The Doctor's Secret Family. Alison Roberts

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СКАЧАТЬ the upper airways, and over-vigorous inflation could damage the lungs. ‘Any problems?’

      ‘No. I ventilated at a rate of thirty per minute with a nice gentle pressure but she still didn’t pink up. Heart rate was less than sixty per minute so then I started cardiac massage.’ Hannah’s smile was a little grim. She had thought she was fighting a losing battle at that point. She had encircled the baby’s chest with both hands, positioning her thumbs to exert pressure on the lower half of the tiny sternum and directing the nurse assisting her to deliver one inflation of the lungs to every three to five compressions.

      ‘Did you need any adrenaline?’

      ‘I had it drawn up as I cannulated the umbilical vein but then things started to improve.’ Hannah’s smile was much brighter now. ‘The Apgar score at five minutes was 7. She had facial grimaces, gasping respiration, heart rate greater than a hundred, some flexion and she was finally pink!’

      Peter smiled at Hannah’s obvious pleasure. ‘Pretty satisfying, then?’

      ‘You bet. Apgar was 9 at ten minutes. I still wasn’t happy enough with her muscle tone to give her a ten but I’m pretty confident she’ll be OK. It’s hard to know, though, isn’t it?’ Hannah’s brow furrowed. ‘She could have been without oxygen for long enough to have permanent repercussions.’

      ‘Some people put all sorts of things down to a mild hypoxic insult—anything from hyperactivity to learning problems. But there’s not much in the way of good evidence. Babies can recover remarkably well from what seems like a dire start to life. We’ll keep an eye on this one for the next few days for any sign of neurological compromise but I doubt we’ll find anything. You sound like you managed a difficult case extremely well, Hannah. Well done.’ The consultant’s face creased into a familiar expression of approval. ‘I’m proud of you.’

      ‘Thanks.’ Hannah returned the fond smile. ‘If I’m good at what I do a lot of credit needs to go to you, you know.’

      ‘It’s always been a pleasure to work with you, Hannah. A pleasure that I hope will continue for a long time.’

      ‘So do I.’ Hannah toyed with her almost empty cup of coffee. ‘I’m going to be biting my nails waiting for this consultancy to be decided.’

      ‘You really want this job, don’t you?’

      ‘It’s exactly what I want, Pete.’

      ‘But it’s only a seven-tenths position and you don’t want to do any private practice, do you?’

      ‘Will that make a difference?’ Hannah asked anxiously. ‘Do you really need someone else in your practice?’

      ‘I will eventually. I’m not getting any younger, in case you hadn’t noticed.’

      Peter was nearly sixty years old but Hannah grinned. ‘I hadn’t. You’ll need to develop some more crinkles, as Livvy calls them.’

      ‘I’ve got plenty of ‘‘crinkles’’.’ Peter’s face brightened. ‘How is Livvy?’

      ‘She’s great. She can write her own name now. She drew the most amazing picture yesterday and signed it for me. I think I’ll get it framed.’

      ‘What’s it a picture of?’

      ‘Joseph.’

      ‘That’s your…donkey, yes?’’

      Hannah laughed. ‘That’s the one.’

      ‘It’s a bit difficult remembering all the names of your pets. Every one of those hens has a name, doesn’t it?’

      ‘Yes. And the goat and cats. We’d love to get a puppy some time as well.’

      ‘How on earth do you look after them all?’

      ‘It’s not difficult. And if I get this consultancy I’ll have a bit more time at home so maybe we could think about getting a dog.’

      ‘Is that why you’re so keen?’

      ‘Of course not. Having more time with Livvy is the main appeal. On a consultant’s salary I would be paid as much for seven-tenths as I am for this registrar position, which feels like twelve-tenths a lot of the time. Plus I’d be able to stay in Christchurch on a permanent basis. Neither Livvy nor I want to leave our property. I’ve spent years turning that old house into something worth living in and I’d hate to move. We’d never find land so close to town that we could afford now either. The prices for lifestyle blocks have gone through the roof in the last few years.’

      ‘So the department doesn’t really rate, then?’

      ‘Come off it, Pete.’ Hannah’s admonishing tone was negated by the smile she bestowed on her boss. ‘You’ve been far more than a boss, or even a colleague, to me and you know it. I might never have come back after having Livvy if it hadn’t been for your encouragement, and thanks to you, the paediatric department of Christchurch Central is probably more sought after as a place to work in than anywhere else in this country.’ She sighed. ‘That’s the problem. I’m going to be up against some pretty stiff competition for this position, aren’t I?’

      ‘I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I was just discussing you with Tom Berry, in fact.’

      ‘Oh?’ Tom Berry was one of the paediatric surgeons at Central. He would also be on the committee that would decide the position. Hannah widened her eyes anxiously but Peter simply grinned.

      ‘He had very nice things to say about you.’ Peter glanced at his watch. ‘And that reminds me. I was supposed to be in Tom’s office ten minutes ago for an afternoon tea to welcome their new appointee.’ He stood up hurriedly. ‘I’ll have to disappear. Sorry, Hannah.’

      ‘That’s OK.’ Hannah followed his example and rose, collecting her empty plate and cup. ‘I’m due back in the ward for an admission anyway.’

      Her resigned expression made Peter smile. ‘Anyone I know?’

      ‘Jadine Milton,’ Hannah replied. ‘She looks set to become our latest frequent flyer.’

      ‘Abdominal pain again?’

      ‘Yep. And I’ve ruled out every obscure medical cause I can think of over the last three admissions.’

      ‘Crohn’s disease? Constipation? Lead poisoning?’ Peter was walking with Hannah as she left the cafeteria.

      ‘And intussusception, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, pyelonephritis and pancreatitis.’

      ‘Diabetes?’

      ‘Blood sugars are normal. I’m sure there’s no organic cause. We even did an endoscopy last time to rule out peptic ulcers.’

      ‘Munchausen’s?’

      ‘It’s starting to look like that. Or Munchausen’s by proxy. The mother’s got a few problems.’

      ‘Who initiated today’s admission?’

      ‘The GP. I suspect she’s fed up.’

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