A Change Of Heart. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ arrived about eighteen months ago—about the same time Lisa started here. ‘‘Sex on wheels’’, as one nurse was heard to report. Wealthy, confident, charming and…single.’

      ‘And Dr Kennedy fell for him.’ David nodded, feeling somehow disappointed.

      ‘Not exactly. He fell for Lisa—in a big way. She did go out with him a few times.’

      ‘And?’

      Mike glanced around them and lowered his voice. ‘Lewis presented her with an engagement ring. A rock that could have given her carpal tunnel syndrome if she’d worn it for any length of time.’

      ‘A generous man.’

      ‘Mmm.’ Mike bit back a smile. ‘Unfortunately he was overheard by a secretary telling your predecessor that he had no intention of marrying Lisa. The engagement seemed to be the price he’d have to pay to get her into the sack, so he was happy to fork out and with a bit of luck he might even get the ring back later.’ Mike cleared his throat expressively. ‘Word got around, you know?’

      ‘I know.’ David smiled wryly. He looked at Mike curiously. ‘So Lisa knew what was going on, then? I take it she didn’t accept?’

      ‘Oh, she accepted it. She returned it a day or two later. Lewis was not impressed.’

      David said nothing. He had a feeling there was more to the story. Sure enough, Mike laughed quietly but gleefully as he gave another quick glance over his shoulder.

      ‘Lisa had the ring valued. She put it in a clear plastic envelope with the formal valuation. She also put in an address of a local house of pleasure with a suggested list of services—all couched in the most tasteful euphemisms—that added up to the exact worth of the ring. Then she posted it in the internal mail system.’

      David whistled silently. Half the hospital had probably seen it before it arrived at its destination. And the other half would have heard about it.

      ‘Photocopies of the list still surface occasionally,’ Mike added wonderingly. ‘It was a major form of entertainment for months, trying to guess what some of those services might actually be. Even Lewis came to see the funny side—or pretended he did. I suspect it bumped up his estimation of Lisa Kennedy no end but he had no show after that.’

      ‘I’ll bet.’ David shook his head. ‘No wonder she’s not too keen on surgeons.’

      ‘Don’t take it personally.’

      ‘Funny, that’s what she said.’

      ‘She goes out with Alan Bennett now.’

      ‘What?’ David was appalled. ‘He’s old enough to be her father.’

      ‘It’s a convenient arrangement. They accompany each other to medical functions. Lisa’s great company.’

      ‘So it would seem.’ David’s tone was ironic. ‘Is there anyone she doesn’t go out with?’

      Mike laughed again. ‘Yeah—Lewis Tanner.’

      ‘Can’t wait to meet the guy.’

      ‘You don’t have to wait,’ Mike promised. He pushed the door open. ‘Let’s go and see if he’s putting in an appearance at this meeting for once.’

      Lewis Tanner would be in his early forties, David guessed. He was charming, sure enough. His welcome for David and apologies for missing his visit the day before were quite sincere. David eyed dispassionately the tall, impeccably dressed figure, the smooth, glossy black hair, the blue eyes and the automatic smile. David had more than a passing interest in keeping up his own appearance but Lewis Tanner made him feel distinctly scruffy. Perhaps it was the silk handkerchief or the miniature carnation in his buttonhole. Or maybe it was the unnaturally high sheen on his black shoes. Instinctively, he disliked the man and he spent the first ten minutes of the meeting trying to fathom out why.

      The meeting was a regular weekly occurrence. Cardiology staff presented their referrals for surgery and decisions were made on priorities and theatre lists. The cardiothoracic team had a similar meeting later in the week with the respiratory department. David was only half listening to Lisa as she went through the scoring system on the sixty-two-year old woman being referred.

      ‘Severe triple vessel coronary artery disease,’ Lisa stated. ‘Left main stem was normal but there is a seventy to eighty per cent stenosis on the left anterior descending. Dominant right coronary artery with an eighty per cent lesion in its mid-conduit portion and further fifty per cent lesion prior to the origin of the posterior descending artery.’

      David watched Lewis Tanner who was watching Lisa. There was no hint of any personal animosity or long-held grudges. It was interesting to note that Lisa could hold a professional relationship with someone who had failed so stunningly to make it on a personal basis. There was hope for David yet. Lewis was nodding occasionally in agreement and his expression suggested that he was impressed at Lisa’s presentation. From the angle David was sitting at he could follow the line of Lewis’s gaze quite accurately, however.

      Lisa had crossed her legs and David had to admit that the glimpse of thigh offered by the split skirt was arresting. When Lisa paused momentarily in her summary he glanced up and was startled to find her eyes fixed on him in a baleful glare. She looked away as soon as David caught her eye and continued her presentation, but he could have sworn her lip curled fractionally. It was only then that he realised what had caused her disgust. His tie felt suddenly over-tight. He adjusted the knot with a casual movement but his lips were pressed firmly together. Damn the woman! Now she assumed he had been sitting there thinking of nothing but her legs!

      ‘Class one angina with ongoing pain at rest,’ Lisa finished up. ‘The echo shows a well-preserved left ventricular function with an ejection fraction of eighty per cent. We recommend urgent revascularisation.’

      ‘Of course,’ Lewis murmured. ‘Let’s get her on the list for this week.’

      That was it. David forgot about Lisa—her legs, her attitude problem and even her scary ability to publicly humiliate surgeons. He found himself nodding but his agreement had nothing to do with the patient. He realised why he didn’t like Lewis Tanner. The man was assuming a controlling influence in the group even though the heads of both departments were sitting nearby. He oozed confidence in his own opinion and reeked of assumed power.

      David’s glance shifted to Alan Bennett. The older surgeon’s face was impassive as he nodded agreement but David could sense the undercurrent. He swore silently. What kind of interpersonal warfare had he stepped into? He resolved to keep silent until he got a better feel for what was going on.

      He didn’t have long to wait. Mike Foster launched into a polite but clearly personal criticism of Lewis Tanner.

      ‘We don’t seem to have resolved the communication difficulties between departments, Lewis. The Monday morning elective angioplasty slot is required to have surgical back-up for any emergency. You were covering this slot yesterday.’

      Lewis raised his hands, palms upward, the diamond on his signet ring catching the light. ‘I know, I must apologise again. It was—’

      Mike interrupted him. ‘It was a potential disaster. We had our patient on the table, sedated and finally psyched up for what she viewed as a major procedure. We were unable to contact you to confirm СКАЧАТЬ