“Not my call, doc,” he said. “And by the looks of Dave, maybe not a bad thing.”
“Dave wasfineuntil you stormed in here,” I said through gritted teeth and the guard just shrugged.
“Sorry, more than my job’s worth to leave you alone now, doc.”
I let out a frustrated sound from the back of my throat and looked to Gary who seemed about as annoyed as me.
And so, the clinic continued with a guard in the room for the consultations. That was until all the prisoners in the waiting room got wind of what was going on and started to leave. I finished an hour early and I was fuming.
And then, I had two guards escort me to the front gate (it was usually just me and Gazza pootling through all the locked doors and key card requiring pads), and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why – until I made it outside to the car park and saw who was leaning against my car.
“What are you doing here?” I snapped as I made it over to him in short but rapid strides.
Barclay glanced up at the prison with an unhappy look on his face then back down at me. “I didn’t know you worked here,” he said, as if that explained why he was blocking my car door in a prison car park in the middle of the day.
I looked from the prison back to him and frowned in confusion. “What bloody difference does it make?” I threw up my arms and let my hands slap down on my sides. “Lots of doctors go into prisons. Prisoners need healthcare just like the rest of the population.”
“But why doyouhave to go there?”
“Why not?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
He shifted his feet and pulled his hand through his hair. “Kira, there are dangerous criminals in there. You’re five foot nothing and weigh one hundred pounds soaking wet. It’s not safe.”
My hands went to my hips and I could feel my blood boil. “Did you have anything to do with a guard insisting on being with me today?”
“You don’t normally have a guard with you?” his voice had risen and he pushed away from the car to enter my personal space. I took a step back.
“No. I don’tneeda guard. The prisoners don’t consider me a threat – they need my help. Having a guard means there’s no patient confidentiality and it also means that half my clinic left before being seen today.”
“Look, Kira–”
“That’s at least ten blokes who might have a communicable disease not seen today to the detriment of their health and the health of the public. I know how to do my own bloody job. I don’t tell you how to do yours and you sure as fuck shouldn’t tell me how to do mine. Have some bloody respect.”
He groaned. “I do respect you. Please Kira, I don’t want to argue about this. I came here to try to–”
“I’ve heard all I want to hear from you,” I told him. “You . . . you hurt me.” My stupid voice broke over the words and I swallowed to stop myself from crying again.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice aching with regret. “So sorry. When Sam told me you were here I had to come. I had to see you. I thought . . . I mean, I got your text and I thought, maybe–”
“I wanted to say well done. I know how much all of that means to you and I thought you kicked political butt. That doesn’t mean I want any more contact with you. You’re not healthy for me. Stay away and don’t interfere with how I do my job. I don’t care if you’re bezzie mates with the Prisons Minster and can pull strings to ruin my clinic. Stay out of my business and get out of the way of my car. I don’t need your help.”
He stared at me for a moment, then his shoulders sagged in defeat before he stepped aside. I wasted no time hopping into the driver’s seat.
As I drove away, I tried not to look in the rear-view mirror but the temptation was too great. He stood watching me with his hands in his pockets until I turned the corner and was no longer in view. I shook my head to clear it and gripped the steering wheel, hard. But I knew that in the traitorous back of my mind all I had wanted to do in that car park was fall into him. And that scared me more than anything.
Chapter33
I thought I was handling It
Kira
I stared at the computer screen for a full five minutes after I’d read the report. Every competency had been marked as either ‘Needs improvement’ or merely ‘Unacceptable’. And the comments . . .
‘Overfamiliar manner with patients.’
‘Poor clinical decision making.’
‘Risk taking practices in clinical work.’
