returned her gaze, not quite meeting her eyes. He appeared to be deep in thought, and for a second or two she was hopeful that he might be about to confide in her. But then he slumped back against his pillows without saying anything, and the moment was lost.
She left him in the care of a nurse, and went to tend to her other patients. With any luck Rees would pluck up the courage to open up to her later on. She just needed to win his trust.
For the next few hours she concentrated all her efforts on looking after the sick and injured. She hoped Josh’s patient was doing well in the operating theatre. Still, she had seen Josh at work in the resuscitation room, and it was plain to see how effective he was in a crisis situation. No wonder he had been chosen to replace Dr Meadows. He was immensely skilled. There was no hesitation, no doubt, not a single moment when he wasn’t in complete control.
That didn’t change when he came back down to A&E some time later. He simply turned his attention to overseeing the work of his subordinates, and that was when Alison felt the first stirrings of unease. He began to leaf through all the patients’ charts.
She went to check through the test results at the desk.
‘Would you care to explain this to me?’ he said, coming over to her a few minutes later. He was frowning as he held out a folder. ‘I don’t see any major problem with this patient, and yet young Rees is still here. By all accounts he could have been discharged some time ago. You’ve examined him and given him the appropriate treatment. Why haven’t you sent him on his way?’
Alison’s spirits plummeted. Was Josh Bentley one of the new breed of ‘time is money; patch them up and move them out’ doctors? How she hated that emphasis on efficiency at all costs. Somehow she had believed he would have better judgement than that.
Alison remained silent for a moment, glancing through the glass door of the observation ward. Rees was dozing peacefully, his face bleached of colour against the stark white of his pillows, and she couldn’t help feeling that he was exhausted, worn out by a combination of factors. The boy’s hair was an unruly tangle of black silky strands, crying out for the tender hand of a mother figure to smooth it into place. Surely Josh wasn’t expecting her to wake him up and turf him out into the cold, soulless streets to fend for himself? What kind of man was he?
His dark brows rose in expectation.
‘The boy’s running a temperature,’ she said, ‘and he has a chest infection. Also, he’s looking gaunt, and I don’t think he’s been eating properly. I prefer to wait for the results of tests, query pneumonia, before I decide what to do. It occurred to me that it might be wise to keep him in overnight.’
Josh gave her a long, thoughtful look. ‘We both know he isn’t that ill. I’ve seen the X-ray film. Besides, I heard he went walkabout for a while and a nurse had to go looking for him. What’s going on here, Alison?’
‘Walkabout?’ She frowned. ‘Where did he go?’
‘The nurse wasn’t sure. She found him in the corridor heading back to the ward. He must have slipped out through the security door when a visitor left.’
‘Did he say where he’d been?’
‘Only some vague comment about trying to find a washroom.’ From his expression it was clear that he was unconvinced by that explanation. ‘The nurse said he appeared to be on edge. She decided he must be feverish and led him back to bed.’
‘Perhaps that’s the truth of it.’ Alison sighed. ‘He’s definitely unwell. I wanted to keep him here so I have a little more time to see if I can get him to open up to me. We don’t know anything about his background, or what will happen to him once he leaves here. He won’t say anything about his parents, and he’s refused to give an address.’
‘Hmm. I can see why you’re concerned, but that isn’t really our problem, is it? Besides, he might be on the run from the law. As to staying here, I already have Management on my back, emphasising the necessity to stick to targets and maximise throughput. Rees isn’t seriously ill, and we’re not obliged to notify the authorities about our worries since he insists he’s sixteen. We haven’t been asked to look out for anyone answering his description.’
‘I know, but I’m pretty sure he’s run away from home, and if he’s living rough there’s a strong possibility his condition will quickly nosedive. I don’t want that on my conscience.’ She frowned. ‘There’s a vulnerability about him that makes me want to do everything I can to help him—and surely we have to pay some heed to the welfare of the people who cross our path? You wouldn’t send an elderly person out onto the streets if you feared for his well-being, would you?’
‘Soft as putty, aren’t you?’ His smile was gently mocking. ‘If you feel so strongly about him, why haven’t you taken steps to contact the police or Social Services?’
‘I don’t want to betray his trust…and I want to give him the chance to confide in me.’
He shook his head. ‘We’re an accident and emergency department,’ he chided softly. ‘Not a holding centre for waifs and strays.’
She glowered at him, her blue eyes sparking. Okay, ultimately he was in charge, but she wasn’t going to allow her decisions to be overridden without a fight. She trusted her instincts and they had never let her down. ‘We have spare beds and we’re not overstretched right now. I don’t see any reason for sending him away just yet.’
‘Maybe not, but you know as well as I do that the situation could change at any moment if we have a sudden influx.’
‘I prefer to base my judgements on the situation as it is at present. He’s unwell, and I know of no responsible adult who will take over his care. It’s my professional opinion that he should stay here.’
Josh was silent for a moment or two, his features taut, his mouth pursed in contemplation, and she began to wonder if perhaps she had gone too far. He was new here, and she didn’t yet have the measure of the man. For all she knew he could take offence at her arguments and have her taken off his team.
‘You may be right,’ he said eventually. ‘I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and go along with you on this one—if only because he complained of dizziness before his fall. That being the case, you’d better go ahead and admit him overnight on the grounds of suspected pneumonia and the possibility of wound infection. But if the situation changes, and we’re overrun with trauma cases and the like, we’ll have to do some creative thinking about where to place him.’
‘That’s great.’ She stared at him, wide eyed, her face lighting up. ‘I take it all back—every bad thing I was thinking about you. You’ve shot up ten times in my estimation. In fact, I could hug you.’
‘Really? I thought you were finished with men?’
‘Ah…well, yes, that’s perfectly true. But then again, I wasn’t planning on a relationship.’ A ripple of warmth ran through her. What was the matter with her? Why couldn’t she glue her lips together and stay out of trouble?
He studied her, a glint of humour flickering in his eyes. ‘So you were thinking bad things about me, were you? That isn’t good, is it? Given first impressions and all that.’
‘Um, well, no,’ she faltered. ‘But then you did manage to redeem yourself after all, didn’t you?’ She studied him guardedly.
He chuckled. ‘Think of it as a thank-you for warning me about the presentation…and for the fruit turnovers. Let’s not forget them.’ He rolled his eyes heavenward. ‘They were out of this world.’
Her features softened in appreciation. ‘I’m glad you think so. If Management complain about Rees being here, perhaps you should offer a few to them, too.’
He sucked in a quick breath. ‘I’m afraid I can’t do that.’
She blinked. ‘You can’t? Why…? Is it because it would reek of bribery and corruption?’
He