Chapter Forty-One

Half an hour later, the phone rang. Dr Parker snatched the receiver from the cradle.

‘Hi, John, it’s me,’ Dr Eris said, her tone deathly serious.

‘Hi, Claire.’ Dr Parker grabbed his notebook and pen, jamming the receiver between his ear and shoulder. ‘Give me everything you’ve got.’

‘Well, you were right about the symptoms, but I have to add that the article I came across mentioned the possibility of the patient falling into a coma.’

‘That was my fear – go on,’ he urged.

‘The best – and only – treatment, it would appear, is something called Ringer’s lactate solution,’ Dr Eris said. ‘Also known as sodium lactate solution – a mixture of sodium chloride, sodium lactate, potassium chloride and calcium chloride in water.’

‘Of course,’ Dr Parker said, slapping his head. ‘It makes sense.’ He drew breath. ‘It’s used to treat metabolic acidosis.’

‘A disruption of the body’s acid balance,’ Dr Eris summarised. Although she was a psychologist, she still had a basic understanding of medicine and human biology.

‘Exactly. Let’s hope the pharmacy holds some.’ Dr Parker was already scrabbling around for the internal phone directory.

‘If not, call me straight back and I can ring round all the nearby hospitals,’ Dr Eris said. ‘You’re going to have to act quickly, though. It says here that milk sickness, if left untreated, can cause death within two to ten days of the onset of symptoms.’

‘When did you first notice Henrietta becoming unwell?’ Dr Parker asked.

‘It’s hard to say … I’ve been thinking.’ Dr Eris paused. ‘To be honest, she’s seemed tired for a little while now.’

Dr Parker could hear pages being flipped over.

‘I’m just looking at my diary. I saw her on …’ There was a pause. ‘It was exactly a week ago. That’s when I thought she wasn’t quite herself. I just put it down to a cold. The weather. Not getting enough fresh air. That kind of thing.’

Dr Parker could hear the guilt in her voice.

‘This isn’t your fault, Claire. I’ll ring you back if I need anything else. Is that OK? You don’t mind staying there?’

‘Of course I’ll be here. I’m not going anywhere.’

‘Thanks, Claire,’ Dr Parker said, relieved.

Dr Eris was just about to tell him ‘I love you’ but he hung up before the words were out. As she listened to dead air, she realised that telling John she loved him might not have been a first, but it would have been the first time she’d said it and really meant it.

Dr Parker pressed the hook and then let it go, immediately ringing down to the pharmacy in the basement. His heart was hammering. Please let them have what he needed. If Claire did have to ring round all the local hospitals, it was going to take time – time they didn’t have. Time Henrietta certainly didn’t have.

The line rang three times. Then, finally:

‘Hello, Pharmacy. Mrs Boyle speaking.’ The voice sounded middle-aged and middle class.

‘Hello, Dr Parker speaking. I need you to see if you’ve got any Ringer’s lactate solution in stock.’

‘Sorry, did you say “Dr Parker”?’ There was a snootiness to her voice.

‘Yes.’

‘I don’t believe,’ the pharmacist said, pausing as she flicked open her file and scanned the list of medical staff employed by the hospital, ‘I have you down here as one of the hospital doctors.’

‘That’s because I’m not.’ Dr Parker was curt. ‘I’m from the Ryhope.’ A quick intake of breath. ‘I’m sorry, Mrs Boyle, but this is a matter of life and death. I really need to know if you have that solution now. Can you check for me, please? As in now. This very minute.’ It wasn’t often Dr Parker pulled rank, but this was one of those times.

‘Yes,’ the pharmacist said, quickly climbing off her high horse, ‘I’ll have a look and call you back. What extension are you on?’

‘No, you won’t. I’ll wait.’

Dr Parker heard the clunk of the receiver as it was put down. He could hear footsteps quickly walking away from the phone. It seemed like an age before he heard the footsteps returning.

He crossed his fingers.

‘You’re in luck, Dr Parker.’

That was all he needed to hear. He immediately hung up and sped out of the office.

It took Dr Parker five minutes to run down to the pharmacy. He was greeted by a sour-faced Mrs Boyle, who handed him a pen to sign for the Ringer’s solution. He grabbed the plastic container and sped back up to the ward.

As soon as he saw Helen’s face and the back of the nurse as she tended to Henrietta, he knew something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

He strode over.

‘What’s happened?’

‘She’s unresponsive,’ the nurse said, giving Dr Parker a worried look.

‘She was fine,’ Helen said. ‘Then she just seemed to nod off and I couldn’t wake her up.’

‘Let me just check her vitals,’ Dr Parker said, handing the bottle to the nurse and manoeuvring himself around the bed.

Helen watched as Dr Parker carried out all the usual checks. During it all, Henrietta didn’t move a muscle.

Dr Parker stood up straight and looked at the nurse. ‘We’re going to give Miss Girling intravenous therapy.’

Helen caught the look on the nurse’s face.

‘I … I …’ the nurse stuttered.

‘I know,’ Dr Parker reassured her, ‘it’s unlikely you’ve done this before. Don’t worry – I have. I just need you to get me the necessary equipment …’ his gaze dropped down to her name tag ‘… Nurse Rodgers.’

He turned to Helen.

‘I’m sorry, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, Helen. I’ll come and give you an update as soon as I can.’ He wanted to add that everything would be all right, but couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair.

Helen leant across Henrietta and kissed her quickly on the cheek.

‘Hang in there, Grandmama. I love you.’

Choking back a well of tears, she took one last look at Henrietta and left.

Helen had been pacing around the waiting area for over half an hour. She had just persuaded Dorothy and Bobby to go home. Hearing footsteps down the corridor, she looked up to see Dr Parker hurrying towards her.

‘How is she?’ Helen asked, wringing her hands.

‘It’s hard to tell,’ Dr Parker said, taking her hands and holding them. He sat down on one of the cushioned chairs, forcing Helen to do likewise.

‘The toxins in Henrietta’s system have built up to such an extent that her body has started to shut down.’

Helen felt the sting of tears.

‘Is she going to wake up?’ she asked.

‘I’ll be honest with you, Helen, I really don’t know … Only time will tell,’ Dr Parker said, still holding her hands. ‘She’s having what is known medically as intravenous therapy. This basically means that the solution which could possibly even out the imbalance caused by the poison in your grandmother’s body is being administered straight into Henrietta’s veins.’

Helen nodded. ‘I understand. Intra meaning “in”, and venous meaning “veins”.’

‘Precisely,’ Dr Parker said.

Helen was listening intently.

‘It might be too late; it might not,’ he said. ‘But I think you have to brace yourself for the worst.’

‘Can I sit with her?’ Helen asked.

‘Yes, of course you can,’ Dr Parker said. ‘But when you get tired, go home. I’ll ring you if there’s any change.’

Helen smiled sadly at Dr Parker. ‘Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. I won’t be going home. I’m staying with her.’

Dr Parker looked at Helen and knew there’d be no changing her mind.