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'I know.' Tony looked round and then his broad shoulders sagged slightly. 'OK, thanks, everyone.'
Keely took a deep breath. 'I'll tell the mother,' she said quietly, but Zach shook his head.
'Tony should do it, Keely. He's the senior paediatrician.'
Tony nodded, his expression glum. 'I get all the good jobs. Will you come with me, Nicky?'
The A and E sister nodded and Keely noticed a tear shining in the corner of her eye.
So it wasn't just her, then...
'You did well, by the way.' Tony turned to Keely. 'I'm sorry we took so long to get here but we had an arrest in ITU.'
'I didn't manage to intubate her,' Keely mumbled, swamped by feelings of inadequacy. Surely there was something more she could have done? It all seemed so needlessly tragic. 'Maybe if I'd managed we'd have saved her.'
Tony shook his head. 'No one would have been able to intubate her,' he assured her calmly. 'Her airway was almost entirely obstructed. You did brilliantly. Better than most. And your diagnosis was spot on. Don't doubt yourself, Keely. You're a good doctor. A very good doctor.'
So why did she feel like such a failure?
Aware of Zach's scrutiny, Keely mumbled an excuse and walked out of Resus. At least her shift was over. Which meant she could go home and make a fool of herself in peace and quiet.
'Da-addy-y...' Phoebe hurtled out of the playroom and attached herself bodily to Zach's legs as he let himself into the house.
'Hello, trouble.' He stooped to pick her up, smiling at Barbara who'd followed her charge into the hallway. 'Has she been good?'
'Mostly.' Barbara had a twinkle in her eye that made Zach groan.
'Come on. What's she done?'
'She fed her toast into the video,' Barbara said calmly, 'but fortunately she sucked the butter off it first, so there was no long-term damage.'
'And?' There was more. He could tell. Zach braced himself.
'And...' Barbara glanced down at the sheepish toddler and gave her a wink. 'We actually had a small accident with a pen and the sitting-room wall, but it's all sorted out now.'
Zach closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. 'Anything else I need to know?'
'She managed to dial 999 on the telephone.'
Zach winced. 'Who do I have to call to apologise?'
'I've done it.' Barbara bent down and picked the little girl up. 'The only thing I haven't solved is the problem of last week's copy of the Lancet. It was by your bed...'
Zach's eyes narrowed. 'And dare I ask where it is now?'
'In the bath,' Barbara told him cheerfully. 'Or, to be exact, drying on the radiator, having had a wash in the bath. My fault entirely. I turned my back to get a towel.'
Zach groaned. If he lost Barbara he didn't know what he'd do. 'What can I say?'
'Absolutely nothing,' she said firmly. 'I love her to bits. She's very bright and busy. Just as a healthy toddler should be.'
Zach shook his head in disbelief and kissed his daughter's face.
'You're a handful, madam.'
'More kiss.' Phoebe leaned towards him and he grinned and kissed her again, glancing up the stairs as he did so.
'Is Keely home?'
