by Joanna Neil
‘No, I’ll go with you. I want to hear what the vet has to say. It’s good to see other professionals at work, and it’s useful to get their advice. You never know when it might come in handy. Besides, I like spending time with you. You know I do.’ He frowned. ‘I’d do it a lot more if it wasn’t for Jason hanging around.’
He turned to go back into the house to get ready for work. ‘I’ll see you at the hospital in two ticks.’
‘Okay.’ She set off for the hospital, still smiling at what he’d said. He liked spending time with her. It made her feel warm inside.
They met up in A and E a short time later, and even though this was her first official day at work, everything went smoothly. She treated a child who had come in with a broken collarbone after playing football at school and a girl who had dislocated her shoulder in a fall. There was also a tricky diagnosis where a boy had fallen and felt disorientated…it turned out to be a case of epilepsy.
Matt left her to get on with things pretty much on her own, but she was aware he was keeping an eye on her all the while. He needn’t have worried, though, because she was absolutely sure of what she was doing, and after a while the whole team relaxed and treated her as one of themselves, as if she’d been there for years.
At lunchtime Matt disappeared, and she guessed he’d gone to check up on Gemma. She was having her surgery today, and although Matt had been as calm and as efficient as ever as he went about his work, she knew that he was worried about her.
When he returned to A and E after about half an hour, he said quietly, ‘Shall we go and get a coffee?’
‘That would be good. I’m ready for one.’ She walked with him to the staffroom. ‘How is Gemma?’
‘She’s still in Theatre, but everything’s going well so far. Her vital signs are okay, which is good.’ He fetched two coffees and they went to sit down. ‘James is in the waiting room. He’s in bad shape. He’s terrified something might go wrong.’
‘Whatever happened to break them up, it seems as though he really cares about her.’
He nodded. ‘I think he does. I’m fairly sure it’s his job that’s the trouble, because he’s away from home so often.’
‘Can’t he get some other kind of work?’
‘That would be the best answer, and I think he realises it now. He says he’s applying for posts close to home. His qualifications are good, so he shouldn’t have too much trouble finding something suitable.’
She sipped her coffee. ‘It’s been a scary time for both of you.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Even so, I envy you, having a family, having someone close. I sometimes wish I’d had a brother or a sister. My aunt wasn’t able to have children, so there weren’t even any cousins.’
He looked at her, his eyes widening a fraction. ‘Is that a new memory?’
‘Oh!’ She gave a laugh. ‘Yes, it was. Perhaps you were right about me coming back to work. It must be opening up new memory pathways.’
They went back to A and E a few minutes later, and Saffi became engrossed once more in treating her patients.
She left for home a few hours before Matt, and spent the afternoon getting on with chores. Jason had wanted to meet up with her, but she’d put him off as she needed to make a trip to the grocery store.
‘I could go with you,’ he’d said. ‘I just want to be with you.’
‘I know, Jason, but I’d sooner do this on my own. Anyway, I’m going to the hairdresser and then to the vet’s surgery later.’ She didn’t want to be with him for too long. She’d much rather be with Matt, and she suspected Jason knew that.
After Matt arrived home, she gave him time to grab a bite to eat and then she put Mitzi into a carrier ready for the journey to see the vet.
‘Is there any news of Gemma?’ she asked as they went over to her car. She slid into the driver’s seat and Matt climbed in beside her.
‘Well, she’s out of surgery and in Intensive Care. Her blood pressure’s very low and she’s had several bouts of arrhythmia—they’re obviously concerned. She’s in a lot of pain, too, so they’re giving her strong drugs.’
‘At least she came through it, Matt.’ She laid her hand on his arm. ‘She’s young, and that’s in her favour.’
‘Yeah, there is that.’ He breathed deeply. ‘And James is at her bedside. If she wakes up, she’ll see him right away.’
She started the engine. ‘Where’s Ben today?’
‘He’s with my mother. She’s staying at Gemma’s house so that he’s in familiar surroundings.’
‘That’s good. This is bound to be upsetting for him.’
A few minutes later she turned onto the tree-lined road where the vet’s surgery was situated. They didn’t have to wait long before they were called into his room and he examined Mitzi’s leg once more.
‘That seems to be healing up nicely,’ he said. ‘Sometimes the leg becomes crooked, but it looks as though she’s doing really well. I’ll give you some more antibiotics for the wound, and a few painkillers, although I think she probably won’t need them for too long.’
Mitzi’s ordeal was over in a few minutes and they put her in the carrier once more then went back to the car.
Saffi drove back to the village. There was a fair amount of traffic on the main road at this time of the evening, and she checked her rear-view mirror regularly along the way.
After a while, she noticed that a black car was edging into view, coming close up behind her. She frowned. Whoever was driving it had been following her for some time, getting nearer and nearer, and now she was beginning to feel uneasy. Because of the shadows she couldn’t see the driver’s face clearly, but seeing that car had sparked something in the darker regions of her mind. She was sure something like this had happened to her before, that she’d been followed along a busy road.
She indicated to turn off the main road, and breathed a soft sigh of relief as the black car made no signal to do the same. It had all been in her imagination. The car wasn’t following her. It was going straight on.
She drove onto the country lane, and after a while she glanced into her rear-view mirror once more. The car was there again, right behind her. She gripped the steering-wheel tightly. Her heart was thudding heavily.
‘Saffi, what’s wrong?’ Matt’s voice sounded urgent. ‘You’re as white as a sheet.’
‘I’m not sure,’ she managed, ‘but I think I’m being followed.’ She pulled in a shaky breath. ‘It’s probably nothing. It’s just that…’
She broke off, switching on her indicator and carefully bringing the car to a halt in a lay-by. Beads of sweat had broken out on her brow.
She looked in the mirror once more. The black car had slowed down, too, as though the driver was unsure of himself, but then at the last moment he pulled away and went on down the country lane.
Saffi leaned back in her seat and let the fear drain out of her. The image of that black car was imprinted on her mind.
‘Can you tell me what happened?’
‘I don’t know. Perhaps I made a mistake.’
‘You were frightened, Saffi. What was it that scared you? Is it because you were in a collision once before? Did it happen because someone was following you?’
She swallowed hard. ‘I think so. I can’t remember clearly. It was a dark-coloured car. Something happened…I think I was rammed from behind…then a man stepped out of the car and came over to me.’ She searched her mind for anything more, but the image faded and she couldn’t bring it back. ‘All I know is I was terrified.’
He undid his seat belt and leaned towards her, wrapping his arms around her. ‘No wonder you were scared. It would be a bad experience for anyone.’ He stroked her hair. ‘Did you report it to the police?’
She frowned. ‘I don’t think so. I don’t know what happened after he came over to me.’
They sat for a while with Matt holding her until her heart stopped thumping and she felt as though she could go on.
‘Would you like
me to drive the rest of the way?’
She shook her head. ‘No, thanks. I’ll do it. I’ll be all right now.’ She wanted to stay in his arms, but at the same time she needed to overcome her fears. Slowly, she eased away from him.
He frowned. ‘Okay…if you’re sure.’ He fastened his seat belt once more and she started the car, driving cautiously until they arrived home.
‘If you want me to be a passenger in the car over the next few weeks until you’re over this, that’s fine by me,’ Matt said after she’d settled Mitzi back in her cage.
‘Thanks.’ She smiled at him. ‘I think I’ll be okay.’
Somehow knowing what it was that had caused her worries about driving was enough to ease her mind. Whatever had happened was in the past and not something that she need be concerned about now. It was like a weight off her mind, and it meant that when she drove to work the next day she was calm and the journey was uneventful.
‘You seem to have settled in here well,’ Gina said, as she assisted her with a young patient who needed sutures in a leg wound. ‘Are you getting to know your way around?’
‘I think so,’ Saffi answered. ‘Everyone’s been very helpful.’
‘Yes, I found that, too.’
‘Ah, of course—you came here just a few days before I started, didn’t you?’ She glanced at Gina, who was wearing her brown hair loose this morning, so that it fell in soft waves to the nape of her neck. ‘You’re covering for a maternity leave? What will you do when that contract finishes?’
‘I’ll go back to the community hospital. They let me do this as a way of gaining experience in other departments. The nursing chief is good like that. She thinks variety will make for better nursing, so she was willing to allow the transfer.’
‘She’s probably right.’
Saffi tied off the last suture and gave her small patient a smiley-face badge. ‘You were very brave,’ she said.
Gina stayed behind to clear the trolley while Saffi went off to examine a six-year-old who had breathing difficulties and a barking cough. The nurse seemed friendly, and she hadn’t anticipated that. She’d wondered if there might be some tension between them since Gina had dated Matt, but working with her had been much easier than she’d expected.
Matt had gone to see his sister before coming into A and E this morning, and Saffi busied herself going about her work. Whenever she had a brief free moment she thought about the dilemma she was in, and what she should do about Jason. He’d been easygoing, good company, and she could perhaps see some small reason why they might have been a couple before the accident that had blighted her life.
She didn’t have any feelings for him, though, and she was fairly certain that even if she were to spend several more weeks in his company she still wouldn’t feel anything for him. Was that because something inside her had changed after her head injury, or was it because she had fallen in love with Matt?
What could she say to him? He would be going back to Hampshire in less than a week and he was begging her to go with him.
And what should she do about Matt? Emotionally, she was totally bound up in him. He wanted her and they were good together, but there was no future in the relationship that she could see. Wasn’t she inviting heartache?
Matt walked briskly into A and E, breaking into her thoughts, and quickly glanced through the list of patients who were being treated. ‘Any problems so far?’ he asked, and the registrar shook his head.
‘It’s all under control.’
Saffi glanced at Matt, trying to gauge his mood. His expression was serious, and she wondered if everything was all right with his sister.
‘How is she?’ she asked.
His mouth flattened. ‘She’s feeling pretty awful at the moment. There are all sorts of tubes that have to be left in place for a while, as you know, and one of the insertion points is infected. They’ve taken swabs to find out what bacteria are involved, and put her on strong antibiotic cover in the meantime.’
‘I’m sorry.’
The triage nurse cut across everyone’s conversation just then, saying, ‘Red alert, people. We’ve a child coming in by ambulance. Suspected head injury after a fall on a path at home. Estimated arrival ten minutes.’
Everyone was immediately vigilant, ready to do their designated jobs.
When the boy, Danny, was brought into the resuscitation room, Saffi’s heart lurched. He was about the same age as Ben, and he looked so small and vulnerable, white-faced, his black hair stark against the pillows.
‘He’s been vomiting on the way here,’ the paramedic said, but by now the child had slipped into unconsciousness.
Immediately, Matt began his assessment, while Saffi quickly set up a couple of intravenous fluid lines. A nurse connected Danny to monitors and Matt began a thorough examination of his small patient.
Once his vital signs had stabilised and Matt was satisfied there were no other major injuries, he said, ‘Okay, let’s get him over to Radiology for a CT Head scan.’
Matt and Saffi went with the child. She was apprehensive, dreading what the scan might reveal. Head injuries like this were always serious and could be life-threatening. Danny’s parents must be frantic with worry.
Seeing the results of the scan on the computer screen, Matt’s jaw tightened. Saffi was filled with anxiety.
‘Call Theatre,’ Matt told Gina, who was assisting. ‘Tell them I’m on my way with a four-year-old who has a subdural haematoma.’
‘Are you doing the surgery?’ Gina asked.
He nodded. ‘There’s no one else available right now. Prep the child and I’ll go and scrub in as soon as I’ve spoken to the parents.’ He looked at Saffi. ‘Do you want to come and scrub in as well?’
‘Yes. I’d like to.’
Everything happened very quickly after that. He explained to the parents that blood was leaking into the tissues around their child’s brain and because it had no way of escaping it was building up dangerous pressure inside Danny’s head. Left untreated, it could cause brain damage.
To prevent that, Matt had to make a hole in the boy’s skull in order to release that pressure and remove any blood clots that had formed.
The boy’s parents were stunned, and obviously terrified about what was happening to their child, but they signed the consent form and soon Danny was on his way to Theatre.
As soon as Danny had been anaesthetised, Matt worked quickly and carefully, aided by computer monitoring, to make a burr-hole in the child’s skull. Saffi suctioned the wound to remove a huge clot that had formed, and then Matt controlled the bleeding with cauterisation and finished the procedure, inserting a drainage tube into the operation site.
Danny was still in danger, as Saffi knew only too well from her own experience of head injury, but at least he could be treated with drugs now to keep him sedated and bring down the swelling on the brain. The worry was whether he would have suffered any brain damage, but that might not become clear for some time.
Afterwards, Danny was taken to the recovery room where he was to be cared for by a specialist nursing team. Matt supervised the transfer. ‘We’ll send him over to Intensive Care just as soon as they’re ready to receive him.’
He and Saffi started back down to A and E, and Matt said quietly, ‘Are you due to go off home now? It must be about time for your shift to end.’
‘Yes, it is. Why? Do you want me to stay for a bit longer?’
‘I wondered if you have time for a coffee in my office. I need to record my case notes, but we could talk for a while.’
‘Okay.’ She followed him into the office and watched as he set up the coffee-machine in a small alcove.
He passed her a cup a few minutes later, and she stood with him, sipping the hot drink and admiring his strong, wonderfully capable hands and his long, powerful body as he leaned back against the worktop. They talked for a while, about his sister, their work, and the way her memory was coming back in fits and starts.
He put his arm around her,
and she looked up at him.
‘I’m glad I came to work with you,’ she murmured. ‘You’re very good at what you do. Everyone here respects you and would do anything for you. And you were so efficient, so quick at getting Danny up to Theatre and then operating on him.’
‘Sometimes you have to work fast.’
She nodded. ‘I thought you were brilliant.’
He pretended to swagger. ‘Well, I do my best.’
She smiled up at him, settling into his embrace, gazing at him in love and wonder. ‘I mean it. You’re a good teacher, too…I’ve watched you show junior doctors how to carry out difficult procedures. You’re very patient.’
‘You do realise this is all going to my head, don’t you? I shall be too big for my boots at this rate.’ He gave that some consideration. ‘Hmm. Perhaps I’d better stop you from saying any more.’ He drew her towards him and bent his head, capturing her lips with his own.
His kiss was gentle at first, exploring the sweetness of her mouth with such tenderness that it seemed he was brushing her lips with fire. Her body tingled with exhilaration. And all the time he was coaxing her to move in closer, his hand smoothing over the base of her spine and urging her against him. ‘You’re everything I want in a woman, Saffi,’ he said in a roughened voice. ‘I don’t think you know what you do to me.’
‘What do I do to you?’ she asked mischievously, revelling in the way her soft curves were crushed against his hard body.
‘Ahh…’ he groaned, as though he was in pain. ‘You know exactly what it is.’ His dark gaze moved over her, and the breath snagged in his throat. ‘I need you, Saffi. It makes my heart ache to think of you with another man.’
‘I’m not with another man.’
‘You are. You know who I mean…Jason.’ He sucked in a shuddery breath. ‘Will you be seeing him this afternoon?’
‘Oh.’ She gave a small sigh. ‘Yes. He said he wanted to take me to a place along the coast.’
His eyes closed briefly as though he was trying to shut out the picture that formed in his mind. ‘Promise me you won’t fall for him, Saffi.’
‘I’m not dating him, Matt. I’m just trying to help him…it must have been such a shock for him, knowing he was like a stranger to me. I thought, if we got to know one another, he might realise we have nothing.’