‘That’s true.’ He seemed to relax and smiled properly for the first time that morning. ‘I dare say you found yourself treading water in the deep end this morning,’ he remarked. ‘Did you have any idea what kind of poisoning you and Dr Lombard were treating?’
‘None at all,’ she answered. ‘I’d never heard of the manchineel tree—it sounds as though it’s very dangerous.’
‘Oh, it is. That’s why most of the trees are ringed with notices to warn people nowadays. Even touching the leaves can cause blistering, and if you’re unwise enough to park your car near its branches during a rainstorm, you could find the paint stripped from it.’
She looked at him in astonishment. ‘You’re joking!’
He shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not. In the past, the Caribs put their knowledge of the tree’s features to good use. They found a way of dealing with their enemies by poisoning their water supply with leaves from the trees … and they used the sap from the branches to poison their arrows so that their victims would suffer a lingering death.’
Jessie shuddered. ‘I’m glad we’ve managed to become a bit more civilised by now.’
He nodded. ‘So am I. But it wasn’t all bad. If any of the captives managed to escape they might survive if their tribe could treat them soon enough. They used to apply an arrowroot poultice to the wounds to draw out the poison.’
She made a face. ‘I can see how the fruit earned its nickname—but thankfully it looks as though it’s not always fatal. Tyrell will be all right, won’t he?’
‘Yes. He might have some discomfort for up to a couple of weeks, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.’
José put down his cup and became businesslike once more. ‘If you’ve finished your coffee, perhaps I should show you around the unit? It’ll make things easier for you if you get acquainted with the layout of the place from the beginning.’
He laid a hand on her elbow, stirring up all kinds of warring sensations inside her as he gently steered her towards the door. She was all too conscious of his nearness, of his guiding fingers heating her skin. A tingling sensation ran in waves along the length of her arm, leaving her flustered and unsettled. There was no knowing why this man had such a potent effect on her, but after her experience back home, she had to steel herself against him. She couldn’t risk letting herself be ensnared all over again. Besides, the man had sacked her brother. What on earth was wrong with her?
‘You’ve already met Amanda and Robert,’ José murmured, as they walked back into the treatment area. ‘One or other of them will always be around if you need help with anything. I’m usually here, too, unless it’s one of the days, like today, when I leave early to go and help out at the coral reef.’
She frowned. ‘I had it all wrong from the beginning. When Ben mentioned his connection with you and the reef I thought that’s what you did for a living—that you were a marine biologist or some such.’
He smiled. ‘No, nothing like that. I see to the health of the divers and make sure everyone involved in the conservation work is okay. It’s on a part-time basis, but I provide cover whenever I can. We actually need more people to fill in on occasion.’
‘Oh, I see. Ben talks about the conservation sometimes. I know he enjoys helping out at the reef in his spare time.’
He nodded. ‘He’s a good diver and he’s thorough in his research. It’s just a pity he lets things slide in other ways.’
She frowned. ‘He’ll still be able to work with the group, won’t he?’
‘Yes, of course. I’m not in charge of the project.’ His glance moved over her fleetingly. ‘If you were interested, I could show some of the work we do. It would be good to have you come along with me.’
She wasn’t sure how to react to his invitation. Would it be wise to get involved with him outside the hospital? Then again, maybe she could help sort things out for Ben by going along with him? ‘Possibly.’ She made a noncommittal shrug.
José didn’t seem too concerned by her response. Perhaps he felt sure enough of her to bide his time.
By now they had reached the main A and E unit, and he showed her where equipment was stored and where she would find all the necessary forms. Theatre scrubs were kept in the locker rooms, but for the most part the doctors wore their own clothes when treating the children. ‘It’s less frightening for them,’ he said.
Robert joined them a few minutes later as José was telling her about the daily routine in the department and their procedures for admitting patients.
‘Hi.’ He acknowledged José and gave Jessie a quick smile. He seemed preoccupied but said, ‘I have to go and deal with an adult trauma emergency, so I thought you might like to look in on one of my younger patients—she’s a three-year-old and has one of those tropical diseases we have to deal with out here every now and again. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the chikungunya virus?’
Jessie thought about it. ‘Isn’t it spread by the Asian tiger mosquito? It can cause some nasty, flu-like symptoms and a lot of joint pain but, as I understand it, so far there’s no cure.’
‘You’re right.’ Robert’s mouth curved. ‘You’ve obviously been reading up on it.’
‘Well, I thought I ought to do some research if I was going to come out here to work,’ she said quietly. ‘I hope there’s something we can do for the child?’
‘We’ll give her supportive treatment,’ José commented. There was a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. ‘It’s good that you’ve made an effort to get to grips with tropical medicine from the outset. Let’s go and see how she’s doing, shall we?’
‘Okay.’
Robert hurried away to go in search of his trauma patient while Jessie went with José to the paediatric treatment room, where a nurse was looking after the crying infant.
‘Perhaps you’d like to take the lead on this one?’ José suggested, and Jessie gave a cautious nod. This would be a testing time for her, and maybe he meant it to be that way. No matter that he was attracted to her, he was putting her through her paces to make sure he’d hired the right person for the job.
She’d heard of the virus, but she’d never treated anyone who had it, and certainly not a small child.
She spoke quietly to the child’s mother and then attempted to examine the little girl, conscious all the while of José looking on. The toddler was obviously poorly, breathing fast, feverish and irritable, and it took a while to persuade her to let her check her over. Jessie looked at her eyes and mouth, felt her glands and listened to her chest with the stethoscope.
‘She says her arms and legs hurt,’ the mother said, ‘even her hands … and she’s burning up. Her brother has the same virus, but he’s not ill like Marisha. She’s really tired, and short of breath.’
‘It can affect people in different ways,’ Jessie explained, pushing her stethoscope down into the pocket of her cotton jacket, ‘and Marisha does seem to have been unfortunate in her response. We can prescribe anti-inflammatory medication for the pain, though, and it should help to bring down her temperature.’ She turned to the nurse. ‘Would you set up an ECG, please? I’d like to see a printout of her heart rhythm.’
‘Yes, of course.’ The nurse quickly applied pads to Marisha’s chest and started the trace while Jessie took advantage of the distraction to take blood samples from the little girl.
José studied the printout with Jessie. ‘What’s the verdict?’ he asked in a low voice. He was assessing her, she was sure.
‘Her heart rate is too fast—we need to slow that down and that in turn should help slow down her breathing. I suspect the virus has inflamed her heart muscle, causing congestion, so I want to prescribe a cardiac