to be interviewed, but he isn’t going to do anything to further our cause, by the looks of things.’
Phoebe finished off her sandwich and wiped her hands on a serviette. ‘You and Lisa are very close, aren’t you?’ she said on a hesitant note. It bothered her that she was even mentioning it, but the thought of the two of them kept niggling away at the back of her mind and wouldn’t leave her alone.
‘We get along all right,’ Connor said. His gaze narrowed on her. ‘Why do you ask?’
Phoebe shrank into herself. ‘No reason,’ she murmured. ‘It was just an observation, that’s all.’
He reached for her, placing his hand under her jaw and gently lifting her head so that she had no choice but to look at him. ‘It couldn’t be that you’re just a tiny
bit jealous, could it?’
‘Do I have anything to be jealous of? I mean, if I were to believe all the things that you’ve been saying to me, I can’t imagine why you’re seeing her outside work.’
‘Don’t you ever go to the pub with colleagues when you’ve finished your shift? In fact, I know you do, because I’ve seen you there.’
‘That’s different.’
His brows shot up. ‘How is it different? Explain it to me.’
‘I didn’t stay overnight at anyone’s house afterwards. I wasn’t the one who rolled into work wearing the same clothes that I had on the night before.’
Maddeningly, he didn’t answer her. Instead, he casually finished off his sandwich and then took a long swallow of his coffee. He reached in the bag for a serviette and wiped his fingers, and then began to clear up all the debris of their lunch, placing it in the bag.
She stared at him. ‘Aren’t you going to give me an answer?’
His gaze tangled with hers. ‘Oh, it was a question, was it? I didn’t realise that. I thought you were making a statement of fact.’ He tilted his head to one side, studying her, and she had the feeling that he was amused by her frustration. He was teasing her, playing her along.
She turned away from him. ‘Forget I said anything at all.’
At last he seemed to relent. ‘It’s quite true,’ he said. ‘I did come to work wearing the same clothes as the night before—that wasn’t good, and it wasn’t something I would normally do, but I did go and grab a fresh set from my locker so the patients had nothing to worry about.’
Her blue eyes fired sparks at him. ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’
He laughed, and slid an arm around her shoulders. ‘It was all entirely innocent. She had just moved into a new place, and I’d been helping her with taking crates of belongings over there, and so on.’
‘I think it’s the “and so on” that I’m concerned about. I mean, you wouldn’t be arranging furniture or unpacking crates throughout the night, would you?’
