Fred was less willing to give his consent and began to squirm. Lisa didn’t know what to do to get him to comply, but it seemed Dom had seen it all before.
‘I have just the thing,’ he announced, leaning over to a box of rubber gloves.
Lisa began to panic, she couldn’t let him tranquilise him; that would be a step too far. ‘Dom, wait—’ but as shespoke she realised he was blowing one of the rubber gloves up.
Fred stopped to watch it get bigger and was delighted when Dom drew a face on it, which, in Lisa’s opinion, rather expertly transformed it into a chicken.Now that’s a natural, Melissa, Lisa thought, watching the way Dom was now able to use the balloon chicken to coax Fred to let him look at his eyes and listen to his chest.Having made a new best friend, Fred lapped up the attention, giggling and being compliant, with not a hint of the welly-stamping two-year-old to be seen.
As Dom checked each of Fred’s vertebra, Lisa knew she had done the right thing bringing him. It made her feel some of the tension ease from her shoulders for the first time since the incident. She welcomed the smooth, calm voice Dom usedas he spoke; she knew it was probably intended to calm Fred, but there was no doubt it was having a not-unwelcome effect on her too.
It was only due to the fact Dom stopped talking that she realised the examination was over and registered, for the first time, the grave expression on his face. Lisa looked at him, eyes wide, her breath suspended.
‘Well—’ he began.
‘What?Is it bad?’ Lisa wondered what the protocol would be if she should need Felicity there. She couldn’t leave Fred to go and get her.
‘What he has there, is a scapula, roughly triangular in shape, positioned on a posterolateral aspect of the thoracic cage.’
Lisa let out her breath and felt sick rise in her throat as the colour drained from her cheeks. ‘What does that mean? Oh my God,tell me. Is it bad?’
‘It means he has… a shoulder blade.’ Dom delivered flatly before offering her a cheeky grin.
‘What?’
‘The lump you’re feeling is his shoulder blade. It’s meant to be there. In fact I’d be more worried if it wasn’t. Here feel there’s one on the other side too!’
Lisa cringed. ‘Oh!’ she wanted to cry and didn’t know if it was from relief or embarrassment.
‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have joked about it. It’s obvious you are concerned and it’s always best to be on the safe side.’ Dom reached out and touched Lisa’s hand.
The gesture was reassuring and kind, and made her want to cry more. A noise in the corridor outside made them both jump. In a fluster Lisa pulled her hand away and decided she needed to be gone. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Really,it’s fine. He had a fall and you were right to get him checked. This kind of thing happens more often than you’d think,’ Dom stated.
‘Thanks, but I should go. You’re busy.’ Lisa thought about the little girl all hot and sweaty; there were people, children with genuine problems, who needed appointments.
‘Not at all and, seriously, you should keep an eye on him in case he hit hishead, but, honestly, he seems fine.’
Despite Dom’s reassuring tone, Lisa felt too hot in her hoody and flustered as she attempted to exit. ‘I’m sorry I’ve wasted your time.’ Fred on her hip, she moved to go to the door but Dom stood in front of her.
‘Look, if it makes you feel better, you owed me. I wasted your time before… right?’ Dom looked at her waiting for recognition.
Lisa looked at him puzzled.
‘I heard you made it for our coffee, I’m sorry I—’
Now she was even more embarrassed as she remembered Celine Dion serenading her back to her van. ‘Oh that, yes, very funny!’ She attempted to move past him.
‘I wasn’t trying to be funny; please, if you’ll give me another chance…’
Lisa looked at his dark, chocolate eyes, temptingher to say yes, and then she thought about Nathan and the memory of looking into his eyes as they had said goodbye the night before. ‘I can’t, I’m,’mortified at how stupid you must think I am, not sure what I’m doing, got a head full of what ifs, ‘busy,’ she finished.
Dom looked surprised and disappointed.
‘But, thank you, really. Especially for this.’
