Page 58 of New Dreams for the Village Nurse
‘You don’t need?—’
‘Don’t waste time arguing. I’ll see you shortly.’
Ottilie thought again about calling for an ambulance but in the end decided her way was quicker. They went in Stacey’s car, though Ottilie drove because Stacey was in no state and Mackenzie was better with her anyway. The roads were quiet, headlights sweeping through the gloom. Ottilie was aware ofbreaking the speed limit on several occasions, but if they got a fine then they’d have to deal with it. The most important thing was getting Mackenzie help, no matter what that took. Stacey was silent too, her attention on keeping Mackenzie as comfortable as they could and trying to get through to Chloe. They’d given the little boy something to try to keep his temperature down – Ottilie hadn’t wanted to alarm Stacey, but if it went much higher she was afraid of fitting, or even more permanent effects.
Under her breath she muttered vague prayers to nobody in particular and sometimes curse words whenever the road or traffic held them up, eyes fixed on the road, face etched with concentration and purpose.
When they finally reached the hospital Stacey dashed in with Mackenzie while Ottilie found a parking space. She allowed herself a moment to release the worry tensing her shoulders. It wasn’t over, but they were here and help was at hand.
As she made her way to the emergency department entrance to find Stacey, Simon approached from the opposite end of the car park.
‘They’re inside,’ Ottilie said. ‘We’ve only just arrived ourselves.’
‘That’s good.’
‘I appreciate you coming but there probably isn’t much point, you know.’
‘I know. But I wasn’t far away and I would have been dwelling on it at home so I might as well be here to help if I can. It might be I need to pull a few strings, have a word with the triage team to get him seen quicker.’
While Ottilie was touched and impressed by his dedication and support, she couldn’t help but feel something more was going on here. He’d only been a locum GP in Thimblebury for a few weeks and he barely knew Stacey. He’d never seen heror Chloe as a patient, and Ottilie was fairly sure he’d never seen Mackenzie either. He was making a permanent move to the village and she supposed that might have some bearing on his decision to come here tonight, but it still seemed very much above and beyond his duties, even then. As she’d told him, the emergency team would be dealing with it now and there was very little for her to do here, let alone him.
But even as these thoughts floated vaguely through her mind, she couldn’t process them. Stacey needed her and everything else would have to wait. There was no point in arguing with Simon either. Perhaps his influence would have no bearing on Mackenzie’s treatment – in fact, it almost certainly wouldn’t – but that didn’t mean to say Ottilie wasn’t grateful for the offer.
Inside, the waiting room of the emergency department was thankfully quiet. There was a woman and a girl who looked about ten and was nursing her arm, sobbing quietly, and a man with his hand in a blood-soaked bandage, though he was alert and joking with his companion, so clearly not too distressed. The walls were covered in posters bearing health advice and slogans about quitting smoking and only using the service for genuine emergencies, and orange plastic chairs were lined up in rows in front of a sweeping reception desk.
Stacey was at the desk now giving some details to a clerk. Mackenzie had stopped crying, his head resting on Stacey’s shoulder as he gazed dolefully out. But the fact he was quiet now didn’t reassure Ottilie at all. In fact, it made her more worried.
Stacey turned to sit down, but when she noticed Ottilie and Simon she seemed slightly taken aback.
‘How’s he doing?’ Simon asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Stacey said wearily. ‘At least he’s stopped screaming.’
‘We gave him some baby ibuprofen,’ Ottilie said to Simon. ‘I expect that had something to do with it.’
She didn’t really think that, and she knew he didn’t either. It was more for Stacey’s benefit, to keep her calm and hopeful. The last thing Ottilie wanted to do was scare her.
Simon seemed to understand and he nodded. ‘That’s good.’
As Ottilie and Stacey sat down, he went to the desk and spoke quietly to the same clerk Stacey had been giving her details to. A minute later, he thanked her and came to join them. Neither woman asked what he’d said, though Ottilie could guess he’d asked for some favour to bump them up the queue. She also suspected it was all rather academic, as their case would have been urgent enough to do that without his input. Mackenzie was a baby and his symptoms would have been concerning enough for that.
Whether it had been down to Simon or whether it would have happened regardless, they didn’t have to wait long. Stacey and Mackenzie were called through to a treatment room, leaving Ottilie and Simon to wait.
‘Hopefully they’ll get to the bottom of it quickly now he’s in,’ he said.
Ottilie turned to him. He looked tired. ‘You didn’t have to come, you know. Not that we’re not touched by it, of course. But if you wanted to head home, that’s all right. There’s not a lot either of us can do now and there doesn’t seem any point in both of us being here for hours.’
‘I know,’ he said, nodding slowly. ‘I’ll stay for a while longer to keep you company if you don’t mind.’
‘God, no, I don’t mind, but I do feel guilty that you’re here. You must be shattered and you’ve got a long drive home yet.’
‘It’s my choice so there’s no need for that. And I’d like to see he’s OK.’
‘I could let you know when they’re out.’
‘I know that too.’ He glanced across at a vending machine. ‘Want a coffee? I’m going to get one to perk me up before I drive home.’
‘I thought you didn’t drink coffee?’
