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'How awful for you.' Keely's glance was sympathetic. 'Still, I suppose she means well.'
'She does indeed. And I suspect that her meddling streak makes her a very good GP.' He stifled a yawn. 'She knows everything there is to know about her patients and what makes them tick. What she does is very different to what we do, and whenever we get together we're always teasing each other.'
It certainly was different. And the more she thought about it, the more she thought it might be exactly what she wanted to do. Work in a small, country practice where she could get to know the patients inside out and help them. Not just deal with one crisis and then abandon them.
So what was she going to do?
There was no point in mentioning it to Zach. In fact, there was no way she could mention it to Zach, He'd assume that her change of heart was something to do with him. No. She'd have to do some research quietly by herself and then talk to her father.
CHAPTER EIGHT
They were working together the following morning when a young girl was brought in who'd collapsed.
Keely helped the ambulance crew move the patient onto the trolley and glanced at the girl's mother who was hovering anxiously in the doorway.
'What happened?'
'I really don't know.' The woman was obviously beside herself with panic. 'She was fine. Absolutely fine. One minute we were in a cafe together and the next minute she'd collapsed.'
Zach started to examine the girl. 'What were you eating?'
'Sorry?' The girl's mother looked at him blankly.
'What were you eating just before she collapsed?' Zach glanced at Keely. 'Let's get a line in, give her high dose oxygen and attach a cardiac monitor and a pulse oximeter. We need to get her stats above 94 per cent'
'Cake.' The mother looked confused. 'We were eating cake, but I don't see—'
'Is she allergic to anything that you're aware of?'
'Nuts.' The woman went pale. 'But there were no nuts in the cake. I checked.'
'Are you sure?' Zach turned to Nicky. 'She's wheezing badly. I want .3 mils of one in one thousand adrenaline. Give it intramuscularly, please.'
Nicky turned away to the drug trolley and Zach glanced at the mother. 'This is a very severe reaction. I think for the moment we'll have to assume that it was nuts.'
Nicky thrust an ampoule under Zach's nose and he read the label and nodded.
'Fine. And let's give her 200 mg hydrocortisone IV and nebulised salbutamol.'
They worked for half an hour and finally the young girl was stabilised.
'Right.' Zach wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and gave the mother a tired smile. 'I'm going to refer her to the medical team. She needs to be admitted and we need to find out exactly what caused this reaction.'
The girl's mother nodded, obviously still worried.
'Will she be all right?'
Zach glanced at the girl and nodded. 'I think so. She seems stable now but I'm going to play it safe and admit her. It was a nasty reaction.'
They transferred the girl to the medical ward and Zach slumped against the wall, wearily surveying the mess in the room.
'I've got a really, really bad feeling about this week,' he muttered, and Nicky groaned as she tossed a discarded IV bag into the bin.
'Don't say that. Last time you had one of your feelings we were deluged with awful accidents.'
'I know that.' Zach straightened and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. 'But look at the weather. The roads are like glass and people still insist on driving everywhere.'
No sooner had he said the words than the doors from the ambulance bay flew open and another accident victim was admitted.
