Alison Roberts - The Doctor's Secret Family

‘So the department doesn’t really rate, then?’

‘Come off it, Pete.’ Hannah’s admonishing tone was negated by the smile she bestowed on her boss. ‘You’ve been far more than a boss, or even a colleague, to me and you know it. I might never have come back after having Livvy if it hadn’t been for your encouragement, and thanks to you, the paediatric department of Christchurch Central is probably more sought after as a place to work in than anywhere else in this country.’ She sighed. ‘That’s the problem. I’m going to be up against some pretty stiff competition for this position, aren’t I?’

‘I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I was just discussing you with Tom Berry, in fact.’

‘Oh?’ Tom Berry was one of the paediatric surgeons at Central. He would also be on the committee that would decide the position. Hannah widened her eyes anxiously but Peter simply grinned.

‘He had very nice things to say about you.’ Peter glanced at his watch. ‘And that reminds me. I was supposed to be in Tom’s office ten minutes ago for an afternoon tea to welcome their new appointee.’ He stood up hurriedly. ‘I’ll have to disappear. Sorry, Hannah.’

‘That’s OK.’ Hannah followed his example and rose, collecting her empty plate and cup. ‘I’m due back in the ward for an admission anyway.’

Her resigned expression made Peter smile. ‘Anyone I know?’

‘Jadine Milton,’ Hannah replied. ‘She looks set to become our latest frequent flyer.’

‘Abdominal pain again?’

‘Yep. And I’ve ruled out every obscure medical cause I can think of over the last three admissions.’

‘Crohn’s disease? Constipation? Lead poisoning?’ Peter was walking with Hannah as she left the cafeteria.

‘And intussusception, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, pyelonephritis and pancreatitis.’

‘Diabetes?’

‘Blood sugars are normal. I’m sure there’s no organic cause. We even did an endoscopy last time to rule out peptic ulcers.’

‘Munchausen’s?’

‘It’s starting to look like that. Or Munchausen’s by proxy. The mother’s got a few problems.’

‘Who initiated today’s admission?’

‘The GP. I suspect she’s fed up.’

Peter turned off as they reached the lifts near the gift shop in the main foyer. ‘Get some input from Psych this time. And maybe Social Services.’

Hannah nodded wearily. ‘I’ll see if I can have a good talk to the mother myself as well.’ She headed for the stairs unsurprised that that vague feeling of premonition had returned. This was another challenging case but behavioural and social problems were veering away from any field of expertise Hannah had and it was hard to stay uninvolved when she liked her patient. Six-year-old Jadine was not unlike her own daughter to look at, with her blond curls and big, brown eyes. Her single mother was also struggling with the kinds of issues Hannah had dealt with herself. The case would be time-consuming, however, and there were a lot of loose ends on the ward that Hannah would need to deal with before she could leave for the day. She almost welcomed that familiar tension that came with the conflict between wanting to get home to Livvy and needing to do her job as best she could. She was used to coping with this and it was preferable to that formless fear still clouding her day.

* * *

Jadine Milton lay on a bed in Room 4, next door to where young Jamie was receiving IV fluids to correct his dehydration. The small girl’s face was pale but Hannah suspected this was quite a normal colour for her. Clutching a Barbie doll, Jadine was shaking her head vigorously as Hannah entered the room.

‘I don’t want a drink, Mummy. I hate water!’

‘Water’s good for you. You drink far too much cola. It’s probably got something to do with all these tummyaches you’re getting.’

‘Hi, there, pumpkin.’ Hannah smiled at her patient. ‘Fancy seeing you in here again.’

‘I’m so sorry about this.’ Jadine’s mother, Caroline Briggs, sighed theatrically. ‘I felt embarrassed enough turning up at the medical centre yet again. It’s even worse to have to come back into hospital. I know how busy you are and—’

‘It’s not a problem,’ Hannah interrupted. ‘What’s important is making sure that Jadine is fine.’

‘You haven’t found anything wrong with her the last three times she’s been in. You must be starting to think we just make a fuss about nothing.’

Hannah hoped her smile was reassuring. She could see the anxiety in Jadine’s face. No matter what the cause of the recurrent abdominal pain, a six-year-old child couldn’t be held responsible for any wastage of time and resources.

‘So your tummy’s sore again, Jadine?’

The little girl nodded.

‘Does it feel just the same as last time?’

She nodded again.

‘When did it start?’

‘It’s never really gone away completely,’ her mother answered. ‘She seems to get better and then it comes back again a few days later. It’s been going on for weeks.’

Hannah nodded. The first admission had been six weeks ago now. ‘Is there any pattern to it?’

‘How do you mean?’

‘Is it more likely to happen, say, on a Monday? Or a weekend?’

‘I don’t know. She’s been missing an awful lot of school, though.’

‘Do you like school, Jadine?’

Jadine nodded again. ‘My friend Georgie and me play Barbies at lunchtime.’

It was not the kind of response she would have expected from a child who might be experiencing problems like bullying at school. Hannah glanced up at Caroline.

‘Have you noticed anything that seems to make any difference?’

‘Like what?’

‘Changes in her diet, maybe?’

‘The only real change she gets is when she goes to stay with my mum.’ Caroline sighed. ‘For some reason she’ll always eat her veggies when she’s staying with Grandma. She never does it at home.’

‘Don’t you like veggies, Jadine?’

‘I like Grandma’s veggies.’

‘I cook them exactly the same way,’ Caroline protested.

‘They don’t taste the same. And you don’t make pudding. I have to eat veggies for Gran or I don’t get the pudding.’

‘I don’t have time to make puddings. And, anyway, they’re not good for you.’

‘Gran’s puddings are good for me. They make my tummy stop being sore.’

Hannah stayed silent, observing the undercurrent between mother and daughter. The significance of another family member being involved was not something she had thought of pursuing in this case but there was clearly something going on here that could be important. She made a mental note to follow it up.

‘Have you been back to your GP before today?’

‘We’ve been at the medical centre every other day. They’re getting sick of seeing us turn up and it’s costing me a fortune.’

Hannah smiled sympathetically. The referral note from the GP had suggested that Jadine’s mother needed more reassurance than they were able to supply. ‘Is she eating all right?’

‘She’ll eat anything that looks like a hamburger or chips. Her appetite seems to vanish in front of a plate of vegetables, though.’ Caroline sighed again. ‘I do try.’

Hannah smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed close to Jadine. ‘My little girl likes chips, too.’ She leaned forward. ‘She’s got a Barbie doll as well, only she left hers in the water trough out in our paddock the other day and now Barbie keeps leaking.’

Jadine stared at Hannah. ‘What’s a troff?’

‘A big drinking bowl. Like cows or horses need.’

‘Have you got a cow?’

‘No. I haven’t got a horse either, but I do have a donkey.’