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CHAPTER ONE
‘THAT WAS TOO close for coton watched the paediatric intensive care team wheel their tiny patient towards the lift and PICC
‘Every parent’s worst nightency departet him back’
The baby had stopped breathing while being exah temperature
‘But you did We did’ Sometimes it astonished her that they were able to revive so and small Always it shook her up Today Today it had been hard to hold her e What-ifs played in her head as she stared at thein notes on the baby’s file He needed to know
‘Have I groart on the back of htened her toes, and a whole lot of other areas of her body
‘Can you spare me a few minutes at the end of the day?’ Tamara’s chest clenched as her reluctant question cauire’s quiet, easy life for ever Nobolt she had to deliver
‘Sure’ He tossed her a negligent eyebrows-raised glance ‘What’s bugging you? More stuff about med school?’ He’d been more than patient with her over the application, and eous backside with her continual, often repetitive questions
Talanced around Auckland Central Hospital’s ED, the place in which she felt most at home, and definitely most confident This here she knew her stuff
‘That’sthe “i”s before I finally push “send”’ Not even a reputed university had been going to get the better of her These days she checked everything, over and over
‘Those “t”s and “i”s will be so crossed and dotted they’ll be unrecognisable’ Conor gave her one of his dyna smiles
Except her stole ‘Today’s the day I finish with it’ Literally Trash-bin finish Training to beco towards all year The dream she was so invested in had turned to dust over a thin blue line on a plastic stick Two test kits, different brands, saument
Taently on her unhappy tummy while her teeth worried her botto that than spewing out any of the thoughts e of her life was full of pitfalls, all of theht? Sometimes she wondered
Conor cut through her worry ‘As long as the shift doesn’t run over too o to the local for a drink and food’
‘No’ Nausea swareasy pub food As for alcohol, forget that for a while Sweat saturated the folds of her baggy scrubs Since the first tweak of nausea on waking last Friday utted at the abrupt about-turn in her well-laid-out, Taht the obvious, denied the deepening despair, knowing she’d lost another round in life’s plans for her
‘Why not?’ Conor looked bemused
He hadn’t spent the weekend fighting the inevitable No, that started for him later today ‘Can we stick to your office?’ So you can vent in private ‘I won’t take up much of your time Promise’
His kingfisher-blue eyes widened briefly ‘This is about your application for university?’ As head of this eency department, Conor had backed her all the hen she’d decided to start studying extra med school next year
‘For the absolute last time’ No doubt there
‘Right, my office e’re done with headaches and broken bones’
His thick brogue wrapped around her, softening her heart when it needed to be steel,to feel anything for hi for hiht in his bed—with devastating
consequences No denying the tingle in her thighs and lower belly whenever he turned all Irish on her, though But that was about the sex they’d shared He’d been hot, and i at theelse Soined it Now she had the evidence No more pinches
The strident sound of the buzzer from the ambulance bay curtailed any further discussion as Conor leapt up frouy’ A car-versus-truck victim Possible flail chest injury
Hurrying after the only aze autoish black hair at the back of his neck, relossy waves That had been then Today was a whole new ball ga to knock Conor off his impeccable stride
Taive Conor her report on their latest stat one patient, and pulled on her professional face, straightened her back into its now usual, though false, don’t-fool-with-hts not related to work
‘I wheel, suspected broken ribs and perforated lungs’
Conor interrupted the wouy into Resus and the radiology technician onto hiency of Conor’s state of thatthe stretcher towards Resus, a second a as fast
Ti out if theirholes in the lungs on every breath, the guy would sien in very little time
‘How long since the accident happened?’ she demanded of the paramedic, worried about the man’s chances of survival
‘Approxio Just around the corner on Grafton Road We were already on the road, heading to another accident, when the call caured out what ht be his major injury’
‘Good on you for not hanging around, checking hi was on their patient’s side ‘What else have you got?’
As the paramedic listed the other injuries Ji with relief She was going to be busy for the next hour, so herelse
‘Ta,’ Conor called as she ran into Resus ‘ASAP’