Fiona Lowe - The Playboy Doctor's Marriage Proposal

‘Something’s not quite right, is it?’ Emily shared his niggling feeling of doubt.

His eyes reflected his apprehension. ‘I just get the feeling that if I call it gastro, then that’s just too easy. I think I’m missing something.’ He ushered her through the curtain ahead of him.

Little Jade Peterson lay quietly sobbing, her chest rising and falling in shuddering grunts.

‘Honey, does it hurt somewhere new?’ Emily ducked down so she was at eye level with the little girl.

‘No, but who’s going to look after Towzer?’

Emily exchanged a questioning look with Linton.

He shrugged his shoulders, his expression blank.

‘Who’s Towzer, Jade?’

‘My dog.’ She sniffed violently.

Emily stroked the little girl’s hair back behind her ear. ‘I’m sure your dog will be fine and waiting for you when you go home.’

She shook her head sadly. ‘But his tummy hurt too and he was sick.’

Linton bent down next to Emily, his vivid green eyes fixed on Jade’s face. ‘What did Towzwer eat?

She clutched her hospital teddy bear. ‘He loves sausages but he stole a chop too and Dad got cross.’

The meat . The buzzer sounded. ‘That’s David.’ Emily rose and walked quickly back to the cubicle.

Terror shone in the boy’s eyes. ‘My face feels all funny now. It’s like pins and needles and it’s really scary.’

‘We’re working on what’s causing these symptoms. I’m going to take some blood and hopefully that will tell us something.’ She gave him a reassuring smile and hoped her face didn’t show how worried she really was.

Something weird and neurological was going on. She checked his pupils with her penlight. Both were equal and reacting. ‘Can you squeeze my hands, David?’

He put his hands out toward her. Fear shot through her, making her gut lurch. His palms, which had been white before, now looked red and blistered, with flaking skin. If he’d burned himself, they would have known on arrival. Linton would have seen it earlier.

None of this made sense. ‘I’ll be right back, David.’

She stepped out of the cubicle, her mind racing, trying desperately to work out what was going on. She rushed back to Jade and almost collided with Linton as he opened the curtain. ‘Oh, thank goodness you’re here.’

He put his hands out to steady her. ‘What’s wrong? You’re white.’ He gently steered her to one side. ‘You haven’t got gastro too, have you?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m fine but David’s palms are peeling as if they’ve come in contact with a corrosive substance. Everyone is getting sicker and sicker in front of our eyes. What do you think this is?’

He clicked his pen up and down, the sound reflecting his agitation before he shoved it back in his pocket. ‘I wish I knew. We’ve got nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and the father has blood in his stools.’ His forefinger flicked off the tip of each finger on his other hand as he listed each symptom.

‘And facial numbness and tingling fingers.’ A horrible thought speared her brain. ‘It sounds like poison.’

He nodded, his expression grim. ‘That is the conclusion I’ve come to. It matches up that it must have been the meat that was poisoned because the dog was sick as well. I’ll call the police. Forget taking blood. Organise for a urine tox screen on everyone and get it to Pathology with an urgent request on it.’ He spun round, abruptly calling over his shoulder as he walked away, ‘Then organise for the whole family to be in one space. I want to talk to everyone together.’

She gave her staff their orders and ten minutes later, with the tests sent off to the lab, Jason and Patti soon had the trolleys in a square. Each family member lay on their trolley in the foetal position, legs drawn up against the severe stomach cramps, and groaning as each spasm hit.

‘I know you’re all feeling really ill, but I need you to concentrate on what we’re saying.’ Emily stood between the trolleys where Christine and Brian Peterson lay. ‘Everyone, including the dog, ate the meat and everyone has similar symptoms. David and Brian are the most unwell but I’m guessing that’s because they ate the most meat.’

She touched Christine’s hand. ‘Where did you buy the meat from, Mrs Peterson?’

The sick woman trembled. ‘It was one of ours. Brian slaughtered it a month ago.’

‘Have you eaten meat from that beast before?’ Linton asked, his voice quiet and nonjudgmental.

‘Yes, we have, and we’ve never been sick.’ She twisted a hankie in her fingers. ‘I defrosted it in the fridge, I did everything the same as normal.’

‘The symptoms are leaning very strongly toward poisoning.’ Linton’s matter-of-fact voice broke the almost surreal news. ‘We’ll know as soon as the urine tests comes back but in the meantime would there be anyone who might want to hurt you in any way?’

The father of two gasped. ‘No, no, no one we know would do such a thing.’

‘I don’t understand.’ Christine gripped the side of the trolley for support, her voice trembling. ‘It was supposed to be a special day for Brian. David did such a great job getting the bonfire ready.’

Dad and I barbequed. It was an awesome bonfire, I’d been collecting the wood for a week. Emily’s hand shot out, gripping Linton’s white, starched sleeve as the thought struck her. ‘David, what sort of things were you burning on the fire?’

The teenager replied listlessly. ‘Just wood and stuff that I found.’

Linton’s eyes flashed his understanding as he immediately picked up on her line of thought. ‘Was any of the wood stained green, like the pine they use in the car parks down by the river?’

‘Maybe.’ He gripped his stomach as another spasm hit.

Emily spoke softly. ‘This is really, really important, David. We need you to think. Had any of the wood been treated?’

The boy looked anxiously between Emily and Linton. ‘I…I did get some from the building site next door.’

Linton thumped his fist against his forehead. ‘Copper-chrome-arsenate. You’ve barbequed your meat in arsenic vapours. That’s what’s causing all these symptoms.’

Stunned silence and shocked disbelief scored everyone’s faces.

‘Arsenic. Hell of a birthday present, son.’ Brian grimaced in pain.

‘I’m s-s-sorry, Dad.’ David’s voice quavered as tears filled his eyes. ‘Are we going to die?’

‘Not now that we know what we’re treating.’ Linton gave the boy’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.’ He turned to Emily. ‘We need dimercaprol up to five milligrams per kilogram by intramuscular injection. It acts as a chelator and the arsenic will bind with the drug so it can be removed from the system.’

‘I’ll ring Pharmacy now.’ Emily turned to her staff. ‘Jodie, Patti and Jason, attach everyone to a cardiac monitor and monitor urine output. You’ll need to weigh each family member so we can work out the dose of dimercaprol. The rest of the nursing care plan is to provide symptomatic care. A cool sponge will help, as well as some refreshing mouthwash.’

Her staff nodded their agreement and everyone attended to their tasks. By the end of the shift the Petersons had been transferred into the high dependency unit for close monitoring. Emily stifled a yawn as she wished the night staff a good shift.

‘You can’t say we didn’t welcome you with a bang. Who would have thought of arsenic poisoning?’ Linton leaned back on his chair, his hands clasped behind his head, his broad chest straining at his now rumpled shirt. ‘Fabulous call, by the way. What made you associate the bonfire?’

His praise sent streaks of happiness though her. ‘At the risk of being called sexist, I have four brothers. When they were younger they’d burn just about anything, and David reminded me of them. Lucky for us, Dad taught us what was toxic and what was safe so we avoided potential tragedies like today.’

‘The Petersons are one lucky family.’ He rose to his feet and gazed down at her. ‘Ready for that drink?’

I’ve been ready for you to notice me for over a year . ‘Sure, I’ll just get changed and meet you in the foyer.’ She walked to the locker room, somehow managing to control her feet which wanted to spin, twirl and tap their way there.

It had been an incredible first shift. From the moment she’d stepped into the department Linton had seemed different, as if he was interested in her as a person, not just as a nurse. And he’d asked her out for a drink. She hummed to herself as she quickly changed into her jeans and loose-fitting top. She sprayed some perfume onto her neck and wrists, and almost skipped down the corridor.

As she stepped into the foyer she heard Linton’s deliciously deep, rumbling voice. ‘It was a huge first day for you, Jodie, but you did a fantastic job. Are you up for A and E’s traditional welcome drinks?’

‘I think I deserve them.’ Her girlish laugh tinkled in the quiet foyer. ‘I hope every day isn’t going to be like today.’

Emily stopped so fast her boots squeaked on the lino floor.

Jason and Patti pushed through the door on the opposite side of the foyer, both dressed in city black. ‘We’re ready.’

Emily’s stomach rolled. She swallowed hard against the rising bile. Drinks for new staff.

Her blood pounded in her head, drowning out all coherent thought. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have got it so very wrong?

You always get it wrong with men.

This wasn’t ‘drinks’ as in ‘I finally noticed you and let’s go for drinks’. This was a general invitation for all new staff.

Staff wellbeing is high on my agenda . Linton’s words sounded clearly in her head. Welcome drinks. A ‘getting to know you’ session—team bonding.

She wanted to curl up in a ball and hide. She’d misinterpreted professional team building for personal interest. She’d let her crazy and out-of-control feelings for Linton colour her judgement so much that she’d heard only what she’d wanted to hear. An image of her jabbing his chest with her finger came into her head. She’d even let her guard down and flirted with him.

Linton turned on hearing the squeal of her boots, his smile wide and welcoming. ‘Emily, I thought I recognised the sound of your boots.’

Like a rabbit caught in a spotlight, she had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Be the friendly colleague and hide the pain . Tossing her head, she forced down every particle of disappointment and embarrassment, and summoned up, from the aching depths of her soul, ‘bright and breezy, Emily, everyone’s best friend’. The public Emily that shielded the real her.

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