by Amy Andrews
‘No!’ Hailey screamed.
‘Hell,’ David whispered.
‘Beth!’ Gabe yelled, and was running before she even hit the ground. Hailey and David moved a second later.
Gabe reached her first, rounding the now stopped car, and was at Beth’s side in an instant. His heart pounded in his chest as her inert form chilled him to the core.
‘Oh, God, Beth,’ Hailey sobbed, throwing herself on the ground beside her sister.
Gabe felt for a pulse and was relieved to feel a strong carotid. He looked up at David, who was staring down at his mother, pale and shaken.
‘Beth!’ Hailey cried again.
‘Is she OK?’ An elderly man knelt beside Gabe. A laceration on his forehead was bleeding and he was clearly dazed. ‘I’m so sorry. She just stepped out in front of me,’ he muttered.
‘It’s OK, sir, we know,’ Gabe assured him, while Beth’s failure to regain consciousness scared the hell out of him.
He took a second to assess the situation. Hailey was practically hysterical, David visibly shocked and the driver obviously traumatised. And he’d never felt more scared in his entire life. The woman he loved had been hit by a car—he wanted to vomit.
Beth murmured and he wanted to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her, but the doctor in him knew she could have serious injuries—broken bones, internal injuries, head trauma—not to mention the baby. Hell, the baby! His thoughts crystalised as his hands moved to support her neck. It was imperative she didn’t move.
‘Hailey,’ Gabe said, his voice loud and commanding to cut through the sisterly hysteria. He used one hand to give her shoulder a firm shake. ‘Run to Emergency. Get help. I need a trolley and a neck brace. Take him.’ He gestured to the driver. ‘He’ll need checking out. Hurry.’
Hailey saw the urgency in Gabe’s gaze and the wave of panic receded. She sniffed and nodded, rising to do his bidding.
‘David.’ Gabe looked up at the young man who still hadn’t moved, his sheet-white face aghast. ‘David!’ Gabe called again, his voice stern in an effort to snap David out of his stupor. ‘I need a hand here,’ he said abruptly.
David nodded, his daze clearing as he sank to his knees. ‘I didn’t mean to—’
‘I know,’ Gabe said curtly, realising how awful David must feel but too concerned about Beth to be nice.
‘Will she be OK?’ he asked.
Gabe heard the crack in his voice. He damn well hoped so. ‘I’m sure she will,’ he said, taking pity and nodding with a confidence he didn’t feel. ‘The car wasn’t going very fast.’
Beth groaned and moved her hand to her temple. She hurt everywhere. What the hell happened?
‘It’s OK, Beth,’ Gabe whispered, leaning close, his hands still supporting her neck. His nausea was receding and he was so relieved to see her coming round that he wanted to weep. ‘You’re OK, lie still. Help’s coming.’
Beth cracked open an eye and saw David leaning over her, his face worried. She wanted to stroke his brow and soothe away the lines, but pain stabbed into her eyeballs and she shut her eyes. ‘What happened?’ she muttered.
‘A car hit you,’ Gabe murmured quietly. ‘What hurts?’
The memory returned, the sickening moment of impact, and she groaned. ‘Everything hurts.’ Her hands, through habit, moved to her stomach. The baby. Oh, God, the baby.
Beth’s eyes flew open and she tried to move her head to look down at her stomach. Gabe’s hands tightened their hold on her neck.
‘Lie still,’ he commanded.
‘The baby,’ she protested. ‘Gabe, the baby.’ Sudden tears sprang to her eyes and her voice cracked. ‘I can’t lose this baby.’
Beth reached out to David as her full memory of the preceding events returned. She knew the news had hurt him. Even through her throbbing head and raging thoughts she wanted to reassure him that he wasn’t being replaced.
‘I can’t lose either of my babies,’ she whispered, and was so grateful when he squeezed her hand that she started to cry.
They were interrupted by the arrival of a team from Accident and Emergency. No less than the director of the department Ben Stapleton, two orderlies and Rilla. And, of course, Hailey. There was flurry of activity.
‘Rilla,’ Beth cried, reaching for her sister’s hand. Hailey took the other one. ‘I need an ultrasound straight away.’
Rilla nodded. ‘Be careful, she’s pregnant,’ she said to the team as they rolled Beth onto a spinal board.
They had her inside the department in ten minutes, an IV in two minutes later and a barrage of tests ordered. The General looked after its own and the NUM of Theatres and daughter of the Chief of Staff was top priority.
‘Ultrasound,’ Beth said to Ben. ‘I need to have the baby checked out.’
‘On its way,’ he confirmed. ‘After that we’ll get some X-rays.’
‘No.’ Beth tried to shake her head but it was secured in a neck brace. ‘No X-rays.’
‘Beth,’ Gabe said softly.
‘No X-rays,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m fine.’
‘You are not fine. You’ve been hit by a car. You were out cold for a couple of minutes.’
Beth gave her limbs a shake. ‘I’m fine. Nothing hurts.’ She winced. ‘More than anything else,’ she clarified. ‘Nothing’s broken.’
‘You could have some cracked vertebrae.’
‘I don’t have pins and needles or numbness in my peripheries. My back and neck aren’t sore.’
‘You could have fractured your skull,’ he said, pointing to the bloodied graze near her temple.
‘Listen to him, darling, he’s making perfect sense,’ an imposing voice interrupted.
‘John,’ Beth said, smiling as her father pushed through the curtain. She accepted his embrace. ‘Who called you? Go back to work. I’m fine.’
‘I did,’ Gabe said. ‘I was hoping he’d pull rank.’ Seeing her back to her old in-control self was comforting but she’d scared the hell out of all of them. He wouldn’t be happy until everything had been checked out.
‘Be sensible, darling. We X-ray pregnant women every day. All care will be taken. Doesn’t your head ache?’
‘It ached before I got hit,’ Beth dismissed. ‘All I need is the ultrasound.’
The head of the radiology department popped his head through the curtain. ‘Beth Rogers, are you making a scene?’
Beth grinned at the consultant. ‘Gordon. This is service. You’d better have the ultrasound machine with you.’
Gordon pulled the curtain back to reveal the ungainly mobile machine. He looked at the crowded cubicle—six adults and a cumbersome piece of equipment were not going to fit. ‘I think we need some space in here, folks.’
‘Yes, absolutely,’ John agreed. ‘Gabe, you stay with Beth. Come on, everyone else out.’ He noticed David hovering at the back. ‘I don’t think we’ve met, young man. John Winters. I’m Beth’s father.’ He held out his hand and David shook it. ‘Thank you for helping out. You probably don’t have to hang around now.’
‘No!’
Everyone turned and looked at Beth.
‘I want him to stay,’ Beth said, justifying her vehement rejection. She held out her hand to him and held her breath. ‘David’s my son.’
Beth only had eyes for David as he walked tentatively towards her and took her hand. She didn’t care that by tomorrow not only would the entire hospital know she was pregnant but that she had a twenty-three-year old son.
She turned her gaze to her stunned family. ‘He’s family. I want him to wait with you.’
It took a few seconds but John, unflappable as always, recovered first. ‘Of course, darling,’ he said gesturing to David. ‘We’ll all go and wait outside. Together.’
Beth noticed David hesitate. He’d gone from complete anonymity to full exposure in twenty-four hours. Was he ready for her family? He’d sought her out only through a sense of genetic curiosity and she’d spectacularly outed him. Would he run a mile? Had she totally blown it?
> ‘Actually, I think I’ll head on home…now that you’re OK…Andrea’s expecting me.’
Beth swallowed. She’d blown it. David looked like he wanted to run screaming from the room. A new mother. A new sibling. And now an entire new family. Her heart throbbed as painfully as her head as he extricated his hand from hers.
‘Of course.’ Beth forced a smile onto her face as Gabe’s words echoed in her head. Don’t push him. ‘I’ll see you later?’
Beth tried not to come across as too desperate, too needy, but the thought of losing contact with him again was unbearable. David gave a noncommittal nod and her heart broke a little as she watched him leave the cubicle. What had she expected? That her banged-up body would make up for years of angst?
Beth lay on the trolley, her gaze firmly fixed on the spot where David had disappeared through the curtains, a hand down low on her stomach. Every part of her body ached and she fought the urge to cry.
‘OK,’ John said, rounding everyone up, his daughter’s misery palpable. ‘Let’s give Gordon some room to work.’
Everyone trooped out until there were just the three of them. Gabe’s heart swelled with love at Beth’s obvious heartache and he covered her hand with his. She looked at him with an injured gaze and he gave her hand a squeeze.
‘Give him time,’ he murmured as he leant forward and kissed her gently on the forehead.
‘OK, then,’ Gordon said, interrupting their moment. ‘Let’s check out this baby.’
Beth pulled up her top and shimmied her trousers down a little. The gel was cool against her skin as Gordon placed the transducer on her abdomen. He fiddled with some buttons and the screen flickered to life.
The second their baby appeared on the screen Gabe knew he was lost. It looked like a skeletal alien. All large skull and bones. But he loved it as surely as he loved the woman who carried it. How could he think about a semi-involved role when he was desperately in love with both of them?
‘Well, the little tike’s certainly kicking a lot,’ Gordon murmured. ‘What’s the gestation?’
‘Nearly nineteen weeks,’ Beth replied huskily. It was too much. This day had been too much. An emotional roller-coaster that had looped her around until her head spun. And now this. Meeting her baby for the first time.
‘Nice strong heartbeat,’ Gordon said.
Gabe saw the strong central flicker of his baby’s tiny heart. He swallowed hard as a block of emotion rose in his chest. His throat felt tight and he felt like the walls were closing in on him. What sort of a father would a career-orientated neurosurgeon make? What if he screwed it up, like his father had?
‘Have you had your routine scan yet?’ Gordon asked.
‘No, it’s booked for next week,’ Beth said, unable to drag her gaze away from the monitor.
‘I’ll just have a quick look at the placenta then we may as well check everything out.’
Beth nodded absently, totally mesmerised by the picture on the screen. She felt another kiss pressed onto her forehead and glanced up a Gabe. He seemed equally entranced by the image and for the first time she began to hope that everything was going to be OK.
‘Placenta’s intact,’ Gordon said. ‘Looks like the impact didn’t affect the baby at all.’
Beth smiled, her hand trembling as the dark cloud of worry miraculously lifted. ‘Really?’
‘Really.’ Gordon nodded. ‘There are no signs of any separation or evidence of haemorrhage. But you need to take it easy for the next few days and see someone straight away if you start to bleed.’
Beth tried to nod but the collar prevented any vigorous movement. Anything. She’d do anything to keep Gabe’s baby safe. ‘Of course.’
‘We’ll admit her for observation,’ Gabe commented above her head. ‘That way we can be sure she’s getting bed rest.’
Beth looked up at Gabe. ‘Hey,’ she said, ‘I won’t jeopardise this baby’s health, Gabe.’
‘I know. This will just make it easier for you.’
Beth opened her mouth to protest but Gabe’s expression brooked no argument.
‘You scared the living daylights out of all of us. You will be admitted.’
She shut her mouth. She could hear the echo of real fear in his voice. She could actually think he cared if she wasn’t too careful. But then she thought how awful it must have been to witness someone being hit by the car and realised he’d be as concerned about anyone.
The next half-hour flew by as Gordon looked at the developing baby from every angle. Everything was structurally normal and the baby was growing well. It was certainly active. Beth followed its movements as it moved back and forth. The next twenty weeks stretched before her interminably. She was impatient to hold her baby in her arms.
She risked a look at Gabe. His expression was unfathomable. Had he given too much away earlier when he’d admitted how frightened he’d been? Was he as awed as she was by the sight of their baby or was he changing his mind, desperately trying to think of ways to hightail it back to the UK? She wished she knew what he was thinking.
‘Do you want to know the sex?’ Gordon asked.
Beth looked at Gabe, her eyebrows arched.
Gabe looked at her and shrugged. Did he? He was too involved already. ‘I don’t know—do you?’
Beth nodded. She did. Suddenly she wanted to know desperately.
‘Girl,’ Gordon announced.
A girl. Beth’s heart swelled with love. Would she have her father’s peridot eyes and caramel hair? Or the same dimple in her chin as her big brother?
Beth grinned at him and Gabe was struck by an image of a little version of Beth. Blonde pigtails and pink ribbons, a little bow mouth and blue, blue eyes. The vision was captivating and he was alarmed by how much it appealed. He didn’t know how to be a father to a delicate little girl. He didn’t even have a sister.
The ultrasound ended and Gabe left quickly to find her family. Beth brooded while he was gone. She had no idea what Gabe felt about having a daughter.
The arrival of everyone back in the cubicle, including a worried Penny, distracted her from her thoughts.
‘Oh, my God. I came straight away,’ Penny wailed as she gave Beth a huge hug.
Everyone spoke at once, wanting to know about the accident and the ultrasound and David, and Beth’s head throbbed. She suddenly felt a hundred years old. She just wanted to sleep.
Gabe could see the growing weariness in every line of Beth’s body. He felt a little overwhelmed himself—no wonder David had hightailed it out of here. The Winters clan was full on. He wasn’t used to being around a family that was so tight-knit. His upbringing seemed very…cold in comparison. Still, it was good to know that his child, his daughter, would be surrounded by all this love. By people who cared. By women—lots of women. That’s what girls needed, didn’t they?
‘I think Beth needs some rest,’ Gabe said, cutting through the din. ‘Let’s get her admitted so she can get into bed.’
‘Admitted? I thought you said she was OK?’ Penny turned to John.
‘Just to be on the safe side and because she’s refusing X-rays,’ Gabe hastened to assure Penny.
Beth shot him a get-over-it look but was exceedingly grateful that he was taking control. It had been a big day. A big few days.
The operation.
Sleeping with Gabe. Again.
Discovering her love for him.
David.
Being knocked flat by a car.
She was so weary she could sleep for a week.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
AN HOUR later she was ensconced in a private room with a spectacular view of the Brisbane skyline. She could also see Barney’s and could make out a couple of her staff heading across the road towards the welcoming neon sign.
Her family had just left and she was blissfully alone. The neck brace Gabe insisted she still wear was annoying and she shifted to get comfortable in it. She sighed and shut her eyes. The crisp hospital sheets felt heavenly against her aching body.
There was so much to think about so much to process, but within seconds she was drifting away into the blissful folds of slumber.
Gabe found her sound asleep half an hour later. He’d left her in the capable hands of her family earlier. His head was grappling with the revelations of the day and he’d needed some time and space to deal with them. Not that anything seemed any clearer.
He moved into the room and pulled a chair up beside her bed. She looked awful. Her pale skin looked even more so against the backdrop of the white sheets. A dark purple bruise had formed over her right temple and he knew by morning it would spread to encompass her entire right eye area.
She was so still and he felt fear grip him again as his heart rate picked up. His gaze zeroed in on her chest, concentrating on its rise and fall, counting her deep, even respirations. His fingers strayed to the pulse at her wrist and he breathed out, reassured by the strong beat.
His hand shook as he withdrew it, his head playing a rerun of the accident. He saw her being struck by the car, rolling across the bonnet and crashing to the ground. The image of her motionless, crumpled body would be forever implanted on his retinas. He’d thought she’d been killed. His heart still beat madly in his chest hours after the event when he thought about that awful fleeting moment.
That would be a cruel twist of fate. Realising he’d found the one woman who’d managed to get beneath his defences, only to have her snatched away less than an hour later.
She lay with both hands cupped low on her abdomen in a pose peculiar to pregnant women worldwide. Even in sleep she was protecting their child. His hands itched to join hers but he didn’t want to disturb her and his feelings were still too jumbled to let his guard down.
Today he’d fallen in love with a woman and met his daughter. It had been momentous, to say the least. And none of it had been on his agenda. God, he could hear his father mocking now. Harlon Fallon would be rolling in his grave to hear a son of his actually thinking about putting family first.
But beliefs ingrained over years cautioned him against diving in head first. How many relationships had he seen break up in his line of work? How many kids played second fiddle to the job? Like he had? Was it fair to act on a whim when he wasn’t sure if he was equipped to go the distance? Was it fair for his daughter to have to settle for being second fiddle?