Tempted by Dr. Morales

by Carol Marinelli

  ‘So, what’s new?’

  ‘It’s Juan,’ Louise said, and Cate felt the colour drain from her face. ‘He didn’t want to come here but I’ve stuck to protocol and brought him to the closest Emergency. He seems okay...’ Louise frowned at Cate’s pale lips. ‘He came off a motorcycle. He’s got a few cuts and a nasty abrasion to his shoulder, but he’s had a previous spinal injury.’ Cate stood for a moment as she heard that it wasn’t whiplash they were talking about, that, in fact, Juan had broken his neck and had been paralysed for a period. She could almost hear her brain clicking as things fell into place.

  ‘Incomplete C5 and C6...’ Louise said, and Cate remembered her hands being removed from his neck.

  ‘There’s a slight weakness in his left leg,’ Louise continued, ‘but he insists that since the accident there always has been.’

  Cate recalled noticing the weight on his leg as he’d run and thought she might be sick. She really knew nothing about him, yet he had insisted on finding out about her.

  ‘We’ve taken all precautions,’ Louise continued. ‘I said I’d come in and try to do this as discreetly as possible.’

  ‘Okay.’ Cate nodded. ‘Bring him in.’

  If she had thought it might be hard facing Juan after last night, it was going to be close to impossible now.

  ‘It had to be you.’ Juan gave a tight smile as she came over. He was staring up at the ceiling and only glanced at her briefly. There were a few scratches on his face and his shirt was torn and she could see that his teeth were gritted and that he was struggling.

  ‘Well, they came and got the most senior nurse on.’ Cate tried for practical, tried to hold onto a strange anger that was building inside her. She was about to add that if he’d asked to be dealt with by someone he hadn’t slept with then he’d be lying on that stretcher for quite a while.

  She tried to hold onto the shout that was building.

  ‘I don’t need to be here,’ Juan said.

  ‘Then you shan’t be for long,’ came her pale-lipped response.

  They slid him over on a board and Cate held onto the top of his head and then covered him with a sheet to undress him, but as she went to unbutton his shirt he asked that she not.

  ‘I’ll just do some obs, then.’ Cate said, knowing how embarrassed she’d be if the roles were reversed. Not that she’d have been riding a motorbike through the hills with a previously broken neck.

  Neither would she have been white-water rafting.

  Or considering hitting the ski season in New Zealand or, next Sunday, diving out of a plane.

  Her hands were actually shaking as she did his routine obs and then a set of neurological.

  Juan answered her questions. Yes, he knew where he was and what day it was.

  As if he could ever forget.

  Yes, he could squeeze both of her hands tightly.

  ‘Just get the doctor in to see me,’ Juan said as she lifted the sheet to see two black boots.

  ‘Lift your leg against my hand.’ He did with the right.

  ‘And the left.’

  There was perhaps a slight weakness. Cate wasn’t sure she would even have noticed had Louise not pointed it out.

  ‘That leg has some residual weakness from my previous accident,’ Juan said.

  ‘I’ll just take your boots off.’

  ‘Please, don’t.’

  ‘It’s fine.’ Harry swept in and picked up on the tension. ‘Juan, how are you?’

  ‘I’ve been worse,’ came Juan’s wry response.

  ‘So I hear.’

  ‘I thought Dr Vermont was on this weekend,’ Juan said to Harry.

  ‘So did I, but I’m afraid you’re just going to have to make do with me.’ Harry was brisk and efficient as he started his examination. ‘Okay, Juan, you know the drill.’

  He went through today’s accident with him, which Juan could remember clearly. ‘A small animal came out of the bushes, I swerved...’

  ‘And your past medical history?’

  ‘Can we just...?’ Juan closed his eyes in impatience. Cate thought he was about to ask for the collar to come off, or to say that it was all unnecessary again; instead she raised her eyes slightly at what he said next. ‘Can you leave, please, Cate?’

  Two spots of colour burnt on her cheeks as Harry turned round and smiled. ‘We’ll manage, Cate.’

  Had it been a door and not a curtain, Cate might have slammed it as she walked out. She simply didn’t know why—she was not upset, she was angry.

  Harry went round with him for the CT and Cate tried not to let his dismissal of her sting.

  She tried her best to not give a sarcastic response when Harry came to speak with her some time later. ‘All the tests look good and Juan’s neck’s fine. I’ve had the orthopods take a look at the images. He’s got a lot of titanium in there! He needs a dressing to his shoulder—’

  ‘I’ll get someone to do it.’

  ‘Cate...’ Harry sighed. They had worked together for a long time and he knew her well, though he hadn’t guessed until now that there was anything going on between them—Juan was for too depraved for Cate, or so Harry had thought! ‘Juan didn’t ask you to leave because he didn’t want you looking after him.’ He shook his head and tried to explain. ‘He’s a proud guy, Cate. He’s been through a lot...’ Harry let out a breath through his teeth. ‘I told Juan that you’d be in to do his shoulder and he’s fine with that. I want him in the obs ward for a few hours, he’s a little bit tender over his left kidney but it all looks fine. I want his urine tested and to be sure he’s okay before I discharge him, because there’s no one at home. Hourly obs, and I’ll come in this evening again to see him.’

  ‘Thanks Harry.’ Cate attempted to snap back to normal. ‘I really am sorry to rot up your weekend.’

  ‘It’s not a problem,’ Harry said. ‘It just makes me more determined that we hire the right staff. This place is running on empty...’

  Harry headed off with the twins and Cate buzzed Tanya to tell her that they would have a new admission in the observation ward soon; then she prepared a trolley to sort out Juan’s shoulder. She could feel tears pricking at the back of her eyes as she set up but she swallowed them down before making her way in.

  Someone, perhaps Harry, had helped him into a gown and his clothes and boots lay in a heap beneath the trolley next to his crash helmet. His cervical collar had been taken off.

  ‘Harry wants your shoulder cleaned and dressed and I need to look at the scratches on your face. Would you like someone else to come in and do that?’ Cate checked.

  ‘Why would I want someone else?’ Juan asked, although Cate could tell he was just as tense with the situation as she was.

  ‘I just thought you might.’

  ‘Just do what you have to.’

  Cate sorted out his face first, cleaning a few superficial abrasions and cuts and closing them up with couple of paper strips. They didn’t speak much; Juan was more than used to staring up at a hospital ceiling in silence.

  ‘I need you to roll on your side,’ Cate said when she had finished sorting out his face.

  ‘For what?’

  ‘So that I can pick the road out of your shoulder.’

  The gown was far too small for him and hadn’t been tied up at the back. The abrasion was large and it would take a while to clean it up. Cate moved his hair out of the way and could clearly see the thick scar that ran the length of his neck and the clips scars either side—the reason why he had always halted her hands.

  ‘This might sting a bit,’ Cate said as she squirted a generous amount of local anaesthetic onto Juan’s shoulder. She knew it must sting but he didn’t wince. While she waited for it to take effect, Cate took a moment to get some more equipment for her trolley so that she wouldn’t need t
o keep going in and out—they both wanted this over and done with.

  Silence dragged on as Cate cleaned his shoulder. Thankfully he was on his side, facing away from her. It was already hard enough without looking at each other—it was going to take a long time to do it properly, and Cate would have loved to take the opportunity to hide in an office.

  She knew the severity of his previous injury and she could not believe that someone who’d been given another chance at life could take it so lightly.

  It was Juan who broke the silence. ‘Cate, could I just explain—?’

  ‘The same as you, Juan,’ Cate said through tight lips, ‘I really don’t want to talk about it.’

  ‘Cate, the reason I didn’t mention it is that I don’t want to be reminded every five minutes about it. I don’t like talking about it.’

  ‘That’s fine.’

  ‘Am I supposed to have given you a full medical history before I asked you to dinner?’

  Cate was saved from answering when Kelly came in behind the curtain. ‘We’ve got someone on the phone enquiring after you, Juan.’

  ‘We’ve been through this,’ Juan said. ‘Just say that you’re not sure if I’m on duty and take a message.’

  ‘The call actually got put through to Reception.’ Kelly grimaced, not that Juan could see it. ‘Jane’s new, she’s the receptionist on duty and she didn’t realise that you worked here. She thought it was your girlfriend enquiring as to how you were after the accident. It’s Martina...’

  ‘What did she say to her?’ There was an ominous note to Juan’s voice.

  ‘That you were in X-Ray and she told her to call back in half an hour or so. She has just—’

  The expletive that came from Juan’s lips was in Spanish and possibly merited.

  ‘She’s a bit upset,’ Kelly elaborated. ‘I’ve tried to reassure her but she isn’t listening to me, so I brought the phone down. I thought if you perhaps could speak to her, she would realise that you really are okay.’ Kelly handed him the phone and, still on his side, Juan took it.

  ‘I’ll leave you to speak to her in private,’ Cate said, as it was already more than awkward. ‘I’ll come and finish doing your shoulder afterwards.’

  Cate turned to go but as she reached the curtain Juan called out to her. ‘Cate, would you mind speaking with her, please.’

  ‘Juan...’ She could not stand to speak Martina, given she had been in Juan’s bed last night—except that wasn’t relevant here. Juan was a patient.

  ‘She is my ex-fiancée,’ Juan said. ‘Someone I specifically asked your staff not to give any information to.’ And then he lost the warning note from his voice. ‘Cate, I really don’t need this today, of all days.’

  ‘Sure.’ Cate took the phone, doing her best to simply treat him as a patient. ‘What would you like me to say to her?’

  ‘Just say as little as possible. Tell her that it was a minor accident and that I’m fine.’

  Cate took the phone and introduced herself.

  ‘I would like to speak with Juan Morales.’

  ‘I’m afraid that’s not possible. Can I help you with anything?’

  ‘I want to know what is happening. I’m in Argentina. Have you any idea how stressful this is to not be able to speak with him?’

  ‘Juan had a small accident this afternoon. He’s got some abrasions, which are being dressed at the moment. Apart from that, he’s fine and will be going home later today.’

  ‘How did it happen?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Cate answered. ‘I can’t give out that sort of information without Juan’s permission.’

  ‘He does this!’ She could hear Martina’s mounting exasperation. ‘He wants to pretend he has not had an accident. He’s going to kill himself one of these days; he just pushes everyone who loves him away. I don’t know what he is trying to prove. Today would have been our first wedding anniversary and instead he’s lying in hospital...’

  ‘Give me the phone.’ She didn’t know if Juan had heard what Martina had said but she handed him the phone and Juan spoke in short, terse sentences, before ringing off.

  The silence was deafening as Cate resumed cleaning his shoulder.

  ‘She seems to think that because we were once engaged—’

  ‘Juan.’ Cate was struggling to keep her voice even, could scarcely believe the information she had just heard, understood now why his family had all been ringing him. ‘You don’t owe me any explanation. I don’t blame Martina for being concerned. If I cared about you, I’d be concerned too.’

  ‘Ouch,’ Juan said as her tweezers picked out a particularly deeply imbedded stone, and Cate even managed a wry smile—she had no idea if he was referring to her words or the sudden pain in his shoulder.

  She had no idea about Juan at all.

  But wasn’t that the whole point of a one-night stand or a brief fling? It was why she simply wasn’t any good at them.

  She carried on pulling out some of the deepest stones. He tensed a few times but said nothing and Cate got on with her work, trying not to look at the scratches on his back.

  The ones that were courtesy of her.

  Kelly noticed them, though.

  She came in to get the phone and to ask Cate to cast her eyes over an IV flask—a simple procedure, but because the solution contained potassium it needed to be checked by two nurses. Cate nodded that all was fine.

  ‘Your poor back, Juan,’ Kelly said, eyeing the scratches and giving Cate a wink as she walked out.

  ‘It shouldn’t be too much longer,’ Cate said. ‘And then we’ll get you round to the observation ward.’

  ‘I don’t need to be observed.’

  ‘Harry thinks you do. If you choose not to follow instructions I’ll get the necessary paperwork...’

  ‘I’m not stupid enough to discharge myself.’ He turned, just a little but enough to nearly send the sterile paper sheet flying. ‘Cate, I didn’t tell you because I don’t need your sympathy.’

  ‘Oh, believe me, there’s no sympathy coming from behind you, Juan.’

  ‘You’re upset.’

  ‘No. I’m not upset.’

  ‘I can hear your voice shaking.’

  ‘I am so not upset, Juan.’ She shook her head. This wasn’t the place but, what the hell, she told him her truth. ‘I’m angry.’

  ‘Angry?’ This time he turned enough to knock off the sheet completely and looked into her eyes and, yes, she was angry all right. ‘Angry, about what?

  ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m going to get Kelly to come in and finish off your shoulder.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you’re a patient and it doesn’t look good for a nurse to be shouting.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that—I’m fine with the conversation.’

  ‘Well, I’ve got work to do.’

  ‘I don’t understand what you’re angry about.’

  ‘Your carelessness,’ Cate answered. ‘Your lack of limits...’

  ‘You know what, Cate?’ Juan was surly and in no mood to sweeten things. It had been one hell of a day after all. ‘I don’t think you’re actually angry at me. I think you’re more cross at your own...’ He couldn’t think of the word he wanted so hers would have to do. ‘Limits.’

  ‘I’m going to get Kelly.’

  ‘Fine,’ Juan said. ‘Go and count your stock.’

  It was lucky for Juan she had already put the tweezers down!

  She asked Kelly to come in and take over and then walked to what would soon be her office. She took a long, calming breath and tried to remember what she’d been doing before she’d been called away for the problems with Dr Vermont.

  Stock orders.

  Cate drew in a less than cleansing breath.

  And there w
ere outstanding complaints and incident reports to be dealt with too. Despite promising to complete them, Christine had left them unfinished.

  Damn you, Juan, Cate thought.

  At least she knew where she was going; at least she knew what was happening from week to week—at least she wasn’t ricocheting around the world with a handful of titanium in her neck.

  She was hiding in her office, though.

  But at seven p.m., when Tanya hadn’t had her break, Cate had to go in and relieve her. Thankfully, Juan was asleep.

  ‘His observations are all stable,’ Tanya said. ‘Harry just stopped by and is happy for him to be discharged in an hour or so. Or, if Juan prefers, he can stay overnight.’

  ‘I’m sure he won’t want to.’

  Tanya also told her about the elderly lady. ‘She’s waiting for a bed on the geriatric unit and one might be coming up soon. I’ve just done observations and they’re all fine. She’s very deaf and she refuses to wear her hearing aid but she knows exactly where she is and what is happening.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Cate smiled. ‘Go and have a break and I’ll keep an eye on them both.’

  Cate was glad that Juan was asleep as she took a seat and saw that his obs had only just been done. Determinedly, she didn’t read his notes. She didn’t want to know about his past and she really wasn’t in the mood for conversation. The director of nursing was, though.

  ‘Where’s Harry?’ Lillian asked as she walked through the observation ward.

  ‘He’s at home.’

  ‘He’s still on call, though?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Cate, something has to be done,’ Lillian said. ‘What if he gets called in tonight?’

  ‘I believe he’s making arrangements, although the consultants’ childcare plans are not a nursing concern.’ Cate did her best to terminate the conversation but Lillian was having none of it.

  ‘It becomes a nursing concern when it’s the nurses who end up watching the said consultant’s children. Cate, you’re the acting nurse unit manager.’

  ‘As of tomorrow.’

  Juan’s eyes snapped open as he heard Cate’s tart response. He hadn’t been asleep for a moment, but since his time on the spinal unit he was exceptionally good at pretending that he was.