‘How dare you drag someone in to see my patient without my permission?’ he remonstrated. ‘You have no right. How many times do I have to tell you your place is on the other side of the building, Jessica Harvey, and neither you nor the animals you treat are to step over the boundary? The island board of management will hear of this. I’ll have you evicted from this building.’
‘It’s a privately owned building,’ Jess said mildly. ‘You can’t.’
‘Not even with the Health Commission behind me?’ Lionel glared at her with something akin to hatred. ‘If they hear…’
‘If they hear anything about Dr Harvey’s interference then they’ll hear you’ve treated one of the locals with what amounts to criminal negligence,’ Niall interceded. Niall’s voice was carefully controlled but Jess had the impression of disgust, well contained.
‘I have not…’
‘You’ve treated a diabetic suffering from cellulitis with oral antibiotic for over a week with no noticeable improvement and without changing the antibiotic to an intravenous line. One.’ Niall touched a finger on one hand. He lifted the next finger.
‘Two, as far as I’ve seen you’ve done no blood-sugar tests in the entire time he’s been in hospital. No check for ketones in his urine or electrolytes done. Three and four. And he’s been vomiting for six hours with you refusing to see him. Five. Nail in the coffin, Dr Hurd. Wouldn’t you say? If I were you I’d keep my tail nicely between my legs and not make any complaints to anyone.’
‘Who the hell are you?’ Lionel blustered. ‘Who the hell are you to question my treatment?’
‘I’m a qualified medico, believe it or not,’ Niall said wearily. ‘And I don’t want to be involved. Not one bit. You left me with no choice.’
‘Qualified…?’ Lionel stared at him belligerently. ‘From where?’
Niall’s eyes suddenly narrowed. ‘London University,’ he said slowly. ‘And you?’
‘I don’t have to tell you…’
‘And you?’ Niall snapped the demand in the tone of someone who was brooking no argument and Lionel’s colour rose even further.
‘Melbourne,’ he spat. ‘Not that it makes any difference. Whoever you are, I want you to get the hell out of my hospital. Now. You’re not welcome here. Wherever you trained you should know it’s unethical to interfere with a patient without their own doctor’s consent. So clear off. And take your girlfriend with you.’ He cast such a look of sneering dislike at Jessie that she flushed.
‘I’m going,’ Niall said evenly. He held out a peremptory hand to Jess, signalling her to silence. ‘But there’s two things you should know, Dr Hurd. One is that I intend to take a look at your credentials. A long look. The second is that if Frank Reid dies then I’ll personally make every effort to have you struck off every medical registry in the known world. And I’ll take personal pleasure doing it.
‘So if I were you I wouldn’t interfere with the treatment I’ve instigated. If I were you I’d be very sure my instructions are followed to the letter.’
And Niall turned and walked out of the hospital entrance, pulling Jessie along with him.
They didn’t talk until they were outside and even then there was a good two minutes’ silence before Niall spoke. He stood in the sun, taking long deep breaths and staring out at the distant sea.
In the end it was Jess who broke the silence.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said tentatively, ‘to drag you into that…It wasn’t fair.’
‘It wasn’t,’ Niall agreed and the anger that Jess hadn’t heard when he’d been talking to Lionel was all there in his voice. ‘How on earth did the island board ever employ such an incompetent oaf?’
‘I told you,’ Jess said, trying to keep her voice light. ‘We were desperate.’
‘You realise he’ll kill someone?’
‘Maybe he won’t,’ Jess said unhappily. ‘Maybe this will give him a fright. If it’s just laziness…’
‘I wish I could think this is just laziness,’ Niall growled. ‘But it should be instinct to order blood sugars on diabetic patients.’ He glanced at his watch and swore. ‘Jess, I have to go.’
Strangely, there was a note of reluctance in his voice as if he understood the pressures building up on her and really didn’t want to leave.
And Jess didn’t want him to leave, either. To go across to her half of the building and try to block out what Lionel Hurd was doing to her friend…
To just have to hope that the man really was competent…
‘Paige is waiting,’ Niall said roughly. He looked from Jess to the sea beyond and then back again. His gaze almost seemed to be magnetised to the slim young vet.
Something was growing between them. Something intangible that Jess didn’t want to explore.
The Ogre of Barega…
It would be better if he went right back to being an ogre. Easier for everyone…
Safer…
‘I…We’ll be right,’ Jess said slowly. And then, as a thought struck her, ‘My car…It’s still on the ridge.’
‘I’ll organise it to be brought back to the hospital.’
‘You can do that?’
‘I can do that-keys, please?’
Jess flipped the keys from her pocket.
‘Niall…’
‘Yes?’
‘Thank you,’ she said simply and watched his face.
‘I wish I could say it was my pleasure,’ Niall told her, and his face changed. He fingered the car keys and didn’t meet her eyes. ‘I’m starting to think, though…I’m starting to think it’d be better if I’d never met you.’
Mid-afternoon…
Mid-afternoon of a weekday and Jess was so far behind that she didn’t know where to start.
Lunch?
She’d gone past it. She wasn’t the least bit hungry.
She’d promised one of the local farmers to drive out and check a mastitis-affected cow. She’d do that as soon as her car was back. There was normally a small animal clinic at four and she needed to check Harry-and feed one orphaned wallaby and one tiny wombat.
And worry about Frank…
And think about Niall Mountmarche…
Ogre of Barega.
All those things she somehow fitted into her crazy day but by the time Jess slumped down at her kitchen table that night it was eight o’clock and her stomach was growling in hunger.
OK, OK…
Jess opened a can of soup, made some toast and then slumped down again.
And then looked over to where Harry was lying.
The dog had opened his eyes and was looking at her with definite interest.
Or was he looking at her toast?
Smiling, Jessie carried a quarter of a slice of toast over to where Harry lay. She held it to his mouth and the dog lifted it off her palm with a delicate tongue.
Even half-starved, this dog had manners.
‘Hey, Harry,’ Jessie smiled, her heart warming in delight
They shared another slice of toast in companionable silence, the big dog’s tail moving wearily back and forth in token wag mode. Finally, replete with toast, Harry settled back to sleep.
He’d make it.
Would his master?
Jessie chewed her bottom lip. She wasn’t welcome in the hospital. If she went over and Lionel Hurd was there…
She’d be thrown out on her ear.
Still…
Lionel usually did a fast ward round at six and then went back to his own quarters on the other side of the
