by Anne Fraser
‘Yes, many times. But always in a proper theatre. Are you suggesting we perform one here?’
‘There is a proper theatre in the local hospital which is ten minutes from here. It’s normally reserved for minor procedures but, as I told you this morning, it is fully equipped for emergencies such as this. Dr Lake, one of the Benbecula GPs, is qualified to act as an anaesthetist if we need one.’
Making up his mind, he turned to Dorothy and Meagan. ‘We don’t have time to wait for the air ambulance. If mother and baby are to stand a chance, we need to deliver the baby straight away. I’ll speak to Katie. Meagan, phone Ambulance Control and tell them what we are planning to do. They’ll need to come to evacuate mother and, hopefully, baby to Glasgow anyway. The surgery will patch you through. Dorothy, get hold of Dr Lake and get him to meet us at the hospital. Then phone the hospital and tell them to prepare the theatre. We’ll take Katie in my car. In the meantime, I’ll insert a catheter into Katie’s bladder to fill it. That’ll help keep the pressure off the cord and should buy us some time. Quickly, everyone. Time is critical.’ And before Meagan could say anything else, he disappeared inside the house.
Meagan and Dorothy looked at each other for one horror-struck moment before swinging into action. Tasks completed, they helped a terrified Katie into the car.
The young mother looked from Meagan to Cameron. She clutched at Meagan’s hand. ‘You’ve got to save my baby. I can’t lose this child. Promise me you’ll do everything you can. And, please, find Neil. I need him.’
By the time they arrived at the hospital Dr Lake had everything in place to perform the operation. Cameron and Meagan scrubbed up together while Dorothy kept an eye on the baby’s heartbeat.
‘Cameron, how many Caesareans have you carried out in the last two years?’ Meagan asked.
‘None,’ Cameron replied. ‘I did a few when I was a senior house officer. But I guess that was some time ago,’ he admitted.
‘I should do it, then,’ said Meagan firmly. ‘I’ve carried out tons in the last year and while I’d rather not be doing one here under these conditions, I think that I should do the procedure. Besides, you’re the one with paediatric experience and I have very little. You are going to have to work on that baby the moment it’s delivered.’
‘I can’t let you do it, Meagan. I made the decision to operate and if anything goes wrong, it will be my responsibility.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake, get off your high horse. The responsibility lies with both of us. Dangerous or not, I agree with you completely. If we are going to save them, we need to operate. And the best chance we have of pulling them through is for me to do the procedure and for you to stand by to resuscitate the baby if need be. Agreed?’
Cameron could tell when he was beaten. Besides, he could see that what Meagan was saying made perfect sense. He would have to trust her operating capabilities, just as she had trusted him enough to go along with his decision in the first place. And they didn’t have time to argue.
‘Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go,’ he said with a swift smile backing into the theatre.
Katie lay on the theatre table. Dr Lake bent over her, ready to administer the anaesthetic. She looked frightened and sought Cameron’s eyes for reassurance.
‘You and baby will be fine,’ he promised. ‘We’ll be transferring you both to Glasgow once we’ve finished here. I’ll travel with you and see you settled. We’ve managed to locate Neil and he’s on his way.’
Slowly Katie’s eyes closed as she succumbed to the anaesthetic. Meagan took a deep breath and in response to a quick nod from Cameron made a deep, sure incision across Katie’s abdomen. Within a matter of minutes she had cut through the protective sac that held the baby and gently lifted it into Cameron’s waiting arms. ‘A little girl,’ Cameron informed the room. ‘And not a bad size, considering she’s early.’
The baby looked blue and was unresponsive. Cameron quickly cleared the tiny girl’s mouth of any mucus that might be clogging her airway. Precious seconds ticked past but the baby’s heartbeat remained slow.
‘I’ll have to intubate,’ Cameron said quietly, and quickly inserted a small tube into the baby’s windpipe before attaching an ambu-bag to breathe air into the baby’s lungs. Dorothy rested her hand gently over the baby’s chest. ‘The heartbeat is improving and she’s pinking up nicely,’ she announced to everyone’s relief. ‘I think she’s going to be fine.’
Cameron removed the tube and moments later the welcome sound of a baby’s cry filled the theatre, causing a collective sigh of relief.
Meagan allowed herself a brief moment of pleasure before turning back to work on Katie. It was important as she sewed her up to ensure that all vessels that might be bleeding were securely tied off. In many ways this was the trickiest part of the procedure.
It was another thirty minutes before Meagan stood back, and peeling off her gloves, said with satisfaction, ‘Katie’ll be fine. She’s beginning to come round. Hopefully the air ambulance will be here by the time she wakes up so we can transfer her straight away. How’s the baby?’
‘She’s fine. But the sooner she gets to the special care baby unit in Glasgow the happier I’ll be. She’s going to need some intensive nursing for the next few days, but the biggest danger’s past. Nicely done, everyone.’ Cameron smiled his relief at Meagan. ‘Particularly you, Dr Galbraith. Welcome to the team.’
Katie, coming around from the anaesthetic, opened her eyes and, although still very sleepy, was alert enough to know that everything had gone well.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered, her eyes fixed on her baby
‘We’re not out of the woods yet,’ Cameron warned her, ‘but I suspect that in a short while we’ll be welcoming you and baby home. ‘
‘The air ambulance is here. And Neil has just arrived,’ called Dorothy, who had left theatre to investigate. Meagan felt the tension leave her body. The quicker mother and baby were safely in Glasgow, the better. As soon as the crew from the air ambulance were ready with their stretcher, they transferred Katie and wheeled her out to the waiting aircraft. Meagan followed them with the warmly wrapped newborn, who had been placed in an incubator. Cameron settled his patients, ensuring he had easy access to them both should they require help during the short flight. Within minutes the plane was making its final preparations for take-off.
‘Meagan, you’ll have to take the on-call tonight until I get back. In the meantime, if there are any problems, give one of the GPs in the other practice a shout. They’ll be glad to help. Won’t they, Dr Lake?’ he said over his shoulder. ‘I should be back in a few hours.’
And with a flurry of activity the plane took off with the small family for its return journey to Glasgow.
Once Meagan had written up her notes, she left the hospital. Before he left, Cameron had suggested that she leave the remaining visits until the next day as there wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait and it was now well after five o’clock.
However, Meagan thought that she would call on Effie as she knew that Jessie would be expecting her. After all, Grimsay House was on her way home. She would pop in on her way back from the surgery after she’d written up the notes on the other patients they’d seen that afternoon.
Jessie had heeded Meagan’s advice and kept Effie in bed for a second day, although, judging by the child’s high spirits, she was going to be up and about as soon as she could. Like the day before, Jessie insisted that Meagan follow her to the kitchen for tea and ‘a wee bite to eat’. It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but she remembered what Cameron had said earlier in the day. Besides, she enjoyed Jessie’s easy company.
‘Well, Meagan—Dr Galbraith—you’ve certainly made an impact on your first few days on our island!’ Jessie said as she buttered pancakes. ‘First your near miss on the road and then saving the life of Katie White’s new baby. The phone lines were hot when the air ambulance was spotted arriving. We haven’t had this much excitement on the island since Donald Bhan
’s bull chased a hapless tourist last year. I think I’m going to like having you around,’ Jessie chuckled.
Meagan smiled ruefully. ‘I keep forgetting how quickly news spreads on the island. Yes, we were lucky with Mrs White’s baby but that’s our job. It shouldn’t be made more of than that.’
‘Oh, don’t be so modest. Everyone says you and Cameron made a fantastic team. We are very lucky to have you here.’
‘Thanks Jessie,’ Meagan replied, deciding to accept the praise with good grace. ‘But, please, call me Meagan. And, besides, you are right—it was a team effort. Cameron really is an excellent doctor. The island is lucky to have someone with his level of experience with children here.’
‘And good-looking, too,’ Jessie added with a teasing look at Meagan.
‘Is he? I can’t say I noticed,’ Meagan lied, hoping that a tell-tale blush wasn’t staining her cheeks. The last thing she needed or wanted was speculation about her and Cameron.
‘Please, don’t get any ideas Jessie,’ she continued, more sharply than she had intended. ‘Cameron and I are colleagues and apart from the fact that I’m not looking for romance, I happen to think it’s a bad idea for colleagues to get involved. Anyway, I very much doubt if I am the kind of woman to interest Dr Stuart,’ she finished with a fleeting smile. ‘And what’s more, he and Rachel still seem involved.’
‘Ah, Cameron and Rachel. I guess you know that they were married. And that Ian’s their son?’
‘They still seem to be a couple. Doesn’t she still live here?’ Meagan tried hard to keep the curiosity from her voice.
‘Rachel lives in London most of the time. Ian lives here, with his father. Rachel comes back every couple of weeks to see Ian and naturally she stays here. There is no shortage of space after all.’
‘Why doesn’t Ian live with his mother?’ Meagan asked. ‘Wouldn’t that be the usual arrangement?’
‘Cameron feels he can provide a more stable environment for him here. Mrs MacLeod and I help look after him when Cameron’s at work. And, besides, all this will be Ian’s one day. It’s right that he’s brought up here. And anyway…’ She bit her lip as if she had started to say something and then changed her mind. ‘Hey, I thought you weren’t interested in Cameron.’ She grinned at Meagan.
‘I’m not,’ Meagan protested. Then, feeling as if she had been too forceful, she added, ‘Or at any rate, only to the extent anyone is interested in the people they work with. But, yes, let’s talk about something else. You, for instance.’
Apart from a perceptive look at Meagan, Jessie wisely changed the subject.
As they chatted like old friends, they arranged to meet up for a bar supper one evening. Jessie would get her mother to look after Effie so that she could enjoy a rare night out.
Meagan eventually returned home around eight that evening. She had wanted to ensure that all the notes were up to date and that the nurses had an opportunity to tell her about any patients who might call her out that night. Despite Cameron telling her that he’d take over the on-call when he returned from Glasgow, Meagan was sure he’d be too tired and had instructed the staff to direct all emergencies to her. She had also had to make a call on a young woman who had a suspected fracture. Meagan had dispatched her by road to the hospital for an X-ray and the cast that Meagan was confident she’d require.
She had just finished stoking up the fire and warming up the pan of stew with dumplings that Mrs Macleod had left for her when there was a knock on the door. Meagan opened it to find Cameron leaning against the doorframe. As she had suspected he was exhausted. Lines of tiredness etched his face.
Noticing her anxious appraisal of him and thinking it related to Katie, Cameron was quick to reassure Meagan. ‘I thought I’d call on my way home to let you know that mother and baby are doing well,’ he said, smiling his lopsided grin, ‘and to pick up the on-call report.’ He sniffed the air appreciatively. ‘Let me guess. Mrs MacLeod’s famous stew and dumplings?’
‘You guessed right. Please, won’t you join me? You couldn’t have had anything to eat for hours,’ Meagan offered, keen to build on the camaraderie that they appeared to be establishing.
‘Now, that’s an offer I can’t refuse,’ said Cameron, stepping through to the tiny kitchen. His broad frame seemed to fill the room. ‘Knowing Flora, she’ll have made enough to feed an army. And I am ravenous.’
As they sat and ate, they chatted comfortably about the day’s events. Having informed him she would remain on call for the night, Meagan brought him up to date on the evening surgery and the patient that she had sent to hospital.
As they drank their coffee they chatted companionably about work and Meagan found herself telling him about her experiences with Médecins Sans Frontières.
‘Of course,’ she admitted, ‘it wasn’t all success stories. We lost many patients we shouldn’t have, either through lack equipment or through lack of proper experience.’ Memories of the patients’ they had lost caused her eyes to fill momentarily with tears and she missed the look of compassion in Cameron’s eyes.
Cameron was finding the mixture of enthusiasm and sadness in the young woman who sat across from him aroused feelings that he hadn’t known for a long time. She was unaware that the passion she felt for her work showed in her face and gestures as she talked animatedly about her time abroad.
He also knew what it was like to lose a patient to inexperience. Even if that inexperience hadn’t been his, he had still felt responsible.
Almost without knowing what he was doing, he leant across and gently brushed a tear from her face. He’d like to banish the sadness from this woman’s eyes.
Cameron watched as the conflicting emotions chased themselves across Meagan’s face. Despite himself, he was still powerfully attracted to her. Mesmerised, he reached over to her and pulled her up and against him. For a long moment they gazed deeply into each other’s eyes before Cameron stood up and, muttering something in Gaelic, pulled her towards him, cupping her chin in one hand while tracing the contours of her mouth with the slender fingers of his other hand. Suddenly with a groan he covered her mouth with his, gently at first then, as he felt her response, more urgently. She felt his body grow hard with desire and she moulded her body to his. Time seem to stand still as they explored each other’s bodies with their mouths and hands. Cameron let his hands travel over her breasts down to encircle her narrow waist before they came to rest on her hips, pulling her ever closer. The part of Meagan’s mind that was still rational was shocked, but the other part had long ago thrown caution to the wind. All she wanted at that moment was for Cameron not to stop but to possess her completely, extinguishing the last shred of the hurt of Charlie’s betrayal.
Just then the shrill sound of the telephone cut through the air. Cameron released her reluctantly and for a moment they stood looking at each other and breathing deeply. Cameron’s eyes glowed almost black with passion
‘You better get that,’ Cameron suggested. ‘It could be someone looking for the on-call doctor.’
Still a little dazed, Meagan answered the phone.
It was a patient, complaining of a sore foot. Meagan offered to visit but the patient, a man in his early forties, was adamant that she wasn’t to put herself out. He’d be happy, he reassured her, if he could come and see her the next day at the surgery. And really he wouldn’t have called at all if his wife hadn’t made him.
Satisfied that she had done all she could, Meagan advised some painkillers to help him sleep. ‘Come and see me at the surgery tomorrow,’ she said, then ended the call.
When Meagan returned to the sitting room Cameron was standing, hands deep in his pockets, looking distant.
‘Who was it?’ he asked, his voice cool.
‘Someone complaining of a sore foot. I’ve arranged to see him at the surgery tomorrow. A Mr McLean.’ Meagan was puzzled by the change in Cameron.
‘Robert McLean?’ Cameron asked sharply. ‘From Howbeg?’
‘Yes,’ Meagan repl
ied. ‘Do you know him?’
Cameron looked thoughtful. ‘Robert MacLean. The patient we didn’t make it to today. He has a long history of unstable diabetes. He rarely calls the doctor out but when he does it usually means that it’s something quite serious.’ He frowned. ‘Really, Meagan, you should have taken a more detailed history over the phone or at the very least passed the call to me.’
Meagan was dismayed and hurt by his attitude. OK, she probably should have taken a more detailed history, but the patient had seemed reluctant for her to visit and had seemed satisfied to see her the next morning. Cameron’s annoyance seemed out of proportion to the situation.
‘If I had known he had a history of diabetes, of course I would have gone to see him. In fact,’ she said ‘I’ll go and see him now.’
‘No, I’ll go. I think its better—don’t you? And in future please take the time to read the notes of patients before making a decision whether or not to visit.’
Meagan could hardly believe that the man in front of her was the same man who only a short time ago had been making love to her. What on earth had got into her? Hadn’t she only hours before promised herself that she would keep him at a distance? And, as far as she knew, there was still something between him and Rachel. She had let this man tramp all over her feelings once before, and it seemed as if he was quite prepared to do so again—if she let him.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said stiffly. ‘It won’t happen again.’ She knew that he knew she wasn’t just referring to the patient.
‘And, Meagan—’ he turned towards her as he made to leave ‘—I think it would be better if we both forgot about what just happened here. Please, forgive me—I had no right.’
