Dr Langley: Protector or Playboy?

‘The first course of action would be to take blood tests and check serum chemistries. I’m thinking there might be a problem with the levels of calcium or magnesium in the blood. Then I would do urine tests in case of any renal problems. We should get an ECG as well, to check for any cardiac rhythm abnormalities.’ She hesitated momentarily. ‘The mother has a history of diabetes, so it’s possible there might be some connection between that and the baby’s problems.’

‘Good thinking.’ The professor beamed. ‘I’ll leave you in charge of all that. Depending on the results of the tests, we might need to do some X-rays later. Let me know when the reports come back from the lab.’

‘I will.’

He swept out of the room a minute or so later, and Jade let out a long, slow breath. Was this just a foretaste of her upcoming clinical examination finals? She was going to be a junior doctor soon, so she needed to have these skills at her fingertips.

At least Ben hadn’t been around to witness her being put on the spot once again. Paediatrics was a new specialty for her, and she’d had to do a lot of research over the last few weeks to give her an idea of the kind of things she might be dealing with. Even so, she was a bit worried about putting on a good show.

She gently stroked the baby’s silky hair, and then lightly traced a line over the velvet-soft skin of his tiny hand. He gripped her finger, clinging on to her, his eyes widening and his mouth puckering in eager anticipation. She chuckled, enjoying the moment.

‘You’re a little sweetheart, aren’t you?’ she murmured. ‘I wish I didn’t have to put you through all these tests, but I have to find out what’s wrong with you so that we can put it right. I’ll be really gentle, I promise.’ She gazed at him for a moment or two longer and then carefully withdrew her finger from his grasp. ‘I have to go and find a syringe, and some vials, and some forms for the lab. I’ll be back in a minute.’

When she returned a short while later, she was startled to find Ben standing by the cot. He looked good. He was smartly dressed in dark trousers and a crisp linen shirt with the cuffs rolled back, showing forearms made golden by the sun. His tie was a silk blend, in a subtle blue-grey design that complemented the pale blue of his shirt. He looked every bit the doctor who was in full control of everything around him.

He had set up a monitor to record the baby’s heart rate—it was slow, she noticed. He was checking the baby’s case file, and every now and again he glanced at the infant and his eyes crinkled in a faint smile. He looked up as Jade approached.

‘Hello, there,’ he said, his gaze moving over her appreciatively. ‘I was hoping we would meet up again fairly soon. I know it’s likely to be a bit hit and miss, because you have lectures and study periods every so often.’

‘That’s right,’ she acknowledged, ‘but not today. Professor Farnham has asked me to do a work-up on young Sammy.’

He nodded. ‘Yes, the professor told me.’ He looked at the baby and frowned. ‘According to the records, Sammy’s having fairly frequent seizures, some heart rhythm abnormalities, and his blood pressure is low. Not a good start in life, is it?’

She shook her head. ‘I must confess I’m a bit overawed working with newborns. Perhaps you’ve put your finger on the problem. It’s the emotional factor—it seems so unfair that they’re burdened with illness from the moment they arrive in the world.’

He laid a hand on her shoulder in a gesture of support. ‘I’m sure you’ll get used to it, given time. You’re here to help them through it … try looking at it that way.’

‘I will.’

He glanced at the trolley she had prepared. ‘I see you’re set up to take blood samples. Are you okay with that?’

She pulled a face. ‘I don’t usually have a problem taking blood from adults, or even from older children, like teenagers, but babies are different, aren’t they? They look so fragile, and they don’t know what’s happening to them, and I suppose it’s a bit daunting.’

‘Would you like me to hold him and distract him while you do the business?’

A feeling of relief ran through her. ‘Would you mind? That would be really good.’

‘Not at all.’ He lifted the baby from the cot and held him carefully in the crook of his arm. He seemed perfectly at ease with his precious bundle, and Jade watched him, unexpectedly sidetracked for a while by the tenderness of the moment.

‘Now, then, young Sammy,’ Ben murmured, ‘what can we do to keep your mind off things?’ He was thoughtful for a second or two, and then he reached into his trousers pocket and drew out his keys. ‘Here we are. Just the thing.’

He looked at Jade, and said quietly, ‘All set?’

She nodded, and Ben jangled his keys to distract the baby while she took the blood sample. It was all over in a matter of seconds.

Relieved, she labelled the vials and smiled at Ben. ‘Well, I have to say it would be great to have you around every time I have to do that.’

‘I’ll see what I can do about it,’ he said, laughing. He placed the baby back in the cot and took a moment to settle him, before turning to watch as she began to write out the lab forms. Her ponytail fell softly against her cheek, and she brushed it back out of the way.

‘I like your hair,’ he observed softly. ‘It’s beautiful, like silk.’

She gave him a startled look, pausing as she sealed the vial in its plastic pocket. ‘Thank you. The truth is, I like my sleep too much and so I didn’t have time to do more than just tie it back this morning.’ She dropped the needle into the sharps bin and began to tidy up the equipment she had used.

‘At the café bar you had it pinned up, I recall.’ His smoky, grey-blue eyes glimmered as his glance moved over her. ‘Either way, you’re a knockout. I somehow get the feeling you’re not going to be too good for my blood pressure whenever we’re around one another.’

She had a vague suspicion that could work both ways. ‘Well, I’m sorry about that,’ she murmured, ‘but I’m sure you’ll manage somehow.’ She liked him, but she wasn’t going to respond to his flirting. She couldn’t. Her time with Ewan had taught her that flirtation could get out of hand, and lead to some heavy involvement, and before you knew it you were embroiled in a situation that was bounding out of control. She couldn’t go through that again. It had been over months ago but she was still raw and hurting.

She gave him a sympathetic glance. ‘Some people say a cold shower does the trick.’

He gave a rueful laugh. ‘You’re not going to take pity on me, are you? I had in mind a much more romantic prescription.’

She smiled. ‘Yes, I’m sure you did, but I think I prefer to keep my mind on the job.’

He looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Whoever he was, this man who upset you and caused you to put up your defences has a lot to answer for. I think you should know that we’re not all the same.’

‘Maybe.’ She straightened up, getting ready to push the trolley back into the office. ‘But I’d just as soon not put it to the test.’ She frowned. ‘So I’m going to take these samples along to the lab. Are you going to be in the neonatal unit for a while?’ With any luck, he’d say no, and she would be able to get on with her work without feeling hot and bothered because he was close by.

He followed her to the door. ‘Yes, I have to keep an eye on young Sammy. Professor Farnham suggested that I leave you to do the procedures and think through the results, but I have to take day-to-day responsibility for him and report back to the professor.’

‘Oh, I see.’ So much for her hopes. ‘Well, I suppose I’m glad I’m not being thrown in at the deep end. I know I’ll have to do this kind of thing on my own all the while when I’m a foundation-year doctor, but just at the moment I’m sort of feeling my way.’

‘It’ll get easier. The first few months as a junior doctor can be hard on the nerves, but after that you kind of get the hang of things.’ He opened the door for her.

‘How about you and I meet up and have lunch down by the river later on? You can fill me in on the set up back at the house—who does what, whether there are any rotas for getting in the groceries and cleaning, and so on.’

She frowned. ‘Won’t you be on call? I mean, what if you’re paged?’

‘That’s okay. The registrar will be on duty to provide cover and, anyway, it won’t take long to get back here if need be. That’s the beauty of working in this place, we’re very close to the Thames.’

‘I suppose so.’ She frowned. ‘As to lunch, I’m not sure. I was planning on going to the library to study. Perhaps some other time.’ She would be seeing a lot of him over the next few months, she knew she had to get used to that idea, but even so, her instincts were warning her that if it was at all possible, she ought to keep some distance between them.

He forestalled her when she would have left the room, placing a hand on her arm. ‘You need to take a break—a proper break. It’s good to relax—it helps to clear your mind and revitalise you. That way you’ll be able to do your job so much better.’

She chuckled, admiring his persistence. ‘Really? Is that what you do? Now I see why you’re so fond of your reclining chair. Lucy said you couldn’t do without it.’

‘It’s true.’ He feigned a serious expression. ‘I do some of my best thinking in that chair.’

She shook her head. ‘Maybe you can get by on a quick read through of information, but I’m afraid I can’t. Unfortunately, I have to knuckle down and study hard.’

‘All the more reason to take a proper lunch hour. I’ll come and find you around one o’clock.’ He waved a hand and disappeared back inside the unit.

Her mouth dropped open a fraction as she watched him go. He didn’t mean to give up, did he?

She took the blood samples and forms over to the lab, and spent a few minutes chatting to the pathologist. She got on well with him, and knew that he would get back to her with his report as soon as he was able.

When she walked back into the neonatal unit a little later, she was relieved to find that the coast was clear. Ben was nowhere to be seen.

‘He was called to Paediatrics,’ Alice, the nurse on duty, told her. She pulled a mournful face. ‘Such a shame. I could so get used to working with him.’