Carrying The Single Dad's Baby

The elderly woman grimaced. ‘I slipped and fell.’

‘Can you remember blacking out, or do you have any idea how long you were unconscious?’ Beatrice asked.

‘No,’ Maureen whispered. ‘I’m sorry.’

Beatrice squeezed her hand. ‘No need to apologise. You’ve had a nasty fall. I’m going to send you for a scan because we need to check out that bump to your head, and also for X-rays so we can have a better look at your ribs, because we think you might have broken a few. Your daughter’s on her way.’

‘I didn’t want to worry her. I told them not to call her at work,’ Maureen said.

‘If you were my mum,’ Beatrice said gently, ‘then I’d want to know you’d been taken to hospital. I’d be more upset if they didn’t call me. And I’m betting it’s just the same for your daughter.’

The CT scan showed a bleed to the brain; by the time Beatrice had liaised with the neurology team and persuaded them to admit Maureen, her daughter Jennifer had arrived.

‘What happened?’ Jennifer asked.

‘Your mum slipped off the patio and banged her head against a pot. We know she was unconscious for a while, but not for how long. Fortunately her neighbour found her and called the ambulance,’ Daniel explained.

‘We sent your mum for a scan and X-rays,’ Beatrice said. ‘I’m pleased to say there’s no evidence of any bones broken in her neck, so we can take the spinal collar off now, but she has fractured a couple of ribs, and when she hit her head it caused a bleed in her brain. She seems fine at the moment, but a bleed is a bit like a stroke in that sometimes it takes a few days for us to see what’s happened. We’re going to admit her to the neurology ward, so she’s going to be monitored for the next day or so.’

‘But she’s going to be all right? She’s not going to die?’

‘She’s holding her own at the moment,’ Beatrice said, taking Jennifer’s hand and squeezing it, ‘but we want to keep an eye on her in case that bang on the head causes a problem. She’ll be in good hands and we can treat her straight away if anything happens.’ She smiled at Jennifer. ‘Your mum was a bit worried about the paramedics calling you at work.’

‘I got someone to cover my class,’ Jennifer said. ‘I’d be more upset if they hadn’t called me.’

‘That’s exactly what I told her,’ Beatrice said. ‘I’ll take you through now. It’s going to look a bit scary because your mum’s on a spinal board with a neck collar on, but that’s absolutely standard when someone’s had a fall and we think there might be any damage to the back or the neck. I’ll let you say hello to her, and then we’ll take off the collar and make her a bit more comfortable before she goes up to the ward.’

* * *

It was the first time Daniel had worked with Beatrice, and he could see for himself why Josh had sung her praises. Beatrice was very clear when she was managing Resus; everyone knew what they needed to do, and she was completely approachable. Josh had said that one of the nurses hadn’t quite understood her instructions, the other day, and Beatrice had taken the time afterwards to go through the case, explaining exactly why she’d made certain decisions. And he really liked the way she was calm and kind to their patients.

The more Daniel worked with her, the more he liked her.

And, worse still, the more attracted he was to her. He couldn’t seem to get a grip and push the unwanted feelings aside. Instead, he found himself wondering how soft her hair would be against his skin, and how her arms would feel around him. How her mouth would feel against his own.

For pity’s sake. He was thirty-four, not seventeen. He had responsibilities. He didn’t have time for this. He couldn’t keep wondering what it would be like to date Beatrice.

If he didn’t manage to sort his head out, he thought grimly, he’d need to have a word with whoever was doing the roster next month, to make sure he and Beatrice weren’t working together.

* * *

Late on Thursday afternoon, Beatrice had to steel herself slightly when the paramedics brought in a woman who’d taken an overdose.

‘I brought her in for the same thing, a month ago,’ Dev, the lead paramedic, told Beatrice quietly. ‘And another team brought her in a fortnight ago.’

‘Three times in a month.’ Beatrice frowned. ‘I’ll check her notes to see if anyone’s referred her for counselling, but if they haven’t then I definitely want to bring the psych team in. She needs help with the root cause. We can’t just patch her up and send her home so she takes another overdose and comes back in again. That isn’t fair to anyone.’

Dev spread his hands. ‘Mental health. You know the situation there as well as I do.’

‘Overstretched. I know.’ Beatrice sighed. ‘But I’ll push as much as I can for her. Thanks for your help, Dev.’

She went over to the bed. ‘I’m Beatrice, and I’m part of the team looking after you today,’ she said to her patient. ‘May I call you Sally?’

The young woman nodded.

‘The paramedics tell me you took an overdose of paracetamol.’

Sally hunched her shoulders, and Beatrice sat down and took her hand. ‘I’m not here to judge you, Sally, I’m here to help you. But I do need to know how many tablets you took, when, and over how long a period, so I know the best way to look after you.’

‘A dozen tablets,’ Sally whispered. ‘An hour ago.’

‘What did you take them with?’ Beatrice asked, really hoping that alcohol wasn’t involved.

‘Water.’

That was one good thing; she didn’t have to worry about complications from alcohol. ‘OK. Normally paracetamol’s safe to take as a painkiller, but if you take too much you can risk damaging your liver and your kidneys. I need to take some blood tests, and the results will tell me what the best treatment is for you. Is that OK?’

Sally nodded, and Beatrice took the bloods. ‘Can I get you a cup of tea or something while we’re waiting for the results?’

Sally shook her head. ‘I’m all right.’

‘I’ll need to see some other patients while I’m waiting for the results, but I’ll be back very soon to see you,’ Beatrice said. ‘If you’re worried about anything, just press this buzzer to call one of us and we’ll come in to see you, OK?’

Sally didn’t ask for help while Beatrice called the psych team and asked for an urgent referral, or while Beatrice checked a set of X-rays for Josh and dealt with a nasty gash on an elderly man’s arm where he’d slipped and knocked against a gatepost. But finally the blood test results came back, and Beatrice went into the cubicle where Sally was waiting quietly. The poor woman looked as if a huge weight was about to drop on her.

‘I’ve got the test results back,’ Beatrice said. ‘We do need to treat you, to stop any damage happening to your liver, so I’m going to give you a drug through a drip—that’s a line that goes straight into your vein. It means you’ll need to stay with us another day while we give you the drug. Is that OK with you?’

Sally looked worried again. ‘I felt so bad, last time. I was sick everywhere.’

‘This is a different drug from the one you had last time. It’s a special trial, but I used it in my last hospital and it’s really good,’ Beatrice said. ‘It means you’re less likely to have side effects, like being sick or itching. Tomorrow we’ll do another blood test to see how you’re doing, and we’ll be able to let you go home if we’re happy that there’s no damage to your liver.’

Sally bit her lip. ‘I’m so sorry.’

Beatrice squeezed her hand. ‘You really don’t have to apologise. You’re not well and it’s my job to make you better.’

‘I know you’re all busy here and you should be saving lives that matter, not bothering with me.’

‘We are saving a life—yours,’ Beatrice said gently. ‘You’re important, too.’

‘I know I shouldn’t have done it.’

‘We all make mistakes.’ And Beatrice had made this particular one herself. She could still remember how low she’d felt when she’d opened the box of paracetamol and popped the tablets out of their foil packaging. How hopeless.

‘It seemed like the only way out.’

Just as it had for Beatrice. ‘There’s always another way,’ she said, squeezing Sally’s hand again. ‘Though sometimes you need someone else to help you see it. Is there anyone we can call for you to let them know you’re here? Your family, a friend?’

‘Nobody.’