Dr MacFarlane,' said Staff Nurse the minute Yona stepped onto the unit next morning.
'Now what's wrong?' she wondered aloud.
'Nothing that I know of,' answered the girl, 'but, then, who knows with Sister?'
'Who, indeed?' murmured Yona, resolving to keep the old dragon waiting while she checked with the houseman.
Yona had simmered down overnight, since driving off in such a rage with Gil. She'd hardly known then with whom she was most angry—Gil for teasing her, herself for overreacting or Mike just for being there.
She found young Dr Connor halfway down the men's ward, collecting routine daily blood samples. 'How's it going, Chris?' she asked.
'Not so well as it would if Sister didn't keep ordering me to do something else,' he grumbled.
It wasn't for Sister to order the house officer about. 'What sort of things?' she asked.
'Oh, listen to chests, examine joints that are more than usually painful, help the nurses to lift patients in and out of the bath...'
Par for the course, except the last, but all to be requested—not demanded. 'How many more specimens have you got to collect?' asked Yona.
'I've not started on the women yet, and with Charlie away for his exam—'
'I'll help you,' she said comfortingly, 'and if Sister finds you any more wee jobs before we've finished, just you refer her to me. I dare say she's forgotten that Charlie is off today.'
'And pigs might fly,' sighed Chris.
All the women were enchanted with Yona's efforts. 'Never felt a thing, Doctor.'
'You're ever so quick.' They were only two of the comments.
'Practice makes perfect and, boy, have I had a lot of practice,' she laughed. 'So that's the Dracula act over for the day, girls.' Then she went at last to see what Sister wanted.
When she saw Yona she pushed a tin moneybox across the desk. 'I am collecting for a silver wedding present for the Professor and Mrs Burnley, Doctor,' she said grandly.
'You're in plenty of time—it's not for another six weeks,' said Yona, diving into the pocket of her white coat for her purse and taking out a ten-pound note. 'No, I insist,' she said, when Sister said that was too much from a newcomer. 'They've both been so very kind to me—I don't know what I'd have done without them.'
'The professor and his wife are always kind to new members of staff, Dr MacFarlane,' revealed Sister, in case Yona should think there was anything special about her. The phone rang and Sister picked it up, then said, 'Yes, she's right here, Mrs Lee. No, I'm sure it isn't. I'll tell her.' She replaced the phone, before revealing, 'The professor's secretary has found a folder she knows he wants for his lecture this morning, and she wondered if you'd call in for it on your way to join him.'
'Yes, of course I will. And if there's nothing else, then—'
'No, not at the moment.' Yona was dismissed.
Why does that woman always make me feel as if I'd just been carpeted? she wondered as she hurried down to Sharon's office.
Sharon handed over a bulky file as she said how much she and her husband had enjoyed Yona's party. Then, before Yona could thank her for her nice little thank-you note, Sharon burst out, 'Isn't it awful about poor Mr Preston?'
'What about him?' asked Yona, her eyebrows raised.
'He had a nasty accident to his foot last evening and now he's in plaster, right up to the knee.'
Accident, last evening, foot, plaster... Yona felt as though she'd been kicked in the stomach by a horse. 'How...unfortunate,' she breathed, only just managing to hide her horror until she got out of the room. She stumbled back to her own room to think.
He'd been right beside her car on the passenger side, so when the car had lurched as she'd backed out so furiously, it hadn't been on account of the rutted ground, as she'd thought, but because she'd run over Mike's foot! Wait, though. Gil had checked and had said that Mike was still upright... Held up by the other consultant, no doubt!
Yona wanted nothing more than to run home and hide, but
'Now what's wrong?' she wondered aloud.
'Nothing that I know of,' answered the girl, 'but, then, who knows with Sister?'
'Who, indeed?' murmured Yona, resolving to keep the old dragon waiting while she checked with the houseman.
Yona had simmered down overnight, since driving off in such a rage with Gil. She'd hardly known then with whom she was most angry—Gil for teasing her, herself for overreacting or Mike just for being there.
She found young Dr Connor halfway down the men's ward, collecting routine daily blood samples. 'How's it going, Chris?' she asked.
'Not so well as it would if Sister didn't keep ordering me to do something else,' he grumbled.
It wasn't for Sister to order the house officer about. 'What sort of things?' she asked.
'Oh, listen to chests, examine joints that are more than usually painful, help the nurses to lift patients in and out of the bath...'
Par for the course, except the last, but all to be requested—not demanded. 'How many more specimens have you got to collect?' asked Yona.
'I've not started on the women yet, and with Charlie away for his exam—'
'I'll help you,' she said comfortingly, 'and if Sister finds you any more wee jobs before we've finished, just you refer her to me. I dare say she's forgotten that Charlie is off today.'
'And pigs might fly,' sighed Chris.
All the women were enchanted with Yona's efforts. 'Never felt a thing, Doctor.'
'You're ever so quick.' They were only two of the comments.
'Practice makes perfect and, boy, have I had a lot of practice,' she laughed. 'So that's the Dracula act over for the day, girls.' Then she went at last to see what Sister wanted.
When she saw Yona she pushed a tin moneybox across the desk. 'I am collecting for a silver wedding present for the Professor and Mrs Burnley, Doctor,' she said grandly.
'You're in plenty of time—it's not for another six weeks,' said Yona, diving into the pocket of her white coat for her purse and taking out a ten-pound note. 'No, I insist,' she said, when Sister said that was too much from a newcomer. 'They've both been so very kind to me—I don't know what I'd have done without them.'
'The professor and his wife are always kind to new members of staff, Dr MacFarlane,' revealed Sister, in case Yona should think there was anything special about her. The phone rang and Sister picked it up, then said, 'Yes, she's right here, Mrs Lee. No, I'm sure it isn't. I'll tell her.' She replaced the phone, before revealing, 'The professor's secretary has found a folder she knows he wants for his lecture this morning, and she wondered if you'd call in for it on your way to join him.'
'Yes, of course I will. And if there's nothing else, then—'
'No, not at the moment.' Yona was dismissed.
Why does that woman always make me feel as if I'd just been carpeted? she wondered as she hurried down to Sharon's office.
Sharon handed over a bulky file as she said how much she and her husband had enjoyed Yona's party. Then, before Yona could thank her for her nice little thank-you note, Sharon burst out, 'Isn't it awful about poor Mr Preston?'
'What about him?' asked Yona, her eyebrows raised.
'He had a nasty accident to his foot last evening and now he's in plaster, right up to the knee.'
Accident, last evening, foot, plaster... Yona felt as though she'd been kicked in the stomach by a horse. 'How...unfortunate,' she breathed, only just managing to hide her horror until she got out of the room. She stumbled back to her own room to think.
He'd been right beside her car on the passenger side, so when the car had lurched as she'd backed out so furiously, it hadn't been on account of the rutted ground, as she'd thought, but because she'd run over Mike's foot! Wait, though. Gil had checked and had said that Mike was still upright... Held up by the other consultant, no doubt!
Yona wanted nothing more than to run home and hide, but
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