New Surgeon at Ashvale A&E Read Free Page B

repair contracts that are up for renewal with private companies. You could look to reducing payments for supplies by checking that only essential items are ordered.’
    He smiled. It lit up his features, softening his expression and enhancing the perfect angles of his face, and just for an instant, it took her breath away. He was incredibly good-looking, she acknowledged. She hadn’t expected to have the rug pulled out from under her in quite that way, and it was a low blow, throwing her out of synch, her nervous system responding with a keen fluttering of sensation, a soft ripple of excitement running along her nerve endings.
    ‘So you want me to cut down on the number of pens I order,’ he said, with a soft edge of mockery. ‘Well, that’s a start, I suppose. And we could talk to the contractors about maintenance and ask them to forego checking the equipmentonce in a while. I’m not sure how well that would sit with nurses trying to programme a faulty infusion meter, though. It could turn out to be a false economy.’
    His answer riled her. ‘If you have your way, there might not be a nurse to administer the infusion in the first place,’ she retorted, throwing him a cool glance. ‘You know as well as I do that commenting on pens and infusion meters is just a cheap jibe. With perseverance, good intent and a willingness to examine all possibilities, we can make this work. There are savings to be made, but we have to choose our targets carefully. I don’t believe that units have to be closed, or that staff have to be let go.’
    Becky interrupted with an excited babble of baby talk just then, and Ruby glanced down to see that she was shaking her teething rattle with sudden vigour. The tension in the room dissipated as rapidly as it had risen.
    ‘The baby obviously agrees with you,’ Sam said, his mouth curving. ‘She seems to be a staunch supporter.’
    Ruby laughed. ‘I’m sure if she was able to speak, she would remind us that people are our greatest asset. We have to work together to make this happen the way we want.’
    He nodded and then agreed to take comments from other people in the room. Ruby sat down and tended to Becky, all the while lending an ear to the proceedings. The discussion ebbed and flowed for some time, until eventually the chairman called an end to the meeting.
    ‘We’ve covered a lot of ground today,’ he said. ‘Clearly, there has to be a lot more work done before we can decide on our ultimate course, and we welcome suggestions for different strategies from anyone who cares to make them. I suggest we meet again in a few weeks to finalise matters.’
    The meeting broke up, and Ruby chatted with James and Olivia for a while, before getting to her feet and preparing to leave the room.
    ‘Dr Martyn…do you have a moment?’
    Ruby paused, turning at the sound of Sam Boyd’s voice. ‘Of course.’ She nodded to James and Olivia, and they continued on their way, leaving her free to talk to her new boss.
    He studied her thoughtfully for a moment or two. ‘I didn’t realise, at first, that you’re one of the members of my team.’
    ‘Would that have made any difference to our exchange of opinions a while back?’
    He shook his head. ‘I think you know that it wouldn’t. I recognised your name when you introduced yourself. You’re my specialist registrar, aren’t you?’
    She nodded. ‘So you’ve been looking through the personnel files. Perhaps I should give you full marks for staying on the ball.’
    He made a mock wince. ‘I can see that you believe in being forthright at all times. You’re not going to easily accept any changes that I decide to put in place, are you?’
    Her expression softened. ‘Ah, now there you have it,’ she said. ‘You see, I do have the interests of the A&E department at heart, and I can promise you that as long as I’m working there I’ll do what I can to support my colleagues and steer things in the right direction.’
    ‘As long as you’re