‘You mustn’t think that way,’ James said. ‘Hold tight, now. I’m just going to wheel you over to the car and we’ll get you home where you’ll be more comfortable.’
Joseph nodded, and looked up at Louise as she walked beside the chair. ‘I’ve so enjoyed coming out to the park.’
She gave him a smile. ‘And you should do it more often when you’re feeling better,’ she said.
She directed her attention towards James. ‘You should remember that people like to get out into the fresh air from time to time, especially the elderly, who might be fed up of being cooped up in their little bungalows, or staring at the walls of their tiny flats day after day.’
She might have expected that James would throw her a terse reply. After all, she was having a quiet dig at him, ramming home the impact of his neglect of his grandfather, but she was surprised to see a faintly amused smile playing over his lips.
She was also startled by how just the hint of a curve to his mouth could affect the way he looked. It dawned on her that he was simply breathtaking, totally masculine in a way that would make any girl’s heart begin to flutter. She braced herself, shoring up her defences.
‘I’m sure you’re right,’ he said, his grey glance moving over her in an appraising fashion.
She thought he might enlarge on that statement, but he remained silent after that and it was her turn to be puzzled.
By now, they had reached James’s car. It was a sleek silver Mercedes, gleaming in the light of the sun, and she guessed that the inside was every bit as opulent as it appeared on the outside. His dedication to his work had obviously paid off.
What he lacked in family feeling, he obviously made up for in his business acumen.
James helped his grandfather into the car and settled him in his seat. Then he turned to Louise and asked, ‘Might I give you a lift anywhere? I could always fold up the wheelchair and put it in the boot.’
She shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I have to be getting back to work and it’s only five minutes walk away from here.’
She leaned down to take a last look at Joseph. ‘You take care,’ she told him. ‘And make sure that your grandson looks after you properly.’
‘I will. Thank you for everything, Louise.’
She stepped away from the car, allowing James to close the passenger door.
‘I should add my thanks too,’ he said. ‘It was good of you to stay with my grandfather and take care of him. We’re in your debt.’
‘I was glad to help.’
He inclined his head a fraction towards her and then moved around to the driver’s side and slid in behind the wheel. He raised a hand in acknowledgement before starting the engine.
Louise watched as he drove smoothly away out through the park gates, and it was only when she had lost sight of them that she let out a faint sigh. She hoped that Joseph would be all right.
Then she glanced once more at her watch and realised that her lunch break was over. Her shoulders slumped. She hadn’t even got around to eating her sandwiches.
CHAPTER TWO
‘I WASN’T expecting to find you still here, Louise,’ Alice said, coming over to the central desk and putting packages in the box that was to go to the laboratory for testing. ‘Don’t you have somewhere else to be?’
‘Yes, a management meeting.’ Louise grimaced before adding her signature to her own set of laboratory forms. ‘I just wanted to finish off a few things before I go—tidy up the loose ends, so to speak.’
Alice laughed. ‘I’ll translate that to mean that you’re playing for time and trying to avoid the issue.’
Louise wrinkled her nose. ‘I have to admit, I’m not actually looking forward to a confrontation with the executives. This whole business of possible closure has messed everything up and made me feel as though we’re in limbo. It’s difficult to plan for the future when you don’t know if there’s going to be one.’
Alice nodded in sympathy. ‘I know what you mean. There are staffing problems to contend with, and you were thinking about doing something to brighten the place up a bit, weren’t you? I suppose that will have to be put on hold now.’ She frowned. ‘Actually, I meant to ask you how the interviews for the Senior House Officer went last week, but it slipped my mind when we were talking about the old gentleman you met in the park. You were worried about him, as I recall.’
‘Yes, I was. In fact, even now, some days later, I still find myself thinking about him. I only met him for a short time, but he was such a lovely man. I can’t help wondering if his grandson is taking proper care of him, but it seemed to me that he must have been more concerned about his business interests than looking after his grandfather’s welfare.’
‘To be fair, he did come as soon as you called him.’
‘Yes, I suppose that’s true.’ Louise picked up a file from the table and glanced through it. ‘As to the interviews, things didn’t go all that well, as it happens.’ Her mouth made a brief downward turn. ‘There weren’t any candidates who had sufficient paediatric experience, as it turned out, and those who were well qualified made an excuse and dropped out. I expect they heard about the threat of A&E being closed down and thought better of their applications.’
‘That’s going to make life difficult for you, isn’t it?’ Alice was frowning.
‘It will be hard on all of us,’ Louise murmured. ‘We all have to take on the extra workload, and yet there could be months of uncertainty ahead of us. We won’t know for some time whether the closure will go ahead, because today’s meeting is just the first stage of proceedings. The proposal has to go through the review process, and all the options for change have to be considered by various committees before a final decision can be made.’ She pulled a face. ‘Though, the way people in charge have been talking, it sounds as though it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion. How do you fight a steamroller when it’s bearing down on you?’
She studied the file, analysing the notes made by the triage nurse, and then went over to the light box to check the X-ray film that accompanied the notes. ‘I think I just about have time to go and look at this next patient,’ she told Alice. ‘She’s a twenty-two-month-old infant who’s been vomiting for the last few days, poor thing. After that, I’ll be off upstairs.’
She sent a quick smile in Alice’s direction. ‘It’s good to have you working with me here in the A&E unit, Alice. I always feel that I can rely on you. Things seem to run that much more smoothly when you’re around.’
Alice’s mouth curved. ‘I’m glad to be here, although I must say I do like the variety of alternating between the children’s ward and A&E.’ As an afterthought, she added, ‘Though whether the children’s ward will survive without A&E is another matter. It seems to me that we’re all going to be looking for new jobs.’ She made a face. ‘It looks as though we’re counting on you to defend the territory.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Louise left her to organise the transfer of samples to the laboratory and went along to the treatment room, where her patient was waiting with her mother. The child was lying on a bed, looking frail, and her mother was sitting beside her, holding the little girl’s hand.
‘Hello, Mrs Watson,’ Louise said in a friendly fashion, going over to the bedside. ‘I’m Dr Bridgford. I understand Millie has been unwell for a few days, is that right?’
The child’s mother nodded. ‘I think she’s getting worse. Apart from being sick, she keeps crying, and she just isn’t herself. I think she must be in pain.’
‘I’ll take a look at her.’ Louise gently checked the infant over, speaking to her all the while in a soft voice, trying to put her at ease. The little girl