Dr Langley: Protector or Playboy?

‘I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?’

‘No, not really.’ She shrugged off all those troubling thoughts. ‘The only thing that really matters is that I want to be a doctor, and if it means working hard to achieve that, that’s what I’ll do.’

‘That’s a splendid ambition.’ He gave her an approving look. ‘Have you decided on a specialty yet? You seemed to be very much taken with the baby on the ward today.’

‘Not yet, though I think I’m going to like working with children, even though it can be upsetting seeing them when they’re ill. I was quite worried about baby George. I looked up his type of illness on the computer after ward rounds, and apparently most children with his problem grow out of it by the time they’re two years old. It’s so unfortunate that he has to be booked in for surgery.’

‘Maybe. But he’s been suffering from episodes of sleep apnoea, where he’s been blue in the face through lack of oxygen, and that’s far too dangerous to be ignored.’

‘I know. The consultant explained, but it must still be hard for the parents to come to terms with it.’ They were getting closer to where she lived now, and she waved a hand towards a patch of green in the landscape, a small park bordered by black wrought-iron gates and fencing, an oasis in the midst of a built-up area. There were trees and shrubs in abundance, and through the railings she caught a glimpse of yellow daffodils swaying gently in the breeze, along with outcrops of tulips in all hues of scarlet through to the palest pink. The azaleas were in flower, too, glorious, exuberant blooms of deep crimson.

‘I go there whenever I get the chance,’ she said softly. ‘I love the peace and quiet, and the colour all around me.’

He nodded. ‘I like to go and stand by the Thames when I want to find peace. It’s very calming to look out over the water, I find.’ He looked around. ‘Do you live close to here?’

‘Yes. We’re about half a mile from the Thames, I think. We’re very lucky. The house is in a lovely, leafy terrace. It’s very quiet, and I’m really happy to be living there.’

‘We?’ He raised a dark brow.

‘My friends and I. We share. There’s Matt and Lucy. Matt Berenger—I believe you know him.’ He nodded acknowledgement, and Jade went on, ‘Lucy’s father actually owns the house, and he turned it over to students for these last few years. Matt’s father’s a business partner of Mr Clements, Lucy’s father, and he arranged for him to have a place with us. As for me, Lucy and I have been friends for ever.’

‘It sounds like a good arrangement.’

‘It is.’

They turned into a tree-lined crescent, where a Georgian terrace of houses stood resplendent, touched by the dying rays of the sun. The buildings were three storeys high, white fronted, with wrought-iron railings at the windows and again at ground level. There was a small patch of lawn between the street railings and the houses were hung with baskets filled with spring flowers and trailing ivy.

‘This is ours,’ she said, stopping outside a house halfway along the terrace. ‘We actually have a small garden out back. Talk about landing on my feet! I’m just so pleased to be living here.’

‘I’m impressed,’ Ben said, studying the building. ‘If the inside’s anything like the outside, you’ve every reason to be happy.’

She nodded. ‘Come in with me, and I’ll make you a coffee. It’s the least I can do after the way you looked after me.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course.’ She could hardly let him go on his way after he’d taken the trouble to walk her home.

‘Then I will, thanks.’ His mouth curved, and she tried to ignore the warm glow that started up inside her. She didn’t want to be enticed by his gentle manner and easygoing ways. She’d been there before with Ewan and the result hadn’t been pleasant.

They walked up the few steps to the front door, and she showed him into the entrance hall. ‘The lounge is through here,’ she said, pushing open a door and leading the way into a large, high-ceilinged room with a polished wooden floor and deep sash windows. ‘The furniture’s a bit sparse, but at least it’s comfortable. We do argue a bit over who gets to sit where, because even though there are two sofas, Matt and I both like to stretch out our legs when we get the chance. It does tend to make Lucy a bit annoyed at times.’

He chuckled. ‘There are bound to be a few disagreements when several students live under one roof. Though three’s probably a nice, manageable number.’

‘True. But actually there used to be four of us until recently. Caroline left to take an elective course of study in Africa.’ She sent him a quick glance. ‘Which reminds me—I meant to ask if you did something else before taking up medicine. I have the feeling you might be two or three years older than Matt, who’s in the same year as you—or perhaps I’m mistaken?’

He shook his head. ‘You have it right. I took some time out to travel and see the world before I decided what I wanted to do. My parents were happy enough for me to do that, and I found temporary work wherever I could to support myself through it. Then, when I came back to the UK, I worked for a while in a hospital, on the administrative side. I just wanted to get a feel for things, to see if I’d be suited to the life.’

‘And you obviously decided to go with it in the end. So medicine wins!’ She grinned at him, and they did a high-five, their hands meeting in a spontaneous action that came out of nowhere. Ben was still smiling, gazing around, when Lucy entered the room a second or two later, looking a bit frazzled.

Even frazzled, Lucy was stunning to look at, there was no doubt about it. With flowing golden hair and intensely blue eyes, she was a picture to behold. Her bone structure was perfect, her lips full and red, and her figure was absolutely perfect.

Jade glanced at Ben, curious to see what his reaction would be to her best friend. Most men did a double take and almost fell over themselves trying to get to know her.

Ben simply waited patiently to be introduced.

‘Hello,’ Lucy said, suddenly cottoning on to the fact that Jade wasn’t alone. ‘I don’t think we’ve met, have we?’

‘This is Ben,’ Jade said. ‘He’s a friend of Matt’s, a foundation-year doctor on placement with me. We met up today, and I was just going to offer him coffee.’

‘Good idea.’ Lucy held out her hand to him. ‘It’s great to meet you, Ben. I’m afraid Matt isn’t here right now. He’s gone to the all-night store to see if he can grab some pasties for supper.’ She winced, and even that didn’t mar her beauty. ‘I forgot to get any food in, but …’ she turned to look at Jade ‘… I’ll do a full shop tomorrow, I promise.’

‘That’s okay. I managed to get something to eat at the café.’ Jade frowned. ‘I suppose you’re still struggling with the cardiology project your consultant gave you?’

‘Oh, that wretched thing! Tell me about it! I could almost wish Mr Sheldon hadn’t decided I was to be his protégée. It’s almost more work than I can handle. Along with the fact that I’m still trying to find someone to fill Caroline’s boots.’

‘The girl who left?’ From his expression, it was clear Ben’s interest had been tweaked. ‘Are you looking for someone else to move in here?’

Lucy nodded. ‘That’s right. I have to try and keep the rooms fully occupied. It’s my father’s house and he likes to keep things on a business footing.’

Ben smiled. ‘Would I do as a tenant? It just so happens that I’m looking to move. I’ve been renting a place across the river for the last six months, but the lease is up, and now that I’m based at the hospital over here, I’d rather be close by.’

‘Oh … really? Well, I’m certainly looking for someone, and you are a friend of Matt’s after all …’ Lucy was thinking, talking to herself, but Jade could see that she was taken with the idea. ‘You’d need to supply references.’

‘That’s not a problem.’

Lucy brightened, and it was as if the sun had come out. ‘Perhaps I should show you around?’ she suggested, heading towards the door. ‘Each room’s pretty much self-contained, with a toilet and wash-basin, and there are a couple of bathrooms, which we have to share. You’ll also find that there’s a table and chair in your room so that you’ll be able to study in peace whenever you like.’

‘That sounds like just what I’m looking for.’ Ben half turned and glanced at Jade, and she guessed he was uncomfortable at following Lucy out of the room and leaving her alone.

‘It’s okay, you go ahead,’ Jade murmured. ‘I’ll make the coffee.’

‘If you’re sure?’

‘I am.’

She gazed at the door for a while after they had gone. She frowned. It was disturbing to think that he might very soon be coming here to live with them. It wasn’t at all what she had expected, and somehow it troubled her. It was one thing to be working alongside him, but having him stay here in such close proximity was quite another. The very idea had knocked her off balance, and now all of her defences were suddenly on standby.

CHAPTER TWO

‘HE’S not bad at all, is he?’ Lucy dropped hot crumpets onto a plate and began to toast another batch.

‘Um—who’s this we’re talking about?’ Jade dragged her attention away from the magazine she was reading, and was rewarded with a sharp hiss of breath and a shake of the head.

‘Ben, of course. Our soon-to-be housemate.’ Lucy frowned at her. ‘You haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said, have you?’

‘I have …’ Jade pulled herself up with a guilty start. ‘You were talking about him moving in here.’ She tried to recall what Lucy had said. ‘He won’t be making the move straight away because he has a few loose ends to tie up … and he needs a day or two to pack up his bits and pieces, especially his new leather reclining chair that he absolutely won’t do without and a desk with drawers that are crammed full of his paperwork.’ Her brows knitted together. Obviously, he wasn’t a great believer in saving the trees.

‘That was ten minutes ago,’ Lucy said crossly. ‘I’ve moved on since then.’ She jabbed a finger at the plate. ‘And these crumpets are meant to be eaten while they’re hot.’ She looked over Jade’s shoulder at the magazine. ‘What’s that you’re reading, anyway? It seems to be keeping you pretty well absorbed.’

‘It’s the student paper.’ Jade put the magazine to one side and started to butter crumpets. She passed a couple of them to Matt, who was sitting across the other side of the table, checking web pages.

‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘I didn’t know the new edition had come out yet.’

She smiled. ‘I got it hot off the press from a friend who works in the print room. Guess who’s editing the mag now that the union rep has stepped down?’

‘Who?’

‘Your friend, Ben.’

She passed the magazine to him. ‘He’s introduced a new cartoon feature in there—it has his signature on it, so I guess he designed it himself. He’s called the series Med-life Crises—I’m sure it’s based on the goings on of some of the fifth-year medical students. This month’s storyline is very like something that happened in lectures a few weeks ago … only he’s made it seem much funnier somehow.’

Matt turned the page, and Lucy abandoned the crumpets to lean over and read the cartoon with him. She began to laugh. ‘Oh, that’s clever. I like that!’ She shot a glance at Jade. ‘He has a wicked sense of humour. I remember those lectures.’

‘The tutors roped in volunteers from around the medical school,’ Jade explained to Matt, ‘and were trying to teach us about patient-doctor communication skills through role playing. One of the students told her patient he needed to go on a fitness regime and lose some weight. He wasn’t too pleased, and she found out later that he’s her new consultant.’ She was still chuckling. ‘I wouldn’t have dared print that, just in case either of them saw it and took offence.’

‘It doesn’t seem as if Ben has any qualms about that.’ Matt bit into a crumpet, licking the melted butter off his lips.

‘No. As I was saying …’ Lucy looked pointedly at Jade ‘… I think he’ll fit in here really well. He seems to be quite easygoing and keen to get on with his studies. None of this clattering about of an evening with guitars and fiddling about with amplifiers.’ She sent Matt an accusing stare.

He lifted his shoulders and raised his flattened palms in a dismissive gesture. ‘So I practise my music occasionally—it’s not as though I’m working on it till all hours, every day of the week.’

‘Just as well, or one of these days you might get ready to rock and find your amplifier has been disconnected.’

They scowled at one another, and Jade sighed. She bit into a crumpet. It was hard to imagine Ben sitting with them at the breakfast table. Truth to tell, she was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that he was actually going to be living there. It didn’t sit right with her somehow, and she couldn’t quite work out what was wrong.

Maybe it was a vague feeling that he was out of her league. He and his friends all seemed so much more confident than she was, and perhaps that was because their backgrounds were very different from hers in the main. Her family had always worked and struggled to get by, whereas Ben’s parents were in business and were comparatively rich, by all accounts. From what Matt had told her, the business was doing extremely well, with offshoots in Europe and Scandinavia.

There was no point dwelling on any of it, though. It was going to happen whether she wanted it or not.

She wiped her fingers on a paper towel and looked at Matt. ‘Are you back in A and E this morning?’

He nodded. ‘In the trauma unit to begin with, and then I’ll be working in the fracture clinic this afternoon.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘In fact, I’d better head off now. I’m due at a meeting to go over the details of yesterday’s cases.’

‘Me, too. I’m supposed to be at the hospital for eight o’clock.’

Matt left the house, and Jade set about clearing the table, carefully stacking the dishes in the sink and filling the washing-up bowl with hot, soapy water. She glanced at Lucy. ‘I get the feeling you’re looking forward to having Ben here with us. He must have made quite an impression on you.’ Lucy didn’t normally react with any great enthusiasm to newcomers—at least, not the male variety. She was too used to fending them off, though perhaps she’d made an exception in Ben’s case.

‘Yeah, he’s all right.’ Lucy grinned. ‘It turned out to be a lucky move all round, you bringing him home with you the other day.’

‘Hmm. Maybe.’

Perhaps there was something in the way she said it that caught Lucy’s attention, because her expression sobered. ‘Do you have some misgivings?’ She threw Jade a cautious glance. ‘It’s just that it seemed like a heaven-sent opportunity after Caroline’s room was left empty.’

Jade smiled. ‘I’m sure things will work out just fine. It all happened so quickly. I only asked him in because he’d helped me and he was thoughtful enough to walk me home afterwards, and the next thing he’s going to be living with us. It takes a bit of getting used to.’

They finished tidying the kitchen and set off to walk to the hospital. The sky was a cloudless blue, and the City looked fresh and sparkling in the morning sunshine. Jade made up her mind to put all her doubts behind her and instead give her concentration to the work ahead. In the weeks coming up to her final exams, things were going to be pretty hectic and she needed to be on the ball the whole time.

‘Good luck in Cardiology,’ she told Lucy as they parted company. Lucy was having a difficult time in her placement, and if yesterday was anything to go by Jade couldn’t expect to fare much better. It looked as though her consultant was given to asking searching questions whenever they met up for patient reviews or ward rounds, and it seemed she would have to get used to thinking on her feet.

The first hour or so of the morning was spent in going over the case notes of patients who had been admitted to the paediatric ward the previous day, followed by a visit to the neonatal unit.

‘How are we going to assess this child?’ Professor Farnham wanted to know as they stopped by a cot. He was in his fifties, tall and dark haired, slimly built, a man whose whole body and manner hinted at ceaseless energy and a thirst for knowledge. ‘What are we looking for?’

Jade drew in a deep breath and checked the baby’s file. The baby was only three days old, a tiny, preterm infant who whimpered softly in his crib. His arms flailed weakly and his mouth quivered as he gave a helpless cry. More than anything, she wanted to pick him up and hold him to her, to feel his warm, soft body in her arms.

Instead, she tried to dredge up all she had learned about neonatal problems. ‘The history shows that he has had several seizures,’ she said. ‘He’s been vomiting and he isn’t feeding well, according to his mother.’ The mother wasn’t around to hear their discussion, thankfully. The nurse had taken her into the office so that she could talk to her about any worries that might be weighing her down.

‘The first course of action would be to take blood tests and check serum chemistries. I’m thinking there might be a problem with the levels of calcium or magnesium in the blood. Then I would do urine tests in case of any renal problems. We should get an ECG as well, to check for any cardiac rhythm abnormalities.’ She hesitated momentarily. ‘The mother has a history of diabetes, so it’s possible there might be some connection between that and the baby’s problems.’

‘Good thinking.’ The professor beamed. ‘I’ll leave you in charge of all that. Depending on the results of the tests, we might need to do some X-rays later. Let me know when the reports come back from the lab.’

‘I will.’

He swept out of the room a minute or so later, and Jade let out a long, slow breath. Was this just a foretaste of her upcoming clinical examination finals? She was going to be a junior doctor soon, so she needed to have these skills at her fingertips.

At least Ben hadn’t been around to witness her being put on the spot once again. Paediatrics was a new specialty for her, and she’d had to do a lot of research over the last few weeks to give her an idea of the kind of things she might be dealing with. Even so, she was a bit worried about putting on a good show.

She gently stroked the baby’s silky hair, and then lightly traced a line over the velvet-soft skin of his tiny hand. He gripped her finger, clinging on to her, his eyes widening and his mouth puckering in eager anticipation. She chuckled, enjoying the moment.

‘You’re a little sweetheart, aren’t you?’ she murmured. ‘I wish I didn’t have to put you through all these tests, but I have to find out what’s wrong with you so that we can put it right. I’ll be really gentle, I promise.’ She gazed at him for a moment or two longer and then carefully withdrew her finger from his grasp. ‘I have to go and find a syringe, and some vials, and some forms for the lab. I’ll be back in a minute.’

When she returned a short while later, she was startled to find Ben standing by the cot. He looked good. He was smartly dressed in dark trousers and a crisp linen shirt with the cuffs rolled back, showing forearms made golden by the sun. His tie was a silk blend, in a subtle blue-grey design that complemented the pale blue of his shirt. He looked every bit the doctor who was in full control of everything around him.

He had set up a monitor to record the baby’s heart rate—it was slow, she noticed. He was checking the baby’s case file, and every now and again he glanced at the infant and his eyes crinkled in a faint smile. He looked up as Jade approached.

‘Hello, there,’ he said, his gaze moving over her appreciatively. ‘I was hoping we would meet up again fairly soon. I know it’s likely to be a bit hit and miss, because you have lectures and study periods every so often.’

‘That’s right,’ she acknowledged, ‘but not today. Professor Farnham has asked me to do a work-up on young Sammy.’

He nodded. ‘Yes, the professor told me.’ He looked at the baby and frowned. ‘According to the records, Sammy’s having fairly frequent seizures, some heart rhythm abnormalities, and his blood pressure is low. Not a good start in life, is it?’

She shook her head. ‘I must confess I’m a bit overawed working with newborns. Perhaps you’ve put your finger on the problem. It’s the emotional factor—it seems so unfair that they’re burdened with illness from the moment they arrive in the world.’

He laid a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of support. ‘I’m sure you’ll get used to it, given time. You’re here to help them through it … try looking at it that way.’

‘I will.’

He glanced at the trolley she had prepared. ‘I see you’re set up to take blood samples. Are you okay with that?’

She pulled a face. ‘I don’t usually have a problem taking blood from adults, or even from older children, like teenagers, but babies are different, aren’t they? They look so fragile, and they don’t know what’s happening to them, and I suppose it’s a bit daunting.’

‘Would you like me to hold him and distract him while you do the business?’

A feeling of relief ran through her. ‘Would you mind? That would be really good.’

‘Not at all.’ He lifted the baby from the cot and held him carefully in the crook of his arm. He seemed perfectly at ease with his precious bundle, and Jade watched him, unexpectedly sidetracked for a while by the tenderness of the moment.

‘Now, then, young Sammy,’ Ben murmured, ‘what can we do to keep your mind off things?’ He was thoughtful for a second or two, and then he reached into his trousers pocket and drew out his keys. ‘Here we are. Just the thing.’

He looked at Jade, and said quietly, ‘All set?’

She nodded, and Ben jangled his keys to distract the baby while she took the blood sample. It was all over in a matter of seconds.

Relieved, she labelled the vials and smiled at Ben. ‘Well, I have to say it would be great to have you around every time I have to do that.’

‘I’ll see what I can do about it,’ he said, laughing. He placed the baby back in the cot and took a moment to settle him, before turning to watch as she began to write out the lab forms. Her ponytail fell softly against her cheek, and she brushed it back out of the way.

‘I like your hair,’ he observed softly. ‘It’s beautiful, like silk.’

She gave him a startled look, pausing as she sealed the vial in its plastic pocket. ‘Thank you. The truth is, I like my sleep too much and so I didn’t have time to do more than just tie it back this morning.’ She dropped the needle into the sharps bin and began to tidy up the equipment she had used.

‘At the café bar you had it pinned up, I recall.’ His smoky, grey-blue eyes glimmered as his glance moved over her. ‘Either way, you’re a knockout. I somehow get the feeling you’re not going to be too good for my blood pressure whenever we’re around one another.’

She had a vague suspicion that could work both ways. ‘Well, I’m sorry about that,’ she murmured, ‘but I’m sure you’ll manage somehow.’ She liked him, but she wasn’t going to respond to his flirting. She couldn’t. Her time with Ewan had taught her that flirtation could get out of hand, and lead to some heavy involvement, and before you knew it you were embroiled in a situation that was bounding out of control. She couldn’t go through that again. It had been over months ago but she was still raw and hurting.

She gave him a sympathetic glance. ‘Some people say a cold shower does the trick.’

He gave a rueful laugh. ‘You’re not going to take pity on me, are you? I had in mind a much more romantic prescription.’

She smiled. ‘Yes, I’m sure you did, but I think I prefer to keep my mind on the job.’

He looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Whoever he was, this man who upset you and caused you to put up your defences has a lot to answer for. I think you should know that we’re not all the same.’

‘Maybe.’ She straightened up, getting ready to push the trolley back into the office. ‘But I’d just as soon not put it to the test.’ She frowned. ‘So I’m going to take these samples along to the lab. Are you going to be in the neonatal unit for a while?’ With any luck, he’d say no, and she would be able to get on with her work without feeling hot and bothered because he was close by.