Unknown by Unknown Read Free Book Online

performance during the emergency had faded as she'd given a cheerful wave to the ambulance driver. Sophie had still been smiling as she headed back inside. Her smile faded rapidly. She could hear the sound of the raised voice even before she opened the front door. The patients sitting in the waiting room were staring with open fascination at the scene. Even Toni was looking flustered as Oliver's patient, Colleen, jabbed at the slip of paper on the counter before her and continued her tirade.
    'I'm not paying this. And I do not want to see Dr Spencer again. I'll have another appointment, thank you!' The woman's chest heaved with indignation. 'He accused me of lying to him. It's quite outrageous!'
    'When did you want to make another appointment for, Miss Thompson?'
    'I don't think I want to make one at all. Not at this medical centre.' Colleen Thompson threw a pitying glance around the waiting room. Everyone instantly dropped their gazes back to their magazines. Colleen sniffed loudly. 'And I'm not paying this account.'
    Sophie didn't stop after she'd gone through the archway. She carried on to the end of the corridor and into the staffroom where she found Oliver drinking a glass of water.
    'Not a happy customer, then,' she observed lightly.
    Oliver shrugged. 'Can't win 'em all, I suppose.'
    'You usually do,' Sophie ventured.
    'Well, maybe this time I can't be bothered.'
    Sophie's jaw dropped a fraction. This was a side to Oliver Spencer she had never encountered. 'She's a difficult patient, I take it?' ;
    Oliver snorted. 'She's overweight, asthmatic, is getting increasing angina and is non-compliant with medications. She also refuses to try and give up smoking.'
    'Oh.' Sophie looked at the set of Oliver's jaw. He was obviously livid.
    'That's not the problem, however,' Oliver said fiercely. 'The problem is that she won't tell the truth. How can you relate to anybody who's prepared to tell blatant lies to your face?'
    Sophie said nothing. Her finger had never felt so naked. She could feel a return of that guilty flush but Oliver wasn't even looking at her. He deposited his empty glass on the bench with a thud.
    'She sat there, reeking of cigarette smoke, and swore black and blue that she hasn't touched them for over a month. When I made even the mildest suggestion that she might not be being entirely truthful with me, she hit the roof. Knocked over her handbag and simply ignored the fact that her packet of cigarettes and lighter fell out. She told me it wasn't her fault she wasn't getting well. Her health was my responsibility and I obviously wasn't good enough at my job.' Oliver shook his head angrily. 'I couldn't get a word in edgeways. Next thing I know, she's stormed off and is busy informing everyone about what an inadequate doctor I am.'
    'She sounds totally impossible,' Sophie sympathised. 'Let's hope she does take her business elsewhere as she threatened Toni she would.'
    'She will. She's been through ten GPs in as many years.' Oliver still sounded angry. 'I thought I was getting somewhere, you know? I've spent months supporting her with her smoking cessation programme and diet and exercise regimes. What a bloody waste of time.' Oliver stalked off. 'I don't know why I bother with some people.'
    Sophie eyed his retreating figure. He wouldn't want to bother with her either, if he discovered her own blatant lying to his face. She sighed deeply. The smooth camaraderie of St David's seemed to be off the rails and she couldn't help feeling it was a ripple effect from the disruption to her own life. Perhaps if she kept her head down things might begin to settle a bit by lunchtime.
    Oliver's mood, however, didn't seem to have improved to any noticeable degree by lunchtime, despite the exotic contribution to their meals provided by the visiting drug company representative, Christine Prescott. When Sophie finally returned to the staff-room for a quick break, Oliver was staring rather morosely at a platter of sushi on the dining