‘Doors are at the back people. I’m sure you’ve all got things to be getting on with; if not I can always take another look at the consultant rotas.’
That got everyone moving and after about ten minutes the lecture theatre was nearly empty. The only people left other than Anwar and Don were Libby and Jamie, who both made their way down to the front.
Anwar was kneeling in front of Millie actually holding her hands and talking to her in a low voice. For some reason the sight of her hands in Anwar’s gave Pav an inexplicable feeling of annoyance.
‘Millie?’ Libby asked tentatively. Pav felt that wave of irritation again: Libby was on first name terms with Millie whilst he had barely ever received proper eye contact from her. He normally had a lot of time for Libby; she had after all managed to pull his best friend Jamie’s head out of his arse last year. The bastard was a lot more cheerful since they got together, and even more so since Libby had married his ugly mug. But for some reason, at this moment, he just wanted her to leave. In fact, for some reason he wanted themallto leave and forhimto sort out Millie.
‘She’s fine,’ Anwar said, not taking his eyes off Millie. ‘If I can just –’
‘How do you know she’s fine?’ Pav cut in, his growing irritation showing in his tone. She’d just been unconscious for fuck’s sake. She dropped like a bloody stone. What business did Anwar the psychologist have saying that she was fine. And bloody Don nodding along with him as well. The old man was just an image fiddler; he probably hadn’t practiced any real medicine in over a century.
‘Young man,’ Don said with what sounded like infinite patience, as if he was talking to a small, unruly child. ‘Anwar and I know Millie; you do not. Please step away and let me deal with this. Okay, love, you ready to stand? Then we’ll walk to the office and you can do some reporting. Yes?’
Pav’s eyebrows went up into his hairline and he shook his head in disbelief.
‘You’re going to make herwork? After she’s just collapsed?’ he said, his voice rising with uncharacteristic anger. Jamie had stopped looking at Millie and Don in favour of Pav now, his eyes alight with curiosity. ‘Listen, move out of the way, you two. She shouldn’t be walking and she needs to be seen in A&E. They can do an ECG, take some blood, do a proper work-up.’ Pav moved forward and knelt down at Millie’s other side. Millie’s wide eyes fixed on his for a moment like a deer in the headlights before she focused on his shirt collar.
‘Pav,’ Libby called, her voice sounding panicked for some reason. ‘I don’t think that’s a –’ He felt her small hand on his shoulder but shrugged her off to lean forward and slide one of his arms around Dr Morrison’s shoulders and the other under her knees. As soon as his body made contact with hers and he lifted her a few inches off the ground (she weighed next to nothing), he knew something was terribly wrong. Her whole frame stiffened and she let out such a terrified shriek that it felt like it was tearing right through to his soul.
‘Bloody hell,’ he muttered as she flung herself away from him to land back on the floor. Before he could move a muscle she had scuttled back at lightning speed into the furthest corner of the lecture theatre.
‘I told you to let me handle it,’ Don said in a low voice as Anwar sighed.
‘What … ?’ Pav whispered, then broke off briefly to swallow as he looked across at the now trembling Millie.
‘Millie.’ Anwar was now approaching her with his hands held up as if in surrender. Her eyes fixed on him and some of the anxiety leeched out of her expression. For some reason the fact that this guy could calm her when all Pav seemed to do was instil absolute terror made his gut tighten with annoyance. ‘Slow your breathing, okay? Get control of those thoughts. Come back to us.’
‘Right,’ she whispered, still focused on Anwar. ‘I …’ Her eyes flicked over to Pav but Anwar moved to block her line of vision.
‘Try thought-stopping,’ Pav heard him murmur, then peered around the big guy’s back to see Millie whisper ‘Stop’ to herself. One of her hands had pushed up inside her other sleeve and Pav’s mind flashed to the image of her bruised forearms. He made to move forward but Don’s hand came up to his chest to stop him.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ he asked in a low voice.
Don sighed. ‘I do not have time to explain everything to you, Stavros.’
Pav didn’t bother to correct him.
‘All I can say is that she will be able to sort herself out, but she needsquiet, she needs her work, and she needs you lot to all, please, leave her alone.’
‘Pav,’ Jamie said softly, ‘he’s right, mate. Let’s leave them to sort it out.’ He tugged on Pav’s arm, trying to get him moving towards the exit, but Pav stood his ground, staring at the trembling ball of human in the corner.
‘Anwar and I’ll see to her,’ Don told him firmly. Pav dragged his eyes away from Millie to look into Don’s sincere, faded blue eyes, and he puffed out a breath. Jamie tugged on his arm again, a little more forcefully this time, and after a final nod to Don and glance at Millie, he turned to leave.
Chapter 8
Strong enough
Pav peered through the crack in the door. Millie was sitting at her desk, staring at the screen in front of her with her computer mouse in her hand, steadily clicking through the images. After each one she would touch-type a report, click to save, and then move to the next image.
She did not stop to stretch, she did not take a drink or glance at her phone: nothing. Her eyes were glued to the screen in front of her and she was so still it was almost unnatural.
Soft footsteps broke the silence of the corridor and Pav glanced up to see Don standing across from him with his hands on his hips, his head tilted to the side and his eyes narrowed at Pav. Without saying anything Don jerked his head and then shuffled off in the other direction. Pav took it that he was meant to follow. His eyes flicked back to Millie, but she hadn’t moved from her position, still typing and clicking through the images. His hand went to the back of his neck and he dropped his head to look at his shoes.
What was he even doing here? After being forced out of the lecture theatre, Pav had resolved to put the entire incident out of him mind. Millie’s business was hers alone and it was clear that his help was not welcome.Reallynot welcome. Christ, she could have broken her back with how violently she’d leapt out of his arms when he tried to lift her. Women responding to Pav with abject terror was not something he’d ever experienced before or that he was super-keen to go through again.
But however hard he tried, he just couldn’t put her out of his mind. After all, it washisfault she’d been up there in the first place. She’d tried to tell him that she couldn’t do it. And now, whenever Pav closed his eyes, all he could see was that beautiful face draining of all colour before she sank to the ground like a ragdoll.
Since he’d witnessed that, Pav had been going over all his interactions with her in his mind, and feeling like a complete wanker. It was safe to say that Pav wasnotvery good at being ignored. He was a centre-of-attention type of guy, always had been. And he was good with people, dammit! People liked him; they warmed to him. He was a funny son of a bitch. So, not being able to soften Millie up with one of his smiles (something he knew worked on the opposite sex), or even the inordinate number of coffees he’d waitedyearsfor Doreen to prepare before each MDT, had been extremely frustrating. And he knew he’d let that frustration show. More than once. Each time thinking that she didn’t make eye contact because she couldn’t be bothered to interact like a normal human. Not that she simply …couldn’t.
