Читать книгу The Taming of Dr Alex Draycott - Joanna Neil, Joanna Neil - Страница 8

‘I’M ALL done disturbing you, angel,’ Callum murmured as the two-year-old girl fretted and tossed restlessly on the bed. ‘No more horrible needles and stethoscopes and all that palaver.’ He adjusted the medication drip, and then drew an ink line around the perimeter of the reddened area on the infant’s leg. ‘Let’s hope that rash starts to shrink very soon,’ he commented to the nurse who was assisting him. ‘We’ll make arrangements to admit her.’

He gave his attention back to the child. ‘I think you’ll be feeling a lot better before too long. I’m going to come back later to take a look at you, and I hope I’ll find that nasty red area is beginning to disappear.’ He carefully adjusted the bedcovers around the child, and gently brushed away the flaxen curls that massed around her hot cheeks. ‘Just you go to sleep and let the medicine do its work. We’ll have you right as rain in no time at all.’

Alex stood in the doorway of the treatment room, following his movements as he briefly checked the monitors. She had slipped into the room quietly, not wanting to disturb him, so he hadn’t realised she was there, and for a moment or two she was able to watch him at work, undisturbed. It gave her a fascinating glimpse of the man behind the professional mask, and though she felt guilty at not announcing her presence, the compulsion to feast her gaze on him somehow overcame everything else.

He might well be a constant source of frustration to her where her budget schedule was concerned, but there was no doubting his commitment to the patients in his care. And even though paediatrics wasn’t his specialty, she could see he had a sure instinct for dealing with children. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen him tending to a youngster in A and E. It was clear that he had a genuine concern for his young charges, and the tenderness that she saw in him as he leaned over the cot brought an unexpected lump to her throat.

It made it all the more difficult that she had to confront him right now, but she had a job to do, regardless, and so she stiffened her shoulders and quietly claimed his attention. ‘Might I have a word with you, please, Callum?’ she said.

‘Uh-oh…’ Callum glanced at her, and then moved away from his young patient’s bedside, giving final instructions to the nurse before walking towards the door where Alex waited, chart in hand. ‘I’ve heard you use that tone of voice before…’ he said under his breath, as he went out into the corridor. ‘Quiet but insistent.’ He frowned. ‘It generally means I’m in trouble of some kind.’

‘Not at all,’ Alex murmured, following him and adding sweetly, ‘You’re obviously developing a persecution complex of some sort.’

He nodded, a faint grin tugging at his mouth. ‘True. Funnily enough, it seemed to happen right about the time you joined the department.’

She tilted her head to one side. ‘Guilty conscience, perhaps?’

He shook his head. ‘Not true. I’m innocent as the day…at least, I think I am.’ He glanced at the chart she was carrying. ‘I expect that’s one of mine, or you wouldn’t be here. So what have I done this time?’

‘It isn’t just you,’ Alex said in a sympathetic tone. ‘I’m not singling you out. Please don’t think that. I’m checking everyone’s lab work to see if we can cut down on unnecessary testing…and here, looking at yours, I find you’ve ordered blood cultures, urine samples, swabs, to name just a few, for one small patient. Are you sure all these are really needed? Apart from the cost, we’re laying a great strain on the laboratory facilities.’

He put on a stern face. ‘If I hadn’t needed them, I wouldn’t have ordered them.’

‘For a simple fever?’

‘For a not-so-simple fever. The child was burning up, there was the beginning of a rash, and I suspect an insect bite of some sort that has led to a generalised infection which could lead to septicaemia.’ He studied her. ‘Do you really expect me to treat my patients without the proper diagnostic tools in place?’

‘Of course not.’ She smiled. ‘I’m just checking, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong in making sure everyone keeps efficiency and cost awareness in the forefront of their mind, is there?’

He gave her a sour look. ‘I’d appreciate it if you would take your checks elsewhere. I’m a consultant, remember, like yourself. I didn’t get to this position by not knowing what I’m doing.’

‘And I’m not suggesting otherwise. I see no reason why you should be so uptight about the situation,’ she commented in a soothing tone, trying to placate him. ‘We all want to do our best for our patients, and all I’m saying is that it’s only natural that sometimes we might be a little over-zealous in our efforts.’

‘I was not being over-zealous…I was being thorough. The child needs admission to hospital and treatment with an intravenous antibiotic. And if that doesn’t meet with your approval, then I’m afraid it’s too bad. That’s how it’s going to be.’

She put up a hand as though to ward him off. ‘I’m not stopping you from doing anything. All I’m saying is that we all have to be responsible and think carefully about the tests we order. It’s easy to slip into lax ways when you’re not the one counting the cost. Unfortunately, that’s down to me, and ultimately I have the job of making sure everyone complies with the new, stringent measures.’

He gave her a long look. ‘It never ceases to amaze me how very single-minded you are. Don’t you ever relax and watch the world go by without wanting to leap on its back and wrestle it into shape?’

She gave him a bewildered glance. ‘I’ve a job to do. What do you expect?’

‘I expect you to take a breather every once in a while.’ He checked the gold watch on his wrist, and as he moved she noticed the sprinkling of dark hairs that ran along his bare forearm. His shirtsleeves were rolled back, to show an expanse of skin that was lightly bronzed. His arms were muscular, his wrists strong, giving the impression of overwhelming masculinity, and for a second or two she felt a sudden tide of awareness that surged throughout her body and left her momentarily breathless.

He began to speak again, his voice cutting into her thoughts, and she reluctantly dragged her gaze away. It was strange, these weird sensations of being out of control that had afflicted her of late. She wasn’t used to feeling this way. Perhaps she was overworked, stressed, and the sheer amount of changes that were taking place in her life right now was making her unduly sensitive.

‘It’s getting late,’ he said, ‘and I don’t suppose you’ve had a break since lunchtime. I certainly haven’t. Why don’t we take a few minutes to go and get a cup of coffee—in my office, perhaps?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m sorry,’ she answered abruptly, struggling to get a grip on herself, ‘but I don’t have time. I have to finish this data chart by the end of my shift, and I’m already running late.’

‘We could use the time to go over the budget cuts you had in mind,’ he suggested silkily, a glint coming into his blue eyes. ‘Of course, if you’d rather leave it until another day, that’s fine by me.’ He started to turn away.

Alex was suspicious of his sudden apparent willingness to work with her, but his offer was one she could hardly refuse, was it? ‘Uh…maybe I was a little hasty. I dare say I could spare a few minutes, since you appear to have had a change of heart.’

‘Change of heart? Me? I’ve always been happy to go along with your suggestions.’

She gave him a withering look. ‘Let’s not push it, shall we?’