Don't Wake Up

‘Dennis,’ she called, and he turned around. ‘I can’t help it. As soon as I feel myself getting close to someone I strike out and hurt them. It stops me getting hurt first.’

His shoulders were less rigid, his arms unfolding. ‘I would never hurt you. You’re the first woman in ages that I’ve really liked. I don’t sleep around, Laura. I never have.’

‘I know that, Dennis,’ she said softly.

His manner softened.

‘Do you think we could go out sometime? Maybe go to the cinema like a proper date or something?’ he asked.

She nodded. ‘I’d like that.’ Then she smiled at him. ‘You can say no, and I’ll understand if you’re busy, but would you like to come and check out some car washes with me? Then maybe later we could cook dinner together or something?’

‘I can’t, Laura. DI Turner is sending me to the hospital.’

At the mention of the hospital, Laura sat up straight, her senses on alert. ‘Why?’ she asked bluntly.

He shrugged. ‘No one else available.’

‘I mean,’ she said, trying to stay patient, ‘what are you being sent to the hospital for?’

‘Oh,’ he laughed. ‘Not a lot. Just to take some statement from a doctor who’s been involved in an RTA You can come with me if you want.’

Laura needed no further bidding.





Chapter thirty-four

Alex kept her eyes off the clock as she walked across the department, calling out a ‘sorry’ to the coordinator for being late. That had not been part of the plan. She was determined that she was no longer going to be thought of as the one who had ‘lost it’, and had woken for the first time in ages with a plan to regain control of her life. But here she was, twenty minutes late, without good reason, aside from having taken another blue tablet in the middle of the night. She should have resisted and just come into work tired instead, been more determined and remembered she was no longer alone. She had Maggie’s support, and together they would track down this actor and confront him. In the meantime, Alex just needed to stay focused on each day and be good at her job.

‘You’re here,’ Nathan said bluntly as she walked into the doctors’ station.

‘Sorry, I’ll make up for it. What have we got?’

‘A situation,’ he said. ‘Three about to breach if we don’t admit or discharge.’ ‘About to breach’ was a commonly used phrase in emergency departments. It meant patients were coming up to the maximum four-hour target time of when they were meant to have been seen, admitted or discharged. ‘And Dr Cowan has also just been brought in.’

‘With what?’ she asked anxiously.

‘Whiplash injury. We’ll see her first.’

‘Do you think we should separate? You can’t shadow me with this much work to do. I’ll see Caroline and leave you to make a start with the others. It’ll be quicker.’

He hesitated and she raised her chin. ‘It makes sense, Nathan, and I’m perfectly capable of examining a priority three patient. After all, Dr Cowan is hardly likely to let me misdiagnose her, is she?’

Caroline looked totally vulnerable as she sat with her knees drawn up, a hospital blanket up to her chin, on the examination trolley. Her round pale face was drained of vitality.

It was a shock to see her so badly shaken. She had a bump on her forehead from hitting the steering wheel, and pain in her neck from whiplash. In her present state she was unrecognisable as the consultant who ran this very busy department.

The police were waiting to talk to her, but Alex insisted on making sure she was fit enough first. From what she could ascertain, the accident was a low-speed rear-end car shunt. Caroline’s car was stationary, waiting to move out onto a main road. She hadn’t lost consciousness, but was dazed; it was the fear of what could have happened that had altered her appearance.

If the car behind had shunted harder, Caroline’s Nissan would have gone straight into the path of an oncoming juggernaut.

Alex examined her thoroughly and confirmed the absence of a spinal injury. Completing her final examination, she pocketed her pen torch. Then she reached for the switch on the wall and turned the main overhead light back on. She was satisfied with Caroline’s Glasgow Coma score and pupillary reaction. She perched on the edge of the mattress and gently rubbed the back of one of Caroline’s hands.

‘Everything seems to be fine. I’ll sort some analgesic and get you some tea. Are you up to talking to the police?’

Caroline went to nod and then winced. She rested her head gingerly against the pillow. ‘I didn’t see anything, Alex. It was so quick. There was nothing behind me. I was looking left and right getting ready to pull out when I heard a bang and felt the car move violently. I shot forward, banged my head, and when I looked in the mirror there was no car behind me. The road behind was completely deserted. The driver nearly killed me and then drove off.’

‘Unbelievable that someone could just drive off like that?’

Caroline blinked as her eyes watered. ‘I know!’ She used the bed sheet to wipe them. ‘Christ, so many bad things seem to be happening lately. First you end up in a bed in here. Now me! Who’s next?’

Alex felt herself stiffen, while her mind leapt to a number of possibilities. Could it be the same man targeting them both? Was he coming after Caroline because of her? Was he hurting people she knew?

‘Caroline, do you think this could have anything to do with me?’

‘What?’ Caroline’s tone was sharp, her eyes round with disbelief. ‘Just .?.?. don’t!’

Then in a weary voice she said, ‘Get someone to bring me in some painkillers.’

‘But—’

‘I can’t talk with this pain,’ Caroline said firmly. Then, with a look in her eyes, ‘I can’t talk to you, Alex.’

A half hour later Alex saw Laura Best and a police constable come out from the curtained cubicle. Leaving her place at the desk, she made her way towards it.

Laura Best stepped in her way. ‘Leave her be, Dr Taylor. She just wants to rest until her husband picks her up.’

‘I beg your pardon?’

Laura Best’s voice was firm. ‘She doesn’t want to be disturbed.’

Alex felt her cheeks flush and she stared at the policewoman resentfully. ‘Do you mind? Dr Cowan is my patient! I need to see her before I can discharge her.’

‘Dr Bell has already done it,’ Laura Best said patiently.

Alex stared through the glass window into the doctors’ office. Nathan was in the office studying an X-ray. She wanted to go and ask what was going on, but he had seemed remote all day, unapproachable. She so regretted asking him out. He had gone back to treating her like a work colleague – worse, a nuisance colleague – and she missed his friendship.

Retreating to her seat to carry on reading a patient’s notes, she felt Laura Best’s eyes follow her. The message couldn’t have been clearer. Stay away from her. She doesn’t want to see you.

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