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Old-fashioned, and prim.
But dammit all if a perverse portion of him didn’t relish the thought a little bit too much.
* * *
Did she really have to let Solomon Gunn affect her like this? Anouk thought shakily, her eyes locked on the doors at the end of Resus, waiting for the HEMS team to walk in.
She had veered from horror at her lustful display the night of the gala, to regret that they had only enjoyed one single, fiery, sensational act that night and she yearned for more. For the past two days it had been impossible to empty her head of the most vivid, thrilling, X-rated dreams that had kept her entire body smouldering.
No wonder she could barely bring herself to look him in the eye now, for fear that her every last wanton thought was etched right across her face for him to read.
Even now her body pricked with awareness, and she folded her arms over her chest as though she could dull the ache in her heavy nipples, as she relived the feel of his thumb skimming over them.
Mercifully, the doors chose that moment to swing open and the HEMS team hurried in.
‘This is Rosie, twenty months old,’ the HEMS doctor began handover. ‘Normally fit and well. Approximately one hour ago she was in the park with her mum when she tumbled a metre and a half down a flight of concrete steps. She has a laceration above her right eye and has had altered GCS. GCS is eleven. Primary diagnosis is that she has had concussion and a period of observation will determine whether there are any inter-cranial injuries. She’s had two hundred of paracetamol and one milligram ondansetron.’
‘Pupils?’ Anouk checked.
‘She won’t open her eyes.’ The HEMS doctor shook his head gently.
‘Right.’ She nodded. ‘Sol...’
There was little need to say anything. As the neurology specialist, he was already beginning his obs, his low, calm pitch already reassuring the little girl who was beginning to respond to his gentle instruction.
She nodded to her team to begin a fresh set of obs, as they were already preparing to do, and turned back to the HEMS doctor.
‘Mum came with her?’
‘This is Mum.’ He turned to locate the young girl’s mother, who was looking ashen but keeping herself together well.
‘Okay, Mum.’ Anouk smiled reassuringly. ‘We’re just going to check Rosie over for now, perhaps give her some medication to make her more comfortable, and then we’ll be taking her for a scan to see what’s going on with her head and neck. You’re absolutely fine to stay here with her, let her see you, talk to her.’
‘My husband is on his way...?’ The mum trailed off uncertainly.
‘That’s fine. If he goes to the desk someone will bring him straight through to Resus.
‘Thank you.’ She smiled weakly, her eyes darting straight back to her daughter and her smile becoming deliberately brighter, her voice more upbeat as she tried to reassure the baby girl looking so small on the dark blue mattress.
As soon as they had completed their initial assessment they could wrap her in a blanket, which would stop her from looking quite so tiny and helpless. But Anouk didn’t need the neurosurgeon beside her to tell her that, given Rosie’s age, her little bones were still quite soft and the concern was that there could be an internal bleed, which might cause pressure and push the child’s brain down.
Her team worked quickly and methodically, focussed on their task, feeding the information back to Anouk as she mentally constructed a picture for herself of what was going on with Rosie before preparing to take her little patient to CT.
‘You’re happy for the mother to accompany the child?’ Sol’s voice suddenly rumbled, low and rich in her ear, spreading through her body like luxuriously sticky caramel.
Anouk told herself not to be so stupid.
‘Yes, I asked her if she was happy to join us before, so they’ll be getting her leaded up.’
‘Good,’ he confirmed simply.
And there was no reason for her body to goosebump at the way they apparently worked so harmoniously together. No reason at all.
She thanked the HEMS team and wrapped up handover before getting straight back to her little patient and preparing her for CT.
* * *
‘Do you fancy some lunch?’ Sol asked quietly a couple of hours later, making her turn her head so fast that her neck cracked painfully. She pretended that it hadn’t. ‘It’s a surprisingly quiet day today. I think we might actually be able to give it a try eating a meal for once.’
