Сара Морган – Summer With Love: The Spanish Consultant (страница 13)
She addressed her remarks directly to the injured man, who barely acknowledged her presence.
His head rolled onto his chest and his expression was glazed.
Was he drunk or was he suffering the consequences of a head injury?
She’d read enough to be aware of the potential pitfalls of dismissing someone as drunk. There were plenty of horror stories about people who’d been discharged from Casualty only to die the next day as a result of a head injury that no one had taken seriously. Drink could mask a number of symptoms and she had no intention of missing anything.
She turned to his friend, who was clearly having trouble staying upright. ‘What’s his name?’
‘James.’
‘And what happened?’
The man swayed slightly. ‘He fell over and banged his head.’
He was slurring his words so badly that it was difficult to understand him, but Katy knew how important it was to obtain some sort of history. ‘And did he knock himself out?’
The man shrugged, his eyes glazed. ‘Dunno.’
Great. Some history.
‘All right.’ Katy’s tone was brisk. ‘Well, I need to take a look at his head. Why don’t you sit him over there and then go and give his details to Reception?’
The man didn’t answer, his body swaying as he watched her. ‘I asked for a doctor. You’re never a doctor.’
Katy gave a calm smile. The same smile she’d used on her father time and time again.
‘I’m a doctor.’ She spoke quietly, knowing better than to joke or argue with him or enter into any conversation that wasn’t necessary. She could see that the man was very drunk and suspected that he was only too keen to pick a fight. ‘Now, if you’ll just sit him over here, I can take a look at his head.’
Without giving the man time to argue, she took charge and helped the injured man onto the couch in the first cubicle, half-drawing the curtain around him.
She looked at Charlotte. ‘Would you mind showing his friend the way to Reception so that he can give some details, please?’
Charlotte nodded, her eyes wide with admiration. ‘Of course.’
Jago said nothing. He just leaned broad shoulders against the wall, his eyes narrowed as he watched Katy.
Trying to hide how much his presence affected her, Katy reached for an ophthalmoscope to examine the patient’s eyes, but as she put a hand on the man’s head, he gave a groan and lurched towards her. She sidestepped neatly and he vomited over the floor.
Katy reached for a bowl and held it for the man while he retched and mumbled incoherently.
Charlotte, back from Reception, rolled her eyes in disgust. ‘It’s on your shoes,’ she muttered, and Katy shook her head dismissively.
‘I’ll sort that out later.’ She didn’t care about her shoes but she was seriously worried about her patient. Were the symptoms he was displaying the result of alcohol or the bang on the head he’d received? It was such a difficult decision.
If she admitted a patient who was perfectly healthy, she’d be wasting precious hospital resources. On the other hand, if she discharged him and his symptoms were the result of a serious head injury, she would have failed in her duty as a doctor.
Medicine had never seemed so complicated.
She knew that she could ask Jago for advice but she didn’t want to. He might take it as a sign of weakness on her part and she was determined to prove to him that she was more than capable of doing the job without constant supervision.
‘Can you hear me? Can you tell me your name?’
She spoke clearly and the man groaned and mumbled something unintelligible.
‘Do you know what day it is?’
She continued to question the man but was far from satisfied by the results.
Jago stepped closer to her. ‘He could just be very drunk,’ he said coolly, and she knew he was testing her again.
‘Or his symptoms could be the result of his head injury.’ She tried to ignore the explosion of heat that consumed her body as he moved closer still. Breathing in his warm, familiar, male scent, she felt her head swim.
‘So which is it, Dr Westerling?’
She made the mistake of looking at him and his eyes locked onto hers with the power and force of a missile attack.
The mood was suddenly electric and Katy found herself mesmerised by the look of raw, sexual intimacy in his eyes.
Suddenly her breathing was suspended and she struggled to find her voice.
‘I—I need to finish my examination before I can answer that question.’
He dealt her a slanting smile. The same smile that she’d found totally irresistible at the age of eighteen. ‘Then finish it, Doctor.’
Cursing her own weakness and the effect he had on her, Katy turned her attention back to the patient.
She asked more questions, checked the patient’s reflexes and only after completing an exhaustive examination did she make her decision.
‘I’m sending him for a CT scan and then I’m admitting him,’ she said firmly, and Jago lifted an eyebrow.
‘And why is that?’
‘He’s showing symptoms of a serious head injury. Headache, vomiting, disorientation. I’m not prepared to discharge him.’
Confident in her decision, Katy looked straight at him, her heart lifting as she saw the glimmer of respect in his dark eyes.
Finally.
After a week of concentrated hard work.
‘Good decision,’ he said smoothly. ‘Make the arrangements and then come to my office and we can talk about it further.’
Light-headed with relief that she’d done the right thing, Katy suddenly wanted to smile.
But there was no way she was going to his office.
The effect he had on her was just too powerful and if she couldn’t control her reactions she needed to avoid him.
She lifted her chin, her confidence increasing by the moment.
And remind herself that dreaming of Jago was a fast route to a miserable life.
Jago looked taken aback. Then to her surprise he threw back his dark head and laughed. ‘Tomorrow will be fine.’ He turned to Charlotte, who was gaping at the scene being played out before her. ‘I’m out of here. If you need me, call my mobile.’
Charlotte watched him stride away and looked at her with awe. ‘Would someone mind telling me what’s going on here? You answered him back and he just laughed,’ she muttered, reaching for the notes so that she could make the arrangements for the CT scan. ‘And I can’t believe he let you deal with those drunks. I’ve never known him to act like that before. Normally he’s very protective of the female staff, to the point of chauvinism. I mean, we all ought to deal with the same patients but the truth is when you’re built like Jago you stand more chance with a violent drunk than someone who is built like you. I don’t know what he was playing at.’
Katy gave a weak smile. She knew exactly what he’d been playing at. He’d been waiting for her to fail.
He’d wanted her to fail since the day she’d started.
What she didn’t understand was why.
A pleasant warmth spread through her veins. His reasons didn’t really matter.
She straightened her slim shoulders and gave a small smile, suddenly feeling more confident.
He’d tested her and she’d passed with flying colours.
So now what would happen?
Jago closed the door of his office and ran long fingers through his cropped hair.
He’d sent a woman to deal with a bunch of drunks.