Runaway Sister by Ann Jennings Read Free Book Online Page B

through her tea and bun when Jennie came bouncing in. “I wondered if I’d find you in here,” she said, bringing her cup of tea over to join Samantha. “Do tell me, what was that row you had with Adam Shaw this morning? All the junior midwives are gossiping about the way you shouted at him—‘Don’t raise your voice to me, I won’t have it!’” she giggled. “I can just imagine his face! He likes to be the lord and master of all he surveys.”
    Samantha sighed. “I’d forgotten all about it,” she said truthfully. “I’ve had a difficult patient to deliver. Not that the delivery was difficult, far from it, but the girl’s psychological attitude was difficult, to say the least—not helped either by the fear of God being put into her by her own mother.”
    â€œOh, one of those,” said Jennie, then she returned to the subject of Adam Shaw. “I don’t know whether it’s due to you or to that glamorous visitor he had this morning who apparently upset him, but he’s been in an awful mood. Sister in Gyne Theatres told me that this afternoon’s operating session has been absolute murder! Nothing is right, he wants instruments that aren’t there, he’s complaining that the anesthetist is too slow, he’s complaining that the porters are too slow, in fact he’s hell to work with.”
    Samantha snorted. “Good job I’m not there. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s a surgeon being a prima donna!”
    Jennie laughed. “I know, but they all get their moments. Obviously something has upset him.”
    â€œThat’s no reason to take it out on everyone else,” retorted Samantha, wondering who the glamorous visitor was that Jennie had referred to. Not that she had to wonder for long, because Jennie was determined to tell her all she knew, which was not much, anyway. There was nothing Jennie loved more than a good gossip, not in a malicious way, she was just genuinely fascinated by the goings on around her.
    â€œSheila in Reception told me that early this morning a very glamorous woman turned up in Reception and asked for Mr. Shaw. Of course Sheila asked her if she had an appointment and she said, very haughtily, no, she hadn’t, but could Mr. Shaw be informed that Mrs. Papasthasis was waiting to see him. He will see me, she’d said. So of course Sheila bleeped him, and sure enough he came straight away to Reception. Sheila said he didn’t look too pleased to see her, but that she greeted him like a long-lost lover, kissed him very enthusiastically, Sheila says, then linked arms with him as they went off towards his office.”
    â€œHow strange,” said Samantha, “because he bawled me out at just after eight thirty this morning, so she must have arrived very early indeed!”
    â€œOh, she was there then,” replied Jennie. “She spent the whole morning in his office, and he did his ward round and everything else he had to do and kept rushing back to his office in between times. He got Sheila to organize a tray of coffee and biscuits for them, and when she took them into his office, she thought they’d been arguing, because his face was as black as thunder and they stopped talking as soon as Sheila went in. Another thing Sheila said was…” Jennie’s voice trailed off in midsentence and her face took on a guilty conspiratorial look.
    Looking over her shoulder, Samantha saw the cause for her sudden silence. Adam Shaw had come into the canteen and had bought himself a cup of tea. Surprised, Samantha looked at her watch; it was half past four. It was very early for him to have finished his afternoon’s operating, so obviously something had gone amiss. For the Theatre Sister’s sake she hoped it wasn’t lack of blood or special instruments that caused it. Sometimes the right blood or instruments weren’t sent to Theatre