She sounds all right, but she won’t come to the hospital. She says...’ Chloe shook her head. ‘She’s so terrified that she’s not doing well enough, and that people will think she’s a bad mother.’
Jon nodded. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard that particular sentiment, and it was ironic that it was often the most loving and capable mothers who voiced it. But, then, family relationships weren’t exactly his forte.
‘First things first. I’ll take a look at Amy.’ That he could do, and he knew he could do it well.
He was aware that Chloe’s gaze was on him, an intrusion that felt so warm and welcome that all he could do was try to shut it out. Amy was fretting a little, obviously out of sorts, and he concentrated on soothing her, trying to make the examination into a game.
‘I think she may have a urinary tract infection.’ Finally he turned and faced Chloe.
‘Why?’
A fair enough question. She was a doctor too, and he couldn’t completely relegate her to the role of faceless care-giver. ‘She has a fever, but there’s no sign of a cold. Her blood pressure is slightly high, which is a concern, and...’ He shrugged. ‘I changed her nappy pants before I brought her here.’
‘And?’
This was the part where instinct corroborated medical fact. ‘There’s a particular smell that can point to a UTI in young children. Not always, but it’s an indicator.’
She nodded and Jon thought he saw her lips purse slightly. Maybe it was just his imagination. ‘Is that an old wives’ tale?’
‘It was something that a very experienced health visitor told me when I was starting out. It’s been statistically confirmed since.’
‘Which means you need a mid-stream urine sample?’
‘Yes. I think I can get that the natural way, without having to catheterise her.’
He passed this test every day. Concerned parents, who needed to know whether they could really trust him or not. It was only right that care-givers should question him and weigh everything he did up for themselves, but it was different with Chloe. He wanted very badly to make her smile.
Suddenly she did, and the effect left him momentarily transfixed, taking in all the tiny details that he’d forced himself not to notice before. The way her light auburn hair, scraped back away from her face, escaped in curls around her brow. The tiny freckles across her nose, and her pale skin. Long legs encased in a neat, business-like skirt. She was the kind of woman that a man could spend a lot of time watching.
She reddened slightly—enchantingly—and Jon looked away quickly. It was nothing. He was human, and it was just an echo from a long-gone past, when wanting to watch every move a woman made had been something that might lead somewhere.
‘Did your very experienced health visitor give you any clues about how to get a two-year-old to pee on demand?’
‘As it happens, no. But I’ve picked up a few pointers from their mothers. And I gave her a drink as soon as I got here.’
He bent over Amy, smiling at her, and she rewarded him with a smile in return. That’s what he liked so much about children, they were usually a lot less complicated than adults. ‘Right, young lady. Let’s give this a go.’
HE WAS SO good with Amy. Confident, gentle and playful. The kind of doctor that every parent wanted to see when their child was sick. Chloe knew that a mid-stream urine sample, one that wasn’t contaminated by any bacteria from the skin, wasn’t an easy proposition, and she waited to see what Jon was going to come up with.
He didn’t disappoint. Taking Amy’s nappy pants off and cleaning her carefully, he made a game out of sitting her on a potty and splashing her hands and feet in a bowl of warm water. Even though she was fretful and drowsy, he somehow managed to make her drink a little more and make her laugh at the faces he pulled. When she did finally give in, he seized the opportunity and deftly caught a mid-stream sample in the small container he had ready.
‘Well done, sweetheart.’ He hugged Amy and she grabbed at the sample bottle, almost spilling its precious contents. Chloe took it from him, snapping the lid on firmly, and Jon set about dressing Amy.
‘The urinalysis test kits are over there.’ He nodded towards a cupboard in the corner of the consulting room.
It seemed that, finally, she was going to be allowed to do something, instead of sitting and watching Jon work. Even if sitting and watching him did have its good points. Chloe carefully divided the small sample into two, one for the lab, if needed, and the other for the test strip from the urinalysis kit.
‘You were right.’ She showed the coloured test strip to Jon and his brow darkened. There was a clear indication of the presence of white blood cells and bacteria.
‘I think it’s best if we take her into the children’s ward, for tonight at least. The infection’s clearly putting her under some stress.’
And Amy’s home situation wasn’t ideal at the moment. At least he had the delicacy not to mention that. Or maybe he was just ignoring it, since that was Chloe’s problem, not his.
‘Yes, I agree. Thanks, Jon.’
‘Are you finished for the day?’
Chloe nodded. ‘Yes, I’ve seen all the patients on my list. I had some paperwork to catch up on but that can wait.’
‘Then what do you say to my staying here with Amy and sorting out a bed for her? I think it’s time you went home and had a conversation with Hannah.’
He was absolutely right and wishing that Jon would come with her, in the hope that he might be able to conquer Hannah’s fears as effortlessly as he’d conquered Amy’s, was just selfish. Amy needed someone with her here, and Hannah needed some support too. This was the obvious solution.
‘Are you sure? I don’t know how long I’ll be.’
‘I’m fine here until my shift starts. You’ll be back by then?’
‘Yes, I’ll make sure if it. With or without Hannah.’ A thought occurred to her. ‘Have you eaten?’ He shook his head, as if that didn’t really matter. ‘I’ll get you something. I’ve got some rosehip teabags if you’d like tea?’
From the look on his face, rosehip teabags didn’t quite hit the spot. ‘Thanks, but...actually anything with caffeine and a few calories would be great. And a drink for Amy. My wallet’s in my jacket pocket.’
He picked Amy up, soothing her gently. Chloe ignored his jacket and made for the door. The least she could do for him was to stand him breakfast, even if it was just a sandwich from the canteen.
* * *
Chloe had left a large cup of coffee and a sandwich from the canteen perched on the window sill, well out of Amy’s reach. Then she’d hugged Amy, gifted Jon with a smile that had been as delicious as it had been hurried, and had left.
‘Just
