In His Loving Care

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Then you have to lie completely still. You don’t appear to have fractured anything but we can’t tell if you’ve injured your spine. Any sudden movement could put you in extreme danger.’

  ‘You mean I might not be able to walk again?’

  ‘It’s just a precaution to prevent that happening,’ he assured her.

  ‘Why did it have to happen to me?’ Tears began to pour down her face and he squeezed her hand.

  ‘You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s all.’ He swivelled sideways when he heard Helen calling him. She was kneeling on the ground and he could tell that she wanted to speak to him. He turned to Lucy again, making his tone as soothing as possible. ‘I just need to speak to Dr Daniels…’

  ‘You can’t leave me here on my own!’

  There was genuine panic in the young woman’s voice and he realised that he didn’t dare abandon her if they were to avert a disaster. ‘I’m not going to leave you. I’ll just have to move back a bit so I can speak to Dr Daniels, but I’ll keep hold of your hand.’

  He shuffled backwards until just their fingertips were touching. It wasn’t the easiest position in which to hold a conversation but there was nothing he could do about it. Helen was lying flat on the ground now and he grimaced when he saw the question in her eyes.

  ‘She’s terrified of needles apparently,’ he said softly, so Lucy couldn’t hear him. ‘She’s refused to let me give her an injection.’

  ‘Oh, I should have warned you!’ Helen exclaimed in dismay. ‘I know she hates needles but I didn’t realise she’d regained consciousness.’

  ‘It isn’t your fault. It’s just one of those things. Anyway, the best thing I can do is to stay with her until the fire crew gets here.’

  ‘That’s what I wanted to tell you. They’ve just arrived and they’re assessing the situation.’ She broke off and scrambled to her feet. When she reappeared there was a fireman with her. ‘This is Station Officer Hammond. He’s in charge of the accident scene.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you,’ Lewis replied honestly. ‘How long will it take your men to get this trailer shifted?’

  ‘We’re getting everything set up but it will be a good thirty minutes before we can move it,’ Officer Hammond explained. ‘Dr Daniels tells me that the young woman might have a head injury.’

  ‘That’s right, so the sooner we get her out of here the better.’ He didn’t elaborate on the seriousness of the situation: Officer Hammond must have dealt with enough incidents to know that time was of the essence.

  ‘We’ll be as quick as we can. In the meantime, I’m going to send one of my guys to relieve you—’

  ‘No way! I’m not leaving her. I promised her that I’d stay and that’s what I intend to do.’

  ‘Fair enough, but you do realise the danger you’re putting yourself in, Doctor?’

  ‘It’s no worse for me than it would be for your men,’ he pointed out. He glanced at Helen and smiled when he saw the worry in her eyes. ‘Anyway, I wouldn’t like to subject you lot to the aroma under here. You certainly won’t thank me if you come out smelling of the manure the roses grew in!’

  ‘Pass!’ Officer Hammond said with a laugh, standing up.

  ‘Are you sure you’ll be all right?’ Helen asked anxiously after the fireman had left.

  ‘I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.’

  Lewis didn’t say anything else as he inched his way back under the trailer. He wasn’t prepared to break his promise to Lucy and that was the end of the matter. However, he had to admit that it was good to know that Helen was concerned about him.

  He tried to put that thought out of his mind as he went back to Lucy. ‘The fire brigade has arrived so it shouldn’t be too long now before they get you out.’

  ‘That’s good,’ she mumbled.

  Lewis felt a jolt of alarm run through him when he saw her eyes start to close. In the short time he’d been talking to Helen, Lucy’s condition had deteriorated. He squeezed her hand, wanting to stop her losing consciousness. ‘Were you taking your children to school when the accident happened?’

  ‘I’d just…taken Ben to…nursery…’ she said haltingly.

  Lewis gripped her hand a bit harder. ‘My little girl has just started attending this school. She’s in Mrs Moore’s class.’

  ‘Used to be my teacher,’ Lucy muttered, her voice slurring.

  ‘Really? It must be great to be able to send your children to the same school that you went to.’

  He was making conversation purely to try and keep her alert but there was no response this time. Letting go of her hand, he quickly crawled out from beneath the trailer. Helen was standing beside the lorry and he could see the alarm on her face when he appeared.

  ‘Lucy’s unconscious again. Her condition is deteriorating and we need to get her out of there immediately.’

  ‘The fire crew is setting up some sort of lifting device,’ she explained, pointing to where a group of firemen were working.

  Lewis frowned when he saw what they were doing. ‘It looks like they’re going to use airbags to lift the front of the trailer. It will take some time to inflate them and I don’t know if we can wait much longer.’

  ‘They’re doing all they can. Officer Hammond knows how urgent the situation is. I’m sure he’ll get things moving as quickly as possible.’

  ‘You’re right, of course. It’s just so frustrating, not being able to do more to help her.’

  ‘I know, but we can only do our best, Lewis. We can’t work miracles.’

  ‘Sadly not.’ He summoned a smile, knowing it was pointless labouring the point. Helen was right—everything possible was being done and he had to be patient. The ambulances had arrived now and he shook his head when one of the paramedics offered to take over from him. ‘I’d rather see this through to the end. Thanks.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ she said quickly. ‘You don’t have to do this, Lewis. The paramedics are used to dealing with this type of situation.’

  ‘I know that, but I can’t just abandon Lucy. I promised her that I’d stay with her and that’s what I’ll do.’

  Helen’s eyes filled with warmth. ‘Then of course you must stay.’

  ‘Are you going to hang on here, or are you going back to the surgery now that reinforcements have arrived?’ he asked softly. Maybe it was silly to read too much into the way she was looking at him but he couldn’t help it. His heart seemed to swell to double its normal size when she smiled at him.

  ‘Of course I’m staying! I don’t intend to leave until I know you’re all right…you and Lucy, I mean.’

  A little colour touched her cheeks as she turned away, but he’d already seen it. As he crawled back under the trailer, he could feel his heart pounding. Helen had tried to cover up her slip but she wasn’t an accomplished liar. The reason she was staying was because of him and he couldn’t explain how good it felt to know that she cared. In some strange way it helped make up for all the lonely days and nights he’d spent this past year, worrying about Kristy.

  Helen’s nerves were stretched to breaking point by the time the fire crew finally managed to raise the trailer enough to get Lucy out. Lewis had steadfastly refused to leave her even though he’d been warned several times about the danger he was in. True to his word, he’d stayed with Lucy the entire time and Helen was filled with admiration for his bravery.

  ‘She’s been bleeding from the ears so she’s going to need a CT scan as soon as you get her to hospital. She regained consciousness at one point but her condition deteriorated so it looks as though she’s suffered a serious head injury.’

  Lewis accompanied the paramedics to the ambulance while he continued updating them, and Helen went with him. They had moved Lucy onto a spinal board as soon as they’d been able to get at her. The paramedics had fitted her with a cervical collar and also used a padded head restraint to further minimise any risk of movement during the journey. One of the crew was now setting up a drip—essential to prevent
Lucy lapsing into shock if she was bleeding internally. Helen knew that everything possible was being done for her but there was no guarantee that she would pull through.

  ‘Don’t worry, Doc, you can leave her to us now,’ one of the paramedics told him. ‘We’ll take good care of her.’

  Helen glanced at Lewis as the ambulance drove away. ‘That’s it, then. We did everything we could and we’ll just have to see what happens.’

  ‘I just hope she makes it.’ He sighed as he ran a grimy hand over his face. ‘It’s a crying shame when you think about those two little boys.’

  ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen to the children while Lucy is in hospital. Her partner walked out on her last year and she’s been on her own since then.’

  ‘Does she have any family in the town?’ he asked as they walked back to the car.

  ‘Not that I’m aware of. Janet or Eve might know but I’ve never heard Lucy mention any family. I got the impression that she was on her own.’

  ‘Maybe we should contact Social Services and see if they can help,’ he suggested, stopping beside the car. ‘Even if she pulls through, she’s going to be in hospital for some time so someone is going to have to take care of those children.’

  ‘I’ll get in touch with the duty social worker as soon as we get back to the surgery.’ She sighed sadly. ‘It must be your worst nightmare when you’re a single parent. Worrying what will happen to the children if you’re taken ill must be very difficult.’

  ‘It is.’ His tone was sombre. ‘If anything happens to me, Kristy will be on her own.’

  ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.’

  ‘You only highlighted something I’ve thought about before.’

  ‘Maybe.’ She gave a little shrug, hating to think that she might have upset him. ‘Anyway, what are you going to do now? I imagine you want to check on Kristy, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes. The headmistress might decide to send the children home now that they’ve cleared the playground.’ He glanced at his watch and groaned. ‘Is that the time? Heaven knows how Harry is coping at the surgery.’

  ‘He’s probably been run off his feet. Look, why don’t I head back there while you sort out the arrangements for Kristy? Just let me know if you need to take the rest of the day off, will you?’

  Lewis shook his head. ‘There’s no way I’m leaving you in the lurch. If push comes to shove, I’ll bring her into work, so long as you don’t mind?’

  ‘Of course I don’t mind! You do whatever you think is best and we’ll take it from there.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  He gave her a quick smile then hurried away. Helen didn’t waste any time as she made her way home to get changed. Fortunately, it was only a five minute walk from the school to her house but it was gone eleven by the time she made it back to the surgery. Her heart sank when she went into the waiting-room and saw all the people sitting there. There was a huge backlog and she could understand why Eve and Janet greeted her with such relief.

  ‘Looks as though it’s been a tad hectic in here,’ she observed drolly as she went into the office.

  ‘You can say that again!’ Janet rolled her eyes. ‘Poor Harry has done his best but he’s been absolutely swamped.’

  ‘The sooner I get down to some work the better, then.’ Helen turned to go then paused when Eve came hurrying through from Reception.

  ‘How’s Lucy? One of the mums told us that she was trapped under the lorry.’

  ‘She’s been taken to hospital with a suspected head injury,’ she explained. ‘That’s all I can tell you for now. I’ll give the hospital a call after lunch when they might have some more news.’

  ‘Oh, the poor thing! I do hope she’ll be all right. What’s going to happen to those two little kiddies of hers?’ Janet asked worriedly.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Helen admitted. ‘Does Lucy have any family living in the area who could look after them? She’s never mentioned anyone to me but maybe she has relatives near by.’

  ‘Her parents died when she was a child,’ Janet explained sadly. ‘Her grandparents brought her up but they passed away some years ago. That’s when Lucy moved away. She went to live in London and only came back last year after she’d split up with the boys’ father.’

  ‘Then I’d better have a word with Social Services and see what they can suggest. Can you get the duty social worker on the phone for me? I may as well sort this out before I do anything else.’

  Helen went to her room. Janet soon found the number she needed so she told the social worker what had happened and was assured that they would handle things from there on. After that it was a case of trying to catch up.

  The morning flew past and it was lunchtime before she knew it. She gathered together the files she’d used after her last patient had left and took them back to the office. Lewis was coming along the corridor when she left her room so she stopped to wait for him.

  ‘How did you get on at school? Did you have to take Kristy home?’

  ‘No. The head decided it would cause too many problems if she sent the children home. A lot of parents had gone to work when the accident happened so she couldn’t be sure of getting in contact with them. She spoke to the police and the fire brigade and they assured her there was no danger so she decided to carry on as normal.’ He shrugged. Any parents who wanted to take their child home could do so, but I decided it would be less disruptive for Kristy if she stuck to her normal routine.’

  ‘And what about tonight? Are they still holding the after-school club?’

  ‘Apparently.’ He opened the office door then stepped back so she could precede him.

  ‘Thanks.’ Helen went to enter the room, pausing when she heard his swift intake of breath as she accidentally brushed against him. She looked at him in concern when she saw how pale he’d gone. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine. I managed to cut myself on some broken glass when I was under that lorry. I’ve put a dressing on it but it’s still a bit tender.’

  ‘Do you want me to take a look at it for you?’ she offered, dropping her files into the tray.

  ‘No, it’s OK.’ He shrugged as he added his bundle to hers. ‘It’s just a cut and it will soon heal.’

  ‘How long is it since you had a tetanus jab?’ she persisted.

  ‘I’ve no idea.’ He grimaced. ‘I know what you’re going to say—everyone should have a booster every few years. I just never seem to get round to it.’

  ‘Then there’s no time like the present, is there?’ She went to the door, arching her brows when he didn’t make any attempt to follow her. ‘Well, what are you waiting for? Surely you’re not frightened of needles?’

  ‘No, although I can think of more pleasant ways to spend my lunch-break.’ He chuckled as he followed her out of the office. ‘Are you always this bossy?’

  ‘Only when I need to be,’ she replied loftily, leading the way to the treatment room. They kept a stock of vaccines on hand so she took a vial of the tetanus booster out of the cabinet, placed it in a dish then found a syringe. ‘I’d like to check the cut before I give you the shot, though. It’s not easy to clean a wound properly yourself and there’s no point taking any chances.’

  ‘There really isn’t any need.’ He sighed when she didn’t reply. ‘Oh, all right. If you insist.’

  He unbuttoned his shirt and turned so that she could see the dressing on the right side of his ribs. Helen took a pair of gloves out of the box and put them on before carefully removing the lint. She frowned when she saw the jagged cut that had scored his flesh.

  ‘It’s quite deep. ‘

  ‘There was a lot of debris under that trailer.’

  ‘There was also a lot of muck under there so I’ll clean it up again to make sure there’s no dirt in it. Just stay there while I fetch what I need.’

  She quickly gathered together some antiseptic and cotton wool then set to work, cleaning the cut and the area surrounding it with antiseptic solution. She was so e
ngrossed that it was only when she reached for a fresh piece of cotton wool that she noticed the strained expression on his face.

  ‘Sorry. Did that hurt?’

  ‘No, it’s fine.’ His voice sounded unusually gruff despite the reassurance, and she hesitated.

  ‘Are you sure? If it’s that painful maybe there’s a fragment of glass in it. I’d better check to make sure.’

  She turned away to fetch the magnifying glass they kept for just such an occasion then paused when he said softly behind her, ‘It’s not the cut, Helen.’

  There was something in his voice that made her heart suddenly pound. She could feel it thumping away as she turned to face him. ‘If it’s not the cut, what is it?’ she asked in a voice that sounded unlike her normal tone.

  ‘I think you know what it is.’

  He took a slow step towards her and a shiver danced down her spine when she saw the way he was looking at her. She couldn’t remember a man looking at her before with such desire in his eyes, not even Ian.

  The thought stunned her so that she could only stand there as though she’d been rooted to the spot as he took another step which brought him within touching distance this time.

  ‘It’s you, Helen…and how you make me feel.’

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘LEWIS, I….’ Helen stopped when there was a sudden knock on the door. She just had time to step back before Janet appeared.

  ‘Sorry to bother you, Helen, but the social worker is here to see you about Lucy Maguire,’ the receptionist explained, looking startled when she saw Lewis’s state of undress.

  ‘Thank you, Janet. Can you show her into my office?’

  Helen made a determined effort to collect herself but her heart was beating almost out of control. She didn’t dare speculate what might have happened if they hadn’t been interrupted. She summoned a smile because the last thing she wanted was for there to be any gossip in the surgery. ‘Lewis managed to cut himself while he was helping Lucy this morning. I was just cleaning the wound for him.’

  ‘Oh, how awful!’ Janet exclaimed in concern. ‘Amy’s in the staffroom so shall I ask her to see to it while you deal with the social worker?’