Dr. Campbell's Secret Son

by Anne Fraser

  Sarah hurried inside to join her patient. She passed Jamie examining a small child in one of the cubicles. The child was distressed but conscious. Jamie looked up. ‘Neil here is fine. A bit shaken, but no damage done. His car seat kept him well protected. We’ll just keep him under observation for an hour or two. He said his mummy fell asleep, but that’s all I can get out of him so far. Except for a name—Lucy Croy. Do you need any help?’

  ‘Yes, please. If you feel Neil will be OK for the time being with the nursing staff? I could use you in Resus.’

  ‘I’ll be back just as soon as I can, Neil.’ Jamie said soothingly. ‘I’m just going to check up on your mum. Nurse Winter here will look after you. She’s got a little boy of just your age.’

  As Jamie walked with Sarah she filled him in on the condition of the two other accident victims.

  The resus room was a hive of activity when they entered. Doctors and nurses surrounded the two patients, taking blood and setting up drips. Although the air of tension in the room was palpable, everyone was working calmly and efficiently. Mr James had been connected to an ECG machine, which was checking his heart rhythm. One of the junior doctors, a cheerful-looking woman in her mid-twenties who had been introduced to Sarah as Dr Karen Davidson, looked up.

  ‘I’ll have the results of his ECG in a few moments and have also taken blood to check his troponin level.’

  As one, Jamie and Sarah decided to concentrate on Lucy, who appeared to have regained consciousness but was thrashing around confused.

  ‘We’ve started a drip on this lady. We’ve taken blood and urine samples. I’ve rung Obstetrics and they’re sending someone down. Any clue as to what happened?’ Dr Thompson asked.

  ‘All we know so far is what the son has told us. He said she fell asleep, but whether he means before the accident or after is unclear. He said her name is Lucy, Lucy Croy,’ Jamie replied.

  ‘My son, is he OK? Please, I need to see him.’ Lucy’s eyes darted around the room, searching for her little boy. She tried to sit up. Gently Sarah pressed her back onto the trolley.

  ‘Just relax. Neil is absolutely fine. You can see him shortly. But first we need to check you over. Can you remember what happened?’

  ‘Not really. No. Nothing until I woke up here. My baby—is my baby OK?’ Lucy clutched her abdomen.

  Lizzie bent over Lucy, using the Doptone to search for the baby’s heartbeat. She glanced up at Sarah. ‘Baby’s heartbeat seems fine. But I think we should get Lucy attached to a foetal monitor to be on the safe side.’

  ‘Good idea.’ She looked enquiringly at Jamie, who had been examining Lucy’s head wound.

  ‘Seems superficial, although it’s bled quite a lot. I’d be surprised if it’s serious enough to have caused the loss of consciousness, though. We’ll get a head CT just to be sure.’

  ‘Dr Carruthers, I have the results of Mr James’s tests, if you have a moment,’ Dr Davidson called over.

  ‘You go on. We’re fine here.’ Jamie said. ‘We’ll know more once we get the blood and urine results.’

  Sarah introduced herself to the elderly man lying on the trolley.

  ‘I’m just going to examine you, Mr James. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?’

  ‘It’s Bill,’ he gasped, clearly in some pain. ‘I’m all right—a little groggy perhaps. But my chest. It’s awfully sore.’

  He didn’t appear to have any chest injury—she’d checked for bruising or chest tenderness automatically in her rapid but thorough initial assessment.

  ‘Please—could somebody phone my wife? She’ll be worried sick. I was only going to the garage to get some petrol. She’d have expected me to be back a long time ago.’ Bill was clearly getting increasingly anxious. He struggled to get off the trolley. ‘I need to be getting back…’

  ‘Please, Mr James—Bill—try and relax. We’ll let your wife know where you are,’ Sarah said reassuringly.

  She nodded to Dr Davidson. ‘Could you ask one of the nursing staff to try and reach Mrs James? I’d just like to re-examine Bill.’

  Sarah’s brow furrowed as she reviewed Mr James’s ECG. She was at a loss to explain his chest pain. He was a little muddled and was unable to give a clear account of the accident. She fully expected the ECG to show ischaemic changes and was baffled when it appeared normal. But the old man continued to complain of severe chest pain. His blood pressure was low, where she would have expected it to be higher. Karen was looking to her to explain the symptoms, but she couldn’t. It was her first real test as a consultant and she was scared she was going to fail it. If only Dr MacDonald were here! She looked up from studying Mr James’s X-ray to find Jamie at her elbow.

  ‘Problems?’ he asked quietly. Jamie had always been protective of her, right through medical school and beyond. It was on the tip of her tongue to retort that she was managing just fine. It was she who was the senior doctor after all! But she knew her reaction was more likely a response to his proximity. Although she wanted nothing more than to put a million miles between them again, Sarah was too much of a professional to ever let personal feelings get in the way of patient care. And, she admitted to herself, there was no one whose medical opinion she trusted more than Jamie’s.

  ‘His symptoms don’t quite fit. I’ve looked at his ECG and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t expect in someone of his age.’

  ‘OK if I examine him?’

  ‘Please. I need all the help I can get.’

  Jamie returned a few minutes later, looking worried. ‘You’re right, it is puzzling, but I have come across something like it once before. I can’t be sure, though, until I see his chest X-ray.’

  ‘I’ve got it up here.’

  As Jamie moved closer to scrutinise the X-ray, he brushed against her. Sarah felt an electric shock go through her body that made her toes curl.

  ‘Tell me what you see,’ Jamie prompted.

  Sarah studied the X-ray for a few moments. ‘His aorta seems a little wider than I would have expected—but I can’t be sure.’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ agreed Jamie. ‘But it would be helpful to know if it’s always been like that or whether this is something new.’

  ‘Hey, doesn’t the department have a computer link with Radiology?’ Sarah said.

  ‘Good thinking. We should be able to compare this with any previous X-ray films.’ Jamie and Sarah grinned at each other and she felt the past drift away. God, it felt good to be working with Jamie again. Just that? The treacherous inner voice was back.

  Sarah called Lizzie over, who confirmed that they were able to do what she had asked. Minutes later Mr James’s previous X-rays were displayed on the computer screen.

  ‘Bingo!’ Sarah exclaimed. ‘There, you can see that his aorta is definitely wider than before. Looks like it’s ruptured. That would explain his symptoms. We’d better get someone from Cardio. The sooner he’s taken to Theatre the better. Could you page for someone, Lizzie? And let Theatre know?’ She turned to Jamie and saw her delight mirrored in his eyes.

  ‘Well spotted,’ he said warmly.

  ‘Team effort.’ she replied sincerely

  ‘We always did make a good team, didn’t we?’

  Jamie’s words hung in the air. Although she knew that he could be referring to when they had been trainees together, the look in his eyes told her that he meant something quite different.

  ‘Jamie, I…’ she started to say just as the cardiothoracic consultant, with an entourage of students, rushed in.

  ‘I believe you’ve got a damaged aorta for me?’

  ‘I’ll leave you to it while I check up on Mrs. Croy, shall I?’ Jamie dropped one eye in a slow wink before walking away.

  ‘We’re pretty certain.’ Quickly and concisely Sarah explained Mr James’s history.

  ‘You’re absolutely right,’ the surgeon congratulated her. ‘Well picked up. It’s a pretty subtle sign on the X-ray and quite often gets missed until the patient’s collapsed.’

  ‘I would
n’t have picked it up without Dr Campbell suggesting it might be a possibility. It’s not something I’ve ever come across. Luckily he had once before.’

  Once Bill had been taken up to Theatre, Sarah returned to Lucy’s bedside.

  ‘She’ll be going up to X-Ray soon,’ Jamie informed Sarah. ‘In the meantime, we’ll keep her under close observation.’ One of the nursing staff had brought Neil in to see her and he was sitting quietly, holding his mother’s hand and watching the activity in the room with wide-eyed interest. Lucy seemed a lot calmer now that she had her son by her side. Sarah stretched to ease the kinks in her back.

  ‘Well done, everyone. Great work.’ Sarah glanced at her watch. ‘Good grief, is that the time?’ Hours had passed since the ambulances had arrived and Sarah was suddenly conscious of feeling ravenous. Besides, she wanted to check on Calum. ‘If you guys want to go for lunch, I’ll man the fort until you come back.’

  Jamie eyed Sarah. She was still as beautiful as he remembered in a delicate way that belied the iron resolve he knew underpinned everything she did. She looked tired, dark circles bruised the delicate skin under her eyes. But despite the tiredness there was a new fullness to her breasts and roundness to her cheeks that hadn’t been there before. At one time he had known every inch of her body and these curves were most definitely new. Nice, but new. He longed to run his hands over her body to refamiliarise himself with her contours. Damn it! He wanted to do more than that, he admitted to himself.

  ‘I had a huge breakfast,’ he said, patting his lean abdomen. ‘I’m quite happy to wait an hour or so. Why don’t you go with Lizzie? She can continue filling you in about the department while I check at Reception and deal with any waiting patients.’

  ‘No, you and Sarah go, Jamie.’ Lizzie suggested. ‘I’ve checked and there’s nobody waiting to see a doctor just now. I’ll stay with Lucy. Besides, I’m on a diet,’ she said, indicating her curves. ‘Need to get into my dress for the wedding so I brought a salad. I can always page you if I need you. Go on the pair of you—shoo.’

  Sarah didn’t feel ready to be alone with Jamie. There were things she needed to tell him, but she wanted to be away from the distractions of the hospital so they could talk without interruption. Furthermore, she couldn’t think clearly in his presence. She desperately wanted time alone to gather her thoughts.

  And her feet were killing her. The new shoes she hadn’t been able to resist to go with her new suit were rubbing painfully. She’d forgotten what it was like to be constantly on your feet. It would be comfortable if unfashionable shoes from now on, she promised herself. She flicked off one high-heeled shoe and rubbed her sore toes on the back of a trousered leg.

  ‘I’m quite happy to put my feet up for a few moments in the staffroom with a cup of coffee.’

  But Jamie clearly had other ideas. ‘You need to eat.’ he said firmly. ‘I’ll go to the canteen and get some sandwiches—you put the kettle on. Then you can put your feet up while you’re eating. There’s a spare pair of theatre sandals in the cupboard if you like.’

  Good grief, did nothing escape the man? Sore feet or not, nothing would persuade her to clump around in theatre sandals. She glared at Jamie, making it clear that she found his suggestion preposterous. Noting the twinkle in Jamie’s eyes, she smiled ruefully. He obviously remembered the fetish she had always had for shoes.

  ‘You win. Five minutes in the staffroom?’

  Sarah filled the kettle and set out the mugs for coffee before reaching for the phone. Although she had promised not to call, she couldn’t help herself. She just had to check that Calum wasn’t upset and crying for her.

  As she waited for the call to be answered, Jamie arrived back with a pile of sandwiches and some fruit, which he dumped on the coffee-table.

  ‘There, that should see us through the next few hours,’ he said. ‘Sorry, I didn’t notice you were on the phone.’

  ‘There’s no answer,’ Sarah replied, replacing the receiver, small lines of anxiety creasing her brow. Could Calum be sick? Had her mother taken him to the doctor? Don’t be silly, she admonished herself. Perhaps they’d gone for a walk or her mother was changing Calum and couldn’t come to the phone. There could be a hundred reasons. That didn’t stop her from worrying, however.

  ‘Is anything wrong?’ Jamie asked, as ever tuned into her moods.

  ‘My mother isn’t answering the phone.’

  ‘Is that a problem? Is she ill?’ Jamie had met Sarah’s mother often and the last he’d known she had been in the best of health. Still, she was getting older and it had been a long time since he had last seen her.

  ‘No it’s not that. It’s…’ Sarah tailed off.

  Jamie looked at her quizzically, cocking an eyebrow.

  Just as Sarah was formulating the words to tell Jamie about Calum, there was a soft tap on the door and one of the male nurses popped his head into the room.

  ‘Visitor, or should I say visitors, for you, Dr Carruthers. And can I just say he’s absolutely gorgeous.’ He stepped back, allowing Sarah’s mother, with Calum in her arms, to enter.

  ‘Mum! What is it? Is Calum all right?’ Sarah said anxiously, reaching for her son. But it was immediately apparent from the smiles and gurgles as big brown eyes gazed into hers adoringly that her child was in perfect health.

  ‘We were out for a walk, so I thought we’d just step in for a moment and say hello. We’d have crept away without disturbing you if you’d been busy. But I thought it would put your mind at rest if you could see for yourself how perfectly content Calum is.’

  Catching sight of Jamie, Sarah’s mother’s lips formed a large O. ‘Well, I never! Jamie. I must say I didn’t expect to find you here.’ She looked from Sarah to Jamie, perplexed.

  For a moment Sarah froze. In her anxiety for her son, she had completely forgotten about Jamie’s presence. She resisted the desire to grab her son and bolt from the room. Anything to put off the moment when she’d have to tell him. She sneaked a look at Jamie, who was looking confused. ‘Jamie is the locum consultant here, Mum. He started a few weeks ago. Jamie, this is Calum, my son.’

  ‘Your son!’ Jamie said disbelievingly. Well, why not? He hadn’t expected her to live the life of a nun. Heaven knew, he hadn’t. But he hadn’t expected her to find someone else so soon. Had she been that desperate to have children? How old was the child? Around six months, he guessed, although he was no expert. He started doing some mental arithmetic in his head. That meant she must have fallen pregnant soon after he’d left. That was quick.

  Sarah busied herself pouring coffee. She turned her back on Jamie, taking a few deep breaths to steady her nerves. The teacup rattled in the saucer.

  ‘Mama.’ Calum gave a plaintive cry, reaching once more for his mother.

  ‘You take your child. I’ll get the coffee,’ Jamie offered. Sarah scooped Calum into her arms. She covered his face with kisses, murmuring soothing endearments until he stopped fretting. Calum turned his wide brown eyes on Jamie. He had seen those eyes before. Then suddenly it hit him. Those were the same eyes he saw in the mirror every morning when he shaved.

  Sarah stole a glance at Jamie. The colour had drained from his face as he looked from her to Calum. His lips tightened and his eyes were as grim as she had ever seen them. She felt the blood run cold in her veins. Not just angry she thought—furious.

  ‘Mrs Carruthers, could you excuse us, please?’ Jamie said, a river of steel running through his voice. ‘I think Sarah and I have to talk.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘WE DO have to talk, Jamie, but this is not the time or the place.’ Sarah said, unwrapping the small arms from around her neck. ‘Mum, could you take Calum home now, please?’

  Mrs Carruthers moved to take Calum from his mother’s arms but the baby, sensing the tension in the room, clung tighter to his mother.

  ‘I’ll just step out for a minute, shall I?’ Calum’s grandmother said, beating a hasty retreat and closing the door behind her.

  �
��You had no right.’ Jamie’s eyes were almost black with fury—and something else. Could it be fear? wondered Sarah. Was he that terrified of becoming a father? Well, he needn’t worry. She and Calum had managed just fine without him and would continue to manage without him. Or so she tried to convince herself, deliberately forcing back the memories of the lonely nights when she had longed for his strong body next to hers, his comforting arms around her, sharing the joys and anxieties of parenthood as well as her bed.

  ‘It is nothing to do with you, Jamie. You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want children—or me, for that matter.’ Sarah fought hard to keep her voice steady. She had no intention of letting him know how much he had hurt her when he had left.

  ‘Were you ever going to let me know?’

  ‘Let you know what exactly?’

  ‘That I had fathered a child.’

  ‘Are you so sure that it’s yours?’ Sarah bit back, and then immediately regretted the words. Of course he had to know Calum was his. Despite the fact he had made it clear that he never wanted children, he did have the right to know. Even if he wanted nothing to do with either of them.

  ‘Not mine?’ For a moment hope flared in his deep brown eyes. Sarah felt as if her heart had been squeezed.

  Jamie strode towards her, his mouth set in a grim line. Involuntarily, Sarah stepped back, hugging Calum protectively. Jamie shot her a look of questioning anguish before gently moving aside the blanket covering the small body. The baby gazed up at him with solemn brown eyes. A tiny hand reached out and wrapped itself around one of Jamie’s fingers. The child pulled the finger into his mouth and gnawed with the nub of a tooth. Jamie’s heart lurched. He felt ill.

  ‘Oh, Sarah, what have you done?’ he said, his voice edged with despair.

  Sarah had imagined this moment for months. But never quite like this. In the small hours of the night, when she had lain in her big empty bed almost overwhelmed with the responsibility for the small life that depended so utterly on her, she’d imagined Jamie coming back into her life and, if not loving her, at least loving his child. She had never expected, or wanted, his financial help—she earned enough to provide quite comfortably for her and her child—but Calum needed a father figure. Someone who would play football with him, take him fishing, all the things that she imagined other fathers did.