CHLOE WASN’T ABOUT to admit that she’d overreacted. It might have looked that way to Jon, but he clearly hadn’t learned yet that even the best of friends would choose their own agenda when it came to the crunch.
That actually wasn’t the problem. The problem was that every time she saw him she wanted to hold onto him, to make him stay. Wanted him to prove that Jake had been mistaken.
Not that she cared all that much about what Jake thought, or did, any more. He’d left her because he’d been unable to see past her illness, and wouldn’t believe that she could make a full recovery, and she’d shown that he was wrong on that score. But she was human, and wanting to be touched by a man was natural. Wanting to show herself that her body could be a source of pleasure and not pain...that was natural enough, too.
But Jon wasn’t the one to prove that point with. If she touched him, and let him touch her, she wouldn’t want to let him go.
What he said made sense, though. Chloe was dreading talking to her supervisor on Monday and telling him that she had a sick baby to look after. He’d been so understanding over the Guillain-Barré, taking her back in her old job and letting her work part time for as long as she’d needed to. Everyone’s patience ran out sooner or later, and hopefully this wasn’t going to be the last straw. If it turned out that she would have to look after Amy for longer than the next two weeks, she was going to need all the help she could get.
A restless night did little to quell her worries, but a new arrival in the ward early on Sunday morning put them into perspective—a little boy of around three, a breathing mask over his face, who lay surrounded by monitoring equipment.
‘What’s the matter with him?’ she whispered to the nurse who was with him.
‘Smoke inhalation.’ The nurses all knew that Chloe was a doctor, and were more frank with her than with the other parents on the ward.
‘Where are his parents?’
‘Dad’s on the burns unit. I think Mum’s still down in A and E.’
‘Shall I go down and see if I can find her? She must be worried sick.’
‘I think... Yeah, I think that’s her now.’ The nurse grinned. ‘With Amy’s favourite doctor.’
There was no question about who that was. Chloe looked up and saw Jon pushing a woman in a wheelchair into the lobby. She was wearing a hospital gown and a nasal cannula indicated that there was probably an oxygen cylinder tucked under the blanket over her knees. Chloe left the nurse with the boy and went outside to meet them.
Jon was looking around, trying to catch the attention of one of the nurses but they were all busy. When he saw Chloe he spoke to the woman.
‘Ah. Here’s someone who might know...’ He turned his blue eyes up to meet hers. ‘There’s a little boy, three years old. He’s just been admitted.’
‘Through here.’ Chloe indicated the ward, and Jon nodded a thank-you, wheeling the woman through.
‘Nicky...’ The woman’s voice was hoarse and cracked. She stretched out her hand towards the boy in the bed and tried to get out of the wheelchair but Jon laid his hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
‘Stay there, Kathy. He’s all right.’
‘His hands...’ Kathy wouldn’t stop reaching, and Chloe saw that one of Nicky’s hands was still blackened by smoke.
‘It’s all right. His hands aren’t burned, I cleaned him up and checked. He must have picked that bit of soot up when I took his pyjamas off.’ Jon’s reassurance calmed Kathy a little.
‘He’s not burned at all?’
‘Nothing. Your husband did a good job, Kathy, he got him out of the house without a scratch on him. It’s just the smoke inhalation. We need to watch him carefully for a little while, just the same as we need to watch you.’
‘I’m all right.’ Kathy didn’t take her eyes off her son.
‘Well, we need to make sure. I sprang you out of observation on the strict condition that I made sure you stayed in the chair and breathed through your nose. You’re not getting the full benefit of the oxygen if you breathe through your mouth.’
Jon gave Kathy a look of gentle reproof and she closed her mouth, her chest moving as she took a deep breath through her nose.
‘Better. Thank you.’ Jon grinned at her and she managed a smile. Chloe stepped forward, taking Kathy’s hand.
‘I’m Chloe. That’s my niece over there, but I’m a doctor too. Would you like me to clean Nicky’s hand?’ It made little difference whether the boy’s hand was clean or dirty at the moment, but it was all that Chloe could think of to make Kathy feel better.
Kathy nodded, giving her a tight smile.
Chloe fetched some warm water and carefully wiped and dried Nicky’s hand. Jon had stepped away from them and was talking quietly on his phone, and Chloe pushed the wheelchair a little closer to the bed so that Kathy could touch her son.
‘Is there anyone we can call for you? A friend or relative?’
‘Dr Lambert’s calling my sister. He’s so kind...’ A tear rolled down Kathy’s cheek.
‘Yes, he is. He’s a very good doctor as well, and Nicky’s in good hands here.’ Chloe put her arm around Kathy’s shoulders. ‘Don’t cry, now. Just breathe.’
Jon was still on the phone, talking intently. He saw Chloe watching him, and before she could avert her eyes he flashed her a smile and ended the call.
‘Your sister’s coming, she’ll be here in an hour. She’s going to get the children to school and then come straight here.’ He bent down, squatting on his heels in front of Kathy. ‘I called down to see how your husband’s doing—’
‘Is he all right?’ Kathy’s hand flew to her mouth.
‘He’s comfortable and in no danger. He needs care, he has smoke inhalation and burns to his arm, but they’ll heal.’
‘Thank you... Thank you...’
That smile again. The one that would have calmed a charging rhino. Or made a stone feel something. ‘I hear your husband was a hero.’
Tears rolled down Kathy’s cheeks. ‘He told me to go downstairs. He went to fetch Nicky and rolled him up in a blanket...’
‘The doctor said that you could see him for ten minutes. I can take you down, and bring you straight back here to be with Nicky.’
Kathy’s gaze moved to her son and then back to Jon, in a dilemma. Nicky was lying quietly at the moment, but he was going to need his mother’s comfort when the trauma of the last few hours started to sink in.
‘Will you let me watch Nicky for you while you’re gone? I’ll call you if there’s any change or if he becomes distressed.’ Chloe spoke up.
‘Would you...?’ Kathy was still uncertain.
‘I’ll stay right here, by his bed. I can call Jon, and he’ll bring you straight back here.’
Jon nodded, taking his phone from the trouser pocket of his scrubs and putting it in Kathy’s hand. ‘Here. Hang onto it for me.’
Kathy nodded. ‘I’d like to see him. I want to tell him—’
Jon got to his feet, smiling. ‘He’ll