Unknown by Unknown Page B

go out and about, and meet lots of interesting men.'
     
    Anna was on late on Monday, getting to the hospital at midday, but before she'd even reached the, lifts she learned that the mother of the abandoned baby had come in for treatment. Not having time to learn all the details, she hurried up to Gynae and along to the office, where she found Simon deep in conversation with a tawny-haired man in glasses. Both swung round at her approach.
    Jean was there too but, relieved to see Anna, she hurried away, whereupon Simon introduced the stranger as James Petersen, ENT consultant, adding, as they shook hands, 'And this is Mrs Fellowes, James, our new ward sister.'
    Why is he here? was Anna's first thought, then learned that Fay Cotton, the ectopic patient, had developed an infected throat. 'I regret to say she has acute streptococcal tonsillitis, Sister.' James Petersen looked with undisguised pleasure at Anna's lovely face.
    'She's been moved into number two side-ward to prevent droplet infection,' Simon put in tersely. 'The last thing we need is the whole ward going down with it. I suppose she picked it up from one of her visitors?' His expression was grim.
    'She may well have done so, but we can't check on everyone who comes through the doors.' Anna looked vexed. 'But it's a great pity, just as she was doing so well; she seemed particularly well when I left here on Friday night.'
    'Respiratory infections can manifest themselves very quickly,' Petersen said, still staring at Anna as though at a mirage. 'I've suggested spraying her throat with amethocaine hydrochlor...better than gargling, which won't reach the whole inflammatory area and may increase her pain. Give her lozenges to suck—they'll increase her saliva and prevent her neck stiffening up.
    'I'll see her again tomorrow.. .sooner if you're worried.' He was talking mainly to Anna, walking backwards towards the door, then as he bumped against the jamb he said, leaning slightly forward, 'Didn't I see you at the Collingham Show on Saturday, watching the riding events? You were on the same side of the ring as me... with that handsome husband of yours.'
    'Not my husband—he's dead. I was there with a friend,' Anna replied, a little more crushingly than she'd intended, aware as she was of Simon moving impatiently at her side.
    'I was certain I'd seen you somewhere before and then remembered that it was here, but we'd never been introduced, had we?' Petersen's smile flashed out once more.
    'No, we hadn't.' Anna willed him to go—there were new patients to see, there was the report to be dealt with and she wanted to ask Simon about the abandoned child.
    In the end it was he who got Petersen moving by all but nudging him out, thanking him so fulsomely as he did so that his tactics went unobserved. 'So, you enjoyed your weekend, did you?' He turned back to Anna again.
    'Very much.' She moved to the desk, feeling more in charge, as well as more divided from him, behind its solid bulk.
    'The Collingham Show is well worth a visit. I went to it last year.' He lifted a globe paperweight, balanced it in his hand and then set it down, waiting silently as though hoping to be told more. Instead, seizing the opportunity, Anna asked him about the baby.
    'They told me in Reception that the mother turned up, so is everything all right?'
    'Depends—' Simon's expression was grim '—on how you look at it. The kid's still upstairs in Maternity, abandoned yet again. Neither his mother nor his outraged grandmother want to recognise his existence.'
    'Then the mother's gone home?'
    'She needed suturing but was otherwise OK and, yes, she went home after breakfast today—as happy as Larry, according to Sister Webb who's exploding all over the place.'
    'Was she a teenage mother?'
    'Eighteen, name of Dawn Payne. Her mother insists that she didn't know Dawn was pregnant.'
    'But that's ridiculous!' Anna exclaimed. 'Of course she must have known!'
    'Not necessarily,' Simon corrected. 'Dawn is a very big