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Evanna slid out of the room without argument and Kyla felt a flicker of relief. She knew she could trust her friend to get the air ambulance to the island as quickly as possible.
‘No.’ Douglas turned his head, his face pale and sweaty and his voice urgent. ‘You’re not to worry Leslie. She’s got enough on her mind at the moment with our Andrea going through a rebellious phase. She doesn’t need this. I’m having a heart attack, I know I am. It’ll be too much for her.’
‘She loves you, Doug,’ Kyla said firmly, starting the machine and watching the trace. She didn’t like what she saw but she was careful not to let her worry show on her face. But she was definitely calling his wife. ‘You’re a partnership. A team. What do you think she’d say when she discovers that you’ve flown off on a minibreak to the mainland and left her here?’
ST elevation, she thought to herself, studying the pattern. She’d seen it often enough in her short time in A and E.
Doug gave a wan smile and shook his head. ‘She’s always on at me to leave the island for a break.’
‘Well, there you are, then.’ Kyla stood to one side so that Ethan could watch the trace. ‘There’s ST segment elevation in two leads. I expect you’ll want to give him heparin and reteplase. I’ll get it ready.’
Ethan looked at her and she saw approval and a flicker of surprise in his eyes. ‘Do we have morphine and GTN spray?’
‘Of course.’ The question amused her. So he thought he was working in a backwater, did he? She unlocked the drug cupboard, found what she needed and prepared it, listening as he talked to Doug.
‘I’m afraid the ECG shows that you’re right about the heart attack, Doug. Probably caused by a blood clot in one of the vessels leading to your heart.’ His tone was calm and steady. ‘I’m going to give you a drug that will break it down.’
‘One of those clot-busters I’ve been reading about?’
‘That’s right. We need to get the blood flowing back through that artery for you. Before I give it, I need to ask you a few questions.’
Doug winced, his face pale behind the mask. ‘I ought to warn you that I hate quiz night at the pub. I never go. If you’re about to start on capital cities, you can forget it. I left school at sixteen and went out on my father’s boat.’
Ethan smiled. ‘You don’t suffer from any bleeding disorders? Haven’t had surgery lately?’ He asked a series of rapid questions and then took the drugs from Kyla. ‘How long does the air ambulance usually take to arrive and where do they land? I’m not sure he’s stable enough to travel.’
‘The paramedics are skilled and you can go with him. They carry a defibrillator, along with all the other gear you’re likely to need.’
Ethan administered the drug carefully. ‘And they can fly here?’
‘Oh, yes, providing the weather is all right, and today it should be fine.’ Kyla took the empty syringe from him and disposed of it with swift efficiency. ‘We need to call the hospital and fill out details for the transfer.’
‘If I go with him, that will leave you with no doctor.’
Kyla smiled. ‘Logan’s still on the island and he won’t be long, I’m sure. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you’re indispensable, Dr Walker,’ she said cheerfully, her eyes sliding to Doug’s taut features. ‘We nu
rses are extremely versatile.’
His gaze followed hers and he frowned and checked Doug’s pulse. ‘How’s the pain now? Any improvement?’
Doug nodded. ‘Better,’ he rasped, just as Evanna came back into the room.
‘Air ambulance will be here in fifteen minutes,’ she said in her calm, gentle voice. ‘I’ve explained to the patients in the waiting room that there will be a delay until Logan gets back.’
Kyla looked up. ‘Did you call him?’
‘Yes. Mrs Taylor has a nasty laceration of her leg and she’s very shaken up but nothing’s broken. He’s going to bring her back here to be sutured and I’ve said that one of us will spend some time in the home with her, discussing how to avoid falls.’
Kyla frowned as she reached for the phone. ‘She ought to join your exercise class, Evanna. Did she trip over something?’
‘Not sure. Janet just found her at the bottom of the stairs. It was fortunate that she didn’t break anything or we’d be keeping the ambulance busy today.’ Evanna glanced at her watch. ‘If you don’t need me here, I’ll get started. I’m going to filter Logan’s patients and see as many as I can for him.’
She left the room and Kyla handed Ethan the phone. ‘You’ll want to speak to the head of the coronary care unit at the Infirmary. His name’s Angus Marsh. He’s a nice guy.’ She walked over to Douglas. ‘It’s time we let your wife know what’s going on. This is an Island, Doug. She’ll see the air ambulance and pretty soon someone is going to tell her who the patient was. The first thing she’ll do is worry and what will be going on in her head is going to be worse than the real thing. The second thing she’ll do is kill me.’
As if to prove her point, the door flew open at that moment and Leslie hurried into the room.
‘Who needs phones when there’s the island grapevine?’ Kyla breathed, stepping back from the couch and watching as Leslie lifted her hands to her cheeks.
‘What have you been doing to yourself, Douglas Rory Fraser McDonald?’
