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‘In her bedroom. From the look of all the bottles that were strewn around, she and her friends must have been drinking until they passed out.’
‘So it’s alcohol related?’ Rose sighed. ‘She doesn’t look old enough to be drinking alcohol, does she?’
‘She’s fourteen, according to her parents. They start younger and younger these days,’ the paramedic replied wearily as he left.
Rob arrived just then, and came over to Rose. He grimaced when she relayed what the paramedic had told her. ‘Binge drinking is the scourge of modern society. Just wait until you’ve done a stint here on a Saturday night and then you’ll get an idea what a problem it is.’
‘I’ve seen the effects it can have when I’ve worked in other A and E departments,’ she assured him.
‘Of course you have. I keep forgetting that you travel around.’ Rob grinned at her. ‘You’ve fitted in so well here that I keep thinking you’re part of our staff.’
‘Thanks.’ Rose smiled at him, truly appreciating the compliment. Turning away, she reached for the leads to attach the teenager to the bedside monitoring equipment and paused when she realised that Owen was watching her. There was something on his face, a kind of raw awareness, that made her long to tell him that she was just as aware of him, too…
He turned away as the next patient was rushed in, and she carried on with what she was doing—linking the girl to the machine so that her BP, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels could be monitored. It was a task she’d done countless times before, but this time she had to concentrate to make sure she did everything right.
There was no room for error in her job; people depended on her. There was no margin for error with regard to Owen Gallagher either; she had to get it right for Daniel’s sake. And letting herself get carried away by the idea that Owen was interested in her would be a mistake of epic proportions. The only thing Owen was interested in was his son. She had to remember that or suffer the consequences.
CHAPTER FOUR
‘SHE’LL need to be kept in under observation. Can you get onto the bed manager and see if he can find her a bed? She’s only thirteen so there might be one free in Paediatrics. I’ll have a word with her parents while you’re doing that.’
Owen left Suzanne to make the arrangements and made his way out of resus. Of the three girls who’d been brought in, Alice Delaney was the one he was most concerned about. She was diabetic and that had exacerbated the problems caused by her binge drinking. Her glucose levels were shot to hell and it was going to take some time to stabilise her. The girl’s parents were in the relatives’ room so he went straight in and introduced himself.
‘I’m Owen Gallagher, head of trauma care.’ He sat down, seeing the worry that was etched on their faces. Alice is still unconscious but she’s stable,’ he explained, so as not to prolong their agony. ‘Because her body is struggling to process the alcohol she’s consumed, it’s affected her glucose levels. She will need to be monitored so she will be admitted to a ward. I believe she’s one of Dr Chang’s patients so I’ve alerted him and he will take charge of her treatment after she leaves this department.’
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