This sentence has a classic ambiguity! "She" could refer to either the doctor or the nurse. Here are continuations for both possibilities:

**If "she" refers to the nurse (the most common interpretation):**

*   ...and a patient's condition had taken a turn for the worse.
*   ...and the surgical ward was already critically understaffed.
*   ...and he needed to give her the handover notes for the night shift before he left.
*   ...and knowing she was usually so punctual, he was worried something had happened to her.

**If "she" refers to the doctor (a twist on the meaning):**

*   ...and she needed the nurse to triage the waiting patients until she could get there.
*   ...and she wanted to apologize and ask her to prep the first patient.
*   ...and she needed to explain that she was stuck in a massive traffic jam.
*   ...and she hoped the nurse could brief her on the morning's emergencies as soon as she arrived.
