Worth the Risk (10 page)

‘How many times has Dr Nicholson been in to see you?’

‘Twice.’ Pete watched as she placed the boots carefully back on the locker. ‘He gave me a right rocket the first time. Told me I would have died if you and he hadn’t been there—then he sat down and talked to me for ages. All about my diabetes and how I felt and stuff like that.’

Stuff like that. Stuff that really mattered to Pete. Ally bit her lip. Sean had done a good job by the look of it. She’d been expecting the boy to be really depressed, instead of which he was desperate to get better so that he could start his climbing lessons.

She spent a bit longer with Pete, teasing him and generally making him laugh, and then she glanced at her watch and grimaced.

‘Oops, it’s getting late.’ She stood up and pulled on her coat. ‘I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you soon.’

* * *

Ally was pulling up outside the barn when the door of the stable opened and Sean strode out. Judging from the bag in his hand, he was going out on a call, and from the look on his face it was an emergency.

She touched the button for the electric window, shivering as the cold evening air oozed into the car. ‘Problems?’

Sean glanced at his bike, hesitated and then strode towards her car, a decision made. He tugged open the passenger door and flung his bag in the footwell.

Ally immediately hit the accelerator. ‘Where am I going?’

‘Kelly Watson.’

‘Oh, no!’ Ally pulled out into the lane and drove as fast as she considered safe, her mind racing. ‘Another asthma attack, I presume?’

‘Yes, and a bad one from the sounds of it.’ Sean fastened the seat belt in a fluid movement and glanced quickly at his watch. ‘They tried to call an ambulance but there’s been a pile-up on the motorway so there was no chance of anything arriving quickly. Her mother’s in a total panic.’

Knowing Kelly’s mother, Ally could well imagine it. Thank goodness she knew exactly where they lived.

Less than five minutes later she braked outside a row of cottages and jerked her head towards the one on the end.

‘That’s the house.’

Sean was out of the car in a flash, muttering something under his breath as he saw Kelly’s mother hovering anxiously by the front door.

‘Thank goodness you’ve come!’ Mrs Watson’s face was streaked with tears and she hurried through to the sitting room. ‘She’s in here, but she can hardly breathe…’

Sean strode through the door and Ally gave Mrs Watson’s arm a squeeze. ‘Try and clam down if you can or you’ll panic Kelly.’

Mrs Watson gave a huge gulp. ‘Don’t let her die, Dr McGuire—please, don’t let her die—’

‘She won’t die,’ Ally said firmly, and gave her a gentle push in the direction of the kitchen. ‘How about putting the kettle on?’

Not that she wanted any tea, but she knew that they’d need to assess the situation without an agitated mother peering over their shoulders.

Kelly was lying on the sofa, struggling for breath, a bluish tinge colouring her lips.

Sean’s hands were already in his bag, drawing up salbutamol. ‘She needs high-flow oxygen.’

Ally was ahead of him, handing him the mask and tubing even as he finished saying the words.

‘I’m going to use aminophylline.’

Ally delved into his case and pulled out the ampoule. ‘How much does Kelly weigh, Mrs Watson?’

There was a brief silence. ‘About four stone.’

Sean pulled a face. ‘What the hell’s that in kilograms?’

Ally did a quick mental calculation even as he was drawing up the drug. ‘Say 25 kilos.’

Sean cast an eye over the little girl. ‘Sounds about right. OK, so I’ll give her 5 milligrams per kilo.’

‘One twenty-five milligrams,’ Ally agreed, taking the little girl’s hand and giving it a squeeze. ‘You’re doing fine, Kelly. You’ll soon be breathing easier, sweetheart.’

Kelly just looked at her, her eyes dull and exhausted, too short of breath to even attempt to speak.

‘Let’s give her some hydrocortisone as well,’ Ally murmured, and Sean nodded.

‘She’s got severe bronchospasm. We might need to bag and mask her.’

Ally met his eyes briefly and then delved into the case for the equipment they might need. Kelly’s breathing was more and more laboured, and Ally glanced up and caught Mrs Watson standing in the doorway, her face white and pinched.

‘She’s breathing more easily—her respirations are down slightly,’ Sean murmured suddenly, settling the mask more comfortably on the little girl’s face.

‘Thank goodness for that.’ Ally stood up, wincing as her cramped muscles protested violently.

Mrs Watson glanced out through the window. ‘The ambulance is here.’

Sean nodded briefly and adjusted the mask. ‘Right. Well, she still needs to go to hospital. She’s better, no doubt about that, but her colour and her breathing could still improve a lot so let’s get her loaded into that ambulance.’

Ally smiled at the paramedic who strode into the room. ‘Hi, Daniel. Things are looking a little better here but we still need your help.’

‘Will do.’ He stared down at the little girl and gave her a wink. ‘Can’t stay away from me, can you, pet? I was here last week, wasn’t I?’

Kelly managed a weak smile and Daniel sat next to her and soothed her gently while Ally gave a brief but thorough description of what had happened and the treatment they’d given.

Daniel stood up as his partner came in with a chair covered in red blankets. ‘One of you coming in the ambulance?’

Sean frowned. ‘I’m still on call…’

‘I’ll go,’ Ally said promptly, and then bit her lip. Charlie.

Sean scanned her face and held out his hand. ‘Give me your keys and I’ll be in when Charlie comes home. If I get a call, Charlie can come with me.’

Ally hesitated. ‘My mum can probably stay with her…’ But, then again, maybe not. She’d told her mother that she’d be home so she might have made plans. The farm kept her whole family busy. She didn’t have a choice. Delving into her bag, she handed Sean the keys and then followed Daniel out to the ambulance, helping to settle Kelly comfortably while Mrs Watson locked the house.

As the ambulance pulled away Ally gave the woman a comforting smile. ‘She’ll be just fine now, Mrs Watson.’

‘Until the next time.’

Ally nodded slowly. ‘Yes, well, we need to get to the bottom of this. I’ll talk to the hospital when they’ve had a chance to assess her. It is unusual that she wasn’t better controlled on that dose of steroids she’s been taking.’

Was it her imagination or was Mrs Watson avoiding looking at her? Her instincts told her that something wasn’t quite right…

‘How long will she have to stay in?’ Mrs Watson rummaged in her bag for a tissue and blew her nose hard.

‘She’ll probably be allowed home tomorrow,’ Ally told her, steadying herself as the ambulance went round a corner. ‘Do you have any idea what triggered this attack, Mrs Watson? Has she been in contact with animals or anything different that might have caused it?’

Was there the briefest hesitation?

‘I don’t know.’ Mrs Watson shook her head firmly.

‘Right.’ Ally watched her carefully. ‘Well, we’ll have to think about it.’

Lucy’s words about Kelly’s mother not being keen on drugs came back to her, and she frowned briefly. Was that what was happening? Was she withholding the drugs? She made a mental note to follow it up as soon as Kelly was out of hospital.

* * *

Ally heard the laughter as soon as she pushed open the door of the barn.

Charlie was lying on her stomach on the big rug in front of the fire, her legs swinging from left to right, and Sean was sprawled across from her in the process of loading small white balls into a tunnel.

‘Hi, Mum!’ Charlie grinned delightedly. ‘We’re playing Hungry Hippos. I’ve won twice.’

‘She’s violent,’ Sean murmured wryly, smacking Charlie’s hand gently as she leaned across to steal a ball. ‘That’s mine, you cheat!’

Charlie giggled furiously and then pounded the plastic hippo with her hand until it swallowed the ball.

‘I’ve won another one!’ she whooped, and wriggled into a sitting position, her blonde hair awry as she beamed at Sean.

Ally dropped her bag and sank onto one of the squishy white sofas which had been her biggest indulgence. ‘So, how was the party, tuppence?’

‘Oh, great! There were some brilliant costumes but mine was the brilliantest.’

‘The most brilliant,’ Ally corrected automatically.

‘My mask was scary, wasn’t it, Sean?’

‘Terrifying.’ Sean’s eyes gleamed and swivelled to Ally who was feeling thoroughly agitated. Whatever she’d been expecting, it certainly hadn’t been a cosy domestic scene, with Sean playing with her daughter. Somehow she’d thought he’d be reading quietly on one of her sofas while Charlie played in her bedroom—instead of which he was lying on his side on her rug, his jeans clinging to the hard muscle of his thighs, a glimpse of dark hair showing on his chest as his shirt buttons gaped slightly. He looked devastatingly male and thoroughly at home.

Surely he’d said he didn’t like children…

She bit her lip and dragged her gaze away from the question she saw in his.

‘Dr Nicholson has got to go now, darling, so finish the game quickly.’

Sean watched her, one eyebrow lifting, and she felt thoroughly flustered. What was he thinking?

Suddenly he gave a soft smile. ‘I’m not in a hurry.’

Damn the man! His dark eyes teased her gently and she swallowed hard. He knew she wanted him to go but he wasn’t going to take the hint.

‘Can’t he stay to supper?’ Charlie bounced onto the sofa next to her mother and crossed her legs. ‘I could dress up again and scare you.’

‘No, thanks, you might give me nightmares.’ A wicked glint appeared in his eyes as they met Ally’s. ‘And I’m having enough trouble sleeping as it is.’

Ally coloured and got up quickly to hide her embarrassment. No way was this man staying to supper. She’d choke!

‘How was Kelly?’ He rose in one fluid movement and suddenly he was standing right next to her, tall, well muscled and very, very male.

‘Fine. Much better.’ Why wouldn’t he stop looking at her? It made her feel peculiar…

‘Can’t Sean stay to supper, Mum?’ Charlie wheedled, and Ally gave Sean a threatening look.

‘You’re much too busy this evening, aren’t you, Sean?’

‘Me?’ He raised his eyebrows and smiled innocently. ‘Not unless my bleeper goes off. I’d love to stay to supper.’

‘Yippee!’ Charlie leapt off the sofa and charged into her bedroom, leaving Ally grinding her teeth in frustration.

Sean gave a low laugh and dropped onto the sofa. ‘It was kind of you to invite me.’

Damn the man! Ally took a deep breath and struggled with her temper. ‘I did not invite you! I don’t want you to stay to supper and you know it!’

‘Why?’ The sharp question and the look in his eyes made her heart stumble.

‘Because I’ve already told you I don’t want you getting close to Charlie.’

He raised an eyebrow and stretched out those long legs. ‘Close to Charlie or close to you?’

‘Neither.’ She stared at him fiercely, her chest rising and falling as she breathed. ‘Please, Sean…’

He rose suddenly, catching her arm in a firm grip when she would have backed away.

‘Oh, no, you don’t. Not until we’ve talked about this.’ His fingers bit into her forearm as he pulled her back towards him. ‘Are you still trying to say there’s no chemistry between us?’

There was a long silence as they stared at each other and then she sagged slightly.

‘No.’ She stood still, her breathing irregular. ‘No, I’m not saying that.’

His expression softened slightly and he brushed her cheek with gentle fingers. ‘Then why won’t you just let things take their course?’

‘Because it isn’t worth the pain you’ll cause Charlie and me,’ she said bleakly, trying without success to pull away from him. ‘It just isn’t worth it.’

He stared down at her for a long moment, a muscle working in his jaw, and then his head came down and his mouth captured hers, his kiss hot and demanding.

She gave a gasp of shock and tried to pull away, but long, strong fingers clamped the back of her head, preventing her escape, while his other arm slid down her back and pulled her firmly against him.

It was a kiss like no other she’d ever received—fiery, erotic, gentle and demanding all at the same time—and soon she forgot that she’d ever wanted to escape. All she wanted was more. His touch was totally addictive and, instead of pulling away, she leaned against him, feeling the hard muscle of his thighs pressing against her, wanting to feel every male inch of him against her.

The hand behind her head tightened and he made love to her mouth with a skill and expertise that left every feminine nerve ending in her body crying out for more.

Tentatively her hand travelled up to his neck touching the surprisingly soft hair at the back of his head, her heart pounding as his tongue danced with hers, dominating but at the same time gentle, encouraging her more timid response.

Her senses whirling, her free hand lifted to his chest, feeling the solid strength of muscle under the thin fabric of his shirt, feeling the steady thud of his heart. Ally could think of nothing but the way he made her feel. The way no one had ever made her feel before…

Sean growled something inarticulate and then dragged his mouth away from hers, trailing hot, biting kisses down the length of her throat before cupping her face in his hands.

His breathing was harsh and uneven as he stared down at her. ‘Now tell me it’s not worth it, Ally.’

And with that he released her and turned on his heel, leaving her with limbs trembling and heart pounding, wondering what had hit her.

CHAPTER FIVE

A
LLY
closed the door of her consulting room and sank into her chair. She couldn’t concentrate on the flickering computer screen in front of her. She couldn’t concentrate on the list of patients waiting to be seen or the mountain of results to be checked. In fact, she couldn’t concentrate on anything. It was a cold Monday morning and all she could think about was Sean and the way it had felt when he’d kissed her.

Why had she let him do that? Why?