The Motherhood Mix-Up

by Taylor, Jennifer

  Mia smiled at the younger nurse, giving no sign that she was worried about keeping him waiting, and Leo had to clamp down on the urge he felt to do something drastic, like shake her. Bearing in mind that he wasn’t a man given to violence on any level it was a surprise to find himself reacting this way. It was little wonder that he was caught flat-footed when she turned to him.

  ‘There’s something you wish to say to me, Mr Forester?’

  Her tone was cool in the extreme and he saw several members of his team glance at each other in amazement. Nobody spoke to him this way. Nobody queried his decisions or interrupted him either. Nobody had ever dared—until now. Leo’s temper, which had been hovering just below boiling point, peaked and he glared at her.

  ‘Yes. Let me make this clear, Sister Adams. When I am with a patient I don’t expect to be interrupted. Do you understand?’

  ‘Perfectly. However, I think it’s only fair that I make my position clear too. The patients are my responsibility while they’re on this unit. That means that if I notice that someone is in pain or upset I shall do something about it.’ She paused, her emerald-green eyes meeting his across the desk, and if there was any hint of remorse in them Leo certainly couldn’t see any sign of it. ‘Mrs Davies was becoming increasingly distressed by the way you were speaking to your students. Naturally I took steps to resolve the matter.’

  Mia held his gaze, wondering when the heavens were going to fall in on her. That Leo Forester was less than pleased by what she had said was obvious but she didn’t care. Nobody should be allowed to speak to people the way he had spoken to those poor students. Maybe other folk were willing to put up with his bad temper but she wasn’t, especially not after the havoc he had created in her life.

  The claim he had made about Harry being his son had been on her mind constantly for the past twenty-four hours. Although she was sure it was a mistake, she couldn’t quite rid herself of the thought, what if? What if he was right? What if Harry was his son and what if Noah was hers? What if the DNA tests proved it? Then what would happen? Her mind kept churning it all over but there were never any answers. How could there be? The situation was way beyond anything she’d had to deal with before. It made everything else that had happened in her life pale into insignificance. If Harry wasn’t her son, she had no idea what she was going to do.

  Thoughts flashed through her mind at the speed of light yet it felt as though a lifetime had passed when she focused on Leo Forester again. That he was furiously angry was obvious and she decided there and then that the only way to deal with him was by fighting fire with fire. Maybe it was wrong to allow their personal issues to spill over into work but she refused to bow down before him on any matter. Harry was her son. She was responsible for the patients on this unit; they were both unassailable facts.

  ‘If you have a problem with the way I run this ward I suggest you take it up with the head of Nursing. I’m sure she will be happy to discuss any issues you care to raise.’

  She picked up the file and walked around the desk, pausing when she came level with him. Even though several inches separated them she could feel the power of his anger like a living force and inwardly shuddered. Leo Forester would make a very bad enemy. It was a scary thought in view of what had happened.

  ‘Please feel free to use my office, Mr Forester. I shall make sure you aren’t interrupted.’

  Mia swept out of the door, half expecting him to call her back, but surprisingly he didn’t. She made her way to the nursing station and logged into the patients’ records. Leo Forester was right: there was something missing from Anthea Davies’s notes. The woman had had an angiogram the previous week and the results needed to be added to her file. Mia made the necessary changes and printed out a fresh sheet and placed it in the file. Contrary to what Leo Forester thought, she was always thorough, always liked to be prepared to prevent any mistakes occurring.

  She sighed as she went over to the cabinet and filed the notes in their rightful place. If only the staff at the fertility clinic had been as thorough she and Leo Forester would not be having to face such a potentially life-changing situation.

  * * *

  Leo was tied up in Theatre for the rest of the morning. However, as soon as he’d finished he changed back into his clothes and headed for the cardiology unit. Whilst he hadn’t been prepared to make matters worse by causing a scene, he had no intention of letting Mia get away with treating him that way. Maybe they did have issues, issues that none of their colleagues knew about, but he wasn’t going to let her make a laughing stock of him.

  She was in the men’s section of the unit when he arrived, talking to one of his patients, a young man called David Rimmer who had a long history of heart problems. David had been born with several holes in his heart and had been in and out of hospital over the past twenty-two years. Recently, he had started to suffer from cardiac arrhythmia—an abnormal and rapid heartbeat—and he would be having cardioversion that afternoon. His heart would be stopped before an electric current was passed through it, hopefully shocking it back into its proper rhythm. Although Leo knew that David must be in a lot of discomfort, he grinned when he saw Leo approaching.

  ‘Seems you’ve met your match at last, eh, Doc? The buzz on the ward is that Mia gave you a real rollicking this morning. I only wish I’d been there to see it!’

  Leo summoned a smile, not wanting the younger man to think he was at all put out to learn that he was the subject of gossip. ‘You shouldn’t believe everything you hear, David. It’s not always true.’

  David laughed. ‘You would say that! Still, it’s nice to know that you’re human after all. It’s done wonders for your image.’

  Leo frowned. How on earth could his run-in with Mia have improved his image? He glanced around the unit, feeling his surprise intensify when several patients smiled at him. Normally, he found that people were rather reserved around him, but not today. As he looked at the friendly faces turned towards him, he felt a sudden warmth envelop him. It was rather nice to be on the receiving end of smiles for once.

  He cleared his throat, refusing to get carried away by such a ridiculous notion. He much preferred it that his patients should value him for his skills as a surgeon rather than as a potential friend. ‘I wonder if I might have a word with you, Sister?’ he said politely. Maybe he wasn’t out to win friends but there didn’t seem any harm in observing the niceties.

  ‘Of course.’ Mia’s tone was icily polite. She turned to the younger man and Leo couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit irked when he heard the warmth in her voice as she wished David good luck. Obviously, he didn’t rate that level of concern.

  The thought was irritating, although Leo was very aware that he was behaving completely out of character. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared a jot how people addressed him, as long as they weren’t rude, of course. Nevertheless, Mia’s distant approach stung. For a second he found himself wondering how it would feel if she addressed him with genuine affection in her voice before he dismissed the idea. It was never going to happen, not after the havoc he was about to create in her life.

  He led the way into the office and closed the door. He didn’t want any interruptions, nothing and nobody to throw him off course. Maybe they were facing a very difficult situation but he needed to lay down some ground rules. Mia didn’t look at him as she walked around the desk and sat down. She appeared perfectly composed but Leo sensed her inner turmoil and for some reason the harsh words he’d been going to say seemed wrong. This was as stressful for her as it was for him; maybe he could afford to lighten up a little.

  ‘Before you say anything I want to apologise. I should never have spoken to you like that this morning.’

  The apology caught him on the hop. Leo hadn’t expected it and found himself struggling to reply. ‘No, you shouldn’t,’ he said more sharply than he’d intended.

  She gave a little
shrug, her slender shoulders rising and falling beneath her navy cotton uniform, and he felt a flash of awareness shoot through him. For the first time since they’d met, he really looked at her, deliberately taking stock instead of simply forming an overall impression.

  Her features were neat and regular: a firm little chin; a short straight nose; softly rounded cheeks. Her skin was very pale, almost translucent in the harsh glare of the fluorescent light overhead. Her hair was a soft mid-brown, caught neatly back from her face with a plain black clip. Her eyes were her best feature, a pure emerald green that seemed to glitter with an inner fire that fascinated him. Some people might have described Mia Adams as ordinary but not him, he decided. Not when he looked into those incredible eyes.

  Leo took a deep breath, used it to shore up his world, a world that seemed to be falling apart around him. First there’d been the shock of discovering that Noah wasn’t his child and now this. He couldn’t be attracted to Mia Adams; he wouldn’t allow himself to be! However, as he looked at that ordinary little face and those extraordinary eyes staring back at him, he realised that he might not have a choice. There was something about her that intrigued him, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she had given birth to his son.

  * * *

  Mia bit her lip, wishing that Leo Forrester would say something. He was staring at her with the oddest expression on his face...

  He suddenly spun round on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving her staring after him in confusion. She hadn’t expected him to let her off so lightly. Maybe she had apologised, and meant it too, but she’d been sure he would give her a dressing down. He’d have been perfectly within his rights to do so because she had overstepped the mark that morning.

  Normally, she wouldn’t have dreamt of speaking to a consultant that way. But she’d not even tried to hold back as she had told him what she thought. Maybe this situation was unusual but she would be extremely lucky if he didn’t make a formal complaint about her and heaven only knew what would happen then. Staff had been sacked for less and the thought of losing her job was worrying. She would need every penny she could earn if it came to a legal battle over Harry.

  Somehow Mia got through the rest of the morning and did the hand-over. It was after two p.m. when she collected her coat from the staffroom. Penny was at her desk; she looked up and grinned when Mia went in.

  ‘Well done, you! I hear you sent the redoubtable Leo Forester away with a flea in his ear.’

  ‘Don’t!’ Mia grimaced as she shrugged on her coat. ‘I suppose it’s all round the hospital?’

  ‘Of course. Suffice to say that most folk consider you to be a real heroine. Leo Forester isn’t exactly top of everyone’s Christmas card list,’ Penny added dryly.

  ‘I really shouldn’t have said what I did,’ Mia admitted. ‘It was a stupid thing to do.’

  ‘You’re only human, love. Which is more than I can say for the handsome Leo. Heaven only knows how he ever became a father. Oh, he’s gorgeous looking and everything, but he’s so cold. I mean, can you imagine him letting go enough to actually make love to a woman?’

  Mia felt a tide of heat sweep up her face. She bent down to retrieve her bag from the locker, not wanting Penny to witness her reaction to the question. Maybe Penny couldn’t imagine it but she could. Only too well.

  Fortunately the phone rang so she was saved from having to reply. Mia mouthed ‘Goodbye’ and left hurriedly. If the trains were running on time, she should be home just in time to collect Harry from school. She headed out of the main doors, pulling up the hood of her coat when she discovered it was raining. Afternoon visiting was under way and there were cars coming and going from all directions. She paused to allow an expensive sports car to pass through the gates ahead of her, sighing when it stopped and the passenger window rolled down. No doubt someone was going to ask her if she knew where they could park.

  ‘Get in.’

  Mia jumped when a deep voice barked out the command. Bending, she peered into the car, feeling her heart leap when she saw Leo Forester behind the wheel. His expression was as bland as ever but she could see a spark of something in his eyes that warned her it would be a mistake to argue with him. Opening the door, she slid into the seat, buckling the seat belt as he pulled out of the gates. They drove in silence for several minutes before he spoke.

  ‘I think it would be best if we agreed to forget what happened today. Neither of us expected to find ourselves working together, but as there’s nothing we can do about it, we’ll just have to get on with it.’

  Mia felt a rush of relief flood through her. ‘You don’t intend to make a complaint about me, then?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  He sounded so surprised that she grimaced. ‘I thought you might, that’s all.’

  ‘Well, you can stop worrying. I won’t be making any complaints, not unless you do it again, of course. I don’t think my ego could take another battering.’

  The hint of laughter in his voice was so unexpected that Mia stared at him. ‘I was sure you’d want to teach me a lesson.’

  ‘I probably would have done if circumstances had been different.’ His grey eyes met hers for a second before he returned his attention to the road but it was long enough to make Mia’s heart race.

  She took a deep breath, calling herself every kind of a fool. Leo wasn’t interested in her, not the person she was. He was only interested in Harry. She had to remember that and not allow herself be duped into thinking that he cared about her feelings any more than she must care about his. It was the children who mattered, Harry and his son Noah. And his next words confirmed that.

  ‘I assume that you’re going to collect your son from school?’ He drew up at the traffic lights and turned to look at her. Mia steeled herself when she saw how solemn he looked. She had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

  ‘Yes, I am. Why?’

  ‘Because I’d like to ask a favour of you.’ His eyes held hers fast and for some reason she found that she couldn’t look away. ‘May I go with you, Mia? And meet Harry?’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ONCE, JUST BEFORE he had gone off to university, Leo had made a parachute jump. All his friends had been keen to try it and he’d gone along with them. In the event, most of them had chickened out so there’d been just two of them in the plane and he’d been the first to jump. As he had stood in the doorway, watching the ground rushing past below, he had felt his stomach sink with a mixture of excitement and fear. Although he had never jumped again, he remembered the feeling quite clearly. It was exactly how he felt as he waited to meet Mia’s son, scared and elated because he was about to leap into the unknown.

  ‘There he is.’

  Mia touched him on the arm and Leo flinched. He looked over to where she was pointing but he couldn’t pick out one child from another. There seemed to be a sea of small excited faces staring back at him...

  Leo’s breath caught as his eyes alighted on a sturdy little boy with dark brown hair standing up in spikes around his head. It had to be Harry; he just knew it was! Even though he would have dismissed the idea that his genes had somehow recognised those of his son if anyone had suggested it, he knew it was true.

  Anyway, the boy had his nose as well as his hair. He had his chin too and his cheekbones, he realised in astonishment. In fact, the resemblance was so marked that he couldn’t understand why Mia hadn’t noticed it. Surely she could see how alike they were, he thought as she brought the child over to meet him?

  ‘Harry, this is Leo. He’s a doctor and he works at the hospital. He very kindly gave me a lift here so I wouldn’t be late.’

  Leo had to hand it to her. Even though she must be finding it extremely difficult, there was no hint of uncertainty in her voice as she made the introductions. Her only concern was for her son and his admiration for her i
ncreased tenfold, especially when he found himself comparing the way she behaved to the way Amanda would have reacted.

  The thought of the scene his ex-wife would have created was very hard to swallow and his mouth thinned with displeasure. Harry took one look at his grim expression and scooted behind his mother’s legs. Leo took a deep breath, cursing himself for allowing thoughts of Amanda to spoil the moment. Amanda had caused enough damage without him allowing her to ruin this too.

  ‘Hello, Harry. It’s nice to meet you.’ Leo fixed a smile to his mouth but Harry obviously wasn’t convinced it was genuine. He shrank away when Leo held out his hand.

  ‘He’ll come round,’ Mia said quietly. ‘Just give him a moment.’

  She led Harry to the gate, leaving Leo to follow. There were a lot of parents milling about and they soon disappeared from view. Leo experienced a moment of panic as he peered over the crowd because he still had no idea where she lived. Maybe it was selfish but he needed a few more minutes with Harry, a bit more time to get to know his son.

  The words seemed to dance in neon-bright letters before his eyes. Harry was his son; he was more certain than ever it was true. But where did that leave Noah? He loved Noah with an intensity he had never believed himself capable of feeling. From the moment he had been handed the wrinkled, bloodied little bundle in the delivery room, he had known that he would lay down his life to protect him. Amanda had got over her longing for a child by then and hadn’t even wanted to look at the miracle they had created, but he had been entranced, thrilled, enthralled.

  When Amanda had decided after six months of motherhood that it wasn’t for her, Leo hadn’t argued and he certainly hadn’t tried to stop her leaving. He had never actually loved her but she had been sophisticated and worldly and had suited his requirements, as he had suited hers.

  Their parting had been amicable enough and he’d been relieved that he’d been left, both physically and metaphorically, holding the baby. It had meant he could bring up Noah the way he wanted, make sure Noah enjoyed a far happier childhood than he’d had. If only Amanda had stayed away none of this would have happened.