Chapter Ten

Rapid Response

“So I’m meeting him as soon as I switch back to days. He seems nice. Which is a real change from the usual weirdos on POF.”

Ollie nodded, biting his lip while checking through the noticeboard at the nurses’ station and zoned out Taya’s incessant babbling. He appreciated the background noise and didn’t really want her to stop. Adding a few hums of agreement or snorts of amusement encouraged her to continue. All his mind wandered to was the time and how this night shift seemed to be whizzing by rather than being its usual dreary slog. Time flies when we’re having fun? It also goes on warp speed when there’s a looming undesirable deadline.

He’d gotten through last night’s shift relatively unscathed. Jacob had taken his advice and left, leaving Becky by Daisy’s side. He’d only seen the doctor on patient duties. But on returning home and falling into his bed, alone this time, his landline answering machine had bellowed out a message from Elliot that the following shift, he would be taking Ollie back to his house for their discussion. Ollie had been thankful that Jacob wouldn’t be there to witness his demise back to being Oliver. And Ollie was scared that Jacob’s presence would provide him with a backbone he couldn’t afford. And without Jacob there now, Becky’s words seeped through his mind and colored his judgment. It hurt, but Ollie did his best to get back to what was important. My job. Keeping my job.

“At least he said more than just ‘hi, you’re nice,’” Taya continued. “He put thought and effort into the message.”

Ollie hummed again and glanced over at room one. Daisy was asleep, recovery back to normal, and her mother curled up in the chair Jacob had occupied the previous night shifts. She had clearly passed out too. He looked up at the clock. He needed to go in there and check the girl’s last set of obs before day shift. He really didn’t want to and was very close to asking Taya to do it for him, but she had powers of deduction similar to those of Sherlock Holmes, and he thought better than to have another person in on his dirty secret.

“What’s happened?” Taya declared, slapping her boxes of medicine onto the desk and ramming her hands on her hips.

Ollie shot a confused look her way. “Huh?”

“You’re quiet,” Taya stated. “Exceptionally quiet for Ollie Warne. You were yesterday too. Come on!” Taya snapped her fingers. “I’ve told you I’m going to meet a guy from Plenty of Fish and you haven’t insisted you either come with me or stock me up with neuromuscular-blocking drugs just in case.”

“Sorry, T.” Ollie sighed. “I’m just preoccupied. My dad and that. Sorry.”

“Okay, sweets.” Taya tilted her head. “As long as that’s all it is? Because if a certain doctor has anything to do with it—”

“No, no, nope.” Ollie picked up his tray and suddenly thought he would be better off in Daisy’s room rather than out here to end up spilling anything he really shouldn’t. And he didn’t just mean the mounds of medicines Taya currently slotted away.

Taya narrowed unconvinced eyes, but Ollie was saved by the bell, or rather the clanging open of the ward doors. As Ollie glanced up to see who had entered, saved didn’t seem such an appropriate word any longer. Jacob marched into the ward, ignoring the nurses’ station, and more poignantly Ollie, heading straight for his daughter’s room.

“Shit.” Ollie bolted out from behind the desk, skidding on his shoes to reach him. He clamped a palm on Jacob’s chest, gently shoving him back and away from the open door. “Hey.”

Jacob looked down at the hand splayed across his chest and back up to meet Ollie’s eyes behind his glasses. Ollie’s hand felt as if it was on fire, his entire being rushing through to his palm in some silent plea to touch more of the man in front of him. So Ollie whipped it away and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“Move aside, Ollie,” Jacob practically growled.

“Jacob—”

“You cannot keep me from seeing my daughter. And neither can she.” Jacob waved a frustrated hand toward the door. “Not this time. I was forced out of here yesterday like some criminal. I’m no criminal, Ollie. That’s my daughter in there.” Jacob stepped forward to lower his voice into Ollie’s ear. “You can push me away from you, because you’re scared of feeling something or whatever, but you cannot push me away from my daughter. I don’t know how long I’ve got with her.”

The glisten in Jacob’s eyes wrenched Ollie’s gut. He sneaked a glance over at Taya, who watched on in grotesque fascination. He avoided her mouthed question in order to address Jacob.

“Call security if you have to,” Jacob said. “But I’m going in there.”

He tried to move past, but Ollie squared up in front of him once more. Both room one occupants were asleep, undisturbed by the commotion outside their shared space. Ollie’s garbled mind went into overdrive. What Jacob had just said rang through him. Had Jacob only left yesterday because Ollie had asked him to? That hit him where it hurt. He’d kept a father away from his daughter for no other reason than selfish fear.

“Okay, wait,” Ollie breathed. “Let me get this sorted, and I’ll let you in.”

Jacob stepped back. Ollie indicated for him to follow, and, on reaching the nurses’ station, saw Taya’s gaping mouth hadn’t closed yet.

“Taya.” Ollie kept his voice low, almost pleading. “Can you do Daisy Monroe’s obs for me? And while you’re in there, encourage mum to move over to the sofa bed and draw the curtains.”

“Ollie,” Taya warned, tilting her head.

“Please, T.” Ollie did beg that time.

Taya sighed, glancing from one man to the other. Eventually she nodded and picked up Ollie’s tray. Ollie watched through the gaps in the blinds for a moment to see Taya gently nudging Becky, ushering her toward the sofa bed. Once Taya started on the obs, he turned back to Jacob.

“I’m sorry,” Ollie said. “I shouldn’t have made you leave. That wasn’t fair.”

Jacob nodded but didn’t look Ollie in the eye.

“She’s okay,” Ollie reassured. “Back to normal readings the last twenty-four hours. The doctor is pleased with her recovery.”

Jacob nodded again and bit his bottom lip. Ollie couldn’t help it any longer and did his usual nurse squeeze to Jacob’s arm. Jacob flicked his solemn gaze to Ollie, making Ollie’s breath catch.

“I’ll help you,” Ollie confirmed, and the words slipped from his tongue before he could change his mind. “I will.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

Ollie released his grip and drummed his fingers on the countertop. Now it was his turn to avoid the eye contact.

“I’ll speak with the doctor. I think I can get this sorted. I can get confirmation that Daisy can’t leave the country for the time being.”

Jacob cocked his head. “Does that mean—”

“It means, I can get you what you want,” Ollie cut him off, unwilling and unable to admit what that potentially entailed.

Jacob didn’t say anything further, although Ollie could tell he wanted to. He did appreciate the silence then. Nothing could be said to make this situation any better for either of them, so Taya’s return was a welcome distraction.

“All done.” Taya slapped the tray back down on the desk. “Mum asleep, curtains drawn.”

She gave Ollie a stern eyeball, which he ignored in order to usher Jacob to room one. Jacob immediately rushed over to Daisy’s bed, sat on the edge, and leaned in for a brush of his lips to his daughter’s forehead.

Ollie did his hardest to bite down on the envy he felt of that little girl. It was like the painful bouts of unhinged jealousy he used to get when his parents would kiss his sister. Back then, he’d been a child, unable to control his emotive response to being cast aside time and time again as his sister had bathed in his parents’ attention. He still felt it now whenever his father called him Tilly and forgot who he was. His sister was always at the forefront of his father’s mind and Ollie a mere afterthought. His harrowing envy always replaced with overwhelming guilt. He was sure Tilly would have swapped places with him in a heartbeat, and Ollie was proud to admit he would have done too. Not only to be the one to take on his baby sister’s pain and suffering, but also to have an inch of his parents’ love and attention.

“Thank you, Ollie,” Jacob whispered.

Ollie nodded in response, then curled his fingers around the door handle and closed that one ever so much more delicately. When Becky woke up, Jacob would just have to deal with the consequences. Ollie would hopefully be long gone and dealing with his own torment back at Dr. Rawlings’ town house. He stepped with heavy shoulders over to the nurses’ station where Taya stood waiting, arms folded.

“Do I want to know?” she asked.

Ollie shook his head and cleared up around the desk ready for Patty’s return.

“I’m not sure they do patches for feelings,” Taya mused. The sleuth strikes again. “Or gum.” Taya pulled out a pack from her pocket and crinkled the foil to pop a stick into her mouth. “I’m thinking of going to the cinema later. Fancy coming? It’s quiet first thing in the morning.”

“Sorry,” Ollie grumbled. “I have to be somewhere else.”

“Your dad?” She tucked the gum back into her pocket.

Ollie shook his head and didn’t respond further as the doors clanged open and a few of the day nurses, including Patty, arrived half an hour early for the handover. Dr. Rawlings swanned in at the back, stethoscope dangling around his neck, laughing and joking with those who fell to his every whim yet didn’t know the real truth of what that meant. Ollie swallowed.

“Oliver.” Dr. Rawlings greeting was firmly back to his usual one.

“Doctor,” Ollie replied in his just-as-practiced delivery.

“Shall we go see to Daisy Monroe? You can hand over to Patty while there.” The doctor placed his hand on the veteran nurse’s back and steered her toward the room.

Ollie followed, glancing over his shoulder at Taya who stuck a finger in her mouth and mimicked throwing up. Ollie snorted and took a deep breath as they entered the room. Jacob shot up off the bed.

“Mr. Monroe.” Dr. Rawlings picked up the clipboard at the end of the bed. “Welcome back.”

Jacob flickered from Ollie to the doctor and the day nurse. “How is she?”

“Responding well. No further complications. She’ll be on course for discharge shortly.” The doctor glanced up from the clipboard, stern eyes on Jacob. “You’ll be delighted to see the back of this hospital, and my staff, I’m sure.”

Ollie begged whoever was listening for Jacob not to retaliate to such disdainful words. Maybe he wouldn’t pick up on the double meaning.

“I’m not so sure, Doctor. This hospital will forever have a place in my heart.”

Shit! Ollie could do nothing. He wanted to return a smile of some description from his myriad categories but couldn’t seem to locate one that would portray what he felt. Dr. Rawlings’ penetrating stare was on him anyway. So he stood straighter and awaited the next part.

“Patty?” Dr. Rawlings glared through Ollie.

“Yes, Doctor?” Patty responded with distinct efficiency and years of training.

“Daisy Monroe can go back to three-hourly obs. We can take her off nil by mouth, and Dr. Khan has been brought up to speed on her nightly care, and he will be on the ward in the next two hours.”

“Yes, Doctor.” Patty nodded.

Dr. Rawlings turned back to Jacob and opened his mouth to speak when the curtain separating the room from the parent sleep bay was ripped open.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” Becky’s fierce glare turned on each of the room’s occupants but settled on Jacob.

“I’m seeing to my daughter, Becky,” Jacob replied. “Let’s keep calm until we know all is right. Then we’ll talk.”

“Let’s leave the family to it, shall we?” Dr. Rawlings gestured for Ollie and Patty to leave the room.

Patty made her way out, but Ollie shuddered at the clamp of Dr. Rawlings’ hand on his shoulder.

“Nurse. We have an appointment.”

Jacob ripped his glare from Becky to Ollie.

“Yes, Doctor,” Ollie replied.

Dr. Rawlings marched out, straight over to the nurses’ station to sign out with his other patients, and Ollie slumped off.

“Ollie?” The desperation in Jacob’s voice caught not only Ollie but Becky, as her narrowed glare proved.

Ollie didn’t know what he could offer in consolation. He couldn’t quash his hope that Jacob was going to rush forward and rescue him. Put him first. For once.

“Daddy?” Daisy’s little voice croaked out. “Where were you?”

Jacob’s gaze shifted at once to his daughter, and that was all it needed for Ollie to leave the room.