Page 48 of Savage Protector
“A bit. I missed lunch. And all I could find here was a packet of cream crackers.”
“Come on, then.” I offer her my hand. “I’ll show you where everything is. Including some cheese for those crackers.”
I don’t expect her to take my hand, but she does, then trots quietly beside me down the two flights of stairs to the kitchen. The hubbub of voices reaches us as we approach. It must be busy down there.
We enter to find Rome, Tony, Nico, Tony’s wife, Jenna, and their foster son, Robbie, clustered around the oak table tucking in to three huge pizzas. Tony waves when we appear in the doorway.
“Fancy some? We got pepperoni, tandoori chicken, and a farmhouse.”
“Ha-ha.” He knows I wouldn’t touch a farmhouse pizza or anything with ham. Some habits die hard. “Wouldn’t mind a slice of chicken tandoori, though.” I happen to know that this particular chain serves halal chicken.
He shoves the box towards us. “Help yourselves. There are wedges, too. And cookie dough.”
I tug Leila to the table and settle her in a chair, then I drag another one over to sit beside her. I grab a paper plate from the pile on the table and place one in front of each of us.
“The dips are here.” Rome passes a paper bag full of little sealed containers.
I select a couple of ketchups for myself, and Leila takes sweet chilli. There’s half a chicken pizza left, three pieces each, and a mountain of herby potato wedges. A feast, and by the way Leila tucks in, she obviously agrees.
“I have some money in my bag,” she whispers to me. “I can pay for my share.”
“No, you don’t need to do that. We have an account, and Jenna settles up at the end of the month. Take as much as you want.”
“Oh. But?—”
“Just eat, Leila. And enjoy it.”
She does as she’s told, which I take to be a promising omen.
Jenna, bless her, is keen to make small talk and welcome the new face. “I gather you’re a trainee doctor,” she remarks. “Will you be some sort of specialist or a GP?”
“I fancy paediatrics,” Leila replies, happy to chat. “Especially babies.”
Jenna nods in approval. “Hard work, I imagine. Lots of studying.”
“I’ve just finished my second year. If I pass my exams, I move into clinical practice next year.”
“Oh? What does that involve?” Jenna seems genuinely interested. And so am I.
“I get allocated a particular branch of medicine and follow a consultant about on the actual wards, listening and learning about how to deal with real patients. All being well, I’m on the cardio ward from September to December, then on to geriatrics. I’m not sure what comes next after that.”
“Do you get to do them all?”
“Yes. It’s important to get a taste of everything and pass each specialism before progressing to the next. The hours are long, and you have to move around different hospitals, too.”
“Demanding. But worth it in the end, I suppose.”
“I think so,” Leila murmurs. “I just hope…”
I squeeze her arm. “Itwillbe okay,” I assure her.I intend to make sure of it.
The meal over,everyone else heads off to the television lounge to take in a movie for a couple of hours before Jack, Tony, and Rome need to head off into the city to do the rounds of our various establishments. It’s important to show our faces, remind the managers who work for us where their loyalties lie, as well as mop up any problems. I’d normally go, too, but Jack said I could take the night off to get Leila settled.
“You go with the others to watch the film if you like,” Leila says as we leave the kitchen. “I have an essay to write, though I’ve no idea how I’ll get to hand it in if I can’t go to the university.”
“Email?” I suggest.
“Could do, but Professor Evans is a bit of a dinosaur. He prefers it typed and printed out.”
