Kate Hardy - Hot Docs On Call - One Night To Forever?

‘Hello, Amber,’ Victoria said when she met her.

She had a deep burn on her hand, arm and shoulder that was going to require grafting. Amber became teary when she saw the stretcher.

‘It’s no problem,’ Glen said. ‘We can take you to the ambulance in a wheelchair if you prefer.’

That seemed to cheer her up and so they fetched a wheelchair and the small problem was solved, but she became distressed again when she saw the ambulance. No doubt Amber was remembering the pain she had been in the last time, and remembered the fear of the lights and sirens.

‘I’m going to make you a chicken to keep you company,’ Glen said, and Victoria smiled as he pulled out a rubber glove and blew it up.

He was very good with the little children and knew how to amuse and distract them with antics, such as this one, and Victoria tended to leave that side of things to him.

Soon enough, Amber was holding her ‘chicken’ and seated in the ambulance, and the transfer went smoothly. As they made their way up to the burns ward she saw Dominic coming down the corridor and walking towards them.

He wasn’t in scrubs; he was in a suit and tie and, to Victoria’s mind, looked impossibly handsome.

Did she nod and say hi? Victoria wondered, but Dominic dealt with that—he nodded a greeting to them both and Victoria gave a brief smile back.

Glen was a bit cheeky. ‘Direct Admission,’ he said as they passed. ‘We’re taking her straight to the ward.’

‘That’s what I like to see,’ Dominic called back.

It was just a little dig, a small exchange, but hearing his voice and dry response made Victoria smile and feel a bit hot in the face.

The burns unit was busy but they made Amber very welcome.

‘Hello there.’ Matthew, the burns specialist, smiled to Amber as she was wheeled in. ‘I’m Matt.’

As Glen and Victoria wheeled Amber into her side room, Matthew had a brief chat with the girl’s mother but she soon joined them.

‘It’s good to be at the Castle,’ she admitted, clearly relieved and reassured to be at the famed hospital. ‘Amber, you’ve got a couple of friends here already.’

‘It’s just like being back at school.’ Victoria smiled.

Soon the little girl was settled and they could head off. It was incredibly warm on the burns unit as the temperature was kept high for the patients, but it made for hot work. Victoria would be very glad to get out of there, but first she had a small chat with Matt, who had spoken at the Save Paddington’s meeting.

‘Still being kept busy?’ Victoria asked.

He nodded. ‘I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. I meant what I said about it being good that the fire happened so close to us. It made all the difference to some of these children. Did you bring in Simon?’

‘Simon?’ Victoria frowned and then shook her head.

‘The little boy from the foster home?’ Glen asked, because he knew about all the patients, and Matt nodded.

‘No, that was another crew. How’s he doing?’ Glen asked while Victoria was overheating.

‘I need a drink,’ she said, and left them to it. Glen would stand chatting for ages and it really was terribly warm in there.

The drinks machine wasn’t working but as they passed the canteen Glen nudged her.

‘We’ll get lunch,’ he said.

And she couldn’t really protest. There was no stretcher to take back to the vehicle and even if Dominic was in there Victoria knew that she couldn’t avoid him all the time.

She just rather hoped that he wasn’t there today.

‘What do you want?’ Glen asked, because they had their routine and usually Victoria would go and get a table while he went and got the food.

Except Dominic was there.

She had known the moment she stepped in, and though she deliberately didn’t look over, she was aware that he was seated in the far corner chatting with a woman.

She really didn’t want Dominic seeing her alone and coming over for another ‘discussion,’ or request to come to the scan.

‘Victoria?’ Glen checked, because she hadn’t answered his question.

‘I’m not sure what I want,’ Victoria said. ‘I’ll come with you.’

She chose a salad sandwich and bought a mug of hot chocolate and a bottle of water, as Glen chose tomato soup and a couple of rolls. Together they found a table, thankfully one far away from Dominic.

She drank half her water and then opened up her salad sandwich and took an unenthusiastic bite as Glen slurped his tomato soup.

‘Can I ask you something, Victoria?’

‘What?’ she snapped, awaiting the inevitable questions as to when she was going to tell work, or whether she had told the father.

Glen had asked both regularly since he’d found out.

‘Do you put butter on your peanut butter sandwiches?’

Victoria smiled. She liked their often mundane conversations and it helped take her mind off Dominic. ‘Of course I do.’

‘Well, Hayley doesn’t. And apparently Adam has asked that when it’s my turn to make the sandwiches, for me not to put any butter on.’

‘Adam’s nine?’ Victoria checked, and Glen nodded and took another slurp of his soup. ‘Well, then, I’d suggest he makes it himself if he’s going to be so choosy.’

‘You haven’t tried getting four children to school on time, have you?’ Glen sighed. ‘If they all made their own sandwiches, aside from the mess that they’d leave behind, they’d never get there.’

And she conceded, because no, she’d never had to get four little people to school before.

But hopefully in a few years she’d have one little person to get there.

The pregnancy was starting to take shape in Victoria’s mind and she was beginning to get excited at the prospect of being a mother.

She liked the glimpses of family life that Glen gave her.

It helped her to picture things a bit.

Glen made sandwiches for everyone if he was on an early shift. It gave Hayley a break and it worked well.

Except he’d left his behind today.

Victoria could no more imagine her father making lunch for her than a flight to the moon.

It just hadn’t happened.

And they hadn’t taken meals together, unless they were out at some function.

‘Have you told the guy he’s going to be a father yet?’ Glen asked, and Victoria sighed. She was just about to tell him to mind his own business when someone answered the question for her.

‘Yes, Glen, she has.’

And she stared at her half-eaten sandwich rather than at Dominic, who very calmly took a seat at their table.

‘Well, this is awkward,’ Victoria said.

‘Why is it awkward?’ Dominic asked. ‘All three of us already know you’re pregnant.’ He looked to Glen. ‘Did you know that the father was me?’

‘I had an idea that it might be,’ Glen admitted, and Victoria threw him an angry look as she realised that he had deliberately steered her into the canteen. Glen picked up his rolls and then stood. ‘I’ll see you back at the vehicle, Victoria.’

As he walked off Victoria looked over to Dominic. ‘I’ll be having words with Glen.’

‘I wouldn’t bother. I was coming by the station tonight to leave a message for you to contact me,’ Dominic said.

‘Why?’

‘Because we need to speak.’

‘About what?’

‘Well, Glen knows...’ Dominic started.

‘Glen guessed that I was pregnant,’ Victoria interrupted, assuming he was annoyed that others knew.

‘Victoria, I’m glad that he knows. It’s good that you’ve got him looking out for you. Mind you, he should have stopped you when there was that fire.’

‘Don’t interfere with my work,’ Victoria said. ‘He’s my partner, not my line manager. I make my own choices.’