it, but why? He was the most physically attractive man she'd ever met, so maybe it was his manner that kept her own sex on the sidelines.
'Do you want a lightning tour of the house?' he was asking. Bringing her thoughts back to the moment, she nodded. 'Yes, if you don't think I'm being too nosy.'
'Not at all. I've never had a woman's opinion of my residence before. I think we can allow ourselves a few moments before we sally forth to confront the sick and suffering of the parish.'
Max was opening a door at the end of the hallway and beckoning for her to go through, and as they wandered from room to room Fenella saw that the rest of the house was just as attractive as that first glimpse.
She didn't linger in the master bedroom because she was acutely conscious of the king-sized bed in a central position, and for a crazy moment she wondered what it would be like to share it with the man at her side.
He must have either seen her expression or thought he had read her mind as he said, 'I'm a restless sleeper. I need the space.'
She nodded, feeling less composed than when they'd arrived, and when Max saw that there was no comment forthcoming he said briskly, 'Right. Let's get moving.'
They'd visited the home of another young boy who had all the symptoms of mumps and called at the home of an elderly couple who had come back from holidaying abroad with unpleasant gastric upsets, and now at the end of the list of calls to be made were encountering the most serious case of the day.
An elderly woman opened the door to them and said without preamble, 'It's Ben, Doctor. He can't stand up, he's so dizzy. He's been reeling about like somebody drunk.'
'Where is he, Betty?' he asked.
'Lying on the bedroom floor,' was the answer. 'I tried to lift him onto the bed, but he was too heavy. He was all right when he went to bed last night, but the moment he put his feet on the bedroom floor this morning he lost his balance.'
Max was already halfway up the stairs, with Fenella following close behind, and when they saw Betty's elderly husband prostrate on the floor he said, 'Let's get him onto the bed, Fenella. One of us on each side and when I say lift...lift.'
Ben was moaning softly as they laid him on the bed. 'What's the matter with me?' he croaked. 'I can't even get to the bathroom on my own.'
Max was checking his pulse and heartbeat and having satisfied himself that there was no problem there he asked, 'Have you had any problems lately with your ears, Ben?'
'No,' he mumbled. 'Not a thing.'
'You are on medication for hypertension, aren't you?'
'Aye,' he replied. 'If you mean high blood pressure.'
'I do,' Max told him. 'I'm going to check it as I think we might have a hiccup there. Then I'm going to ask our new doctor at the practice to do the same and give us her opinion.
'All right?' he questioned, turning to Fenella.
'Yes, Dr Hollister,' she agreed, and Max hid a smile as he thought that she'd no need to sound so meek. If Fenella didn't get this right, he would be having doubts about asking her to join the practice.
'So?' he asked when they'd both checked the patient's blood pressure.
'I think that it has taken a sudden dip and gone too low,' she said. 'That low blood pressure has caused the dizziness. Maybe Ben was over-prescribed for a short time and that has caused it.'
Max was smiling. 'I agree,' he told her, and turning back to the patient he said, 'Normally in a situation such as this I would prescribe tablets to take away the problem, but your attack is too serious for that. So I'm going to give you an injection that will bring relief in the shortest time.'
As he prepared the syringe Max turned to Betty, who was hovering at the foot of the bed, and flashed her a reassuring smile. 'This should do the trick,' he told her, 'but it will be a few days before Ben is back to his usual self. An attack of this nature can leave a person feeling weak and somewhat disorientated, but it will clear eventually.'
She breathed
'Do you want a lightning tour of the house?' he was asking. Bringing her thoughts back to the moment, she nodded. 'Yes, if you don't think I'm being too nosy.'
'Not at all. I've never had a woman's opinion of my residence before. I think we can allow ourselves a few moments before we sally forth to confront the sick and suffering of the parish.'
Max was opening a door at the end of the hallway and beckoning for her to go through, and as they wandered from room to room Fenella saw that the rest of the house was just as attractive as that first glimpse.
She didn't linger in the master bedroom because she was acutely conscious of the king-sized bed in a central position, and for a crazy moment she wondered what it would be like to share it with the man at her side.
He must have either seen her expression or thought he had read her mind as he said, 'I'm a restless sleeper. I need the space.'
She nodded, feeling less composed than when they'd arrived, and when Max saw that there was no comment forthcoming he said briskly, 'Right. Let's get moving.'
They'd visited the home of another young boy who had all the symptoms of mumps and called at the home of an elderly couple who had come back from holidaying abroad with unpleasant gastric upsets, and now at the end of the list of calls to be made were encountering the most serious case of the day.
An elderly woman opened the door to them and said without preamble, 'It's Ben, Doctor. He can't stand up, he's so dizzy. He's been reeling about like somebody drunk.'
'Where is he, Betty?' he asked.
'Lying on the bedroom floor,' was the answer. 'I tried to lift him onto the bed, but he was too heavy. He was all right when he went to bed last night, but the moment he put his feet on the bedroom floor this morning he lost his balance.'
Max was already halfway up the stairs, with Fenella following close behind, and when they saw Betty's elderly husband prostrate on the floor he said, 'Let's get him onto the bed, Fenella. One of us on each side and when I say lift...lift.'
Ben was moaning softly as they laid him on the bed. 'What's the matter with me?' he croaked. 'I can't even get to the bathroom on my own.'
Max was checking his pulse and heartbeat and having satisfied himself that there was no problem there he asked, 'Have you had any problems lately with your ears, Ben?'
'No,' he mumbled. 'Not a thing.'
'You are on medication for hypertension, aren't you?'
'Aye,' he replied. 'If you mean high blood pressure.'
'I do,' Max told him. 'I'm going to check it as I think we might have a hiccup there. Then I'm going to ask our new doctor at the practice to do the same and give us her opinion.
'All right?' he questioned, turning to Fenella.
'Yes, Dr Hollister,' she agreed, and Max hid a smile as he thought that she'd no need to sound so meek. If Fenella didn't get this right, he would be having doubts about asking her to join the practice.
'So?' he asked when they'd both checked the patient's blood pressure.
'I think that it has taken a sudden dip and gone too low,' she said. 'That low blood pressure has caused the dizziness. Maybe Ben was over-prescribed for a short time and that has caused it.'
Max was smiling. 'I agree,' he told her, and turning back to the patient he said, 'Normally in a situation such as this I would prescribe tablets to take away the problem, but your attack is too serious for that. So I'm going to give you an injection that will bring relief in the shortest time.'
As he prepared the syringe Max turned to Betty, who was hovering at the foot of the bed, and flashed her a reassuring smile. 'This should do the trick,' he told her, 'but it will be a few days before Ben is back to his usual self. An attack of this nature can leave a person feeling weak and somewhat disorientated, but it will clear eventually.'
She breathed
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