Emergency At Inglewood

‘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.

CHAPTER THREE

AS SABOTAGE went, it was subtle but very effective.

A glance at her elegant gold wristwatch told Kathryn it was nearly 11 p.m. She would have to be up at 6 a.m. to get to work on time and she was already so tired that large chunks of the dinner-table conversation kept turning into an incomprehensible buzz.

It was torture. Kathryn pushed her spoon into the overly rich chocolate dessert she knew she couldn’t eat and then looked up, hoping that the movement would make it easier to keep her eyes open. She was sitting directly opposite her husband, it was inevitable that their lines of vision would meet. When had Kathryn ever looked up to find Sean looking somewhere else?

‘You look tired, darling.’

The tone was caring but the hint of triumph in the green eyes was enough to make her blink and then force a bright smile. The sabotage was not going to succeed. She would not give Sean the ammunition of breaking her promise that her new career would not be allowed to interfere with their social life.

‘Do I?’ Kathryn managed to sound faintly surprised. She kept smiling but there was genuine amusement in her expression now. Even if her exhaustion had aged her twenty years she would still look young in this gathering. It was hard to believe that being drawn into such circles had once made her feel privileged. And special. The looks she could feel coming in her direction at the moment, as conversation around the table petered out, branded her the misfit they had all suspected she really was. Not that Sean picked up any undercurrents.

‘Kathryn started a new job today,’ he announced in the short silence. ‘She’s become an ambulance driver.’

‘A paramedic, actually.’ Kathryn couldn’t stop herself making the correction but hopefully she kept her tone light enough to avoid creating any ammunition for Sean to use later. ‘We do quite a lot more than just driving the ambulances.’

‘Oh, my goodness!’ Evelyn Gilbert touched the rope of pearls at her neck.

Dorothy Harrison looked equally appalled. ‘How could you do that, Kathryn? All those dreadful car accidents!’

Kathryn could feel the satisfaction coming at her from across the table. ‘Blood and guts’ was most definitely an inappropriate topic.

‘Car accidents are actually a very small percentage of the workload,’ she said quietly. ‘Most of our emergency cases are medical. Things like asthma or diabetes or heart attacks.’ She smiled at the other husbands around the gleaming mahogany table.

At forty-five, Sean was by far the youngest of this group. Some of them were pushing sixty and they all looked prosperous and very well fed.

‘My first job today was a heart-attack victim, in fact. A fifty-six-year-old man who’d never had a day off work sick in his life.’ Kathryn glanced down at her dessert with distaste. Surely these people could see that the kind of lifestyle they led made them all potential candidates for a nasty cardiac event?

Donald Harrison was looking rather thoughtfully at his empty parfait glass. ‘Was he all right?’

‘He was dreadfully ill,’ Kathryn said with satisfaction. ‘And then he arrested.’

‘You mean he died?’ Evelyn, the hostess for this evening, went a shade paler and cast an anxious glance at her other guests.

‘No. He’s fine now. I defibrillated him.’ Kathryn couldn’t help the note of pride in her voice. ‘We got him into hospital fast and he had an angioplasty within a couple of hours of the onset of his chest pain. He’ll be going home in a day or two.’

Donald smiled with obvious relief. ‘Well done,’ he congratulated Kathryn. ‘That must have been rather satisfying.’

‘It was wicked,’ Kathryn agreed. She ignored the frown on Sean’s face that was intended as a reminder of how much he disapproved of slang.

‘I had to call an ambulance once.’ Dorothy’s husband Donald was nodding. ‘Had a chap who had a rather unpleasant reaction to the IV sedation I gave him.’

‘That’s why I never use the stuff,’ Sean declared. ‘A good local should always do the job. I use gas if I have to, but you all know my views on that.’

The common topic of dentistry had been well aired over the main course. Donald drained his glass of red wine and stared at Kathryn as though she were a new and interesting exhibit at the art gallery.

‘A paramedic, hmm?’ He turned to Sean. ‘I’m amazed you’re letting your wife run around on the streets doing a dangerous job like that, old chap.’ His gaze returned to Kathryn, making her wish she hadn’t gone the extra mile to keep Sean happy that evening by wearing this particular black dress. It was cut rather too low for her comfort. ‘Don’t you have to work nights as well?’

This wasn’t a safe topic. ‘Yes, but the hours are great, really,’ she said lightly. ‘We work four days on, including two nights, and then have four days off. It’s almost a part-time job, in fact. Not that different from what I was doing with Dr Braithwaite.’ Kathryn smiled again. ‘It’s only two days and two nights out of eight, which means I’m home for six days and six nights out of eight. Sean will probably not even notice.’

‘Not true,’ Sean protested. Only Kathryn heard the warning note.

‘How is dear old Angus Braithwaite?’ Evelyn latched onto a new conversational direction with alacrity. ‘I haven’t seen him or Mary for such a long time.’

‘He never changes,’ Sean told her. ‘I did some reconstruction work for him a month or two back. He claimed it made him look ten years younger.’

‘Wonderful man,’ Dorothy cooed. She smiled at Kathryn. ‘He was telling me about your mother the last time we met. How is she these days?’

Kathryn tried to return the smile but failed miserably. ‘She’s very well looked after.’

‘There’s not much you can do for advanced multiple sclerosis other than keep the sufferer comfortable,’ Sean added.

‘I’ve heard that Hillsborough is the place as far as nursing homes go.’ Donald refilled his wineglass. ‘Might make a reservation for myself one of these years. Lap-of-luxury stuff, isn’t it?’ He raised the bottle. ‘A top-up, Sean?’

‘Just a half, thanks. I’m driving.’ Sean held out his glass. ‘You’ll need to save your pennies for Hillsborough, Don. A minimum of a thousand dollars a week isn’t cheap.’

‘Good heavens.’ Evelyn Gilbert looked impressed. ‘That’s twice as much as the place my father’s in.’

‘You get what you pay for,’ Sean said lightly. ‘And nothing’s too good for my mother-in-law.’ He had to balance his glass carefully as the liquid touched the rim. ‘That’s a generous half there, Don.’

‘You’re a generous man,’ his colleague responded. ‘Not many people would care for their mother-in-law like that. I’m sure you don’t get that much of a discount for being a shareholder in the place.’

‘I don’t take any discount.’

More than one glance told Kathryn how lucky she was, and this time Kathryn managed to smile back. This kind of approbation would make Sean happy and the happier Sean Mercer was, the more tolerable her life became. He’d be on top of the world not to have had to engineer such a blatant reminder of why she would be unwise to ever raise the topic of a divorce again.