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see results if it was put into practice,' she said. She turned her gaze towards Mark. 'I just think that there would be too many problems if we do that. Who is to say that the doctor who treats the most patients has had a similar workload to anyone else? Some cases are more troublesome than others. It may take more time to deal with their particular problems, or it may be necessary to spend a while working out how best to help in particular circumstances.'
    Mark was not impressed. 'Surely, over the course of the month, these inequalities would be evened out? Everyone has to take on cases with varying levels of difficulty.'
    That might be true, but Sarah wasn't about to back down. 'Maybe, but to go down this route would be to encourage snap decisions and speed for the sake of speed, and it could lead to carelessness. With all due respect to Dr Blake, I think it would be a bad idea.'
    Shaun Blake frowned. He didn't look at all happy that she had disagreed with him.
    Mark gave a faint grimace. 'Thank you for your observations,' he said. To Sarah's ears, it didn't sound as though he had appreciated them very much.
    Addressing the meeting, he added, 'I'll take into account everything that has been said here today. I'm not going to make a decision here and now, but I'll let you know what course we'll be taking in a day or so.' He gave a brief smile. 'That's all for now. Thanks for your time, everyone, and now you're free to go.'
    Sarah didn't move along with everyone else. She and Mark were scheduled to meet up with the ambulance crew once again and she was feeling faintly apprehensive about that. It hadn't been a good start to the day, one way and another. First the problem with Hannah not coming home, and now she had to contend with the fact that Mark was unimpressed by her participation in the meeting. She gave an inward sigh. There was nothing she could do about that.
    'You don't appear to be too enthused about the day ahead,' Mark said, coming to stand beside her. 'Are you still uneasy about going along with the ambulance crew?'
    She looked up at him. 'I don't recall saying that I was uneasy about it.'
    'No, but I sense that you have reservations.'
    'It isn't a problem,' she murmured.
    He raised a dark brow. 'No? Then it must be something to do with the meeting that's troubling you. Am I right?'
    'Not necessarily.' She pulled in a deep breath. If he would insist on goading her, then she would be straight with him. 'If I have a problem at all, it's with your management style. I don't go along with competitive practices or staff having to earn bonus points to score off one another. I prefer to work in an atmosphere of camaraderie, where everyone counts just as much as everyone else. I know that I haven't been here long, but I've been used to a more relaxed, inclusive style of leadership.'
    'Like Owen's, you mean.' His mouth twisted. 'Sorry to disappoint you. I've been brought in to shake things up, and that's what I intend to do.'
    'That's your prerogative.'
    'I'm glad you realise it.' He gestured towards the exit door. 'Are you ready to go? We should leave now.'
    'Yes, I'm ready.'
    Their first callout was to a house where a woman had collapsed after suffering a suspected heart attack. They managed to relieve her pain and restore her circulation, and with any luck she would survive, given good care in the coronary unit.
    Back in the ambulance, on their way to assist at another location, Mark leaned back in his seat and asked, 'What was the problem this morning when you first came in?'
    She looked at him in surprise. 'What makes you think there was a problem? I wasn't late. You hadn't started the meeting.'
    'Maybe so, but I could tell from the way that you came into the room. You had that distracted look about you. I'm beginning to recognise it.'
    She shot him a hooded glance. There was a wry look about his mouth, and she thought she detected a faint gleam in the depths of his grey eyes.
    'I had to do something about Hannah's dog.