Page 33 of Just One Look

“Well, yes, they go out, but it’s usually with other doctors. It’s a very … insular world. And a surgeon’s a bit different. Surgeons don’t always have the most regular hours anyway, and when you’re a resident, you don’t go out at all. A good night is one you spend in your own bed, not in the on-call room or lying on a bench in the locker room.”

“Is that what you are, then? A resident? Wait,chiefresident.”

“No. Residency is your training period. I’m an attending. A teacher, in a teaching hospital, which this is, and the … the highest level of practitioner, I guess you’d say.”

“Board certified,” he said. “Whatever that means.”

“Fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Means you’ve done the training and passed the exams for that higher level. I’m surprised you remember that, with the state you were in.”

He smiled at her. Still worried behind his eyes, but he smiled. “What state was I in? In a hospital gown? Is that meant to cause amnesia?”

“That’s right,” she said. “I forgot that it’s like going to the dentist. I guess you’re familiar with the inside of a hospital.”

“Yeh. I am. Strong bones, so they don’t break much, and I train to keep them that way, but a fair few things can still go wrong. Sudden stops, eh.”

They sat a minute in silence, and then he said, “Do you reckon she’ll be all right?”

“I hope so. The ambulance was there fast, and the baby’s full term.”

Another silence, and he said, “What aren’t you saying?”

“I’m not an OB.”

“But you knew what was wrong.”

“I suspected. Her blood pressure was extremely high, and she had other symptoms. Prenatal hypertension by itself, especially when it’s severe and sudden, is serious.”

“For the mother,” he said, “or the baby?”

She looked at him. When you were asked, you answered the question. “For both.”

* * *

Marko cameout into the waiting room, walking like he was in a daze. Luka’d never seen him like that, not even when he was concussed.

For most of his career, he’d played against Marko, because the other man had been at the Highlanders and Luka had spent most of his rugby time with the Chiefs. This was only their second season back with the Blues, and Marko had seemed, before Luka’d got to know him better, as hard and tough off the field as he was on it. The six tended to be the enforcer, and Marko was all of that, but he carried that persona with him after the game, too.

He still wasn’t the most chatty bloke in the world, but he’d grown on Luka during this past year. Absolutely straightforward and totally honest, and when he was with his wife, you saw that other, hidden side of him.

Now, Luka stood, barely aware that he was doing it. Marko was wearing a gown over his shorts. A paper cap, too, as if he’d forgotten he had them on, and the dread tasted like chalk in Luka’s mouth.

Marko got to them, swayed a little, and said, “She’s OK. Nyree. She’s going to be … OK. And we have a … baby girl. Arielle.” His face twisted, worked, and Luka was pulling him down into a chair, watching Marko’s hands go to his knees. And then he collapsed, his elbows on his knees, his hands over his face.

He cried. It was painful to watch. Luka put a hand on his shoulder, and Marko shook. A couple of other families, waiting for a happy outcome, took notice, alarm and pity on their faces. The look of people hoping and praying it wouldn’t happen to them.

Elizabeth moved to sit on the other side of Marko, but she didn’t say anything, and she didn’t do anything, either. She folded her hands in her lap and waited. There was compassion on her face, and calm in her eyes. She’d been here before, and worse.

Marko stopped crying, finally, and Elizabeth grabbed a box of tissues from a table and handed them to him. He mopped up, then said, “S-sorry. I just came out to …” He blew his nose. “Tell you that she’s … OK. And the baby.”

“Did they do a C-section?” Elizabeth asked.

He nodded once, jerkily. “Fast. Almost as soon as we got here. And I need to go back and be with her again. She’s pretty … rough. But she wants to see you. Uh …” He looked at her.

“Elizabeth,” she said. Completely calmly, like all that raw emotion had washed over her and left her unmoved. Her self-control took effort, though, Luka could tell. “I’d be glad to see her. Glad to know she’s all right.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “And I’m so happy for you. Love them both well. Look after them. Life is a precious gift.”

Marko cried again.

* * *