by Joanna Neil
She glowered at him. ‘If we didn’t have to work together to transport this baby to Somerset, I’d answer that by aiming a barrage of squashed tomatoes at you,’ she said in a pithy tone. ‘You manipulated the situation with Jamie’s parents—don’t think that I don’t know that.’
He tried to look sheepish and failed dismally. ‘I was sort of hoping you might be over that now that you’ve had an hour or so to cool down.’
‘Not a bit of it. There’s no way you’re off the hook. I’ve had time to brood over what you did and I’ve come up with ways of making you pay.’
‘Uh-oh. That sounds ominous.’ He made as if to back away. ‘Maybe I ought to go back down to A and E?’
‘Don’t even think about it.’ Her eyes narrowed on him, her blue gaze becoming smoky. ‘I’ll sort you out later. In the meantime, the ambulance is ready and waiting and we’re all geared up to go.’
‘Ah, well, in that case…I suppose I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?’ He opened the door wider and walked in, ducking and giving an exaggerated glance around as though to avoid any flying missiles. ‘How is the baby doing?’
Phoebe sobered. ‘Not so good, I’m afraid. I’m worried about her—because of the trauma she went through coming into the world she has a number of problems, not least the fact that her kidneys might fail.’
He made a face. ‘That’s definitely a complication she could do without, but the hospital she’s going to has expertise in dealing with those kinds of problems, doesn’t it?’ He glanced at the baby who Phoebe had placed in the specialised mobile unit that would protect her during the journey. ‘I wonder how the parents feel about all this? It must be terrible for them, being incapacitated themselves. How are they? Are they off the danger list yet?’
She shook her head. ‘Not so far. Alex reckons the mother is still very ill, but she’s responsive enough to know that her baby is being taken to another hospital. I’ve spoken to her and told her that as soon as she’s well enough she’ll be able to stay with the baby. She says they want to call her Sarah.’
Connor made a quick smile. ‘That’s good. It means she’s formed a bond with her, then, despite everything. It’s never satisfactory when mother and baby are separated. And what about the father…what state is he in? I heard he had suffered a chest injury and had to undergo heart surgery. Is there any news of him?’
Phoebe was busy gathering together all the documentation that was to go with the baby on the journey, but she glanced at him briefly. ‘Jessica reckons he’s still under sedation. The consultant is quite worried about him.’
‘I can imagine.’ He grimaced. ‘Well, we’d better do our bit and make sure that baby Sarah comes through this all right, hadn’t we? At least she’ll have the best care we can give her, with all the state-of-the-art specialised equipment and ventilatory support. Let’s make a start, shall we?’
Phoebe nodded, and made a quick check of the baby’s heart rate and blood-gas levels. ‘Okay. She’s as stable as we can manage for now.’
They wheeled her out to the waiting ambulance and spent some time making sure that all was in order as they transferred her into the vehicle.
‘How long do you think it will take us to get to the children’s hospital?’ Phoebe asked the driver after they had secured the transport unit in place.
‘Around an hour and a half, I should think.’ He glanced at the baby in the incubator and smiled. ‘She looks peaceful enough, doesn’t she? It always amazes me how tiny they are. Their little heads are covered with bonnets that would hardly stretch over a mushroom.’
The baby wriggled and moved her tiny hand against her cheek as though seeking to suck on her fist. She yawned and her legs trembled a little before settling back into place against her tummy. Phoebe slid a hand inside the incubator and delicately stroked a finger along the baby’s arm, marvelling at the softness of her skin. This was such a precious bundle and she desperately wanted her to thrive.
She straightened and glanced back at the driver. ‘She came into the world early and she’s been through an awful lot in her first few days.’
‘I know.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll make it a slow and steady drive, don’t you worry. You just keep an eye on the little mite.’
Phoebe’s mouth curved. ‘I will…but she has Connor to keep her company as well. Between us we should be able to ensure a safe journey.’
She sincerely hoped that was going to be the case, but she couldn’t help feeling a tremor of apprehension. Once the driver had secured the doors, he started up the engine and they set off along the road.
She and Connor each settled to their individual roles. Phoebe kept watch on the monitors and adjusted the various fluid lines and drips, while Connor checked the baby’s nasogastric tube and applied suction where necessary to keep the area clear.
‘She seems to be doing all right so far,’ he announced when they had been travelling for around three quarters of an hour.
Phoebe nodded and relaxed a little, glancing out of the window at the rolling countryside. They were crossing Exmoor and the moorland heather spread out like a rich blanket of purple, lilac and yellow. In the distance she could see the rugged coastline where the blue waters of the Bristol Channel lapped at the shore.
‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Connor murmured, following her gaze.
‘Yes.’ Her mouth softened. ‘I’ve always loved the scenery around this part of the coast, especially the boats in the harbours. The seashore always has a soothing effect on me and helps to make me feel tranquil.’
‘The countryside around here has a lot going for it as well, don’t you think?’ He pointed out the line of the river, burbling its way through the hills and valleys towards the sea. ‘I used to love going for walks along the banks of the river near my home. I’d go with my friends along to the packhorse bridge and we’d hang out amongst the trees and generally waste hours in the summertime, messing about.’
‘I remember,’ she said. ‘There was a special place that you would go to from time to time, wasn’t there? It wasn’t too far from the headland, a mile or so from the woodland near your house. There were gnarled old trees, I recall, in a small copse, where the river meandered and you could walk out onto a small wooden landing stage.’
‘How did you know about that?’ he asked, looking at her curiously. ‘I thought that was my hideout, known only to me.’
She gave a brief, secretive smile. ‘How did you know about my volunteering at the activity centre?’ she countered. ‘Did Amy tell you? I know that my sister kept in touch with you after you went to London.’
‘We met up from time to time when she brought Emily to the hospital where I was working.’ His mouth made a wry shape. ‘I think she felt sorry for me, being the village miscreant, and she might have had the idea that I’d been sorely misjudged.’
‘Misjudged…hah.’ She eyed him scornfully. ‘That’s a good one. Still, my sister’s a great one for listening and sorting out the world’s ills.’ Phoebe’s blue eyes softened. ‘Though I recall she said you had been a great help to her when Emily was so poorly. She said you gave her some good advice.’
‘I hope it was useful. I was actually working in Cardiology back then, when Emily was due to have her first surgery.’
‘Oh, I see. That explains things. It must have been a comfort to her to be able to talk to you.’
‘Possibly.’
Phoebe frowned. ‘So, if you know all about me being at the activity centre, she must have filled you in on what I was up to from time to time?’
‘Occasionally. Though I must admit I found out about your volunteer activities from Mr Kirk.’
‘From Mr Kirk?’ Her brows shot up. ‘I don’t think I follow you. Why on earth would Mr Kirk tell you about that? I’m not even on his team.’
‘No, but he said you were in the department for a short time, on a colleague’s team. He had some dealings with the people who run the centre, apparently, as his patients go to stay there from ti
me to time, and he was quite impressed with what they had to say about how helpful you were. I think he has a good opinion of you in general and he’d been hoping that you would apply to work in Cardiac Care.’
‘Heavens.’ She blinked. ‘I hadn’t realised. That’s useful to know for when I have to decide where to apply for my next training rotation.’ She sent him a puzzled look. ‘But I still don’t see why he would tell you any of that.’
His expression was rueful. ‘It’s probably because I got up his nose, as you put it the other day. I had to refer a child for cardiac surgery, and I suggested to him that we should be making better use of the operating theatres. As you pointed out, it didn’t go down too well with him. In fact, he seemed quite affronted.’
She winced. ‘I can imagine.’
‘Then when I mentioned that I was thinking of bringing in a business guru to explain to management how we could achieve higher quotas he told me I should find ways of making better use of all this spare time I seemed to have. Why didn’t I do as you had done, he said, and occupy myself by volunteering my services in other areas? Then I wouldn’t be so prone to stir up trouble?’
Phoebe shook her head in dismay. ‘You never learn, do you? You have everything going for you, and yet you still manage to go and put a spoke in your own wheel.’
He laughed. ‘You’re right…but I hate to see wasted opportunity. Things could be so much better if people would accept the notion of change from time to time instead of sticking their heads in the sand.’
Just then the monitors began to bleep and they both hurried to find out what had set them off. The baby was squirming a little, appearing faintly distressed, and among other problems the heart monitor was indicating signs of cardiac excitability.
‘Her kidney function is failing,’ Phoebe said anxiously. ‘I’ll give her medication to compensate, and hope that things settle down.’ She prepared the infusion. ‘I wonder if we should look again at the ventilation?’
‘I’ll see to it. I’ll adjust the rate.’
They both worked quickly to restore the balance of the baby’s blood chemistry, and after a while, when the monitors stopped bleeping and the infant was peaceful once more, Phoebe cautiously settled back in her seat.
‘I think she’s over the worst, for the moment. I hope they’ll be able to sort out all her problems at the hospital she’s going to. I’ve become really fond of her over these last few days, and I couldn’t bear it if anything bad was to happen to her.’
‘They have renal specialists there, and I’m sure the consultant will give her the very best attention.’
‘Yes, I know you’re right. It’s just…I’m letting myself become too involved.’ She pulled herself together and sent him a wondering look. ‘I still can’t believe you had the nerve to challenge a top consultant about his working practices. What were you thinking?’
He shrugged. ‘If you don’t try, you’ll never get anywhere, will you? At least, that’s my philosophy.’ He looked her over for a moment, his thoughts obviously roaming elsewhere. ‘That’s why I…’ But then he stopped speaking and Phoebe sent him a questioning glance.
‘That’s why you…what?’
‘Nothing. Forget I said anything.’ He straightened, as though mentally bringing himself under control, and then he checked the baby in the incubator once more. ‘You said earlier that you had been brooding over this business of the activity centre. So what fiendish plan have you thought up to make me pay for involving you?’
‘Hah…worried now, aren’t you?’ She threw him a jubilant look. ‘Well, since you’re going to be taking up my leisure time, I decided I might as well take up yours in turn.’
‘Really? Is that a promise? I think I like the sound of that.’ His eyes took on a gleam of mischief and he edged closer to her. ‘Tell me more. I always thought we could spark a firework display if ever we were to get together.’
‘Back off,’ she said, fixing him with a laser-sharp gaze. ‘It’s a pity you can’t go and take a cold shower.’
He shook his head. ‘You don’t mean that. You’re just playing hard to get, aren’t you?’
She smiled at him sweetly. ‘There’s no playfulness about it,’ she murmured. ‘I’m deadly serious. You don’t stand a chance, not a smidgen, zilch. You’re about as likely to get close to me as you are to be Mr Kirk’s right-hand man.’
‘Ouch. That really hurt. I’m crushed.’ His expression was pained, and Phoebe laughed.
‘Yeah. Sure you are. Pull the other one.’ She looked at the baby and checked the monitors. When she had reassured herself that all was well, she turned back to him and said, ‘The thing is, I’ve had an idea for raising funds for the neonatal unit. We always need more equipment, and it would be great if we could expand the unit so that we could treat more babies.’
He raised his brows. ‘That sounds as though you’re becoming protective of the little ones in your care. I thought you had your mind set against being a children’s doctor?’
‘Well, yes, but it isn’t that.’ Phoebe checked the monitors once more and noted down the results on her observation sheet. Thankfully, the baby seemed to have suffered no ill effects from the earlier problems. ‘It’s just that they do such good work in the unit, and even if I can’t be the one to stay there and work with them, I could do something to help.’ She fixed him with a direct look. ‘Or you can, by working with me to set this up.’
‘Set what up? What are we talking about?’
‘A sponsored walk.’
He was unimpressed. ‘Well, that’s not going to raise a whole lot of money, is it? You’d have to get half the hospital involved to get anywhere near the amount you’d need.’
‘We’ll work on that. Stop being such a wet blanket. Anyway, you don’t have any choice but to agree. I’ve made up my mind. I told you, I’ve been brooding on this.’
‘Scheming, more like.’
She glowered at him. ‘And then there’s the raffle to organise…And I thought a barbecue would go down well in the evening. We could charge an entrance fee or simply add a bit on to the cost of the food.’
‘And I’m supposed to help with all this?’ He raised dark brows. ‘You’re a hard taskmaster. I’d say there was a bit more than two days’ worth of effort involved there, wouldn’t you?’
‘And why not? Let it teach you a lesson.’
They might have gone on with the banter, except that the ambulance came to a halt and the driver cut the engine. They both realised that they must have reached their destination at last.
The driver came to open up the doors of the vehicle, and between them they brought the baby out of the ambulance and wheeled her into the hospital. A team was waiting to receive her, and Phoebe handed over all the paperwork that travelled along with the infant, while Connor talked to the consultant about the baby’s case notes.
‘Thanks for all this,’ the consultant said, doing a swift check of the baby and assessing the state of the monitor readings. ‘We’ll take it from here,’ she said. ‘Do you want to take a break for an hour or so while we look her over? That way, if we need any more input from you, we could perhaps get back to you before you make the return journey. Sometimes things crop up that we might not have planned for, and it would be easier to deal with them if the transfer team is still around.’
‘That sounds fine to me,’ Connor murmured, sending a swift glance towards Phoebe. She nodded acknowledgement and he continued, ‘Our driver has gone off to find himself something to eat, so we’ll be around here for a while longer.’ He gave the doctor his mobile number.
‘Thanks. You might like to wander around the hospital gardens for a while. There’s an arboretum on the east side of the building, with terraced areas and a lily pond, and there are picnic tables where you can sit and eat lunch, if you like.’
‘That sounds like a pleasant way to while away an hour,’ Phoebe said.
They found their way to the hospital restaurant and bought crusty salad rolls and fruit
buns for lunch, with cold drinks to wash them down. The driver was talking to a fellow ambulanceman, but he waved acknowledgement when they indicated that they were going outside.
‘So who was this guru that you wanted to bring into the hospital?’ Phoebe asked as they walked along the path to the wooded area.
‘He’s someone I met in London, a friend who works in the City. Essentially he’s a troubleshooter, but he also acted as a financial advisor to me once I made up my mind to go to medical school.’
She lifted a brow. ‘I’m surprised by that. I thought your father knew all there was to know about running a successful business. I’d have thought he would be the first person you would turn to.’
He made a wry face. ‘You know how my father is…ebullient at the best of times, and way too busy with sorting out his own problems to be bothered concerning himself with much of anything else. As for turning to him for help and advice, I gave up doing that a long time ago. My father believed you should make your own decisions and stand by them. As for me, I obviously made all the wrong choices and he clearly thought I’d never amount to anything.’
He stopped and indicated a secondary path that led to a leafy arbour. ‘I think we need to go this way.’
She followed him and frowned. ‘I know you were often at odds with your father as a boy, but perhaps back then he had good reason to be annoyed with you. You were always flouting the rules. He must see that you’re not the same nowadays. You’re doing a worthwhile job, and people respect you. Even I can see that you’re not the person you were.’
He clutched a hand to his heart. ‘Am I hearing things right? You see something in me other than a rabble-rouser and troublemaker? Wonders will never cease. I’ve waited a long time for that one to happen.’
She laughed. ‘Can you blame me for taking a while to come round? If your own father had doubts about you, what do you expect?’
They came across a clearing in the trees, where rough-hewn terraces had been laid out, and bench tables were set out at intervals on the grass. Further away, there was a pond, edged with reeds and aquatic plants.