Читать книгу Emergency At Inglewood - Алисон Робертс - Страница 7

ANXIOUS-LOOKING people wearing hats and white aprons over striped uniforms were waiting. Tim jumped out from the driver’s seat and strode to the back to open the doors. Kathryn stayed inside the vehicle, sliding between the front seats into the back and struggling to unclip the safety belt on the life pack quickly. She could hear snatches of the information Tim was being given.

‘Lifting sacks of flour. They’re as heavy as…’

‘Looks awful. All grey and sweaty…’

‘Fifty-six. Never had a sick day in his…’

By the time Kathryn had the life pack on top of the stretcher, Tim had added all the other equipment they needed, unhooked the end of the stretcher and was pulling it free. Kathryn made a lunge to catch the handle on her end so it wouldn’t crash down the steps. Then she had to trot to keep up.

Their patient did look awful. The middle-aged man was slumped against a wall near the massive ovens in the supermarket bakery.

‘Get some oxygen on him,’ Tim instructed Kathryn. ‘Fifteen litres a minute with a non-rebreather mask.’

An easy enough task. Kathryn unzipped the pouch attached to the portable oxygen cylinder and ripped open a plastic bag containing a mask, only to find it was a standard acute mask. She reached into the bag again and this time found the one with the reservoir bag attached. She hooked it up to the cylinder and remembered to keep her finger over the hole at the base of the mask until the reservoir bag was full.

Tim had cut away the apron and uniform shirt of the man and was attaching the sticky electrodes on the ends of the life-pack leads.

‘Have you got any history of heart problems?’

Their patient couldn’t speak. Clearly in agonising pain, he clutched his chest and shook his head as he moaned incoherently.

Kathryn moved closer. ‘I’m just going to put a mask on your face, sir,’ she said. ‘Is that OK?’

Patient consent was not forthcoming but Kathryn found her nervousness vanishing as she touched the man. She could do this. Without being told, she picked up the blood-pressure cuff and wrapped it round the man’s arm. She listened with a stethoscope as she let the pressure in the cuff down but could hear nothing. Frowning, she caught Tim’s gaze as he reached into the kit for a tourniquet.

‘Unrecordable?’ Tim mirrored Kathryn’s quick nod. ‘I’m not surprised. I couldn’t get a radial pulse.’

That meant the man’s systolic blood pressure was less than 80. Kathryn looked at the screen of the life pack and felt a chill of premonition. The trace looked far from normal with the spike of the QRS bizarrely wide.

‘Complete heart block,’ Tim said quietly. ‘Draw me up a flush, would you, please, Kathryn? And give him an aspirin.’

Kathryn found her brain was moving far more quickly than her hands. Her fingers shook as she followed Tim’s calm directions but she managed to draw up the morphine and other drugs he requested. There was no time to do anything more than absorb the impression of urgency after that as bakery staff helped get the man onto the stretcher and load him and the gear into the ambulance. Within a matter of minutes Kathryn found herself driving the ambulance towards the hospital with Tim in the back, caring for a very sick cardiac patient.

Driving such a large, heavy vehicle had been a challenge in itself during her training and it would be months before Kathryn would be allowed to drive under lights and sirens, but she was confident enough at road speed and far happier leaving Tim to care for the patient this time.

By the time they got back to the main road she was almost enjoying herself. Her first job with Tim had gone well, all things considered. Maybe she had been a bit slow drawing up the morphine and adding the saline, but she just wasn’t used to doing things under such pressure of time. She’d get used to it soon enough. Pulling out the wrong oxygen mask had wasted valuable seconds, though. She’d have to—

‘Pull over!’ The shout from the back cut through any satisfaction enveloping Kathryn.

She checked the side mirrors and indicated that she was pulling onto the shoulder of the road.

‘Now, Kat!’

She jammed on the brakes and heard a curse from Tim as he had to catch his balance.

‘Get in the back,’ Tim said tersely, as he reached for the radio microphone. ‘Get the gel pads and charge up the defib. He’s in VF.’

Oh…God! This was her worst nightmare. Her first job and she was expected to defibrillate someone. Kathryn could feel the prickle of perspiration break out down the entire length of her spine as she ripped open the foil packet and slapped two rectangles of spongy orange material onto the patient’s chest.

‘Charge it,’ Tim snapped as a response to his radio signal came through. ‘We need back-up,’ he told the control room. ‘VF arrest.’ He was watching Kathryn as he spoke.

She held a paddle in each hand. The crescendo of sound that depressing the charge button had elicited stopped with a loud beep. The paddles were charged.

‘Do it,’ Tim commanded.

Kathryn pressed the paddles onto the gel pads. She remembered to move so that her legs were not touching the metal sides of the stretcher. A flash of some horror story of an ambulance officer giving himself a nasty shock surfaced.

‘I’m clear,’ she said shakily. ‘Are you?’

‘Just do it, Kat!’

She pressed her thumbs down hard on the buttons. The man jerked and his arm flopped over the side of the stretcher to hit her leg. Kathryn lifted the paddles hurriedly, too horrified to look at the screen behind her.

‘Charge again,’ Tim ordered.

The sound started to crescendo again. Kathryn’s clutch on the paddle handles felt slippery so she tightened her grip. Two shocks at 200 joules, she reminded herself. Then one at 360. Then CPR. She pressed the paddles into position.

‘Wait!’ Tim shouted. ‘Look at the screen.’

Kathryn’s head jerked up. A rapid but normal cardiac rhythm was evident. And here she was with charged-up paddles pressed onto the patient’s chest. She lifted them and her jaw dropped. The only thing she could remember was how dangerous it was to discharge a shock into the air. She couldn’t catch Tim’s eye, though, as he was leaning past her. Hitting a button on the centre of the menu control dial…emptying the charge safely from the paddles.

He was talking into the microphone at the same time. ‘Cancel the back-up,’ he told Control. ‘My partner has just saved our patient.’

Kathryn’s jaw dropped even further. Was he serious?

‘You can put those down now,’ Tim said. Then he grinned. ‘So, how does it feel to save a life, then?’

‘I…ah…’ Kathryn was totally lost for words. She looked at the patient who was actually moving his head and groaning. She looked at the life-pack screen, which still showed a rapid, steady sinus rhythm. Then she looked at Tim and couldn’t help the grin that broke out.

‘Now, let’s see how fast you can get us into hospital,’ Tim said. ‘Use the lights and siren.’

‘But I’m not allowed—’

‘Just do it, Kat. This man’s not exactly stable yet. Or would you rather stay in the back with him?’

Kathryn drove. She could see the reflection of the flashing beacons on the windows of vehicles she shot past. She found the wail of the siren became just a background as she concentrated hard on getting through the traffic. She even remembered to use the yelp switch at intersections. And she backed up to the loading ramp at the emergency department and managed to stop with only a gentle bump against the edge.

The resus team staff were waiting. Kathryn leapt out, opened the back doors and unhooked the foot end of the stretcher. Their patient was still hooked up to the life pack and oxygen as they wheeled him inside. He was sitting up now, though, and Kathryn couldn’t believe it when he smiled at her.

‘Thanks, love,’ he said. ‘I’m feeling a hell of a lot better now.’

So was Kathryn. The worst had happened and she had coped. Her first job and she had saved a life. They had saved a life. Kathryn’s smile when Tim came out to help her clean up the truck was wide enough to let him know just how incredible the experience had been. She had been so right in fighting for the chance to do this job, and right now she was so happy it was all she could do not to throw herself into Tim’s arms and dance along the loading ramp of the ambulance bay.

She was positively beaming at him. Tim had taken a few minutes to complete the paperwork inside so Kathryn had gone out to start the clean-up alone. And here she was, lit up like the happiest Christmas tree ever. Tim could understand how she felt. He could remember the first time he successfully defibrillated someone and the amazing satisfaction in getting them back. It didn’t happen nearly often enough, and Kathryn was looking at him as though he’d arranged all this as a special gift to mark her first day at work.

Good grief. She looked as though she might actually give him a hug or a kiss or something. Tim stepped back hurriedly. Fantasy was much safer. He’d never factored in that electric current that Kathryn seemed to generate around herself. He had remembered her looks well enough—the colour and curl of her blond hair, the cute upturned nose, the wide blue eyes with that hint of anxiety. He hadn’t seen her smile during that first encounter, however, and that seemed to be what was generating the current.

‘All done?’

‘Almost.’ Kathryn bit her lip, clearly trying to control her smile. ‘He thanked me, Tim, can you believe that? He looked dead only a few minutes ago and there he was sitting up and saying thank you.’

‘You did a great job,’ Tim said warmly. ‘Well done.’

‘We saved someone, didn’t we, Tim?’ Kathryn gave a tiny wriggle, like an overjoyed puppy. ‘We really saved someone.’

‘Yeah.’ Tim couldn’t prevent his own grin. ‘Don’t expect me to lay on a case like that every day, though. Consider it a ‘‘welcome to Inglewood’’ job.’ Grabbing the pile of dirty linen from the floor, he turned away. What was he saying? He didn’t want to welcome Kathryn to Inglewood.

What he really wanted was to ring the ambulance training manager and request a transfer of his probationary assistant. Yeah…right. Tim snorted as he shoved the linen into the bag inside the emergency department doors. Kathryn was lacking in confidence quite enough. He could never be so cruel as to let her think she wasn’t up to scratch as far as he was concerned.

What could he say, anyway? Sorry, but I really fancy this chick and she’s married to someone else so it’s kind of like letting a starving man look at a roast dinner in a glass box?

Besides, whatever else it had stirred up, the case had broken the ice. They were given a transfer job next, to take a patient from the emergency department to a convalescent ward in a small rural hospital well north of Wellington. It was over an hour’s drive and Kathryn sat in the back with the elderly female patient on the way there. Tim could hear her chatting happily to the woman, who was remarkably fit, considering her age was well into her nineties, and he smiled more than once as he indulged in a spot of shameless eavesdropping. Having a partner who could establish an easy rapport with a patient was a real bonus. There was nothing worse than a long trip with a totally silent set of passengers. The turn of the conversation in the back as they neared their destination made him listen even more carefully.

‘So Bill was your third husband?’

‘They say it’s third time lucky, dear, and in my case it was absolutely right.’

‘So what happened to your other husbands?’

‘The first one ran off with the wife of one of his customers. He sold cars, you know. That was in 1935 and it was a complete scandal. I was far too ashamed to try and get a divorce. It just wasn’t done in those days.’

‘So how did you manage to marry husband number two?’

‘Charlie got himself run over. In his own car yard, would you believe?’

‘That was considerate.’ Tim could hear the grin in Kathryn’s voice.

‘I thought so. Mind you, then I married Stanley and he didn’t turn out to be a good choice. He hit the bottle rather hard, if you know what I mean. Then he went and got himself killed in the Second World War. It was quite a while before I was tempted to try again but Bill and I had forty wonderful years together. Are you married, dear?’

‘Yes.’

‘Your first husband?’

Kathryn laughed. ‘Yes.’

‘How long have you been married?’

‘Five years.’

‘You look happy enough so I guess you chose the right one.’

‘I guess I did.’

Suddenly Tim didn’t feel very interested in eavesdropping any further. He turned on the radio and changed stations to find some music that wouldn’t offend their patient. Kathryn also seemed inclined to change the subject. Tim could see her on her feet, keeping one hand on a locker handle to keep her balance as she made her patient more comfortable by adjusting her pillow.

‘Would you like another blanket, Mrs Ramsey?’

‘I’m quite warm enough, thank you, dear. We must be almost there by now, mustn’t we?’

‘I think so.’ Kathryn leaned forward, poking her head into the front compartment. ‘How much further is it, Tim?’

‘Only another five or ten minutes. It’s a nice little hospital. They usually give us a cup of tea before we have to head back.’

Tim insisted on driving back to the city as well. Having something to concentrate on besides his new partner was definitely in order. Keeping the conversation strictly professional also seemed a good idea.

‘Any questions you want to ask? About this morning’s job?’

‘Yes.’ Kathryn sounded eager. ‘You said the patient was in complete heart block. I’m comfortable with recognising the shockable rhythms but it was a very condensed ECG course and I’m ashamed to say a lot of it went over my head.’

‘You can’t be expected to know everything. You’ve got a far better knowledge base than most probationary ambulance officers. You’ll find you pick up a lot on the job and you’ll have more classroom time coming up as well.’

Tim glanced in Kathryn’s direction as he finished speaking, to find her gaze fixed on his face and her eyebrows raised expectantly. She wanted to hear more than reassurance. Tim smiled as he looked ahead at the long, quiet road winding through hills dotted with sheep like mushrooms.

‘Complete heart block is third-degree heart block and it’s where the atrial contraction is normal but no beats are conducted to the ventricles.’

‘So that’s why the rate was so slow? It was a ventricular escape rhythm?’

‘Yes. And if you look at the trace you’ll find p waves that have no relationship to the QRS spikes.’

‘We’ve got a copy of that trace, haven’t we?’

‘It’s rolled up and in with the case report forms.’

Kathryn opened the box compartment of the metal clipboard the forms were attached to. She soon had several metres of trace paper uncurled over her knees, examining the recording that covered the various heart rhythms their case had presented.

‘Look, that’s where we defibrillated him! Ventricular fibrillation and straight back into sinus rhythm.’ Kathryn sighed happily. ‘Wasn’t it great?’

‘Sure was.’ Tim enjoyed a moment of the kind of enthusiasm that tended to get blunted by years on this job. His smile was almost one of gratitude for the reminder of what being a paramedic was all about. ‘It was you that defibrillated him, though.’

Kathryn’s nose wrinkled as she grimaced. ‘I don’t think I could have done it if you hadn’t pushed me.’

‘It’s scary for everybody the first time.’

‘I could never do it by myself.’

‘Yes, you could, but you’ll never need to. We don’t work alone. One of our responsibilities is to assess a situation and call for whatever extra assistance we think we’re going to need. If you remember, the first thing I did was to call for back-up.’

‘I thought that was because you only had me to help.’

‘We’re a team, Kat. Most of the time we’ll be able to handle whatever comes our way all by ourselves.’

Kathryn was staring at him again, but this time her expression wasn’t questioning. A play of emotions flitted across her features. Doubt, followed by hope and then a completely charming gratitude that was accompanied by a faint flush of colour in her cheeks. She looked away, clearly embarrassed.

‘I hope so,’ she said quietly. ‘And I can almost believe it with someone like you as a partner.’ Her tone advertised a shy determination to say something important. ‘You were amazing, Tim. You stay so calm!’

‘Just practice.’ Tim couldn’t remember anyone telling him he was amazing. Ever. ‘Besides, you only have to look calm. Doesn’t matter if you’re doing the duck thing and paddling frantically below the surface.’

Kathryn laughed. ‘I don’t believe you’re a duck.’

‘That’s the best thing about it. Nobody can tell.’

‘Yeah. It is amazing what you can hide if you get enough practice, I suppose.’

Tim threw her a quick sideways glance but Kathryn was staring at the trace in her lap again.

‘So tell me about the other degrees of heart block, then.’

Tim launched into a mini-lecture that Kathryn seemed only too willing to absorb, but only half his mind was really on the subject. He was doing the duck thing in a way he’d never had to before. Seeming calm and professional on the surface while part of him was paddling frantically and wondering how on earth he could handle working with Kathryn when he found her so incredibly attractive.

It was ironic in a way. Kathryn’s intelligence, previous medical experience and obvious passion to excel in her new career made her potentially a perfect partner, on a professional basis as much as anything else. It wasn’t her fault that Tim felt irrationally jealous of the man lucky enough to have married her. He knew perfectly well how adolescent such a reaction was and at thirty-five he was old enough and wise enough to know far better.

And even if Kathryn hadn’t been married she wouldn’t have necessarily returned the interest Tim felt, so maybe it was better this way. He’d never have to face the trauma of offering something that would be rejected. Maybe he should just grow up a little and make the most of what fate had presented him with.

He could enjoy her company, help Kathryn gain the confidence she desperately wanted and undoubtedly deserved, and be grateful for whatever he got offered in return in the way of friendship and professional rapport.

He didn’t really have a choice anyway.

Dammit.

Sheer exhaustion was setting in for Kathryn by five o’clock that afternoon. It was a challenge all its own to concentrate on helping Tim restock the ambulance.

‘What about the BGL kit?’ he queried.

‘What about it? Did I do something wrong when I was monitoring that diabetic patient?’

‘Not at all. We just need to replace the lancets and test strips we used.’

‘Oh, of course. Sorry.’

‘Stop apologising, Kat. You’re doing fine.’

Kathryn took a deep breath. Had she been saying ‘sorry’ that often? Maybe she’d been conditioned by Sean. Oddly, she felt compelled to apologise for anything less than perfect for Tim, whereas apologies at home were always grudging these days.

When she came back from the storeroom with all the supplies to tuck into the small case that contained the blood glucose-level testing gear, she found Tim snapping rubber bands around handfuls of differently sized cannulae.

‘OK. That’s the IV gear done,’ he announced. ‘Can you think of anything else we’ve used this afternoon?’

‘What about that triangular bandage I used as a sling for that little girl that broke her collar-bone at school?’

‘Right. We need more dressings and saline pouches, too. We had that student that got knocked off his bike just after her.’

Kathryn shook her head. ‘I’d completely forgotten about him.’

The cases had been so many and varied over the course of the day, they were becoming something of a blur. Except for the very first job. Kathryn would remember that in vivid detail for the rest of her life.

A quick trip to the coronary care unit had been squeezed in after delivering one of their later cases to the emergency department. The satisfaction in finding the man pain-free and virtually unscathed thanks to the angioplasty he had received so promptly to unclog his arteries had carried Kathryn through the rest of the afternoon on a real high. She was only just starting to come down now but the descent seemed to be picking up speed.

Stretching backwards relieved the ache in the small of her back. ‘Is it always this busy?’

‘No. It’s fairly unusual, fortunately.’ Tim looked up from checking the gauge on the Entonox cylinder and smiled. ‘I’ll bet you’re stuffed. Why don’t you go and put your feet up and have a coffee? I’ll finish the truck.’

Kathryn shook her head. ‘I’m happy to help.’

‘Just do it, Kat.’ Tim’s smile belied the stern tone and Kathryn grinned as she recognised the echo of the instruction that had pushed her into meeting the challenge their inaugural case together had presented.

She gave Tim a mock salute. ‘Yes, sir!’

Still smiling, she left the garage and headed for the commonroom. Move over, Nike, she thought. ‘Just do it’ looked set to become a private joke between her and her new partner.

‘You look far too happy to have just finished your first day on the road.’

Startled, Kathryn’s head swung towards the archway that separated the dining area of the commonroom from the kitchen.

‘I’m Laura,’ the young woman told her. ‘Tim’s old partner?’

‘Of course,’ Kathryn said. ‘I remember you from the restaurant.’

Laura looked blank for a moment, then her jaw dropped. ‘You’re that nurse!’ she exclaimed. ‘The one that Tim—’ She broke off abruptly and then laughed. ‘Did Tim know it was you coming as a probationary officer?’

‘I don’t think so.’ Kathryn was feeling disconcerted now. What had Laura been about to say? And was the uncomfortable start to their day actually because Tim had known she was coming and wasn’t pleased about it? A tiny silence fell that neither woman seemed to know how to break. Kathryn took the plunge.

‘You’re…um, Jason’s wife as well?’

‘That’s right.’ Laura’s smile was just as pleased as Kathryn’s had been on entering the room. ‘I’m just making a coffee while I wait for Jase to get back. Would you like one?’

‘Please. Black with two sugars.’ Kathryn noticed the empty car seat on the floor beside one of the couches. ‘Where’s your baby?’

‘Mrs Mack’s taken her for a walk in her new stroller. She’ll be back soon.’

‘How old is she?’ Kathryn accepted the mug of fragrant coffee and sat down with a sigh of relief. Laura sat on the opposite side of the table.

‘Who—Mrs Mack or Megan?’ Laura laughed. ‘Mrs Mack’s age is a well-kept secret but I’d say she’s in her late sixties. Megan’s nearly eleven months old.’

‘But you only started your maternity leave this week, didn’t you?’

‘Yeah. That’s because I’m pregnant.’ Laura smiled at Kathryn’s confusion. ‘Long story. Megan is Jason’s daughter but it was a bit hard for us both to keep working full time. I decided to take leave and be a full-time mother and we thought if I was at home with one baby, I may as well be at home with two.’

‘Sounds like a great idea to me.’ Kathryn nodded. She knew she was being assessed, however kindly, by Tim’s ex-partner, and she was just as curious herself. Laura was no taller than her own five feet two inches but Kathryn had seen her in action with Tim that night in the restaurant and so she knew just how far ahead she was in the confidence and competence stakes.

‘So how’s it been? Your first day?’

‘Amazing,’ Kathryn confessed. ‘I defibrillated my first patient on the very first job.’

‘Wow! Was it a successful resus?’

‘We went to see him in CCU this afternoon. He’s going home in a couple of days.’

‘Even better.’ Laura’s gaze was still interested. ‘And how are you getting on with Tim?’

‘He’s great,’ Kathryn said enthusiastically. ‘I’m going to learn a lot. I just hope he won’t get fed up working with me.’

Laura’s eyebrows rose. ‘I doubt that’ll happen in a hurry.’ A chuckle escaped, and Kathryn stared.

‘Why is that funny?’

‘Because you’re…um…’ Laura glanced towards the door and then lowered her voice. ‘Tim was rather taken with you that night in the restaurant. What he failed to notice was the fact that both you and your dinner companion were wearing wedding rings. He was, shall we say, a little disappointed when I pointed out the fact that you were married.’

‘Really?’ Good grief. Was that why Tim hadn’t rung? Why things had been so tense this morning? An unexpected flash of regret ambushed Kathryn. What a shame she hadn’t met Tim a long time ago. It was far too late now, of course, and she didn’t even think of men in those terms any more but suddenly Kathryn could imagine what her reaction to Tim would have been if she had still been single. It was enough to bring a flood of colour to her cheeks.

Laura bit her lip. ‘I shouldn’t have said anything. Tim would kill me if he knew. Don’t you say anything, will you?’

‘I’m hardly likely to.’

‘No, I guess not.’ Laura still looked worried. ‘And you don’t have to worry about Tim. He’d never try anything. He knows you’re married and that’s it as far as he’s concerned.’

Kathryn nodded. Of course that was it. As far as either of them were concerned. It did explain a few things, however, and Kathryn felt flattered that she could have inspired any interest in the first place. It had been a long time…no, it might even be the first time she had felt really attractive. Attractive enough for somebody to feel disappointed that she wasn’t available. Disappointed enough to feel upset even, and to screw up her phone number and throw it in the rubbish.

Laura looked relieved at Kathryn’s accepting nod. ‘If I’ve learned one thing about Tim McGrath in the time I worked with him, it’s that he’s completely honest and totally trustworthy. He’s also a great paramedic. There’s no way I would have given up working with him if I hadn’t had a better offer.’ Laura patted her tummy and grinned. ‘He’s also one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. You’re going to love it here but just remember, you’re only keeping my seat warm. I’ll be back one of these days.’

Tim came into the commonroom as Laura finished talking. ‘Yeah, right!’ he said. ‘You’ll be up to your ears in babies for the next few years, Laura Halliday, and you’ll be loving every minute of it.’

‘Yeah!’ Laura grinned at Tim. ‘I hear your new partner has been out saving lives.’

‘She has indeed.’ He looked pointedly at Laura’s mug. ‘Did you make me a coffee, then?’

‘Make it yourself,’ Laura retorted. She turned to Kathryn. ‘Don’t let any of these guys take advantage of the fact you’re a woman. They get quite spoilt enough having Mrs Mack around here.’

Tim was heading for the kitchen. ‘Speaking of Mackie, I saw her coming down the road with that racy new stroller. She looks as proud as punch.’

‘I’ll have to drop in more often. She’s not going to see nearly as much of Megan now that I’m at home.’

‘There’s someone else sitting outside the station as well.’ Tim spooned coffee into a mug. ‘Mackie doesn’t have an admirer with a black BMW convertible, by any chance?’

‘That’ll be the day,’ Laura laughed. ‘Mackie would scare off any man.’

‘It’ll be Sean,’ Kathryn confessed, her heart sinking. She glanced at the clock. ‘It’s only five-thirty and he knows I don’t finish till six.’

‘Ask him in for a coffee.’ Tim sat down and reached for a section of the day’s newspaper that had been tidied into neat piles at the end of the table.

Kathryn was saved the embarrassment of trying to explain why Sean was unlikely to accept such an invitation by the arrival of the housekeeper, Mrs McKendry, and baby Megan. There was barely time to admire the junior Halliday before her father and the rest of the Green Watch fire crew arrived back on station. New arrivals for the night shift crowded the space, introductions had to be made and suddenly it was six o’clock and time to go home and Kathryn hadn’t even made a move to say hello to her waiting husband.

Even then she didn’t rush away. She handed her pager over to one of the night crew and followed Tim to collect her bag from her locker. To her acute embarrassment, Sean was waiting for them as they emerged from the locker room.

‘It’s ten past six, Kathryn. How much longer are you going to be?’

‘I’m ready now.’ Kathryn put real effort into her smile. ‘Sean, this is Tim McGrath. My partner.’

‘Tim! Delighted to meet you.’ A hand was extended with alacrity and Sean smiled at Kathryn’s partner. ‘Nice teeth.’

Tim’s jaw dropped and Kathryn cringed. ‘Sean’s a dentist,’ she said hurriedly. ‘He notices teeth.’

‘Oh. In that case, thanks.’ Tim cleared his throat self-consciously. ‘Can’t say I think about them much. I haven’t been near a dentist for years.’

‘Tch, tch.’ Sean extended his hand to take Kathryn’s backpack. ‘You should see an oral hygienist if nothing else. You might develop receding gums and your teeth will fall out.’

Kathryn stifled a faint groan. She could only hope that Tim wouldn’t take this exchange as the kind of put-down it was patently intended to be. Sean clearly wasn’t intimidated by having Tim towering over his height of only five feet seven.

‘No kidding.’ Tim ran his tongue over his front teeth and Kathryn was sure she received another of those ghost winks, like the one sharing her distaste for porridge. ‘Know a good hygienist, then, Sean?’

‘Come and see Kirsty at my clinic some time. She’s the best.’

Kathryn looked pointedly at the door. So Kirsty was ‘the best’, was she? At least Tim couldn’t know that it wouldn’t be cleaning teeth that Sean was referring to. How many young hygienists had ended up in her husband’s bed over the last five years? It would probably be easier to count the ones who hadn’t, but Kathryn had given up counting a long time ago.

Why should she resent the perfect solution? The turnover was high enough to keep Sean happy because he preferred to employ foreigners with limited work permits. Sean was always very discreet and even if Kathryn did resent the ongoing situation, she was hardly likely to complain, was she? Sean might be using this opportunity to remind her of her failings but there was no way Kathryn was going to let it ruin her day.

‘I’ve had the most amazing day,’ she told Sean brightly as he nodded a farewell to Tim. ‘I’ll tell you all about it over dinner.’

‘We’re having dinner at the Gilberts’ tonight. I doubt that they will want to be regaled with tales of blood and guts.’

Sean strode ahead towards his car. Kathryn had considered his offer to provide transport a sign that he had finally accepted her new career choice. Now she wasn’t so sure. It was humiliating to be picked up like a child attending nursery school.

‘I’ve forgotten my jacket,’ she exclaimed. ‘I left it in the truck.’

‘Can’t it wait until tomorrow?’

‘No, it might get lost. Sorry, Sean, I’ll only be a second.’

She ran through the side door of the garage and promptly collided with Tim.

‘Whoa!’ he said, holding her arm to steady her. ‘It can’t be that urgent.’

‘Sorry. I forgot my jacket.’

‘I know. Stop apologising. I was just bringing it out for you.’ Tim had the garment draped over his arm.

‘Thanks.’ Kathryn took the jacket and then hesitated. ‘I’d better get going. Sean hates being late.’

‘See you tomorrow, then.’

Still Kathryn hesitated. ‘I just wanted to say thanks, Tim.’ She met his gaze and smiled. ‘It’s been a wicked day.’

‘We’ll have another one tomorrow.’

‘OK.’ Kathryn’s smile widened. ‘And I’ll try not to say ‘‘sorry’’ so often.’

‘I’m not sure I said it often enough myself. I am sorry I never rang you to tell you about that patient, you know. I hope you don’t think I break all my promises.’

‘It really doesn’t matter,’ Kathryn told him. ‘See you in the morning.’

Running outside again, Kathryn made a beeline for the black BMW. Apart from being delivered and collected and the subtle sniping Sean had indulged in, the day had been as close to perfect as she could have hoped. Even the tension of her meeting with Tim this morning had just become insignificant.

It really didn’t matter.

Not any more.