How could she ever have found Philip attractive?

Ignoring him as much as she could, she showed Mrs Palmer where to stand so that she could cuddle Melanie without getting in the way.

Philip wafted some gas under the child’s nose and gradually her eyes closed.

‘You can come back to the ward with me now,’ Libby said gently, taking Mrs Palmer by the arm as Philip carried on anaesthetising the child. ‘You need a cup of coffee and a sit-down. Mr Jenner will ring when he has some news for us.’

Philip glanced up. ‘I’ll pop up to the ward and see you soon, Libby.’ His gaze was meaningful. ‘We need to have a chat.’

Libby shot him a cold look but didn’t respond. She didn’t want to discuss her private life in front of patients or relatives. It wasn’t professional.

And she had no intention of having a chat with him. If he appeared on the ward, she’d make sure that she was unavailable.

Once Melanie was safely under the anaesthetic, they returned to the ward and Libby settled Mrs Palmer comfortably with a cup of coffee before going to check on Rachel.

‘Her colour is so much better,’ she said, pleased by the way the baby seemed to be responding to the antibiotics. ‘She’s definitely improving. Has she been taking any fluids?’

Alison nodded. ‘She took a whole bottle from me at eleven o’clock. She seemed really thirsty. It’s the first time she’s fed properly for days.’

‘That’s great news.’ Libby smiled as she checked the baby’s temperature. ‘That’s come right down, too. If she carries on like this we’ll be able to take that drip out soon.’

‘Will she need to carry on with the antibiotics?’

‘Yes, but she can take them as medicine. She doesn’t have to have them into a vein,’ Libby explained, charting the temperature and noting the baby’s respirations. ‘Once we’ve taken that drip out she can have a trip to our playroom and we’ll see if we can get her interested in some of our toys.’

It was after lunch when Melanie Palmer returned from Theatre.

‘They took out her appendix and irrigated her peritoneal cavity,’ Andreas told Libby as they settled the little girl back onto the ward. ‘We’ll continue the antibiotics and keep her nil by mouth until she’s got bowel sounds.’

‘Was it the GP’s fault?’ Libby asked softly. ‘Should he have spotted it?’

Andreas pulled a face. ‘In my opinion her clinical condition should have alerted him to the fact that it was something serious, but appendicitis in young children is notoriously hard to diagnose. Children tend to present late and a high percentage perforate before they get to see a doctor. In children under the age of three appendicitis is hardly ever diagnosed before perforation, but in her case…’ He gave a shrug. ‘Hard to say whether her GP could have diagnosed it earlier. I think he should have had a high index of suspicion but it’s immaterial now.’