The Doctor's Tender Secret

‘We made all that in one night?’

‘Donations, ticket sales and half the bar profits. Thanks to you.’

‘Hey. I’m not the one who set it up.’

‘No, but you were a good enough sport to let Zo persuade you into singing with Jude. And it takes a lot of nerve to stand up on stage and do what you did. I couldn’t do it.’

‘Here. Have one of Zo’s brownies,’ Judith offered. ‘Before I scoff them all. They’re seriously good.’

Brad decided not to admit he’d already had three—and that Zoe had brought them to the ward that morning, especially for him.

That she’d made them on his request.

‘Thanks.’ He took a brownie. ‘Mmm, you’re right, these are really good.’

‘Yet another of Zo’s talents. She’s good at everything,’ Judith said.

‘Except singing,’ Holly corrected with a grin. ‘She’s got a tin ear. Worse than mine!’

Brad didn’t care. He didn’t want Zoe to sing to him anyway. There were other, much more pleasurable things he could imagine her sweet mouth doing.

‘Is Zoe’s boyfriend a doctor?’ he asked, as casually as he could.

‘Zoe’s boyfriend?’ Judith asked, sounding mystified.

‘Mmm. The guy she hangs round with.’ He shouldn’t be asking. It was none of his business. But he couldn’t help wanting to know—wanting to be sure that the man Zoe loved deserved her. Her best friends would know that, wouldn’t they? ‘She said he couldn’t make it tonight—that he usually helps. Did he get called back to his ward or something?’

He saw the glance pass between Judith and Holly, and frowned. ‘What am I missing?’ Oh, no. Please. Don’t let her have fallen for a selfish jerk who resented the time she spent on other people and left her to do everything on her own.

‘Um, nothing,’ Judith said, a little too brightly.

‘You’re interested in our Zoe, aren’t you?’ Holly asked.

Brad swallowed. Was it that obvious? ‘What makes you think that?’ he prevaricated.

‘Because you were singing to her tonight,’ Judith said.

Brad rubbed his hand across his face. Hell. It really was that obvious. Judith and Holly knew, too. ‘I…um…’

As if she’d guessed his worries, Holly added, ‘Don’t worry. No one else noticed. We only did because—Ow.’ She rubbed her ankle.

‘Because what?’ Brad asked. Had Zoe said something to them about him?

‘Because we’re her best friends,’ Judith said.

Maybe he’d got it wrong. He backtracked, fast. ‘Look, I’m not going to hurt her. I promise. I know she’s in love with this boyfriend of hers and I’m not going to interfere.’

‘For a consultant,’ Holly said, ‘you’re not very bright, are you?’

Brad frowned again. ‘How do you mean?’

‘Zoe doesn’t have a boyfriend,’ Judith told him quietly.

This didn’t make sense. Not at all. ‘But why would she say she did, when she doesn’t?’

‘Because she—’ Holly stopped and glared at Judith.

Whatever she’d been about to say, Brad thought, Judith had guessed and hadn’t wanted Holly to tell him. She’d obviously kicked Holly under the table to stop her talking. ‘What?’ he pressed.

Holly shrugged. ‘Maybe she thinks having a relationship means that no one will take her seriously in her career.’

‘So she’s single.’

‘Yes,’ Judith confirmed.

‘And you think she’d be interested in me? If I…?’ Brad’s thoughts were whirling. Zoe wasn’t seeing anyone else. Zoe wasn’t off limits. They could…

‘Just talk to her,’ Holly said.

Talk to her. Talk to her. Well, that was easier said than done, Brad thought two days later. Zoe refused point-blank to have a personal conversation with him. She’d spend any amount of time with him discussing patients or treatments or clinical protocol, but the minute he tried to switch the conversation onto a more personal level, she switched it right back.

‘Are you busy tonight?’ he asked her.

Zoe picked up a file. ‘I was wondering about PKU,’ she said.

‘PKU?’

‘Phenylketonuria. A genetic enzyme deficiency.’

He smiled. ‘I know what PKU is.’

‘I had a patient today. A little girl, fifteen months old. She was very fair, though both her parents were dark. She has eczema. And she’s not talking much—she’s hardly babbling. She pushes other children away if they go anywhere near her. And I was wondering if the developmental delay could be a side-effect of PKU.’

‘I thought all newborns were screened here for PKU?’

‘They are. Well, they’re supposed to be. You know some always slip through the net,’ Zoe said.

‘Hmm. Did she smell a bit odd—a bit like mice?’

Zoe nodded. ‘And the fairness, given her parents’ colouring—I wondered if it was tyrosine deficiency.’ With PKU, the body didn’t have enough phenylalanine hydroxylase so it could only convert some of the amino acid phenylalanine into tyrosine. Phenylalanine then built up in the blood and brain, and could cause severe damage.

‘So what’s the plan?’

‘I did a blood sample to check her plasma levels of phenylalanine and tyrosine. If they’re low…I’d say it’s PKU. I know you’ve done a lot of work on paediatric endocrinology. I wondered if you’d oversee the tests and treatment.’

‘Sure. If you’re right, the parents are going to have to learn to read labels and cut out anything with aspartame in it—phenylalanine’s one of its main components, and it’s in some medicines as well as sweetened foods and soft drinks. And you’ll need to bring in a dietician—they’ll have to cut out high-protein foods and restrict starches. A slice of bread can contain over half a day’s intake of phenylalanine.’ He looked thoughtful. ‘She’ll need dietary supplements for essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and she’ll need specially formulated substitute for protein foods. She’ll probably also have some attention problems, even with treatment.’

‘And if they don’t treat it or let her snack on chips and high-protein foods?’