by Lucy Clark
There were children of various ages around the place, and a moment later, one of the older girls handed her a towel. Melissa looked over to where Joss was just coming in the door, medical bags in tow.
‘Hi!’ he greeted Gemma warmly, gladly accepting a towel and quickly drying himself off.
‘Just leave your wet shoes by the door and come on in,’ Gemma called. ‘They won’t take long to dry. Nothing does in this heat. It may be wet, but it’s still hot.’ She laughed. ‘We were expecting you quite a while ago.’
‘Uh…’ Joss snuck a sideways glance at Melissa before answering. ‘There was an emergency at Murphy’s Farm.’
‘Oh, we know about that. Mindy called through before the rains hit and told us. I guess you two must have got stuck out there. Are the roads very bad?’
Joss shrugged, making a point not to look at Melissa. He still couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to lose control like that. ‘Fair.’
‘Ron’s over at the neighbours’. I just hope he’s going to be able to get home through the dirt roads, otherwise it’ll take him a good hour to go around the perimeters on the main roads.’
‘He should be fine,’ Joss soothed.
Gemma rubbed a possessive hand over her baby bump. ‘I hope so. Anyway, come and have something to eat. You both must be starving. Peter,’ she said to her son, ‘set another two places at the table, please.’
‘Righto, Mum.’ Peter headed into the kitchen to do as he was asked.
‘I’m sorry we’re so late,’ Joss remarked as he picked up the young three-year-old and started tickling the child’s tummy. ‘I hope you didn’t delay lunch on our account.’
‘Not at all. I’ve been trying to get lunch organised for the past hour and a half, but things do tend to happen, and I learned long ago not to stress about it. We eat when we eat and that’s all there is to it.’
Joss smiled. ‘You sound like my mum.’
‘Well, she would know—having had a large brood of her own. Anyway, I’ve already had Yolanda make up the guest room, because I don’t think this rain is going to abate. We were expecting just Dex, but it’s fantastic to get to meet the new doctor.’ Gemma smiled widely at Melissa and took one of her hands in hers. ‘I didn’t think I’d get to meet you until this little one was due to arrive.’ She continued to rub her pregnant belly.
‘I’m delighted to be here—you have such a wonderful home.’ Melissa could really feel the warmth and welcome radiating from this harried mother.
‘It’s messy, dusty and noisy, but filled with love.’ Gemma let go of her hand as some of the other children started to bring mounds of sandwiches to the dining table. ‘All right!’ she hollered, clapping her hands to get the attention of her family. ‘Go and wash your hands and faces.’
Joss released the squirming three-year-old and held out a chair for Gemma. She sat down, breathing a sigh of relief at being off her feet. Melissa watched her carefully, noting the laboured breathing which took longer than normal to settle.
They were both enveloped into the Etherington household, glad to be able to focus on something other than fighting or ignoring what had happened back in the ute. She noted that Joss seemed relaxed, more so than she’d seen him in Didja, and the way he related to the entire family was quite interesting to see. It was as though this was the real him—the one he only let out on special occasions or in certain circumstances. That definitely intrigued her.
Melissa watched the noisy, happy Etheringtons with delight. All of them were welcoming, and she found no falseness—just genuine friendliness. It hammered home the realisation that this was what she’d been missing throughout her own childhood, this sort of hullabaloo, and it was…enchanting. Whilst she hadn’t been lonely as a child, the older she’d grown, the more she’d had the sense that something was missing in her life.
When her parents had died, her heart had been pierced with a grief she hadn’t known existed, and with it had come loneliness. It was what had prompted her to search for her birth mother in the first place, and it was also what had prompted her to find Dex.
Yet this…this joyous family simply radiated life. She’d always wanted to have children, but had never thought about how many. First, though, she had to find the right man. Mindy’s words, which were still fresh in her mind, made her glance over at Joss. He was laughing with Peter, who appeared to be the eldest of the Etherington children, the two of them joking around with ease and friendliness.
No, Joss Lawson was most definitely not the right man for her. He was too hot and cold for her liking, and whilst he no doubt had his reasons for being that way, unless he decided to face them, to deal with them, there would never be anything between them—despite the physical attraction they obviously felt for each other.
She’d thought she’d found love before with Renulf, but she’d been wrong. Companionship—yes. Deep abiding friendship and a fondness for each other—yes. But not love. Even though they’d met when she’d treated him during one of her rare stints in A&E, he hadn’t fully grasped what it would be like to date a doctor. She’d presumed, when he’d proposed to her, that he’d understood, but then—as she’d discovered later—he’d expected her to give up working full-time once they were married. She’d been wrong before, and that meant she could be wrong again.
When they were all sitting around the large dining room table the noise level didn’t decrease. Melissa enjoyed the meal very much, but it wasn’t the food which had put the smile on her face but the loud rowdiness of the entire clan. They all talked over each other as different topics were discussed. Manners were minded, yet it was one incredibly happy time. This was a real family and the yearning inside her to have this for her very own only intensified.
By the time they’d finished eating it was after three o’clock and the rain was still pouring down. Gemma went to have a rest while the older kids looked after the younger ones. Joss and Peter brought in their overnight bags from the ute.
‘We’re staying the night?’ she asked Joss. They were standing out on the verandah, which ringed its way around the entire house. He nodded and brushed rain off himself.
‘Yes.’
‘We’re stranded?’ She wasn’t alarmed, but neither was she pleased. At least, she rationalised, they didn’t need to spend the night on the side of the road in the ute. That would have been…She closed her eyes for a second, not even able to contemplate what might have happened if that had been the case.
Peter heard her comment. ‘And what a great family to be stranded with.’ He grinned at her, his smile highlighted by the braces on his teeth.
‘Oh, I’m not complaining,’ she quickly explained. ‘Just adapting to the Outback way of doing things.’
Peter carried their bags inside the house, leaving the two of them on the verandah. Melissa put her hands on the railing and looked out at the rain. She heard the door to the house open and close and figured Joss had gone inside, not wanting to be anywhere near her.
She hung her head and shook it. ‘Stop thinking about him,’ she muttered quietly to herself.
‘Probably a good idea.’
Melissa spun around to see Joss standing by the door, hands in the pockets of his almost dry shorts.
‘I thought you’d gone inside.’ She wasn’t going to say anything. She wasn’t going to be the one to promote conversation between them—because as far as she was concerned she’d done her fair share of that. He could either talk, be silent, or he could just go. She was through trying to please her colleague, trying to be overly nice and to make sure that he was coping just fine with whatever it was that existed between them. If he didn’t want to know, neither did she. If he wanted to forget that dynamic, heart-melting kiss had ever happened, then so would she. If he wanted to be monosyllabic, then so would she.
‘I should.’
When he didn’t move, she merely shrugged and turned to look at the rain again, effectively dismissing him. He should take the hint. He should leave her in peace. But
for some reason he felt compelled to make sure she was all right.
He was still horrified at his weakness earlier, quite unable to believe the powerful hold she had over him. The sight of her parted lips, her eyes filled with desire, her body sending out those ‘come hither’ signals, and he’d been unable to resist.
And that kiss!
Joss closed his eyes for a moment, still able to taste her, able to breathe in deeply and have her sweet scent envelop him. It was wrong. She was his colleague and he didn’t date colleagues. She was business, not pleasure, and he needed to remember that—to keep his distance. He wasn’t the type of man to give his trust easily. He wasn’t the type of man who could offer a woman like Melissa a bright and happy future. He’d heard her. She wanted a family, lots of children. He wasn’t that man. He’d been burned so badly before that he’d learnt his lesson the hard way. Intimacy, giving his heart and his soul to a woman, had ended in such incredible heartache and betrayal that he wasn’t fool enough to go there again.
And now they stood—him by the door, her at the railing with her back firmly to him. He wondered what she was thinking, but knew he’d never ask. He wanted to know if she’d been as affected by the kiss as he’d been, but knew he’d never ask. He hoped she’d be willing to help him grow, to help him trust again, but he knew that was definitely one thing he wouldn’t ask, no matter how perfect she’d felt in his arms.
She was the only woman since Christina who had made him feel this way, and he was certain that the emotions he felt towards Melissa were growing stronger by the minute, surpassing the ones he’d initially had for his betraying exfiancée. If that wasn’t warning enough, he didn’t know what was.
‘Yeah. I should go,’ he murmured, and opened the door, going inside to get control over his wayward emotions.
After a moment Melissa turned to make sure he was really gone, before turning her attention back to the rain. ‘Hot and cold.’ She closed her eyes and tried to forget what had happened back in the ute. The sooner she did that, the better. The sooner she could see Joss Lawson as simply a colleague, the better.
Emotion welled in her throat and a few silent tears rolled down her cheeks. The sooner she realised she was destined to be alone for ever, the better.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE Etherington family were quite involving, and as the afternoon turned into evening Melissa and Joss found themselves playing all sorts of games with the children. It gave them the space they needed to mentally process what had happened between them, some room to reflect and hopefully to figure out what on earth happened next.
‘Dr Jossy!’ Bridget, who was five, called to him, demanding his attention for a game of pairs. ‘I’ve laid all the cards out in nice straight lines.’ She pointed to her handiwork.
‘So I see.’
Melissa watched as Joss crouched down onto the floor, stretching himself out and giving the little girl his undivided attention.
‘She’s very bossy,’ Gemma told Melissa. ‘I just hope Joss can handle himself.’ The two women smiled.
‘I think he has a fair enough chance,’ Melissa replied. ‘Anyway, whilst everyone’s busy, why don’t we get your check-up done?’
‘Good idea,’ Gemma agreed, and after Melissa had collected her medical bag the two women headed into Gemma’s bedroom.
‘Ron, my husband, says I’m on my feet too much, and he’s right—but we have six kids and a farm to run. It’s hard not to be on your feet all the time.’
‘Any problems with the other pregnancies?’
‘None. No pre-eclampsia, no gestational diabetes. Nothing.’
Melissa finished taking Gemma’s blood pressure, a little concerned at the elevated reading. ‘So how does this pregnancy compare?’
‘It’s different. I can be honest about that. And I have had my own niggling concerns, but that’s to be expected, right?’
‘That depends on what the niggling concerns are.’
‘I’ve had one or two small bleeds. Sometimes during the night.’
‘How long do they last?’
‘Less than a minute.’
‘Most nights? How many times a week? More than one bleed per night?’
‘About three or four times a week, and usually it’s two bleeds. They don’t come together. They’re usually hours apart.’
‘Any stabbing pains?’
‘Sort of. Sometimes they’re more like cramps. Sometimes it’s a constant pain which lasts for quite a while.’
‘Like Braxton-Hicks?’
Gemma thought for a moment before shaking her head. ‘No. Not that bad.’
‘Have you been feeling more tired? Any nausea?’
‘Mild nausea, but with my girls I had morning sickness the entire pregnancy, so I didn’t think that was anything unusual. I’m tired, but I do have a lot going on.’
Melissa listened to Gemma’s heart-rate and then the baby’s heart-rate. Both were slightly elevated but nothing to cause great concern. ‘I’d like you to come to Didja for a few days.’
‘What?’ Gemma was instantly horrified.
‘I need to do some more tests, and I’d like to monitor the baby a little closer. Have you had a scan?’
‘No. I only had scans with the first two. Is there really something wrong with my baby?’
‘As you said, you have niggling concerns. I share those concerns. I’d like to put both of our niggles to rest.’
Gemma sat up as Melissa packed away her equipment. ‘What about Joss? Should we ask his opinion?’
‘If you’d like. I realise I’m the new kid in town, and therefore you may think I’m acting a little too cautiously. If you’d prefer Joss to give you a second opinion, we can go and ask him now.’
‘You don’t mind? You’re not offended?’
Melissa smiled and waved Gemma’s words away. ‘Not at all. You need to be comfortable with your treating doctor and, whilst I may have more experience with these issues, Joss is the doctor you know better.’ She left her bag on the floor. ‘I’ll go get him. Stay here and keep your feet up.’
She found Joss sitting on the lounge, completely at ease, the three youngest children sitting next to him as he held them enraptured with the story he was reading. She watched him for a moment, amazed at how wonderful he was with the children. When he looked up and saw her standing there, he quirked an eyebrow. ‘Problem?’
He looked gorgeous, carefree and downright sexy. It took her a moment to make her mind work, as seeing him like this had completely wiped all rational and coherent thought from her.
‘Uh…I need you to…’ She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. ‘Uh…’ Come on, Melissa. Concentrate. She closed her eyes, blocking out the sight of him. ‘I need you to come and check Gemma.’
His expression instantly changed to one of concern. Not wanting to alarm the children, he shifted them slowly, calling over Yolanda, the oldest girl, to finish reading to them.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked quietly as they headed towards Gemma’s bedroom.
Joss stopped off in the bathroom to wash his hands, all the while listening to what Melissa had to say. ‘Care to guess a diagnosis?’
She shook her head. ‘I need to do tests. Bloods. Amniocentesis and ultrasound to begin with.’
‘OK. No hunches?’
‘Ante-partum haemorrhage?’ She shrugged. ‘She told me she’s had a few small bleeds, and with the pains…’ She shook her head. ‘Or I could be wrong. I need to do tests. Too many possibilities.’
‘How elevated is the baby’s heart-rate?’
‘It’s up, but not on the dangerous scale.’
‘Not yet. Right.’ He walked purposefully into Gemma’s room and proceeded with a thorough check-up. When he was finished, he looked his patient carefully in the eyes. ‘I have to say that I agree with Lis on this one, Gem. Your other pregnancies weren’t like this, and as you’ve had quite a few to compare it to that’s the biggest factor to indicate there may be something wrong.’
> Gemma rubbed her stomach lovingly. She was only twenty weeks, but was well and truly showing.
‘We’ll contact the Royal Flying Doctor Service and get you airlifted to Didja tomorrow morning.’
‘That soon?’ Gemma was shocked. ‘But the kids and—’
‘I’ll get Peter to find Ron,’ Joss said. ‘He should be here.’
‘He’ll be on his way home now,’ Gemma told him, then shook her head. ‘Tomorrow morning?’
‘The sooner we find out what’s going on, the better,’ Melissa encouraged. ‘Your health and the baby’s health are paramount.’
‘But what about the rest of my kids? My family?’ Her voice broke on the word and Melissa felt her pain. To have all this—such love and happiness—and to leave it even for a short time would be painful.
Tears sprang to the woman’s eyes as a moment later her husband walked into the room.
‘Perfect timing. I was just about to go and contact you,’ Joss said as Ron rushed to his wife’s side.
‘What’s wrong? What’s going on?’
Joss and Melissa explained the situation as Ron held his wife, comforting her in such a loving way.
‘Tomorrow? So soon?’
‘The sooner we start on the tests, the sooner we’ll—’ Melissa began but he waved her words away.
‘You’re right. You’re right. It’s fine. It’ll be OK. Everything will be OK. You’ll see. We’ll cope,’ Ron quickly assured Gemma. ‘We’ve raised all of our children to be self-sufficient, and Peter’s almost seventeen now. He’s the oldest, and he’s more than capable of taking control of things.’
Joss looked over at Melissa and saw such empathy in her face that he couldn’t help but be moved by it. She genuinely cared about her patients, she was really empathising with them, and it showed him what a good doctor she truly was. It also showed him a lot about the person she really was. He doubted Christina would ever have given people in distress another thought other than how their own distress might affect her.
He was about to look away when she turned and met his gaze. They stared at each other for a long moment, and he could see her pain at splitting up this family, but the fact remained that Gemma needed to go to Didja for tests. Joss inclined his head towards the doorway, indicating they should give Ron and Gemma some privacy.