until that moment because she’d been too busy dealing with the child to pay much attention to her. Now she couldn’t help sighing when she realised that the girl was little more than a child herself.
‘He should be fine. He’s had what we call a febrile convulsion, which isn’t nearly as scary as it sounds.’ Ben drew the girl forward then gently picked up the little boy and placed him in her arms. ‘All it means is that the bit of his brain that usually lowers the temperature when it gets too high didn’t work properly. I believe you said that he had earache last night?’
He carried on when she nodded. ‘He probably has an ear infection and that’s what caused his temperature to rise. I’ll check him over once he’s recovered properly but I don’t want you to worry too much. A lot of small children have febrile convulsions but they usually grow out of them.’
‘Does that mean it could happen again?’ the girl asked worriedly, hugging the whimpering child to her.
‘It’s possible, but you can do a lot to prevent it happening again by taking some simple precautions like giving him paracetamol at the first signs of fever and sponging him down,’ he explained calmly.
‘I wish I’d known that,’ she said miserably. ‘If I’d realised I could give him paracetamol I would have done so.’
‘You must make sure that it’s one formulated for young children,’ he warned her. ‘And that you don’t exceed the dosage. However, there are a number of very good products you can buy over the counter.’
‘Do they cost a lot?’ The girl shrugged but Anna could see the flush that had risen to her cheeks. ‘I’m on my own, you see, and some of these things cost a lot of money…’
She tailed off, not that she needed to say anything else. Anna turned away because she was afraid of what might be written on her face at that moment. She ran water into the sink and washed the bowl, barely listening as Ben explained that he would include a child-safe analgesic on the prescription so that Sam’s mother wouldn’t need to buy it.
‘Anna.’
She jumped when Ben touched her arm, feeling the colour rushing to her face when she saw the concern in his eyes.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked softly.
‘Fine. I was just trying to catch my breath,’ she explained hurriedly.
‘No wonder. It’s been a real baptism of fire and you’re not even officially on duty yet,’ he agreed, but she could tell that he hadn’t fully believed her explanation.
Fortunately, little Sam started crying in earnest at that point so he had no time to question her further. Anna realised that she had to be more careful in future and make sure that she separated her personal feelings from her professional responsibilities. She couldn’t afford to let one affect the other if she hoped to get through the coming months.
Ben quickly examined the little boy and, as suspected, it turned out that Sam had an ear infection. Anna stayed with them because she didn’t think it was right to leave even though the crisis was over. The little boy was obviously very distressed and his mother, who had told them that her name was Lucy Wilkins, didn’t look much better.
Ben drew Anna aside while the young mother tried to console the screaming toddler. ‘I know this is a huge imposition, but would you mind if I left Sam and Lucy with you while I finish seeing the rest of my patients? I want to make sure that he’s all right before she takes him home.’
‘Of course I don’t mind,’ Anna assured him. She glanced at the sobbing child and sighed. ‘He’s really upset, poor little mite.’
‘He must be in a lot of pain because the infection is quite severe, especially in his left ear. I’ve got some sample sachets of analgesic in my room so maybe you could get some of that down him.’
He grimaced as the little boy started screaming louder than ever. ‘You might have more luck than his mum. I get the impression that she’s been having a rough time with him of late, not that it’s any surprise. It isn’t easy, bringing up a child on your own.’
‘It isn’t,’ Anna agreed hollowly. She summoned a smile when Ben looked at her, afraid that he would tell that the comment had touched a nerve. ‘If you let me have that analgesic, I’ll see if Sam will take it from me.’
‘Thanks, Anna. I really appreciate this.’
Ben hurried back to his room and came back a few minutes later with a sachet of the analgesic, but he didn’t stop. Anna knew that he must be anxious to get back to his other patients so she merely took it from him then set about finding a plastic measuring spoon in one of the drawers. Little Sam was sobbing his heart out by that time, his face bright red with temper and pain, and Lucy had tears in her eyes as well.
‘I don’t know what to do when he gets like this,’ she admitted helplessly. ‘Sometimes he screams so hard that he makes himself sick and I don’t know how to stop him.’
‘It isn’t easy, dealing with a toddler,’ Anna consoled her. ‘A lot of parents have trouble coping.’
‘It must be easier if there are two of you, though,’ Lucy said, struggling to hold onto Sam as he arched his back in an attempt to free himself. ‘I keep worrying in case I’m doing everything wrong. It would be lovely to have someone to share all the problems,’ she added wistfully.
Anna bit back a sigh because she understood exactly how the girl felt. ‘I’m sure that it must be difficult at times but you’re doing a great job. Sam is obviously loved and that’s the most important thing. Now, do you think it would help if I took him for a moment? If we can calm him down we can give him some of this analgesic.’
Lucy gratefully relinquished the screaming toddler into her care. Anna took firm hold of the squirming little body and stood up. ‘Now, Sam, I know that you don’t feel well but you’ll feel a lot better if you stop crying.’
The child stared at her with huge, tear-soaked eyes, obviously shocked at being parted so summarily from his mother. Anna smiled reassuringly at him. ‘Shall we see what we can find to play with? I don’t know if there are any toys in these cupboards but we can have a look.’
She set him down on the floor and started opening the cupboards. ‘Oh, look what I’ve found!’
She hauled out a big plastic tub of building blocks and tipped them onto the carpet. Sam immediately crouched down, his tears momentarily forgotten as he picked up two of the blocks and tried to fit them together.
‘Like this. See?’ Anna showed him how to slot the blocks together, smiling when he immediately copied her. She glanced over her shoulder as he picked up two more. ‘He’s very bright, isn’t he? I only needed to show him once and he knew what to do.’
Lucy smiled. ‘He does seem to be quick on the uptake,’ she agreed proudly. ‘I bought a big box of toys from the charity shop in town and it was amazing how quickly he learned how to use them. And he just loves it when I read to him. He knows some of the stories off by heart now.’
‘Story?’ Sam said hopefully, looking up.
Anna laughed as she ruffled his blond curls. ‘Later, poppet. I’m sure Mummy will read to you when you get home.’
He gave her
