‘Yes, they’re spaced-out contractions of the uterus and become more noticeable as pregnancy progresses,’ he replied.
‘And my blood pressure was up this morning. Not all that much but when I checked, it was up.’
She was aware of Ben tensing beside her but avoided his concerned expression as the gynaecologist said, ‘Ah, now, that is a different matter. Where the Braxton Hicks are no cause for concern, hypertension most certainly is. So let’s see what is going on with that.’
When he tested it for himself he said, ‘Yes, it’s up, though as you said not a lot. Nevertheless, it’s going to mean resting to get it down. At this stage we can’t take any chances, Georgina, as I’m sure I don’t need to tell you.’ He turned to Ben. ‘Take the lady home and put her to bed for a couple of days and we’ll see how the hypertension is then.’
She groaned. ‘I’m needed at the practice.’
‘We’ll manage without you,’ Ben told her levelly. ‘You and the baby come first.’
‘I do know that,’ she told him in chilly tones. The idea of him giving Ian Sefton the impression that all was well with their relationship was still niggling at her.
When they left the building, Ben said, ‘Why the drop in temperature?’
‘There isn’t one. I was just a bit taken aback when Ian Sefton said that you’d told him we were together again.’
‘What did you expect me to say? That the baby is a mistake, that we’re playing cat and mouse with each other all the time? It was easier to pretend that all was well between us. So, why didn’t you mention your blood pressure while we were at the surgery this morning?’
‘Because I had the appointment this afternoon. I would have told you about it if I hadn’t, but there didn’t seem any reason to alarm you at that stage.’
‘And at what stage would you have thought it necessary if we hadn’t been coming here?’
‘Look, Ben,’ she said wearily. ‘I’m doing what I’ve been told and am going home to bed, so calm down. Nothing is going to happen to this baby.’
‘And what about something happening to you?’ he called after her retreating figure, but there was no reply. Georgina was already in her car and pulling away from the forecourt of the building, leaving him with no alternative but to return to his patients.
As she drove back to Willowmere Georgina’s annoyance was draining away. How could she have belittled Ben’s consideration for her by not telling Ian Sefton the full story? She should be grateful that he cared. He’d lost a child and he would have been living with the thought that there would never be another. Why should he feel that he had to spell out what was happening in their lives to a stranger? She was getting to be a bit prickly. Dared she blame it on hormones?
Their heated exchange of words had put their relationship on an even more shaky footing, and as she pulled up in front of her cottage she was wondering where they went from here.
She rang James on the bedside phone once she was settled against the pillows and, as she’d known he would be, he was totally supportive. ‘We will cope all right here,’ he assured her. ‘Ben is a tower of strength, and if it isn’t possible for you to come back before the baby comes, we have David Tremayne joining us towards the end of May. So you will be free to return whenever you feel ready once you have the baby.’
When she’d put the phone down Georgina turned her head into the pillow and wept. She wanted this baby just as much as Ben did, but its coming would be marred if she and he had separate lives.
She’d put a key through his letterbox before going into her own place so that he could let himself in if he wanted to. Sure enough, seconds after he’d arrived home early that evening he was bounding up the stairs and knocking on her bedroom door. That nearly brought the tears back. The only man she’d ever slept with having to wait to be invited into her bedroom.
‘Have you eaten?’ were his first words when she called for him to come in, and that made her smile the tears away. He’d obviously put their earlier crossing of swords to one side and was about to take on the role of head nurse.
She shook her head. ‘I wasn’t hungry when I got home but I’m peckish now.’
‘So shall I go and raid the larder?’
‘Yes, if you like, though anything will do, Ben, just a slice of toast or whatever. But make something substantial for yourself while you’re there.’
Twenty minutes later he appeared with a tray on which was an omelette and a soft roll, tea in a china cup, and a small vase with just one early rose in it. As she raised herself up off the pillows she said softly, ‘Not so long ago you said you did not deserve me. It is the other way round, I think. I’m sorry for what I said earlier. Can you forgive me?’
He placed the tray on the bedside table and replied with a quizzical smile that gave no hint of anything other than light-heartedness, ‘Yes, if you promise to eat every crumb. Before I go back downstairs, what about dessert? I’ve brought some fresh fruit in with me and some ice cream, and I caught the Hollyhocks on the point of closing and coaxed a couple of cream cakes from Emma.’
‘I’d like a cream cake. Let’s save the fruit and ice cream for tomorrow. Now, will you please go and have your meal? You must be starving.’
He was, Ben thought as he went downstairs, but it was the love they’d once had that he was hungry for. Tarnished and neglected, it hadn’t disappeared during the lonely years. It was still there if only they could forget past hurts and walk into the light together with a new brother or sister to Jamie.
His nerves had knotted when Georgina had announced that her blood pressure was up, and once they’d eaten, another check would be a good idea.
He was going to suggest he stay the night and was expecting her to protest that it wasn’t necessary, but he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. The baby was due very soon and it was vital that he should be there for her now…and afterwards.
When he went back upstairs Georgina was asleep, her dark mane splayed across the pillow and her breathing regular enough, considering the weight she was carrying. He’d brought the cream cake with him and placed it on the bedside table when he’d removed the empty tray.
As he kissed her gently on the brow she stirred in her sleep and murmured his name, and in that moment he thought tenderly that she had been keen to make it clear that she was her own woman, but as she’d said his name it had been as if once more she was his woman, and for that to be so was all he would ever ask.
While she was sleeping he went next door to collect his things for the night ahead, and when he got back she was awake, face flushed with sleep, eyelids drooping and about to check her blood pressure.
‘I’ll do that,’ he said gently, and when it was done, he was smiling. ‘It’s normal,’ he announced. ‘It must have just been a blip, but we do need to keep a close watch on it.’
‘So can I get up, Doctor?’ she teased, as relief washed over her.
‘No. I’m afraid not,’ he replied in a similar manner. ‘Maybe tomorrow, but for now stop where you are. I intend to stay the night and no protests, please.’
‘All right,’ she agreed meekly.
‘How would you feel if I moved in after the baby is born?’ he said, but she shook her head.
‘I don’t know, Ben,’ she said awkwardly, ‘let’s wait and see.’
‘I would be in the spare room—as I will be tonight,’ he commented dryly.
‘Yes, I know,’ she said lamely. ‘But if you hadn’t come to Willowmere I would have had to cope alone, and I’ve got used to doing that.’
‘All right,’ he said levelly. ‘Just be sure you don’t put the baby at risk with your independence.’ On that word of warning, he turned and went downstairs.
He came back up again some time later, to make up the spare bed and to bring her some supper, but that was the last she saw of him as the night closed in upon them.
The next morning she went downstairs and found Ben making the breakfast. Before he asked, she told him that her bl
ood pressure was normal.
‘Good,’ he said with a tight smile, and placed bacon and eggs in front of her.
‘Your’re angry with me, aren’t you?’ she said in a low voice. ‘I know I deserve it. It must seem as if I’m throwing all your kindness back in your face, but it isn’t like that, Ben. I’m confused and apprehensive about the future, and I suppose you are the same.’
‘Not at all,’ he replied. ‘The future will take care of itself. I have to be off, Georgina. The surgery opens in ten minutes.’
She’d spoken to the gynaecologist in the middle of the morning and told him that her blood pressure was back to normal and he’d warned her to take care as it could happen again and he wanted to see her again the following week. In the meantime, if she wanted to go back to work there was no reason why not, but to do fewer hours and not overtire herself.
So after another day of rest Georgina had presented herself at the practice once more, free of the anxiety that the minor scare had caused, and had suggested to James that she work afternoons only until the baby was born.
He had agreed immediately and Ben, who had now moved back into his own cottage, watched over her from the sidelines.
Maggie Timmins had given birth to a baby girl earlier in the week, and she was doing well. Every morning when he delivered the milk Bryan had an update on mother and baby to relate.
‘What does Josh have to say about his new baby sister?’ Georgina had asked when he’d first come with the news.
‘He was disappointed at first,’ his father said, ‘but now that he’s adjusted to it he’ll sit with her for hours.’
‘Have you chosen a name?’ she’d enquired.
‘Yes,’ he replied promptly. ‘Rhianna.’
‘That’s lovely. And Maggie, how is she?’
‘Rather nervous after all this time, and we can’t wait to bring her home, but doing fine otherwise.’
As Bryan had driven off, Ben’s door had opened, and he’d asked, ‘Was that the happy father?’
‘Yes,’ she’d told him. ‘It will be your turn soon.’
He’d nodded, for once having no reply, because he was aware that in everything else in his life he was a positive thinker, but when it came to Georgina and the baby he was like a nervous jellyfish.
He knew the reason, of course. Ever since they’d lost Jamie he’d found it impossible to take anything for granted, which had its advantages in his work, but not in his private life.
Georgina had managed without him for three years. She was one of Willowmere’s full-time, permanent GPs and extremely capable into the bargain. He knew that she wanted him to be near for their child when it came, but he wasn’t getting the impression that it was going to be by her side and in her bed with his wedding ring on her finger.
In the days that followed April showers and spring sunshine were constant reminders of the time of year, and as the calendar moved slowly towards an event that was always celebrated in Willowmere on the first of May, Georgina found herself facing Clare, the owner of the picture gallery, at the other side of her desk.
The two were good friends, and Georgina had been very supportive when Clare had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer some months ago. The smart, middle-aged woman had been operated on to remove the affected organs and was now at the end of a course of chemotherapy and back into organising village affairs once more, something she excelled in.
When she saw her friend seated opposite, Georgina hoped that Clare’s presence at the surgery didn’t mean any further complications with regard to her health.
It seemed as if that was not the case as her first words were, ‘I’ve come to ask a favour of you, Georgina.’
‘Really?’ she questioned. ‘What is it?’
‘The May Day committee has asked me to approach you.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘They want to know if you will crown the May Queen.’
‘Clare, I would love to,’ she said regretfully, ‘but the baby will be due any day then and I wouldn’t want to let them down.’
‘We appreciate that, but if you couldn’t be there, I would act as stand-in for you. You’ve only been resident in the village a short time compared to some of us, but you are liked and respected, so please say you will.’
‘Yes, of course I will,’ she said immediately. ‘Pollyanna, James’s daughter, has been telling me that she’s one of the attendants, and I believe that the Quarmbys’ teenage daughter is to be the May Queen, which is good. Christine needs some brightness in her life, but she isn’t well enough to be involved actively with her daughter’s dress and such.’
‘That’s under control,’ Clare assured her. ‘You’ll never guess who’s offered to make the dress and train…my mother. She’s been a gem since I’ve been ill. I was dreading what she would be like, as Mum can be a tartar over little things, but she’s supported me all the time and it’s made the cancer problem a lot easier to cope with.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ Georgina said softly. ‘When Ben and I lost our son almost four years ago, we had no parents to turn to. Mine died within a short time of each other just before he and I were married, and his were killed in a pile-up on the motorway. So, “tartar” or not, you must cherish her.’
The crowning of the May Queen was an ancient tradition still practised in many English country villages and rural areas to celebrate the coming of summer, a teenage girl being selected to be the Queen and younger ones chosen to be her attendants.
A maypole decked with flowers and with ribbons hanging from it would be erected in the centre of the village green where the crowning ceremony would take place, and once it was over children would dance around the maypole each holding a ribbon.
It was always a special occasion in Willowmere and Georgina thought that Ben would want to watch the proceedings. He was becoming more attracted to village life with each passing day, and whatever they ended up doing in the future he would want their baby to be brought up in the fresh air and friendliness of the countryside.
What he would say when he discovered she’d accepted the honour that the folks of Willowmere were anxious to bestow upon her she didn’t know, but if she was mobile and not in the labour ward at St Gabriel’s, she would perform it with the greatest of pleasure.
When she told him he smiled and said, ‘It is a nice thought but—’
‘I know,’ she interrupted. ‘You were going to say I might be occupied elsewhere. I’ve cleared that with Clare. She will perform the crowning ceremony if I can’t be there.’ She paused and smiled. ‘I’m glad this child of ours will be a spring baby.’
‘Why especially?’
‘It was spring when you came back into my life, when daffodils were nodding in cottage gardens and there were newborn lambs in the fields.’
Surely he would understand the message in what she’d just said, Georgina thought, and take her up on it, but he just smiled a wry smile and carried on trimming the hedge around his garden.
So much for that, she thought. Was Ben still of the opinion that in spite of the closeness of their lives in recent weeks, it still wasn’t working? Had he actually been into the estate agent’s to see what properties were for sale in the village? She hoped not.
There was one house that had been for sale in recent weeks that she’d always longed to live in. It was a large, detached property, built out of local limestone, and it stood among the green fields of Cheshire.
She’d always thought what an attractive house it was, though not the kind of residence for a single mother, and she wouldn’t have been able to afford it in any case if it had ever come up for sale, but it was on the market now and no doubt would soon be snatched up by someone with an eye for solid elegance.
When she’d seen the photograph of it in the estate agent’s window, she’d gazed at it enviously and hoped that it wouldn’t be bought by someone who would start pulling it apart. Obviously it wasn’t going to appeal to Ben. He’d lived alone in the house in London for three yea
rs and that was a delightful place, but from what he’d said it may as well have been a stable for all the pleasure he’d derived from living there without his wife and son.
So she couldn’t see him getting an urge to buy The Meadows, as the house was called, while he had the upkeep of a large property in London to contend with. And it was like he’d said, they needed somewhere close by when they went to visit the grave so that Jamie would never feel they had deserted him, and the London house would always be somewhere for his brother, Nicholas, to stay if he had business in the capital when he came to the U.K.
It was early morning. As he handed the solicitor next door to the estate agent’s a cheque for the deposit on the purchase of the only house that had caught his imagination in Willowmere, Ben was telling himself that he was crazy to be thinking of buying a house as big as The Meadows.
If Georgina didn’t want to stand beside him in front of the altar in the village church and repeat the vows they’d once made in the uncomplicated life that had been wrenched out of their grasp, he was going to find himself rattling around the place like a lost soul.
But the moment the estate agent had shown him a photograph of The Meadows he’d asked to view it, and after that he hadn’t been able to get it out of his mind. Incredibly it was standing empty and there was no chain involved in the sale so it would soon be his, or theirs if he should be so lucky.
Sometimes he thought Georgina still loved him, but on other occasions, he wasn’t at all sure. Maybe when he told her he’d bought The Meadows, he would have a clearer picture of her feelings. If she expressed concern about them still having the London house, he would tell her the good news regarding that.
The last time he’d spoken to Nicholas he’d said that he was considering buying a property in the capital as in the future he would be spending six months in every year there. When he’d suggested that he buy theirs, Nicholas had jumped at the chance, delighted to become the new owner of the house in the tree-lined square.
A Baby for the Village Doctor Page 12