‘Really?’ Lincoln raised his eyebrow as he tried to control his temper at the sheer cheek of the man. ‘And what makes you think that’s your decision?’
‘I’m in charge of the security for the First Lady. Everything around here is my decision. And I don’t make compromises.’
Lincoln stepped forward until he was only inches from James’s face. ‘I don’t like what you’re inferring.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘Well, in that case show me your medical degree, Mr Turner. Because unless you’ve got one, I think you’ll find this is a medical decision—not a security decision.’
James scowled at him and shook his head. ‘Don’t make this into something it’s not, Dr Adams. This isn’t a medical decision, this is personal. Your lady friend turned up here to see you and blagged her way in. She shouldn’t be here and she’s compromising the safety of the First Lady and the First Daughter, so she has to go.’
Lincoln felt a red mist start to descend over his eyes. He jerked open the door of the filing cabinet and pulled Amy’s notes back out. He didn’t need to flick through them—by this point he knew them off by heart. ‘Let’s see. Ms Carson has protein in her urine, her blood pressure is above normal and pitting oedema is evident in her legs and abdomen. She is showing classic signs of pre-eclampsia.’ He slammed the notes shut. ‘She is at risk. Her baby is at risk. She didn’t blag her way in here, Mr Turner, she’s been admitted to this hospital because she’s sick.’
‘She can’t be sick here, it’s a security risk.’
‘Don’t be so ridiculous. Is there a pecking order here? Did I imagine it or did the doctors here tell me that you pulled up outside with the First Lady in labour, with no warning, no prior planning? Did you get turned away? Is the First Lady’s baby more important than Ms Carson’s? Is that the way things have become in the US?’
James pulled a stick of gum from his pocket and popped it in his mouth. ‘So transfer her.’
‘What?’
‘Transfer her somewhere else. They can look after her.’
The man was inhumane. Linc wondered if he was actually a machine. James was immune to anger—he obviously enraged everyone he came into contact with. It was time for a new angle. Lincoln took a deep breath and leaned against the filing cabinet. ‘Fine. But if she goes, I go. I’ve agreed to be her neonatologist. I need to be there when she delivers. And to be frank, I don’t care where that is. Make the arrangements, Mr Turner, let me know when we leave.’ He turned away and started walking down the corridor. He got six strides before he heard the voice behind him.
‘You can’t be serious.’
Linc turned back towards the incredulous voice. James had followed him along the corridor. ‘You’re going to walk away from the First Lady? It’s the best publicity you’ll ever get,’ he sneered.
Linc smiled. ‘And if you’ve done your homework, Mr Turner, you’ll know that I’m the doctor that doesn’t like publicity and doesn’t want it.’ He tilted his chin. ‘So what’s it to be, Mr Turner? Because I’m too tired to fight with you about it. Do you want to arrange the transfer or not?’
James hesitated for a second. Lincoln could see a tiny muscle twitching under his eye. He was furious and Lincoln couldn’t have cared less.
He let out a sigh. ‘Okay, she can stay.’
‘Finally, something we agree on.’ And before he could answer Lincoln walked into the on-call room and slammed the door.
CHAPTER FIVE
DAVID stood at the bottom of the bed, his forehead puckered with a frown. ‘Can you recheck her blood pressure manually, please?’ He nodded to one of the nearby nurses.
He scribbled something in the notes before giving Amy a little smile. ‘I’m a bit of a traditionalist.’ He gestured towards the monitor. ‘Some studies have shown that automated methods can underestimate systolic blood pressure, so I like it double-checked with a mercury sphygmomanometer. Trouble is, in the world of technology they can be hard to find these days.
He glanced back at Amy. ‘Yesterday’s blood results were fine, but I want to see what today’s are like.’ He lifted the bed covers and examined her legs and ankles, before unhooking the stethoscope from around his neck. ‘Can I take a listen to your chest, please?’
Amy nodded and leaned forward as he lifted her T-shirt, placing his cool stethoscope on her skin. ‘Take a deep breath, please.’
Amy breathed in and out slowly as the stethoscope moved from under her breast to her back.
The nurse appeared back at the door with a manual sphygmomanometer in her hand. She took a few seconds to wind it around Amy’s arm before inflating the cuff then placing the stethoscope inside her elbow. A few seconds passed before she released the valve and turned to David. ‘Same as the machine. One hundred and fifty over one hundred.’
David gave a sigh and stood back.
Lincoln appeared at the door. ‘Knock, knock.’ He walked into the room, ‘How are things, David?
‘Your friend Ms Carson is proving quite an enigma.’ He pointed at her chart. ‘Her blood pressure is still borderline despite her being started on anti-hypertensives yesterday. There’s still some protein in her urine. But her lungs are clear and her peripheral oedema seems to be improving.’
He turned back to Amy. ‘Any other symptoms?’
She shook her head.
‘Then we have a problem.’
‘What?’ Lincoln’s head shot upwards. ‘What do you mean, there’s a problem?’ He moved over to the side of the bed next to Amy.
David gave a little smile. ‘In normal circumstances, at this stage, I would probably ask Amy to rest at home and come into the hospital every day to be monitored.’
Lincoln’s brow wrinkled. ‘I don’t understand. What’s the problem?’
David gave his shoulders a little shrug. ‘It’s my understanding that Amy doesn’t stay around here. I can’t exactly send her home and ask her to come in every day for monitoring if she lives four hours away.’
Amy nodded her head in relief. Thank goodness. For a second there her heart had been in her mouth—she’d wondered what David was about to say.
‘But isn’t it best she stays here if she’s at risk of pre-eclampsia?’ Lincoln looked agitated.
David shook his head. ‘Not at this stage. Her symptoms aren’t severe. Her blood pressure is still borderline and we’ve started her on some treatment.’ He gave Amy a serious look. ‘However, you still require careful assessment, daily blood and urine tests, and blood pressure monitoring. We also need to keep a close eye on you to ensure you don’t develop any other symptoms.’
Amy gave him a smile. ‘So what do you suggest, Dr Fairgreaves?’
‘I suggest I give you a little more freedom.’
Amy’s smile broadened. ‘That sounds good.’
David gave a final glance at his chart. ‘For the moment I’m going to recommend your blood pressure is monitored four-hourly. I’m still recommending rest for you. But I don’t think a gentle walk outside in the fresh air will cause you any problems.’ He gave Lincoln a little nod. ‘Providing, of course, you have some supervision.’
Lincoln nodded his head in agreement. ‘I think I can manage that.’
‘I thought you might.’ David touched Amy’s shoulder. ‘I’ll come back and review things later once your blood test results are available. In the meantime, enjoy the sunshine.’
David turned and walked out the door, leaving Lincoln and Amy staring at each other.
‘I don’t know if I’m happy about this.’
‘What’s wrong, Linc, scared to take a girl to lunch?’
Linc folded his arms across his chest. ‘You make that sound like a challenge.’
‘It was. I know you won’t be able to resist. Yo
u were always a sucker for a challenge.’