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‘No. Better, apparently. Thanks to the brilliance of a certain midwife on the labour ward—Jake’s words, by the way, not mine.’ Ruth wriggled into a thick jumper and reached for her coat. ‘He hauled Dr Morris over the coals. Wanted to know why she hadn’t called him the second she set eyes on the patient.’
Miranda grabbed her bag
out of her locker. ‘Maybe she was afraid of getting him out of a meeting.’
Ruth gave her a pointed look. ‘You weren’t.’
‘I think that case of shoulder dystocia has made me jumpy. I see emergencies everywhere.’
‘Well, that’s fortunate for young Cathy, then, but I think you’re dismissing what you’ve done rather lightly. Jake is asking questions as to why the GP didn’t give her penicillin.’
‘Well, to be fair, meningitis wouldn’t be the first thing you think of in a pregnant woman with a temperature and a rash,’ Miranda murmured, and Ruth stopped and looked at her.
‘You thought of it.’
‘And thank goodness for that.’ Jake’s deep drawl came from the doorway and both Ruth and Miranda turned in surprise.
‘You’re not supposed to come in here,’ Ruth scolded. ‘This is the midwives’ changing room. It could be full of naked women.’
Jake smiled placidly. ‘I keep hoping.’
‘How is she?’
‘Better.’ Jake’s blue eyes were warm as he turned to look at Miranda. ‘And it’s undoubtedly thanks to you. If you hadn’t insisted on calling me and having the penicillin ready, it might have been a different story.’
‘I was afraid I might be wasting your time.’
‘I suspect you might have just saved two lives so any time you feel the inclination to bother me, please, do so.’
‘I’m just so relieved she’s all right.’
‘Well, she’s not totally out of the woods, but she’s definitely responding to antibiotics and all the scans and blood tests suggest that the baby is all right, although we won’t know for sure until it’s delivered.’
Ruth put her coat on. ‘If it’s been confirmed as meningitis, shouldn’t Miranda take Rifampicin or something?’
Jake shook his head. ‘We’ve talked about that. For healthcare professionals it’s really only recommended if you’ve given mouth-to-mouth or similar. Given Miranda is pregnant, I’d be reluctant to give her anything, and Geoff Masters agrees.’
‘I wasn’t with her for that long,’ Miranda said reasonably. ‘She was transferred almost immediately. All I really did was take her temperature.’
Jake nodded. ‘The risk is minuscule.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘I’ve told them to call me if there’s any change. Let’s go home.’
Aware that Ruth was looking at her with a quizzical expression on her face, Miranda sighed. ‘Jake’s very generously letting me a room in his house, just until I find somewhere suitable.’
‘Good.’ Ruth beamed at both of them, swept up her bag and walked towards the door. ‘I’m off, then. Need to feed my husband and recharge my batteries, ready for another exciting day in the office tomorrow. I feel we’re in desperate need of a run of normal deliveries, just so that we can all remind ourselves that sometimes it can all go swimmingly well, without any of this drama and tension.’
Miranda and Jake walked towards the car. ‘You must be knackered.’ He unlocked the car door and held it open while she slid inside.
‘I am tired.’
‘Quick supper and early bed.’ He drove home quickly, a slight frown on his face as he concentrated on the road.
Sneaking a glance at his strong profile, Miranda wondered what he was thinking. Was he worrying about Cathy?
‘What on earth made you even think of meningitis? It obviously didn’t cross the minds of the GP or my SHO.’
‘I’ve seen a similar rash before. In a child when I was doing a paediatric module.’
‘Lucky for Cathy.’ He turned the car into his drive and pulled up outside the house. ‘You go and have a bath. I’ll knock something up for supper.’
