‘And we’ll need you to keep a diary for your doctor,’ Georgie said. ‘So when Jennie has symptoms, write down what they are, the date and time, what the weather’s like and what’s happening at the time—so if there’s a pet nearby, or it’s really cold, or she was running about. I can print something out for you to make it easier to remember.’
‘Thank you,’ Jennie’s mum said.
‘This is going to sound a bit callous,’ Ryan said, ‘but when she’s wheezing or coughing, if you record her on your phone it will really help your doctor or the asthma nurse hear what her symptoms are like.’
‘And then if you can write down how many puffs she takes of the inhaler, and whether that helps her, it stays the same or it gets worse,’ Georgie said. ‘The more information you can give, the more it will help your doctor to spot the patterns and make a firm diagnosis.’
‘I’ll make sure I do that,’ Jennie’s mum said.
‘That’s great,’ Georgie said. ‘I’ll give you an action plan for the next couple of months so you can share it with Jennie’s nursery, your family and friends, so then they’ll know what to do if she gets any asthma symptoms. The action plan tells you how to spot the early signs of problems and what to do.’
‘If she needs to use an inhaler more than three times a week,’ Ryan said, ‘then your asthma nurse will give you a brown preventer inhaler, which Jennie needs to take every day to help stop her getting the symptoms in the first place. But let’s see how we go in the next couple of months. Obviously, if you’re worried, see your doctor; and if the inhaler doesn’t help, bring her straight back here.’
‘Thank you,’ Jennie’s mum said.
Ryan crouched down so he was at Jennie’s level. ‘You’ve been really brave.’ He produced a sparkly ‘I was brave’ sticker from his pocket. ‘So I think you deserve this.’
‘Thank you,’ Jennie said shyly.
Georgie printed out the action plan and asthma diary for Jennie’s mum, and helped her fill it in. ‘We’ll obviously send all the details to your family doctor, but do go and make an appointment to see the asthma specialist in eight weeks’ time.’
‘I will,’ Jennie’s mum promised, and took her daughter’s hand.
Why was it, Georgie wondered, that she and Ryan were so in tune at work, virtually able to finish each other’s sentences—and yet when it came to their personal life, he backed away from her? She really thought they could be good together.
But if Ryan wasn’t prepared to give them a chance, there was nothing she could do to change his mind. She’d have to give up. And next year, when she went back to London, he’d fade out of her life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘ONLY A MEAL for one tonight?’ Janie asked, looking surprised.
‘It’s the departmental night out,’ Ryan explained. ‘I’m staying at home with Truffle so Georgie can go.’
‘If Truffle hadn’t had her accident, would you have been going?’ Janie asked.
Ryan grimaced. ‘Probably. Though only because I wouldn’t have had a good excuse not to go.’
‘What’s the problem?’ Janie asked.
‘It’s a ceilidh.’ If he didn’t dance with Georgie, people would notice and start speculating; if he did dance with her, he’d end up thinking of the night he’d kissed her and the morning she’d woken in his arms. Which would be a bad idea for both of them, because he still hadn’t sorted his head out.
‘Dancing’s good for you. You’re a doctor, so you should know that,’ Janie said with a grin. ‘What’s the real problem?’
His head was completely mixed up when it came to Georgie: though he wasn’t telling Janie that. ‘I delegated the organisation to one of my colleagues. She says all the men have to wear kilts.’
‘And you don’t have one?’ She smiled at him. ‘No problem. My Donald’s about your size. He can lend you one.’
‘I have a kilt,’ Ryan said.
‘Then there’s no problem, is there?’ Janie said. ‘Truffle can have a sleepover with me and Donald, so you don’t have to worry about getting back early for her. You work hard enough. You deserve a break. A night out will do you good.’ She took the foil tray of casserole from his basket. ‘I’m not selling you that. You go dancing in that kilt. And no arguments from you, or I’ll text Clara and she’ll nag you.’
Ryan knew when to give in. So he duly dropped Truffle at Janie’s, showered and changed into his kilt.
When he came downstairs, Georgie was ready. ‘I’ll drive us, if you like.’
For a moment, he couldn’t answer because his tongue felt stuck to the roof of his mouth. Georgie looked amazing. Her hair was up, and she was wearing just enough mascara to make her green eyes look huge, and red lipstick that made her mouth look temptingly kissable. She was wearing heels, making her legs look as if they went on for ever; though her sleeveless red dress was very demure, with a skirt that came down to just below her knee and a rounded neckline that just skimmed her collarbones. And he was filled with the urge to take her into his arms and do one of those complicated dance moves that would spin her out and let her skirt swish round, then spin her back so she was in his arms again.
‘Ryan? Is everything all right?’
He gathered himself together. ‘It’s fine. No, I’ll drive and you can have a glass of wine or whatever,’ he said.
‘All right.’ She coughed. ‘You look very nice.’
He took a deep breath and hoped that his voice sounded normal when he
