Jago frowned. ‘She isn’t dead, Mrs Churchman.’ He went on to outline Molly’s injuries and treatment in a cool, factual way and eventually the young mother seemed to gain some measure of control.
‘Can I see her now?’
Katy nodded. ‘When you’re ready, one of the nurses will take you to the children’s ward and you’ll be able to stay with her. Is there anyone you’d like us to call to be with you?’
Mrs Churchman shook her head and reached for her bag. ‘No. Her father is away on business and I don’t want to worry my parents with it. I’ll be fine now.’
Looking at her pale face, Katy wasn’t so sure and she made a mental note to check on her later.
Leaving Mrs Churchman to gather her belongings together, they left the room and Katy arranged for a nurse to escort her to the ward.
‘I’m glad you were there,’ Jago said dryly as they walked back towards the main area of the A and E department. ‘Dealing with hysterical females is not my strong point.’
She smiled at him. ‘I thought you were brilliant.’
‘Well, thank you,’ Jago drawled softly, pausing as one of the other casualty officers waylaid him to ask his opinion on an X-ray.
Jago took the film in question and pushed it into the nearest light-box, his gaze fixed on the X-ray in front of him. ‘There’s a hairline fracture on the anterior view.’
The doctor muttered his thanks, looked slightly embarrassed that he hadn’t spotted it himself and then hurried off to manage the patient accordingly.
Katy staring at Jago with a mixture of admiration and frustration. ‘You never miss anything, do you? Has anyone ever told you that you set impossibly high standards?’
‘This is an A and E department,’ Jago reminded her with a careless lift of his broad shoulders. ‘How can standards ever be too high? If we get it wrong, people die. And in this wonderful age of litigation, if we were even remotely to blame, we’re sued.’
They walked on down the corridor and Katy bit her lip, knowing that there was some truth in what he said.
People were much quicker to apportion blame these days.
‘Well, I for one am glad you have high standards. You were great with Molly,’ she said softly, and he glanced towards her.
‘So were you,’ he said equally softly, a wry smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. ‘You’re a good doctor, Katy. You have good instincts.’
She looked at him and found her gaze trapped by his. The tension pulsed between them and she took a step backwards, stunned by the intensity of the attraction.
Breathing hard she tried to pull herself together.
He hadn’t trusted her.
She had to keep reminding herself of that fact.
‘I hope Molly will be all right.’
The faint amusement in his dark eyes indicated that he was well aware of her internal struggle. ‘She was lucky,’ he said smoothly. ‘That mother should have had locks on the upstairs windows.’ With a last lingering look at her mouth he turned away from her and walked back towards the main area of the A and E department, obviously expecting her to follow. ‘She was totally negligent.’
Katy was taken aback by his sharp comment. ‘Children move so fast—’
‘And it is a mother’s job to be one step ahead of them,’ he shot back, his expression disapproving. ‘A two-year-old girl should not be falling out of windows, no matter how hot the weather.’
‘Accidents happen,’ Katy reminded him gently. ‘People make mistakes. You’re very judgmental.’
‘And you’re very forgiving, querida,’ he observed, stopping dead in his tracks, his dark lashes hiding his expression from her, ‘except, it would seem, when I’m the culprit.’
Heat rushed to her face and she bit her lip, flustered by the hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his firm mouth.
‘Jago—’
‘Tell me, Katy.’ He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. ‘How long are you going to keep up this pretence?’