The Greek Children's Doctor (Westerling)

Jenny continued to scream for her mother and Libby exchanged worried looks with Andreas.

‘Let’s get on with it,’ he muttered, and Libby breathed out heavily. It was horrible, seeing the child so distressed.

She was sobbing now and Libby couldn’t stand it a moment longer. She pulled up a chair, wrapped the child in a sterile towel and scooped her onto her lap, cuddling her close.

‘There, sweetheart,’ she crooned. ‘Mummy will be coming in a minute. There’s a good girl.’

She continued to talk soothing nonsense while Andreas searched for a vein. Libby prayed that he’d find one quickly, watching his lean, brown hands as he tapped and squeezed until he was satisfied.

He rocked back on his heels and pulled a face. ‘Well, I think that looks hopeful.’

The A and E sister stepped forward. ‘I’ll squeeze.’ She wrapped her hands around the tiny wrist and squeezed while Andreas slipped the cannula into the vein with ridiculous ease.

Libby let out a sigh of relief and Charlotte whistled in admiration.

‘Nice work,’ she said cheerfully, taping the cannula in place and attaching it to the bag of intravenous fluids. ‘Here’s that morphine you requested.’

She waved the syringe under his nose and Andreas checked it carefully before taking it from her and injecting it slowly into the tube.

‘We’ll start with this and she can have more in ten minutes if it hasn’t done the trick.’

Jenny clung to Libby, shivering and sobbing until gradually the drug took effect and the little girl slumped in Libby’s arms.

Andreas straightened and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. ‘OK, let’s do a map of those burns and dress them, and then I want to pass a catheter so that we can measure her urine output.’

They worked as quickly as they could and Jenny clung to Libby, obviously seeing her as some sort of substitute mother.

Finally Andreas was satisfied that they’d done all they could. ‘We need to check that her fluid replacement is adequate. I want an output of one mil per kilogram per hour.’

Libby nodded and she and Charlotte manoeuvred the child onto the scales, recording the result in the notes.

‘Right, let’s get her up to the ward and make her comfortable. Keep an eye on her pulses in case her circulation is compromised. Now, how’s that baby?’

‘She seems fine.’ While she’d been helping with Jenny, the A and E sister had put the baby safely in a cot and she was now lying there quietly. ‘Do you want to check her here or on the ward?’

‘I’ll do it here.’ Andreas unlooped the stethoscope from around his neck and walked across to the baby.

With Jenny still snuggled on her lap, Libby watched as he examined the baby thoroughly, finally picking her up and making her laugh by blowing raspberries on her stomach.

‘She seems none the worse for her dramatic fall,’ Andreas observed quietly, holding the child with the easy confidence of someone who was thoroughly at home with children.

Libby watched him, unable to stop herself. He was just so good with children.

It was amazing that he didn’t have any himself.

But that would have meant settling down with one woman, and that clearly wasn’t his style.

And he obviously wasn’t that keen to be a father. After all, he’d been the one to suggest that she take the morning-after pill.

Pushing the thought away, she stood up, intending to place Jenny on the trolley so that she could dress her legs, but the little girl clung to her and whimpered pathetically.

‘I’ll do the dressings,’ Charlotte said immediately. ‘She seems to have taken to you so it seems a shame to upset her again. Keep her on your lap and I’ll sort it out.’

She bustled around the room, collecting various bits and pieces, and then pushed a dressing trolley close to Libby.

With the deft efficiency of a nurse who was well used to doing dressings, Charlotte covered the burns and made the child comfortable.

‘Carry her up to the ward,’ Andreas advised softly, placing a large, reassuring hand on the child’s head. ‘She’s had just about all the trauma she can take, poor thing.’