seriously and—’
‘You have nothing to apologise for. I’m appalling if I don’t get my sleep. And we are taking you seriously, Carol.’ Ella pulled a toy car out of a nearby box and placed it on the child’s lap. ‘Look at this, Harry. It’s so cool. The doors open and the steering-wheel moves—and if you press this switch the lights come on. Do you want a turn?’ But Harry showed no interest. He just sat there listlessly and then the next moment he gave a tiny gasp, screwed up his face and clutched his stomach, whimpering in pain.
‘You see?’ The mother bit her lip. ‘He’s been doing this for two days. It lasts a few minutes at the most and then itstops. Our doctor just told me to give him paracetamol, but it honestly doesn’t make any difference. Oh, for goodness’ sake—why am I here? It’s probably nothing.’
But Ella wasn’t thinking that. Something about the child worried her.
Nothing she could immediately identify. Just an instinct.
Reminding herself that instinct was important when it came to children, she rose to her feet. ‘I’m going to ask our consultant to take a look at him.’
She wasn’t even sure if Nikos was in the department. After she’d returned his ring, he’d barely said a word to her and she’d had no idea what he was thinking. He’d driven her back to the harbour and waited without saying a word while she’d collected her bike.
Then he’d sped off in a different direction, presumably to his own home to shower and change.
What had he been thinking?
She didn’t even know where he was living, she realised as she hurried out of the cubicle and started searching for him.
Somewhere fit for a billionaire, no doubt. An enormous mansion or a glossy penthouse with a view of the sea.
The sort of place designed to showcase a thoroughbred woman dressed in designer silk, sipping her drink while she awaited the Greek Tycoon’s pleasure.
Ella chewed her lip anxiously. Not the sort of place for a penniless nurse wearing a dress she’d found in a charity shop. And the Greek Tycoon’s pleasure wasn’t going to be cheese on toast.
Since the death of his wife he’d avoided commitment, and she couldn’t risk being with a man like that, could she?
She’d made the right decision. For both of them.
The waiting room was crowded with children, a baby was crying and a toddler was using the chairs as a climbing frame.
Kelly, one of the staff nurses from the main emergency department, was standing at the reception desk, looking stressed.
She glanced up with relief as Ella approached. ‘I don’t know how you do this,’ she muttered. ‘I mean, the patients are all too young to tell you what’s going on. It’s all guesswork. And the noise—’
‘Have you seen Nikos?’ Ella interrupted her swiftly, and the other nurse shook her head.
‘He’s up with the general manager, thrashing out some problem or other.’
Ella didn’t hesitate. ‘I need you to call him, Kelly. Tell him there’s a patient he needs to see immediately.’
Kelly laughed nervously. ‘You’re kidding, right? You want me to interrupt a meeting between the chief executive and the Greek god?’
‘Don’t call him that.’ Uncharacteristically irritable, Ella reached for the phone. ‘I’ll do it myself.’ She dialled the switchboard and was instantly put through to the chief executive’s office, where she was told he couldn’t be disturbed for the next ten minutes.
Ella glanced at the clock on the wall and thought of Harry, listless and quiet on his mother’s lap.
It wasn’t natural for a two-year-old boy to be listless and quiet.
What if ten minutes was too long?
‘I need to speak to Professor Mariakos now,’ she said firmly. ‘Not in ten minutes.’ Ignoring Kelly’s awed look, she waited in suspense and then finally Nikos’s deep male tones came down the phone.
‘Mariakos.’
‘Nikos, I need you to see a child,’ she said quickly, feeling the colour pour into her face.
‘You have nothing to apologise for. I’m appalling if I don’t get my sleep. And we are taking you seriously, Carol.’ Ella pulled a toy car out of a nearby box and placed it on the child’s lap. ‘Look at this, Harry. It’s so cool. The doors open and the steering-wheel moves—and if you press this switch the lights come on. Do you want a turn?’ But Harry showed no interest. He just sat there listlessly and then the next moment he gave a tiny gasp, screwed up his face and clutched his stomach, whimpering in pain.
‘You see?’ The mother bit her lip. ‘He’s been doing this for two days. It lasts a few minutes at the most and then itstops. Our doctor just told me to give him paracetamol, but it honestly doesn’t make any difference. Oh, for goodness’ sake—why am I here? It’s probably nothing.’
But Ella wasn’t thinking that. Something about the child worried her.
Nothing she could immediately identify. Just an instinct.
Reminding herself that instinct was important when it came to children, she rose to her feet. ‘I’m going to ask our consultant to take a look at him.’
She wasn’t even sure if Nikos was in the department. After she’d returned his ring, he’d barely said a word to her and she’d had no idea what he was thinking. He’d driven her back to the harbour and waited without saying a word while she’d collected her bike.
Then he’d sped off in a different direction, presumably to his own home to shower and change.
What had he been thinking?
She didn’t even know where he was living, she realised as she hurried out of the cubicle and started searching for him.
Somewhere fit for a billionaire, no doubt. An enormous mansion or a glossy penthouse with a view of the sea.
The sort of place designed to showcase a thoroughbred woman dressed in designer silk, sipping her drink while she awaited the Greek Tycoon’s pleasure.
Ella chewed her lip anxiously. Not the sort of place for a penniless nurse wearing a dress she’d found in a charity shop. And the Greek Tycoon’s pleasure wasn’t going to be cheese on toast.
Since the death of his wife he’d avoided commitment, and she couldn’t risk being with a man like that, could she?
She’d made the right decision. For both of them.
The waiting room was crowded with children, a baby was crying and a toddler was using the chairs as a climbing frame.
Kelly, one of the staff nurses from the main emergency department, was standing at the reception desk, looking stressed.
She glanced up with relief as Ella approached. ‘I don’t know how you do this,’ she muttered. ‘I mean, the patients are all too young to tell you what’s going on. It’s all guesswork. And the noise—’
‘Have you seen Nikos?’ Ella interrupted her swiftly, and the other nurse shook her head.
‘He’s up with the general manager, thrashing out some problem or other.’
Ella didn’t hesitate. ‘I need you to call him, Kelly. Tell him there’s a patient he needs to see immediately.’
Kelly laughed nervously. ‘You’re kidding, right? You want me to interrupt a meeting between the chief executive and the Greek god?’
‘Don’t call him that.’ Uncharacteristically irritable, Ella reached for the phone. ‘I’ll do it myself.’ She dialled the switchboard and was instantly put through to the chief executive’s office, where she was told he couldn’t be disturbed for the next ten minutes.
Ella glanced at the clock on the wall and thought of Harry, listless and quiet on his mother’s lap.
It wasn’t natural for a two-year-old boy to be listless and quiet.
What if ten minutes was too long?
‘I need to speak to Professor Mariakos now,’ she said firmly. ‘Not in ten minutes.’ Ignoring Kelly’s awed look, she waited in suspense and then finally Nikos’s deep male tones came down the phone.
‘Mariakos.’
‘Nikos, I need you to see a child,’ she said quickly, feeling the colour pour into her face.
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