asking Sister what they could expect in the men's ward.
'Mr Donkin is still intractably constipated, but we're dealing with it,' she informed him.
'How?' wondered Charlie in a murmur. 'If it really is intractable—'
Yona shushed him as Sister continued, 'And Mr Bowes has some psoriasis on his elbows.'
'I knew it!' said Ted. 'Didn't I say that man was a psoriatic arthropathy? Is it bothering him much, Sister?'
'He says not—he just thought it was dry skin flaking off.'
'I'm very glad to hear it—it must be hellish when it itches. Did you find time to examine that man transferred from the General this morning, Yona?'
'Yes, I did. I doubt that he's a true rheumatoid, though. He seemed more like a non-specific infective arthritis to me.'
'The sheepcell test will settle that. Why, Dr Connor?' he shot at Chris.
But Chris had learned a lot in the past six weeks. 'Definitive for rheumatoid arthritis, sir.'
'We'll make a doctor of you yet,' joked Ted as they approached the first male patient.
*
'Can you do me now, Doctor?' drawled a familiar voice from the doorway as Yona sat in her room in Outpatients, doing her letters at the end of the day.
She looked up, astonished to see Gil. 'What on earth are you doing here?' she asked.
'Right at this moment I'm cadging a lift into town,' he said. 'Didn't you tell me you were dashing in after work?'
'Yes, but you shouldn't be here, Gil—really, you shouldn't. How did you get past Reception?'
'I told them I was your lover—what else?'
She couldn't help giggling at that. 'I bet that interested them!'
'They were all madly jealous, let me tell you. Will you be long? Only I've got an appointment.'
'I've just this minute finished—but, Gil, you must promise me never to do this again.'
Predictably, he wondered why not.
'Because—oh, because gentlemen callers are not allowed in the building!'
'Not even a marine would believe that,' he said. 'But for you—anything!'
'Oh, Gil, you are a fool.' She was laughing as they left the building together.
'But you like me,' he said, giving her a squeeze that nearly had them both falling over on the steps.
As bad luck would have it, Mike Preston had parked beside Yona that morning and, of course, he had to be there now, talking to another consultant. 'For heaven's sake, behave and get in quick before he sees you!' hissed Yona, while asking herself why it was so important that Mike shouldn't see her there with Gil.
'Why?' asked Gil, as she might have expected. 'I'm not afraid of him even if you are. Hi, there, Mike,' he called out. 'I've just been discussing a major documentary with your bosses.'
'I can't wait to see it,' Mike called back, looking anything but eager.
Yona was already in the car and was desperate to get away, but Gil reached out and switched off the engine. 'You really must get over your curious fear of that big bear,' he said, sounding quite fatherly. 'You wouldn't want me to think you had a girlish crush on him, would you?'
'Don't be so ridiculous!' she said furiously, starting the car again.
'I'm not so sure it is ridiculous,' said Gil, sounding amused. 'It could be thought very suitable—except that Nonie says he's already fixed up.'
'Nonie is a terrible gossip—and you're even worse!'
'You do fancy him,' he challenged just as she backed out much too fast over the uneven, rutted surface. The car lurched as it went over a particularly bad bump, then Yona spun the wheel like a rally driver and shot off towards the exit.
'Hey, steady on, for God's sake—I thought you'd knocked him down then,' breathed Gil, screwing round in his seat to peer backwards over his shoulder. 'No, I think you managed to miss him—at any rate, he's still upright. Just as well—that's no way to get a man!'
'When I need your advice on that subject, I'll ask for it!' retorted Yona through clenched teeth. 'Now shut up and let me concentrate on the traffic!'
'Sister Evans wants to see you in the office when you've got a minute,
'Mr Donkin is still intractably constipated, but we're dealing with it,' she informed him.
'How?' wondered Charlie in a murmur. 'If it really is intractable—'
Yona shushed him as Sister continued, 'And Mr Bowes has some psoriasis on his elbows.'
'I knew it!' said Ted. 'Didn't I say that man was a psoriatic arthropathy? Is it bothering him much, Sister?'
'He says not—he just thought it was dry skin flaking off.'
'I'm very glad to hear it—it must be hellish when it itches. Did you find time to examine that man transferred from the General this morning, Yona?'
'Yes, I did. I doubt that he's a true rheumatoid, though. He seemed more like a non-specific infective arthritis to me.'
'The sheepcell test will settle that. Why, Dr Connor?' he shot at Chris.
But Chris had learned a lot in the past six weeks. 'Definitive for rheumatoid arthritis, sir.'
'We'll make a doctor of you yet,' joked Ted as they approached the first male patient.
*
'Can you do me now, Doctor?' drawled a familiar voice from the doorway as Yona sat in her room in Outpatients, doing her letters at the end of the day.
She looked up, astonished to see Gil. 'What on earth are you doing here?' she asked.
'Right at this moment I'm cadging a lift into town,' he said. 'Didn't you tell me you were dashing in after work?'
'Yes, but you shouldn't be here, Gil—really, you shouldn't. How did you get past Reception?'
'I told them I was your lover—what else?'
She couldn't help giggling at that. 'I bet that interested them!'
'They were all madly jealous, let me tell you. Will you be long? Only I've got an appointment.'
'I've just this minute finished—but, Gil, you must promise me never to do this again.'
Predictably, he wondered why not.
'Because—oh, because gentlemen callers are not allowed in the building!'
'Not even a marine would believe that,' he said. 'But for you—anything!'
'Oh, Gil, you are a fool.' She was laughing as they left the building together.
'But you like me,' he said, giving her a squeeze that nearly had them both falling over on the steps.
As bad luck would have it, Mike Preston had parked beside Yona that morning and, of course, he had to be there now, talking to another consultant. 'For heaven's sake, behave and get in quick before he sees you!' hissed Yona, while asking herself why it was so important that Mike shouldn't see her there with Gil.
'Why?' asked Gil, as she might have expected. 'I'm not afraid of him even if you are. Hi, there, Mike,' he called out. 'I've just been discussing a major documentary with your bosses.'
'I can't wait to see it,' Mike called back, looking anything but eager.
Yona was already in the car and was desperate to get away, but Gil reached out and switched off the engine. 'You really must get over your curious fear of that big bear,' he said, sounding quite fatherly. 'You wouldn't want me to think you had a girlish crush on him, would you?'
'Don't be so ridiculous!' she said furiously, starting the car again.
'I'm not so sure it is ridiculous,' said Gil, sounding amused. 'It could be thought very suitable—except that Nonie says he's already fixed up.'
'Nonie is a terrible gossip—and you're even worse!'
'You do fancy him,' he challenged just as she backed out much too fast over the uneven, rutted surface. The car lurched as it went over a particularly bad bump, then Yona spun the wheel like a rally driver and shot off towards the exit.
'Hey, steady on, for God's sake—I thought you'd knocked him down then,' breathed Gil, screwing round in his seat to peer backwards over his shoulder. 'No, I think you managed to miss him—at any rate, he's still upright. Just as well—that's no way to get a man!'
'When I need your advice on that subject, I'll ask for it!' retorted Yona through clenched teeth. 'Now shut up and let me concentrate on the traffic!'
'Sister Evans wants to see you in the office when you've got a minute,
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