Gratefully she swung round at the sound of Danny’s voice. ‘My quiet morning just ended.’ Glancing over at Hilda lying flat and lifeless, tubes and wires crowding her body, it might just as well have been Rory lying there. Overwhelmed, overwrought, with a sob Fleur fled the room.
‘G’day, there, sweetie—time for your morning break?’ Beryl, the domestic, made no comment about Fleur’s reddened, watering eyes. It happened all too often in this place. ‘Why don’t youse sit down and I’ll bring you a brew? Now, what would you like—a cappuccino or a caffè latte, or just an espresso?’
For a second Fleur thought Beryl was having a joke, but she started when she saw the huge stainless-steel contraption Beryl was lovingly polishing. ‘Where on earth did that come from?’
‘Dr Mario bought it for us, his first week here. ‘‘How am I supposed to function on this slop?’’ he said, all Latin like, as he threw his coffee into the sink, and that very afternoon here it was. Now, what can I get you?’ Beryl showed her the works and in no time the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room as Beryl frothed the milk. ‘Just gorgeous,’ she said with a small sigh, and Fleur was positive Beryl wasn’t referring to the coffee!
Sitting in the empty staffroom, Fleur berated herself over and over. She had been a fool to come back, a fool to think she could just walk in to her old job and carry on as if nothing had happened, when everything had changed.
It had seemed such a good idea when Kathy had first suggested it. With the government’s latest drive to encourage nurses back into the work force, job share was a concept that had been bandied around like a supposed gift from the gods. Reasonable shifts, flexible rosters, all like manna from heaven for nurses trying to juggle child care and young children. But half the pay with all the responsibility, Fleur had pointed out when Kathy had first broached the subject.
‘Come on, Fleur,’ she’d urged. ‘You said yourself, money’s a bit tight. And besides, it would do you good to get out a bit more. You know I want to cut back my hours and we’d both have built in babysitters. It’s the perfect solution. Heaven knows, they’d welcome you back with open arms—that place has really been going to pot lately. There’s just not enough senior staff and morale is really low. It would be great for everyone.’
And after a couple of glasses of wine, well, maybe more than a couple, Fleur had found herself starting to agree.
So now here she was, sitting in the staffroom feeling like the biggest failure in the world. She should never have come back, never have let Kathy talk her into it. Not only was it unfair on the staff, it was downright dangerous for the patients!
* * *
In contrast to the first half of the morning, the hand clinic ran smoothly. Danny had been right in his prediction that it would be a big clinic, and patient after patient trooped through—some bandaged, some with slings, others with their injured hands in plastic burn bags. Each hand injury seen in the department was always reviewed the following day, or in this case on the Monday following the weekend. More often than not, a simple re-dressing was all that was required, but in a few cases a more significant problem was detected on review which more than merited the manpower and time that the clinics took. Mario and Luke Richardson, the senior consultant, were both extremely experienced and zipped through the patients. It didn’t take long for Fleur to work out that Mario’s handwriting was truly appalling and it was far easier to stand behind him and listen, rather than try to decipher his extravagant scrawl after he’d seen the patient.
The next hour was spent in a flurry of taking down dressings, listening to Mario’s and Luke’s instructions and then re-dressing the injuries. Luke was friendly and professional, but as the clinic carried on Fleur couldn’t help but notice a few chips of ice in the cool blue eyes of Mario as he handed her the patients’ files. At first she tried to ignore it, sure she was being paranoid, but as the clinic progressed so did Fleur’s unease—Mario was definitely upset with her!
Without looking up, he accepted the final patient card from Fleur and read the notes for a moment before addressing the rather unkempt young man sitting at the desk.
‘So this was the result of falling off a wall, Jason?’
Fleur watched as Mario gently picked up the grossly swollen hand and examined it carefully.
‘Yeah, maybe I got a bit of gravel stuck in it. It’s killing me. That medicine the doctor gave me is useless. I don’t reckon he knew what he was talking about.’
‘I see from Dr Benson’s notes that he asked if you might have been bitten.’ Mario looked up from the hand to the face of the scruffy young man, who shifted awkwardly in his seat.
‘No way, man. Like I said, that doctor didn’t know nothing! I fell, I tell you.’
Mario didn’t comment straight away, not rising to Jason’s aggressive voice. Instead, he slowly turned the hand around. ‘The reason that I am…’ His forehead creased for a moment. ‘How do you say this? Nag,’ Mario said finally, obviously pleased with himself at choosing the right word. ‘The reason I nag is that many people do not realise the harm a small bite can do.’
‘I told you, I fell!’ Jason was becoming indignant now but Mario chose not to notice as he carried on chatting in an amiable voice. ‘Humour me, please, Jason. I need to practise my English.’ He flashed a smile and Jason shrugged. ‘If, and I hear you when you say no, but if this was the result of a bite—say you went to thump someone and their tooth caught your knuckle…’
Jason was seriously rattled now and pulled his hand away but Mario continued unperturbed. ‘Then that would make this seemingly simple injury far more serious. A human bite would be far more dangerous than a piece of gravel. You see, a bite acts like a very effective injection, and in this small space…’ He flicked his hands dramatically. ‘Pow! The germs multiply at a great rate and the hand fills with pus. Of course, if this were a bite, then we would need to admit you and give you intravenous antibiotics. Possibly you would need to go to Theatre to have the wound cleaned to halt the progress of the infection. Anyway, as it is merely from a fall, we don’t need to worry as much. We can increase your oral antibiotics and continue with elevation, and I will see you again tomorrow when I hope to see a great improvement. Sister Hadley here will clean it now for you and put it in a high arm sling.’ Handing Jason a script, he picked up his patient card and started to write.
Instead of getting up, Jason sat there for a moment. ‘Suppose it was a bite and I took the tablets and sling, what would happen then?’
‘Well, I really don’t think we need to go into that, Jason. I’m sure you are sensible enough that you would tell me so that I could give you the appropriate treatment.’
Jason gave loud sniff. ‘Well, come to think of it, I did get mixed up in a bit of a blue on Saturday.’
‘A blue?’
Fleur suppressed a smile as Mario tried to work out that particular Australianism. ‘A ‘‘blue’’ is a fight, Mr Ruffini.’
Mario glanced around at her. ‘Ah, I see. Well, Sister will take you around to the main department and as soon as I finish the clinic we’ll see about getting the orthopaedic doctors to admit you.’
‘How long will I be in for?’ Jason sounded nervous now and nothing like the angry young man of earlier.
‘A couple of days probably, but had you left it longer it could have been a lot more serious. I thank you for your honesty, it has made treating you a lot more straightforward.’
Fleur had to hand it to him, Mario certainly had charm. Most doctors—nurses, too, come to that—wouldn’t have been able to resist a quick lecture. But Mario had put that aside in the interest of his patient and the result was a positively docile young man now who would get the appropriate care.
‘I’d like a swab taken and then could you ask them to put in an IV bung? I’ll be around shortly to write up some antibiotics and refer Jason. Thank you, Sister.’ He gave a very brief on-off smile without meeting her eyes.
Fleur knew he was annoyed with her and, what was worse
, she couldn’t blame him. After this morning’s debacle he must be wondering what on earth Danny was doing, taking her back!
Jason was soon settled onto a trolley.
‘How’s the clinic going?’ Danny asked
‘Fine. We’re just about finishing up. Young Jason is to be admitted under the orthopods and needs an IV bung inserted.’
‘So it was a bite?’ Danny said knowingly. ‘He swore blind he’d fallen. How did you get him to open up?’
‘Not me,’ Fleur admitted. ‘Mario forced it out of him, or should I say charmed it out of him.’
‘I must say I’m impressed.’ Danny laughed. ‘So Mario does have his uses after all.’
Fleur gave him a quizzical look.
‘Just joking. I know he’s a great doctor, he’s just thrown the staff into disarray—surely you must have noticed? Lucy is a bumbling wreck whenever he’s near, Beryl has given up cleaning and mans the coffee-machine as if she worked in a café and even Len is taking his bad back to see him.’
Fleur laughed but her heart wasn’t in it, as she knew what was coming next.
‘How are you finding it?’
‘The clinic was fine, but I know I lost it a bit this morning. I’m sorry, Danny.’
Danny patted her arm. ‘There’s no need for that. It was completely understandable.’
‘Understandable, yes, acceptable, no.’
‘It was just bad luck it had to happen on your first morning. Things will get easier. Anyway, you finish in ten minutes, then you can go home and put your feet up.’
Fleur glanced down at her fob watch. ‘Gosh, the morning’s flown. How is Mrs Green?’ She held her breath, waiting for the answer.
‘Still in Theatre. The CT scan showed a massive subdural haematoma. Hopefully once they’ve evacuated the blood clot she should do well. She wasn’t down long.’
‘She was fine,’ Fleur said, almost to herself. ‘It just all happened so quickly.’
‘Then it’s just as well she was in the observation ward and not at home.’
Fleur nodded. ‘I’d better get back and have a quick tidy before I go.’
‘Well, I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow. Now, don’t dwell on it, Fleur. It really is good to have you back.’
By the time she got back, the last patient’s injury had been dressed and Lucy was enthusiastically restocking the dressing trolleys. As Fleur joined her, Luke Richardson made his way over, a pile of notes under his arm.
‘Thanks for that, Fleur,’ he said warmly. ‘I must say, I’m glad to see you back. It’s nice to have such a busy clinic run so smoothly.’ He turned to Mario who was somewhat impatiently hovering, obviously anxious to conclude the conversation. But Luke didn’t notice. ‘Fleur’s one of our finest,’ he said enthusiastically.
Mario was obviously choosing to reserve his judgement and spoke only to the top of her head. ‘Indeed,’ he said politely, as Fleur stood there awkwardly. His obvious coolness upset her, and rather surprisingly so. She had been around long enough to witness more than the occasional rudeness or indifference from a colleague. But this felt different. This time it was merited and coupled with the fact that everyone else seemed to get on famously with the wonderful Mario Ruffini.
Her cheeks burning, Fleur gave the two consultants a brief smile before making her way to the changing room.
‘Damn,’ she cursed once the door was safely closed. Day one and already she’d put someone offside. For a second she closed her eyes, resting the back of her head against the door. Surely her job couldn’t be in jeopardy on the strength of this morning? Surely it wasn’t all over before it had even started?
CHAPTER TWO
‘HI MUM!’ Alex gave Fleur a worried smile as he ran towards her. ‘How did it go?’
‘It was fine.’
‘Honestly?’
Fleur nodded assuredly. Some things a seven-year-old didn’t need to hear. ‘Where’s Ben?’
‘He’s in time-out—he had to stay behind for talking too much. He shouldn’t be long.’
As if on cue, Ben appeared, smiling happily, not remotely fazed by his short time in the sin bin. Fleur tried to ignore the unsettling contrast between the two boys. Alex would have been completely devastated—everything these days seemed to unnerve him. Not, of course, that she wanted him to be naughty at school, but he did need to relax a bit more. Kathy was probably right. The extra time with Ben would help, and maybe some of Ben’s happy-go-lucky nature would rub off on Alex. Once again it was rammed home to Fleur that she needed this job for so much more than the money.
By the time Kathy arrived the kids had devoured a bowl of potato chips and a drink and were finishing up their homework.
‘You’re kidding.’ Kathy laughed as she saw the boys with their heads down at the dining room table. ‘I usually have to resort to blackmail. I hear you did a great job this morning.’
‘From who?’ Fleur asked doubtfully.
‘Oh, just the general buzz around the place. How good it is to have you back, that sort of thing.’
‘Fancy a cuppa?’
Kathy shook her head. ‘Better not. Ben…’ she called, picking up his school bag before giving Fleur a wicked grin. ‘What did you think of the Italian stallion? And don’t try and tell me you didn’t notice him—I simply won’t believe you. Apparently he lost his temper with Danny this afternoon,’ she went on. ‘Unfortunately I was stuck in Theatre or I’d have had a glass up to Danny’s wall, but Beryl got the gist. He was roaring his head off about lack of comunicazione and team spirit and disastros waiting to happen. Something must have got under that gorgeous olive skin of his. He’s been all moody and brooding this afternoon. Though it just made him all the sexier if you ask me. Ben!’
Waving cheerfully, Kathy dragged a reluctant Ben down the garden path. Fleur waved back, a sinking feeling of dread in her stomach. So she hadn’t been imagining his mood after all. Mario Ruffini really was cross with her.
Dinner was simple, a shared omelette and salad on the veranda, with Alex carefully picking out anything green, but as she cleared the plates and made her way across the decking Alex’s voice stopped Fleur in her tracks. ‘Was it scary, Mum, going back?’
Battling the urge to force a smile and say ‘of course not’, Fleur turned slowly.
‘A bit,’ she admitted. ‘How do you feel about it?’
Alex fiddled with the newspaper lying on the table in front of him. ‘It’ll be good going to Ben’s and having him come here.’ He paused. ‘But…’
He didn’t have to say it, the poor little guy. After all, the last time his mum had gone to work their lives had been thrown into turmoil. Fleur sat beside Alex and pulled him towards her, kissing the top of his blond curls as she waited for him to vocalise his fears. But even a mum, however devoted, doesn’t always know what’s going on in that little brain.
‘I’m scared it’s too much for you, Mum—being back there, I mean. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I don’t care if we don’t go to see Movie World and everything.’
So he wasn’t scared for himself, just for his mum. Holding him against her, Fleur thought her heart would burst with pride and love. Overnight her little boy had become a man. ‘But a holiday in Queensland with a trip to Movie World would be nice, huh?’
Alex shrugged. ‘I guess.’
‘And a new game for your computer? Look, Alex, we’re hardly going to starve if I don’t go back to work—your dad made sure we were well looked after. We’ve got a beautiful home and a nice lifestyle, and money put aside for you to go to a nice high school, but all the little extras add up. I’m so proud of you for saying that it doesn’t matter, but it does matter, darling, to me. And leaving aside the money, I’m a nurse, Alex. I used to love my work and I really missed it. This is going to make a big difference for both of us.’
Alex looked up. ‘But—’
‘I’m fine,’ Fleur said firmly. And this time there was no question of forcing a smile, it came naturall
y. ‘I’ve got friends there, good ones. If I get upset they’ll help me through, that’s what friends do. And at the end of the day I come home to you, so what have I got to worry about?’
Not just a man, every bit a male, Fleur thought ruefully as Alex picked up the paper and turned straight to the sports page.
‘Just think, Mum, now you’re working we’ll be able to go to the footy lots!’
Now, there was a good reason to stay home!
Alex was bathed and in his pyjamas by seven, asking to watch a soap that was due to start.
‘Everyone watches it, Mum. They all talk about it at school every morning and I’m the only one who doesn’t get to see it. There’s a hostage on tonight, the police are going to raid the school!’
Which was precisely why she didn’t want him to watch it, but for once Fleur relented. ‘Well, if you get nightmares tonight, don’t come creeping into my bed.’
He didn’t come creeping in, not that Fleur would have noticed anyway. As soon as her head hit the pillow it seemed the alarm clock rang, heralding yet another day.
Assigned to the cubicles in Section B, Fleur found herself awaiting Mario Ruffini’s arrival with some trepidation. Determined to make at least a good second impression, she ensured that the minor injuries that frequented Section B were, as far as possible, ready to be seen by a doctor, removing home-made dressings, cleaning wounds and doing the occasional set of obs.
‘Good morning, Sister.’
‘Good morning, Mr Ruffini. The intern is in cubicle 3, seeing a sprained ankle, I’ve got a couple of minor hand injuries in cubicles one and two and a case of gastro down the end in cubicle seven.’
He nodded politely but didn’t comment as he had a quick flick through the histories. Finally, he spoke. ‘Nothing that can’t wait for five minutes. I’m going to grab a coffee. How do you take yours?’
‘Er, no, I’m fine, thanks.’ Since when did the senior medical staff make the nurses coffee?
‘Fine.’
Things obviously weren’t fine. He’d been polite, he’d even offered to make her a drink, but Fleur just knew he was less than impressed with her.
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