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‘Mimi...?’ A man’s voice behind him. Rafe glanced round and saw one of the ambulance crew who had come for Grant.
‘I need gloves, a dressing pad and a splint for her leg. We go in two minutes.’ Rafe rapped out the words and the man nodded, turning.
‘Rafe... Feel...sick.’
‘I know. I want you to stay still, honey. Can you do that for me?’ He wrapped his hand around hers.
‘Yes. Stay still.’ Somehow she managed a lopsided smile. ‘Hold on to me...’
‘I’m here.’ Her brea
thing was becoming increasingly laboured and she had started to wheeze. Her eyes fluttered closed and Rafe shouted for adrenaline.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THEY RAN ON sirens and flashing lights, Grant on one side of the ambulance, Mimi on the other. She had gone into anaphylactic shock, but prompt treatment with adrenaline had stabilised her. Rafe had splinted her leg to keep it still and now all he could do was watch and wait until they could get her to the hospital.
A team was waiting for them in A and E. Rafe followed the gurney in a daze, pushing past the nurse who caught his arm.
‘I’m sorry...’ He felt the nurse’s grip on his arm, tighter now and more insistent, and he stopped, keeping his eyes on the retreating back of the doctor who was walking beside Mimi. ‘But I have to go to her...’
‘You have to step back now.’ The nurse looked up at him, oozing no-nonsense sympathy. ‘We need to get you clean and dry and then examine you.’
‘I’m all right.’
‘Maybe. But you’re in the way here.’ Rafe didn’t move and the nurse leaned closer. ‘Mimi’s one of ours. We’ll look after her.’
* * *
Rafe had called Charlie and they’d waited together in one of the family rooms. Finally the doctor who had been treating Mimi appeared, her face impassive.
Rafe had hung back, knowing he had little right to stand with Charlie and hear what the doctor had to say, but Charlie had beckoned him over. They listened together and Rafe numbly shook her hand, thanking her.
‘Now tell me what all that means.’ Charlie spun his wheelchair around, motioning Rafe to a chair opposite him.
‘It means...’ Rafe could hardly bear to think about it, but he knew that Charlie needed to know and he had to be strong for him. ‘She’s come through the worst of it. Mimi’s very ill at the moment, but she’s strong and fighting back. There’s no reason why she can’t make a full recovery.’
Charlie nodded. ‘What is she facing now?’
‘She went into anaphylactic shock when she was bitten. That means they probably won’t use any antivenom unless they absolutely have to, in case her body reacts by going into shock again. At the moment she’s fighting back, but they’ll need to keep a close eye on her. She’s also inhaled a lot of dirty water, and that’s irritated the lining of her lungs. That’ll mend, but she’s been admitted to the ICU and sedated. Rest and care are the best things for her right now.’
‘What else...?’
‘Everything else is relatively minor. She has some cuts, a lot of bruises and a fractured ankle. I missed it when I first examined her...’ Rafe was still kicking himself for that.
Charlie rolled his eyes. ‘Yeah, you missed it because you were busy saving her life.’
‘I just did...’ What any doctor would do? He hadn’t. He’d felt close to many patients, battled for them with every ounce of his strength. But he’d always been able to maintain enough distance to keep himself sane. Never felt that his own fate was inextricably linked with the person whose life lay in his hands and that if they died he would too.
‘How long will it take? Before she’s up and around again.’
Rafe really didn’t want to look that far ahead. He’d seen all the things that could go wrong in the course of his work, and he didn’t want to think about any of them. But Charlie needed as much information and reassurance as Rafe could give.
‘From what her doctor says, she’ll be in the ICU for two, probably three days, if everything goes well. The inflammation on her lungs should resolve by itself in a few days...’
‘And the snake bite?’
‘It depends, Charlie. We need to wait and see. They won’t transfer her down to the general ward until she’s through the worst of it. But, after that, an adult can experience swelling and pain for up to nine months.’
