Love Until It Hurts by Fiona Blakemore

Author:Fiona Blakemore [Blakemore, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781697350999
Published: 2019-11-02T22:00:00+00:00

Ruth feels sick as she taps on the door and walks into Bella’s cubicle. She can’t decide if it’s anxiety or a justifiable disruption of her physiology. Her period is now three days late. However the knot of unease in her stomach tightens further when she is greeted with a smile from Bella. Her conversation with Shaba Elmahdy has unsettled her. It makes her question her convictions as a doctor. Surely she had proved her competency by managing Elliott Tremayne appropriately? Why did the paediatricians doubt Ruth’s theory of systemic lupus erythematosus with Bella?

‘Ruthie!’ exclaims Bella.

Dominic looks up from his newspaper. His face folds into a smile.

‘Ruth. Good timing.’ He stands up and pecks her on the cheek. ‘Mike has been trying to get hold of me urgently. I need to go out and make some phone calls.’

‘Hey, Bella,’ says Ruth, her arms outstretched. ‘Give me a hug.’ She squeezes the little girl and turns to Dominic. ‘So, how’s it all going?’

Dominic pulls up a chair for her. ‘Here have a seat and I can give you a quick update.’

Ruth unzips her shoulder bag and brings out a brightly-coloured booklet which she hands over to Bella. ‘Look what I brought for you,’ she says.

Bella clambers over the bedclothes, her cheeks shiny and pink. ‘A sticker book,’ she exclaims and takes it from Ruth’s hands.

‘Someone’s much brighter today,’ says Ruth, and she sits down and twists sideways to give Dominic her full attention.

‘The lumbar puncture last night was normal,’ begins Dominic, ‘as were the blood cultures. So hopefully it was a one-off. The consultant, Shaba Elmahdy, has been round this morning and she wants to keep Bella in for a few more days, though, because she needs an EEG and a brain scan.’ His voice exudes control. ‘I asked her if Bella has had auto-immune profiling done,’ he continues. ‘She said she had, but when I pushed her to clarify that, it turns out she’s been tested for anti-nuclear factor, but not anti-phospholipid antibodies.’

‘Gosh,’ says Ruth. ‘Good for you. I wish I’d been there. I’d liked to have seen her face.’ Ruth is impressed at Dominic’s grasp of terminology. She’s glad she’s been able to help.

‘The things is,’ says Dominic, his eyes narrowing a fraction, ‘I have this theory. I think the steroid treatment that Bella had for her asthma has masked the progression of her disease.’ He sits back and pauses, as if deliberating over his words. ‘That’s why it’s proving difficult to make a diagnosis. I think SLE is a real possibility. You’ve been so helpful, darling.’

Ruth nods. ‘You’re welcome.’ She smiles. ‘I take my hat off to you, Dr. Dominic.’ She turns to Bella. ‘Okay, so you’re not quite ready to come home yet, sweetie pie, but I’m pleased you’re better. How about I spend some time with you now, whilst Daddy does his phone calls?’

‘Can we play a game?’ The liquid blue eyes seek out her agreement.

‘Of course we can. What would you like to play?’ She

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