The Taming of Dr. Alex Draycott (10 page)

‘There’s a rumour going around,’ Katie said, swallowing the last dregs of her tea and rinsing her cup at the sink. ‘People are saying that Dr Langton will use the reduction in staff as an excuse to cut down on the emergency department’s hours.’

Alex frowned. ‘I haven’t heard anything like that. When I told him that we were on budget to keep the department up and running, he agreed with me.’

Katie made a face. ‘I wonder how much we can trust him. My friend worked at a hospital where he was an executive some time ago. He closed her unit down and transferred the services to the city hospital several miles away.’

Callum was thoughtful for a moment or two. ‘I suppose, with the cuts in place, he could say that we don’t have the people to man the unit, and therefore we’ll no longer be able to provide a twenty-four-hour service.’

Alex’s eyes widened. ‘That isn’t going to happen here. I’m making these changes for the good of the department. I’m not going to stand by and watch the A and E unit be disbanded.’

‘Well, I thought it only right to warn you.’ Katie made her way to the door. ‘But thanks, anyway, for the food. It helps a lot. There’s nothing like a full stomach to give people a boost.’

Alex watched her go out into the corridor, followed by the other nurses, leaving them alone in the room. Could there be some truth in what Katie had said? She brooded on the subject for a moment or two before going over to the table and picking out a slice of pizza.

‘Try not to worry about it,’ Callum said, studying her taut features. ‘You’re doing the best you can. I don’t see how you can do any more.’ He gave a crooked smile. ‘As it is, you’re like a whirlwind at the best of times, coming up with all these ideas for savings, starting new practices and setting up new audits. Since you arrived, no one’s really had time to gather breath.’

‘Oh.’ The word came out on a faintly shocked exhalation. What was she to say to him? ‘Is that really how you see me?’

‘I think you believe in getting the job done. You don’t think about failure…and that’s a good thing.’

‘Is it?’ She nibbled at the pizza. ‘Right now, if there’s any truth in what Katie says, it looks as though failure’s staring me in the face. It seems that whatever I do, Dr Langton will try to close us down.’

‘But we won’t let that happen, will we?’ He smiled at her. ‘I’ve been thinking about what you said—about the hospital needing more money, not less. Perhaps there’s a way we can make that happen.’

‘Oh?’ She was intrigued. ‘I’m not sure how we could do that, unless we offered paid services of some sort.’ She finished the pizza and wiped her hands on a serviette.

He nodded. ‘That’s exactly what I was thinking. Maybe we could rent out facilities that aren’t being used, if not full-time, then on a part-time basis…like the theatres and the scanner, for instance.’

She thought about it. ‘You’re right,’ she said, her mouth curving. ‘And maybe we could rent out some of the outpatient facilities that aren’t used at weekends. That way, we could perhaps have a GP-run minor injuries unit to take some of the strain off A and E.’

‘See? You’re getting the idea.’ He came and put his arms around her. ‘I told you I would help.’

‘And you have, brilliantly.’ She tilted her face up to him, glad to have him hold her and keep her close. ‘I could put those suggestions to the board. It would make such a difference—it’s a whole new way of thinking.’

He ran his hands along her arms. ‘So maybe now you’ll be able to think less about work, and more about getting some much-needed rest and recuperation along the way. I was thinking of maybe a trip out somewhere…an afternoon in the hills, or a few more hours by the sea, or perhaps we could drive out to Cheddar some time?’

‘Oh, what bliss.’ She smiled up at him. ‘You make it sound so tempting. And I did have such a good time the other day. It was so lovely to walk with you over the rocks and then sit with you and watch the waves break on the shore.’

He dropped a kiss lightly on her mouth, making her whole body tingle with pleasure. ‘Then we’ll do it again, soon.’

He moved away from her as the door opened and one of the junior doctors came in. Alex drew in a quick breath. How had she let herself be tempted into such a situation at work of all places? All sensible thoughts seemed to go out of her head the moment Callum touched her. Emotionally, she was all over the place at the moment, and it was so unlike her to be this way. What was happening to her?

Perhaps it was simply that she was of an age to be settling down and having children of her own. Up to now, she had bypassed that route, but thinking about it, a distinct pang of loss ran through her.

For an instant, as she tried to imagine how things might be, she could see herself quite clearly with a family of her own, living in the beautiful, sprawling, mellow house with the orchard and acres of land. Subconsciously, hadn’t she chosen it because it was a place where she could put down roots?

She thought about it some more. All the children in her surreal vision would not be like her, she was sure of that. They would take after their father, a man who was laid-back, carefree, taking life as it came…the complete opposite of her…

It was odd how these images clamoured to be seen, showing her two sides of a coin, almost as though she was fighting a battle within herself, and she tried to shake off the strange feelings that were assailing her. What was wrong with her? Perhaps she’d been overdoing things. That had to be the explanation.

Callum cut in on her thoughts. ‘Perhaps we should go and see Jane while we have the chance?’ he suggested.

She nodded, draining the last dregs of her coffee. ‘She should be feeling a bit better by now, I expect.’

‘Let’s hope so. It’s been twenty-four hours since the tumour was removed, and by all accounts the surgery went well. Her blood pressure is settling down nicely, too, according to the nurse on duty.’

‘It all sounds positive, at any rate.’ They left the lounge together and made their way up to the ward.

‘It’s good to see both of you,’ Jane said with a smile as they entered the room. It was a small bay, with four beds, and she was sitting in a chair by the window, looking out over the hospital grounds. For the moment, she was the only occupant. ‘The others have gone to the day room,’ she told them, ‘except for one lady, who’s having physio.’

She caught her breath as she spoke, as though she was in pain, and began to rub absently at her side. Alex frowned. ‘Are you all right? How are you feeling?’

‘I’m okay,’ Jane answered. ‘A bit bruised, I think. It’s gone a bit purple-looking around here.’ She waved a hand vaguely over her upper abdomen. ‘It hurts when I breathe, but that’s probably only to be expected after the surgery.’

Callum was instantly alarmed. ‘May I see? Has the doctor been to look at you since the operation?’

‘Yes, dear.’ She patted his hand, and allowed him to check the bruising. ‘I went to have an ultrasound scan this morning…’ She paused to gather her breath. ‘I think they were just checking everything’s all right. They didn’t say much to me about it. The technician said she has to send the results to the doctor, and I’ll be seeing him again, later today, apparently.’

Callum stood up, tension evident in his whole body, and Alex understood his reaction perfectly. The purple bruised area was not what they should have expected to see. ‘Why wasn’t I told about this?’ he asked, almost as though he was talking to himself.

‘I’m telling you now,’ Jane said.

‘But the medical staff should have kept me informed.’ He shook his head, frowning. ‘I must go and find out about this. I need to know what’s going on. Excuse me. I’ll be back in a little while.’

He left the room and Jane sighed. ‘Oh, dear. Now there’s going to be trouble.’

‘I’m sure he’ll be very thoughtful in how he goes about things.’ Alex gave her a reassuring smile, keeping her own anxieties about Jane’s condition to herself. Jane was looking worried, and perhaps the best thing she could do was wait until Callum returned with details of what was actually wrong before she made any comment.

‘He loves you dearly, you know,’ she said. ‘He won’t rest until he knows you’re up and about and feeling strong again.’ She gave her the get-well-soon cards the children had made for her. ‘And you’ve made a lasting impression on James and Sarah, too.’

‘Bless them. These are lovely.’ Jane looked at the cards, Sarah’s bright with a basket full of paper flowers, and James’s a mouth-watering design of a delicious-looking cherry cake.

‘James is looking forward to you being home and filling the house with the smell of baking,’ Alex told her. ‘He says it’s the best thing in the world. Of course, to be fair to him, his instincts aren’t entirely selfish. He’s really fond of you…but he just loves your cooking, too.’

‘Oh, he’s a treasure.’ Jane chuckled. ‘He does so remind me of Callum when he was a youngster. He was always up to something, and he could wind me around his little finger when he wanted.’ She paused to rest for a while, lightly rubbing at the ache in her side. Then she glanced at Alex and said, ‘So, how are things with you? Are you managing with the children? I know it must be difficult for you, especially with your brother taking a turn for the worse.’

‘We’re coping,’ Alex said. ‘Martha’s been a great help. I’m really glad you put us in touch with each other.’

‘Well, I knew you would need some help.’ Jane was quiet for a moment, studying her features. ‘Something’s wrong, though, isn’t it? I could tell as soon as you walked in. You’re not yourself. Is it the job? Or Callum? Have you two been fighting?’

‘Me…fight with Callum?’ Alex gave a self-conscious laugh. ‘Heaven forbid! I’d never win… I thought I was strong-minded and on the ball, but he runs rings around me without even trying.’

Jane was very perceptive. Nothing much escaped her, did it? Even when she was ill. ‘I think he feels I’m a workaholic.’ She gave a faint sigh. ‘I don’t see how I can do things differently. I was given a job to do, and I’m getting on with it as best I can.’

‘Ah, well, you shouldn’t mind him too much. Most likely, he’s speaking from personal experience there. His feelings go way back to his childhood, and it was always a bone of contention for him that his mother was so often away from home. Of course, she had an important job to do. He always understood that, and she always tried to make up for it once she was back with him. I dare say he has mixed feelings about the whole business of career women. I think that’s why he’s never settled down. I have the feeling he was put off by his parents’ way of life—he saw how the idea of parents and family could go wrong and he doesn’t want to risk that for himself.’

Alex frowned. He’d told her once, some time ago, that he preferred to be footloose and fancy-free, and she’d taken it to mean that it was just a temporary state of mind. But perhaps the hospital grapevine had it right after all…he was afraid of commitment.

Callum pushed open the door just then and came to join them. He was still frowning. ‘I just had a word with the doctor,’ he said, going over to his aunt and sitting down beside her. ‘It’s nothing to worry about, but the reason you’re feeling so uncomfortable is that during the keyhole surgery the space for manoeuvre was limited, and it seems that one of the instruments caused a blood clot to form on your liver. It’s building up slowly, and that’s why you’re feeling so uncomfortable.’ He glanced at her to make sure that she understood what he was saying.

Jane was puzzled. ‘Are they going to do something about it? Or will it go away on its own?’

‘The surgeon’s going to drain it for you this afternoon, in an hour or so. He’s going to come and talk to you about it in a while. It’s not a difficult procedure, and he’ll do it with the aid of the ultrasound monitor to guide him. He’ll anaesthetise the area and give you a sedative, so you won’t feel anything, and afterwards you’ll be much more comfortable.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Jane fell silent after that, but there was tension in her shoulders, and Callum gave her a gentle hug. ‘I’ll stay with you throughout the procedure, if you like. I’ll be there to make sure everything’s all right.’

‘Are you sure you’ll be able to do that? Won’t you be too busy with your work in A and E?’

‘You’re more important to me than my work,’ he said simply, putting his arm around her. ‘If it will make you feel better, then I want to be with you.’

She nodded, and relaxed a little, some of the stiffness leaving her shoulders, and Alex guessed she was more worried than she appeared. She wanted Callum to be with her. He was a comfort to her, and she thought the world of him, as though he was the son she never had. Watching them, Alex almost envied them their closeness. He thought the world of his aunt, and Alex could see that it was a bond that would never be severed.

They stayed and talked to her for a little while longer, and then Callum said reluctantly, ‘We have to go back down to A and E to look in on a little girl, but I’ll be back with you before you know it. Don’t worry about anything.’

‘I won’t.’ She clasped his hand as he lightly kissed her cheek, and then she waved them to the door. ‘Go and see to your work,’ she said. ‘I’ll be fine.’

Callum didn’t say anything as he and Alex went down to the emergency department. Alex wanted to talk to him, she even opened her mouth to ask him how he was feeling, but he shook his head, cutting her off. His features were shuttered, as though he was working something out within himself, and she just had to accept that this was the wrong time, that she would be intruding if she pushed him to speak.

Just a few minutes later, they worked together to prepare the little girl for the lumbar puncture. She was still very poorly, and Alex was anxious to see that they made the procedure as painless and unobtrusive as possible for her.

‘We’ll give her a sedative first,’ Alex told the nurse, ‘and it would be better for her if her mother could come and be with her.’

The nurse nodded. ‘I’ll make sure we have some toys on hand in case we need to distract her.’

As soon as everything was in place, Callum injected the girl with anaesthetic around the area where they were to do the spinal tap. He waited for it to take effect, and then inserted a needle to withdraw some of the spinal fluid.