‘That’s right.’ He stood up and went to the filing cabinet, waving her to a chair as though he didn’t care where she sat or what she did. It wasn’t true because he cared a lot, cared deeply about whether she was going to stay or leave, and how much time he could spend with her.
He slammed the drawer, wishing he could lock his thoughts away as easily. ‘The patient’s name is Domenico del Pietro, a fifteen-year-old boy who lives in Palau with his parents.’ He handed her the file and sat down. ‘He was referred to us following a number of consultations with his own doctor.’
Kelly frowned as she read through the case history. ‘Fever, headache, muscle pain, tenderness, nausea. A general feeling of tiredness and malaise.’ She looked up. ‘There’s nothing here about his mental state. How did he appear when you saw him?’
‘Somewhat depressed,’ Luca replied, inwardly smiling. It seemed that Kelly was already thinking along the right lines, not that he was surprised. She’d always been extremely sharp, quick to diagnose and accurate, too, which was more important. He carried on feeding her information, wondering how long it would take her to reach the same conclusion he had arrived at. ‘His teachers have also noticed a definite loss of concentration in recent months. Domenico is usually an A-grade student but his work has suffered of late.’
‘Any panic attacks or sleep disturbance?’
‘None reported.’
‘Has a full neurological assessment been carried out?’
‘Not yet. Domenico is due to come into hospital tomorrow and we shall do it then.’
‘I imagine you’ve ruled out mononucleosis. He’s the right age for it so it must have been your first thought.’
‘It was, but the tests came back negative.’ He leant back in his chair. ‘So, Kelly, have you any suggestions?’
‘ME.’ She placed the file on the desk. ‘The symptoms are all indicative of myalgic encephalomyelitis.’
‘And you ascribe to the school of thought that says ME is an actual illness and not the result of a psychiatric disorder like depression?’
‘Yes, I do.’ She met his gaze across the desk. ‘I don’t doubt that anyone who suffers from ME also suffers from depression—who wouldn’t when you’re feeling ill all the time? However, I’m convinced there is a physical cause for it. Most people who present with symptoms of ME have had a viral infection, haven’t they?’
‘Domenico had an upper-respiratory tract infection six months ago.’
‘And it was after that his symptoms appeared?’ she said.
‘Si,’ Luca agreed, enjoying watching her piecing together the puzzle.
She nodded as she picked up the file and glanced at the lab results. ‘Recent tests show everything is normal, which is what I would have expected. It’s rare that the lab comes up with anything in a case of ME.’
‘It is. So what do you recommend?’
‘That we wait for the results of the neurological tests and go from there,’ she said promptly.
‘Which is exactly what I have decided to do.’ Luca smiled, unable to hide his satisfaction. It was good to know that his faith in her hadn’t been misplaced. ‘Maybe you would like to be involved in this case, Kelly. It will be good experience for you to follow the boy’s progress.’
‘I’d like that. Thank you.’ She briefly returned his smile then stood up. ‘If that’s all, I’d better get back. We overran this morning and Serafina has rebooked a couple of cases for this afternoon. I want to read through their notes before I see them.’
Luca frowned as he checked his watch. ‘Surely you’re due for a break.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I’d rather be prepared than left floundering when a patient arrives.’
She went to the door, not giving him a chance to object. Luca sighed as she left because what could he have said? That she should stop work and take a break? He wouldn’t dream of saying that to any other member of his team and he mustn’t single out Kelly for special treatment. If she wanted to work through her break that was her decision. He understood. How many times had he missed a meal—several meals—because he’d been too busy to stop?
He put the file away then settled down at his desk. He phoned his housekeeper first to check that Matteo was all right then pulled out the report he was working on. If Kelly was going to work through her lunch-break, he would too. In a funny way it made him feel less guilty about her working so hard.
He caught himself up short. He had to stop worrying about Kelly and let her get on with her life. Once he started interfering, he might not be able to stop.
‘CIAO.’
Kelly waved goodbye to a couple of nurses who worked on her ward and headed along the path to the staff quarters. It had been a busy day and she was glad it was over. Once she had finished in the clinic, she’d had notes to write up and that had taken the best part of the afternoon. She’d barely finished in time for the afternoon ward round, in fact.
Letizia had made a point of drawing everyone’s attention to her when she’d rushed into the ward with just a couple of minutes to spare, but Luca hadn’t said a word. In fact, he had ignored her for the next hour and that had been far worse than any reprimand. Even a cutting remark about her tardiness would have been better than the indifference he’d shown her.
She groaned when she realised how stupid she was being. Keying in the security code, she let herself into the building. The air-conditioning was switched on full and she groaned with pleasure when she felt the cool air playing over her skin. The weather had been extremely hot ever since she’d arrived in Sardinia. The temperature regularly hit the mid-thirties and she would have found it very uncomfortable in her apartment without air-conditioning. As she made her way up the stairs, Kelly couldn’t help thinking how lucky she was to have been offered an apartment here. From what she could gather, there was a waiting list for staff accommodation, and she had no idea how she’d managed to jump the queue. Unless Luca had arranged it for her?
Her heart lurched at the thought of him going to so much trouble on her behalf before she battened it down. She doubted if he even knew where she lived let alone had played any part in getting her a flat here. She let herself in and went straight to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of mineral water then took it into the sitting room and sat down.
All the apartments were decorated in the same neutral shades of grey and cream. The furniture was standard too, light beech built-in cupboards and cabinets, a small sofa plus an armchair. She’d added a few personal touches—some photos of her and Katie with their parents, a couple of ornaments—but the place still didn’t feel like home. It was just somewhere she came to sleep after a busy day. Until she found a place of her own, she would continue to feel like a visitor, although it might be wiser to forget about setting down roots until she decided if she was going to stay.
Kelly sighed when she realised that she was going round in circles. She would have to make up her mind soon about what she intended to do but she was too tired to think about it right now. One of the nurses was celebrating her birthday that night and she had invited Kelly along. They were meeting at a restaurant near the harbour so once she had showered, she changed into white cotton jeans and a black vest top. Her hair always took ages to blow-dry so she scooped it into a ponytail and left it to dry on its own rather than waste time toiling with the hairdryer. Half an hour later she was on her way out again.
She left the hospital and headed towards the harbour, taking the road that overlooked the bay. It was a beautiful evening and the sun was glinting off the azure blue sea. There was a cruise liner anchored in the bay and she could see a flotilla of tenders scurrying back and forth