‘She was playing on the deck with a water pistol and she slipped and crashed into the fence—the bruise is horrendous. I’m worried she’s fractured her eye socket or something.’ The woman’s face was white. ‘I tried to get an appointment with one of the doctors, but Dr McNeil is out on a call and Dr McKinley has a full list.’

Jenna gave her shoulder a squeeze. ‘Let me take a look at it. If I think she needs to be seen by one of the doctors, then I’ll arrange it. Hello, Lily.’ She crouched down so that she was at the same level as the child. ‘What have you been doing to yourself?’

She studied the livid bruise across the child’s cheekbone and the swelling distorting the face. ‘Was she knocked out?’

‘No.’ The woman hovered. ‘I put an ice pack on it straight away, but it doesn’t seem to have made a difference.’

‘I’m sure it helped.’ Jenna examined the child’s cheek, tested her vision and felt the orbit. ‘Can you open your mouth for me, Lily? Good girl—now, close—brilliant. Does that hurt?’ Confident that there was no fracture, she turned to Lily’s mother. ‘I think it’s just badly bruised, Mrs Parsons.’

‘But she could have fractured it. Sorry—it isn’t that I don’t trust you.’ The woman closed her eyes briefly. ‘And I know I’m being anxious, but—’

‘I know all about anxious. You don’t have to apologise.’ Seeing how distressed the mother was, and sympathising, Jenna made a decision. ‘I’ll ask Dr McKinley to check her for you. Then you won’t be going home, worrying.’

‘Would you?’

‘I’ll go and see if he’s free—just wait one moment.’ Giving Lily a toy to play with, Jenna left her room and walked across to Ryan just as the door to his consulting room opened and a patient walked out.

She paused for a moment, conscious that she hadn’t seen him since Hamish had embarrassed them both the day before.

‘Ryan?’ Putting that out of her mind, Jenna put her head round the door. ‘I’m sorry, I know you’re busy…’ And tired, she thought, looking at the shadows under his eyes. He worked harder than any doctor she’d ever met.

Or were the shadows caused by something else?

‘I’m not busy—what can I do for you?’ The moment he looked at her, Jenna felt her insides flip over.

‘I have a patient in my room—I wondered if you could give me your opinion. The little girl is six—she’s slipped and banged her face. The bruising is bad, but I don’t think there’s a fracture—there’s no flattening of the cheek.’