She was embarrassed for the third time in his presence. Twice that day and once the day before at the airport. Three strikes and you’re out, she told herself as she nodded and walked away without saying a word. But in this case he was the one out.
Of any, ever so fleeting, romantic musings she might have harboured for him.
* * *
‘Dr Ayers,’ the hospital orderly called down the corridor to Jessica. It was almost two-thirty by then. Jessica had undertaken her induction and then begun rounds on the Paediatric ward. Getting to know the nursing staff and her little patients had been her priority.
‘Yes,’ she said and turned to find the young man tugging her suitcases behind him.
‘They told me to find you as these were urgent.’
Jessica couldn’t remember ever feeling as relieved and happy as she did at that moment and she had no intention of hiding her elation.
‘Oh, my God, thank you so much!’ she said as she rushed towards him as if he might disappear with the suitcases as magically as he had appeared.
‘No problem,’ he replied and released his hold on the bags. ‘Apparently they missed the first flight and made it onto the second one.’
‘You have no idea how happy this makes me.’
‘I think I do,’ he smirked before turning back the way he had entered the Paediatric ward.
Jessica could see by his expression that her reaction had been a little over the top but she didn’t bother to explain. There was no point. She was happy and had told him as much. Now she could get dressed and forget her Farmer Jane entree into the hospital had ever happened. What she couldn’t forget was Dr Harrison Wainwright’s curt and unexpected call on her helping out earlier. It had played on her mind. She really hadn’t pegged him for being so rigid and black and white about a situation. Processes were important within a hospital but she had only been trying to help.
Stupidly, she’d thought he had appeared very nice at the airport. Almost chivalrous, she mused as she wheeled her suitcases past the nurses’ station, telling them she was changing and would be back in fifteen minutes. And watching him triage and manage the young pregnant patient so compassionately, and then listening to him speak so encouragingly to the medical student had led her to believe he was a decent human being. Then abruptly he had changed and called her out. It was ridiculous.
Men had a habit of doing that around her, she realised. One minute they’re single, then the next they’re married. In this case, one minute Harrison was a charming, lovely man and the next quite abrupt and rude. His behaviour was odd at best and it had made her realise that her first impression couldn’t have been more wrong. She was strangely relieved and almost grateful, she decided as she closed her office door, that he was not the man she’d first thought. If he had been, it might have been a problem. But not any more.
She shook her head, appalled by her borderline hormonal reaction to him, as she unlocked her suitcase and pulled out a pale pink turtleneck sweater and navy trousers that she was relieved to see weren’t creased. Although, even if they had been, she would have still worn them.
Focus on what’s important, she reminded herself as she tried to stop her thoughts returning to the man who had just delivered her a harsh reality check. Her shoes were in the other suitcase so she quickly closed the first and unlocked the second one that was already lying flat on the floor. Her tights were in a separate compartment and easy to find and she quickly changed.
‘Finally,’ she sighed as she closed the door to her office and returned to the job at hand. Her tiny patients and their families. And not her stupid daydreams of a man she barely knew—someone who behaved so erratically it had dropped her belief in her own judgement lower than it had already been. I’d like to show you around the hospital... Actually, come to think of it, no, I won’t. Instead I’ll tell you off for unprofessional behaviour. It didn’t make sense but it did help her to rein in her emotions. It was all about her professional reputation. She was grateful that the ER Consultant had, so less than eloquently, reminded her she was done and dusted with giving men the time of day. Her walls were back up and no one was getting close. Any interest in Harrison was gone and she silently thanked him and the universe as she collected the file for her next patient.
* * *
Jessica had visited all but one of the patients in the twenty-eight-bed Paediatric ward. Six-year-old Chloe Naughton was the last. She had taken considerably longer with each patient than she would ordinarily but Armidale Hospital was nothing like the busy city wards she had experienced. Between the high number of agency nursing staff and patients from all over, there had been few connections outside the immediate patient-medical staff relationship, with little known about the patient’s background if it wasn’t on the notes. However, this hospital was very family-centric and the nurses knew almost all the family members, and the paramedics, Jessica remembered from the morning. The community spirit was evident in the close relationships between everyone at the hospital, no matter in what capacity.
It felt good, she admitted, but she knew she had to keep to herself. She wasn’t staying and she didn’t want to settle in and start feeling too comfortable and risk wanting to stay. That was not an option. When the time came she would leave and start again somewhere else.
* * *
‘Chloe arrived in the ER two days ago,’ the nurse, Rosie, began—she had just started her shift. ‘She was convulsing at home and lost consciousness in the ambulance.’
‘She’s been diagnosed with diabetes, I see.’
‘Yes, Dr Ayers,’ Rosie responded as the two of them stood outside the patient’s room in the corridor so they could speak candidly about the little girl. ‘Dr Wainwright ran blood tests and found autoantibodies that are common in type one diabetes, as opposed to type two. Chloe also had ketones in her urine sample so type one diabetes was his diagnosis.’
Dr Wainwright? Of course, Jessica thought. He would have been in ER and been the first point of contact for the family.
‘Did you follow up with a glycated haemoglobin test?’ Jessica asked as she searched the notes for the answer to her question.
‘Yes. Dr Wainwright ordered it when he transferred her to Paediatrics in the afternoon. And the blood test provided us with the average blood sugar level for Chloe for the past two to three months. The percentage of blood sugar attached to the oxygen-carrying protein in the red blood cells was extremely high.’
‘I can see here it was close to seven per cent on two separate tests,’ Jessica commented as her eyes found what she was looking for. Harrison had been thorough and left nothing to chance. This reinforced that, while he might be a pig of a man, he was a good doctor.
‘Any family history?’ Jessica enquired as she looked over at the little girl sleeping on the bed while her mother held her hand.
‘Paternal grandfather.’
‘How are the family taking the news?’
‘Not good at all, unfortunately. Her mother, Rachel, hasn’t left her side since she was admitted. Chloe is an IVF baby, conceived after five failed rounds. A very wanted and loved little girl.’
‘And the child’s father; how is he reacting? I hope he’s not feeling any sense of guilt over the genetics. It may not be inherited from his side alone.’
‘Chloe’s father, Sam, was killed in a farm accident a little over six months ago.’
‘Oh, my God, I’m so sorry to hear that.’
‘It’s been a traumatic time for the family,’ Rosie replied. ‘Sam was ten years older than his wife, in his mid forties when he passed. Rachel’s only thirty-five and financially she’s going to be okay, emotionally not so much. She’s been dealing with the grief of losing Sam, so this has been another blow to her fragile state.’
Jessica paused before she answered. ‘She certainly has a lot to manage emotionally. No wonder she hasn’t left her daughter’s side.’
>
‘We put Chloe in a private room so Rachel can sleep on a roll-out bed.’
‘Has a counsellor been to see her?’
‘Yes, she has and Dr Wainwright has visited two or three times a day as well. He brings a sandwich or a cup of coffee for Rachel when he comes in. Sam Naughton was like Dr Wainwright’s big brother as he grew up. He kept a watchful eye over him so he’s returning the favour now.’
Jessica drew in a breath. She really didn’t want to hear anything about Harrison. Complex appeared to be an understatement about the man. And close-knit was equally an understatement about the town.
She pushed thoughts of Harrison aside and focused on the situation at hand. The family had dealt with significant tragedy in a very short timeframe. She wanted to provide hope but she wasn’t going to be able to paint a perfect picture or sugar-coat anything. Chloe’s condition was serious and, if not managed properly, it could be potentially life-threatening. Chloe needed to be everyone’s first priority at this moment.
Chloe’s mother lifted her head as Jessica and Rosie approached.
‘Hello, Mrs Naughton,’ Jessica said softly and extended her hand. ‘I’m Dr Ayers, the new Paediatric Consultant, and I’ll be looking after your daughter until she is stabilised and can go home in your care.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Doctor,’ the woman replied, the rims of her eyes still red from rubbing away tears. She was about Jessica’s age but her vulnerable state made her appear younger than that.
Jessica felt her heart melt a little, the way it always did and had done from day one. She hadn’t liked the feeling as an intern but she was told by one of her mentors early in her career that the day she lost that compassion and empathy was the day she should leave the profession. She always repeated his words in her head when she felt herself struggling with the sadness faced by the families of her tiny patients.
‘Chloe’s sleeping so perhaps we can step away and I can answer any questions you might have about her treatment plan?’
‘I don’t want to leave in case she wakes.’
‘We can check if Rosie or one of the other nurses can stay with her...’ Jessica began.
‘Don’t bother the nursing staff. They’re busy so I’ll stay,’ a deep male voice echoed behind them. ‘You know for a fact that Chloe loves her godfather. And I don’t get enough time with her. I haven’t seen her at all today because ER’s been like a train station, as Dr Ayers knows first-hand.’
Jessica knew the voice. It was Harrison. She didn’t need to turn and face him. His voice and the last words he’d spoken to her still rang in her mind. She was confused and didn’t want to give him another thought but he was making that very difficult. Her focus was on her patient’s mother but his presence was difficult to ignore.
‘Are you sure? Aren’t you busy in the ER, Harrison?’ Rachel asked as she gently prised her fingers free of her daughter’s hand, placing it under the soft blanket before she stood up to greet him.
‘Never too busy for my two favourite girls,’ he told her.
Jessica turned to see the two embrace and a tear trickle down Rachel’s cheek. The young mother wiped the tear away as she stepped back and sat down next to her daughter, turning away from him. Jessica suspected it was to prevent him from seeing her crying. Harrison reached into his pocket and handed her his handkerchief over her shoulder. He hadn’t missed Rachel’s tears or perhaps if he had missed seeing them he had guessed they would follow. He was once again morphing into the gallant man she had met the day before at the airport. Confusion was reigning supreme at that moment but she had to push it aside yet again.
‘Please, Rachel,’ he continued. ‘If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for Chloe. You need to step away and recharge. It’s overwhelming in here, not to mention the fact you need to eat. Even if it’s cafeteria food, you need to grab something before you fade away.’
Jessica suspected the casual tone in his voice was masking his own concern at the situation. He knew the results of the tests and was aware of Chloe’s condition but was clearly responding with Rachel’s emotional state at the forefront. The young mother had already dealt with so much, after so many failed attempts to have a baby and recently losing her husband, and he was treading carefully. Jessica’s respect for the man standing so close caught her by surprise.
She watched as he leant in and spoke softly. ‘I’m serious, Rachel. Take half an hour to grab a coffee and a sandwich downstairs. Maybe Dr Ayers can join you and you can go through the treatment plan in the cafeteria.’
‘I’m not sure...’ Rachel began.
‘Don’t make me call in the heavy guns...’ Harrison cut in.
‘My mother?’
‘You got it. I have her number on speed-dial.’
His lips curved into a grin and Jessica was annoyed that it was an appealing grin.
‘She’s driving down from Brisbane today to be with us anyway, so you can’t use that threat, but I am starting to feel hungry.’
‘Good, and I could do with a coffee and a sandwich so you’d be doing me a favour too,’ Jessica cut in, wanting to help Rachel and eager to leave Harrison’s presence. ‘I’ve not had anything to eat since breakfast.’
‘Okay, but I’ll only be a few minutes, tops,’ Rachel said, climbing tentatively to her feet and lifting her bag onto her shoulder. ‘I promise, ten minutes at most and I’ll be back.’
‘Take thirty. I’ll still be here when you get back,’ he said as he looked towards Jessica with a guilty expression. ‘I want to apologise before you leave, Dr Ayers. Your willingness to jump in and help out was admirable and I was out of place for calling you on it. I’m sorry if I was rude. No, not if I was rude—I was rude; that’s not up for debate.’
‘What are you taking about, Harrison?’ Rachel asked, tilting her head.
‘I’m apologising to Dr Ayers. I behaved poorly earlier in ER.’
‘You, rude? You’ve never been rude to anyone in the whole time I’ve known you.’
‘I guess there’s a first time for everything and, unfortunately for me, it was this morning.’
Jessica felt the weight of two sets of eyes fall upon her. She wanted to say that she would not accept his apology and she wanted nothing much to do with the man. Ever again. But she couldn’t. She had to accept Harrison’s apology as politely as he had offered it. Perhaps his behaviour had been as out of character as her dress sense that morning, which to her surprise neither Harrison or anyone else at the hospital had mentioned. There had been no judgement on that level from anyone, just herself. She started to wonder if she was her own biggest critic. She wasn’t sure but at that moment she knew she had to respond courteously and work out the truth later about herself...and Harrison.
‘Accepted,’ Jessica finally announced. ‘Now, let’s get you downstairs for something to eat.’ She wanted to dismiss any thoughts she was having about Harrison. She didn’t need any complications. Giving her best to the patients for the next six weeks was her priority. Nothing else.
‘Okay, but promise me, Harrison, that you’ll call me if Chloe stirs.’
‘I’ll call you and page Dr Ayers, I promise.’
Harrison saluted as he sat down and took Chloe’s tiny hand in his and brushed a wisp of her golden locks from her pale as porcelain forehead.
And against her will and every wall she had tirelessly erected, he was threatening to once again break them down.
* * *
‘How would you like your coffee, Mrs Naughton?’
‘White, no sugar, and please call me Rachel.’
Jessica left Rachel sitting at the table and approached the counter of the hospital cafeteria. As she stood in the short queue looking back at the table, she watched Rachel looking off to a faraway place. She wondered if the young woman was thinking about her husband, about the plans they’d made to have a family and raise them i
n Armidale. And about the five babies they had lost on their journey to have the precious little girl who was now lying on the hospital bed. It all seemed so unfair and, compared to her own heartbreak, Rachel’s was so much worse. It suddenly put things in perspective, as work always did for Jessica.
She could only imagine the pain and worry that would be consuming Chloe’s mother. Jessica knew she had to deliver the good and the bad news but it had to be done in a manner that would not threaten Rachel’s already tenuous hold on her emotions.
Finally, she made it to the front of the lunch line and ordered two white coffees and two mixed sandwiches. She reached into her suit pocket to pay at the register.
‘It’s covered already,’ came the rosy-faced woman’s thick Scottish reply. ‘Dr Wainwright’s paid for it.’
‘But how?’
‘He called down and told me to put it on his tab.’
‘Okay, then please put one coffee and one sandwich on his tab,’ Jessica continued, taking money from her wallet and handing it over. ‘I’ll pay for my own.’
‘I think you’d best accept Dr Wainwright’s kind offer. It’s only a wee sandwich and coffee, which, by the way, is going cold, and there’s some other lovely people waiting to be served,’ the woman said as she gently pushed the tray in Jessica’s direction and smiled. ‘I think you’ll like your sandwiches. I made them fresh this morning.’
Jessica gave up. Time was precious and she needed to sit down and speak with Rachel. It was just a coffee and wee sandwich after all, she reminded herself. In the scheme of things, it wasn’t worth fussing over and perhaps it was his way of cementing his apology.
Mending the Single Dad's Heart Page 7