Red-Hot Desert Docs. Carol Marinelli

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СКАЧАТЬ Phillip going home?’ Adele asked.

      ‘Phillip is staying here tonight too,’ Zahir answered the question. ‘He doesn’t want to upset his wife by turning up in the middle of the night.’ His mind was made up. ‘You’re staying in and then I’ll sign you off for the rest of the week.’

      Adele would far rather have gone home but instead she had to lie there listening to Phillip snoring and Gladys, who was now in the opposite bed, first singing and later talking in her sleep.

      And then she too started to snore!

      As well as that there was a lot of chatter coming from the staffroom as people went for their breaks.

      Yikes, she would be quieter in the future when she took her break, Adele decided.

      A light was shining from the desk and Adele asked if the curtain could be pulled around her.

      Then, just as she drifted off, it was time for her hourly observations.

      And then, a while later, from the other side of the curtain came the balm of Zahir’s voice as he asked the night nurse for an update.

      ‘How’s Gladys?’

      ‘Sobering up.’

      ‘How’s Phillip?’

      ‘His obs are all fine, he’s sleeping soundly. What happened with Tony?’

      ‘He was discharged home.’

      And then he asked about her.

      ‘What about Adele?’

      ‘Her obs are stable, she’s not sleeping very well, though.’

      ‘Okay.’

      Zahir went off to see some more patients.

      It was an exceptionally busy night but in between seeing patients he made his it’s not you, it’s me speech to a very put-out Bella.

      Normally he would have seen her home, but tonight he could not leave the department and he could not string her along so she had gone home in a taxi.

      Now, as the day staff started to trickle in, Zahir made coffee.

      And he took one in to Adele.

      She was finally asleep, not that anyone took such a thing into consideration in the observation ward!

      ‘Adele.’

      He watched as she woke up and opened both eyes, and he was pleased to see that her eye had not closed over.

      ‘How are you feeling?’ he enquired.

      ‘A bit sorry for myself,’ she admitted. ‘And I’m sorry if I was rude to you last night.’

      ‘I get it.’

      ‘I doubt it.’ She sat up and saw that he was placing a mug of coffee on her locker.

      ‘Ooh, I really am getting the royal treatment this morning,’ she said, and then smiled at her own joke and Zahir found that he did too.

      ‘I’ve discharged you,’ he said. ‘Roger comes on at seven and I shall bring him up to speed with all that happened last night and then I shall drive you home.’

      ‘I don’t want you to drive me home, Zahir,’ she said.

      She didn’t.

      All she needed was to get away from him, from the torture of being crazy about someone. He had been horrible to her, rude to her, and while she understood that he might not fancy her she loathed the sudden false niceness.

      ‘I’m going to call a friend to come and get me,’ Adele said.

      ‘No, you’re not,’ Zahir refuted. ‘We need to talk.’

      ‘About?’

      ‘We shall discuss things in the car.’

      He made no secret that he was taking her home. In fact, when Phillip asked Adele how she was getting home, Zahir responded that he would take her himself.

      And, really, no one gave it a thought.

      Janet had offered her a lift and so had Helene and a couple of other staff too.

      Of course her colleagues were concerned.

      The mood was sombre and assaults on staff were not good for morale.

      ‘Here.’ Janet had fetched Adele’s clothes from her locker and brought her a towel and the little overnight pack that Gladys and Phillip would be getting too.

      It contained a tiny bar of soap, a minute tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush and a little plastic comb.

      Adele freshened up and pulled on the tube skirt and top she had worn yesterday and slipped on shoes.

      Zahir was waiting for her at the desk and speaking with Janet.

      ‘I’m on my holidays!’ Adele smiled. ‘Do you think I’ll pull?’ And it made Janet laugh as she stood there with a huge black eye.

      ‘Have a wonderful break, Adele,’ Janet said, as Adele walked out in the clothes she had arrived in, trying not to be just a little more disillusioned with the world.

      ‘Send us a postcard...’

      They walked out and Adele winced at the bright morning sunlight.

      ‘You’re not very good at parking your car,’ Adele commented, because it was over the line and at an angle.

      He did not tell her the reason—that on hearing she had been injured he had hit the accelerator and when he had arrived he had practically run in to see how she was.

      Instead, he held open the door for her.

      Adele got in and a moment later he joined her.

      ‘We meet again,’ she said.

      As he drove past the bus stop Zahir thought of all the times he had driven on, pretending not to have noticed her there.

      And so did Adele.

      She didn’t understand why he briefly turned and smiled.

      She didn’t smile back.

      ‘Are you sulking?’ he asked.

      ‘Yes, I’m sulking.’

      ‘Are you warm enough?’ he asked, because he had the air conditioner on up high.

      ‘You can stop being nice now,’ she said. ‘I’m not your patient any more.’

      ‘No, you’re not. Adele, I have spoken with my mother. If you are still СКАЧАТЬ