Hot-Shot Doc, Christmas Bride

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‘Only some vague comment about trying to find a washroom.’ From his expression it was clear that he was unconvinced by that explanation. ‘The nurse said he appeared to be on edge. She decided he must be feverish and led him back to bed.’

‘Perhaps that’s the truth of it.’ Alison sighed. ‘He’s definitely unwell. I wanted to keep him here so I have a little more time to see if I can get him to open up to me. We don’t know anything about his background, or what will happen to him once he leaves here. He won’t say anything about his parents, and he’s refused to give an address.’

‘Hmm. I can see why you’re concerned, but that isn’t really our problem, is it? Besides, he might be on the run from the law. As to staying here, I already have Management on my back, emphasising the necessity to stick to targets and maximise throughput. Rees isn’t seriously ill, and we’re not obliged to notify the authorities about our worries since he insists he’s sixteen. We haven’t been asked to look out for anyone answering his description.’

‘I know, but I’m pretty sure he’s run away from home, and if he’s living rough there’s a strong possibility his condition will quickly nosedive. I don’t want that on my conscience.’ She frowned. ‘There’s a vulnerability about him that makes me want to do everything I can to help him—and surely we have to pay some heed to the welfare of the people who cross our path? You wouldn’t send an elderly person out onto the streets if you feared for his well-being, would you?’

‘Soft as putty, aren’t you?’ His smile was gently mocking. ‘If you feel so strongly about him, why haven’t you taken steps to contact the police or Social Services?’

‘I don’t want to betray his trust…and I want to give him the chance to confide in me.’

He shook his head. ‘We’re an accident and emergency department,’ he chided softly. ‘Not a holding centre for waifs and strays.’

She glowered at him, her blue eyes sparking. Okay, ultimately he was in charge, but she wasn’t going to allow her decisions to be overridden without a fight. She trusted her instincts and they had never let her down. ‘We have spare beds and we’re not overstretched right now. I don’t see any reason for sending him away just yet.’

‘Maybe not, but you know as well as I do that the situation could change at any moment if we have a sudden influx.’

‘I prefer to base my judgements on the situation as it is at present. He’s unwell, and I know of no responsible adult who will take over his care. It’s my professional opinion that he should stay here.’

Josh was silent for a moment or two, his features taut, his mouth pursed in contemplation, and she began to wonder if perhaps she had gone too far. He was new here, and she didn’t yet have the measure of the man. For all she knew he could take offence at her arguments and have her taken off his team.

‘You may be right,’ he said eventually. ‘I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and go along with you on this one—if only because he complained of dizziness before his fall. That being the case, you’d better go ahead and admit him overnight on the grounds of suspected pneumonia and the possibility of wound infection. But if the situation changes, and we’re overrun with trauma cases and the like, we’ll have to do some creative thinking about where to place him.’

‘That’s great.’ She stared at him, wide eyed, her face lighting up. ‘I take it all back—every bad thing I was thinking about you. You’ve shot up ten times in my estimation. In fact, I could hug you.’

‘Really? I thought you were finished with men?’

‘Ah…well, yes, that’s perfectly true. But then again, I wasn’t planning on a relationship.’ A ripple of warmth ran through her. What was the matter with her? Why couldn’t she glue her lips together and stay out of trouble?

He studied her, a glint of humour flickering in his eyes. ‘So you were thinking bad things about me, were you? That isn’t good, is it? Given first impressions and all that.’

‘Um, well, no,’ she faltered. ‘But then you did manage to redeem yourself after all, didn’t you?’ She studied him guardedly.

He chuckled. ‘Think of it as a thank-you for warning me about the presentation…and for the fruit turnovers. Let’s not forget them.’ He rolled his eyes heavenward. ‘They were out of this world.’

Her features softened in appreciation. ‘I’m glad you think so. If Management complain about Rees being here, perhaps you should offer a few to them, too.’

He sucked in a quick breath. ‘I’m afraid I can’t do that.’

She blinked. ‘You can’t? Why…? Is it because it would reek of bribery and corruption?’

He shook his head. ‘No, not that—though it’s certainly a consideration. It’s because they’ve all gone.’ His mouth turned down at the corners. ‘There’s absolutely nothing left…only crumbs.’

She laughed. ‘Oh, dear. Still, now I know I have the perfect bribe to use whenever I want something to go my way. I didn’t realise how much influence I could bring to bear. Let’s make the most of it. We’re talking turnover power!’

He was smiling when Alison left him after a moment or two to go and get on with her work.

The rest of the day passed in a flash as she was kept busy dealing with new emergencies, but she managed to find time to look in on Rees in the observation ward before the end of her shift.

He still looked weary, and she noted that despite the antibiotics his temperature was a notch higher than normal.

‘I think it would be for the best if we were to admit you overnight,’ she told him. ‘That way we can keep an eye on you while the antibiotics begin to do their stuff, and hopefully we’ll be able to bring your temperature down. We can also keep an eye on the injury to your hand at the same time. How do you feel about that?’

‘Yeah, that’s all right.’ He ran the back of his good hand over his forehead. ‘The nurse said you might want to keep me in. She said she’d find some crossword books and a couple of videos for me to watch when I’m feeling a bit better.’

‘That’s good. You should try to get some rest.’ She gave him a soft smile. ‘I expect they’ll be bringing your tea round before too long, and you’ll need some energy to tackle that.’

His eyes brightened a fraction. ‘That’s great. I’m starving.’

She laughed. ‘I don’t know where you manage to put it all. Still, you could do with building up.’ She smiled at him. ‘I’m going off duty in a while, but the nurse will take care of you. If you have any problems at all, just let her know. She’ll do whatever she can to sort things out. I’ll drop by and see you in the morning.’

He nodded, and she left the bay, going in search of the nurse. She found her checking schedules on the computer, and spent a few minutes bringing her up to date on the situation.

‘I’ll do everything I can to encourage him to confide in me,’ Jenny said. ‘So far he hasn’t said anything that’s of much help. He’s a bit of an enigma, but I’m fairly sure that he’s worried about something. Whatever it is, he’s not letting on.’

‘Thanks, Jenny. I’m sure he’s in good hands in the meantime.’ Alison left her and went to retrieve her jacket from the doctors’ restroom.

As she walked back towards Reception a short time later, she saw that Josh was there, deep in thought as he pored over the contents of a folder.

‘Ah, you’re just the person I wanted to see,’ he said, looking up, his tone brisk. ‘I take it you’re going off duty now?’

‘That’s right. Is there a problem?’

He shook his head. ‘Not at all.’ He waved a hand towards the corridor. ‘You have some visitors…your neighbour and his children. I sent them to the relatives’ waiting room.’

‘Oh, that’s good. Thanks for letting me know. Tom said he would come and pick me up. I just hope he managed to sort out whatever was wrong with my car.’

She would have gone to find them straight away, but she paused long enough to study Josh for a moment or two. There was something about his demeanour that put her on alert. ‘Is everything all right? You look as though you have something on your mind. Has your first day here not gone as well as you might have expected? I know you’ve hardly had a minute to yourself all day. It’s like that sometimes.’

She hesitated before adding, ‘The work in itself can be challenging, can’t it? We have to deal with things that you might come across only once in a blue moon, and there aren’t always simple answers. But generally we’re a supportive bunch of people, and we aim to rub along well together. Of course it’s different when you’re in charge, I suppose. You have a lot more to contend with, and you probably look at everything from a different perspective to the rest of us.’

‘Well, that’s certainly true. I wasn’t expecting to see hordes of bikers about the place this lunchtime. Nor was I expecting to have to make a speech almost as soon as I arrived.’ He frowned. ‘As to this latest request…’ He scowled at the folder he had been studying, tossing the file down on the desktop in a peremptory fashion. ‘I can’t imagine why I’m being asked to take part in a hospital radio show. Since I’m only going to be here for two days a week, I’m sure there are far more pressing demands on my time.’

Alison cast a quick glance over the file. ‘Oh, I see. It’s the outline for the Christmas radio programme. It goes out on air to all the patients, and they schedule it in advance. I don’t imagine the radio committee meant to cause trouble for you. It’s just that…’

‘I know. You don’t need to tell me…’ He put up a hand to stop her. ‘Steve Meadows always had a slot on the show. I’ve been hearing an awful lot about your former boss and his various good deeds. Apparently he was a member of the drama club and gave impromptu entertainment for the children on the wards, and he did charity runs and organised medical care for homeless people.’ His lips compressed. ‘He must rank among the saints, giving his time to every needy cause going. No wonder he suffered a heart attack. Was there anything that man didn’t do?’

‘Um…he did work tremendously hard, and he thought it was important to try to keep the patients happy—especially at Christmas time. It is the Christmas programme they’re asking you to look at, isn’t it?’

His jaw clenched. ‘That’s right…But they—the radio committee—had better think again. I’m a doctor, not a presenter, and at the moment I have more worthy matters to consider. Such as how to take care of the man I operated on this afternoon. If he manages to pull through after losing several pints of blood and having his heart put on bypass I shall count my blessings.’

He pushed the folder into the wastepaper basket with a broad sweep of his arm and then began to stride across the room. ‘I shall be in the resuscitation room if anyone needs me.’

Alison nodded, watching him go. ‘I’ll be sure to let the desk clerk know.’

Clearly he was worried about his patient and not in the best of moods right now. Maybe it was bad timing for the radio committee to lay their request on him on his very first day in the job.

She scribbled a message for the clerk, who was temporarily away from the desk. As an afterthought, she pulled the folder out of the wastebin and laid it to one side in a wire tray. Some decisions would have to be made regarding the programme before too long—but they could surely wait for the moment? The new boss obviously needed more time to settle in.

She hurried along to the waiting room. ‘Tom,’ she greeted her neighbour, ‘thanks for coming to fetch me. I’m sorry I’ve kept you waiting. I hope I’ve not put you out too much?’

‘Not at all.’ He was a tall man, with dark hair and features that were carved out of life’s experiences—crinkled lines about his blue eyes and a firm jawline that hinted at a rock-steady character. Alison had taken to him from the instant she met him.

He came towards her now, his arms enclosing her in a brief hug. ‘I had to come into town anyway. I ordered a replacement petrol pump for your car, and the spare parts place promised me they would have it in stock by this evening. Of course Jason and Rachel wanted to come with me. They both needed new trousers, so my wife gave me instructions on what to look out for in the local store.’ He frowned. ‘I can’t keep up with them. They’re forever wearing them out at the knees or snagging them on something or other. Nobody ever told me about the downside of having a family. I’ve become a walking money tree, and I feel as though my roots are beginning to wither.’

She gave him a wry smile. ‘It almost makes me glad I’m not a parent.’ She glanced around the room. ‘Where are they, by the way?’

‘They went out to fetch cold drinks from the machine in the main waiting room. I thought I’d better wait here, in case you wondered where I was, but perhaps we’d better go and see what they’re up to. They should have been back by now, and I daren’t imagine what they might get up to left to their own devices for too long.’

‘Good idea,’ she agreed, nodding. The children were eight and nine years old, and full of the joys of life. ‘Knowing Jason and his love of drawing, they could be trying out designs for a new mural by now.’

‘Oh, heaven forbid! Don’t say that, please. I can feel an ulcer starting already.’

She laughed, and they hurried away towards the main waiting room in search of the children. Unfortunately they were nowhere to be seen.

Alison gazed around her in dismay. ‘We’d have seen them if they were heading back to you in the waiting room, wouldn’t we?’

Tom nodded, an anxious look spreading over his face.

‘Can I help in any way?’ Josh came out of the resuscitation room and strode briskly towards them, delivering the words in an equally vigorous, no-nonsense fashion. ‘Are you looking for the children?’

Alison nodded, her heart sinking rapidly. He didn’t look at all content with the way his day was going, and his questions didn’t have the tiniest note of pleasant enquiry about them. Something was definitely wrong. ‘They came in here to fetch cold drinks,’ she said. ‘Do you know where they are?’

‘The last I saw of them they were playing in the courtyard outside the waiting room.’ He looked directly at Tom. ‘There’s still a lot of snow around, and they were trying to slide down the grass verge. Unfortunately Jason slipped on the ice and cut his knee. He’s okay, but I asked one of the nurses to clean it up and put a dressing on it before she brought the pair of them back to you. You’ll find them in Treatment Room Two, over there.’ He waved a hand in the direction of the room, and Tom thanked him and immediately rushed away.

Alison gave Josh a brief, apologetic look. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said. ‘It’s probably my fault the children went exploring. I arranged to meet Tom at the end of my shift, but I was a little late.’

‘So I gathered,’ he said. ‘Still, I dare say there’s no harm done. If today’s anything to go by, nothing in this place follows a normal pattern, does it?’

He walked away from her, heading over to the desk, where he began rifling through lab test results.

Alison sighed. He was right. This day had been singularly odd—and not just because of the biker invasion, or her car breaking down and Tom and the children coming into the hospital. She had come face to face with her new boss, and she still didn’t have any idea of what kind of man he was. He was full of contradictions, a man of hidden depths. She had no real idea of how she was going to work with him on a day-to-day basis.

Chapter Three

‘YOU look like a sorry bunch of half-frozen characters,’ Josh remarked, as Alison hurried into Reception next day. Katie and the men from the upstairs flat followed close on her heels. ‘Perhaps you should grab a cup of coffee and warm yourselves up before you start work?’

Alison nodded, blowing on her hands as though to breathe life into them. Josh made an unexpected welcoming committee, though he was definitely a sight for sore eyes. He was every bit as immaculately dressed as he had been the day before, wearing a dark grey suit that drew attention to his broad shoulders and lean, tautly muscled frame.

He was on great form, poised and ready for work—while she, in contrast, was at a peculiarly low ebb, chilled to the bone from her journey to the hospital, and uncertain as to why Josh had chosen to make his presence felt at this hour. She wasn’t used to having the boss watching over her. His predecessor had usually been found huddled in his office before the shift began, reading through a sheaf of papers.

‘I think I’ll do that,’ she murmured. ‘Sam gave us a lift into work this morning, but the heater wasn’t working in his car so we’ve all forgotten what our hands feel like, they’re so numb. Then we ran into a flurry of snow as we walked across the car park.’

‘It sounds as though it won’t be long before Tom has another mechanic’s job on his hands,’ Josh murmured. ‘He’s not doing too badly out of his neighbours so far, is he?’

‘Much as I get along well with Tom, I won’t be paying out for car repairs any time soon,’ Sam retorted, shrugging out of his soft leather jacket. He was a sturdy, long-limbed young man, with mid-brown hair and blue eyes, and a matter-of-fact manner. ‘Everyone will just have to toughen up. I need to save everything I have for Christmas. I’m planning on going away for the holidays…I have a skiing trip all lined up.’

‘Ski slopes?’ Josh’s eyes lit up. ‘That sounds like a good idea.’

Alison glanced at him briefly. Why would anyone want to go away at Christmas time and leave his family behind? Sam was a different case altogether. He had family overseas, and his skiing holiday was a celebration of their coming together.

‘If this weather holds out you might not need to go away to ski,’ Katie put in, heading across the room to the kitchen annexe, where a coffee pot steamed gently on a worktop by the sink. ‘With the snow starting already, it looks as though we could be in for a white Christmas here at home. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?’ A dreamy expression settled on her face. ‘I can just imagine it…A carpet of white over the Pennine Hills, with icicles hanging from the trees and masses of stars in a midnight sky. All the lights of the houses would give out a golden glow…’

‘And we could sit inside, all cosy and warm,’ Alison added, rubbing her arms to bring about some heat. ‘With a blazing fire in the hearth. And we’d drink spicy fruit punch and munch on hot mince pies covered with lashings of icing sugar. It would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?’

‘I’d sooner go on a pub crawl,’ Taylor put in. ‘Lots of singing and merry-making and people generally having a good time.’

‘That’s all a long way off yet,’ Josh said in a laconic tone, pulling mugs down from a shelf. ‘What is the obsession round here with the Christmas season? Snow means blocked roads and skids and lots of yucky snow melt on the verges when the thaw comes. Unless you like it so much you’re planning a mass exodus to the North Pole some time soon? I hope you’re not thinking of leaving me to manage A&E all by myself. I’d need a lot more than Santa and his little elves to help me get through the days.’

‘You’re a sad soul,’ Katie said, sending him a pitying glance. ‘What happened? Did you have your fun gland removed at some time?’

He nodded solemnly. ‘Maybe I did—along with my nonsense nodule. Now, do you think we can push the subject of Christmas to one side and concentrate on limbering up ready for work? The rest of the staff are getting ready to hand over their patients to you. Apparently it’s been a busy night. Several people came in with fractures and other injuries.’

‘Well, that’s brought us down to earth with a bump, hasn’t it?’ Alison poured coffee into the mugs and handed them around. She sipped her coffee and watched as Josh morphed smoothly from sympathetic colleague into leadership mode.

‘We have three difficult cases to deal with on handover…A patient with an aneurysm that needs careful management, a possible neck fracture, and a patient who suffered a collapsed lung. They’re all under observation at the moment, but I’m assigning responsibility as per the whiteboard. You’ll see there’s a long list of people waiting for treatment, even at this early hour.’

He turned his attention to Alison, who put down her mug and prepared herself for action. He had that look about him that said he was up and running, and where she was concerned things were about to change…though not necessarily for the better.