A Christmas Knight by Kate Hardy

Author:Kate Hardy
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, mobi
Tags: Series, Medical, Contemporary, Romance, Harlequin Medical Romance, Genre Fiction, Literature & Fiction
ISBN: 9781472059901
Publisher: Harlequin Medical Romances
Published: 2011-01-01T18:30:00+00:00

Louisa held Tyler’s hand all the way to the hospital.

‘I’m scared, Mum,’ he said, his teeth chattering.

So was she. So scared that her entire body felt as if it were about to shatter into tiny shards. The back of her neck was burning with adrenalin and she could taste bile. But, for Tyler’s sake, she forced herself to sound calm. ‘I’m here, darling. Nothing’s going to hurt you while I’m here.’

‘And Dominic.’

‘I’m here,’ Dominic confirmed. ‘I’m not going to let anything happen to the best page I’ve ever had.’

The journey felt as if it took seconds and days, both at the same time. Then at last they were in the emergency department at the hospital.

‘Mr and Mrs Austin, would you like to wait in the relatives’ room?’ the doctor asked.

‘This is Dr Hurst and I’m Tyler’s mother, Louisa Austin,’ Louisa said, her voice clipped. ‘And, no, we wouldn’t like to wait in the relatives’ room, thank you. I promise we won’t get in your way—we both work in an emergency department so we know what it’s like—but there’s absolutely no way I’m letting my son out of my sight.’

‘Very well.’

The doctor checked Tyler over, and Louisa watched his face intently, looking for signs of things he wasn’t saying. Did he think it was more serious than concussion? She clenched her fists in a vain attempt to stop herself shaking. But waiting grew harder and harder, and in the end she couldn’t help asking, ‘Do you think there it’s just concussion or are there fractures?’

‘We’re sending him to X-Ray now,’ the doctor said. ‘I’ll be able to tell you more when the X-rays are back.’

‘And you’ll ask Radiology for AP, lateral and Townes views?’ she asked.

The doctor looked slightly wary. ‘Yes.’

‘That’s what I would’ve asked for, too,’ Dominic said. ‘There’s been no blood or fluid from his nose and ears, but he was knocked out. I have a very low index of suspicion on head injuries where children and the elderly are concerned, and I guess it’s the same here.’

The doctor nodded. ‘Mrs Austin, this is a completely routine exam. Tyler’s talking and he’s making sense, so that’s a very good sign.’

Louisa lowered her voice so Tyler wouldn’t hear. ‘For now—you know how quickly children can deteriorate.’

Dominic wrapped his arms round her. ‘Louisa, I know you’ve got all the worst-case scenarios running through your head, but they’re all rare,’ he said, keeping his voice equally low. ‘The chances are, it’s just concussion and nothing to worry about.’

‘You don’t know that. Not until the X-rays are back. And I need to go with my son.’

‘Of course, Mrs Austin.’

She looked at Dominic. ‘Mum and Dad were following us in the car. They’ll be here in a minute. Can you wait for them and tell them where I am?’

‘Of course I will.’

She went to the radiology department with Tyler, reassuring him and staying within his sight behind the screen as the X-rays were taken.

By the time they got back to the emergency department, her parents were there, talking to Dominic.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.