change.
Maybe if he could find the opportunity to tell her that, she might be less offended by his attitude in general?
They’d done the first two calls together and she’d watched and listened carefully as Hugo had dealt with the third one, a callout to an elderly woman with heart problems who had been very short of breath when they arrived, and living alone hadn’t had the strength to call an ambulance as her condition had worsened since she’d asked for a visit from the surgery earlier.
‘It is fortunate that we didn’t call on Miss Mortimer any later,’ Hugo said in a low voice when he’d listened to her heartbeat and felt her pulse. ‘Check them for yourself, Dr Hollister, while I request an ambulance urgently.’
When Ruby had done what he’d told her to do she understood the urgency. The other two calls they’d done together had been run of the mill, nothing serious, but not Miss Mortimer’s!
After their patient had been taken to hospital and they’d done as she’d requested, locked up everywhere and deposited the key with a neighbour, it was time for Ruby to do the rest of the calls on her own and she suddenly wasn’t feeling too confident—would she have reacted as swiftly as Hugo had if faced with Miss Mortimer alone?
‘I know that you’re not keen on having me around, Dr Lawrence,’ she told him, ‘that you see me as an encumbrance, but I can’t help feeling that this is taking your lack of desire for my company too far.
‘Supposing I haven’t got the knowledge or experience to deal with any of the calls when on my own, what does it make me look like, and how does it reflect on the practice? Obviously I am going to carry out your instructions but please don’t blame me if a patient suffers because I’m new on the job.’
There was a glint of amusement in his glance as he said, ‘They are not my instructions, Doctor. Both Libby and I thought it was too soon for you to do home visits on your own, but Nathan, who has a more rugged approach than she and I, suggested it with the thought in mind that it would be good experience, but I prefer to have you with me in my car, so that we can discuss the calls when we’ve done them. That way you will increase the knowledge and the experience that you’re going to need.’
She couldn’t resist asking, ‘So it wasn’t that you didn’t want me too much in your face again?’
‘Not in this instance, and as for any other occasion when my behaviour was obnoxious I have just one excuse, Ruby. I had just spent a gruelling eighteen months looking after my sister and her family who I love dearly, and the night you arrived I was about to celebrate my freedom.’
‘Yes, I know. Libby told me,’ she said uncomfortably, ‘and then I butted in, all droopy and intrusive. But not having been around at the time you were caring for your family members, and never having had to cope with that sort of situation, I suppose I didn’t get the full picture. I am so sorry to have been such a nuisance, Hugo.’
He was smiling. ‘Like you’ve just said, you weren’t to know, were you?’
‘Maybe not, but the word gatecrasher springs to mind.’
‘So does the description selfish blighter, so am I forgiven, Ruby?’
‘There is nothing to forgive.’ Now it was her turn to smile.
‘I’m not so sure about that. Will you let me make amends for last night by taking you for a walk by the lake this evening? And before that why don’t I take you for a meal straight from the surgery? There are usually a couple of restaurants open even at this time of the year, so it will save us both the trouble of cooking if we eat out.’
She was observing him wide eyed and he asked whimsically, ‘Are you thinking that I’m overdoing the apology?’
Now she was laughing, eyes sparkling, and he thought she was lovely when she was happy.
‘No, not at all.’ was the reply. ‘I can’t remember the last time I had two invitations out in a week, or even one for that
Maybe if he could find the opportunity to tell her that, she might be less offended by his attitude in general?
They’d done the first two calls together and she’d watched and listened carefully as Hugo had dealt with the third one, a callout to an elderly woman with heart problems who had been very short of breath when they arrived, and living alone hadn’t had the strength to call an ambulance as her condition had worsened since she’d asked for a visit from the surgery earlier.
‘It is fortunate that we didn’t call on Miss Mortimer any later,’ Hugo said in a low voice when he’d listened to her heartbeat and felt her pulse. ‘Check them for yourself, Dr Hollister, while I request an ambulance urgently.’
When Ruby had done what he’d told her to do she understood the urgency. The other two calls they’d done together had been run of the mill, nothing serious, but not Miss Mortimer’s!
After their patient had been taken to hospital and they’d done as she’d requested, locked up everywhere and deposited the key with a neighbour, it was time for Ruby to do the rest of the calls on her own and she suddenly wasn’t feeling too confident—would she have reacted as swiftly as Hugo had if faced with Miss Mortimer alone?
‘I know that you’re not keen on having me around, Dr Lawrence,’ she told him, ‘that you see me as an encumbrance, but I can’t help feeling that this is taking your lack of desire for my company too far.
‘Supposing I haven’t got the knowledge or experience to deal with any of the calls when on my own, what does it make me look like, and how does it reflect on the practice? Obviously I am going to carry out your instructions but please don’t blame me if a patient suffers because I’m new on the job.’
There was a glint of amusement in his glance as he said, ‘They are not my instructions, Doctor. Both Libby and I thought it was too soon for you to do home visits on your own, but Nathan, who has a more rugged approach than she and I, suggested it with the thought in mind that it would be good experience, but I prefer to have you with me in my car, so that we can discuss the calls when we’ve done them. That way you will increase the knowledge and the experience that you’re going to need.’
She couldn’t resist asking, ‘So it wasn’t that you didn’t want me too much in your face again?’
‘Not in this instance, and as for any other occasion when my behaviour was obnoxious I have just one excuse, Ruby. I had just spent a gruelling eighteen months looking after my sister and her family who I love dearly, and the night you arrived I was about to celebrate my freedom.’
‘Yes, I know. Libby told me,’ she said uncomfortably, ‘and then I butted in, all droopy and intrusive. But not having been around at the time you were caring for your family members, and never having had to cope with that sort of situation, I suppose I didn’t get the full picture. I am so sorry to have been such a nuisance, Hugo.’
He was smiling. ‘Like you’ve just said, you weren’t to know, were you?’
‘Maybe not, but the word gatecrasher springs to mind.’
‘So does the description selfish blighter, so am I forgiven, Ruby?’
‘There is nothing to forgive.’ Now it was her turn to smile.
‘I’m not so sure about that. Will you let me make amends for last night by taking you for a walk by the lake this evening? And before that why don’t I take you for a meal straight from the surgery? There are usually a couple of restaurants open even at this time of the year, so it will save us both the trouble of cooking if we eat out.’
She was observing him wide eyed and he asked whimsically, ‘Are you thinking that I’m overdoing the apology?’
Now she was laughing, eyes sparkling, and he thought she was lovely when she was happy.
‘No, not at all.’ was the reply. ‘I can’t remember the last time I had two invitations out in a week, or even one for that
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