AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘She’s had a runny nose but nothing too bad, and she was desperate to see Father Christmas. I thought it would distract her.’
‘You’re right about the warm layers, Lara. We need to try and take some of them off, or at least open them up.’ Christian slid the coat from the little girl and opened her cardigan.
‘It’s freezing outside.’ The mother bit her lip. ‘I didn’t want her to get cold. She kept shivering.’
‘She has a temperature,’ Lara said gently, ‘and it’s important that we cool her down. Little children aren’t able to control their temperature in the way that adults do. How old is she?’
‘Eleven months. I forgot to give her Calpol in the rush to leave the house.’
‘Was she drowsy before the seizure?’
‘No. Just a bit cross. That’s why I thought it would cheer her up to come here. I did the wrong thing. I’m an awful mother.’ The mother’s face scrunched up and she started to cry. Chloe stepped forward and put a hand on her arm.
‘I think you’re a lovely mother. What a treat to bring her here. We’ve just been and it was brilliant. Try not to worry.’ Her voice was warm and confident. ‘My dad’s a doctor and he’ll fix it. He’s very clever and he always knows what to do when people are ill. Why don’t you write her name and age down on a piece of paper because the paramedics will need that when they arrive.’
Lara stared, taken aback by the girl’s poise and maturity, but Christian didn’t seem surprised. Instead, he glanced across at his elder daughter. ‘Chloe—go down to the main entrance and wait for the ambulance. You can tell the paramedics where to come to. It will save time. Tell Aggie to sit still and not run off anywhere.’
‘OK, Dad.’ Chloe hurried off and Christian turned back to the child.
‘The fit has stopped. Has this ever happened before?’
The mother finished scribbling on a piece of paper and shook her head. ‘Never.’
‘I think the fit was caused by her high temperature. Given that it’s the first time she’s responded in that way, it’s best if we take her to hospital to check her over. You say that she’s had a cold. Anything else? Ear infection? Bad throat? Off her food?’
‘None of those things. She was a bit fractious yesterday and then last night her temperature went up. But she’s been talking about Father Christmas all week and I thought she’d be fine.’
‘Let’s strip her down to her vest and nappy,’ Christian glanced up as the paramedics arrived with Chloe. ‘Hi, there, Jack.’
‘Dr Blake.’ The paramedic flashed him a friendly smile and put his bag down on the floor next to them. ‘I thought you were at the hospital today. Sneaking off to see Father Christmas?’
‘You know me.’ Christian gave a wry smile. ‘Can’t keep away.’ Now that the convulsion had stopped, he quickly examined the little girl. ‘This looks like a febrile convulsion, Jack. We’ll take her in, just so that the paeds can check her over properly and keep an eye on her for a while.’
‘Right. That girl of yours told us what to expect. She’s a cracker is your Chloe.’
‘This child needs to go into the unit. I’ve got no equipment with me so I can’t examine her properly and, anyway, she’s better off in hospital if this is her first febrile convulsion. Lara, can you call Paeds and warn them?’ He pulled a mobile phone out of his pocket and handed it to her while the paramedic looked on in surprise.
‘Lara! I didn’t recognise you.’ His gaze was startled. ‘What—? I mean, why—?’
‘Don’t ask,’ Christian advised dryly, checking the child’s pulse rate again. ‘She’s coming round. She will be drowsy for a while,’ he warned the mother and she gave a nod.
‘Will they do loads of tests?’ Her voice was a whisper and she looked shocked and terrified as her little girl was lifted onto the trolley. ‘Could she have meningitis or something? You read about it all the time and it terrifies me.’
‘She isn’t showing any signs of meningitis but she’ll be checked properly by a paediatrician when she gets to the hospital.’
Lara spoke to the paediatrician at the hospital and then handed the phone back to Christian. ‘They’re expecting her.’
‘Good.’He rose to his feet and slipped the phone back into his pocket while Lara stood there, wanting to help but not knowing how best to do it.
‘I can go in the ambulance with her if you like. You need to get your girls home.’
‘You’d risk walking into the emergency department dressed like a fairy?You’d never live it down.’
Lara smiled. ‘It’s fine. If anyone teases me, I can just turn them into a frog with my wand.’
‘We’ll take it from here,’ Jack said cheerfully. ‘We’ll see you back at the hospital.’
The paramedics left with the sick child and the mother, and the crowd that had gathered around them gradually dispersed.
