‘No, both of the doctors are in theatre today so I’m doing the house calls. How can I help you?’

The woman ushered her inside and closed the door quickly then chewed on her lip before telling her, ‘It’s me daughter, Annie. She, er … ain’t well.’

‘Oh? What appears to be the problem?’

‘It’s, er … her monthlies. She’s bleedin’ really heavy an’ I can’t seem to stop it.’ The woman led her up a steep, narrow staircase and as Holly saw the young woman lying on the bed with a blood-soaked towel between her legs she frowned. The girl’s eyes were rolling back in her head and beads of sweat stood out on her forehead as Holly quickly crossed to her and took her pulse.

‘Are you sure she hasn’t miscarried?’ Holly asked carefully. The girl was in a very bad way and she saw at a glance that this was no normal monthly period.

‘O’ course she ain’t, she ain’t even wed.’ The woman was a bag of nerves but Holly guessed instantly what had happened. The poor girl had been butchered by a backstreet abortionist, probably at her mother’s insistence so that she wouldn’t bring shame on the family.

‘I’m afraid I’m going to have to get an ambulance,’ Holly told the woman, trying her best to stay calm. ‘She needs to be in hospital as soon as possible.’

‘B-but couldn’t yer just treat her here?’ The woman’s hands plucked nervously at the buttons on her blouse as she stared at Holly fearfully.

‘I’m afraid not. Stay with her and I’ll be back with an ambulance as soon as I can.’ She hurried from the room knowing all too well that every minute counted. She had seen a young girl brought into the hospital just a few weeks before in the same condition but sadly there had been nothing the doctors could do for her and she had passed away. She didn’t want that to happen to this poor soul. She ran as fast as her legs would take her all the way back to the hospital and when she finally flew into the corridor, she rapped on Matron’s door and breathlessly told her about the girl.

‘Well done for realising what had happened,’ Matron praised her. ‘Luckily Dr Phillips has just come out of theatre so he can go with the ambulance to fetch her. Meantime, you sit there, I shan’t be more than a minute or two. And feel proud of yourself because your quick thinking may well have just saved that young lady’s life!’ She hurried away to organise the transport and when she returned she found Holly a little calmer.

‘So apart from the last patient how did your first day go?’ she enquired.

‘Well, I still have one patient left to see,’ Holly explained as she took the list from her pocket. ‘And I haven’t had time to write my notes up yet, but I didn’t want to delay getting the girl admitted.’