The Consultant's Surprise Child

by Joanna Neil

  In a while, when Taylor was satisfied that the man was stable enough to be moved, he gave the go-ahead for the transfer to the waiting ambulance.

  'I've arranged for a team to be waiting for him at the hospital,' he told the paramedic who would be accompanying him on the journey. 'With luck we've made sure that he has a good chance of recovery, but he'll need to go straight to Radiology and from there to Theatre.'

  'OK, I'll see to it that he's monitored on the way.'

  Allison went to help out where she was needed. Now that she was reassured that Taylor and Greg weren't harmed in any way, her nerves were beginning to settle down, but she was still edgy and out of sorts. Thinking that Taylor might have been badly hurt had wrung every ounce of composure from her.

  'I think we could start making tracks for home now,' Taylor murmured, when all the casualties had been sent on their way to various hospitals in the region.

  Allison nodded. She saw that lifting equipment had been brought in to remove the response car, and she said, 'I thought you might have been the one who was injured.'

  'And that worried you?'

  'Of course it worried me,' she said sharply. 'Though I'd have put it stronger than that. How do you think I felt? I had visions of you lying there with broken bones, or worse. It was scary, really scary.'

  He gave a faint smile. 'I'm all right. You can relax now. I'm fine.'

  She realised that she had overreacted to his comment, and now her cheeks flushed pink. 'Sorry. It was a bit of a shock, hearing the news like that. I didn't know what to think.' She straightened her shoulders. 'I could give you a lift back to your apartment, if you like.'

  'Thanks, that would be good.' He looked at her from under his lashes. 'Perhaps we should go to your house, though. I'll give you a hand with the clearing up.'

  'Will you? There isn't a great deal left to do, and I'm sure I can manage, given time. It's more a question of putting the curtain rail back in place. For some reason Steve yanked the curtains down and he must have done it with some force because the fixings have broken off. I'm not quite sure how to go about repairing them.'

  'I expect he was in a temper and didn't much think about what he was doing.' His gaze moved over her. 'I'll come with you and see what I can do.'

  'Thanks.' She guessed he was still anxious for her to move back to her house as soon as possible, and she wasn't going to put up an argument about that. Connor would be happy to go back to familiar surroundings, and she didn't want to impose on Taylor any more than was necessary.

  'I expect Greg will need a lift, too,' she murmured.

  'No. He's hitched a ride with one of the paramedics. I asked him what he wanted to do a few minutes ago, and he said he needed to get back home as soon as possible because his wife's mother was staying with them and they were planning an evening out. I think he's already left for home.'

  'Oh, I see.' Allison glanced around and realised that what Taylor was saying was true. Most of the rescue personnel had already gone.

  They collected up their medical kit and went over to her car. Allison sat behind the wheel for a moment or two, waiting until she had herself together again, and then she drove them to her house.

  'It looks pretty much back to normal,' she said. 'It's just a little more sparsely furnished than it was before.'

  She parked the car and showed him into the hallway. 'I'll make us a drink and something to eat, if you like,' she murmured. 'You must have gone for ages without any food inside you.'

  'Thanks. I'd appreciate that. Just a sandwich would be fine, if that's all right with you.' He followed her into the small kitchen.

  Allison was glad of the chance to keep busy. Having Taylor nearby was playing on her nerves and she was strung out all over again at the thought of all the harsh words that had passed between them over the last couple of days. Would he ever forgive her for not telling him about his son?

  'I'll see what I can do about the curtain rail in the living room,' he said. 'Do you have a toolbox handy?'

  'Yes. I'll get it for you.' She sorted out everything that he might need, and then left him to it, going back to the kitchen to prepare the food.

  He was back within a few minutes. 'It's all finished,' he said. 'I've put the curtains back in place for you.'

  'Thanks for that.' She looked at him, disturbed by the fact that they were being so cautious around one another, like two strangers meeting up on neutral ground. 'Sit down, won't you?' she said. 'The food's all laid out on the table.'

  'I'll just get out of this outfit first.' He removed his outer garments, the medical jacket and over-trousers, placing them on a table in the hallway, and then came back and washed his hands at the sink. He was wearing dark trousers that fitted him to perfection, emphasising his long legs and his flat stomach, and his shirt was a pale blue that reflected the grey-blue of his eyes.

  Allison tried not to look at him. It set up all sorts of stirrings of painful emotions within her, just having him there in her house, in her kitchen.

  He came and sat down at the table and started to eat, clearly appreciating the fresh sandwiches of cheese, and ham and salad that she had made for them. 'I didn't realise how hungry I was,' he said, glancing across the table at her. His eyes narrowed when he saw that she was empty-handed. 'Aren't you going to eat?'

  'I had something earlier.' She couldn't face the thought of food right now. Instead, she sipped at the hot tea and let the liquid warm her through and through. 'I've rung Nick and he's going to bring Connor over here in a while,' she said quietly. 'We can stay here from now on. After all, there's no reason why we should impose on you any longer. I know it must have been difficult for you, having us stay at your place. It was good of you to step in and put us up like that, but I was always worried that we might damage something or spoil all your lovely things.'

  'I told you not to worry about that,' he said. 'If I'm not concerned, why should you be?'

  'But your place is so beautiful, so...' She hesitated. 'I was going to say untouched, but of course it isn't. It's just so perfect in every way.'

  'Perhaps it's time I tried something less than perfect.' He rubbed his fingers on a paper napkin. 'Seeing you here with Connor that night when you made a meal for Rhea and Nick and invited me to join you made me realise how insular my life was becoming. I wondered how I could ever have wanted a quiet, organised existence, free of children, and now I'm beginning to see something of what I've missed all these years. Maybe a little untidiness and home comfort would add something to my life.'

  Her eyes widened a fraction. 'Are you saying that now you know that Connor is your child, you want to see what it's like to get involved? Are you thinking of being around for him as a father?' She frowned. 'You've never wanted any of that before.'

  'People change.' He looked at her. 'I've changed. I may have something to say about my sister's unruly boys from time to time, but they're part of my family, and I love them dearly. How could I not care for them? They're offshoots of Claire, with all her dizzy, chaotic ways of going on.'

  'And Connor? How does he fit in?'

  'He's my son. It goes without saying that I want to do my best for him. I would never have turned my back on my child...you were wrong in thinking that I wouldn't want to know.'

  'I'm sorry.' She sent him a troubled glance. 'I did what I thought was best at the time. I was confused and anxious, and I wasn't sure how things would turn out.'

  'I know that.' His gaze met hers briefly. 'I was angry when you first admitted the truth. I couldn't accept that you had kept it from me for so long, but I think it's time now that we made some decisions about his future. We have to tell him that I'm his father.'

  Allison felt a stab of alarm. 'Are you sure that you want to do that?' She saw his brows shoot up in a dark line and she added swiftly, 'What's going to happen when you go away? How is he going to feel when you disappear from his life?'

  'What do you mean? Why should I disappear?'

  She frowned. 'You'll be in Hamp
shire, taking on the role of consultant in the hospital there, won't you? I know that isn't too far away, but it isn't likely that you'll be able to be with him every day, and how is he going to react then? He'll just about be used to the idea of having you around and then you'll be gone. He probably won't see any more of you than he does of his grandad, and he'll be bewildered. He won't understand.'

  Taylor opened his mouth to answer, but just then the doorbell rang, and Allison stood up. 'I expect that will be Nick, bringing Connor back home.'

  She went to the door and let both of them in. Connor wrapped his arms around her legs and she gave him a hug in greeting. Then he scooted into the living room in search of his toys.

  'Thanks for looking after him and bringing him back to me,' she told her brother. 'There's some tea in the pot. Do you have time to stay?'

  'Only for a quick cup,' he said. 'I need to get back to Rhea.'

  He went to say hello to Taylor, who by now was in the living room, by the dining corner, watching Connor enthusiastically rummage through his toy box.

  'We've been playing at Poppy's house,' Connor said, 'but she don't have any toy soldiers. I like playing with soldiers.' He delved deeper in the box until he found what he was looking for. 'This one's wearing his special boots, see?' he said, holding his toy aloft. 'He's my bestest.'

  Allison brought a tray of tea into the room and set it down on the dining table. Taylor and Nick were faintly guarded around one another to begin with, but Nick said quietly, 'I realised why you were anxious to move us out of your factory unit as soon as I saw your name on the list of people who had been cheated. I'm sorry about that.' He hesitated for a second or two. 'I don't understand why you didn't say what was on your mind at the time.'

  Taylor gave a slight shrug. 'I think I was worried about involving Allison in any kind of trouble. I knew that she had invested some of her own money in the business.'

  Allison darted a glance at him. Had he been trying to protect her?

  She could see that Nick was anxious to clear up the matter once and for all. 'Did you think that your name might be linked with our company,' he asked, 'if it turned out that Ben and I were the ones behind the trouble?'

  'Yes, basically. I thought it best to remove any chance of that happening.' Taylor made a wry face. 'I should have made more enquiries at the time, but I guessed it would be hard to get to the root of the matter and, besides, I thought I was the only victim. I believed that if it had happened to me, it might happen to others, but I didn't know that was the case until later.'

  'I wish you had said something, we would have investigated. But I can see how you wouldn't have wanted Allison to be tarred with the same brush. I hope we can put all this behind us now?'

  'Yes, of course.'

  Nick gave a quick smile. 'I'm glad about that.' He finished off his tea and then said, 'I have to go. Rhea will be waiting for me.'

  'OK, I'll see you out.' Allison spoke with him for a few minutes, and then watched her brother drive away. She was glad that he had sorted out his problems with Taylor. If only she could do the same. She walked back into the living room.

  Taylor and Connor were talking to one another, and the little boy's expression was so earnest that for a moment or two she caught her breath, wondering if Taylor had decided to tell him the truth about his parentage without waiting for her agreement.

  He must have seen the worried look on her face because he said carefully, 'I've just been asking Connor how he would feel if I were to stay around for a long time. He said he would like that.'

  Allison passed her tongue over dry lips. 'But how can that happen if you're planning on going to Hampshire?'

  'I'm not.'

  She stared at him. 'But you said you had the offer of a job there.'

  'I didn't say that I was going to take it. I still have several months to go with the job here in London, and I've been asked if I would consider staying on when that contract finishes. I've been waiting to see how you felt about that before I made the decision.'

  She stared at him. 'You were going to ask me how I feel about it?'

  'That's right.'

  'But...'

  'Perhaps we should go and sit down and talk this through?'

  'Yes, I think perhaps we should.' Allison glanced at Connor, but he was happily engrossed in playing with his toys once more.

  She went over to the settee at the far corner of the room and sat down. For some reason, Taylor's surprise announcement had left her feeling very odd. Her limbs were weak, and her nervous system had suddenly gone on the defensive. What was on his mind? Was he thinking of staying around for Connor's sake? Did she even figure in his reasoning?

  Taylor came and sat beside her. He kept his voice low. 'I know that you're wary about talking to me about any of this, and I can understand how you must feel. I was angry with you yesterday, but that was because all of this came as a shock to me and I didn't know what had been going on in your head. I think I realise now why you acted as you did, and I can't really blame you for that. You did what you thought was for the best. You did it for Connor.'

  She glanced over to where Connor was playing. He was sitting on the rug in a corner of the room that was partly hidden by an alcove, but she could just make out his small figure.

  'I wanted him to have a father, but I didn't think that would come about. I was afraid your career would come before everything, just as my father's did.'

  He shook his head. 'Allison, I'm never going to be the same as your father when it comes to my family. If I'd known that you were carrying my child, I would have come back to you. I'd have tried to persuade you to come with me while I worked my way up the career ladder, but in the end the decision would have been yours.'

  He slid an arm around her, tugging her close. 'Don't you know how I feel about you? Don't you know that I've always longed to have you by my side?'

  Her pulse quickened. 'Have you?' She sent him a doubtful look. Surely what he was saying was too wonderful to be true? Was he just saying it because he wanted to do the right thing by Connor?

  He nodded. 'I mean it. I've always known that you were special, but I couldn't tell you. When we were younger, when you were just a teenager, it didn't seem fair to tie you down when you were just starting out on your own path. And later I didn't know how you felt about me. You said what happened between us the night that Connor was conceived was a mistake, something that you regretted, and yet for me it was breathtaking, a time when I realised that you were the one woman I wanted to share my life with.'

  Her heart seemed to turn over. 'You didn't say anything...'

  His mouth slanted wryly. 'Your note told me what you thought, that you had acted out of character and that we would go our separate ways, and that's how it turned out, didn't it? I went to work as a specialist registrar, and you went to take up your house officer post at a different hospital. I thought we might get in touch, but I didn't know where you were until I saw your name on the staff list at King's Bridge. That's when I made up my mind to accept the year-long contract they were offering me.'

  She swallowed hard. Her heart was thumping, causing a pulse to hammer wildly in her throat, but above all a soaring sense of joy was beginning to fill her whole being. 'You came there to be with me?'

  'Yes, I did.' He smiled into her eyes. 'I love you, Allison. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. You've always been the one woman who could make me whole, but I didn't know whether you would ever feel the same way about me. It was only when I saw how worried you were earlier this evening, when you thought I might be hurt, that I realised you might care for me more than just a little.'

  He had said he loved her. Inside, her heart swelled up. She said softly, 'I didn't know that was how you felt. How could I know? I love you, and I wanted you to love me in return, but I thought it was an impossible dream. I've longed to have you say those things to me, but I was afraid that you couldn't find it in you to love me, or our child.'

  A low groan rumbled in h
is throat. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, long and hard, as though he would wipe all doubt from her mind. Their bodies met in sweet unison as he crushed her to him, and she tentatively reached up and touched his face, tracing the contours with the tips of her fingers so that she could keep the image in her heart for ever.

  He trailed tender kisses over her cheek. 'I think, deep down, I began to sense that he was my son some time ago. I felt this strange affinity with him, as though there was a hidden bond between us. I had an overpowering need to get to know him better, and at the same time I was trying to work out how I could show you that you had nothing to fear from being with me. I'll always love you and take care of you.'

  He claimed her lips once more and she clung to him, elated by his passionate, loving caresses, by the way he made her know that she was everything in the world that he wanted. His hands stroked her cheek, his thumbs tenderly brushing the softness of her skin, and as she absorbed the sweet promise of his gentle embrace, she suddenly became aware of the light patter of feet and a gentle tugging at her skirt.

  Taylor must have noticed that something was amiss, too, because he turned his head a fraction to look at the small boy who was staring up at them.

  'What are you doing?' Connor asked.

  Taylor began to smile. 'I think we've been here before,' he murmured.

  'You'd better get used to it,' Allison said, with a soft chuckle. 'This is how four-year-olds are.'

  Connor's stare was unblinking, and Taylor said gently, 'I'm kissing your mummy.'

  'You did that before.'

  'Yes, well.. .1 like kissing your mummy. I think I might do it lots of times.'

  Connor screwed up his nose. 'Why?'

  'Because I love her very much, and because she's just told me that I'm your real daddy. I think we might want to get married and live together and be a proper family, you, your mummy and I. What do you think about that?'

  'You're my real daddy? My real, real daddy?' Connor's eyes grew wide, letting his astonishment shine through, but all the while his mouth was breaking into a huge smile.