Twin Surprise for the Single Doc

by Susanne Hampton

  CHAPTER NINE

  AS CLAUDIA HUNG up her clothes in the walk-in wardrobe she prayed she had made the right decision. This was the second time she had rushed into moving in with a man she barely knew. Her life had changed so completely in the time since she’d arrived in Los Angeles and not much of it had been for the better, except for the arrival of her sons. She longed to return home. To where she felt life was a better fit and to where she felt a sense of family. Her internal compass was directing her back to London.

  But she had unexpected mixed emotions about Patrick.

  Where did he fit into her life? Would he be a part of it once she left Los Angeles or would he become a memory? A sweet memory, but nothing more.

  Claudia had tried to think logically about moving in. They had only known each other a short time, but she and Patrick had a bond that she knew she would never share with another man. He had brought her sons into the world, saved their lives and saved hers as well. He was a brilliant obstetrician and while she wondered why he had not continued in that line of work, it was not her place to question him.

  Was the fact he too was of English heritage a deciding factor in her feeling comfortable enough to move in? she wondered. Did he remind her of home? Did that make her feel safe? She prayed it wasn’t a false sense of security.

  There had been absolutely no pressure from Patrick over dinner; in fact he had even suggested a couple of hotels near the Mercy Hospital for her to stay in that night. His lack of insistence that she stay in his home but his genuine offer made her feel more comfortable to accept his invitation. And to apologise for being rude.

  Everything happening in her head, and her fear of accepting Patrick’s help, was her problem to deal with and in no way related to him.

  ‘I will pay you exactly what I would be paying at a hotel,’ she’d told him as they’d put the dishes into the dishwasher and sat down in the living room.

  ‘The going rate for a hotel around here is just over a dollar a night.’

  ‘Beverly Hills certainly isn’t as expensive as it’s alluded to be,’ she joked. ‘In all seriousness, I must insist...’

  ‘Here’s my business proposition,’ he interrupted as he looked into her eyes, melting her heart a little further. ‘Since I arrived in the US I haven’t been able to find my favourite English toffee with almonds. It’s amazing and nothing comes close. The almonds are toasted and the toffee’s covered in dark chocolate. If you manage to find some, we’ll call it even. Perhaps even arrange some to be shipped over after you return home. It used to be available at Harrods. There’s no deadline, just a promise that one day I’ll get my toffee.’

  ‘English toffee in exchange for living in a home this beautiful?’ She turned her head and, from her seat on the sofa, she surveyed the beautifully decorated room. It was elegant but simple. It wasn’t stark but nor was it cluttered and the colours were warm earthy tones and the lighting softly added a glow to the room.

  ‘You don’t like the terms? Too steep?’ he asked, staring into her eyes when they came back to meet his gaze. His lips curved to a smile and softly lined the stubble-covered skin on his jaw.

  His voice sounded like the warm dark chocolate he was describing as the words flowed from his lips and Claudia involuntarily bit her own. Her heartbeat picked up unexpectedly and she closed her eyes and tried to blink away thoughts she was having about her landlord. He was far too gallant and handsome for his own good and most definitely for her own.

  The French windows onto the balcony were open and the warm July breeze felt wonderful after the hospital air-conditioning so she carefully stood up and made her way to the door. Each day the physical scars were healing, but she just wished the emotional scars inflicted by the city would fade as quickly.

  At that moment she needed to move away from Patrick, and the feelings she was having, being so close to him. She needed to step outside and clear her head in the balmy night air. She looked over the balustrade to the moonlight on the gently moving water of the pool. It was a perfect evening. The perfect house. The perfect man.

  But, in Claudia’s mind, she was so far from perfect.

  And life for her had never been perfect.

  * * *

  Patrick watched Claudia from his vantage point on the sofa. Her feet were bare and her short hair was gleaming in the moonlight. She seemed so at peace with the world at times, but at other times almost tortured. And so vulnerable. He had to control the urge to step behind her, pull her into his arms and tell her that everything would be all right. Protect her from whatever had hurt her or could in the future.

  But he had no clue what the future held for her or for him. He barely knew anything about Claudia’s past, apart from her losing her father and mother. Where had she gone to school? What had made her take the position in Los Angeles? And why didn’t the father of her children want anything to do with them...? But, strangely, nothing about where she came from mattered to him any more. It wasn’t her past, her family or her career that made him want to be with her. It was her attitude to life. Her strength. Her independence. Her beauty.

  And her love of her children.

  * * *

  The next morning Claudia woke early and dressed in the shorter of the two nightdresses before making her way to the kitchen for breakfast. She thought she would make something to eat for them both and then head in to change before Patrick rose. Cooking breakfast would be her way of repaying his kindness.

  But he was already up. And he took her breath away. Standing at the bench with a knife in his hand, he was cutting vegetables and fruit and placing them into a large glass bowl. Nearby was a small high-tech food processor. But her eyes were drawn to his bare chest and his low-slung shorts. Swallowing and trying not to stare at the perfection of his body, she looked out onto the patio, where she could see a gym bench and weights.

  ‘Good morning, Claudia. I hope you slept well. If you need more covers or anything just let me know.’

  She coughed to clear her throat. She needed to be polite and meet his gaze but that meant looking at his half-naked body again and worrying about her clothing being a little skimpier than she would normally choose. Ordinarily, that would not be a problem, but Patrick had to remain in the generous landlord category and she had to stay inside those parameters. She couldn’t afford to entertain fantasies. She vigorously rubbed her arms as if she was cold. She wasn’t. His presence was making her hot and self-conscious.

  ‘Good morning,’ she managed, trying to look around the room and avoid the obvious. Gorgeous, jaw-dropping Patrick, with both a body and smile to die for. And, first thing in the morning when most were struggling to open their eyes and look human, he was poster perfect. ‘So you’ve been working out.’

  He smiled back. ‘Yes, I like to get up early and start the day using the outside gym. There are deck lounges out there so be my guest today and enjoy the stunning weather.’

  ‘Stunning...weather.’ She found it difficult to look at him and not have her eyes wander over his body in appreciation.

  ‘I’m making a health blend with kale, carrots and a bunch of fruit. I didn’t want to turn it on until you woke up since it sounds like a small lawnmower,’ he said with a smile. ‘Would you like one—I’ve prepared enough for both of us.’

  ‘I’d planned on getting up early and cooking for you. You’re already done so much for me.’

  He shook his head as he crossed to the sink and washed the stickiness of the fruit from his hands then he slipped on a T-shirt that was hanging over the back of the high-backed kitchen chair. ‘I’m always up at the crack of dawn in summer and I like a liquid breakfast after a workout. It gives me energy to face the day and I’ve got a full day of surgery scheduled so this will keep me going. Will you join me?’

  Claudia was relieved that he was partly covered and her breathing had slowed accordi
ngly. ‘I’d love to, thank you.’ She sat on a chair near to the bench where he was working and thought she would steer the conversation towards his work. ‘So what surgical procedures are on today? Which starlet is going double D?’

  He was dropping the chopped fruit in to be blended but paused to answer her question. Both of his lean hands rested over the top of the machine as he looked at her. ‘I have two post-mastectomy reconstructions. A young mother in her early thirties and a slightly older patient who just celebrated her sixtieth birthday.’

  Claudia felt so stupid. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘Don’t worry; everyone does it...’

  Shaking her head in frustration at herself, she continued. ‘Just because everyone thinks the same way doesn’t make it right. I was condescending and I made a sweeping generalisation. I’m so stupid for saying that. I should have known there would be more to your practice.’

  ‘Thank you. Most people just shrug and don’t apologise so please don’t feel bad.’ He paused for a moment. ‘And, to be honest, I do my fair share of purely cosmetic augmentations. The holy grail of boob jobs, the double Ds and a few Es. Those surgeries allow me to perform the worthwhile ones at a much lower cost.’

  ‘That’s wonderful.’

  ‘Well, I have a lovely home. Don’t go putting me up on a pedestal.’

  Despite what he said, in Claudia’s mind he was a true gentleman and already up on a pedestal and she doubted he would fall off anytime soon.

  * * *

  One morning after Patrick had left for work, Claudia thought she would sort out the matter of the generous benefactor before she left for the hospital. She found the delivery docket in her purse and called the Rodeo Drive store. She was determined to repay the stranger’s kindness and at the same time ensure she was not in their debt.

  ‘I’m sorry, madam, but I can’t divulge the sender’s details. As with all of our account holders, they’re a highly valued customer. This is an awkward situation and I would truly like to help but store policy won’t allow me to do so. However, you are very welcome to exchange anything that you don’t like or need in another size.’

  ‘No, I don’t need to change anything. It’s all perfect.’

  ‘We do pride ourselves on the styling and quality of all of our garments.’

  The young woman’s delivery was very eloquent and her tone leaning towards pretentious but Claudia knew that came with the location of the store. She bit the inside of her cheek. She wasn’t going to accept the gift. She had to repay the sender but she needed to think of a way quickly before the young woman ended the conversation, no doubt politely, but, however it ended, her chance to repay her benefactor would be over.

  ‘I have an idea,’ she began in an equally polite tone, hoping to sway the sales assistant to agree to the thought that had popped into her head. ‘Could I buy a gift certificate to the same value as the gift sent to me and you could mail that to them? If they have an account then you would have their mailing address. You are not breaking confidentiality because their details have not been given to me and you have just doubled your sales because they will have to visit your store to spend the certificate.’

  There was no answer for a moment and Claudia assumed the sales assistant was considering her proposal. ‘But they may want to know who sent it.’

  Claudia wondered at the slight double standard when it came to account holders and mere mortals.

  ‘That’s fine. I don’t have any problem if you let the sender know it was from me. In fact, I would be happy for them to know I had repaid the gift.’

  The deal was done. Claudia gave her credit card details over the phone but the amount was even more than she had imagined. But, since she wasn’t paying rent, she could afford it. There was nothing more she needed to buy for herself. She drew a deep breath at how extravagant the anonymous benefactor had been and would be hand-washing everything, hoping that it lasted for a few years, knowing what it had cost.

  * * *

  Claudia watched her little boys grow day by day, week by week. She was able to hold them and bottle-feed them and on the twentieth day they moved from the neonatal nursery into the general nursery. The warmth and serenity that she experienced every time Claudia held them made her happier than she thought possible and she didn’t want them to be out of her arms. As she touched their soft warm skin and looked into their big trusting eyes she knew her life was complete. There was nothing she wouldn’t do or give to Thomas and Luca for as long as she lived. Each milestone they reached in weight or developmental markers made her heart sing. She could imagine decorating Christmas trees with them and watching the joy on their faces as they unwrapped their birthday presents.

  The boys’ little faces filled out a little more every day and she could see subtle differences. Thomas was a little bigger and his mouth a little fuller and his mop of hair was thick and straight, while Luca’s hair was curly and he was a leaner baby. Whether that had anything to do with his initial heart problem, she was unsure.

  Claudia would arrive first thing in the morning at the Mercy Hospital and leave just after the sun set as the boys had settled into a routine and were ready for sleep. They had two feeds during the night, one at eleven and another at three in the morning, but the nursing staff insisted she get rest and come in the morning. The first time she was allowed to bathe them one at a time she had tears of joy in her eyes that fell from her cheeks into the tepid water. She was so nervous as she supported their tiny bodies in the water and then gently let the water splash over them before she wrapped them in a soft white towel and held them for the longest time.

  When the weather cooled just a little so it wasn’t too extreme, Patrick suggested a picnic outside for the four of them. At first Claudia was uncertain but when he walked her downstairs she caught sight of the checked blanket on the ground, complete with picnic basket, she nodded her approval. Together they collected the boys after their feed and took them down to the shady place beside the small pond. The sound of the water trickling over the rocks and running into the pond filled with oversized goldfish was relaxing.

  ‘I think they’ll enjoy fishing.’

  ‘And what makes you think that?’

  ‘It’s just a feeling I have.’

  Patrick didn’t want to say that if they were his sons he would teach them about fishing, the way his father had, and they would learn to love it as he did.

  Claudia watched him fussing over her sons and she had the feeling that, despite what he said, he would be a wonderful father.

  The basket was brimming with wonderful picnic food; there were assorted sandwiches. It truly was a family outing. Whatever family meant, moving forward.

  Claudia took photos of the boys with her phone camera every day as they grew. It would be a reminder of how far they had come and a keepsake for them when they were older. She decided to have a photo of each of them framed for Patrick. He had been so wonderful and she wanted him to have a memory of the little boys he had brought into the world. It saddened her that soon they would be worlds apart but it was a fact she had to accept.

  She stopped at the drugstore on the way home one day and had two of the cutest photos printed and bought two silver-plated frames. And as she walked into his bedroom that afternoon to place them on the dresser as a surprise, she felt strangely at home. The room had a masculine feel to it but it was also warm...and inviting. It was decorated in muted warm tones of grey. Heavy deep grey drapes framed the window and the softest pale grey carpet covered the floor. The bed and bedside cabinets and the dresser were black and there were three large charcoal drawings on the wall behind the bed, also framed in black. The bed cover was the same tone as the drapes. It was a simply decorated room but stunning. The longer she stayed, the more she felt at home. She would have preferred that she felt like an intruder but she didn’t.

  Placing the frames o
n his bedside table, she left the room, her eyes surveying one final time where he slept every night. She wondered if his bed was as soft as hers and if he slept on his back or on his side. Did he toss the covers off or did he sleep peacefully...?

  * * *

  Every few days Patrick would stop at the hospital to check up on the three of them. And each time he did, Claudia felt her heart flutter as she watched him tenderly hold one of her sons. She couldn’t help but notice that he was completely and utterly consumed by whichever baby he was given. He didn’t take his eyes away for even a minute and he spoke to them in great detail as if they understood every word. Claudia had to remind herself that he was not their father. He gave such attention and love to them, it was often difficult for her to remember that simple fact.

  Patrick gave her the use of his silver imported SUV to travel to Mercy Hospital. He knew it would help her to feel independent by not asking to be dropped off or catching cabs at all hours. He wanted her to feel the freedom she needed but still feel a sense of belonging. And it worked. She was extremely grateful to him but he did not exploit that gratitude in any way. She initially refused, as he expected she would, but when he pointed out the safety of late night trips back from the hospital she reluctantly agreed. But she insisted on putting in the gas and having it washed each week.

  She cooked dinner for him two or three nights a week. And he continued to rise early and make smoothies in the morning. Occasionally Claudia would eat at the hospital so she could stay a little later with Thomas and Luca. And Patrick made Friday night their night together at the hospital. He brought fish and chips from a store owned by an expat from North Yorkshire who had relocated to LA and opened a café on Melrose. The shop was always busy and he would line up for thirty minutes just to place his order. Then Claudia would meet Patrick downstairs in the visitor gardens to eat their fish and chips together. It felt so good for both of them to step outside. They had enjoyed four Friday date nights and they were planning the fifth, the date they both knew would be the last. Claudia would be heading back to London in less than a week and, while she was looking forward to returning home, she realised leaving Patrick would be one of the hardest goodbyes she would ever have to say.