Finally the last of the patients had been dealt with. Despite this, Betty still had to shepherd out a group of ladies from the waiting room who were conducting an impromptu mothers’ meeting. Firmly closing the door, Betty let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘They’ll be wanting me to serve them tea and biscuits next. Come on, Sister, it’s time for lunch.’
Leading Olivia through the surgery to the private part of the house she took her into the lounge room. Again, it was beautifully furnished, the walls lined with books, heavy drapes blocking out the harsh midday sun. Kathy must have used her talents in here as well. In one of the huge jade leather chairs, which clashed ravishingly with the dark crimson rug, sat a fat ginger cat. In the other chair, looking equally relaxed, sat Clem. His tie loosened, he was working his way through a large pile of sandwiches.
‘Come in, come in. Ruby’s done us proud as always— help yourself,’ he said, offering her a plate. ‘Don’t wait to be asked or there won’t be anything left. Isn’t that right, Betty?’
Always conscious of eating in front of strangers and still full from her large breakfast, Olivia picked gingerly at a huge roast beef sandwich Betty had cheerfully put on her plate.
‘Coffee, Sister?’
‘Thank you, Betty, and, please, it’s Olivia, remember.’
‘Cream and sugar, Sister?’ she asked, completely ignoring her request.
Didn’t anybody here use the right name?
‘No, just black will be fine.’
Clem raised his eyebrows. ‘I’d suggest you tuck in, Livvy, we’ve got a busy afternoon ahead of us. I don’t know what time we’ll finish.’
‘But I had a huge breakfast,’ Olivia protested, then, seeing the expression on their faces, she hastily took a bite.
A talk show was on television, wives confronting their husbands’ mistresses. That was all she needed.
Betty was lecturing her on the benefits of thermal underwear for night calls. ‘It can be cold at night if you have to go out in a hurry,’ she said, looking disapprovingly at Olivia’s skinny legs. A psychologist on the television show was banging on about how wives often let themselves go after they got married. Jeremy had certainly accused her of that and they hadn’t even made it up the aisle!
‘I’m quite sure Olivia wouldn’t be seen dead in thermals. Isn’t that right?’ Clem teased.
Olivia thought glumly of the small fortune she had spent on sexy underwear in an attempt to resuscitate her and Jeremy’s dying sex life. All to no avail. ‘Dr Clemson— Clem,’ Olivia said curtly, ‘as friendly as you’ve all been, I’m sure you wouldn’t expect me to discuss my underwear—or was there something in my job description I didn’t read?’
Betty coughed nervously; the television blared out the merits of keeping an air of mystery in the bedroom. Clem merely threw his head back and laughed loudly.
‘Good for you. We’re far too familiar here. Come on, we’ve got work to do.’ And picking up the half-eaten sandwich left on her plate, he took a huge bite. Olivia watched distastefully and stood up.
‘And if I’m not being too personal,’ Clem said with more than a hint of sarcasm, ‘may I suggest you go and put on some sunscreen and a hat? Half my house calls seem to be done in the middle of a field. Some insect repellent might be useful, too.’
Outside, he handed her the keys to a large black four-wheel-drive.
‘This is yours, but I’ll drive today, give you a chance to get your bearings. Just put the petrol on my account at the garage.’
‘Wonderful.’ That was a relief. She had been beginning to wonder if ‘transport provided’ might mean a bus pass.
‘Before we head off I’ll just show you the set-up.’ He opened the back door. ‘As you can see, I’ve got all the back seats down. It’s better to keep it like that so if the need arises you can transfer someone supine. There’s a camp-bed mattress rolled up in the corner there, with a pillow and some blankets.’ He opened up a large medical emergency box. ‘I’ll run through the box. Pay attention— you don’t know when you might need it.’
Olivia bristled. She was only too aware of the importance of the equipment Clem was showing her—he hardly needed to tell her to listen.
‘All the usual emergency drugs and intravenous solutions, all clearly labelled—giving sets, needles, syringes.’ He took out each piece of equipment in turn, gave her a short lecture on its use and then replaced it. Olivia stood there, silently fuming. While she appreciated him showing her the contents, he was talking to her as if she were a first-year nursing student. ‘An intubation kit,’ Clem stated as he held up a plastic box clearly marked INTUBATION KIT.
‘Is it?’
Clem chose to ignore her, instead painstakingly going through the various tube sizes and the appropriate ages they would be used on. Olivia automatically picked up the laryngoscope and checked that the bulb was working—it would be no fun attempting to put an intubation tube down an unconscious patient’s throat if the light didn’t work.
‘There’s spare bulbs here, but check it weekly. Have you ever intubated a patient before?’ Clem enquired.
‘Yes, several, but only in a controlled setting. Mr Dean insisted his senior nursing staff knew how, just in case. Anyway, it helps assisting doctors if you’ve done it yourself.’ She thought for a moment. ‘But I’ve never intubated anyone without supervision.’ Clem heard the note of tension creep into her voice.
‘And hopefully you won’t have to. You can always bag them until help arrives, but who knows what can happen? At least you know your way around the kit. You can have a go, that’s got to be better than doing nothing and watching someone die.’ Olivia nodded glumly, not for the first time wondering just what she had taken on.
‘Now the defibrillator. It’s pretty standard, you can run a three-channel ECG off this model—’
‘I’ve used that type before,’ Olivia interrupted.
‘Here’s the on-off switch,’ Clem continued, blatantly ignoring her again. ‘Keep it plugged in overnight to charge it, but just run the cord through the Jeep window into the garage wall. Are you listening? I hope you’re taking all this in,’ he snapped rudely.
‘I’ve used a defibrillator before—this model, in fact. I know what I’m doing.’
‘I’m sure you do,’ he said through gritted teeth, ‘but when I ring you at one in the morning to come and assist me in an emergency, I need to be sure you know exactly where all the equipment is and how it works. It’s no good you driving off in a hurry and leaving the bloody defibrillator still charging on the garage floor.’
‘Obviously not,’ Olivia retorted. She was nervous enough about her new responsibilities, without him treating her like the village idiot. ‘I’m grateful to you for showing me things, but I really don’t need a total re-train. If I don’t know or understand something then I’ll ask.’ She stood there resolutely, staring defiantly into his angry, haughty face, awaiting his wrath, but it never came.
‘Well, just make sure
