Alex stared at her. ‘How the hell did you find all that out? She wasn’t even the patient.’

Jenny blushed. ‘She happened to mention that she became breathless when she ran after Jack to try and stop him going on the road and I noticed that one leg was swollen. If she hadn’t been wearing shorts I don’t suppose I’d have noticed. It may be nothing…’

‘Doesn’t sound like nothing to me. Let me just finish off here and I’ll be with you.’ Alex yanked the X-ray out of the light-box and handed it to the other doctor, who was still hovering. ‘Send this guy to fracture clinic for a below-knee plaster and refer him to the orthopaedic lot for follow-up.’ He turned to Jenny. ‘Let’s take a look at your patient.’

She hurried to keep up with him as he strode towards Resus. ‘She’s a smoker—thirty a day—and she’s on the Pill.’

He turned to her with a wry smile, pausing with one hand on the door of Resus. ‘Is there anything you didn’t find out about her?’

Jenny returned the smile tentatively, thinking that he shouldn’t be allowed to smile. It made him dangerously attractive. ‘I only asked a few questions…’

‘But all the right ones,’ he observed softly, his blue eyes suddenly intent. ‘Come on, let’s see if you’re suspicions are right.’

He pushed open the door of Resus and walked over to Helen. ‘I gather you’ve not been feeling too great yourself, Mrs Newton.’

Helen was trying to control the wriggling toddler while reading a book to the other child. ‘Well, that’s true, but I must admit I just thought it was because of these three. They’re hardly relaxing.’

‘I can imagine.’ Alex scooped the little girl into his arms and looked at Jenny. ‘Could you nip and get some toys from the paeds area? These little ones have been here long enough and they’re bored stiff. Let’s give them something to play with other than surgical instruments, shall we?’

Jenny smiled and hurried off to do as he’d suggested, thinking that for a man who didn’t want children he was remarkably sensitive to their needs.

She returned with the toys to find Alex examining Helen’s leg. ‘Does this hurt?’

Helen pulled a face. ‘A bit. Nothing dramatic.’

Alex nodded and his eyes flickered to Jenny. ‘I want to get a line in.’

Judging from the urgency of his tone, he obviously agreed with her diagnosis and she reacted immediately, reaching for a venflon and a swab.

Alex squatted down next to Helen who was still sitting on the chair, occupying the toddler.

‘Helen, I think it’s very likely that you’ve developed a clot in one of the veins in your leg,’ he said gently. ‘We call it a DVT. Deep-vein thrombosis. I also think that the clot may have moved up to your lungs, which is why you’re coughing. I want to run some tests.’

Helen stared at him. ‘You mean stay in hospital?’

‘For now, yes.’ Alex took the tourniquet that Jenny handed him and slid it over Helen’s arm. ‘I’m going to put a cannula into your vein so that we can take blood and give you drugs if the need arises.’