Rapid Response

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘So far, so good,’ Ben muttered, waiting impatiently while Lara finished cutting away the last of the boy’s clothing.

  Holly didn’t answer as she moved on to the child’s collarbone, determined that nothing was going to escape her. She grimaced when her fingers immediately detected an irregularity. ‘Fractured left clavicle,’ she said, glancing at Ben who was now examining the child’s lower body.

  ‘And possible fracture of the pelvis as well. It definitely doesn’t feel right. If the pelvis is fractured then there could be damage to the bladder, which means he’ll need immediate surgery.’ He turned to Lara. ‘Page Max and warn him that we’ll be sending the kid through as soon as we’ve finished stabilising him. I don’t want there to be any hold-ups if we can avoid them.’

  ‘Do you think there could be other internal injuries as well as the bladder?’ Holly asked, gently feeling her way down the child’s arms.

  ‘I’d say it’s extremely likely.’ Ben pursed his lips as he studied the monitor screen. ‘His pressure’s way down and although it could be the blood he’s lost from that femur, I’d put my money on internal bleeding. Let’s increase the drip and get some more fluid into him. That should bring his pressure up with a bit of luck.’

  He glanced round when the door opened and Alison Hart, their radiographer, appeared. ‘Can you do the usual X-rays, please—lateral cervical spine and anteroposterior views of the chest and pelvis? It seems likely there are pelvic fractures so we’ll leave the rest till later because we need to get him to Theatre.’

  ‘Will do,’ Alison replied with her usual cheerfulness. She quickly positioned the ceiling-mounted radiographic equipment until it was directly above the special trauma bed which had been designed to allow for X-rays to be taken in situ and took the pictures as soon as the staff were safely out of the way. ‘Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll have them on the screen for you,’ she told them, hurrying to the computer terminal.

  Holly went back to the bed and checked the child’s responses again, using the Glasgow coma scale which involved awarding points for eye opening and both motor and verbal responses. She glanced at Ben. ‘His score doesn’t seem to have dropped.’

  ‘That’s something to be grateful for,’ he replied shortly, busily examining the child’s left thigh where the bone was protruding through the flesh. A large flap of skin had been ripped away and he shook his head. ‘What a mess! He’s going to need the plastics people to sort this out.’

  ‘Max will arrange that,’ Holly assured him. Alison came over to tell them the X-rays were ready so she went to look at them. ‘You were right about the pelvis,’ she called over her shoulder. ‘The pubis bone is fractured on both sides and it looks like the bladder is damaged from this area of clouding.’

  ‘Let’s have a look.’ Ben came and stood behind her so he could study the screen and Holly had to fight the sudden urge to move out of the way when she felt the heat from his body all down her spine. ‘Mmm, it’s just as I suspected. Traffic accidents are the most common cause of damage to the bladder in both children and adults.’

  He leant closer to the monitor and she froze when she felt his chest touching her shoulder blades. All of a sudden she was reminded of that question she’d asked herself at lunchtime: How could she be over him when she responded to his nearness this way?

  It was impossible to answer it so it was a relief when Lara came to tell them that Theatre was ready and Ben moved away. They went back to the bed and Holly made a determined effort to concentrate while she checked the child’s vital signs once more. ‘BP marginally better than it was and his sats have improved, too. Pulse is also steadier.’

  ‘Then let’s get him out of here.’ Ben nodded to Kwame, who immediately came over and took charge. He sighed as he watched the child being wheeled out of the door on his way to Theatre. ‘All we can do now is pray that he makes it. Maybe it was an accident but it doesn’t seem right that a young life should have been put needlessly in jeopardy.’

  Holly frowned when she saw the regret on his face. Ben had been totally focused and wholly professional while he’d been working but there was no denying that he looked genuinely upset. Was it just because this case had involved a child and dealing with injured children was always more emotive? Or was there another reason why he should be so moved by the boy’s plight?

  Frankly, she had no idea what the answer was. It was just another mystery to add to all the others and suddenly she knew that she couldn’t wait any longer to find out what was going on. She drew Ben aside so the rest of the staff couldn’t overhear what she had to say.

  ‘Look, Ben, there’s a couple of things I need to ask you. Is there any chance we could meet up tonight after work?’

  ‘What kind of things are we talking about?’ he said slowly.

  ‘Just things.’ She shrugged but she could sense his reluctance. ‘You said that you wanted to resolve this situation but I don’t think we can until we clear up a few points that have been puzzling me recently.’

  ‘I see. So, what did you have in mind?’ he asked with a marked lack of enthusiasm.

  Holly frowned because she couldn’t understand why he was so hesitant. He’d been keen enough to clear the air before and she’d been the one who’d hung back, but all of a sudden their positions seemed to have reversed. Why? Because there was something he wanted to hide?

  Her heart lurched at the thought of what she might uncover but, no matter how painful it turned out to be, she had to know the truth. She looked round and nodded when Kwame poked his head round the door to warn them that another patient was on the way then turned back to Ben again. ‘Just a drink and a chat, that’s all—nothing heavy. There’s a pub just along the road from here so we could go there.’

  He shook his head. ‘I’d prefer it if we could meet somewhere nobody will see us.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ It was hard to hide her dismay. Did he have to make it so obvious that he was ashamed of being seen with her? ‘In that case, would you like to come round to the flat? Nicky is on a late today and won’t be back until eleven so that should give you plenty of time to make your escape without being seen.’

  Ben sighed when he heard the edge in her voice. ‘I just don’t think it’s a good idea to start people gossiping. It’s in your best interests as well as mine, Holly.’

  ‘Right, fine. Whatever,’ she agreed as though it didn’t matter a jot, although it did. ‘So is that a yes, then?’

  ‘Yes. All right. What time d’you want me to be there?’

  ‘Shall we make it eight o’clock?’

  She gave him her address then went out to wait for the ambulance. Normally she loved her job but all of a sudden she was impatient for the day to end. She couldn’t explain it but she had a feeling that Ben’s answers to all those questions that had been troubling her of late would affect the rest of her life, which was crazy really. Up until a few days ago she’d had her life all mapped out but now it felt as though everything was up in the air. Seeing Ben again had upset the status quo but she had to keep a clear head and not do anything stupid. She just needed to know the truth and then she would be able to draw a line under the past.

  It all sounded so simple in theory but, as she watched the ambulance turning into the drive, Holly knew that nothing about her relationship with Ben could be classed as simple. Her feelings for him were very, very complicated indeed.

  CHAPTER SIX

  BEN called at the corner shop for a bottle of wine on his way to Holly’s that night. There wasn’t much of a selection so it was a choice of either chilled Chardonnay or warm Chablis. In the end he opted for the Chablis because Holly had always loathed Chardonnay. Maybe he should get some nibbles to go with it, he thought, looking around the shelves. Olives or some of those salted nuts Holly loved. He was just about to ask the shopkeeper if he had any in stock when it struck him what he was doing.

  Ben paid for the wine and hurriedly left. This wasn’t a social occasion and he wasn’t going to Holl
y’s to spend the evening reminiscing about old times. She wanted some questions answered and he was going to have to be very careful what he said. He couldn’t afford any more slip-ups like the one he’d made that lunchtime. If she found out why he’d lied about his reasons for ending their relationship then there was no knowing what she might do. He couldn’t take the chance of her feeling so sorry for him that she would offer to try again.

  The thought of becoming the object of her pity was very hard to swallow. Ben walked the rest of the way, wishing that he’d never agreed to see her that night. He rang the bell and felt panic hit him when he heard her voice coming over the intercom. How could he be sure that he wouldn’t weaken and tell her the truth? Maybe he didn’t want to become an object of pity but was he sure that he’d be able to resist if there was a chance they could try again?

  ‘Yes?’

  The impatience in her voice sliced through his thoughts. ‘It’s me, Holly,’ he informed her, struggling to get a grip on himself as she buzzed him in. Getting back with Holly wasn’t an option and didn’t even rate a mention on his extremely short list of things to be done in the future. What he had to do now was tidy up a few loose ends and that would be it.

  Ben’s resolve stiffened as he made his way to her flat. She’d left the front door open so he went straight in. A tiny entrance hall led into a surprisingly large sitting-room and he sighed with envy as he looked around. ‘This is nice. It looks so huge after my poky little bedsit.’

  ‘It is a lovely room,’ she agreed politely. ‘We face south so it’s always lovely and bright in here.’

  ‘So I can see. Did you have to decorate or was it like this when you moved in?’ he asked, admiring the cream-coloured walls and pale wooden flooring, such a contrast to the hideous orange paintwork and purple shag-pile that adorned his current abode.

  ‘We repainted the walls but that was basically it. We’ve not had the time to do very much else to the place,’ she explained, tossing back her hair as she looked around the room.

  Ben felt his pulse immediately quicken as his attention suddenly shifted away from his surroundings and centred on Holly instead. She had changed out of her work clothes into olive-green cargo trousers and a buff-coloured top which left several inches of her slim midriff bare. She’d unpinned her hair as well and the glossy chestnut curls swirled around her shoulders in a glorious tangle.

  Despite his resolve to remain impartial, Ben couldn’t help thinking how lovely she looked with the creamy walls providing the perfect backdrop for her vibrant beauty. His gaze skimmed appreciatively over her slender body only stopping when he came to her bare feet, and he chuckled when he saw that her toenails were painted the most amazing shade of green.

  ‘I see you still have a fetish for painting your toenails crazy colours.’

  ‘I…um…yes.’

  She sounded disconcerted by the comment and Ben cursed himself for passing such a personal remark. He had to remember that comments like that were off limits if he was to get through the evening unscathed. He quickly handed over the carrier bag, deeming it safer to stick to the accepted pleasantries between guest and host.

  ‘I bought this for us to drink. Sorry it’s warm but there wasn’t much of a choice, I’m afraid. It was either chilled Chardonnay or warm Chablis and I know how you loathe Chardonnay.’

  ‘I don’t mind it, actually,’ she replied stiffly.

  ‘My mistake,’ he apologised, although he was beginning to realise just how difficult this was going to be when it was obvious that any references to their shared past of a personal nature were strictly taboo. He found himself floundering as he searched for something less provocative to say.

  ‘Anyway, you might need to stand the bottle in some cold water before you open it. With a bit of luck it will cool the wine down enough to make it palatable.’

  ‘I have one of those sleeves in the freezer that you put round wine bottles to chill them,’ she informed him haughtily as she marched towards the kitchen door.

  Ben groaned as he sank down onto the sofa. What was that saying about the road to hell and good intentions? He’d completely forgotten that they’d often resorted to chilling the cheap bottles of wine they’d bought from the supermarket by standing them in a bucket of cold water because the fridge in their flat had been so tiny that they’d not been able to fit a wine bottle into it. He hadn’t thought about that for ages but his subconscious must have dredged up the memory. Holly obviously hadn’t appreciated the reminder even though he hadn’t intentionally tried to jog her memory. It was just so difficult to remember what was off limits. The twelve months they’d spent together had been the most important time of his entire life and he still tended to measure every experience by them.

  ‘Can you get the cork out of this bottle for me? I seem to have split it.’

  Ben’s lips clamped together when he looked up and found Holly standing by the sofa with the bottle of wine in her hands. There was no way he was going to compound his errors by mentioning that she’d always been hopeless at opening wine bottles, he promised himself. He concentrated on digging out the cork but in the event it was Holly who broke the rules this time.

  ‘I’ve always been useless at opening wine bottles. I can’t count the number of times you had to fish out the cork after I’d smashed it to smithereens.’

  ‘They can be tricky at times,’ Ben observed through clenched teeth because he was terrified of making another blunder.

  ‘They can, or at least they can for me.’ She suddenly grinned. ‘Do you remember that night your parents came round to the flat for dinner? We’d not long moved in and decided we’d ask them for a meal.’

  Ben nodded because he didn’t trust himself to speak. He remembered the night only too clearly. After his parents had left, he and Holly had made love in the sitting-room and afterwards he had asked her to marry him. It had been just one short week before his life had fallen apart…

  ‘You were held up at work so I decided in my wisdom to open the wine myself and somehow managed to not only split the cork but also push it right down inside the bottle. We had to use a tea-strainer when we poured the wine to get all the bits out!’

  Ben jumped when she laughed and the corkscrew bounced off the cork and embedded itself into the back of his left hand. He swore under his breath as he put the bottle on the floor and hunted in his pocket for a handkerchief to stem the blood that was gushing from the cut.

  ‘What have you done? Let me see.’ Holly knelt beside him, tutting in dismay when she saw his hand. ‘That corkscrew has taken a real chunk out of you. Sit there while I find something to put on it.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ he began, but he may as well have saved his breath because she was already on her way out of the room.

  He sighed as he sank back against the cushions. If he’d believed in omens, they certainly wouldn’t have boded well for the rest of the evening. It was an effort to appear outwardly calm when Holly came back with a box of adhesive dressings and some antiseptic wipes.

  ‘We’d better make sure that cut is clean before we put a dressing on it,’ she said, crouching down in front of him. She tore open a wipe and cleaned his hand, pausing when he winced. ‘Sorry. Does that hurt?’

  ‘Yes, but I’ll try to be brave,’ he told her, aiming for levity because it was better than letting her see how he really felt. The touch of her fingers on his skin had set up a chain reaction and cells which had had no contact for years were suddenly sending messages to each other. He sucked in his breath when the first of those signals arrived at one particular part of his body he would have preferred not to think about right then.

  ‘That’s the spirit,’ she said encouragingly. She finished cleaning the cut then found an adhesive dressing and stuck it into place. ‘There. That should do the trick.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Ben murmured distractedly, because it was alarming how quickly he had responded to her when he’d been so determined to keep a level head. Just the feel of her fingers on
his skin had made his blood heat and his body start clamouring for lots more attention. He worked up a smile, hoping and praying that she couldn’t tell how confused he felt.

  ‘I must remember to have a box of plasters at the ready the next time I open a bottle of wine. It will save me dripping blood all over the place.’

  ‘These things happen,’ she replied lightly, dropping the bits into the waste-paper bin.

  ‘I suppose so.’ He quickly filled their glasses with wine, deeming it wiser to get back on track as fast as he could. ‘Here you are. Let’s just hope it was worth all the fuss in the end.’

  ‘I’m sure it will be fine.’ She accepted a glass of the wine and put it on the coffee-table then sat down and looked at him steadily. ‘Look, Ben, there’s no point beating around the bush. I asked you here tonight because there are some questions I want to ask you. But before we go any further, I want you to promise me something.’

  Ben felt his insides churn because he had no idea what she was going to ask him. ‘And that is?’

  ‘That you’ll tell me the truth no matter how…how difficult it is.’

  His heart spasmed when he heard the quaver in her voice. It was obvious that Holly was worried about what he might tell her and it hurt to know that she was suffering such torment. ‘I promise that I’ll be as honest as I can,’ he said, knowing that it wasn’t quite what she’d been wanting from him.

  ‘If that’s the best you can do then I suppose I’ll just have to accept it.’

  She got up and went to the window then stood there with her back towards him. Ben guessed that she found it easier not to look at him and was suddenly consumed with guilt. He had hurt her such a lot and even though it had been the last thing he’d intended to do, he would never be able to forgive himself for what he’d done.

  ‘Two years ago you told me that you’d met someone else and that was why you wanted us to split up.’