out. She saw Mark frown and immediately wished she’d stopped to think before saying that. After all, she didn’t want him having doubts about her ability to do this job.
‘Of course you can cope! Why on earth would you doubt it?’ he demanded. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at her, and she shifted uncomfortably.
‘Oh, well, I was just worried that I might find it difficult to slot in here,’ she mumbled, then jumped as he gave an openly sceptical laugh.
‘If I didn’t know better then I would swear you were fishing for compliments, Laura Grady.’ He suddenly reached out and gave her a gentle shake. ‘You’re going to fit in here perfectly! I can guarantee that.’
‘Can you?’
Was that really her voice? Laura wondered shakily as she heard the husky tones which supposedly emerged from her lips. She swallowed then tried again, afraid that Mark would think her a complete ninny, acting this way. ‘I mean, thank you. I appreciate your confidence, Dr Dawson.’
‘Make that Mark, and there’s nothing to thank me for. I knew as soon as I read your CV that you were the right person for this job. I was away on a course when the interviews were held but I’d already made my views clear to the board. I’m only glad that you accepted the post, Laura. Dalverston General needs nurses of your calibre.’
He gave her a last warm smile before he left the office. Laura stood right where she was before she realised that Rachel would be wondering where she’d got to. She squared her shoulders as she headed for the door. Mark’s belief in her was something she intended to live up to…starting this very minute!
She left the office and glanced along the corridor just in time to see him stepping into the lift. Perhaps he sensed he was being watched because he looked round. Their eyes met in a look which sent a wave of heat washing through her before he disappeared from view, but the damage had been done already.
Laura went back to the ward, responding automatically as Rachel introduced her to the rest of the team, although a few seconds later she couldn’t recall the names of either of the two other nurses on duty that day. Was it any wonder? the voice of her conscience whispered as she hurried off to begin the first task Rachel had set her, getting one of the children ready to go to Theatre.
She bit her lip as she cross-checked Daniel Glover’s name tags against the theatre list, struggling to contain the feeling of guilt. Was she really such a shallow person that she could forget who and what she was just because an attractive man was kind to her? Was it really so easy to forget about Ian and the love they’d shared? She hoped not. But maybe she should remind herself of the facts before she made a fool of herself.
She was Laura Grady, a widow with a four-year-old son who suffered from Down’s syndrome. No matter how kind Mark Dawson might be to her, it wouldn’t change that and neither would she want it to.
All she wanted from life now was the chance to raise her son. She didn’t need anything else because she’d had it all already…a wonderful marriage to a man she’d loved. The memory of the love she and Ian had shared was more than enough to see her through the coming years.
Wasn’t it?
It was that last thought, which slipped in before she could stop it, that worried her most of all.
IT WAS a busy day but as the time flew past, Laura knew that she’d been right to accept the job. She enjoyed every minute, finding it easier than she’d dared hope to slip into the routine of caring for her small charges.
Rachel had explained that continuity of care was a key criterion in nursing the children, and that they worked a system whereby each nurse was assigned certain children who would come specifically under her care. Cutting down on the number of people who dealt with each child, helped them form a bond. It also meant that the nurses had far more input into the way each child was cared for, and that they were encouraged to make suggestions.
Laura was delighted when she discovered that Katie had been assigned to her care. Learning what she had about the child’s background, had made her more determined than ever to do her best for the little girl. She made a point of stopping to speak to her whenever she got chance throughout the day.
Daniel Glover came back from Theatre and she had a reassuring word with his mother when she saw how anxious Mrs Glover was.
‘Everything went extremely well, Mrs Glover,’ she assured her, smoothing the sheet over the drowsy child. Although Daniel had come round from the anaesthetic, he was still a bit groggy. ‘You’d be surprised how many children have this operation to clear up severe cases of glue ear like Daniel had.’
‘That nice Dr Dawson said that but you can’t help worrying, can you?’ Josephine Glover sighed as she looked at her son. ‘I just wish I’d realised sooner that Daniel had a problem with his hearing but, to be honest, he never acted as though he couldn’t hear me.’
Laura smiled, determinedly quelling the flutter her heart gave at the mention of Mark’s name. She hadn’t seen him since that morning as he hadn’t been back to the ward. She’d heard Rachel telling one of the parents that he was tied up in a meeting but would be available the following day if they wanted to speak to him. The consultant paediatrician, Simon Martindale, was away on holiday so Mark was having to stand in for him, which must have increased his workload.
Now Laura forced herself to focus on Daniel’s worried mother, rather than allowing thoughts of Mark Dawson to intrude. ‘A lot of children adapt to the problem of impaired hearing, so you mustn’t blame yourself. And, of course, the sticky fluid that collects in the middle ear and interferes with the movement of the eardrum and ossicles and causes the problem tends to build up over a period of time. Each time Daniel had a cold or respiratory infection the situation became worse.’
‘I see. But what about these grommets the doctor mentioned—they won’t cause Daniel a problem, will they?’ Mrs Glover queried uncertainly.
‘Not at all. They are just tiny tubes which the surgeon has put into the incisions he’s made in Daniel’s eardrums. Their job is to equalise the pressure on both sides of the eardrum so that the mucus can drain down the Eustachian tubes into the back of Daniel’s throat. They usually fall out of their own accord once the hole in the eardrum closes.’
She smiled encouragingly. ‘Quite frankly, Daniel is going to find life a lot easier now that he can hear what’s going on!’
Mrs Glover looked a lot happier as she was left to sit with her son. Laura carried on with her work and before she knew it five o’clock had arrived. She went to have a word with Katie before going off duty, smiling when she saw the child’s face light up as soon as Katie saw her approaching.
‘I’m going home now, poppet. Is there anything you want before I leave—a drink of juice perhaps?’ she offered, bending to brush the wispy brown hair back from the little girl’s face. There had been a lot of parents in and out of the ward all day, but Katie’s mother had been noticeable by her absence. Now Laura felt her heart ache as she saw the child look eagerly toward the doors as they opened to admit two more visitors, and her ensuing disappointment when once again her mother wasn’t one of them.
‘No, thank you. I’m not thirsty.’ Katie managed a wan little smile as she glanced down at the bedspread. ‘I really like these kittens, Laura. I wish I
