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A few minutes later they went to a comfortable consulting room to view the X-rays, and Gabriel raised the backrest of the examination couch, holding the tablet out in front of Emma so she could see for herself.
‘What do you reckon? I’d say we need to set it and then put a temporary cast on. I’ll replace it when the swelling goes down...’ Gabriel stated the obvious, and Emma nodded.
‘What do you want? I’ve got analgesics and you can have a mild sedative.’
‘Paracetamol will do me.’ Emma turned the corners of her mouth down.
Gabriel gave a nod, and then stood up, opening the door and beckoning to the nurse outside to come and sit with Emma. Clara followed him to the dispensary.
‘You can’t just give her paracetamol...’ This was out of order on so many levels. A former paramedic telling a doctor what he could and couldn’t do. A security consultant meddling in the affairs of a client...
‘I know.’ He puffed out a breath. ‘Emma was attacked on duty nine months ago by a guy with a machete. She lost a lot of blood and woke up to find that she’d lost three fingers. She’s never quite forgiven the team that took her to the hospital for not managing to find them.’
‘So she needs to be in control.’ Clara felt a little stupid for having interfered.
‘Yes. And as my own experience a few days ago demonstrates, a sedative isn’t going to help much with that.’ Gabriel shot Clara a knowing smile, handing her a couple of bulky packets of dressings. ‘Since you’re helping me, you can carry those.’
Right. She wasn’t supposed to be helping him, she was meant to be protecting him. But the clinic was secure, and she may as well make herself useful.
When they returned, Gabriel sat down beside Emma, laying out the strong analgesics he’d brought with him so that Emma could see them. ‘Are you really going to make me hurt you that much, Emma? You can trust me.’
Emma’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I don’t want this, Gabriel.’
‘I know, and I don’t blame you. But let’s do it the right way, eh? You and I.’
Gabriel’s skill as a doctor was obvious. Emma didn’t flinch as he slid the needle into her arm, delivering a local anaesthetic. The setting of the broken bone in her wrist was done with the help of another doctor from the clinic and the minimum of fuss. He worked quickly, making sure that everything was done right first time, so as to cause Emma as little distress as possible. When the preliminary dressings were applied and the second X-ray was taken, she smiled.
‘Nice job.’
‘You too.’ Gabriel grinned at her. ‘You’ll be good to go shortly, although you may as well stay and have some lunch. Is your husband going to join you?’
‘If that’s okay. Steve will be along to pick me up in a minute.’ Gabriel had called Emma’s husband and let her speak with him before the bone in her wrist had been set.
‘Great. Lunch for two, then.’ Gabriel picked up the phone and asked for a menu to be brought up.
‘You’ll call me?’ His face became serious for a moment.
‘I’m okay.’ Emma gave him a smile.
‘Yeah, I know. Call me anyway. This evening. Just to relieve me of the need to call you.’
‘All right. I’ll call.’
* * *
Gabriel had waited for Emma’s husband to arrive before going back to work, and when the clinic called through to tell him that they were leaving, he’d gone back to talk to Emma again. He’d clearly been there for her after the attack, and he was there for her now, reminding her yet again that this injury was just temporary and her wrist would heal.
After an afternoon spent moving from one set of decisions to another, at an almost breathtaking pace, they returned to his house to find that the CCTV installation was complete. Clara had
asked where they could set the CCTV monitor up, and Gabriel had offered the basement. The last owners had used it as a games room for their three teenagers, and it was the most comfortable basement that Clara had ever seen, clean and well lit with two large sofas, a library-style table and chairs, and a kitchenette and bathroom tucked away in the corner.
It was perfect. Space to work, and set up a centre of operations for her team, who could sit down here during their breaks. An added bonus was that she would have a bolt hole. Gabriel had loitered awkwardly in the hall, allowing her to go and survey the space on her own, and it seemed that he never came down here.
It was almost a relief to spend some time away from the electricity generated by Gabriel’s presence while she organised the space for her team, but finally Clara climbed the stairs to his study to discuss the arrangements for the cocktail party the following evening.
‘I was beginning to feel a little lonely up here.’ His study was as light and airy as the rest of the house and Gabriel was seated in one of the deep leather armchairs, surrounded by glass-fronted bookcases that occupied one end of the room.
‘It’s best if we can stay out of your way.’ Clara looked up from the notes that he’d given her. ‘You’ll be able to start getting back to normal.’
