by Leah Martyn
His mouth folded in on a dry smile. ‘I thought perhaps you were, Ms Stewart.’
‘Milldale girls don’t scare easily.’
Dan felt a swell of desire as her lips made a soft little pout. Hell, she turned him on. In a reflex action he swept her up and swung her round and round, ending up in the centre of the room.
‘Put me down, Dan,’ Lindsey protested, laughing hard and hanging on tightly to his arms. ‘That’s if you want to eat tonight.’
They ate their meal, one eye on the weather as they glanced up constantly through the big kitchen window. The wind had now begun roaring, the rain falling sleet-like and icy. ‘Glad we don’t have to go out in this,’ Dan said.
‘Oh, me too.’ Snuggling up in bed sounded like a much better idea.
Dan leaned across, his fingertips making long, shivery strokes down her forearm. ‘We have a lot of making up to do, don’t we?’
Lindsey made a tiny sound like a purr and felt a strange lightness as if love and desire had rolled into one high-voltage surge, sweeping through her body and out to the tips of her fingers. ‘Should we do the dishes?’ she ventured coyly.
‘Are you serious?’ Dan pretended outrage. ‘Some matters are vastly more important than others. Don’t you agree?’
Lindsey’s laughter was sweet and clear. ‘I agree.’
CHAPTER NINE
Wednesday, the following week...
FIRST DAY BACK from leave and Lindsey went in to work early.
She hadn’t seen Dan since the storm but now she was back in town...the prospect of seeing him every day curved a smile around her lips, a flood of desire pooled into a warm ache inside her. It was a rainy, dreary morning yet she felt she was standing beneath a sunbeam.
It was good to catch up with her team, Lindsey thought as she stowed her bag and finger-waved around the staff lounge. Making a coffee, she joined Vanessa at one of the corner tables that looked out onto a rock garden. This morning the big succulent plants were dewy with raindrops.
‘Well, aren’t you the chirpy one?’ Vanessa said. ‘I take it you had a nice break?’
‘Fantastic.’ Lindsey’s hands spanned her coffee mug. ‘But it’s good to be back all the same.’
Vanessa gave an eye-roll. ‘You must be on a high.’
Lindsey laughed good-naturedly. ‘How’re things with Andrew?’
‘I think cautious must be his middle name,’ Vanessa said darkly.
‘Well, he’s at a crucial stage of his training,’ Lindsey pointed out gently. ‘Perhaps he’s not into making commitments just yet.’
‘Oh, yawn.’
Lindsey gave her contemporary a quick dry look. ‘If you think he’s worth waiting for, Van, cut him a bit of slack.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Who’s been the charge on nights?’
‘Brooke Bartholomew.’
Lindsey’s full lower lip pursed. Brooke was relatively new to the casualty department. She’d seemed nice enough during the casual encounters Lindsey had had with her.
‘I don’t get her,’ Vanessa said frankly. ‘She’s not on for a chat when things are quiet—well, only with Dan. She kept bringing him cups of tea!’
‘Well, that’s not a crime.’ Lindsey felt a lick of unease she couldn’t explain, her pool of happiness shrinking ever so slightly. ‘How come you were on nights anyway?’
‘Anita Rayburn’s little boy was sick. She asked me to swap a couple of shifts.’
Lindsey didn’t wait to hear any more. She finished her coffee quickly and stood to her feet. ‘I guess I may as well get a jump-start and take handover.’
‘OK.’ Vanessa helped herself to one of the mini-muffins someone had brought in. ‘I’ll rouse the team shortly and see you out there.’
* * *
‘Oh, Lindsey.’ Brooke Bartholomew looked up startled from the computer and blinked a bit. ‘You’re early.’
‘I’ll take handover, if you like,’ Lindsey offered. ‘Then you can get off. Are you OK?’ She frowned as she looked at the other woman. ‘You look a bit rocky.’
‘Night shifts...’ Brook’s nostrils pinched as she breathed in. ‘I hate them.’
‘Have you been busy?’
‘Swamped.’
‘Right, who’s still waiting for triage?’ Lindsey’s trained eye flew over the list. One name sprang out and rang warning bells. Mia Roche. She turned urgently to Brooke. ‘Where is this child now?’
‘I was about to get to her. We’d had an MVA and a gunshot wound...’
‘Mia Roche is registered at the asthma clinic.’ Lindsey was on her feet. ‘You should have flagged it.’
‘I know. She would have been next. I’ll get to her now.’
‘No.’ Lindsey was definite. ‘Page the registrar to Paeds Resus. And, please, Brooke, sign yourself off but don’t go anywhere until I’ve sorted this.’ Lindsey’s request left no room for argument as she took off at speed to the waiting area. ‘Erin!’ She located the mother of the sick child and held out her arms for the toddler. ‘How long have you been here?’
‘A while...I tried to give Mia a drink but she vomited. She’s so ill...’
Lindsey could tell that. Mia’s little body was radiating heat through her cotton pyjamas. She pressed the back of her hand to the child’s forehead, long experience telling her Mia’s temperature was far too high for safety. ‘Come with me,’ she instructed, tight-lipped. With relief she saw her team assembling at the station. ‘Vanessa, you’re in charge. Jess and Gail, I’ll need you both in Paeds Resus.’
Newly graduated, Jess bit her lip. ‘I haven’t done much paeds.’
‘You’ll be fine.’ Lindsey hardly slowed her stride. ‘Gail, you know what to do.’ Gail Smith was one of their mature assistants in nursing, an absolute gem in this kind of situation.
The nurses all knew Erin from her attendance at the asthma clinic. Gail placed a guiding arm around the distraught young mother. ‘It’s OK, sweetheart. Mia’s in good hands now.’
Lindsey quickly placed the toddler on the resus trolley. ‘Erin, go with Gail now,’ she said kindly. ‘We’ll take great care of Mia.’
‘But...’ Erin hesitated, her mouth trembling out of shape. ‘Shouldn’t I...?’
‘Best if we leave it to the doctor and nurses now,’ Gail said. ‘You must be exhausted. Have you been up all night with the bub?’
Lindsey let out a relieved breath as Gail led the young mother from the room. She turned to Jess. ‘Get me a Hudson mask, stat. We need Mia on a hundred per cent oxygen. Move!’
Jess moved. ‘She’s burning up, Lindsey.’
And they were running out of time. They could only hope the little one didn’t start fitting. And where was the damned doctor when you needed him? ‘Help me hold her, Jess.’ Lindsey’s calm request held nothing of her inner disquiet. ‘I need to get some readings here. Come on, baby, hold still for me,’ she pleaded. ‘OK, all done... Thanks, Jess.’
‘So, we’ll give paracetamol next?’ Jess had begun to step up into her role.
‘Yes.’ Lindsey placed what looked like a small piece of dissolvable paper under the little girl’s tongue. ‘Let’s hope it’ll start getting her temp down.’
* * *
Dan moved at speed through the casualty department. He’d barely pulled into the doctors’ car park when he’d been bleeped. And by rights he shouldn’t be here at all, but with Martin going home sick he was back on take for the early shift and straight into an emergency.
He pushed through the doors to Paeds Resus. ‘What do we have?’
Lindsey spun her head up, expecting to see Martin Lorimer, and went perfectly still for a beat. ‘Dan!’ She tamped down a slather of mixed emotions.
He gave a perfunctory nod. ‘What do we have?’ he repeated.
�
��Mia Roche, eighteen months old,’ Lindsey relayed. ‘Ongoing patient at the asthma clinic. Temperature forty-three, oxygen sats seventy-eight, pulse one-seventy. I’ve given oral paracetamol.’
Deep concern catapulted into Dan’s eyes. One glance told him the child was rapidly becoming cyanosed. They’d need to move fast. ‘Let’s get an IV up and running. Smallest cannula, please, Lindsey. I’ll need to crack a vein in Mia’s foot.’
They sprang into action, Jess restraining the distressed toddler as best she could while Lindsey assisted Dan.
‘Left foot, I think,’ he said tersely, gloving quickly. ‘I see a vein that might work for us.’
Lindsey’s heart twisted. Tiny child, tiny veins. She prayed Dan’s skill would be enough. ‘I have a cut-down tray ready just in case.’
‘We’re short on time so let’s hope not.’ Dan’s fingers were deft and sure. He secured the cannula on the first attempt, slapping down a dressing he’d stuck on the back of his left hand in readiness.
‘Nice work,’ Lindsey murmured, moving in to secure the site with a paediatric bandage.
Dan’s expression lightened fractionally. ‘Let’s run five hundred normal saline and adrenaline five, please. We need Mia on a Ventolin nebuliser. And, Jess, keep checking the sats, please.’
‘Yes, Doctor.’ After a few minutes the junior reported, ‘Sats up to eighty.’ Jess looked up hopefully. ‘That’s a good indication we’ve got her in time, isn’t it?’
Dan looked at the tiny, perfect fingertips. They were beginning to lose their blueness. ‘A way to go yet but looking hopeful.’ He flicked up his stethoscope. ‘I’ll have a listen to her chest now. See what that tells us. Left lobe a bit suspect,’ he said finally, straightening Mia’s little pyjama top. ‘She’s not allergic to anything, is she?’
‘No,’ Lindsey confirmed.
‘Then we’ll start with benzyl penicillin.’ He picked up Mia’s chart and began scribbling the dosage. ‘Plus Maxolon to keep things settled down. Both delivered IV.’
Lindsey prepared the medication, relieved beyond words Mia would pull through this episode and that it had been Dan who had been around to treat this special little girl. Even if he wasn’t aware of it, he had a natural affinity with kids. The thought made her happy.
‘You did really well,’ Lindsey said as she and Jess tidied up. ‘Want to debrief later?’
‘Thanks, Lindsey. That’d be awesome. Should I get back to the ward now?’
‘Yes. Van will have need of you, I’m sure.’
‘Excellent work, Jess.’ Dan added his congratulations. ‘Thanks for your help.’
Jess slipped out.
‘I’ll hang around until we can safely transfer Mia to Paeds ICU.’ Dan pulled up a stool and parked himself beside the bed. ‘Parents here?’
‘Mum is—Erin,’ Lindsey said.
Dan’s eyebrows twitched into a query. ‘Left it a bit late to bring the child in, didn’t she?’
‘No, she didn’t.’ Lindsey felt nettled. ‘Erin is extremely up to speed regarding Mia’s health. Very unfortunately, triage protocols were not followed here. Mia was kept waiting. I took over as soon as I got in. But I’m going to have to report it to the DON.’
Dan eyed her sharply. ‘Who was the nurse on triage?’
‘Brooke Bartholomew.’
Dan went very still, all his energies reined in. This could have dire consequences for the department if he didn’t speak up. ‘Brooke is battling with some personal issues.’
Lindsey felt wrong-footed. ‘How well do you know her?’
Dan hesitated briefly. ‘We were thrown together on night shift. She needed to talk so I listened.’
Suddenly the air was taut with tension. ‘So, what are you not saying, Dan?’
Dan was quietly monitoring his small patient. ‘Brooke spoke to me in confidence, Lindsey. I advised her to ask for a transfer to another department urgently.’
Lindsey frowned. ‘If she’s not fit to work, she shouldn’t be here.’
‘You’re right.’ Dan’s look was cool. ‘But Brooke was competent on the shifts I worked with her. So what could I do except counsel her to act in her own best interests? Unfortunately, it appears she hasn’t. I would have spoken to you about it but you were on leave. So do what you have to do.’
Lindsey shook her head in dismay. She hated having to report another nurse. ‘Will you speak with Erin now?’
Dan didn’t look up. Instead, he dragged in a weary breath and let it go. ‘Yes, of course.’
* * *
With Mia finally transferred, Lindsey went back to the station. ‘Everything OK here?’ she asked Vanessa.
‘Everything’s under control,’ Vanessa said shortly. ‘How’s Mia?’
‘She’ll be fine—eventually.’ Lindsey paused, swallowing back the swell of emotion that rose in her chest. This was so unlike her. Normally, at work she was clinical and objective. But the thought that things could have just as easily gone drastically wrong for Mia... ‘Keep covering for me, please, Van. I need to speak with Brooke.’
‘Good luck with that,’ Vanessa huffed. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I feel sorry for her. But the hospital’s good reputation could have been put at risk. We all work too hard for that to happen.’
Lindsey’s mouth tightened. She’d begun the day with such happiness in her heart. Now she was stuck with Brooke’s mess to clean up. She looked at Vanessa. ‘I asked Brooke to wait for me. Do you know where she is?’
‘She disappeared pretty fast.’ Vanessa picked up the phone as it rang. ‘Staffroom perhaps?’
Lindsey decided she’d go there first. She just hoped Brooke hadn’t cut and run. If only she knew the woman better. And why was Dan suddenly in the mix? she fretted as she pushed open the door to the staffroom. ‘Brooke...’ Lindsey took a steadying breath. She’d play this by the book. ‘Thanks for waiting.’
Brooke took off the black-framed spectacles she’d been wearing and closed the magazine she’d been reading. ‘How is the child?’
‘She’ll recover.’ Lindsey pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘You know I’ll have to report this to the Director of Nursing, don’t you?’
‘Am I going to lose my job?’
‘If there are mitigating circumstances, you won’t lose your job. But it’s not up to me, Brooke.’ During the awkward silence that followed, Lindsey took stock of her contemporary. Brooke had changed out of her uniform into denim overalls and a simple white T-shirt. Her fair hair was out of its knot and flowing freely around her shoulders. She looked curiously vulnerable. ‘Is there anything you want to tell me?’
Brooke’s chin came up defensively. ‘About what?’
‘Did you feel ill during your shift? Headache—anything that would have clouded your judgement?’
Brooke worked her bottom lip as if searching for words. Words that wouldn’t come.
Lindsey sighed audibly. ‘Look, I’ll do everything I can to advocate for you. But I’m in the dark here.’
‘I was seconds away from getting to Mia.’ Brooke tried to justify her actions. ‘We were swamped.’
Lindsey kept her cool. ‘You were on triage, Brooke. It means you’re the first contact. You follow very set protocols.’
‘Don’t you think I know that, Lindsey?’
‘OK.’ Lindsey pulled back in her chair and said quietly, ‘I’d urge you to be completely upfront with Clarissa. You’ll be supported, Brooke, but sadly there may have to be an inquiry.’
Brooke pressed a hand to her temple.
‘No one is ganging up on you here,’ Lindsey said. ‘But we have to follow the rules. Otherwise there’d be chaos throughout the hospital.’
The nurse didn’t reply, yet somehow her silence was deafening. ‘Are we done now?’
‘Yes, we’re don
e.’ Lindsey got to her feet. ‘Clarissa will be in touch.’
‘I’m on days off.’
‘But you’ll be available on your mobile?’
‘Yes.’ Brooke stood abruptly. Snapping up her shoulder bag from the back of the chair, she walked out.
* * *
Lindsey’s mind was churning as she made her way back to the station. As the song said, some days were stones. And today she felt like chucking her job and going to work in the scented serenity of a florist shop. ‘Van, a word, please?’
Her friend nodded and came over. ‘What happened?’ she asked curiously.
Lindsey tsked. ‘You know I can’t talk about that, Vanessa. But I need some air. Can you keep holding the fort for a while longer?’
Lindsey left the hospital by the rear staff entrance. The rain had cleared and the sun was strafing pools of light and warmth across the car park. Leaning against the brick wall, she tipped her head back, breathing in the pure, crisp air. Ah, that felt better. Then she lowered her head and levelled her gaze.
And that’s when she saw them.
Dan and Brooke standing beside a silver sports car—obviously Brooke’s—their heads very close together, one so dark, one so fair, absorbed in conversation. At least Dan was the one doing the talking while Brooke seemed drawn towards him, her hand on his arm, listening as though her very life depended on it.
Lindsey felt the drum-heavy beat in her chest align with the sudden recoil in her stomach. She dragged in a shallow breath, hurt and anger in equal parts clogging her throat. Not again!
Sick with uncertainty, she spun on her heel and dashed back through the doorway.
Dan found her in the staffroom barely seconds later. ‘Lindsey!’
Go away! she felt like screaming as she filled a paper cup at the sink. She took a gulp of water and then turned to face him.
He moved forward, wanting to take her by the shoulders, but caution held him back. Something in her face, her eyes. ‘Don’t go reading anything into what you just saw in the car park,’ he attempted.
Lindsey shook her head. She wouldn’t dignify any of this with a response. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about, Dan.’
