When the door clicked shut, Kate’s mum put her arm around her and they walked back in to the living room. “Are you sure you’re all right, love?” her mother asked.
“It did shake me up a bit,” Kate admitted, “but Soph took me out to let off some steam.”
“Good. I don’t like the thought of some bully of a doctor having a go at my little girl.”
They sat down in the living room, with its array of songbird figurines and were serenaded by the gentle ticking of the white china clock on the mantelpiece.
“Who’s having a go at her?” Kate’s dad asked, peering over his book.
“Just some grumpy old consultant at the hospital,” her mum told him. “Don’t you worry; she’s got it all under control.” She winked at Kate. “Haven’t you, love?”
“Well, you let me know if you want me to go over there and beat him up for you, won’t you, Kate?” her dad said and she giggled.
“Absolutely, Dad. You’ll be the first to know.”
Kate enjoyed what was left of the evening in the reassuring company of her parents and tried to forget about her clash with Mr Elliott. And as the evening turned to night, she remembered the reportedly gorgeous yet elusive Peter Florin and wondered when she was going to get to meet him, so that she might have the chance to judge for herself.
~
Around the same time that Kate was licking her wounds and scheming to try and catch a peep at the new registrar, Mr Elliott was walking into his lunchtime meeting with an irritation formed more from his encounter with the interfering nurse the week before, than his disinclination to hear about recent reviews in protocol. With his authority so rarely challenged, it was all the more startling when it was. He had had long enough to mull over the whole episode many times in his head since then and not once, in all that time, had his part in it gained any credence.
His conscience was troubling him. The hidden tears he had glimpsed briefly in her eyes, before she had averted her gaze and slipped out of the door, bothered him. He had not meant for it to go so far, but she had fought her corner with such passion that he had actually felt threatened and had barbed his words and fought all the harder. But the thought that he may have been so blinded by his prejudice that he attacked an innocent victim, weighed heavily upon him. He had now made certain the patient had been responsible for the accident, but he should never have lost control like that, with the lad, or the nurse. He had fought so hard to defend his honour, that in doing so, he now understood, he had lost it.
He admired her, if he was honest. For a nurse to stand up to a consultant, exposing his flaws, took a great deal of strength and conviction, he was sure. Had he really been that callous? He had witnessed the devastation wrought by irresponsible young lads countless times before, so often being the one left picking up the pieces. With Ali, he had even lived it. He felt the burden of his task keenly; duty-bound to tend them, when all he really wanted to do was rage at them for their thoughtless stupidity. But he had thought her magnificent and in recognising this fact came the understanding of his own reaction to her, and with that he was uneasy.
~~~
“He didn’t want to like her?” Lena asked. “How miserable was he?”
“It seemed so. And he was miserable, you’re right, but he did have good reason.”
Lena held her gaze for a moment, searching the woman’s expression before she carried on.
~~~
The following week the weather was dismal, the hospital seemed busier than ever and then a call came in.
There had been an accident on a farm and a man had been trapped inside machinery. He was badly injured and was due to arrive in A&E in five short minutes. The trauma team was called and Mr Elliott arrived at the same time as the anaesthetist on duty that day. They strode into A&E in the direction of Resus One.
Unaware of his arrival, Kate stepped out of a cubicle right into his path and their eyes locked for a second before someone called out his name and he was gone.
Kate retrieved the Tubigrip she had been searching for and walked back to her patient, suddenly on edge.
“Sounds like a lot of commotion going on out there,” the gentleman said as she began to measure his arm.
“We’re expecting a serious injury any minute,” Kate told him. “They’re just getting ready.”
“Shouldn’t you be out there with them?” he asked.
“I’ll go in a minute. I’ve got to finish sorting you out first,” she replied cheerfully.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. You get over there.”
“Mr Brimley, you’re very kind, but I can’t just abandon you like this. Now, who is going to look after you? You’ll need a bit of help for a week or two until you can use your right arm properly again, won’t you?”
“My daughter lives only a couple of doors away. She’s on her way here right now. I’ll be well looked after, don’t worry about me. Now go on.”
Kate finished up and looked at him. “Make sure you keep moving it gently so it doesn’t stiffen up,” she said. “Here’s a leaflet about sprains. I’ll wheel you out to the waiting room and we can see if she’s arrived yet.” Mr Brimley frowned as sirens began to approach. “It’s no bother.”
They reached the waiting room just as the gentleman’s daughter was walking in. Kate handed the woman her father’s coat and explained about his injury. “So there we are. Take good care of yourself now,” she said. Mr Brimley shooed her away with his one good hand and Kate smiled and hurried down to Resus One to see if she was needed.
By the time she got there, the patient had arrived. Mr Cobham, the consultant, had assumed control and was barking out orders to the nurses and doctors around him. Mr Elliott was assessing the man’s shattered arm, while the anaesthetist hovered around him, preparing to put the man to sleep, until the injuries to his chest and head could be stabilised.
There was a lot of noise in there at the time, so Kate found Stacey, the nurse in charge, and asked her if she needed any help. She looked across at Elliott, now talking to his registrar about what he had found and discussing the situation with Mr Cobham, his brow more furrowed than usual.
Stacey asked how the rest of A&E was doing and Kate told her it was in hand and not too many were waiting. So she asked her to run up to CT and find out how soon they would be ready.
Kate strode off as quickly as she could, happy to be out of danger, but she was soon back in Resus with the expectations of the team waiting on her. Mr Cobham and Mr Elliott were side by side and both turned round to look at her.
“Well?” Mr Cobham asked.
“They’re ready for you now,” Kate said. She felt the hard stare of Mr Elliott burning into the side of her face and so turned back to Stacey, deliberately avoiding his gaze. “Anything else I can do?” she asked.
“No. Thanks, Kate. If you could hold the fort round the other side while I take care of this end, that would be great.”
Kate nodded and walked back round to attend to the walking wounded. A few minutes later she noticed the team pushing the trolley carrying the now anaesthetised patient in the direction of X-Ray and breathed a sigh of relief. Elliott was no longer a threat.
After break, a welcome interlude in an otherwise busy day, Kate assisted Dr Sarah with an old lady in Resus Two, who had slipped over in the street. She had several cuts to the fragile skin of her scalp and arms that required stitching. They took a side each.
When she was through, Kate looked around for the nearest yellow bin to put her sharps into and noticed something shiny tucked at the back behind a box of gloves, on the side in Resus One.