She has a small knitting business that she runs over the internet. Pretty successfully, I believe. She makes really pretty jumpers covered in bits of lace and beads and things like that. They live in a house right by the water.’
Ethan looked at her. ‘And she has diabetes?’
‘Yes. But her diabetes is very well controlled so it shouldn’t be that.’ Kyla frowned as she changed gear and flicked the indicator. ‘But Fraser obviously thinks there’s a problem so we’d better check it out. It might be nothing.’
‘She hasn’t asked you to call? You’re making an impromptu visit?’ Ethan tried to imagine something similar happening in London and failed. But in London a child wouldn’t run across a beach to bang on the community nurse’s door.
‘That’s right. An impromptu visit.’ She stopped the car outside a row of whitewashed cottages and yanked on the handbrake. ‘We’re here.’
Ethan looked at her in disbelief. ‘What on earth are you planning to say? You’re going to bang on her door and say that her little boy thought she looked pale at breakfast?’
‘No. That’s why I’m taking you along.’ She smiled and reached for her bag. ‘You’re the new doctor and I’m introducing you. She’ll be your patient after all. You may as well meet each other.’
Wondering why he was on a wild-goose chase when he could be in the shower, Ethan slammed the car door and followed her towards the house.
The front door opened and it took less than a second for him to register the raw panic in Fraser’s eyes.
‘You have to come quickly! She’s on the floor,’ he said urgently, reaching out a hand and virtually dragging Kyla inside. ‘And I can’t get her to wake up properly. She’s sort of moaning and trying to hit me.’
Ethan sprinted past him into the house, leaving Kyla to deal with the panicked child.
The woman was slumped on the floor of the kitchen, the remains of a cup of coffee spread over the quarry tiles. With a soft curse he dropped into a crouch and checked her pulse.
‘Has she died?’ The small voice came from behind him and Ethan turned.
‘She’s not dead. Fraser …’He kept his voice calm and steady so as not to frighten the child further. ‘I need my bag from Kyla’s car. Do you think you could fetch it for me? It’s on the back seat.’
The little boy nodded and sprinted out of the room while Kyla dropped to her knees beside him. ‘Aisla?’
The woman gave a groan and her eyes fluttered open and then closed again as she muttered something incoherent.
‘Sugar,’ Ethan instructed, glancing around him. ‘Would you know where to find it?’
‘Not a clue.’ Kyla sprang to her feet and started opening cupboards. ‘Come on, Aisla, where do you keep your sugar?’ She rummaged through packets and bottles. ‘Soy sauce, pasta, turmeric, honey. Harissa paste—what on earth is Harissa paste? Gosh, do people really use all this stuff? No wonder cooking confuses me.’
‘Hurry up, Kyla,’ Ethan growled, and she yanked open a few more cupboards.
‘Lucozade. That will do.’ She lifted it down just as Fraser ran back into the room with Ethan’s bag. ‘Can we get her to drink, do you think, or is she past that?’
‘We should be able to manage it.’ Ethan scooped the woman up and Kyla held the glass to her lips.
‘Aisla.’ Her voice was firm. ‘You need to drink this.’
Aisla murmured something incoherent and tried to push them away, but Kyla held the glass and eventually she took a few sips.
‘More,’ Kyla urged. ‘You’re doing well, Aisla. Just a bit more.’
The woman drank properly and Kyla glanced towards Fraser, who was standing rigid, a look of horror on his face. ‘She’s going to be fine, sweetheart. Do you have any biscuits in the house?’
Fraser looked at her and some of the tension left his little body. ‘Of course.’ A flicker of a smile appeared. ‘Chocolate ones. Really yummy. But I’m only allowed them on special occasions.’
‘This is a special occasion,’ Kyla assured him hastily. ‘And a glass of milk, please.’
‘Can you manage here for a second?’ Ethan reached for his bag. ‘I want to check her blood sugar.’
‘She’s coming round,’ Kyla murmured. ‘Why would she have gone hypo? Fraser, what did your mum do this morning? Anything different to usual?’
‘She was late getting up.’ Fraser was on a chair, reaching for a tin. ‘I had to shake her. Why are you pricking her finger?’
‘We’re trying to find out the level of sugar in her blood.’ Ethan read the result and nodded. ‘Well that’s your culprit. It’s less than three. Perhaps she overdid the insulin. Fraser, has your mum done any exercise this morning?’
Handing the tin to Kyla, Fraser shook his head. ‘No. But she went for a run on the beach last night. I know because I took my book down and sat while she ran up and down the beach. Is that why she’s been acting funny?’
‘I don’t know, but I intend to find out. I’m going to take a blood sample and send it off,’ Ethan told Kyla, reaching for a blood bottle. ‘I want a more accurate blood glucose level.’
By the time he’d taken the sample and labelled the bottle, Kyla had fed Aisla several chocolate biscuits and she was rapidly recovering.
‘I can’t believe I let that happen,’ she groaned, struggling to her feet with Ethan’s help. ‘It was such a sunny evening yesterday I just couldn’t resist a trip to the beach. And then when I got there I thought I’d do some exercise.’ I was going to eat as soon as I got in but Fraser’s uncle rang and then I sort of lost track and just went to bed. I’m so sorry. How did you find me?’
Ethan opened his mouth to give the honest answer, but Kyla jumped in. ‘We were passing,’ she said quickly. ‘I wanted to introduce you to Dr Walker.’
‘Well, this isn’t the way I would have chosen to meet you,’ Aisla said with a weary smile, ‘but thanks. I owe you both. If you hadn’t called, goodness knows what would have happened.’
Ethan saw Kyla glance towards Fraser. Saw her smile of reassurance and praise.
Aisla followed that look. ‘Fraser?’ Her voice was gentle. ‘Are you all right? Didn’t you say something about feeling sick?’
‘I’m feeling a lot better now,’ he said firmly. ‘Ever since I had that fresh air on the beach.’
‘Fresh air can be a miracle-worker,’ Kyla said blithely, and Fraser breathed an audible sigh of relief.
‘I can’t believe that this is an average working day. Do you ever get any time off for good behaviour?’ Ethan slid into the car beside her and Kyla smiled.
‘The nature of this island is that we’re permanently on call. But it
