Reunited at Christmas…
Obstetrician Isabel Delamere is tired of running from the past. Especially when her childhood sweetheart, Sean Anderson, has already followed her halfway around the world! But sharing her deepest secret with Sean means reliving the heartbreak of losing their baby…
Sean is devastated to learn that he was once a father—and that Isabel went through it alone. Now that they are together again, Sean knows his heart will always belong to Isabel…and with a little bit of Christmas magic he’s determined to convince her that their love is worth fighting for!
Midwives On-Call at Christmas
Mothers, midwives and mistletoe—lives changing forever at Christmas!
Welcome to Cambridge Royal Hospital—and to the exceptional midwives who make up its special maternity unit!
They deliver tiny bundles of joy on a daily basis, but Christmas really is a time for miracles—as midwives Bonnie, Hope, Jessica and Isabel are about to find out.
Amid the drama and emotion of babies arriving at all hours of the day and night, these midwives still find time for some sizzling romance under the mistletoe!
This holiday season, don’t miss the festive, heartwarming spin-off to the dazzling Midwives On-Call continuity from Harlequin Medical Romance:
A Touch of Christmas Magic
by Scarlet Wilson
Her Christmas Baby Bump
by Robin Gianna
Playboy Doc’s Mistletoe Kiss
by Tina Beckett
Her Doctor’s Christmas Proposal
by Louisa George
All available now!
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up Sean and Isabel’s story.
I love being part of the Midwives On-Call at Christmas continuity series. Not only am I creating a world along with fabulous authors, but we get to meet characters over and over and come to know and love them so much more.
Isabel Delamere has a secret that involves Sean Anderson, but she knows that if he discovers it he will be out of her life forever. She is torn between truth and lies, between the past and the present. And her feelings for Sean are complicated and bone-deep.
Small wonder, then, that when Sean turns up in her maternity unit she struggles to face him. But Sean isn’t the young teenager she fell for years ago—he’s a devastatingly handsome and accomplished doctor who wants answers to questions from decades ago.
I loved writing Isabel and Sean’s story. It takes us on a journey from Melbourne to Cambridge and to magical Paris at Christmastime, and it gives them both a chance to rediscover love. But do they take it? You’ll have to read it and see!
I really hope you enjoy reading this book. If you want to catch up with all my book news, visit me at louisageorge.com. Better still, sign up for my newsletter while you’re there, so you get to hear about the contests and giveaways I have, too.
Happy reading!
Louisa x
HER DOCTOR’S CHRISTMAS PROPOSAL
Louisa George
Books by Louisa George
Harlequin Medical Romance
One Month to Become a Mum
Waking Up With His Runaway Bride
The War Hero’s Locked-Away Heart
The Last Doctor She Should Ever Date
How to Resist a Heartbreaker
200 Harley Street: The Shameless Maverick
A Baby on Her Christmas List
Tempted by Her Italian Surgeon
Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.
Praise for Louisa George
“How to Resist a Heartbreaker keeps you hooked from beginning to end, but make sure you have a tissue handy, for this one will break your heart only to heal it in the end.”
—HarlequinJunkie
“A moving, uplifting and feel-good romance, this is packed with witty dialogue, intense emotion and sizzling love scenes. Louisa George once again brings an emotional and poignant story of past hurts, dealing with grief and new beginnings which will keep a reader turning pages with its captivating blend of medical drama, family dynamics and romance.”
—Goodreads on How to Resist a Heartbreaker
“Louisa George is a bright star at Harlequin, and I can highly recommend this book to those who believe romance rocks the world.”
—Goodreads on How to Resist a Heartbreaker
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
‘ODDS ON IT’LL be the Pattersons. She was telling me the other day that she missed out on winning it a couple of years ago, so she’s going to cross her legs until the twenty-fifth. No hot curries, or hot baths and definitely no hot sex for her.’
You and me both, girlfriend. Obstetrician Isabel Delamere tried to remember the last time she’d had anything like hot sex and came up with a blank. It was all by design, of course…working in a maternity unit was enough reminder of what hot sex could lead to—that and her own experiences. But every now and then she wondered…what the hell was she missing out on?
Plus, how could she possibly be lonely when she spent all of her waking hours surrounded by colleagues, clients and lots and lots of wriggling, screaming, gorgeous babies?
Sighing, she wrote Patterson down on the First Baby of Christmas sweepstake form and added her five-pound note to the pot. ‘If mum has her way there’s no way that baby’s coming until Christmas Day. She’s set her heart on the hamper, and between you and me they don’t have a lot of money. I think she needs it.’
‘I admire your optimism…’ Bonnie Reid, one of Isabel’s favourite midwives—and new friend—at the Cambridge Royal Maternity Unit, added her contribution of a large box of chocolates and a bumper pack of newborn nappies to the crate of donations that threatened to overshadow the huge department Christmas tree and wooden Nativity scene. With a heavy bias on baby items, some gorgeous hand-knitted booties and shawls, and heaps of food staples, whoever won would be set up for the next year. ‘But when I saw her yesterday that baby was fully engaged and she was having pretty regular Braxton Hicks contractions, so my bet is that baby Patterson will make a show well before Christmas Day.’ Bonnie stepped back and surveyed the decorations, her lilting Scottish accent infused with wistfulness. ‘Oh, I do love Christmas.’
Me too. Isabel dug deep and found a smile. Well, in reality, she loved being with her sister at Christmas; they shared a very special bond. This last year here in the UK had been the longest they’d spent apart, and the prospect of Isla doing all the traditional celebrations without her bit deep. Especially…she sighed to herself…especially when Christmas had always been so full of memories.
Isabel slammed back the sadness and tried to immerse herself in the here and now rather than thinking of her sister back in Melbourne on the other side of the world, all ripe and ready to have her first baby. She wondered whether the Melbourne Maternity Unit was taking similar bets. Maybe Isla would win the Aussie sweepstake? Now that would give the rest of the department something to giggle about: the head midwife winning with a Christmas Day baby! ‘So, go on, then, who will it be?’
‘Who will what be?’ A deep male voice, redolent with her beloved Aussie tones. The sound of home.
The sound of heartbreak.
Isabel inhaled sharply.
Sean.
And even if the man had been mute she’d have known he was behind her simply because of the full-on reaction her body had any time he was in the vicinity. Every tiny hair stood to attention. Her heart rate escalated. Palms became sweaty. Seventeen years on and she’d managed to deal with it…when she didn’t have to face him every day. She’d almost erased him from her heart.
Almost. She’d come to the other side of the world to forget him. And she’d managed quite well for close to nine months until he’d turned up, out of the blue, and those feelings had come tumbling back. The memories…and his questions… Questions she couldn’t bear to answer.
Somewhere a phone rang. Somewhere voices, raised and harried, called to her. ‘Dr Delamere. Please. There’s been an accident…’
Oh, God. She was shaken from her reverie but her heart rate stayed too high for comfort. ‘Isla?’
‘Isla? No,’ Bonnie called over from the nurses’ station. ‘Susan Patterson. Motor vehicle accident. They’re bringing her in to ER. Heavy vaginal bleeding. Mum shocked. Foetal distress. ETA five minutes.’
‘What? No! We were just talking about her.’ Without even looking at Sean, Isabel jumped straight into doctor mode. ‘Right, Bonnie, sounds like a possible abruption. Get Theatre on alert. I’ll meet the ambulance down in the ER.’
‘I’m coming with you.’ Sean was heading towards the door.
Only when hell freezes over. ‘No. Sean, absolutely not.’
Silence.
She realised that all the eyes of the staff were on her. No one knew about their history, and for as long as there was breath in her body no one was going to. ‘I mean…thank you very much for your offer, Dr Anderson, but I’ll be fine.’
He shrugged, following her into the corridor, into more quiet. ‘I’m in a lull here. Everyone’s discharged or doing well, I don’t have a clinic until two o’clock. Are you really saying you couldn’t use an extra pair of hands? I have done this before, you know.’
‘Yes, I know.’ She also knew what a talented and empathetic obstetrician he was, she just didn’t relish the prospect of spending any time with him. But she had to give this mum everything she had and an extra pair of confident hands would definitely help. ‘Okay. But this is my case, my theatre, my rules.’
‘Of course. If I remember rightly, it was always your rules, Isabel. Right down to the bitter end. In fact, I don’t remember having any say in that at all.’ He gave a wry lift of his eyebrow as they hurried towards the emergency room. ‘This one time I’ll abide by them. But once we’re out of there then…’
She stopped short. ‘Then, what?’
‘Then I change the rules to suit me.’
She shrugged, hoping upon hope that he couldn’t see through her recalcitrant façade to the shaking, smitten teenager she still felt like when she was around him. ‘Do what you want. It won’t affect me. At all.’ Liar. It seemed as if everything he did affected her. Just being here. Breathing. In Cambridge. Goddamn him.
Isabel threw him a look that she hoped told him where exactly to shove his rules, and strode straight in to Resus. She would deal with Sean Anderson…later…never, if she had her way. ‘Now, Susan? Crikey, love, what on earth has been happening?’ She took hold of her patient’s hand.
Mrs Patterson was lying on a trolley, tears streaming down her cheeks. Pale. Terrified. Her voice was barely audible through the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. ‘Thank God you’re here, Isabel. I’m so scared. I don’t want to lose this baby. Please. Do something.’
‘I will. I just need some details then we’ll make some decisions. And we’ll be quick, I promise.’ She’d have to be. If it was a placental abruption, as she suspected, both mum and bub were at serious risk. Outcomes weren’t always positive. And well she knew. Too well. Isabel examined Susan’s belly for the baby’s position and well-being. Then she tightened an electro foetal monitor belt over the baby bump. ‘Has anyone called Tony?’
‘I did.’ Jenny, the paramedic, filled her in on further details. ‘He’s on his way. Grandma’s looking after the toddler. They were in the car at the time of impact. Hit from behind. Susan felt a tight pull in her belly. Possibly from an ill-fitting seat belt, but there’s no visible marking or bruising on the abdomen. I have normal saline through a wide-bore IV in situ. Moderate vaginal bleeding. Blood pressure ninety over fifty and dropping. Baby’s heart rate jittery and at times…’ She pointed to her notes and let Isabel read. The baby’s heart rate was dipping, a sign of foetal distress. Mum was clearly shocked. Judging by the blood staining her clothes the baby needed to be out. Now.
‘Okay. Thanks.’ Isabel turned to the ER nurse that had appeared. ‘I need you to cross-match four units of packed cells. I need clotting times, usual bloods and that portable ultrasound over here as quick as you can.’
Susan’s hand squeezed in Isabel’s. ‘But I wanted… I wanted to hang on…two more weeks….’
‘I know, but these things happen and we just have to deal with them as best we can.’ Isabel gave Susan a quick smile, positioned the ultrasound machine in front of her, squeezed jelly onto the probe and placed it over Susan’s tummy. ‘I’m just going to take a quick look.’ Baby was okay—distressed, but alive. Isabel exhaled deeply. Thank God.
She looked over at Sean and saw his reassuring smile. She gave him a small one back. They both knew that at least some of the immediate anxiety was over.
But the placenta was, indeed, partially separated. The baby was at serious risk and mum’s blood loss was not stopping. Despite the desperate urgency Isabel needed to be calm so as not to frighten mum too much. ‘Okay, Susan, we do have a problem here, but—’
‘Oh, my God. I knew it…’
‘Sweetheart, we’ll do our best. It’ll be okay.’ Isabel prayed silently that it would. ‘Your placenta is failing, I think the car impact may have given it a nasty jolt or tear and there’s a real risk to the baby if we don’t do something soon. As you know the placenta is what keeps baby alive, so we have to take you to the operating theatre and do a Caesarean section. I need your consent—’
‘Where’s Susan? Susan? Where’s Susan?’ A burly-looking stocky man covered in dust pushed his way in, steel-capped boots leaving grubby imprints across the floor. ‘What the hell’s happening?’
Isabel scanned the room for Sean. But he was there already, his hand on Tony’s forearm, gently slowing him down. ‘Are you Tony? Here, let me bring you over. It’s a lot to take in, I know, mate. There’s a few tubes and lines and she looks a little pale. But she’s good.’
‘She is not good. Look at her.’ The room filled with the smell of beer and a voice that was rough round the edges, and getting louder. ‘Is that…? Is that blood? What’s happened? What about my boy? The baby! Susan! Are you all right?’ Then his tone turned darker, he shoved out of Sean’s grip and marched up to Isabel. In her face. Angry and foul-mouthed. ‘You. Do something. Why are you just standing there? Do something, damn it.’
Isabel’s hand began to shake. But she would not let him intimidate her. ‘I’m doing the best I can. We all are. Now, please—’
‘No need for that, mate. Come away.’ Sean’s voice was calm but firm. At six foot one he was by far the bigger man. Broader too. And while Tony was rough and menacing, Sean was authoritative. There was no aggression, but a quietly commanded respect and attention. ‘We’re going to take her to Theatre right now, but first we need to know what we’re dealing with. Yes? Have a few words with Susan, but then we need to get moving. I’ll show you where you can wait.’
‘Get your hands off me.’ Tony pushed his way to the trolley. ‘Susie.’
‘I’ll be fine, Tony. Just do as he says.’ Susan started to shake. ‘I love you.’
‘If they don’t—’
Sean stepped forward. ‘As I said. Come with me. Now. Let’s have a quiet word. Outside.’ He bustled Tony out of the room.
‘He’s not a bad man.’ Isabel’s patient’s voice was fading. Alarms began to bla
re.
‘I know, I know, he’s scared, is all.’ Thank God Sean was able to contain him because the last thing Isabel needed was a drunk father getting in the way of saving a mother and baby. ‘Now we need to get you sorted, quickly.’ Isabel nodded to the porter. ‘Let’s go.’
She all but ran to the OR, scrubbed up and was in the operating theatre in record time. Sean, somehow, was there before her. ‘So we have a crash C-section scenario. Your call, Izzy. Whatever happens, I’ve got your back.’
‘Thank you.’ And she meant it. Well drilled in dealing with emergencies, she felt competent and confident, but having someone there she knew she could rely on gave her a lift. Even if that lift involved her heart as well as her head.
Within minutes she’d tugged out a live baby boy. Floppy. Apgar of six. But, with oxygen and a little rub, the Apgar score increased to ten. As occurred with every delivery Isabel felt a familiar sting of sadness, and hope. But she didn’t have time for any kind of sentimentality. One life saved wouldn’t be enough for her. Placental abruption was harrowing and scary for the mother but it was high risk too. That amount of blood loss, coupled with the potential for complications, meant they were perilously close to losing her.
‘Blood pressure’s dropping…’ The anaesthetist gave them a warning frown.
‘Hang on in there… I just need to find the tear.’ Isabel breathed a sigh of relief as she reached the placenta and started to remove it. ‘Attagirl.’
Within an hour they’d managed to save Susan’s life too, although she had hung close to the edge. Too close.
And now…well, now that dad was with baby, her patient was in recovery and the rest of the staff had scarpered, Isabel was alone. Alone, that was, with the one person she never wanted to be alone with again. Rather than look at him she stared at the words she was writing. ‘Well, Sean, I don’t want to keep you while I finish writing up these notes. Thanks, you were a great help. Things could have turned nasty with Tony.’
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