were on next door, she noticed. Hugo was back early from The Mallard. Maybe like herself he needed to recharge his batteries ready for Monday morning at the surgery and she went up to bed with the tranquillity still upon her.
It lasted until Wednesday morning, with Monday and Tuesday being average sort of days and the two Lakes Rise occupants pleasantly polite to each other and returning home to spend the evenings separately in their own spaces.
The interview for the now vacant position of practice manager that had been arranged for Gordon’s niece had been scheduled for Wednesday morning at eleven o’clock and as it would be the first change of staffing since she had joined the practice Ruby was keen to get a glimpse of her.
The three senior doctors would be doing the interviewing as her own position was too new and junior for her to take part, so she was going to be on the lookout for Laura Armitage’s arrival between patients, but she hadn’t expected the consultation she was due to have with Pamela Cole, the wife of the village chemist to be so lengthy, and by the time it was over the prospective newcomer to the practice was closeted in an office on a lower level of the building with the three doctors.
Pamela had come because of finding a lump in her breast and was dreading what it might be, She had also had a recurrence of a drop in thyroid performance and Ruby had felt it necessary to increase her daily dosage of thyroxine, but the patient’s only concern had been for the lump she’d found.
‘I’m going to send you to the women’s section of the new hospital by the lake,’ she told her. ‘They will do tests there to find out the cause of the swelling, and do remember, Mrs Cole, that it isn’t always cancer when that kind of thing appears. It can be from muscle strain due to heavy lifting, or some other innocent cause, so try not to worry too much until we have a diagnosis, and do make sure to take the increased dose of thyroxine that I’m going to prescribe. The hospital will be in touch with you soon, so until then just carry on as usual until you hear from them.’
When she’d gone her next patient appeared at the door of her small consulting room before she’d had the chance to call his name and as Ivor Coltrane settled himself in the chair opposite he asked, ‘You’re new, aren’t you, and the only doctor here from the looks of it. Where are the others? They know all about my years of suffering and if they’re not here I’m going to have to explain it all to you, young miss.’
‘That won’t be necessary, Mr Coltrane,’ she told him calmly. ‘I have your records in front of me. Dr Nathan Gallagher has asked for a hospital appointment with regard to your haemorrhoids, if that is what is concerning you, and you should get a letter any day. Is there anything else I can do for you, or is it just that you have come to enquire about?’
‘Yes, it was about that,’ he admitted, getting to his feet reluctantly, and she could tell that he felt he’d been denied a long chat about minor health problems that he was always eager to discuss with whichever doctor he saw.
But she’d been warned about Ivor beforehand and as she’d explained to him, she had his notes in front of her if they should be needed, so now as he ambled slowly down the passage outside her room towards the main entrance of the practice she was free to check with one of the receptionists if the meeting was over.
‘Yes,’ she was told. ‘They are all on their way up now. Laura’s children are waiting for her in Hugo’s room. We’ve found them some things to keep them amused and have kept popping in to make sure they were all right. One of the nurses has gone to get them.’ Ruby turned at the sound of childish voices and saw a pretty girl of seven or maybe eight years old clutching the hand of a handsome younger boy. No sooner had that thought registered than those who had been at the meeting in the office downstairs
It lasted until Wednesday morning, with Monday and Tuesday being average sort of days and the two Lakes Rise occupants pleasantly polite to each other and returning home to spend the evenings separately in their own spaces.
The interview for the now vacant position of practice manager that had been arranged for Gordon’s niece had been scheduled for Wednesday morning at eleven o’clock and as it would be the first change of staffing since she had joined the practice Ruby was keen to get a glimpse of her.
The three senior doctors would be doing the interviewing as her own position was too new and junior for her to take part, so she was going to be on the lookout for Laura Armitage’s arrival between patients, but she hadn’t expected the consultation she was due to have with Pamela Cole, the wife of the village chemist to be so lengthy, and by the time it was over the prospective newcomer to the practice was closeted in an office on a lower level of the building with the three doctors.
Pamela had come because of finding a lump in her breast and was dreading what it might be, She had also had a recurrence of a drop in thyroid performance and Ruby had felt it necessary to increase her daily dosage of thyroxine, but the patient’s only concern had been for the lump she’d found.
‘I’m going to send you to the women’s section of the new hospital by the lake,’ she told her. ‘They will do tests there to find out the cause of the swelling, and do remember, Mrs Cole, that it isn’t always cancer when that kind of thing appears. It can be from muscle strain due to heavy lifting, or some other innocent cause, so try not to worry too much until we have a diagnosis, and do make sure to take the increased dose of thyroxine that I’m going to prescribe. The hospital will be in touch with you soon, so until then just carry on as usual until you hear from them.’
When she’d gone her next patient appeared at the door of her small consulting room before she’d had the chance to call his name and as Ivor Coltrane settled himself in the chair opposite he asked, ‘You’re new, aren’t you, and the only doctor here from the looks of it. Where are the others? They know all about my years of suffering and if they’re not here I’m going to have to explain it all to you, young miss.’
‘That won’t be necessary, Mr Coltrane,’ she told him calmly. ‘I have your records in front of me. Dr Nathan Gallagher has asked for a hospital appointment with regard to your haemorrhoids, if that is what is concerning you, and you should get a letter any day. Is there anything else I can do for you, or is it just that you have come to enquire about?’
‘Yes, it was about that,’ he admitted, getting to his feet reluctantly, and she could tell that he felt he’d been denied a long chat about minor health problems that he was always eager to discuss with whichever doctor he saw.
But she’d been warned about Ivor beforehand and as she’d explained to him, she had his notes in front of her if they should be needed, so now as he ambled slowly down the passage outside her room towards the main entrance of the practice she was free to check with one of the receptionists if the meeting was over.
‘Yes,’ she was told. ‘They are all on their way up now. Laura’s children are waiting for her in Hugo’s room. We’ve found them some things to keep them amused and have kept popping in to make sure they were all right. One of the nurses has gone to get them.’ Ruby turned at the sound of childish voices and saw a pretty girl of seven or maybe eight years old clutching the hand of a handsome younger boy. No sooner had that thought registered than those who had been at the meeting in the office downstairs
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