The Greek Children's Doctor(31)

'It's special,' she croaked finally, and Katy's smile broadened.

'Good. Admitting that is the first step to learning to trust. Why would he damage anything so special?'

'Because men do that all the time?'

Katy shook her head. 'No. I disagree. There are plenty of mediocre and  bad relationships out there and it's hardly surprising that they go  wrong because they were always wrong. But when a relationship is special  it stays special and it doesn't go wrong, Libby. It just grows  stronger. Providing you let it.'

Libby gave a wobbly smile. 'You're back to your psychiatrist mode again. Are you leaving A and E?'

Katy glanced at her watch and pulled a face. 'If I don't get back to  work soon, the answer is very probably. But I'm serious, Libby. You have  to acknowledge that what you have together is something that neither of  you is going to throw away.'

Libby stood still, recognising the truth in her sister's words. What she and Andreas shared was special. 'So what do I do?'

Katy grinned. 'You go for it, angel. If you want him-and I know that you do-then don't let him get away.'

'What if he doesn't want me any more? What if it's too late?'



Katy sighed. 'You're doing it again-not trusting your relationship. Not  believing in the love you have for each other. Love doesn't die  overnight, Libby. Andreas still wants you, but he wants you to believe  that what you share is special, too. You need to show him that you do.  You need to show him that it's so special you're not going to give up on  it.' She gave her sister another hug and then made for the door. 'I  want to be your matron-of-honour while I still have something resembling  a waistline so you'd better get a move on.'

With that she pushed open the door of the treatment room and left Libby  to return to the ward, totally distracted by their conversation.

'There you are.' Bev hurried up, an expression of relief on her face.  'The SHO just called us from A and E. He's taken a call from a GP who's  sending in a three-year-old with a high fever and vomiting. Can you get  the side room ready?'

Libby hurried off to do as Bev requested and as an afterthought laid up a  trolley for a lumbar puncture just in case it was needed.

She'd just finished the room when the little boy arrived on the ward accompanied by the paramedics who'd been called by the GP.                       
       
           



       

'This is Max King,' one of the paramedics told her. 'He's been ill since last night but he's gone downhill very fast.'

Jonathon, the SHO, was by his side and looked distinctly flustered.  'I've been calling Andreas, but I'm not getting an answer,' he muttered  to Libby. She sensed immediately that he was out of his depth and one  glance at the child confirmed the reason.

The little boy was drowsy and irritable and his breathing was rapid. One  touch of his dry, scorching skin confirmed that his temperature was  sky-high.

'All right, Max,' she soothed gently, 'we'll soon have you sorted out.'

'I'll try bleeping Andreas again,' the SHO muttered, and Libby caught his arm as he went to leave the room.

'Has the child had penicillin yet?' she asked urgently, lowering her voice so that the parents didn't hear her question him.

The SHO shook his head and glanced at the little boy. 'I was waiting for  Andreas to look at him. There's no rash or anything, so I didn't  think-'

'Get some penicillin inside him now,' Libby ordered softly, knowing that  the doctor was still relatively inexperienced and not wanting to take  any chances. 'There doesn't have to be a rash for it to be meningitis  and that child is very sick. Do it, and then we can do the rest of the  investigations knowing that at least we've covered that option. He's  showing definite signs of raised intracranial pressure.'

She'd nursed children with meningitis before and she knew that the  presentation often varied. But it was still a lethal disease and she  wasn't taking any chances while they waited for Andreas.

Jonathon hesitated and then nodded. 'All right. If you think so.'

'I do,' Libby said firmly, reaching for the penicillin that she'd put on  the trolley. She turned to the parents, her tone calm and reassuring.  'We're just going to give him some antibiotics. Do you know his weight?'

She calculated the dose based on what the parents told her and then  handed it to Jonathon, who checked it and gave it to the restless child.

Max's mother, Heather, was white with anxiety. 'You think it might be meningitis, don't you?'

'It's a possibility,' Libby said gently, 'which is why we've given the  penicillin at the earliest time, but our consultant will be here soon  and-'

'I'm here.'

Libby felt a rush of relief as she recognised the voice behind her. She'd never been so pleased to see Andreas in her life.



'This is Dr Christakos.' She introduced him to the parents, realising  just how much she loved him. Just how much faith she had in him.

Andreas was by the child's side in an instant, taking the handover from Jonathon as he examined the sick little boy.

'You poor little thing,' he murmured gently, his large hands gently  palpating the child's abdomen. 'Jonathon, has he had penicillin?'

'Yes.' The SHO shot Libby a look of gratitude. 'Libby thought we should go ahead with that and not wait for you.'

'Good decision.'

Andreas completed his examination and straightened. 'I want to do a lumbar puncture straight away-can you lay up a trolley?'

'It's here.' Libby pushed it forward and a small smile played around his firm mouth.

'Do you ever get anything wrong?'

Her heart beat slightly faster. 'Yes. But when I do, I try to put it right.'

For a brief moment his dark eyes were questioning and then he strode  over to the sink and started scrubbing, talking to the parents as he  prepared to perform the lumbar puncture.

He explained what he was planning to do and why, and Heather clung to her husband, the worry visible on her face.

'Perhaps you would rather wait outside while we do this,' Andreas suggested, but Heather shook her head.

'No. I don't want to leave him.'

Andreas looked at Libby. 'We'll do it in the treatment room. I want to  get a line in first but then someone needs to hold him for the LP.'

'I'll hold him,' she said immediately, 'and I'll ask Bev to find someone to assist you.'

Moments later they were all gathered in the treatment room and Andreas  inserted a line with ease. That done, Libby gently turned Max on his  side, talking quietly to him all the time.

She curved the little boy round so that his knees were up by his chin,  flexing the spine, and watched while Andreas marked the skin with a pen  and then draped and sterilised the area.

Bev settled Heather at the head of the trolley. 'Sit there and talk to  him,' she suggested quietly, 'but keep your back to Dr Christakos and  then you won't have to watch what's happening.'                       
       
           



       

Andreas infiltrated the skin with local anaesthetic and then tested the site, his eyes flickering to hers.

'Are you ready?' She nodded and held Max firmly, knowing how crucial it was that the child didn't move during the procedure.

She watched as Andreas inserted the LP needle, talking quietly to the  child and occasionally making a comment to Jonathon who was watching.

Bev had three little bottles ready and Andreas let four drops of fluid fall into each bottle.

Once Andreas was satisfied, he withdrew the needle and cleaned the site before covering it with the dressing that Bev had ready.

'All done.' He pushed his chair away from the side of the trolley and  stood up, ripping off his gloves and dropping them in the nearest bin.  'We'll get those samples to the lab urgently and in the meantime we'll  get a line in and start getting fluids into the little chap.'

Max had stopped wailing now and was lying on the trolley, moaning quietly.

Andreas turned to his SHO with a list of instructions and tests that he  wanted performed. He was leaving absolutely nothing to chance.

'Let's get him back to the room and let him sleep,' he said quietly, his  gaze flickering to the parents. 'I'm sorry. This is all very worrying  for you, I know, and I'm aware that we haven't had much time for  explanations because of the urgency of the situation. If there is  anything you'd like to ask me now, please do so.'

Heather's eyes filled. 'He looks so poorly. What will happen?'



'We wait for the results of these tests and we watch him,' Andreas said,  his eyes flickering to the child who was shifting restlessly on the  trolley. He frowned slightly and pulled back the sheet Libby had used to  cover Max. 'He has a rash.'

Libby followed his gaze and saw that the child had indeed developed a rash all over his body.

Andreas looked at her and his eyes were warm. 'You did the right thing,  giving that penicillin,' he said softly, and she swallowed.

She really needed to talk to him but she didn't know when an opportunity was going to present itself.

Max started to improve over the next two days and once it was clear that  he was no longer on the critical list, his parents started to relax  slightly and even take short breaks away from the room.