The Baby Issue

by Jennifer Taylor

  Anna laughed. ‘This little fellow could be a little girl for all we know.’

  ‘Who cares? It still would be nice to have a peek at him or her.’

  She smiled when she heard the excitement in his voice. Maybe he had made the offer because he had sensed how apprehensive she was, but he seemed to be genuinely interested in seeing the baby. After all the heartache of recent weeks it was a wonderful feeling to know that he cared. All of a sudden she knew that she was looking forward to it herself. With Ben there beside her there didn’t seem any reason to be afraid.

  ‘Then what are we waiting for?’ she said lightly, closing her mind to the small voice that was whispering a warning. She didn’t need any warnings because she had no intention of letting herself get carried away. She wasn’t going to fall into the trap of hoping that he would be around for ever.

  She glanced round as he took her arm, felt her heart give an oddly painful lurch. She was going to miss not having Ben there in the future to turn to.

  ‘There’s the baby’s head…and that’s an arm.’

  Anna gasped as she stared at the monitor. ‘It’s so tiny!’ ‘It will soon grow.’ The operator laughed as she moved the transducer—the part of the machine that emitted the ultrasound waves—across Anna’s abdomen. ‘You’ll notice a huge difference next time you come. At the moment you could be looking at any little moving blob unless you know what you’re seeing. But give it a few more weeks and you’ll be able to see the baby perfectly and tell what sex it is. I’m afraid that it’s moving about too much today for me to tell if it’s a boy or a girl.’

  ‘I’m not sure if I want to know,’ she declared. ‘I think I’d rather it was a surprise.’

  ‘Sure you wouldn’t like advance warning so you’ll know what colour to paint the nursery?’ Ben teased.

  ‘I’ll play it safe and opt for something neutral,’ she retorted.

  ‘Isn’t that the father’s job?’ The operator put in, looking pointedly at him.

  Anna flushed when she realised that the woman thought that Ben was the baby’s father. It was an understandable mistake, but she knew that she should set her straight. However, before she could say anything Ben laughed.

  ‘It’s a fair trade, really. I expect most men are more than happy to swop a bit of decorating for all the pain and strain that goes with having a baby.’

  The young woman chuckled. ‘Too right they are! If men had to bear the children, the world’s population would have died out centuries ago.’

  She leant over and briskly wiped away the gel she had squeezed onto Anna’s tummy to enable the transducer to move more smoothly over her skin. ‘That’s it, then. Would you like a picture for the family album?’

  ‘Oh, yes, please,’ Anna agreed at once, reaching for her bag.

  ‘Here, let me get that.’ Ben quickly paid for the photograph then helped her down from the couch.

  ‘I must pay you for that,’ she began as they left the room, but he shook his head.

  ‘Don’t be silly.’ His smile was warm as he looked at the photograph. ‘It’s amazing. Even when you know all about how babies develop, it’s still fantastic to think that little blob will one day turn into a real, live human being.’

  ‘It is. I only wish…’ She stopped.

  ‘That Jo could have been here to see it,’ he finished for her with a wealth of compassion in his voice.

  ‘Yes.’ It was an effort to smile when she felt her eyes welling with tears. ‘She would have been so thrilled to see that picture.’

  ‘I know it must be hard, Anna.’ He took her hand and held it as they left the clinic. ‘You just have to hang onto the thought that your sister would have been so proud of what you’re doing.’

  ‘I’ll try,’ she agreed softly.

  She took a deep breath then deliberately withdrew her hand, knowing that it would be foolish to get too used to having him support her like that. Even though she had appreciated Ben’s help that day, she mustn’t let herself rely too heavily on him. Once her job at the surgery came to an end she doubted if she would see very much of him. Ben had his own life to lead and she’d have hers. It was an oddly painful thought.

  The following day was fairly quiet for once, but they made up for it on Friday. The phone never stopped ringing all morning long so that even Eileen was frazzled by the time lunchtime arrived. Both Adam and Ben were needed to complete all the house calls after morning surgery ended.

  It turned out that an outbreak of food poisoning was to blame for all the people who were suffering from sickness and diarrhoea. They’d been guests at a wedding reception held in the church hall the previous day. Once Adam had discovered that, he contacted the medical officer at the environmental health department and they immediately agreed to investigate the cause of the problem. By the time Friday came to an end everyone was worn out.

  ‘Am I glad today is over!’ Ben declared as he came into the office. ‘That has to be one of the worst days I’ve ever had.’

  ‘Do you think it’s wise to tempt fate?’ Anna retorted. ‘There’s still Saturday morning to go. It’s your turn to take surgery this week, isn’t it?’

  ‘Don’t remind me. With my luck we’ll probably have another outbreak of something dreadful.’ He groaned at the thought then moved out of the way as Eileen bustled in to collect her coat.

  ‘What a day!’ the receptionist said. ‘I’m certainly not sorry to see the back of it. Still, Dr Knight told me that the new receptionist is starting on Monday so that should make my life a bit easier.’

  ‘Not before time either,’ Ben declared. ‘You do sterling work, Eileen. I don’t know how you kept up with all the calls today.’

  ‘Oh, I just try to do my bit,’ Eileen replied cheerfully. ‘Anyway, I’d better be off. Ron and I are going to our daughter’s tonight to babysit. She’s a community midwife,’ she explained for Anna’s benefit, ‘so she doesn’t get that many evenings free, and I don’t want to be late.’

  She had just left when Adam appeared. ‘I’ve just had a fax from the health department to say that they suspect the source of the food poisoning was the chicken that was served at the evening buffet. It probably wasn’t cooked thoroughly.’

  ‘What a shame!’ Anna said. ‘Who did the catering for the reception?’

  ‘I’m not sure. It wasn’t a firm from Winton, though.’ He sighed. ‘Evidently, the reception had been booked at the Willows Hotel but they’d had to change the venue after the accident.’

  ‘What accident was that?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘They had a gas explosion there a couple of months ago,’ Ben explained. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t hear about it because it was in all the papers. It completely demolished the new wing and the hotel has been closed ever since.’

  ‘Which is why the Reynolds had to hold their wedding reception in the church hall,’ Adam put in. ‘Anyway, I’ll love you and leave you, as they say. Will you lock up and set the alarm, Ben?’

  ‘Sure.’ Ben laughed as Adam left the office. ‘There’ll be no excuse to forget that wedding anniversary!’

  ‘There certainly won’t, although I’m sure the bride and groom would have preferred a less memorable end to their big day!’ She followed him into the corridor. ‘That’s it, then. I’ll see you on Monday.’

  ‘Before you go, Anna, how do you fancy coming house-hunting with me over the weekend? I’ve been meaning to ask you all day but haven’t had the chance. I got some leaflets from the estate agents yesterday and there’s a couple of places which look promising.’

  ‘When were you thinking of going?’ she asked hesitantly, wondering if it would be wise to go with him. The more time that she spent with him, the harder it would be to say goodbye when the time came, she reasoned.

  ‘Saturday afternoon or Sunday. I don’t mind really. Whichever is most convenient for you.’

  ‘Are you sure you want me to tag along?’ She sighed when she saw his eyebrows rise. ‘You’re not just being kind, are
you? Trying to save me from spending the weekend on my own?’

  ‘You consider being dragged around a lot of dire houses as being kind?’ He shook his head. ‘The pressure of work is obviously getting to you, Nurse Clemence.’

  She chuckled. ‘How do you know they are going to be dire? They could be little palaces.’

  ‘Not in the price range that I can afford,’ he replied cheerfully. ‘So if you think it’s going to be wall-to-wall luxury, forget it. That’s one of the reasons why I want you to come, actually. I’m not bad at the practical work—painting, decorating, the odd bit of woodwork—but I’m useless at visualising how a place will look. I need your visionary eye to bring out the potential in the properties we see.’

  ‘Really? I didn’t realise I was so talented,’ she retorted, then laughed when he pulled a face. She knew that she should refuse but suddenly the thought of not having to spend the whole weekend on her own was too tempting to resist. ‘All right, then, I’d love to come.’

  ‘Brilliant! Let’s make it Sunday around ten? Is that OK?’

  ‘Fine,’ she agreed.

  She left him to finish locking up and went up to the flat, and for once the evening didn’t seem to drag as it usually did. It made a big difference, having something to look forward to.

  She sighed because there was no way that she could ignore the truth. It made a big difference, having an outing with Ben to look forward to. Maybe it was a mistake and maybe she would regret it, but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed being with him.

  Sunday dawned bright and clear for once. Anna was up before eight and took a shower. She washed and blow-dried her hair, taking extra care to make sure that it fell smoothly around her face. Choosing what to wear was a problem because even in a couple of weeks her waistline had expanded quite considerably. She tried on her jeans, but there was no way that she could fasten the top button and even doing up the zip was uncomfortable.

  In the end she was forced to wear the beige trousers again, teamed with a pale aqua silk shirt which had been an impulse buy in the sales the previous year. The fine material clung to her body rather more than she would have liked, outlining the fullness of her breasts and the curve of her tummy, but it was the prettiest thing she had to wear. Anyway, Ben knew that she was pregnant so it wasn’t as though she had to hide the fact. It was just that she didn’t want him to think that she looked unattractive. She sighed when she realised how silly that thought was in the circumstances.

  He arrived right on time, grinning when he saw her coming down the steps. ‘Great. I’m glad you’re ready. We can get straight off. We have a lot to do.’

  Anna slid into the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt. ‘That sounds ominous. How many properties are there to view?’

  ‘If I tell you that, you might change your mind,’ he responded, turning the car around. ‘Let’s just say enough to keep us busy and leave it at that.’

  Three hours later Anna knew that he’d been wise not to say too much. They had seen seven houses by that point, although only in the very loosest sense of the word. Most had been so awful that they had done no more than drive past; it hadn’t been worth stopping to look inside when the exteriors had been so offputting.

  Ben pulled to the side of the road and rescued the inch-thick wedge of advertising leaflets from the back seat. ‘Whoever writes these should be shot. Listen to this. “Highly desirable residence with wonderful views over the surrounding countryside”,’ he quoted. ‘Maybe if you stood on the roof with a pair of binoculars.’

  ‘Which one was that?’ Anna asked, leaning over to look at the leaflet. ‘Oh, not that dreadful little hovel surrounded by all those high-rise flats!’

  ‘That’s the one. Is it us or is it them, do you think? They obviously think that bijou residence is worth a lot of money, whereas I’d expect to be paid for living there!’

  Anna sighed when she heard the dejection in his voice. ‘There must be something else. Let me have a look.’ She flicked through the leaflets then paused when she came to one near the bottom of the pile. ‘How about this one?’

  Ben frowned as he skimmed through the details. ‘It says that it needs some work doing to it, which probably means that it’s falling to bits.’

  ‘It can’t be any worse than what we’ve seen. Come on. Let’s give it a shot. What have we got to lose?’ she said encouragingly.

  ‘Nothing, I suppose.’ He suddenly leant over, obviously intending to kiss her cheek. It was pure coincidence that she happened to turn at that moment so that his mouth brushed hers instead.

  Anna felt her heart tumble around inside her as she felt the gentle pressure of his lips. They felt so warm and tasted so sweet that she made no attempt to avoid the contact. There was a moment when the pressure seemed to increase ever so slightly before he abruptly drew back. Anna took a quick breath but it did little to quell the hot shivers that were racing through her body.

  ‘Thanks for coming today, Anna. Not many people would give up their Sunday off to come trailing around like this,’ he said, starting the engine.

  ‘My pleasure.’ It was an effort to respond naturally when she heard the grating note in his voice. She shot him a wary glance as he put the car into gear, wondering what had caused it.

  Was Ben disturbed by that kiss, as she was? Or was he simply embarrassed because he had never meant it to happen like that? He had intended to bestow a token kiss on her cheek as a measure of his thanks and had found himself in the awkward position of kissing her properly.

  Her heart ached as she realised that was the most likely explanation. She knew it was foolish to feel so disappointed but she couldn’t help it. All of a sudden she found herself wishing that she had met Ben at a different stage in her life. Things might have turned out very differently then.

  Lilac Cottage was situated at the end of a narrow lane that was overgrown on both sides with bushes. Ben stopped the car in front of the house and sat for a moment, staring through the windscreen.

  ‘It’s better than I thought it would be,’ he admitted slowly. ‘And the view from the back garden must be spectacular.’

  ‘Shall we go and knock?’ Anna suggested, not deaf to the thread of excitement in his voice.

  ‘Why not?’ He got out of the car, waiting for her to join him so that they could walk up the path together. There was little doubt that the cottage would need a great deal of work, but she had a good feeling about the place.

  They knocked on the door but there was no reply. Ben sighed when a second attempt didn’t gain any better results. ‘Doesn’t look as though there’s anyone home. We’ll have to come back another day.’

  ‘Maybe we could sneak a look round the back while we’re here,’ she suggested, loath to leave it at that. She tried the gate at the side of the cottage and grinned at him when she discovered that it wasn’t locked. ‘Seems our luck’s in.’

  ‘I suppose it won’t hurt to have a quick look,’ he conceded. ‘I’ll blame you if the owners come back and kick up a fuss.’

  ‘Oh, my hero!’ she taunted. She pushed open the gate then gave a gasp of delight. ‘It’s beautiful! Just have a look, Ben.’

  He put his hands on her shoulders and edged her aside so that he could see. ‘Isn’t it just? Wow what a view!’

  He was obviously completely overwhelmed by the wonderful view over the rolling Cheshire countryside and seemed oblivious to the fact that he still had hold of her. Anna wasn’t, however. Her senses had been heightened already by that accidental kiss and now they seemed to run riot all of a sudden. She could feel her heart starting to beat in short, jerky bursts, as though she were suffering from an attack of cardiac hiccups.

  She closed her eyes, praying that she wouldn’t do anything to give herself away. She couldn’t bear to embarrass him or herself by letting him know how she felt. However, the moment she heard the concern in his voice she knew that her prayers had gone unanswered.

  ‘Anna, what is it? Are you feeling all right?’

/>   ‘I…um…I’m fine,’ she murmured, but Ben obviously wasn’t convinced. He turned her to face him and his expression was stern.

  ‘Tell me what’s wrong. If you don’t feel well, say so. It’s probably my fault for dragging you all round the county like this.’

  ‘I’m fine,’ she repeated, although she could feel the guilty colour washing up her face. She was far from fine and she hated having to lie to him, but she had no choice.

  ‘Oh, Anna.’

  She felt a tingle run down her spine when she heard that grating note in his voice once again. Her breath caught sharply when she saw the way he was looking at her. When he bent towards her she couldn’t have moved to save her life because she was so shocked. Ben was looking at her as though he found her deeply attractive, but that couldn’t be right!

  His mouth was so gentle at first as it covered hers. Anna had a feeling that he was half expecting her to object but not a single word escaped her lips. She was too stunned to object, too shocked to feel anything other than pleasure when he drew her closer and kissed her with a new-found confidence and assurance that made her head spin so that she felt giddy and breathless all at the same time.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself but, no matter how dizzy she felt, she knew that she didn’t want him to stop what he was doing. She wanted him to kiss her again and again, to keep on kissing her and never, ever stop. When Ben kissed her like this, it felt as though anything was possible!

  He dragged his mouth away from hers at last but only so that he could scatter a shower of kisses over her face. Anna murmured softly when she felt his lips touching her eyelids and cheekbones, the tip of her nose. It felt as though she were being sprinkled with fairy dust because the kisses were so delicate, yet despite how light they were each and every one left behind a tiny pinpoint of warmth on her skin.

  She shivered convulsively and felt his arms tighten as he drew her closer, felt his lips begin a tantalising return journey. Her own lips parted on a soft sigh of anticipation as she waited…