A Wife and Child to Cherish (Audley Memorial Hospital) by Caroline Anderson

Author:Caroline Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2015-01-02T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

‘Mrs Dickinson’s straggling.’

Annie wasn’t surprised by Sue’s remark. A knee replacement was always a more painful procedure than a hip, and her pain relief should have been adequate, but if she was feeling depressed or anxious she would feel the pain more acutely, and with rheumatoid arthritis that was highly likely.

And if she herself hadn’t been so busy daydreaming about Patrick, she might have been more on top of it.

‘I’ll go and talk to her,’ she told Sue. ‘We haven’t got a free PCA pump at the moment—I’ll see if I can get anyone off theirs, but in the meantime is she written up for any more pain relief? I take it she’s had all she can?’

‘She has, and she can’t have any more yet. Not for a while.’

‘I’ll contact Raj, get him to give her a bit more. I think Patrick’s in Theatre—he’s taken that motorcyclist in to do something else to his pelvis and fix his ankle. Daniel Taylor. I think we’re getting him later. Can you prep a side room for him while I think about it?’

‘Is he still in a coma?’

She shook her head. ‘Don’t think so. He’d come round, I’d heard.’

Not from Patrick, though. She hadn’t seen him since last night, and to be honest she wasn’t sure how she’d cope when she did. She was sure her feelings would show on her face, because she was dreadful at hiding them, and there was no way she wanted anyone to know about this!

It had been Raj, his specialist registrar, who’d told her about the motorcyclist coming round and being stable enough for further surgery. She wondered how Patrick was coping with the case. It was different to Ellie’s, but close enough, perhaps?

No. How silly. He was coping fine. Of course he was. He must have lots of patients like that with concomitant head injuries. He couldn’t fall apart over every one because of Ellie. And it had been Katie that had upset him last night, or at least the child they’d lost, not Ellie. He wouldn’t have kissed her like that if he wasn’t over his wife.

Would he?

She went and saw Mrs Dickinson and had a look at her knee. ‘Sue tells me you’re finding it very painful,’ she said, and Susanne nodded.

‘It’s awful. It feels so tight, as if everything’s going to burst, and the physio came a little while ago and wants me to start moving it, but I can’t.’

‘Give me a minute. I’ve got something that might help.’ She went and found the icepack knee brace, filled it with ice and water, put it on and pumped it up until the pressure indicator popped out and turned red.

‘How does that feel?’

‘Oh, much better,’ Susanne said, sighing with relief. ‘Really soothing. Thank you. I had no idea it would be so painful. I’ve had so many things done—a hip replacement, operations on my wrists and hands, one on my foot—but nothing like this. It’s just awful, and the swelling’s going to get worse if past experience is anything to go by.

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