A Gentle Giant

‘Have their parents been informed?’ Rob asked tersely.

‘Doing it now. The two in the bus are apparently Stephen Watson and Trudy Douglas——’

‘Trudy?’ Rob’s face lost its colour and he closed his eyes. ‘Come on, Jamie. You come with me into the bus and we’ll see if we can get them out.’

They made their way in through the smashed windscreen, past the rows of broken seats to the two children trapped near the back. There was a policewoman crouched beside them, murmuring reassuringly to Trudy. Rob, hunched up in the cramped roof of the bus, reached Trudy first.

‘Hello, Trudy, love,’ he said gently. ‘We’ll soon have you out of here. Tell me where you hurt, hen.’

She lifted wide, terrified eyes at him and gave him a trembly little smile. ‘Hello, Dr Rob,’ she whispered. ‘I think my effluent’s oozed out; I’m all wet,’ she told him.

‘Is it just the tummy?’ he asked, and she nodded.

He quickly assessed the extent of the damage, and then turned to Jamie. ‘I’m going to have to get her out to deal with her. I think I may be able to shift the seat if you can steady her—think you can manage it? It’s a bit awkward.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ she told him. ‘This little boy’s unconscious, but his vital signs seem fairly strong. He’s trapped by the legs. I think most of the blood’s from a scalp wound.’

Rob nodded. ‘We’ll get Trudy out first before we try and move him.’

He got a line into her arm, ran in some saline and gave her a small shot of pethidine, examining the seat while it took effect. Then he positioned Jamie under Trudy so she wouldn’t fall when the seat was moved, and braced his legs against the roof and the seat behind.

‘Ready?’ he murmured, and winked at Trudy. Then he bunched his muscles and heaved, and the seat creaked up and eased steadily away. She slithered on to Jamie’s lap with a little cry, and Jamie’s arms wrapped instinctively around the brave little girl.

‘All right, sweetheart, soon have you out and comfy,’ she crooned reassuringly, as Rob gave the seat one last wrench and cleared the way. Then he stooped and lifted Trudy from her lap, and bore her tenderly out of the bus to lie on the grass outside.

It was immediately obvious that it was more than her dialysate that had leaked. Her school uniform was soaked with blood, and Rob looked desperately worried.

She met his eyes over Trudy’s body, and could have wept for them both. So much for not getting involved with one’s patients, she thought with a wry little smile.

‘Where the hell is the ambulance?’ he muttered. Just then they heard the siren blaring in the distance, and in seconds it came into view, slewing off at the side of the road. Immediately the crew leapt out and ran over.

‘Internal injuries,’ Rob said briskly. ‘It isn’t helped by the fact that she’s on CAPD.’

The ambulanceman bent over Trudy and touched the tip of her nose. ‘We know you, don’t we, pet? Old friends, aren’t we, Trudy? Coming for a ride?’

Jamie left the three of them and took the other ambulanceman to the bus. He produced some cutters which made short work of the seat and they soon had the little boy free. His legs were both broken below the knee, but he moaned as they moved him, a good sign that his unconsciousness wasn’t too deep. Jamie got in a line and cleaned up the head wound while the ambulanceman splinted both the boy’s legs and fetched a stretcher. Soon both the children were loaded into the ambulance and were away, leaving Rob and Jamie to deal with the walking wounded.

By the time the last of the children had been either sent to hospital or collected by their parents, it was ten o’clock and Rob was showing the effects of the night on call.

They drove back in silence, both preoccupied with their thoughts, and when they arrived at the house Rob led her round to the back door and up the back stairs to the landing.

The hall will be full of patients, and neither of us is exactly inspiring to look at,’ he said ruefully.

Jamie had to agree. If she looked half as bad as him …!

‘Rob, let me help you with your surgery,’ she said urgently. Those people have had a long wait already and they have work to get on with.’

He studied her in silence for a time, and then gave a weary nod. Thank you. I’ll accept—for them. See you downstairs in five minutes.’

Well, she thought, progress!

She showered rapidly, washing her hair and tying it back to dry while she tugged on a skirt and jumper and slid her feet into sandals. She went down the back way and met Mrs H in the kitchen.

‘Congratulations!’ the housekeeper whispered. ‘I knew you’d be good for him. He says you’re to use the little surgery next to the office. The notes are on the desk. Away and get started, and I’ll bring you a cup of coffee in a minute.’

Jamie crossed the hall, smiling at the assembled patients who looked back curiously.

‘Good morning!’ she said brightly, and they mumbled a ragged response. She smiled grimly to herself. They weren’t giving anything away to a stranger! The surgery was small but clean and neat—lacking Rob’s chaotic influence, she thought, and also his warmth. She would have to get some posters up to brighten it.

She picked up the first set of notes, walked to the door and stuck her head round. ‘Mrs Ferguson? Could you come in, please?’

Mrs H brought her a cup of coffee between her third and fourth patients, and she gulped it down gratefully before carrying on. After about an hour, she found that the pile of notes had moved from one side of her desk to another, and with a sigh and a stretch she walked to the door and looked out into the empty hall. Rob’s door was open, and she could hear him on the phone.

It went down with a crash, and he swore softly. She tapped on the door.

‘Come in!’ he barked.

She did, quirking an eyebrow at him, and he sighed and grinned ruefully.

‘What do you want first—the good news or the bad news?’

She answered his smile.

‘Good, of course.’

‘Trudy’s going to be fine. The blood was from her exit site, which must have got torn when the seat trapped her. She’s a bit sore, but nothing drastic. She is, of course, back on haemodialysis until the site settles down,’ he added heavily.

‘And the bad?’

‘Can’t get a locum for at least a fortnight.’

She tried to stifle the smile, but failed. ‘Why is that such bad news? You’ve got me.’

‘Huh!’ he snorted. ‘Now I have, but for how long? I have to get someone permanent and reliable before the winter sets in,’ he explained patiently, as if she were an idiot.

She leant over the desk and stabbed her finger into his rock-hard chest. ‘I am here, and I am permanent, and I am reliable.’

He took her hand in his, and the warmth shot up her arm, stunning her.

‘Jamie, be reasonable,’ he pleaded.

She snatched her hand away, partly because he was irritating her, and partly because she couldn’t concentrate for wondering when her arm was going to catch fire.

‘I’m being perfectly reasonable,’ she argued, spinning away from the desk and moving to the window. Chloe was outside, playing in the sandpit in a pair of bright pink dungarees and a clashing yellow T-shirt. She watched as the child made a sandcastle and then smashed it down with a delicious chuckle.

She was aware of Rob standing beside her, his face hard as he stared past her at his beloved daughter. She laid a hand on his arm, and felt again the warmth coursing through her veins.

‘Rob, not everyone is like your wife.’

‘Ex-wife,’ he corrected, and shifted his eyes to hers. ‘I’m sorry, Jamie, my mind’s made up. I have no choice but to accept your help for a while, but you may as well start looking for another job somewhere more suitable.’

‘Damn you, you insufferable, chauvinistic, pig-headed fool! I don’t want another job! I want this one, and I’m damn well going to have it!’

She turned on her heel and cannoned into Mrs H, who was standing in the doorway with an approving smile on her face.

With a muttered apology she squeezed past her and fled upstairs, slamming her bedroom door and counting to ten to try and get a handle on her rage.

A few minutes later there came a tap at the door.

‘Who is it?’

‘An insufferable, chauvinistic, pig-headed fool. May I come in?’

Lord, she thought, did I really call him all that?

‘Yes, come in.’ She got off the bed and turned to face him. ‘I’m sorry about the adjectives——’

‘Don’t be.’ He gave her a lop-sided grin. ‘I expect I deserve them all, and more besides. I have a proposition for you. Suppose you stay for the full two months of the trial period?’

‘And will you give me a fair run? Put your preconceived notions on hold and give me a chance to prove myself?’

He grinned. ‘Yes—as if you’d give me a choice!’

She sat down on the bed with a plonk, her mind whirling. Two months took them up to the end of October. The weather was starting to break up then, and hopefully he wouldn’t be able to do anything about another partner until the spring—by which time …

I accept,’ she said quickly.

He gave her a wry grin. ‘I rather thought you might. It only took Jennifer half that time to find out she hated it. It should be long enough to convince you.’

‘Or you,’ she said challengingly.

‘Stubborn little thing, aren’t you?’

She grinned. ‘Oh, yes—every bit as stubborn as you, and then some, probably.’

‘I doubt it,’ he said with a laugh.

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Don’t be too sure.’

The challenge hung in the air between them.

CHAPTER THREE

JAMIE’S first and most pressing concern was accommodation. She tackled Rob about it after they had finished the evening surgery and were sitting down in the cosy little room at the end of the hall. Chloe had thrown all her toys out on to the floor and was playing happily in the toybox, the television was on quietly and Rob was motionless for the first time in twenty-four hours.

She came straight to the point and asked him outright where he suggested she should live during her ‘trial’ period. She found herself thinking of it in inverted commas, because she had decided she was staying. The term ‘trial’ was Rob’s and his alone.

‘I think you’d be best off here, if you’re really serious about doing this properly,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘How else will we manage when you’re on call at night—or weren’t you thinking of doing nights?’ He asked the question quietly and seriously, and Jamie was almost fooled. Then she caught the glimmer of challenge in those amazing eyes of his.

‘Certainly I’m going to do nights,’ she returned, refusing to rise to the bait. ‘Unless you think a mere woman isn’t to be trusted?’

He studied her for a second, his dark blue-grey eyes assessing, and then he smiled wryly. ‘Of course I trust you—medically, I have no qualms at all. Your references were excellent, and I’ve had a stream of calls telling me about the nice young lady doctor and how pleasant you are!’

She smiled. That’s because they’re used to you pretending to be ferocious!’ she teased.

He chuckled. ‘I’m only ferocious with time-wasters who should know better—I got fairly crotchety this morning with an old boy who called me out at four because he’d been to his sister’s and had a heavy meal and was plagued by indigestion! Silly old goat. I didn’t need that in the middle of last night!’ He sighed and stretched, and the old sofa creaked under his weight.

‘Can I do tonight for you?’ Jamie offered.

He shook his head wearily, but he looked seriously tempted. ‘You don’t know your way round yet,’ he said. ‘No, what I suggest is that you come with me this week when I do the calls in the day, and then you can start to take over the daytime calls until you’re used to the area—another week or so. I don’t mind doing the nights for a while, especially if I’ve got help in the day so I can rest if I need to.’

Chloe, bored with her toys, chose that moment to climb out of the toybox and run up to her father. ‘Daddy!’ she said imperiously, and took him by the hand. ‘Come! Play Chloe!’

He let her drag him to the floor, and sat cross-legged against the wall next to the toybox while she piled bricks in his lap.

‘House!’ she demanded.

He built a house, and she knocked it down, and he built another, and then another, and after a while she grew bored and turned to him, scaling his big body like a tiny mountaineer, grabbing fristfuls of clothes to help her ascent. He lifted his arms up and swung her round on to his shoulders, and she sat there, her fingers buried in his hair, and jerked it.

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