Page 23 of Beg, Borrow or Steal
Libby gave a half-hearted laugh. ‘Ki-Ki, I think you’re the only one who actually buys those things. It shouldn’t even be legal to sell something so unhealthy in a hospital.’ Kira’s vegan kick had been shelved for the time being, leaving her free to eat any ‘cancer meat’ she could lay her hands on.
‘Pfft, you’d be choking back the dongs and you know it, if you didn’t have to maintain that perfect bod of yours.’
Libby’s face fell and she looked back down at her own rather sad tuna salad. ‘Yeah, well, we all have to make sacrifices,’ she muttered as she took a half-hearted bite.
‘Hey,’ Kira said, more softly now. ‘You okay? I didn’t mean to upset you. I know you have a secret love of dongs, but you don’t usually take my junk food tauntingthatbadly.’
‘It’s not that, Kir,’ Libby said, trying for a smile and failing miserably. ‘I’m just tired I guess. Heavy weekend. And …’ she trailed off, fiddling with her tuna, ‘it’s nothing.’
‘Okay,’ Kira said slowly. ‘Well, if you want cheering up I could tell you about this monster co – ’
‘Kira, do you think I’m a slut?’ Libby whispered, flashing a nervous look around the practically deserted mess.
Kira’s normal amused expression dropped and her lips pressed into a tight line as she lowered her hot dog. ‘Who said that to you?’ she asked in a tightly controlled voice.
‘Nobody … it’s nothing … just that …’ Libby sighed and closed her eyes, renewed humiliation washing over her, ‘Dr Grantham and Mr Martakis were at the club on Saturday night. They saw me do my thing and … well …’
‘Triple G and Dick Doc were there?’ Kira semi-shouted, causing Libby to shush her furiously. Kira narrowed her eyes at Libby. ‘Did those overgrown weasels call you a slut? I swear I’ll take their toothpick wieners and shove them right – ’
‘Kira!’ Libby snapped. ‘Calm it down. I’ve seen Mr Martakis there before – he recognized me the other day but didn’t say anything, so I think he’s actually a decent guy. As for Dr Grantham … There’ll be no toothpick wiener assaulting. He didn’t call me anything, it’s just … Look, forget I said anything. I’m being oversensitive. Must be – ’ Libby broke off to start coughing. The occasional dry cough she’d developed a couple of weeks ago was becoming more troublesome and chesty over the last few days. She’d needed her inhaler more than normal in between performances. Kira’s face morphed from a mask of fury to one of concern.
‘Hey,’ she said as Libby’s coughing subsided and she started rubbing her back. ‘That’s been bad for a while. Do you think you should – ’
‘It’s fine,’ Libby said, tucking her hair behind her ears and clearing her throat. ‘I’m fine. I don’t have time to be sick.’
*****
‘Uh, yeah, so Matt gave you this one to clean up – I’ve got the baby,’ Toby said, and Libby gritted her teeth. They had moved to A&E now, but they were still on rotation together. She looked over to the cubicle Toby had indicated and sighed. A large, tattooed man with a gaping wound on his forehead was lying up on the trolley. She could smell the alcohol on him from across the bay.
Toby and the A&E registrar were in the same rugby club together at uni, and so far that morning there had been a lot of backslapping and in jokes to contend with. It also seemed that the registrar was happy for Toby to cherry-pick his patients. Toby knew Libby liked paediatrics, he knew that she was good with kids, and he was making sure she didn’t have the opportunity to shine.
They’d had their induction in emergency medicine yesterday and been shown around the department. The drill was that they were to take histories and make a start with patients that were waiting, and then present them to the doctors on the floor when it was the patient’s turn to be seen. So far Toby had tried to trip Libby up anyway he could. She knew for a fact that Matt, the registrar, would not have allocated her the guy on the trolley across from them. She’d heard earlier that one of the male nurses had had to move areas to look after him as he was harassing the female ones. Toby raised his eyebrows in challenge, and she snatched the chart away from him, then walked quickly over to the drunken man before she lost her nerve.
‘Hello, Mr … uh … Mr … Terminator?’
‘The Terminator,’ he slurred, attempting a sloppy smile. ‘It’sTheTerminator, darlin’.’
‘That’s your name?’
‘Yup.’
‘You were born and your parents named you “The Terminator”?’
‘I wasn’t born. I was made by SkyNet to destroy humanity’s one hope for survival.’
‘Right,’ Libby said slowly. ‘So … anyway, it seems as though the flesh covering your exoskeleton is damaged. Can I take a look?’
‘Are you Sarah Conner?’ he asked suddenly, sitting up and stabbing a finger towards her.
‘Nope,’ Libby said quickly, taking a small step back. ‘No, nope, definitely not Sarah Conner.’
‘Oh,’ he huffed, sounding disappointed as he slumped back on the trolley. ‘Go on then.’
Libby got a tray ready with a sterile dressing pack, and then approached him at his side. As she applied the chlorhexidine-soaked gauze to his forehead he hissed, batted her hand away, and then in a sudden movement he grabbed both her upper arms and pulled her towards him.
‘You’re pretty,’ he told her, giving her a small shake, then dropping one hand down to grab her arse. Barry had insisted that all the girls learn some moves in case they ever needed to fend punters off themselves. Crazy really, as they were far more protected in the club than they were out here in the real world. Libby hadn’t seen the point at the time, but when she’d protested Barry had crossed his huge arms and scowled down at her.
‘If there’s anyone who needs to be able to defend herself it’s you,’ he’d told her.
