leg—it’s really painful.’
He sank back with closed eyes and Jandy turned to the elderly lady. ‘Has your husband been in pain long?’
‘Oh, we’re not married,’ said the woman quickly, a slight flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. She spoke rapidly, shock making her garrulous. ‘We’re just very good friends—we were colleagues and we’ve been on a tour of Greek historical sites.’
‘What’s your friend’s name?’ asked Jandy gently.
‘Oh, yes, of course…His name’s Charles Westhrop. He said his leg was painful as he came down the steps of the aeroplane, and that’s about two hours ago, but he won’t let me look at it.’
‘And your name?’
‘Gwen Pendle.’
‘Well, I think we’d better look at your friend’s leg now, Ms Pendle. Let’s get Mr Westhrop into a cubicle.’
Max trundled the wheelchair across and with Tilly’s help they managed to get the man onto a bed in the cubicle, and Jandy slipped an oxygen mask over Mr Westhrop’s face.
‘This should make your breathing easier,’ she explained, disguising her shock at the sight of the man’s swollen limb as she cut down the trouser leg with a pair of scissors. The skin stretched tight, red and shiny, and she noted the parchment-like pallor of his face and the slight sheen of perspiration on his forehead. He was obviously very ill.
She touched the leg very gently and Mr Westhrop flinched, biting his lip. ‘A little painful, that,’ he mumbled from behind the mask.
‘Tilly, ask Mr Vernon or Dr Thoms to come immediately, would you?’ Jandy’s voice sounded calm, belying the danger signals that were flashing in her head.
‘May I come in?’ asked Ms Pendle timidly, putting her head round the curtain.
‘Perhaps you’d like to go and have a cup of tea while Mr Westhrop is being examined?’ Jandy suggested kindly to little Miss Pendle, who was looking rather grey herself at the glimpse she had of her friend’s elephantine limb.
‘Oh—please let her stay,’ said the man weakly.
Gwen put her hand over Charles’s and patted it gently. ‘Of course I’ll stay,’ she said bravely. ‘I want to know what they have to say about you, Charles—I’ll have a cup of tea in a minute.’
‘I’ll be fine—it’s all a fuss about nothing,’ said Charles, his voice muffled through the oxygen mask.
But Jandy could tell that he was relieved that Miss Pendle was staying with him—they were obviously devoted to each other. Then the curtain swished aside and Patrick’s tall figure appeared.
‘Oh…it’s you!’ she exclaimed, shocked at his sudden appearance.
Her heart clattered uncomfortably against her ribcage—why had he turned up? She wasn’t prepared, hadn’t expected to see him, and now here he was in front of her, with his dreamy looks and clean-cut image of a film-star doctor in his hospital greens that couldn’t disguise his muscular body—the man who’d actually been very rude to her.
She took a deep breath and thought crossly, Darn it, I’m not going to think of how attractive the man is. If he wants to keep me at arm’s length because I’m not classy enough for him, that’s fine with me!
‘I didn’t know you were in, Dr Sinclair,’ she said coolly. If he expected her to turn on a smile, he had another think coming.
There was something in those deep blue eyes that she couldn’t interpret when he glanced at her, then he said briskly, ‘Sorry—you’ll have to put up with me, I’m afraid. Dr Thoms is busy with a compound fracture at the moment and Mr Vernon’s off with a tooth abscess. Now, what have we here?’
‘This is Mr Westhrop and his friend, Ms Pendle. He’s just come off a long flight from Greece,’ explained Jandy crisply. ‘He’s finding it difficult to breathe and, as you can see, his leg’s very swollen and painful. He’s been like this for just over an hour since the plane landed. His BP’s up and he’s got a slight temperature.’
Patrick examined the leg
He sank back with closed eyes and Jandy turned to the elderly lady. ‘Has your husband been in pain long?’
‘Oh, we’re not married,’ said the woman quickly, a slight flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. She spoke rapidly, shock making her garrulous. ‘We’re just very good friends—we were colleagues and we’ve been on a tour of Greek historical sites.’
‘What’s your friend’s name?’ asked Jandy gently.
‘Oh, yes, of course…His name’s Charles Westhrop. He said his leg was painful as he came down the steps of the aeroplane, and that’s about two hours ago, but he won’t let me look at it.’
‘And your name?’
‘Gwen Pendle.’
‘Well, I think we’d better look at your friend’s leg now, Ms Pendle. Let’s get Mr Westhrop into a cubicle.’
Max trundled the wheelchair across and with Tilly’s help they managed to get the man onto a bed in the cubicle, and Jandy slipped an oxygen mask over Mr Westhrop’s face.
‘This should make your breathing easier,’ she explained, disguising her shock at the sight of the man’s swollen limb as she cut down the trouser leg with a pair of scissors. The skin stretched tight, red and shiny, and she noted the parchment-like pallor of his face and the slight sheen of perspiration on his forehead. He was obviously very ill.
She touched the leg very gently and Mr Westhrop flinched, biting his lip. ‘A little painful, that,’ he mumbled from behind the mask.
‘Tilly, ask Mr Vernon or Dr Thoms to come immediately, would you?’ Jandy’s voice sounded calm, belying the danger signals that were flashing in her head.
‘May I come in?’ asked Ms Pendle timidly, putting her head round the curtain.
‘Perhaps you’d like to go and have a cup of tea while Mr Westhrop is being examined?’ Jandy suggested kindly to little Miss Pendle, who was looking rather grey herself at the glimpse she had of her friend’s elephantine limb.
‘Oh—please let her stay,’ said the man weakly.
Gwen put her hand over Charles’s and patted it gently. ‘Of course I’ll stay,’ she said bravely. ‘I want to know what they have to say about you, Charles—I’ll have a cup of tea in a minute.’
‘I’ll be fine—it’s all a fuss about nothing,’ said Charles, his voice muffled through the oxygen mask.
But Jandy could tell that he was relieved that Miss Pendle was staying with him—they were obviously devoted to each other. Then the curtain swished aside and Patrick’s tall figure appeared.
‘Oh…it’s you!’ she exclaimed, shocked at his sudden appearance.
Her heart clattered uncomfortably against her ribcage—why had he turned up? She wasn’t prepared, hadn’t expected to see him, and now here he was in front of her, with his dreamy looks and clean-cut image of a film-star doctor in his hospital greens that couldn’t disguise his muscular body—the man who’d actually been very rude to her.
She took a deep breath and thought crossly, Darn it, I’m not going to think of how attractive the man is. If he wants to keep me at arm’s length because I’m not classy enough for him, that’s fine with me!
‘I didn’t know you were in, Dr Sinclair,’ she said coolly. If he expected her to turn on a smile, he had another think coming.
There was something in those deep blue eyes that she couldn’t interpret when he glanced at her, then he said briskly, ‘Sorry—you’ll have to put up with me, I’m afraid. Dr Thoms is busy with a compound fracture at the moment and Mr Vernon’s off with a tooth abscess. Now, what have we here?’
‘This is Mr Westhrop and his friend, Ms Pendle. He’s just come off a long flight from Greece,’ explained Jandy crisply. ‘He’s finding it difficult to breathe and, as you can see, his leg’s very swollen and painful. He’s been like this for just over an hour since the plane landed. His BP’s up and he’s got a slight temperature.’
Patrick examined the leg
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