Worth the Risk by Sarah Morgan

she was barely aware that he’d been living next to her for two days. And now he was next door again, this time running Will’s minor accident surgery in the treatment room.
    With a groan and a shake of her head Ally pressed the buzzer for her next patient who came in, clutching the hand of a fractious toddler.
    ‘Hello, Felicity, how’s the pregnancy?’
    Felicity rolled her eyes and sagged into the chair, picking up a toy from Ally’s box. ‘Here we are, Tom, choo-choo train.’
    The little boy took the train and plopped down on the floor contentedly. Felicity gave Ally a tired smile.
    ‘The pregnancy, did you say? I don’t know. I haven’t got time to think about it. This little one and his older brother keep me too busy.’
    Ally gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘I’ll bet. Not like the first time around, is it?’
    ‘You can say that again.’ Felicity gave a short laugh. ‘The first time around I felt special. Put your feet up, pet, Hugh used to say. He used to cook, clean, bring me tea in bed…’
    ‘But not any more?’
    Felicity laughed and passed Tom a bag of bricks which he cheerfully upended, before bursting into noisy sobs.
    ‘Definitely not any more.’ Felicity stooped to pick up the little boy, murmuring soothing noises as she bounced him on her knee. ‘Anyway, believe it or not, I didn’t come to moan! This little fellow is very out of sorts and he’s got a nasty rash. I think it might be chickenpox because there have been a few cases in his nursery.’
    ‘Let’s have a look at him.’ Ally picked up a puppet from her desk. ‘Tom? Look what I’ve got…’
    She jiggled the puppet until Tom started to chuckle and then handed it over to Felicity while she examined the little boy quickly but thoroughly.
    ‘When did the rash start?’ She listened to Tom’s chest and checked his throat and ears.
    ‘About three days ago, but he only had a couple of spots so I wasn’t sure.’
    Ally examined the rash carefully and then helped pull Tom’s jumper back over his head.
    ‘It’s definitely chickenpox,’ she confirmed, turning to her computer and tapping keys. ‘I’ll give you a prescription for Piriton syrup, which should help the itching.’
    ‘When is he infectious, Dr McGuire—and should I keep him away from other children?’
    Ally nodded. ‘Most nurseries prefer you to keep them off although, in fact, they’re infectious for twenty-four hours before the rash appears so in reality the chances are that he’s already passed it on. But keep him off until the rash crusts over.’
    ‘How long does that take?’
    ‘About five days.’ Ally waited while the computer printed out the prescription and then handed it to the mother. ‘What we do need to talk about is you.’
    ‘Me?’ Felicity shifted Tom to the other knee and looked surprised. ‘Why me?’
    ‘How pregnant are you now?’
    ‘Nearly thirty-seven weeks.’
    ‘Right—and have you had chickenpox?’
    Felicity screwed up her face and shrugged. ‘I haven’t got a clue, frankly. Why?’
    ‘Because we need to take blood to check your immune status.’
    Felicity frowned. ‘But why? I know these infections are dangerous at the beginning, but the baby is formed by now, isn’t it?’
    ‘It is fully formed and you’re right to say infectious diseases are dangerous in the beginning, but chickenpox is also a risk to the pregnant mother at the end of pregnancy.’ Ally opened a drawer and pulled out a form. ‘We need to check your immunity and then give you an injection if necessary.’
    Felicity looked stunned. ‘I’m glad I came now—I almost didn’t because I was so sure it was just chickenpox.’
    ‘I’m sure it won’t be a problem,’ Ally said firmly, scribbling Felicity’s details on the form. ‘Just take this to Sister next door and she’ll take some blood from you. We’ll ring you as soon as we have the results. But if you go into labour early, you give us a ring.’
    ‘Will do.’ Felicity stood up