Page 57 of New Dreams for the Village Nurse
‘I don’t know. He started with a temperature all of a sudden. He’s boiling and he won’t stop crying. I’ve tried to call Chloe home, but she’s not answering her phone.’
‘Want me to take a look at him?’
‘Would you? I was going to call the doctor but I knew you were coming over anyway so I thought I’d wait to see what you said.’
Ottilie gave a brisk nod and followed Stacey inside.
‘Thank goodness you’re here.’
Stacey went to the living room and sat on the sofa. Ottilie took a seat next to her and opened her arms to take Mackenzie.
As he was passed from his grandma to Ottilie his cries seemed to get even angrier and more desperate. Ottilie put her hand to his back. ‘Really hot…Do you have a baby thermometer?’
‘Somewhere, but I can’t find it.’
‘Has he been sick or had a bad tummy or anything?’
‘No.’
‘Not coughing or anything like that?’
‘No.’
‘Hmm…’ It was then that Ottilie noticed a subtle rash on his chest. Her breath caught in her throat. ‘Would you get me a glass?’ she asked as calmly as she could.
‘A what?’
‘A clean glass – a tumbler will do.’
Looking confused, Stacey dashed out into the kitchen. Ottilie looked at Mackenzie, dread in her heart, hoping to be very wrong. ‘Oh, little man…’ she murmured. ‘What is going on with you? Please don’t do this – anything but this.’
Her thoughts were lightning fast because she needed to act fast. With a free hand she got out her phone and started to dial Fliss’s number. If they’d been in Manchester right now she’d have been calling for an ambulance, but this was Thimblebury, miles away from the nearest ambulance station, and the easiest and fastest course of action was to get Fliss over here.
But the call went to voicemail as Stacey returned with the glass.
‘What do you think it is?’ she asked, handing it over, though her face told Ottilie that she was beginning to work it out.
‘I don’t know,’ Ottilie lied. ‘I’m just checking…Could you get my phone and look for Simon’s contact and call him while I…?’
As Stacey dialled the number, Ottilie rolled the glass over Mackenzie’s rash. She allowed herself to breathe again as she noticed that it seemed to fade with the pressure. It wasn’t absolutely certain, but it was hope.
‘Hello…? I’m with Ottilie…I think she wants to ask you about…’
Stacey handed the phone over and took Mackenzie into her arms. Ottilie could hear his cries fade as she took him into the kitchen, presumably so Ottilie could hear what Simon was saying.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘This is a long shot,’ Ottilie said briskly. ‘I know you stayed behind to do some paperwork and…’
‘I left about ten minutes ago. What’s wrong?’
Ottilie’s heart sank. She’d been pinning her hopes on him still being in the office, but she should have realised he’d have gone by now. She shouldn’t have wasted time trying to get hold of him. She ought to have bundled Mackenzie into her car and driven him to the hospital herself.
‘Ottilie…’ Simon repeated. ‘What’s wrong? Has something happened at the surgery? Is it Charles?’
‘No, nothing like that. It’s my friend’s grandson. He’s about five months old, he has a really high temperature and a rash I don’t like the look of at all. I was hoping you’d still be at work. I can’t get hold of Fliss. It doesn’t matter – I’ll run him to the emergency department now.’
‘I think it’s the best course of action. I could come back, but if it’s what you suspect then there’s not a lot I could do anyway and every second counts. The best place for him would be hospital. Put him in the car and take him there. I’ll come to you.’
