A Very Special Child

by Jennifer Taylor

  Conditions at her house had been no better or worse than she’d expected. The carpets were ruined and it was going to take a lot of work to get the place straight. Given the choice, she would have loved to have moved out while someone else sorted out the mess but that just wasn’t possible.

  Claire had immediately offered to have Robbie to stay when Laura had explained what had happened. She’d urged Laura to stay as well, but she’d refused. Someone had to do the clearing-up, although she quailed at the thought of setting to after a hard day at work. Still, at least she had some of the problem solved, which was a relief. So long as Robbie was taken care of then she would manage well enough herself.

  The night staff were still on duty when she went into the ward, which was strange. Madge Bickerstaffe, the night sister, greeted her with relief. ‘Thank heavens! I had this horrible feeling that we might end up having to stay all day if you lot couldn’t get into work! Jane only made it a few minutes ago. She had to walk because there were no buses along her route. And Cathy phoned to say that she’ll be here as soon as she can dig her car out of her driveway.’

  Laura smiled at the fervent welcome. ‘Nice to be needed!’ She looked round the ward, immediately noticing how crowded it was with the addition of extra beds. ‘How are things here, anyway?’

  ‘A lot less hectic than they were at ten o’clock last night, I can tell you.’ Madge grimaced, her pleasant face shadowed with sorrow. ‘You heard about Rachel’s sister, did you?’

  ‘Yes, Mark told me this morning,’ Laura confirmed, without stopping to think. She coloured as she saw the quizzical look Madge gave her, although the older woman didn’t question her further.

  ‘Such a tragedy. She taught both my two lads and they thought the world of her. A wonderful teacher and a devoted mother, too, from all accounts.’ Madge looked down the ward, her eyes alighting on a bed close to the door. ‘That poor kid is going to have a lot to come to terms with in the next few months.’

  ‘I believe she lost part of her right leg,’ Laura murmured softly.

  ‘There wasn’t anything anyone could do. Tom Hartley went out with the ambulance crew and he had to amputate at the scene of the accident. He was really shaken up about it. Thank God Mark was here to talk some sense into him. If I had to choose anyone to be with in times of crisis, it’s Mark Dawson. He’s just great!’

  It was obvious that Madge held the same high opinion of Mark as everyone else did. Laura glowed with pride before she realised how silly it was. Just because Mark had been kind to her last night, that didn’t mean she had any right to feel so possessive. It was a little disconcerting when Mark suddenly appeared while she was still berating herself.

  ‘Hi, you got here all right, I see,’ he said, smiling at her in a way that didn’t help. Was it her imagination or was he looking at her as though she were more than just a very new colleague and unexpected house-guest?

  She took a deep breath, conscious of Madge’s interested gaze moving from Mark to her. Maybe it wasn’t imagination after all, a small voice whispered insidiously. Not if Madge had noticed as well!

  She buried that thought as deep as she could, determined not to let it surface again. ‘Yes, thank you,’ she replied, as polite as a guest at a vicarage tea party.

  Mark’s eyes gleamed with amusement as he heard the formal note in her voice. His own tone was almost too bland in contrast. ‘Good.’

  He turned to Madge, sounding far more purposeful as he brought her up to date on the condition of one of the children who was in Intensive Care. Laura edged away, making her way to Katie’s bed to give herself a bit of breathing space. She was bound to feel a little…well, edgy around Mark after last night, but it would be silly to go reading too much into it. After all, she simply wasn’t used to being in anyone’s debt this way.

  ‘So, how’s my best patient today?’ Laura asked, noticing how despondent Katie looked. She gave the child a warm smile as she picked up a hairbrush from the locker. ‘Want me to brush your hair for you, poppet?’

  Katie nodded as she wriggled herself up against the pillows. She sat very still as Laura gently ran the bristles through her wispy hair. ‘My mummy doesn’t brush my hair anymore,’ she said in a dull little voice. ‘She says that I’m not a baby now and that I have to do things myself ’cos she’s tired of doing everything for me. Do you think that’s why she hasn’t been to see me, Laura? ’Cos she’s tired?’

  Laura put down the brush, wondering how best to answer the innocent question. How could any mother stay away from her child like this?

  ‘I’m not sure, sweetheart. Maybe your mummy is a bit tired and is finding it difficult to get here,’ she replied, not wanting to give the woman even that much of an excuse but feeling that she had to rather than hurt Katie’s feelings any more.

  Katie nodded sagely. ‘Uh-huh. Mummy said that she needed a holiday ’cos she was tired. Do you think that she’s gone to the seaside? She had her swimming costume on the bed.’

  Laura just managed to contain her shock. ‘Did she? When was that, Katie? Can you remember?’

  ‘Course! It was the day I came here,’ Katie explained importantly.

  ‘I see. What a clever girl you are to remember!’ Laura smiled at the child, although it was hard to hide her dismay. Maybe she was way off track but she had a nasty suspicion that she might know what had happened to Katie’s errant mother!

  She found the little girl a colouring book and some crayons and left her colouring in a picture while she went to have a word with Mark. He was in the office, slumped behind the desk with his eyes closed, when she tracked him down. She paused in the doorway, wondering if she should disturb him. He had been up all night and the effects of the long hours were clear to see in the deep lines etched either side of his mouth. She was just turning to leave when he opened his eyes and grinned at her.

  ‘I’m not really asleep. Just catnapping.’ He stretched his arms above his head and yawned luxuriantly. Laura hastily looked away as muscles rippled beneath his thin T-shirt. He hadn’t stopped to change before rushing out the previous night and was still wearing the same outfit he’d put on after bathing Robbie. She couldn’t help thinking back to what had happened in the kitchen as she’d brushed past him…

  She cleared her throat, forcing herself to concentrate, although it wasn’t the easiest thing she’d had to do. Mark Dawson seemed to have an alarming effect on her equilibrium, making her mind spin off at tangents whenever it got chance!

  ‘It’s about Katie. I have a nasty feeling about where her mother might have got to.’

  ‘Really?’ Mark’s brows drew together.

  ‘It was something Katie just said, about her mother being tired and needing a holiday…’ she began, but Mark was ahead of her.

  He shot to his feet, his face darkening with anger. ‘You mean that you think she’s gone away somewhere?’

  She shrugged. ‘I might be wrong, of course, but yes. You said that you were unable to contact her at home and that she hasn’t been in to see Katie. It just seems to add up, doesn’t it? Her mother has gone off with the new boyfriend, leaving Katie if not at home alone, then in hospital alone.’

  ‘I think you could be right. In fact, I’m going to have a word with Gill Marsh, the social worker, right away. I had asked her to see if she could get in touch with Katie’s mother—maybe she needs to get onto the police to see if your suspicions are correct.’

  ‘I might be wrong,’ she warned.

  ‘And, there again, you might not.’ Mark came round the desk and smiled at her. His grey eyes were so warm that Laura felt her breath catch. It was an effort not to show how she felt as he added softly, ‘Thanks, Laura. I knew you were going to be worth your weight in gold as a member of this team, and I was right.’

  The teasing softness of his tone didn’t disguise the fact that he meant every word, and Laura’s heart kicked into overdrive. It was a relief when Fiona Watts, Director of Nursing, suddenly appeared to check how they were faring
for staff.

  Laura left them discussing the problem and went back to the ward. Cathy Oliver, the staff nurse on duty, had taken charge, and she asked Laura to see if she could persuade Bethany to eat something.

  Laura went to the girl’s bed, her heart aching at the expression of despair on the teenager’s face. The double blow of losing her mother and part of her leg was going to be very difficult for the youngster to get over.

  ‘Hi, Bethany, I’m Laura. I’m going to be your nurse while you’re here.’

  She paused but Bethany didn’t say anything. She was lying on her back, a cage holding the bedclothes away from her injured leg. Her pretty face was covered with scrapes and her left arm was bandaged from wrist to elbow. Laura took the chart off the end of the bed and scanned through it, relieved to find that Bethany’s arm wasn’t broken but just badly bruised.

  Putting the chart back in its place, she picked up the bowl of cereal from the breakfast tray. ‘Can I help you with this, love? It must be difficult managing by yourself with your injured arm.’

  Bethany’s dull blue eyes glanced her way before she deliberately turned her face into the pillow. Laura sighed as she put the bowl back on the tray then took it back to the kitchen. Bethany needed time to come to terms with what had happened, but it wasn’t going to be easy to help her, from the look of it.

  The day seemed even more hectic than the previous one, thanks to the influx of new patients and being a member of staff down. Fiona Watts managed to find temporary cover over lunchtime from the surgical wards. They were slightly less busy because all elective surgery due to take place that day had been cancelled because of the bad weather. The snow had caused havoc in the town and there was a lot of grumbling in the canteen when Laura went for her lunch about the trouble people had had getting into work.

  She selected her food then looked round for a seat, hesitating as Mark waved to her from the far side of the room. However, there were very few spare places left so it would have been silly to refuse his invitation. He stood and pulled out her chair with old world courtesy as she put her tray down.

  ‘Thanks.’ Laura took her seat, feeling a little frisson dance down her spine as he smiled at her with such warmth that she would have needed to have been blind not to notice it. Did he always smile at people that way? she wondered giddily as she began unloading her plate of shepherd’s pie from the tray. As though they were very special?

  She had no idea what the answer was so decided it was wiser not to think about it. Picking up the bottle of mineral water she’d bought to drink with her meal, she struggled to undo the cap.

  ‘Here, let me do that.’

  Mark took the bottle from her, swiftly dealing with the recalcitrant metal cap. He filled her glass with the sparkling water then set the bottle beside her plate.

  ‘Thank you. You have the devil’s own job getting the tops off some of these things, don’t you?’ she said for something to say then inwardly winced. Talk about witty repartee!

  ‘You do. I can’t decide if the manufacturers are paranoid about people contaminating their products or merely sadistic and enjoy watching everyone struggle!’ He grinned at her, instantly turning her inane remark into a point worthy of discussion.

  Laura picked up her knife and fork, realising with a glow of pleasure how typical it was of him. Mark would never hurt anyone’s feelings by making them feel embarrassed if he could help it.

  ‘So, how has it been this morning? I bet it’s been hectic in the ward,’ he observed, leaning back in his chair with a frown on his face. It was obvious that he really was interested to hear how they’d been managing so Laura gave him a run-down between mouthfuls of food.

  ‘And what about Bethany? How has she been?’ he asked finally.

  Laura sighed as she took a sip of mineral water. ‘She hasn’t spoken all morning. I’ve been to see her several times but she refuses to look at me most of the time, let alone say anything. Rachel was just arriving as I left for lunch so maybe she can get through to her.’

  ‘Let’s hope so. Poor kid. She’s only fourteen and I can just imagine how she feels as though her whole world has come to an end,’ Mark said sadly.

  ‘Then it’s up to us to make her see that it hasn’t,’ Laura replied with quiet determination.

  He smiled at that, his grey eyes warm as they lingered on the determined set of her mouth. ‘Well, if anyone can achieve that you can. Which is why I asked Cathy to assign Bethany to you.’

  ‘Thank you.’ There was no doubting that it had been meant as a compliment, and her heart warmed at the thought that Mark regarded her so favourably. She glanced down at her plate, toying with the last forkful of mashed potato. It was hard to disguise her pleasure but she had to try. Letting Mark see how much it had meant to her could be putting unwarranted pressure on him. He wasn’t responsible for her happiness and she wouldn’t let him think that he was because he would take it to heart. Mark was too nice a person to willingly hurt anyone…

  She put down her fork with a clatter, fixing a smile to her mouth as she found him watching her. The thought that Mark might view her the same as everyone else was strangely unpalatable. ‘Have you managed to speak to the social worker about Katie, by the way?’

  ‘Yes. Gill’s promised to get onto it right away. She agreed that the best solution would be to contact the police so we’ll just have to wait and see what they come up with.’ Mark’s tone was grim. ‘If that wretched woman really has gone off on holiday and abandoned Katie…!’

  He suddenly sighed, making an obvious effort to collect himself. ‘Still, maybe we should wait and see what Gill turns up. It could be that there’s another explanation for Lisa Watson’s absence. How were things at your house this morning, by the way? It was hard to see how bad the damage was last night.’

  Laura grimaced. ‘Bad enough! The hall carpet is ruined and part of the ceiling has fallen in.’ She sighed, thinking about how much it was going to cost to repair everything. ‘I can’t really tell until I’ve cleared up some of the mess, but it’s going to be costly getting things straight.’

  ‘Surely your insurance should cover it?’ Mark frowned as she looked away. ‘Laura?’

  ‘I…I’ll have to get onto them,’ she muttered, not wanting to admit that she didn’t have any insurance. There had been just a couple of hundred pounds in their savings account when Ian had died and she’d needed that to pay the bills. She’d been able to claim state benefits but there had never seemed enough to spare for non-essentials. Keeping Robbie fed and warm had been her main priorities. Insurance premiums had had to go by the board.

  Now she pushed back her chair, not wanting Mark’s pity if he realised how difficult things were. She would manage somehow. She always did! ‘I’d better get back to the ward. Jane will be waiting to go for her lunch.’

  ‘If you need a hand, clearing up, Laura—’ he began but she cut him off.

  ‘Thanks, but I’ll be fine, Mark. You’ve done enough already.’

  She knew he was going to say something else but she didn’t give him a chance. With a last brief smile she turned on her heel and fled. Too much sympathy and she might find herself having a good old cry, and that was something she certainly couldn’t do! She had to be strong, for herself and, more importantly, for Robbie.

  She put her dirty dishes in the rack and sighed. But wouldn’t it be lovely to have someone to lean on at times like this, to have someone to share the bad times with and make them seem not half so bad?

  Unwillingly, her gaze drifted back across the room and came to rest on Mark’s downbent head for a second before she turned away. Mark Dawson might be a lovely, caring man but he most definitely wouldn’t want to get landed with either her or her problems!

  ‘We were able to tidy everything up in Theatre once we got back here. The leg was amputated below the knee, as you know, and I took care to ensure that the stump will eventually heal smoothly and, hopefully, cause as few problems as possible.’

  Th
ere was a small crowd gathered in the office late that afternoon. Laura had been asked to join the group as her input into Bethany Jones’s recovery would be considerable over the coming weeks. Now she couldn’t help feeling sorry for Tom Hartley, the surgical registrar, as he took them through every detail of the operation he’d performed to save the teenager’s life.

  Bethany had been trapped in the minibus for several hours and there had been no choice but to amputate to get her out as she’d been in danger of bleeding to death. However, it was obvious to all of them that Tom blamed himself for not being able to have done more, despite the fact that the surgical consultant, Morgan Gray, had assured him that he would have made the same decision. Evidently, Bethany’s injuries had been so severe that the leg would have been amputated even if she’d been transferred immediately to hospital.

  ‘You did the right thing, Tom. We’re all agreed on that, so stop blaming yourself.’ Mark clapped the other man on the shoulder as everyone murmured their agreement. Nevertheless, Tom still looked drawn when he excused himself a few minutes later.

  Mark sighed as he looked around the room. Cathy was there, as well as Penny Carmichael, the physiotherapist, who would be co-ordinating Bethany’s exercise regime. Normally, Rachel would have been involved as well, but it was too soon for her to be consulted in the circumstances.

  ‘Right, we need to work out Bethany’s care plan. All of us are going to work closely together on this so everyone should feel free to put forward suggestions or raise any concerns. OK?’

  They all nodded before Mark continued, ‘As you all know, it will be at least six weeks before the swelling reduces enough for a permanent prosthesis to be fitted. In the meantime, the bandages and plaster cast will help mould the stump into a suitable shape to accept the artificial limb. Tom has done a damn fine job to ensure that any pressure pain from the prosthesis will be minimal, by severing the nerves well above the stump, so that will help.’

  Mark sighed as they all nodded. ‘However, we all know that it isn’t going to be easy. Bethany’s willingness to co-operate will be the determining factor in her long-term recovery, and that’s where you come in, Laura.’