A Very Special Surgeon

by Laura MacDonald

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Maggie with a little sigh, ‘we want it to be him. He’s been so good to me throughout the pregnancy—he’s a wonderful man.’

  ‘He certainly is,’ said Natalie cheerfully, her gaze meeting Kate’s over the tops of their masks. ‘Isn’t that right, Sister?’

  Kate was saved from having to reply to that particular question by the arrival of Tom himself, strolling into Theatre with no hint of the urgency that surrounded the case. Matt Forrester, whose presence was required to examine the baby as soon as it was born, accompanied him.

  Kate found herself avoiding Tom’s gaze, all too mindful of Natalie’s earlier comments. It was true she had been incredibly aware of Tom that morning, but in view of what had happened between them at the weekend it was hardly surprising. In fact, if she was honest, she hadn’t been able to wait to see him again, had found her heart thumping when she knew he was due in the department, and then, when she did first catch sight of him, she’d had to get a firm grip on herself as her heart had seemed to perform a series of gymnastics.

  It would have to stop, Kate told herself firmly, at least while they were both at work. There was no way they could let what was happening in their private lives reflect on their professional relationship, especially now that Natalie had noticed. In future, she reminded herself almost fiercely, the two aspects would have to be kept distinctly separate.

  ‘All ready, Maggie?’ Tom looked down at his patient who smiled tremulously up at him and nodded.

  ‘Shall we have some music in here?’ Tom glanced at Ted Sumner. ‘What would you like your baby to be born to—Bach? Mozart? Or maybe some jazz?’ he asked hopefully, while Kate smothered a smile, knowing how keen Tom was on jazz. A throwback from his student days, he’d told her.

  ‘Actually,’ said Ted almost apologetically, ‘we’re into country and western.’

  ‘Then country and western it shall be,’ said Tom. ‘I’m sure Sister can arrange that. Sister?’ He turned to Kate and she was forced to meet his gaze. There was amusement there in those dark eyes, amusement and something else—something that sent a shiver of delight down Kate’s spine.

  Then that brief, light-hearted interlude was over and professionalism took over once more as Tom made the required incision. A little later, to the accompaniment of the Nashville sound, Maggie’s and Ted’s baby was lifted out into the world.

  ‘It’s a boy,’ announced Tom, looking up over the screen at Maggie and Ted. ‘Congratulations, you have a fine son,’ he added.

  ‘Is he all right?’ asked Maggie anxiously.

  ‘Here,’ Tom replied, ‘see for yourself.’ After Kate had cut the cord he lifted the baby over the screen and placed him on Maggie’s chest.

  While Maggie and Ted spent precious moments becoming acquainted with their son and Tom cleared Maggie’s uterus and began suturing, Matt stepped forward.

  ‘I’d like to take a look at this little chap if I may,’ he said. As Maggie reluctantly handed over her son, he held him gently in both hands. ‘Does he have a name yet?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ said Maggie, glancing up at her husband. ‘Stuart Edward.’ Her voice sounded suddenly weak and very weary, and Kate leaned forward at the same time as the anaesthetist to check the readings on the pulse and blood-pressure monitors.

  ‘Fine names,’ observed Tom as Matt bore the baby to the far side of the room in order to carry out his examination. ‘Right,’ he added, ‘we’re just about all done here. I’m sure Maggie will be glad of a cup of tea now…’

  ‘Blood pressure is dropping,’ announced the anaesthetist suddenly.

  There was a flurry of activity around the table as the green screen was removed then Maggie appeared to struggle for breath and the bleeping from the heart monitor gave way to a single ominous note.

  ‘She’s arrested!’ said Kate.

  ‘Get the crash trolley!’ ordered Tom. ‘Adrenaline, please. Sister. Start heart massage.’

  While Tom administered the adrenaline injection Kate began the resuscitation routine while Natalie wheeled forward the crash trolley and defibrillator.

  ‘What’s happening?’ A horrified Ted struggled to his feet and stared down at the still form of his wife. On the far side of the theatre Matt placed the baby into a waiting incubator and, together with a nurse, left immediately for the special care unit.

  As Natalie moved Ted away from the bed while trying to reassure him, Tom took the pads from the defibrillator and approached Maggie. ‘Stand clear!’ he commanded, and when Kate ceased heart massage and stood back from the bed he applied the pads to Maggie’s chest and administered a shock.

  For a few seconds following the shock all eyes in the theatre turned to the heart monitor, which continued its single monotonous tone.

  ‘There’s no output,’ said Kate.

  ‘Again,’ said Tom. ‘Stand clear!’ As everyone stood back, he shocked Maggie for a second time and once again all eyes stared at the monitor. This time the indicator appeared to flutter, then a bleep was heard.

  ‘We have an output,’ said Kate, and a ripple of intense relief ran through the staff.

  ‘Is she all right?’ Ted was across the theatre and back at his wife’s side before anyone could stop him.

  ‘Her heart stopped for a moment there, Ted,’ replied Tom.

  ‘But why would that have happened?’ Ted stared down at his wife, his anxiety plain for everyone to see.

  ‘It could have been for any number of reasons,’ Tom replied. ‘We will need to do some tests to find out why. What we will do now is ask Sister to arrange for Maggie to be taken to our cardiac unit so these tests can be carried out.’

  ‘What about the baby?’ asked Ted frantically.

  ‘Dr Forrester has already taken him down to the special care baby unit,’ explained Kate gently. ‘He’ll be in the best hands possible there, Ted,’ she went on, ‘and you will be able to visit him shortly.’

  During the following half-hour Kate arranged for Maggie to be admitted to the cardiac unit, and when the porters arrived to transport her she urged Ted to go with his wife. When they had left the theatre Tom peeled off his gloves and threw them into a waste bin. ‘I can do without incidents like that,’ he said.

  ‘It wasn’t your fault,’ said Kate.

  ‘Maybe not, but it was too close for comfort,’ he replied tersely. ‘I’m not in the habit of losing my patients, Sister, whether babies or their mothers. I want those test results as soon as they are available.’ With that he strode out of the theatre, tearing off his theatre greens as he went.

  ‘It couldn’t have been his fault, could it?’ asked Melissa, wide-eyed at the drama. It was her first time in Theatre to witness a Caesarean section and Kate found herself wishing the occasion hadn’t been so traumatic.

  ‘It’s highly unlikely,’ Kate replied. ‘If Mrs Sumner had had a known heart condition it would have been in her records and Mr Fielding would have treated her accordingly. As it was, there was no mention of anything untoward so what happened was probably unpreventable. Nevertheless, Mr Fielding will want to see the test results, if only to prove to himself that there wasn’t anything he could have done.’

  ‘Thank goodness he was able to resuscitate her,’ said Melissa.

  ‘Yes.’ Kate nodded. ‘Thank goodness indeed.’

  ‘I wonder why Matt whisked the baby away so quickly,’ mused Natalie.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Kate shook her head. ‘Let’s hope it was just because of what was happening to Maggie and not because there was anything wrong with him.’

  ‘I thought he looked very small,’ observed Natalie.

  ‘And he didn’t cry, did he?’ Melissa looked from Kate to Natalie as if seeking reassurance, then back to Kate.

  ‘Let’s not go jumping to any conclusions,’ said Kate.

  ‘No,’ agreed Natalie, ‘but I really hope all will be well with Maggie and the baby. They have waited so long for this to happen it would be too cruel for it to go wrong now.’
r />   ‘Talking of small babies,’ said Melissa as they set about cleaning the theatre, ‘do we know anything about that baby who had breathing problems? You know, Dee Perren’s little boy, the one who was born in the ambulance?’

  ‘When I spoke to Sister Forrester last week she said he was a little fighter and was holding his own,’ Kate replied. ‘Now, if I can leave you two to finish clearing up here, I must get back to the ward.’

  She found Tom at the nurses’ station, seated before a computer and apparently trawling through Maggie Sumner’s records. ‘There’s nothing,’ he said, ‘no mention of any cardiac problem either now or in the past.’

  ‘I didn’t for one moment imagine there would be,’ said Kate soothingly. ‘You wouldn’t have missed something like that.’

  ‘I’ll still be glad when we get those results,’ he said with a sigh. ‘Let me know when they are through, will you, Kate?’ He looked up at her and her heart went out to him at his obvious distress at coming so close to losing a patient.

  ‘Of course I will,’ she said, ‘but they will take some time. They will want to do both an ECG and an echo-cardiogram and we have to remember that Maggie herself is recovering from surgery.’

  ‘Yes, I know.’ He clicked the mouse to close Maggie’s file then with a sigh pushed his chair back from the desk.

  ‘I dare say you could use a coffee?’ she said softly.

  ‘Are you offering, Sister Ryan?’ The ghost of a smile crossed his face.

  ‘Yes, Mr Fielding, I am,’ Kate replied. He stood up and she led the way to her office and its ever bubbling pot of coffee. ‘Now,’ she said softly, ‘sit down, Tom, and relax for a few minutes.’

  ‘I wouldn’t want too many mornings like that,’ he admitted as Kate handed him a steaming mug of coffee and he added milk and sugar.

  ‘No,’ Kate agreed, ‘but fortunately they are very rare. I think I can only remember that happening once before after a Caesarean section and on that occasion we couldn’t save the patient.’

  They sat in silence for a while, each busy with their own thoughts, then Tom looked up. ‘Kate,’ he said, ‘I was on duty yesterday but when I got home I had a call from Francesca. She told me that you’ve met Jennifer.’

  ‘Yes.’ Kate nodded. ‘I took Siobhan over to spend the day with Francesca—she had a lovely time,’ she added.

  ‘Yes, Francesca said they enjoyed themselves,’ Tom agreed, ‘but I did find myself wondering whether Jennifer knew we had been out together.’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Kate frowned. ‘Although I imagine that Siobhan would have told Francesca, in view of her comments to me on the subject. Whether Francesca told her mother or not I don’t know, although…I have to say I rather got the impression she did know.’

  ‘Yes, I would imagine that she did,’ said Tom. ‘Just as I would lay odds that Jennifer made sure she was around when you arrived. I would even go so far as to say that it was probably her and not Francesca who instigated the whole thing.’

  ‘Does that matter?’ Kate threw him a glance and was perturbed to see that he looked troubled. ‘She was perfectly OK—not overly friendly but I wouldn’t exactly have expected that. But civil enough.’

  ‘No,’ he said, setting his mug down on the desk and sitting back in his chair, ‘it doesn’t matter, of course it doesn’t. You two would have had to have met each other sooner or later anyway, but years of experience have taught me to be wary of Jennifer’s motives. Don’t take any notice,’ he said, standing up. ‘It’s probably just me being paranoid. Now…’ He looked down at her and his tone and his expression softened. ‘When am I going to be able to see you again?’

  ‘I don’t know, Tom,’ she said, looking up into his eyes and feeling her insides begin to melt at what she saw there. ‘Did you have anything in mind?’

  ‘Well, Joe and Francesca will be with me at the weekend so maybe we’d better do something with all the children then.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ she replied.

  ‘But I can’t wait that long—I need to see you on our own before that,’ he said huskily, and at his words, deep inside Kate felt a sharp stab of desire. ‘Would you be free on Wednesday evening and would Aunt Bessie oblige again?’

  ‘I’m sure she would,’ Kate replied. ‘Siobhan won’t like it but maybe the thought of a weekend treat might help.’

  ‘Till Wednesday, then,’ he said. He reached out and gently touched her cheek, his expression one of tenderness and wonder, as if he couldn’t quite believe what was happening between them.

  ‘Careful.’ Kate’s gaze flew to the door’s glass panel but fortunately no one else was around. ‘I think we may already be cause for speculation.’

  ‘Let them,’ said Tom. ‘It doesn’t worry me and, let’s face it, it’ll be a nine-day wonder then it will be someone else’s turn.’

  Angelo’s Italian restaurant was just off Franchester High Street, close to the river, and with its green and gold striped awnings and tables and chairs set out on the wide pavement it had long been popular as a meeting place for staff from Ellie’s. It was rumoured that Angelo and Maria Fabiano, quite apart from serving up the most delicious food imaginable, knew every member of the hospital staff by name.

  It was Maria who greeted Kate and Natalie and showed them to a table in a far corner of the restaurant. ‘I not seen you for a while,’ she admonished, ‘where you been?’

  ‘Busy,’ said Natalie, ‘always busy, Maria. Barrie and me have been decorating our spare room and the kids have been involved in all sorts of things. And Kate…’ She threw her friend a wicked glance. ‘Well, Kate also has been up to all sorts of things since we were in here last. Isn’t that right, Kate?’

  ‘I’ve been busy, yes,’ said Kate guardedly. Under Maria’s close scrutiny she felt the colour touch her cheeks and hated herself for it. She was supposed to be a mature widow, for heaven’s sake, and here she was, blushing like a fourteen-year-old.

  ‘It’ll be a man,’ said Maria knowingly.

  ‘How did you guess?’ Natalie gave a peal of laughter.

  ‘I know.’ Maria held up her hands, ‘I just know these things. Cappuccino?’

  ‘Yes,’ Natalie began, then, throwing Kate a quick glance, she added, ‘On second thoughts, after the day we’ve just had, a glass of wine might be more appropriate, don’t you think, Kate?’

  ‘Yes,’ Kate agreed, ‘you could be right.’

  ‘OK, two glasses of your best red, please, Maria, and a couple of your ciabatta melts.’

  Maria bustled off to the kitchen and, on being given the order, Angelo looked out and waved to Kate and Natalie.

  ‘Right,’ said Natalie, settling back into her chair, ‘come on, tell all. And don’t tell me there isn’t anything to tell because I won’t believe you. I only have to look at your face to see that something has happened—and something good, if I’m not too much mistaken.’

  Kate smiled and took a deep breath. She knew there was absolutely no point in not telling her friend the truth. ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘you’re right. Tom and I are seeing each other.’

  ‘I knew it!’ Natalie threw her head back in triumph. ‘Well, Kate, all I can say is it’s not before time and I’m absolutely delighted. It’s time you had some love and excitement in your life again.’

  ‘Hey, steady on,’ said Kate, pulling a face but at the same time finding it difficult to hide her feelings. ‘We’ve only been out on our own once.’

  ‘When was it, where did you go? Come on, I want all the gory details…’ Natalie trailed off as Maria came back to the table with their glasses of wine.

  ‘I just get your melts,’ she said, placing the glasses on the table, casting a speculative eye at Kate then hurrying back to the kitchen.

  ‘It was Friday evening,’ said Kate slowly. ‘He picked me up from home and we went down to the coast.’

  ‘Did you go in that four-wheel-drive of his or in that snazzy Mercedes?’

  ‘Oh, the Mercedes,’ Kate replied.
/>   ‘Good. Then what?’ Natalie leaned forward expectantly then had to sit back again as Maria brought their food, made sure they had everything they wanted then bustled off to greet more customers who had just arrived. ‘Go on,’ she said, taking a mouthful of wine and shaking out her napkin.

  ‘Where was I?’ asked Kate.

  ‘On the way to the coast in Tom Fielding’s Mercedes.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Well, he’d booked a table at a little seafood restaurant overlooking the harbour. It was…well, it was magic really.’

  ‘What did you have?’ Natalie had clearly meant it when she said she wanted all the details.

  ‘I had salmon mousse then lobster.’

  ‘Did you get on well? Did you talk much?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Kate. ‘We talked about everything. I was amazed actually by just how much we have in common. We like the same books and films…’

  ‘So what happened afterwards?’ Natalie bit into her melt.

  ‘We went for a walk,’ Kate replied, ‘along the sea wall and then back along the beach.’

  ‘The beach?’ Natalie frowned. ‘I don’t like walking on the beach. All that soft sand—it gets in everywhere.’

  ‘I took my shoes off,’ said Kate, her eyes misting slightly at the memory. ‘And actually it was rather romantic,’ she added defensively, then wished she hadn’t as Natalie seized upon it.

  ‘In what way romantic?’ she demanded.

  ‘Well, the moon was shining across the sea…’

  ‘And?’

  ‘And what?’

  ‘Don’t tell me that was all.’ Natalie stared at her in exasperation.

  ‘No,’ Kate admitted slowly, ‘no, of course it wasn’t all, but really, Nat, I’m not sure I want to talk about—’

  ‘Did you go on anywhere?’

  ‘Back to Tom’s place,’ Kate admitted.

  ‘Oh, right. Now we’re getting somewhere.’ Natalie gave a sigh of satisfaction.

  ‘We could hardly go back to Copse End, not with Siobhan and Connor and Aunt Bessie there, could we?’

  ‘Depends what you wanted to do,’ said Natalie with a wicked gleam in her eye. ‘OK for drinking coffee, I suppose, but anything else, well, I guess that would have cramped your style somewhat.’ When Kate remained silent she cocked her head. ‘It’s all right,’ she said, and her voice had lost its bantering tone. ‘I don’t want to hear any more—not unless you want to tell me, that is,’ she added half-hopefully. After a quick glance at Kate’s expression, in resigned fashion she added, ‘All right, perhaps not.’