It was just like that first night, but why now when he'd been fine all week?
She chewed her lip and then her eyes widened as realization dawned.
It was something to do with Resus.
'Oh!'
He looked up sharply, his fingers clenched on the laryngoscope. 'What's wrong?'
'Nothing,' she lied, knowing that this was certainly not the time to bring it up. What she needed to do was distract him from whatever feelings tormented him when he entered Resus. She thought quickly. 'I haven't seen many burns cases—when do you usually refer them to the burns unit?'
He was silent for a moment, his jaw rigid with tension, and then his grip on the laryngoscope relaxed and he placed it back on the tray.
'Anything over ten per cent of the body area,' he said finally, and she nodded, pleased that his voice sounded more or less normal.
'And one arm is about nine per cent?'
'That's right but obviously with a child you need to use their palm as an indication of surface area. And in children the head is relatively larger and the legs are relatively smaller.'
'Well, they said that this was a scald, so I suppose the severity depends on the temperature of the water,' she observed, straightening slightly as the doors crashed open and the paramedics hurried in, carrying a little girl who was crying miserably.
She cast a quick look at Ben but, just like the time before, once the patient was in the room he seemed to be back in control.
"This is Sophie Bassett. She pulled a kettle of boiling water over herself, but as far as we can see it's mostly her arm.' The paramedic quickly briefed Ben. 'The babysitter put it in cold water straight away so it could have been a lot worse. It's difficult to get a look at it because she's so upset.'
Ben nodded. 'Where's the mother?'
'Out, at a concert. Her aunt was babysitting, and she brought her in. She's giving all the details to Reception.'
Ben let out a long breath as he looked at the screaming child. 'OK, well can someone try and get hold of the mother quickly?' He glanced at Ellie and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, the tension visible again. 'Will you try and hold her while I examine her?'
'Of course.' Without hesitation, Ellie scooped the child out of the arms of the paramedic and cuddled her close, careful to avoid the burn.
The little girl doubled her screams and Ellie winced slightly and racked her brains for a suitable distraction.
'Oh, my goodness!'
Her tone was urgent and both Ben and the paramedic looked at her with alarm. Even Sophie's sobs lessened.
'The train is leaving!' Ellie walked across to the trolley and took the brake off with her foot. 'We could have missed it, Sophie! If we hurry, we can just about catch it. Do you want to sit up front with the driver?'
Sophie's sobs had now stopped completely and she was looking at Ellie with round eyes, her thumb creeping up into her mouth.
'You can sit in the back if you like,' Ellie said briskly, 'but you'll have to decide quickly because the seats are filling up.'
Sophie mumbled round her thumb. 'In the fwont.'
Ellie gave an approving nod. 'Front it is. Good choice. This train is going to the seaside. Is that OK with you?'
Sophie nodded and Ellie placed her carefully on the trolley and made a train noise.
'Off we go. Now, then, this man...' She lifted her eyes and winked at Ben. 'This man is the conductor and he's going to give you a ticket.'
She tipped her head on one side and looked expectantly at Ben, who was clearly speechless. She prompted him gently. 'The ticket, Conductor?'
Ben blinked and then fumbled in his pocket before pulling out a piece of paper. 'Er—this?'
'Perfect. The trouble is, Sophie, the conductor can't sell you a ticket to the seaside until he's had a look at your arm. So can he do that now?'