me,’ Jed said. ‘Though I will probably only be able to stay till ten, so you might be deposited home early, but I want people to know about us. It isn’t too soon for me.’
‘I meant …’ Jasmine laughed ‘… that it’s too soon for me to organise anything. The ball’s tomorrow—and I’m working till four and I haven’t got anything to wear.’
‘You’ll look lovely whatever you wear.’
‘That’s the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard …’ Did he have not a clue as to how much went into getting ready for this sort of thing? Everyone who was going had the afternoon off and had been talking about dresses and shoes for weeks.
‘I’m not going to argue with you.’ Jed smiled. ‘After all, I know how much you hate it. So I’m just going to tell you instead that we’re going to the ball tomorrow and I expect you to be ready when I get here.’
A BIT MORE notice would have been nice.
Lisa and Penny were bright orange, thanks to their spray tans, which they would shower off before their hairdresser appointments, Jasmine thought darkly, or after they’d picked up their thousand-dollar dresses from the dry cleaner’s.
They were working on a head injury—their newly extended and painted nails hidden under plastic gloves. Penny wanted him admitted to ICU, except there weren’t any beds at Peninsula, though they had been told there might be one available later on in the afternoon.
‘Nope.’ Penny shook her head. ‘He’ll have to be transferred.’
‘Okay,’ Lisa said. ‘Do you want me to do a ring around?’ She looked at Jasmine. ‘You go and have your break.’ As Jasmine opened her mouth to argue, Lisa overrode her. ‘You might have to transfer him,’ she pointed out, ‘so go and have a break now.’
Jasmine didn’t have time for a break.
Instead, she raced up to CCU. She was incredibly nervous about tonight and terribly aware of the lack of anything suitable in her wardrobe and she was determined to dash to the shops at lunchtime. She knew it might be her only chance to visit her mum but as she swept in to see her, Jasmine halted when she saw Jed standing there beside her bed.
‘Hi, there.’ Jasmine smiled, but it was a wary one, because Jed wasn’t her mother’s doctor. He hadn’t even been involved in her admission. ‘Is everything okay?’
‘Everything’s fine.’ Louise smiled, but Jasmine was still cautious.
‘Your mum’s temperature was up a bit up this morning,’ Jed explained. ‘And Penny’s stuck in with that head injury and insisted that I check things out …’ He rolled his eyes. ‘She’s got a slight chest infection but they’re onto it with antibiotics and your mum’s physio has been increased.’ He gave Louise a smile. ‘Now that I’ve seen for myself that you’ll live and have spoken to your doctor, I’d better get back down there and reassure your elder daughter.’
She hardly waited till he was out of the door and had she looked over her shoulder she would have seen Jed shake his head as Jasmine anxiously picked up her mother’s charts and saw that her temperature had indeed been rather high but was on its way down.
‘Jasmine.’ Her mum was stern. ‘I’ve got a chest infection.’
‘I know.’
‘It’s not a big deal,’ her mum said, and saw Jasmine’s anxious eyes. ‘Okay, it could be, but they’re straight onto it. They’ve taken loads of bloods and they’ve got me up and walking and coughing on the hour. It’s my own stupid fault,’ Louise admitted. ‘It hurt to take a deep breath and to cough and I didn’t really listen when they said to increase my painkillers. I thought I was doing better by having less.’
‘Mum.’ Jasmine let out a frustrated sigh. ‘You’re
So …’
‘Stubborn.’
‘I could think of a few other words,’ Jasmine said. ‘Why wouldn’t you take the medication?’
‘I just wanted to go home and I thought the sooner I got off the strong stuff the sooner they’d release me.’
‘And because of that you’ll probably be stuck here for another couple of days.’
‘Well, we don’t always do what’s right for us, do we?’ Louise admitted. ‘But I am learning.’ And to prove it she pushed her pain medication button and the little pump whirred into life. ‘See?’
‘I spoke with the insurance and the travel agent,’ Jasmine said, ‘and you shall have your cruise, but not for a few months.’ She saw her mum rest back on the pillow. ‘I brought in some brochures—you get to choose all over again.’
‘That’s such a relief,’ Louise said. ‘That means that I can help you out a bit more.’
‘Mum, the only person you need to be concentrating on right now is you. I’m getting in the swing of things now. Vanessa and I are going to work out our nights and our late shifts, and we’ve got Ruby. I just needed you for the first few weeks.’
‘And I made it hard to ask,’ Louise said. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be sorry.’
‘I am.’
‘You gave me a push,’ Jasmine said. ‘I knew what I was going to get when I decided to come home—and you have helped. I couldn’t have started back on shifts without you. But …’ Jasmine took a deep breath, ‘… I’m not going to apply to work in the fracture clinic, I’m going to stay in Emergency. It’s what I’m good at. And it might be a juggle, but …’
‘You’ll sort it.’
‘I will,’ Jasmine said, feeling far more positive.
‘I don’t remember much of my time in there, but …’ she took her daughter’s hand, ‘… I do know what was done for me and I’ve seen the nurses hard at it on ICU and in here. I’m proud of what you do, Jasmine, and I’m sorry I haven’t been more supportive. I get it now.’
‘Good.’
‘And it breaks my heart what Penny had to go through, and I am so glad you were spared from that, but apart from that, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather have looking after me than you. Don’t let your career
go.’
‘I’m not going to.’
‘No matter how easy it is to drop down to part time
or—’
‘Mum! I’ve got a one-year-old to support so dropping my hours down isn’t even on the agenda. Not for the next seventeen years at least.’
‘He seems nice.’ Louise’s head jerked to the door.
