Читать книгу Healing The Single Dad's Heart / Just Friends To Just Married? - Scarlet Wilson - Страница 13

LIEN WAS WAITING for him when he arrived back after dropping Regan at the school. He’d obviously been nervous about leaving his son at the strange school in an unfamiliar city, but the place had given him good vibes. The nursery teacher had shown them into a bright, welcoming environment filled with a host of happy-looking children chattering in different languages.

Regan had tugged at his hand after a few minutes, anxious to go and join in the fun, so Joe had left with reassurances that they would call the hospital if there were any concerns.

By the time he got back to the hospital it was a few minutes before eight o’clock. Already the place was a hive of activity. The waiting room had only a few seats left. Lien was wearing a pale blue shirt and navy trousers, and her hair was in a ponytail again. There was no sign of the traditional white coat.

He’d swithered for a few moments this morning over what to wear, before settling on a pair of dark trousers and a simple short-sleeved white shirt. The temperature here was much warmer than he was used to, and he wasn’t sure if the hospital had air-conditioning or not. He hadn’t noticed last night. He gave a sniff. He wasn’t quite used to the aroma of the insect repellent he’d covered both himself and Regan in this morning. Maybe he should have tried to drown it out with more aftershave?

Lien gave him a brief nod as he walked back through the main entrance. ‘Good. Is Regan settled?’

He gave a brief nod and she started speaking again straight away. ‘Come with me, and I’ll give you a walk around. I’ll show you our systems and our supplies and when Mai Ahn, our translator, gets here, I’ll assign her to you for the rest of the day.’ She walked him over to a sink and started washing her hands. He quickly followed suit. She’d already mentioned norovirus problems. Hand washing was one of the key practices to help prevent the spread.

Joe barely had time to draw breath. ‘First thing,’ Lien said as she kept scrubbing her hands, ‘you should really wear long sleeves. If your shirts are too warm, I’ll show you a place where you can buy some lighter weight clothing. Do you have your insect repellent on?’

He nodded and she kept talking. ‘With Khiem and Hoa away, we’re two doctors down. I can’t afford for our latest recruit to pick up something from a mosquito bite.’

It felt like a bit of a reprimand and he wasn’t quite sure how to react, but Lien was already talking again. ‘Hoa covered antenatal and maternity care, so we’ll all have to pick up her role while she’s gone.’

Joe didn’t miss the way that she’d phrased that. She hadn’t asked him about his experience, or if he was happy to cover this area. She was letting him know what was expected of him. It seemed her directness last night hadn’t been unusual but the norm.

As they finished scrubbing their hands she kept talking while she dried hers. ‘Okay, I’m sure you’ve done some general reading on the health issues in Vietnam.’ She shot him a sideways glance. ‘Or at least I hope you have.’

He nodded quickly. ‘Of course. Main issues are malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, with some cases of dengue fever and ongoing issues with Agent Orange.’

She gave an appreciative nod and held out her hands. ‘Biggest killer of kids in our area is malnutrition, coupled with diarrhoea and vomiting. They have no extra fat layers to fall back on. It hits hard and fast.’

‘So a norovirus outbreak is your worst nightmare?’

‘Pretty much.’

She led him down one corridor and then up a set of stairs. ‘Okay, downstairs is basically our clinic area. Upstairs we have six four-bed rooms with a variety of patients. Children and adults.’ He could see how the layout of the traditional colonial house had been adapted to work as a hospital. There were a number of nursing staff upstairs to whom she introduced him quickly. The staff seemed friendly, and the patients well-cared-for. Most were on IVs. Lien caught his gaze.

‘We have a mixture of dehydration in both the young and the elderly. Lots of chest complaints too. Anyone suffering from diarrhoea is cared for separately in one of the single rooms at the other end of the corridor.’

Joe nodded. He’d known whole hospital wards closed because of winter vomiting bugs. They couldn’t ignore, or not treat, people affected, but, because it was infectious, it had a real chance of being passed to other patients or staff. Hygiene issues had to be the top priority.

‘Anyone today that you’re worried about?’

She gave him a half-smile. ‘I’ve already done a ward round this morning, but we’ll do another one later so you can familiarise yourself with the patients. Today we start downstairs at the clinic.’

They washed their hands again, and moved back down the stairs.

Downstairs was separated into four areas. One was a general waiting room, one was for children, one for pregnant women and a fourth for X-rays, with a plaster room next door. It was a real mixed bag. A kind of cross between a GP surgery and community hospital back in Scotland.

Lien gave a little sigh as she showed him into an office and gestured for him to sit in the chair opposite her. ‘We have a real mixture of antenatal care. Only around sixty per cent of women in Vietnam attend antenatal care. Some women don’t present until late in pregnancy. Others present early, requesting their pregnancy be monitored all the way through for birth defects. It’s not unheard of for a pregnant woman in Vietnam to have up to twenty scans.’

Joe’s eyebrows shot upwards. The norm for the UK was two, unless there were any concerns. Something clicked in his brain. ‘Agent Orange?’

She nodded.

‘How often nowadays do women present with birth defects?’

Lien’s face was serious. ‘It’s more prevalent now in the south of Vietnam, but forty years on there are still children affected here. The spray that was used to destroy the crops obviously went into the soil. Poverty is a major issue in Vietnam and some families are solely reliant on growing their own foods. They have no other option but to eat the food they grow—whether the soil is damaged or not.’

She shook her head. ‘We have two other hospitals. One is in the outskirts of the city of Uông Bí city, in northeast Vietnam, and the other—the one Duc’s parents have just gone to—is in Trà Bồng District in the south of the country. At that one, we also take care of the kids in the nearby orphanage. A lot of them are affected. There’s poverty across Vietnam, just like there’s poverty in every country in the world, but it’s worse down in the south. Down there, families are reliant on farming. If their crops fail, it’s disaster for them. A lot of them rely on their kids to work alongside them. If their kids are affected by Agent Orange, or any other genetic or medical condition, often the family can’t afford to keep them.’

‘So they end up in the orphanage?’ Joe asked.

‘Exactly. We offer free medical care to the orphanage. Things have improved in the last few years, but we still aren’t where we should be.’

‘Sometimes I forget how lucky we are in the UK. Yes, things aren’t perfect. But the healthcare part of the job generally always gets done.’ He gave a slow nod. ‘And the first hospital you mentioned?’

‘The other is in Uông Bí in Quang Ninh province, in northeast Vietnam, more towards the coast. We’ll cover both hospitals at some point in the next six months—generally just for a week or two to cover holidays.’

‘Okay.’ He was beginning to get a general feel for the place, for the sort of patients he’d be seeing, and the kind of responsibilities he’d have here. None of it seemed beyond his ability, though he’d have to do a bit more background reading on some treatments.

Lien ran through the paperwork they used, how to order tests and their prescribing arrangements. She handed him a pre-printed list with Vietnamese names for some of the more commonly used drugs. It was clear she’d familiarised foreign doctors with the clinic workings before.

Joe leaned on one hand. Everything seemed straightforward enough. ‘This place,’ he said, ‘it’s like a cross between a community clinic, a cottage hospital and an ER.’

Lien was watching him with careful eyes. He couldn’t quite work out what was going on in her mind. He was sure she was part vetting him, part examining his motives. It was only natural. She was looking for someone she could rely on. Having to check another doctor’s practices would be almost as bad as not having a colleague at all. ‘Let’s hope you don’t have to cover it all at once,’ she said softly.

He could see the flash of worry in her eyes. But the only way to earn the trust of a colleague was to prove himself. Joe was willing to do that. Back home everyone trusted him in his current role, but he wasn’t back home any more. He was in an entirely different country, and while some health needs would be the same, there were others he’d need to query, and Joe wasn’t too proud to do that. He would never put patients at risk.

‘Where do you want me?’

Lien’s eyes brightened at the question. Was that relief he’d just spotted? ‘What do you prefer?’ she asked. ‘I need someone to cover the children’s clinic, and someone to cover the adult clinic.’

He gave a nod. The clinic work, whether it was for children or adults, would be very much like his GP role back home. He shot her a smile. ‘Happy to do either.’ Then met her gaze. ‘Put me wherever I can be of most use.’

She shifted a little in her chair, caught off guard at his words. He almost let his smile broaden. She liked being straightforward and so did he. ‘I’m not here to be a hindrance, Lien, I’m here to be a help.’

She reached up and brushed an errant strand of brown hair behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail. She was close enough that he could see just how smooth her skin was. She wore very little make-up. But she didn’t need any, her dark hair and eyes complemented her appearance beautifully. In another life, in another place, he would definitely have looked twice.

It had been so long since a thought like that had even entered his head that he automatically frowned. What was wrong with him? Where had that come from?

Lien tilted her head. ‘Something wrong?’

He shook his head too quickly. ‘No, nothing.’ He pushed himself up from the chair. ‘Where do you want me?’ He was anxious to get this day started.

The few seconds of silence was slightly uncomfortable. He flashed back to being a junior doctor and the nurse in charge of the ward shooting him a glance to say she doubted he should even actually touch a patient.

A figure appeared in the doorway and Lien stood up. ‘Perfect. Mai Ahn, this is Joe. Joe, this is Mai Ahn, your interpreter. She’ll help you with the children’s clinic.’

‘Children’s clinic it is,’ he said with a nod, before reaching out to shake hands with Mai Ahn. ‘Lead the way.’

She was unsure of him. Of course she was. Did he even notice he occasionally glanced at his mobile clipped onto his belt? It was only natural that he was worried about how his son was settling in on his first day of nursery, she only hoped it wouldn’t distract him from the job he had to do.

The children’s clinic wasn’t for the faint-hearted.

She couldn’t help but be automatically protective of the place she loved working in. At least he’d been honest last night. He’d told her that he and his son needed a change after losing his wife. He’d said it had been three years. But she’d seen the glint of pain in his eyes. Was he really ready to move on?

She still had doubts.

It was a shame. Because he was undoubtedly handsome. The burr of the Scots accent was almost melodic—even though she had to concentrate hard. And it was clear that he doted on his son. Just as she’d expect him to.

She gave herself a shake. It was a ridiculous observation. She was used to doctors coming here on short-term contracts, and she’d never considered any kind of relationship. She was too busy. Too dedicated to her work. She’d had her heart broken once, and that was enough for her.

Too poor. Not the words he’d used, but those were the words he’d meant. Lien had never pretended to be anything she wasn’t. As a child she’d always been well mannered and as well presented as she could be. She’d been bright, and her teachers had noticed. They’d encouraged her to study hard, and eventually helped her to seek out scholarships so she could attend medical school.

At medical school she’d got along with most of her classmates. Reuben had come from a rich family in another city. He’d never asked her where she lived—he’d just made assumptions. Then, when he’d found out, after two years, she’d been dumped quicker than a hot brick.

Her family was proud of her, and she was of them. She’d hated the way it had made her feel. Not good enough. Not rich enough.

She came from one of the poorest areas in the city. Her family still lived there—no matter how much she’d tried to assist them since she’d qualified as a doctor. But even now they wouldn’t accept any financial help from her.

They liked where they lived. They still worked hard. They didn’t want change, in any form.

Lien lifted the pile of patient notes from the desk. They were all people who were due back at the clinic today to be reviewed.

One of the nurses gave her a smile as she walked into the waiting room. There were already ten people waiting. She gave a nod of her head and smiled, speaking in Vietnamese. ‘Okay, who is first?’

The only person having trouble concentrating today was her. She kept casting her eyes through to the other waiting room. She knew that Mai Ahn, the interpreter, would come and find her if he had any concerns. But she didn’t. Instead, she saw an occasional glance of Joe carrying babies and toddlers through to the examination room for assessment or vaccinations. Through Mai Ahn, he chatted to the mothers. Most of them seemed happy to talk to him and from the looks on their faces the Scottish doctor was proving a hit.

After a few hours he came through and knocked on her door.

‘Lien, can we have a chat about a child?’

She nodded, pleased that he’d come to talk to her.

‘I think I’ve got a little one with complications of tuberculosis. I can’t find any previous notes, and there’s no X-ray.’ His brow wrinkled. ‘Don’t most babies get immunised against tuberculosis shortly after birth?’

‘They should. Unfortunately, tuberculosis is common around here. If babies are born in hospital they are immunised if the parents consent. But not all babies are born in hospitals. What do you think are the complications?’

He ran his hands through his hair. ‘She’s losing weight, even though she’s feeding. Her colour is poor, she’s tachycardic, and I suspect her oxygen saturation isn’t what it should be. Her lungs don’t sound as if they are filling properly. She has a temperature and a cough. I suspect a pleural effusion. Do you have a paediatric monitor I could use while I order a chest X-ray?’

Lien stood quickly and gave him a serious kind of smile. ‘Let’s do this together.’

He raised one eyebrow. ‘Don’t you trust me?’ He didn’t seem annoyed by the fact she was effectively second-guessing him. He might even have looked a little amused.

‘You asked for a second opinion, Dr Lennox. I’m going to give you one.’

The amused look stayed on his face. ‘Absolutely. I haven’t seen many kids with tuberculosis in Scotland.’

She gave a nod as they walked through to the paediatric treatment room. As soon as they reached the door, Lien could almost verify his diagnosis. She switched to Vietnamese and introduced herself to the mother and her five-year-old daughter, who was clearly sick.

Joe’s notes were thorough. Three other members of the family had active tuberculosis. Only one complied with their treatment. It was no wonder the little girl was affected.

Five minutes later they were looking at a chest X-ray. Joe was right at her shoulder. She held her breath and caught a slight whiff of the aftershave he was wearing, even though it was overshadowed by his insect repellent. She wanted to know if he’d recognise what she needed him to on the X-ray.

She needn’t have worried. He lifted one finger and pointed to the film. ‘Pleural effusion without any parenchymal lesion.’ He didn’t finish there. ‘I know there’s some mixed feelings, but because of how this little girl has presented, I would be inclined to drain the effusion rather than leaving it.’

She took a few minutes to recheck things. This was the first time he’d seen a child with tuberculosis, never mind the added complications, and he’d picked it up straight away. She couldn’t help but be impressed.

She turned to face him. ‘I think you’re right. Let’s put our public health heads on and try to persuade the rest of the family to comply with their medications. We can use a sample of the effusion to diagnose the tuberculosis. A pleural biopsy would likely be too traumatic right now.’

He nodded in agreement. She paused for a moment, wondering whether she should question his skill set any further.

‘Any experience of doing a pleural effusion in a five-year-old?’

He nodded. ‘I specialised in paediatrics before training as a GP.’ He gave her a steady look. ‘I’ve got this. But I’m happy for you to stay if you’d like.’

He didn’t seem defensive or annoyed, but it felt like a bit of a line in the sand. He already knew she’d questioned his diagnosis. Now she’d asked about his experience. Lots of other clinicians that she knew might have been annoyed by this, but Joe just seemed to have accepted her actions without any discomfort. Still, the tone in his voice had changed a little, as if he was getting a bit tired of her.

She pressed her lips together. If he’d expressed any anxiety about the situation she would have been happy to take over. But he hadn’t, and she knew it was time to step back. She had enough patients of her own to see still in the waiting room.

She glanced at the nurse and interpreter. She had confidence in both of them. Either of them would come and find her if they were worried. She tried her best to look casual. ‘I’ll leave it with you. Shout if you need anything.’

Joe watched her retreat, knowing exactly how hard it was for her. Was his counterpart a bit of a control freak? Or maybe she just second-guessed everyone she worked with?

He tried to understand, even though he couldn’t help but feel a little insulted by her lack of faith in him. It’s not like he hadn’t experienced this himself. He’d worked with plenty of other doctors, in a variety of settings over the years, and it always took a bit of time to reassure himself about a colleague’s skills and competencies.

It was clear she loved this place. She’d more or less told him that already. There was also the added responsibility of her employers not being here right now, so the well-being of May Mắn hospital was really in her hands.

He gave some instructions to the nurse, who seemed to understand his English, then knelt down beside the little girl and her mother with Mai Ahn, the interpreter, to explain what would happen next.

Thirty minutes later the procedure was complete, with some hazy yellow fluid in a specimen bottle for the lab. The little girl’s cheeks and lips had lost their duskiness, the oxygen saturation monitor showed improvement, and when he listened to her chest he could hear the improved inflation of her lung. He gave instructions to the nurse for another X-ray, and to further monitor for the next few hours.

‘I’ll come back and have a follow-up chat about the medicines,’ he said. Something came into his head. ‘Do doctors make home visits here?’

The nurse frowned for a second as if she didn’t quite understand what he’d said, then shook her head. ‘No. Never.’

Joe sat back in his chair for a moment. He didn’t want to send this child home with just a prescription in her hand. The rest of the family were important too. The mother had already told him that both her husband and father-in-law kept forgetting to take their tuberculosis meds. Only her own mother remembered. If he could just see them, and persuade them how important it was, it might stop other family members being infected. He glanced out to the waiting room. He still had a whole host of patients to see, some of whom would need vaccinations, and some might need tuberculosis testing. He went to the waiting room with Mai Ahn to call the next patient, while his idea continued to grow in his head.

‘He went where?’

Ping, one of the nurses, shrugged. ‘He talked kind of strange. Something about a home visit. Apparently they do them in Scotland a lot. He persuaded Mai Ahn to go with him.’

Lien walked over and looked at the notes, checking the address on the file, then grabbed her jacket. She’d nearly made it to the front door, when her brain started to become a bit more logical. All she was feeling right now was rage. She went back and scanned the rest of the notes, checking to see what other family members were affected. ‘Did he take prescriptions, or did he take the actual medicines?’ she asked Ping.

Ping gave her a smile as she carried on with her work and brought a single finger to her lips. ‘I couldn’t possibly say.’

Lien nearly exploded. It was obvious that the Scottish charm was already working on her staff. What on earth was he thinking? They had to account for every dose they used. They weren’t a dispensary. On a few occasions they gave out enough medicines to see a patient through the night, but they didn’t give out medicines on a regular basis.

She snatched up her bag and made her way out into the streets. It was around six now, and the pavements were filled with people making their way home from work, the streets filled with traffic. She did her best to dodge her way through the crowds and cross the few streets. The home address wasn’t too far away, but the walk did nothing to quell her temper.

By the time she’d reached the address her heart was thudding in her chest. This wasn’t exactly the best part of town. She had no idea how he’d managed to persuade Mai Ahn to bring him here, but she would make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

The house was on the second floor of an older block of flats, where each storey looked as if it squished the flats beneath it even more. She climbed the small stairwell and walked swiftly along, checking the number before she knocked on the door.

‘It’s Dr Lien, from the hospital,’ she said.

She held her breath for a few moments, and then frowned. Was that laughter she heard inside? The door creaked open and the elderly grandmother of the household gave a little bow as she ushered Lien into the house.

Lien walked through to the main room, where the majority of the family was sitting on bamboo mats on the floor, Joe amongst them.

Mai Ahn was by his side, translating rapidly as he spoke. He had laid the complicated drugs for tuberculosis out in front of the elderly grandfather, instructing Mai Ahn to draw a paper chart with dates and times.

Lien stopped the angry words that were forming in her mouth. Back when she’d worked in the US, dispensary boxes had been commonplace for patients who were on several drugs. But they weren’t widely used here at all. That was what he was doing. He was making a do-it-yourself chart and placing the individual tablets on it.

He looked up and caught her eye. ‘Lien, oh, you’re here.’ His eyes shot protectively to Mai Ahn, whose face revealed she thought she was in trouble. The little girl from earlier was sitting curled into her mother’s lap. She’d done well, had been sent home with a prescription for her own meds, and if they were administered to her, she should do well.

Joe stood up. ‘I was just explaining to the family the problems with drug resistance and how important it is to keep taking their medicines.’

There was a shout behind Lien and she turned to see another two children playing in another room. She swallowed and took a deep breath. ‘This might be common practice for Scotland, Dr Lennox, but it’s pretty unconventional for Vietnam.’

He stood up casually and shook hands with the grandfather, and then the little girl’s father, who also had a chart in front of him. He nodded towards Mai Ahn to get her to translate for him again. ‘Thank you so much for seeing me.’ He nodded to the little girl’s mother. ‘Make sure you collect that prescription tomorrow, and if you think there are any problems, feel free to come back to the clinic and see me again.’ He gestured towards the kids in the other room. ‘And remember to come in for the testing. Remember, we can vaccinate too.’

Lien didn’t know whether to be angry or impressed. He hadn’t just covered the delivery of the prescriptions, he’d covered the public health issues they’d talked about earlier, taking into account multi-resistant TB, contact tracing, further testing and immunisations.

She bowed in respect to the family and spoke a few extra words of reassurance before leading the way out of the house. She waited until the door had closed behind them, and Mai Ahn had hurried on ahead, before spinning around to face him. ‘What on earth were you thinking?’

His brow creased. ‘I was thinking about patients and their medicines. I was thinking about stopping the spread of disease.’

‘We don’t do this.’ She almost stamped her foot. ‘We don’t visit people at home.’

He held up his hands. ‘Why not? Particularly when it’s a public health issue? That mother told me back at the clinic that both the father and grandfather were struggling with their meds. You don’t need to be a doctor to know that’s how the little girl got infected. What about those other two kids? I didn’t even know about them before I got here. Are we just supposed to sit at the clinic and wait another few months until they turn up sick too?’

She could see the passion on his face. It was the first time she’d seen him worked up about anything. ‘Have you any idea about this area?’ she shot back. ‘Have you any idea about any of the areas around here—how safe they are?’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Aren’t there places in Glasgow city that you shouldn’t really walk about alone?’

Now he frowned. ‘But you walked here alone,’ he said.

She threw up her hands. ‘But I’m from here,’ she emphasised. ‘You,’ she said, pointing at him, ‘are clearly not.’

She was furious and he’d obviously played this wrong.

Joe looked down at his trousers and the long-sleeved shirt he’d changed into. He knew with his tall build, pale skin and light brown hair he must stand out like a sore thumb. But instead of venting more frustration on his new workmate, he took a different tack and gave her a cheeky smile. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

He watched her erupt like a volcano. ‘It’s not funny!’

Maybe he should wind it back in. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. ‘No, you’re right, it’s not. But neither is the fact that there could be two more children in that household with tuberculosis and two adults risking developing drug-resistant tuberculosis.’ He gave a sigh. ‘I’m just trying to do my job, Lien. I know things are different here. I know the systems aren’t the same as the UK. But I still want to treat patients to the best of my ability.’

There was a noise in the stairwell beneath them, and Mai Ahn rushed back up towards them with a stricken expression on her face. She muttered something to Lien, whose face became serious.

She turned swiftly. ‘Other way,’ she said quietly, pointing to the stairwell at the opposite end of the passage.

‘Something wrong?’ he asked, as the women hurried ahead of him.

Lien’s expression was a mixture of worry and anger. ‘You’ve made us a target, Joe. A Western doctor—rumoured to be carrying drugs in a poor area of town—is always going to cause problems.’

A cold shiver ran over his body. He hadn’t thought about this at all. He tried to relate this to back home. Would he have gone out alone to one of the worst areas in Glasgow? He didn’t even want to answer that question in his head, because the truth was that he had done it before, and would probably do it again. Some parts of Hanoi didn’t seem that different from Glasgow. But he hadn’t meant to put either of his new colleagues at risk. Anything he could say right now would just seem like a poor excuse. He followed them both, turning rapidly down a maze of side streets until they were back on one of the main roads.

Lien didn’t say another word to him until they reached the hospital again. A reminder sounded on his phone and he pulled it from his pocket.

‘Apologies, Lien, I need to collect Regan.’ He hesitated for a second, knowing that things couldn’t be ignored. ‘Can we talk about this later?’

Lien’s face remained stony. She gave a nod to Mai Ahn. ‘Thanks so much, I’ll see you tomorrow. Sorry about the extra work today.’

The words felt pointed. Part of him was cringing and the other part was annoyed.

Lien turned back to face him. ‘I’ll walk with you,’ she said firmly.

It was clear he was about to be told off. First day on the job and he was already in her bad books. It wasn’t the best start. He could easily defend his position, but did he really want to get onto the wrong side of his work colleague, who was also his next-door neighbour?

He decided to be direct, since Lien seemed to like that approach herself. ‘I’m sorry about today. I wasn’t aware there are areas in Hanoi that aren’t particularly safe. I shouldn’t have taken Mai Ahn with me. I’ll get a better grasp of the language soon.’

He could see her grip tightening on the handle of her shoulder bag. ‘You shouldn’t have gone at all, Dr Lennox.’ Her voice was clipped.

He took a deep breath, resisting the urge to snap back. ‘You should let me know now—since we’ll be working together for the next six months—are you always going to call me Dr Lennox when you’re mad at me, and Joe all the other times?’

She must have been expecting some kind of argument, because his response made her stumble for just a second. She stopped walking and looked him in the eye. ‘Why do you do that?’

‘Do what?’

People were stepping around them in the busy street.

‘Try and interrupt my train of thought.’

He gave a half-smile. ‘Because your train of thought was going down an angry rail. Can we pause at a station and back up a bit?’

She shook her head at his analogy.

He shrugged and held up his hands. ‘What can I say? I’m the father of a four-year-old. Train and spaceship examples are the ones that usually work.’

She closed her eyes for a second. Her grip on the bag was becoming less pinched. When she opened her eyes again, her pupils were wide. ‘You don’t get it,’ she sighed. ‘The staff and patients at the hospital are my responsibility. Mine.’ She put her hand on her chest. ‘Can you imagine if I had to phone Khiem and Hoa and tell them that our new doctor had been attacked on his first real day of work and now wanted to head back home to Scotland?’

His hands went to his hips. ‘Do you really think I’m the kind of guy to leave at the first hurdle?’

Her gaze was steady but sympathetic, and he could tell from that glance alone that she did think that about him. Disappointment swelled in his chest. Her voice was hushed on the crowded street. ‘What if that first hurdle results in Regan having no parents?’

He flinched as if she’d just thrown something at him. The words were harsh. They were also something that he hadn’t even considered.

Ever. He’d spent the first year after Esther had died wrapping his son in cotton wool, worrying about every minor accident, rash or childhood sniffle. In every thought his worst-case scenario had always been about something happening to Regan—not about something happening to him.

He stood for a second, not quite sure how to respond, and then he just started walking, lengthening his strides as he hurried to reach the nursery.

All of a sudden he had to set eyes on his son again. He’d already paid a quick visit at lunchtime, spending his break time with his son and making sure he was settled and happy in his new nursery school. But that had been five hours ago.

Lien walked in short, brisk steps alongside him. If she was struggling to keep up she didn’t complain.

‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered. ‘That came out a bit…’

‘Wrong?’ He raised his eyebrows.

‘Direct,’ she countered.

‘Is crime around here really that bad?’ he asked. His brain was whirring. He’d read a lot about Vietnam before coming here—although most of what he’d read had been health related. He couldn’t remember reading anything about crime.

‘No,’ she admitted. ‘Hanoi isn’t any worse than any other major city. But home visits by doctors are just not done here. Particularly when the doctor might be taking out medicines to patients. Surely you can see that if word got about, it could be dangerous for you, and for anyone around you.’

He wasn’t happy. ‘So you exaggerated?’

She pressed her lips together. ‘I protected my staff,’ she said.

‘Then who was at the bottom of the stairs?’

‘Some members of a local gang. Mai Ahn and I know them, they’ve attended the hospital before—usually for emergency treatment, you know, stitches for fighting or stab wounds.’

The flare of anger abated. Maybe she hadn’t been exaggerating after all. ‘Surely they wouldn’t hurt you, then?’ he asked carefully.

Her gaze met his. ‘But they would probably hurt you,’ was her reply.

He swallowed. It seemed he’d need to get to know this city a little better. In Glasgow even the worst kind of people would generally leave a doctor alone. Most people had a moral code when it came to healthcare professionals, knowing that they would likely need help from them one day. But there had been attacks. One of his good friends had been assaulted and his bag stolen when he’d been visiting a terminally ill patient, so it did happen.

She sighed and put her hand up, tugging her ponytail band from her hair and shaking it out. ‘Sorry, headache,’ she explained. ‘They probably wouldn’t hurt you. But the truth is I do know them, and they drink. Heavily. They’re all fairly young, and some of them think they have something to prove.’

‘So you were erring on the side of caution?’

She gave him the first smile he’d seen since she’d come looking for him. ‘That’s the polite way to say it.’ She shook her head again as they approached the international school. ‘I’m not trying to scare you off. This is a fantastic city. But like all cities, there is good and bad, and until you familiarise yourself a little better, or at least get a hang of the language, can you try not to get into trouble? Believe me, I’ve got enough to worry about without having to check on you.’

She was trying to pretend the words were light-hearted but he could sense the sincerity behind them. They reached the door of the school. ‘Can you give me five minutes?’ he asked.

She nodded and waited outside as he went in to collect an excited but tired Regan, getting a full report from his teacher.

He walked back out with Regan in his arms. ‘It seems nursery was a big success,’ he said with a smile, conscious of how relieved he felt. Knowing that Regan had had a good day always made him happy. He’d be able to text his mum and dad tonight to tell them that things were good, and he knew they’d be relieved too.

‘Tell you what, let me try and make amends. How about I buy you dinner?’

Lien looked a bit surprised. ‘Dinner?’ she repeated.

He nodded and looked around. ‘You choose. Somehow I haven’t managed to get to the market today, and we devoured the food in the fridge last night. Show us somewhere we can eat on a regular basis.’ He raised one eyebrow. ‘Familiarise me with the area.’

She let out a laugh and shook her head, looking at Regan. She moved closer to talk to him. ‘Big day at nursery?’

Regan nodded in a tired kind of way. ‘It’s cool,’ he whispered.

Joe gave his back a rub. ‘I suspect Master Lennox is struggling with jet-lag. Once we’ve eaten I think I’ll get him straight to bed.’

Lien looked up and down the street. ‘What does Regan like? Are there foods he doesn’t eat? Or is he allergic to anything?’

Joe gave a brief shake of his head. ‘Take us somewhere you like, somewhere good. The wee man will more or less try anything.’

Lien let out a laugh.

‘What?’ Joe’s brow creased. ‘What is it?’

Her eyes were gleaming. ‘Have you any idea how Scottish you just sounded?’

She started walking down the street and he fell into step alongside her. ‘Don’t I always sound Scottish? I know my accent is a bit thick—’

‘A bit?’ Now it was her turn to raise her eyebrows.

He laughed now too. They crossed a few streets and she showed him into a small Vietnamese restaurant. By the way they greeted her it was clear she was a regular.

They sat in a booth and Regan settled next to his dad. He seemed to perk up a little. ‘Are we getting food?’

‘Yip,’ said Joe, glancing at the menu. His smile broadened and he looked up at Lien.

She was leaning her head on one hand and watching them both. She too had a big smile on her face, and he knew exactly why.

‘What’s on the menu, Dad?’ asked Regan.

‘What’s on the menu, Lien?’ he asked. He nudged Regan. ‘What do you want to eat tonight? I think we’re going to get Lien to order for us.’

He slid the menu across the table towards Lien. It was entirely in Vietnamese. He was really going to have to get a handle on the language. He didn’t even know how to order fries somewhere—the staple food of lots of kids.

‘Rice and more pork,’ said Regan brightly. ‘And can it be a little bit spicy like the kind we had last night?’

Joe almost gave a sigh of relief. He was lucky Regan was such a great eater. With the exception of Brussels sprouts, there was very little his son would refuse.

Lien leaned across the table towards Regan. ‘Oh, they do the best spicy pork in here. We can definitely get you that.’ She looked up. ‘What about you, Joe?’

‘I’ll just get the same as Regan.’ He pulled a face. ‘But can you order big? I’m famished—I skipped lunch.’

‘You did?’ She frowned and sat back. ‘I thought you took a break today.’

He glanced down at his son, and mussed Regan’s hair. ‘I went to check on Regan. Didn’t have time to eat.’

She gave him an appreciative glance, then turned to their waiter and ordered rapidly in Vietnamese for them all. As she did it, she flicked a bit of hair out of her face. He smiled. She did that often. There was always a strand that seemed to defy the ponytail band or clip she wore to tie her hair back. It was a habit, one he found endearing. He straightened in his chair. Where had that thought come from? He focused his thoughts back on his sleepy son.

She was right about the restaurant. It was a good choice. The food arrived quickly, and they chatted easily while they ate.

He could see Lien gradually beginning to relax further. The more she relaxed, the more animated she became. He started to realise just how stressed she must have been earlier by his actions. Trouble was, he really wanted to check on the family again at some point. He just wasn’t sure how to do it without getting on her wrong side.

By the time they finished eating, Regan was sleepy again and Joe gathered him into his arms to carry him back to the house.

Lien smiled. ‘It’s getting to be a habit, isn’t it? Don’t worry. It takes some adults a whole week to adjust to jet-lag. Got to imagine it’s worse for kids.’

They walked along the main road back to the hospital. ‘Do we need to do anything when we get back?’

She shook her head. ‘Dr Nguyen—Phan, you met him earlier—is on call tonight. You’ll have that pleasure later in the week.’

He nodded. ‘Well, since I’m only a few steps away, that seems fine.’

‘There aren’t many emergencies at night,’ she said, her dark hair catching in the wind. ‘An IV might need to be re-sited, but unless someone appears at the door, being on call is generally just about being available if needed.’

‘So what do you do on your nights off, then—apart from show the best restaurants to your new colleagues?’ He wasn’t quite sure where that question had come from. It was out before he had much of a chance to think about it. But he was curious.

She gave him a half-smile. ‘Are you being nosy, Joe?’

He dragged one hand across his brow. ‘Phew. I must be at least half-forgiven. I didn’t get Dr Lennox.’

She laughed. He could tell she was trying decide what to say. It had only been one day, but she appeared to live alone in the house next door. There had been no mention of another half. But that didn’t mean she didn’t have one.

‘To be honest, I concentrate on work most of the time.’

There was something about the way she said those words. A hint of regret. A hint of something else.

‘Not married?’ What was wrong with him? His mouth seemed to be having a field day of talking before his brain could engage.

‘Me? No way.’ She held up one hand. ‘When would I have time to be married? I spend just about every waking hour at the hospital.’ Then she laughed. ‘Plus the non-waking hours.’ She wagged a finger at him. ‘The only exception is when I have to chase after our international doctors who have crazy ideas.’

This time he made sure his brain engaged before he leapt to his own defence. ‘Can we have a chat about that tomorrow? There are a few things I want to run past you.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Dr Lennox,’ she said with a smile on her face, ‘why do I get the impression you’re going to be trouble?’