Emergency: Mother Wanted

by Sarah Morgan

  She wasn't making that mistake again.

  She was not going to fall for Zach a second time.

  'So that's agreed, then.' She made an effort to ignore the effect he had on her. 'You'll treat me like an adult and forget the fact that I once had pigtails and proposed to you.'

  'It's a deal,' he said softly. 'Oh, and by the way—you look considerably better without the pigtails.'

  For a moment their eyes held and she immediately forgot all her resolutions and allowed herself the luxury of one brief fantasy. Zach looking deep into her eyes and telling her that he loved her...

  Oh, help! She was going mad.

  'Right, then.' She backed away, forcing herself to break the spell. 'I'd better get back to work.'

  As she closed his office door behind her she gave a low groan.

  Working with the man was going to be a nightmare! She may have grown up but the reaction of her hormones was exactly the same as it had been when she was sixteen. The truth was that she couldn't be in the same room as Zachary Jordan without wanting him. Which meant that she had a very big problem.

  She couldn't see a fracture.

  Keely stared hard at the X-ray, half expecting something to suddenly appear, but it looked clear. Which didn't fit with what she'd discovered on examination. All her instincts told her that the wrist was broken.

  So why was the X-ray clear?

  Bother.

  She was going to have to ask Zach's advice.

  Which was a nuisance because she'd been successfully avoiding him all week. Although he was the senior doctor on her shift, she'd managed to deal with almost everything without his help.

  She found him in Resus, talking to Nicky.

  'Problems?' He lifted a dark eyebrow and she felt her heart stumble. Why did he have to be so good-looking? It was very distracting. If she was going to last six months in A and E she was going to have to develop survival strategies. Like looking over his shoulder when she talked to him rather than at his face.

  'I need your advice.' She raked slim fingers through her jagged blonde hair and gave him a brief smile. 'I've got this lady in cubicle one I'm not sure about. She fell on her wrist and all the signs are that she's fractured her scaphoid, but I can't see anything on the X-ray.'

  'Scaphoid fractures are notoriously easy to miss on X-ray so you're right to ask for help,' he said quietly. 'What did you find on examination?'

  'Swelling, pain on wrist movements, tenderness on direct pressure two centimetres distal to Lister's tubercle of the radius and on proximal pressure on the extended thumb or index finger.' Keely listed everything briskly and he nodded.

  'What X-rays did you request?'

  'AP, lateral and scaphoid views—was that wrong?' She felt a stab of anxiety. 'Did I miss something?'

  'No, you did well.' There was a glimmer of surprise and admiration in his eyes. 'Better than most. Come on, I'll check the X-rays for you.'

  Keely followed him down the corridor, struggling to keep up with his long stride.

  He squinted at each of the X-rays in turn. 'Well, you're right. They're all negative. Let's examine her.'

  He introduced himself to the patient, examined her thoroughly and then nodded at Keely.

  'It's a scaphoid fracture. I agree with you. Well done for trusting your instincts.'

  As usual his quiet words of praise made her feel as though she could have walked on water.

  'But why are the X-rays clear?'

  Whenever she was in doubt about a patient she took every opportunity to pick his brains and was rapidly finding out that Zach Jordan was a first-class teacher.

  'The fracture isn't always visible,' he told her. 'Put her in a scaphoid plaster and refer her to the next fracture clinic. They'll X-ray again and it might be visible by then.'

  She remembered her father saying that Zach Jordan was one of the most talented doctors he'd ever worked with and now she was seeing it at first hand. He was fast and confident, never doubting himself and always ready to do his best for each patient. She just wished she didn't find him so disturbing.

  'He's married.'

  Fiona, the doctor who'd sat next to her in the lecture theatre on that first morning, flopped into a chair in the staffroom, a gloomy expression on her face. 'Why are the good ones always married?'

  'Who's married?' Keely stirred her coffee, her mind still on a nasty road traffic accident that had come in earlier.

  'Zach Jordan.'

  'Zach?' Her hand suddenly shook and hot coffee sloshed over the side of the mug. 'Oh, no!'

  She stood up and fetched a cloth only to find Fiona watching her with a knowing expression.

  'You, too...'

  Keely walked back to the table. 'What do you mean— "you, too"?'

  'You're obviously just as smitten as the rest of us.'

  'Fiona, I just spilled my coffee,' Keely said calmly, carefully mopping up the mess she'd made. 'Why does that make me smitten?'

  Fiona gave a wry smile. 'Because he has that effect on women. My entire body shakes when he comes into a room. Believe me, I can't hold anything hot within a hundred yards of the man.'

  Keely laughed. 'Fiona, you're awful.'

  'Well, all I can say is that she must be an amazing woman.'

  Keely rinsed out the cloth and put it back by the sink. 'Who must be?'

  'His wife.' Fiona curled her legs underneath her and settled herself more comfortably in the chair. 'Imagine marrying a man like that. Not only does he have the most luscious body I've ever seen but he's strong and cool-headed and a brilliant doctor. And so-o sexy. What a man!'

  Keely frowned. Was Zach really married? And why should it bother her if he was?

  A man like Zach was bound to be involved with someone. And it was really none of her business. It wasn't as if she had feelings for him. Not really. She was just struggling with the remnants of a powerful teenage crush.

  'He called her sweetheart,' Fiona said dreamily. 'I heard him on the phone. And then he said he loved her. Can you imagine? Isn't that romantic? He didn't care who was listening, he loves her so much he just wanted to tell her. If you ask me, she's a very lucky woman.'

  A lucky woman indeed. Whoever she was.

  Keely had heard enough. She emptied the remains of her coffee down the sink, made a limp excuse to Fiona and left the room.

  Why did hearing about Zach's love life bother her so much?

  She frowned again. Her reaction didn't make sense. So she'd once had a crush on him. So what? That wasn't enough to make her feel as though she'd just had major surgery to her insides. Her emotions were just confused, that was all.

  She walked back to the main area of Casualty and picked up a set of notes. Work, that was the answer. Bury herself in work and forget about Zach. He wasn't hers and he never had been. And she didn't want him to be, she told herself firmly. OK, so she found him attractive. But so would any woman with a pulse. It didn't mean anything.

  'So, have you found somewhere to live yet?' Nicky flicked the switch on the kettle and turned to glance at Keely. 'You've been here three weeks and you're still living in that awful flat.'

  'Awful?' Zach walked into the room in time to hear the last remark. 'What's awful about Keely's flat?'

  'It's fine,' Keely lied, 'just not in the nicest position. I wanted to live in the middle of the country with a view of the fells.'

  'Your flat is not fine,' Nicky said firmly, ignoring the looks that Keely was giving her. 'There's damp on the living-room walls and your landlord is decidedly creepy. And he's bothering you, you know he is.'

  Keely glared at Nicky but it was too late. Zach was suddenly still, his eyes watchful.

  'In what way is he bothering you, Keely?' His soft tone didn't deceive anyone and there was a sudden silence in the common room.

  'He isn't,' Keely said hastily. 'Not really. Nicky's exaggerating.'

  'That's not true.' Nicky spoke up again and Keely closed her eyes.

  She was going to kill Nicky when she
got her alone!

  'He keeps knocking on her door at all sorts of weird hours,' Nicky told them, oblivious to the furious glances that Keely was sending in her direction. 'I'm really worried about her. She needs to move out of that place.'

  Zach's expression was grim. 'Keely? Is it true?'

  Keely suppressed a groan. Oh, no. Now he'd get all protective again, and he'd just started to treat her like an adult.

  'I think he's just a bit lonely,' she said lamely, and his mouth tightened.

  'I'll get you a room in the medical block until you can find somewhere else.'

  Without waiting for her reply he paced over to the phone and spoke to the accommodation officer. Judging from Zach's tone, they were less than helpful and when he finally replaced the receiver his expression was black.

  'They haven't got anything at the moment—apparently they had a burst pipe last week and it's taking for ever to fix. We'll have to think of something else.'

  'It's all right,' Keely said mildly. 'I've got two flats to look at on Friday when I'm not working. Thanks for trying but I'm taking care of it.'

  He hesitated, his dark jaw tense. 'I'm not happy with you staying there—'

  'It's fine, Zach,' Keely repeated firmly, conscious that Nicky and two of the other doctors were watching them curiously. And no wonder. Why was he making such a fuss?

  'Well, if those flats don't come to anything, let me know. If you're stuck you can sleep in the doctors' room.'

  They had a room where doctors could sleep if they were on duty at night, but it was rarely used.

  'Thanks.'

  Zach turned and walked out, and Nicky let out a long breath.

  'Well, who's protective, then?'

  Keely rolled her eyes. 'To Zach, I'm still sixteen and I probably always will be.'

  With that she stood up and left them to speculate.

  She was checking an X-ray later in the day when she heard Nicky shout from the corridor.

  'Keely, I need a doctor—now!'

  Keely was there in an instant, her heart pounding as she saw the toddler in the arms of a paramedic.

  'She's fitting,' Nicky said quickly. 'It may be a febrile convulsion. Get her into Resus and I'll bleep Eaeds.' A febrile convulsion was a fit brought on by a high temperature and was quite common in very young children.

  'Are the parents here?' Keely took charge of the toddler's airway and gave her some oxygen.

  'Not yet.' Nicky turned to one of the student nurses, her expression grim. 'Call Zach. Call Zach now!'

  Keely glanced up in surprise. Why was Nicky in such a panic? It wasn't like her at all and everything was under control.

  'It's OK,' she said calmly. 'I can handle this without Zach.'

  'I know you can handle it,' came the reply. 'I don't need Zach for his medical skills.'

  Keely didn't have time to question Nicky further.

  'Let's give her some oxygen, please, and some diazepam rectally,' she ordered. 'Do we have any details? What's her name?'

  There was a brief silence and then Nicky cleared her throat.

  'Her name is Phoebe.'

  Keely glanced up expectantly.

  'Phoebe what?'

  Nicky hesitated. 'Jordan,' she said finally. 'Phoebe Jordan. She's Zach's daughter.'

  Zach had a daughter?

  Oh, dear God.

  Keely turned her attention back to the sick child, her heart thumping. 'OK, what's her temperature? Let's strip her off, give her some paracetamol and get a line in.'

  Nicky looked doubtful. 'Should we wait for Zach?'

  'No way.' Keely was adamant. 'We need to cool her down and find out what's causing her temperature. Can someone get a fan, please?'

  Luckily Keely found a vein easily and secured a butterfly onto the tiny hand.

  Only seconds later the doors to Resus slammed open and Zach strode into the room.

  'What's the problem?'

  His eyes fastened on the limp figure on the trolley and his face blanched.

  'Phoebe?' He elbowed Nicky out of the way and bent over his daughter. 'Phoebe?' He glanced from one to the other. 'What the hell's happened?'

  It was the first time that Keely had ever seen him near to losing his cool.

  'It looks like a febrile convulsion, Zach,' she said quietly. 'We've checked her blood glucose and that's fine. Her temperature's 40.5. I've given her diazepam and paracetamol.'

  Zach's expression was tortured. 'We need to get a line in—damn, I don't think I can do it to her.'

  He gritted his teeth and Nicky put a hand on his arm.

  'It's OK,' she told him. 'Keely's already done it with no problem. She was brilliant.'

  'I need to take some blood for U and Es and FBCs and I think we should try and get an MSU.' Keely hesitated, knowing that she was increasing his anxiety. 'And maybe a lumbar puncture. We've bleeped Paeds but we need to find out what's causing the temperature. Was she ill this morning?'

  'I didn't see her this morning. I was working here last night.' Zach took a deep breath and then bent over the trolley, his powerful body in stark contrast to the tiny toddler. 'Daddy's here, sweetheart.'

  The rough, protective tone of his voice made Keely's heart melt.

  'Who was with her last night, Zach? We need to know if she's been unwell.'

  Zach straightened, his expression grim. 'Her nanny. Speaking of which, where is she?'

  Nicky licked her lips. 'It wasn't the nanny that brought her in...'

  Zach went totally still, his voice lethally soft. 'So who brought her in?'

  'An ambulance crew, and they were called by the staff of the crèche.'

  'Crèche?' Zach's voice was like a pistol crack. 'What crèche?'

  Even Nicky flinched under his biting tone. 'The crèche at the leisure centre. One of the staff came in with her. They're in Reception.'

  'What the hell was she doing in a crèche?' Zach took a juddering breath, checked that his daughter was stable and then looked at Keely. 'Look after her.' With that he strode out of the room towards Reception.

  'Ouch.' Nicky pulled a face. 'I think the nanny's in trouble.'

  'Her temperature's coming down.' Keely checked the reading and nodded with relief, turning back to the little girl with a gentle expression on her face. 'Good girl. Hello, sweetheart.'

  She stroked the blonde head gently and felt her heart twist. The child was gorgeous. Long, feathery lashes drifted against her smooth cheeks and her skin was baby perfect.

  Right on cue the eyes opened—two blue replicas of Zach's—and Phoebe started to grizzle.

  'Want Daddy.'

  'I know you do. Daddy's coming in a minute.' Keely examined her quickly, looking in her ears and her throat. 'Hello—what have we here? One very red throat and a pair of very red ears.'

  She put the auriscope back on the trolley. 'That's probably what's causing it.'

  Nicky looked anxious. 'You don't think its meningitis, do you?'

  Keely shook her head. 'I don't think so but they'll take a look at her in Paeds and do a lumbar puncture if they're in doubt. In my opinion she's got an ear and throat infection. Come and have a cuddle with your Aunty Keely.'

  She swept the fractious toddler into her arms and cuddled her close, walking across Resus towards a little mobile that they had hanging from the ceiling.

  'Here—look at this...' She was spinning the mobile when Zach strode back into the room, the strain showing on his handsome face.

  'How is she?'

  'Want Daddy.' Phoebe held out her arms and he took her instantly, holding her tightly against him, his eyes on Keely. 'Temperature?'

  'It's come down a bit. Thirty-nine degrees,' she told him. 'We've given her some ibuprofen as well as the paracetamol.'

  'Good.' He nodded. 'So what do you think?'

  Keely was touched that he was asking her opinion on his daughter.

  'Her ears and throat are red,' she said quickly. 'I think we should start her on some antibiotics, keep up the paracetamol
, monitor her temperature and admit her overnight. But I suppose we need a paediatric opinion.'

  'That's me.' A voice came from behind them and they both turned, Zach's face showing visible relief.

  'Tony—thanks for coming yourself. It's my daughter...'

  'No problem.' Tony put a hand on Zach's shoulder and it was obvious from the sympathetic expression on his face that the two men were friends. 'History?'

  Zach breathed out heavily and rubbed the back of his neck. 'She was fine when I left yesterday lunchtime. I didn't go home last night—I was working—but I called the nanny this morning and she said that everything was fine. But it seems that she's been taking the child to a crèche when I've been at work so that she can use the gym—'

  'Ouch.' Tony pulled a face and Zach's eyes were icy cold.

  'Precisely. The nursery nurse who looked after Phoebe in the crèche said that she was fretful and hot this afternoon—they tried to call the nanny but apparently they couldn't get hold of her. Then the child fitted and they called the ambulance.'

  'Right.' Tony nodded. 'So it seems as though we have a history consistent with a febrile convulsion.'

  'That's what Keely thought.' Zach suddenly remembered Keely and turned to her with an apologetic frown. 'Sorry. You haven't met, have you? This is Tony Maxwell, one of the paediatric consultants.'

  Keely gave him a smile, described her findings and then watched while Tony examined the little girl himself. Zach settled himself on a chair and held Phoebe while Tony looked in her throat and ears and listened to her chest.

  'I agree with Keely. It's her ears and throat, Zach. I'd say admit her for observation overnight and we'll see how she is in the morning.'

  Zach frowned. 'You want her to stay in?'

  'Only because you'll be stressed out by the responsibility of having her at home,' Tony said quietly. 'It's hard to think rationally when it's your own—believe me, I know. I've got two and I'm a nervous wreck when either of them are ill.'

  Phoebe whimpered slightly and Zach held her closer. 'Can I stay the night with her?'

  Tony shrugged. 'Of course. We've got a spare side room at the moment. You can go in there with her. I'll go back now and tell them.'

  Nicky followed him out of Resus and Keely was left alone with Zach.