to ask her. Heâd had the tickets in his office for six months and heâd known instantly who he wanted to take. And heâd been waiting for the right moment to invite her.
A wry smile touched his mouth and the smile was at his own expense because this was the first time in his life heâd ever had to ask a woman a question and not been sure of the answer.
Determined to catch up with her and finish the conversation, he strode into the department and was immediately met by Ellie, one of the sisters in charge of the emergency unit.
âOh, thank goodness!â She grabbed his arm and pushed a set of notes into his hand. âThree-month-old baby with severe breathing difficultiesâIâve taken her into Paediatric Resus. Mumâs demented with worry. Megâs already there because you know how good she is with babies and worried mothers.â
So there would be no chance to finish their conversation for the next hour or so, Dino thought grimly as he strode towards Resus. But laterâ¦
He pushed open the door and immediately picked up the tension in the atmosphere. Meg had already attached the baby to a cardiac monitor and a pulse oximeter and was giving oxygen. Despite the obvious crisis, her voice was gentle and soothing as she talked to the mother, explaining what she wasdoing. For a fraction of a second Dino watched her, transfixed by the change in her. There was no sign of the prickly, defensive exterior she showed to the world. With the baby and the mother, she was gentle and warm. Infinitely reassuring. If heâd been brought in to the department injured, he would have wanted Meg by his side. Once again he remembered how good sheâd been with Harry. It was as if she lowered her guard around people who were vulnerable while the rest of the time she hid behind layers of thick armour plating.
âIt happened to me,â she was saying. âMy Jamie was exactly three months old, just like Abby here. The oxygen levels in Abbyâs blood arenât quite as high as weâd like and sheâs really having problems with her breathing, poor thing, thatâs why Iâm giving her some oxygen right now.â
âDid your son recover?â The motherâs voice wavered and Meg reached across and gave her shoulder a squeeze.
âCelebrated his seventh birthday last week. Cheeky as ever. Addicted to superheroes. Batman, Superman, Spidermanâyou name it. He saves the world at least a hundred times a day. Ahâhereâs Dr Zinetti right now.â
Dino strode into the room, noticing that Megâs anxiety and stiffness appeared to have vanished. She even looked pleased to see him.
Whatever else she might think of him, at work they were a good team.
âDino, sheâs had a cold and runny nose for twenty-four hours and itâs been getting steadily worse. She hasnât fed at all today, she has nasal discharge and a wheezy cough. Sats are ninety-four per cent so Iâve started her on oxygen because I can see sheâs struggling.â
âI canât believe how quickly sheâs got worse.â Abbyâs mother looked terrified, her face almost grey from lack of sleep and worry. âIs she going to be all right?â
âIâm going to take a look at her right now.â Dino gentlylifted the babyâs vest so that he could look at her chest. He watched for a moment, noticed that the chest was visibly hyperinflated and that there were signs of intercostal recession. âWas she born at full term?â He asked the mother a number of questions and then listened to the babyâs chest.
âIs she bad?â The mother was hovering, stressed out of her mind. âIâm worrying that I should have brought her in sooner but I thought it was a cold.â
âYouâve done the right thing. Because she is little and she has tiny airways, she is struggling at the moment.â Dino folded the stethoscope. âI can