Nurse in a Million

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Two nurses, an anaesthetist and a surgeon isn’t much of a team,’ she agreed worriedly. ‘If conditions in Honduras are as bad as has been reported on the news, you’re going to need all the help you can get.’

  ‘I know. I was wondering about asking Piers if he wanted to go along,’ Rafferty said, glancing at her. ‘He’s quick and willing to learn so he’s just the kind of person we need, but I wouldn’t like to cause problems at the clinic by poaching one of their staff.’

  ‘It will be a lot easier to find someone to cover at the clinic,’ she pointed out. ‘Maybe one of Piers’s friends would be willing to do a stint there if it was only on a short-term basis.’

  ‘They might. So you wouldn’t object if I asked him?’

  ‘Of course not. Why should I?’

  ‘Because I don’t want you to think that I’m encroaching on your territory, Natalie. You made it pretty plain yesterday that you weren’t exactly thrilled about me volunteering to work at the clinic,’ he added wryly.

  ‘I already explained that I didn’t have a problem with you working there,’ she denied.

  ‘You did, but I’m not blind. I saw the way you reacted yesterday when you saw me. You really didn’t want me there, did you?’

  ‘No.’ She bit her lip but there was no point in lying. ‘The clinic has been a sort of haven for me since I came back to London. Everything has been so up in the air since my father had his heart attack that it was good to be able to do something normal for a change.’

  ‘It must have been hard for you these past few months,’ he said softly, and she shivered when she heard the concern in his voice.

  ‘It wasn’t easy. There was all the worry about whether Dad would pull through to begin with. Then, on top of that, there was the fact that it was vital that someone take charge of the firm in his absence. And then there was you and how you felt about me coming back to London.’

  He stood up and his face was very grave as he came over to her. ‘I never meant to make life difficult for you, Natalie. It’s the last thing I wanted to do, believe me.’

  He took hold of her hands and she held her breath, desperately hoping that he would tell her how he really felt. If he would just open up his heart and tell her that he truly loved her, she was sure they could find a way through their problems…

  The sudden shrilling of his cellphone broke the spell and her shoulders slumped in defeat as he let her go to answer it. She went and sat down at her desk, wondering if she should just come straight out and ask him how he felt about her. But what on earth could she say? Do you love me, Rafferty? Really love me with the whole of your heart and every fibre of your being?

  The trouble was that he’d always kept his emotions under wraps and she wasn’t sure if he’d tell her even if she did drum up the courage to ask him. Anyway, would a declaration made under duress be worth anything? For it to really mean something, Rafferty had to tell her of his own volition that he loved her and it seemed that he wasn’t prepared to do that.

  ‘That was Ruth Thompson, the social worker from the hospital. She wants to have a word with me about Danny Kennedy. It turns out that he’s only fourteen, so legally his mother must be informed as to his whereabouts.’

  ‘Oh, no! If his mother’s new partner finds out where Danny is, I don’t know what will happen!’ she exclaimed, setting aside her own problems for the moment. ‘Danny is terrified of him.’

  ‘That’s what I need to explain to Ruth. Maybe there’s a way around it if we could get in touch with Danny’s father instead.’

  ‘It would be great if you could! Maybe Danny can tell you where he works and you can contact him there,’ she suggested eagerly, wishing that she’d thought of doing that herself.

  ‘Good idea. I’ll see what Ruth thinks.’ Rafferty glanced at his watch and sighed. ‘Look, I hate to do this but I really do have to go. I need to get this sorted out, then I have to pack. Our flight doesn’t leave until eight p.m. but there’s a three-hour check-in beforehand.’

  ‘I understand.’

  Natalie tried to hide her panic but it wasn’t easy to remain calm when she had a horrible feeling that once Rafferty left her office it would be the end for them. Maybe it would be the best solution but she wanted them to make that decision themselves and not have it forced upon them by an airline’s schedule.

  ‘Do you?’ Rafferty’s voice was tinged with something that merely intensified her fears. ‘I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about why I’m leaving, Natalie.’

  ‘I haven’t. I won’t,’ she mumbled, stumbling over the words in her haste. ‘You have things to do so don’t worry about it. I understand. Really I do.’

  She stood up abruptly, wondering if she was mad even to contemplate what she was thinking of doing. There were a dozen reasons why she shouldn’t do it and only one reason why she should. However, that single reason far outweighed everything else. ‘I’d better get a move on myself if I’m to have any hope of getting everything organised in time.’

  ‘In time for what?’ he asked in surprise as she hurried around the desk.

  ‘To catch that plane with you tonight, of course.’

  She took her coat off the peg, seeing the shock etched on his face. It was obvious that he hadn’t expected her to do this and just for a moment she found herself wavering. However, in her heart she knew that if she let him go, he might not come back and she wasn’t prepared to take that risk.

  She fixed a smile to her mouth, hoping he couldn’t tell how scared she was because there was no guarantee that this would achieve anything. ‘You set me a challenge, don’t forget. You told me to prove that the work I’ve been doing in London is as important as the work I did with Worlds Together by coming on your next mission, so that’s what I’m going to do. Tell Shiloh that I shall be heading up the nursing team, will you?’

  Picking up her bag, she swept out of the room. Janet was at her desk so Natalie quickly explained what was happening. Janet was obviously surprised by the speed of her decision but she quickly rallied and promised to keep things ticking over in the office while Natalie was away.

  Once that was settled, Natalie realised that she needed to speak to a couple of key people whom she would have to ask to oversee the running of the company in her absence. She asked Janet to arrange a meeting in the boardroom at two o’clock that afternoon then took the lift to the ground floor. She had no idea what Rafferty had been doing while she’d been sorting out the arrangements, because he still hadn’t left her office. Maybe he was too shocked to leave or worried about what she might expect from him during the forthcoming trip.

  She took a deep breath as she left the building because she had no idea what she expected either. All she knew was that if she let him leave without her that night, she might never see him again and that was more than she could bear. Maybe in time she would be able to accept it but not right now. Right now she needed to be with him.

  Rafferty paced the concourse as he scanned the crowd that was milling around. It was just gone four and Heathrow Airport was filling up with travellers and commuters preparing to take evening flights. The rest of the Worlds Together team were sitting outside one of the fast-food outlets having a cup of coffee while they waited for the last members of the team to arrive, but he hadn’t been able to settle. How could he sit there, drinking coffee, when he had no idea if Natalie had meant what she’d said about coming with them?

  He suddenly spotted her pushing her way through the crowd and his ears began to drum as blood rushed to his head. She really was coming along on the trip, and the thought made him want to turn cartwheels for joy, only the sensible side of him refused to get too excited about it. Natalie was only coming to prove a point, he reminded himself sternly. And he mustn’t read too much into her decision.

  ‘Sorry I’m late, but the traffic was horrendous. Jenkins had the devil of a job getting me here.’

  ‘Jenkins?’ Rafferty repeated, busily drinking in every detail of what she was wearing.
Olive-green cargo pants and a matching T-shirt wasn’t the sexiest outfit in the world and couldn’t hold a candle to that evening gown she’d worn the other night. However, it was definitely good enough to stir up his juices!

  ‘My father’s chauffeur.’

  Rafferty struggled to contain his reaction to that announcement, but it wasn’t easy to have her wealth thrust into his face like that. His tone was far more acerbic than he’d intended it to be. ‘It must be nice to be able to call on the services of a chauffeur and not have to suffer the usual hassles most folk go through, getting to the airport.’

  ‘It is.’

  Her smile had faded abruptly and he cursed himself when he saw her face close up. He knew he should apologise for the jibe but before he could try to make amends he heard someone shouting his name. He looked round and spotted Shiloh Smith hurrying across the concourse.

  ‘I’m glad I managed to catch up with you before you went through passport control,’ Shiloh exclaimed, shaking hands with him and kissing Natalie on the cheek.

  ‘We’ll be going through as soon as Brian and Dominic get here,’ Rafferty explained shortly. He nodded towards the café. ‘We were just having a last cup of coffee while we waited for them.’

  ‘Brian’s just checking in but Dominic won’t be coming. That’s why I needed to catch you before you left.’ Shiloh’s tone was unusually grim. ‘I had a phone call at lunchtime to say that Dominic had been involved in an RTA on his way home from work. He’s not too badly injured, thankfully enough, but he has a broken leg so he won’t be going anywhere for some time.’

  Rafferty groaned. ‘That means we’ll be a surgeon down! It’s going to be really tough if there’s just Larry and me. We need three surgeons minimum if we’re to have any chance of keeping on top of all the work.’

  ‘Which is why I’ve spent the best part of the afternoon phoning around to find a replacement.’

  ‘And have you?’ Rafferty demanded, his brows shooting up in surprise when Shiloh nodded. ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes, really.’ Shiloh laughed. ‘It’s little short of a miracle, isn’t it? But we came up trumps. You probably know her, in fact—Joanna Archer, Head of Surgery at St Leonard’s.’

  ‘Of course I know Joanna!’ Rafferty exclaimed. ‘She’s a first-rate surgeon although I didn’t know she was one of our volunteers.’

  ‘Officially, she isn’t, but her husband has worked for us a couple of times. You might know him as well—Dylan Archer?’ Shiloh carried on when he nodded. ‘I phoned Dylan to see if he could give us a hand as soon as I heard about Dominic, but he can’t get away at the moment. He’s just taken up a new consultancy post and he needs to oversee the arrangements for his new team. Anyway, Joanna must have overheard what he was saying because she offered her services instead.’ Shiloh broke off and grinned. ‘Here she is now, in fact.’

  Rafferty turned round and smiled when he saw Joanna approaching them. It had been a couple of years since he’d seen her and he couldn’t help thinking how well she looked as they shook hands. Her husband and son had come to see her off and he felt a lump suddenly come to his throat when he saw the little boy, which was odd because he’d never thought much about having children. His life had seemed complete up to now and children hadn’t been an issue, but as he looked at the boy he was overwhelmed by a sudden sense of longing for a child of his own.

  He glanced at Natalie as she bent to speak to the boy and felt his heart catch when it struck him that the only woman he wanted to have a child with was her. She would be a wonderful mother, too, and would give their child all the love he or she could ever need, but how would she feel about the idea of them having children?

  It was as though all the fears and uncertainties he’d harboured had suddenly crystallised into this one point: could Natalie see him as the future father of her children, or would she want a man who was more her social equal?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘GET another litre of saline into her, stat. She’s so dehydrated that her whole system is in danger of shutting down.’

  Rafferty tossed his soiled gloves into the waste sack and picked up a fresh pair. It had been like a conveyor belt all morning as one casualty after another had been brought in. Most of them were children because it was always the youngest and the weakest who came off worst in any disaster. Many had been crushed when buildings had fallen on them, others had been swept away by the floods which had swamped the coastal region of the country and the rest had been victims of the mayhem which had broken out after the hurricane had hit. It was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the disaster, but it wouldn’t help if he gave in to his emotions so he hid them behind a veneer of calm.

  ‘What have we got here?’ he rapped out, stopping beside the next in the long line of beds that had been placed in the triage area of the camp.

  The ground crew had worked miracles to get everything set up so quickly. As well as the all-important theatre tent, there was a separate tent for triage and treatment of a non-surgical nature, two tents to be used as wards, plus their own living quarters. It was barely ten hours since they’d landed at Comayagua Palmerola airport and in that time they’d got themselves up and running, if not at full speed then at something rapidly approaching it. Rafferty knew that the success of the operation so far was partly Natalie’s doing because she’d pulled out all the stops to get everything ready. It just seemed to prove his point that she was wasted at Palmer’s—not that it was his main concern any longer, of course.

  ‘Five-year-old with extensive crush injuries.’

  Natalie was all business as she talked him through the status of his next patient and he made himself emulate her attitude because it would achieve nothing to give in to this feeling of panic that was humming away inside him. He had no idea if Natalie thought he would be a good father for her children, but he would have to find out the answer at some point because it was important that he know the truth.

  ‘Where did they find him?’ he demanded, focusing on the child because he couldn’t deal with thoughts like that right now.

  ‘He was buried in the ruins of the school. Most of the people from his village had gone there to shelter so there are dozens of casualties still being dug out.’

  ‘Do we know how long he was trapped?’ Rafferty asked, bending over so he could examine the boy.

  Both his legs were badly bruised and swollen although Rafferty couldn’t detect any fractures. The upper part of his body was unmarked and he was breathing unaided, but Rafferty was too experienced to take that as a sign the boy would recover. Crush syndrome—whereby large amounts of protein pigments found their way into the bloodstream from the damaged muscles—could impair his kidney function. If the toxins that would normally be excreted by the kidneys built up, it would cause kidney failure. He knew that the boy would need dialysis to prevent that happening and that the machine they had brought with them was currently being used by another patient.

  ‘No. Most of the people they’ve dug out so far are too badly injured to question,’ Natalie explained.

  ‘So he could have been there at least a day and probably longer.’ Rafferty shook his head. ‘There’s no way he’ll escape with his kidney function unimpaired. We need to get him onto dialysis as soon as possible.’

  ‘The machine’s in use.’ Natalie glanced round and beckoned Piers over. ‘Can you check how the patient on dialysis is doing? We need to know realistically what his chances are.’

  Piers glanced uncertainly at the child. ‘You mean you might have to take him off the machine so this boy can use it?’

  Rafferty nodded, knowing how hard it would be for the younger doctor to accept such a decision. ‘If the patient who’s currently undergoing haemodialysis isn’t going to recover then the boy should be given a chance. It’s a tough call but it’s essential we make this kind of decision when facilities have to be rationed.’

  ‘I understand.’ Piers didn’t say anything else as he hurried away. However, Raff
erty could tell that he was upset about having to make a life-or-death judgement.

  ‘He’ll cope,’ Natalie said softly, and he looked at her in surprise because he hadn’t realised his expression had been so revealing.

  ‘You think so?’

  ‘Yes. Piers is a good doctor and a very caring person but he’s a realist, too. He’ll find it hard but he’ll accept the need to make a difficult decision in a situation like this.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Rafferty said bluntly. ‘If he doesn’t then he’s going to find this job really hard going.’

  ‘Just give him time to settle in and he’ll be fine.’

  She gave him a quick smile and he looked away when he felt heat buzz along his veins. He couldn’t afford to let his concentration waver. He carried on with his examination and had logged up a fractured left wrist by the time Piers came back to update them on the status of the patient currently undergoing haemodialysis.

  ‘I’ve just spoken to Joanna and she said to tell you that he’s holding his own. Apparently, the dialysis has made a huge difference and she’s confident that he’s going to make it if we can keep him on the machine.’

  ‘Fine,’ Rafferty agreed. He certainly wasn’t going to question Joanna’s judgement. ‘We’ll have to try a different approach for our young friend, then. I take it that you know how peritoneal dialysis works?’

  ‘Yes, but only from what I’ve read in a textbook. I’ve never seen it actually done,’ Piers admitted with a trace of excitement in his voice.

  Rafferty smiled to himself because it was good to know that Natalie’s faith in the younger man hadn’t been misplaced. She’d always been a good judge of character, he thought, then wasn’t sure why the idea should seem so important all of a sudden.

  ‘Peritoneal dialysis makes use of the body’s own filtering membrane, i.e. the peritoneum,’ he explained briskly, confining himself to work rather than allowing his thoughts to start wandering off at a tangent again. He picked up a pen and quickly drew a diagram on the back of the clipboard.