Beth nodded, then turned her attention back to the paramedic. ‘Parents?’
‘No, she was alone at home. A neighbour saw the accident and called us. Apparently she was looking for her cat and ran onto the road. Her name is Tania Grant.’
Beth smiled down at the young girl. ‘Well, then, Tania, apart from your legs, does it hurt anywhere?’
The child’s eyes glistened with tears as she shook her head.
‘Okay, I don’t want you to worry about anything. I’m going to have a look and make sure there’s nothing else wrong while nurse Vivian tries to contact your parents.’ Beth gloved up while the paramedics parked the barouche in the bay.
‘Now, Tania,’ she began softly, ‘do you know where your parents are tonight?’
‘Yes, they always go to the same place to eat on special occasions.’
‘Do they often leave you alone when they go out at night?’ Beth asked as she reached for her stethoscope.
‘No, never... That’s cold!’ she protested when the metal touched her chest.
‘Sorry, sweetie, but I need to listen to your heart for a minute. While I do, could you tell the nurse where she can contact your parents?’
The tall, ashen-haired nurse reached into her pocket for a notebook and pencil and jotted down the name of the restaurant. ‘I’ll go and call them.’
Satisfied with the child’s vital signs, Beth turned her attention back to the injured legs. ‘Now, Tania, I’m going to need an X-ray of both of your legs to see what damage you have and a couple of other pictures while we’re there. I’d like to wait for Mummy’s and Daddy’s—’
‘He’s my stepdad,’ the girl cut in.
‘Fine, your mummy’s and your stepdad’s permission, but I don’t think they’d mind under the circumstances, so as soon as nurse Vivian gets back, she’ll take you around to the X-ray department and I’ll see you back here in just a little while.’
Tania nodded. Beth smiled as she brushed a stray wisp of blonde fringe from the little girl’s forehead. ‘So you’re not left alone often?’
‘No, this is the first time. My stepbrother, Tom, was supposed to be home with me, but his friend who lives next door called and asked him over to watch videos. I didn’t want to act like a baby and make him stay with me. If Mittens hadn’t sneaked out when Tom left, I wouldn’t be in this trouble.’ She started to cry.
‘Shh,’ Beth said gently. ‘You’re not in trouble, but I suspect Tom might be.’ She reached for Tania’s file, noted her vital signs and wrote a request for X-rays. ‘Vivian shouldn’t be much longer, I’m sure, then you’ll go straight around to Radiology.’
‘But I want my mummy with me.’
‘Well, let’s hope she can make it here in time.’
No sooner had she finished than Vivian walked into the room and over to Tania. She patted the little girl’s hand. ‘Your parents are on their way. They said they’d be here as fast as they could, but the restaurant is in the foothills so it could take twenty minutes.’ Then she turned her attention to Beth. ‘Dr Seymour, her parents gave consent for any diagnostic tests and treatment that you feel are necessary, so I called Radiology and they’re waiting for Tania. Oh, and Dr Huddy told me to let you know your shift is finished. He’ll take over in here.’
‘I’m sorry, Tania, we can’t really wait for Mummy,’ Beth replied as she gently put another pillow under the child’s arm to support the IV. ‘But Vivian will take really good care of you and a lovely doctor called Simon will be treating you when you get back.’
The girl burst into tears. ‘I don’t want to see someone else,’ she sobbed, and tried to tug at her wrist where the intravenous line had been inserted and taped. ‘I want you to take this thing out of my hand. It’s hurting me and I want my mummy.’
Beth encircled the little girl’s hands in her own. ‘I know it’s uncomfortable, sweetie, but the medicine in the bag up there is helping to stop the pain in your legs.’ She wiped the tears from Tania’s cheeks with a tissue. ‘Mummy will be here very soon, and then you’ll feel much better.’
Beth glanced down at her watch. She was almost past exhaustion but she was loath to leave the girl so distraught.
‘How about I take you around for that X-ray, then we can wait together for your parents and you can tell me about Mittens. You know, I had a cat when I was your age but about the worst she did to me was give me a bad scratch. She certainly never put me into hospital!’
Tania gave a little smile and agreed to go with Beth for the X-ray.
It was almost two hours before Beth was able to finally leave the hospital. Tania’s parents had arrived while she’d been in Radiology and Beth thought she had been so long with the little girl, she may as well stay a little longer while the orthopaedic registrar viewed the X-rays and made his decision. Beth admitted to herself that on a level somewhere between incredibly tired and flat-out exhaustion it felt good to be needed. She was making a difference just by being there, and that was a wonderful feeling. It had been such a long time since she had felt that she was important or needed by anyone.
She explained the situation to Mr and Mrs Grant and thought she would leave quietly, until she noticed how worried Tania was about the casts.
Beth remained with the family for the procedure, then accompanied them to the paediatric ward. Finally it was time to go home. Intending to catch a cab in front of the hospital, she grabbed her things and rushed through the front door of A and E—straight into Dr Harrison.
‘Don’t you think you’re carrying dedication to the extreme?’
‘It was a special case,’ Beth answered, ‘but I must go, I’m really past being tired. Damn!’ she moaned as she saw the last cab on the rank pull away. Now she had to call another one and hope there wasn’t a long wait. She opened her purse, searching for her phone. The air was still warm and although Beth hadn’t been outside all day she knew it must have been a hot day to still be this warm so late in the evening.
‘Did I miss something here?’
‘No, but I did. The last cab,’ she said with a sigh. ‘I’ll have to wait for another to be dispatched.’
‘No problem. I’ll take you home,’ Dr Harrison said, taking her arm and heading towards the car park. ‘I could do with a drive to clear my head. The restaurant was a little stuffy.’
‘That’s very kind of you but I couldn’t—’
‘I insist,’ he cut in. ‘It’s the least I can do to show my appreciation for your marathon first day on the job. Besides, there’s really no point arguing, I always win. So where are you staying?’
After a quiet smile, she realised she was too tired to argue so gave him her address. His charm was indisputable and the ease with which he made Beth’s pulse race gave her no reason to doubt he would always win. She looked down at his strong masculine hand holding her arm and the warmth of his skin made her spine tingle. She felt so good, so protected...and so close to exhaustion. Her tired eyes slowly climbed his body, daring to rest for a moment on his chiselled jaw and soft lips. At this close proximity, Beth guessed his body could be as commanding as his mind.
‘Best be on our way,’ he said with a voice more brotherly than seductive. She came down to earth with a crash. Dr Harrison was simply offering friendship to a new arrival in his city. And why would it be any different, she thought. She had seen his beautiful escort earlier in the evening. Still, being friends was more than she had expected from him this morning and it was infinitely better than being adversaries. Besides, she really didn’t need a distraction or any complication and a man like Matthew would never fancy a woman like her, she decided. He would be looking for a worldly, gorgeous model type, definitely not