Their Double Baby Gift

by Louisa Heaton

  Kelly nodded. ‘And it would be. Do it now—whilst she’s a baby—and she’ll probably never even remember the UK.’

  Hmm... He’d not thought about that part. She wouldn’t remember, would she? But he would. And he’d never forget all the wonderful people he had met here. His friends and his family were all here. And he’d be leaving behind Brooke.

  That would be hard. Reneging on a promise.

  He tossed the journal onto the table. ‘It was just a thought. Anyway, are you trying to get rid of me, Kelly?’ he asked with a smile.

  ‘Gawd, no! You’re the only decent thing to look at around here. If you left I don’t know what I’d do!’ She got up to make herself a quick cup of tea, and as she stood by the kettle raised an empty mug. ‘Want one?’

  ‘Sure.’

  At that moment Brooke walked in, her face stony, and headed straight to her locker.

  Matt got up and went over to her. ‘Hi.’

  She didn’t look at him. She yanked open her locker and shrugged off her coat, then got out all the accoutrements she’d need for the day. She closed her locker and walked out again, without saying a word.

  He watched her go, feeling awful inside. Perhaps he hadn’t pitched his note as well as he’d thought? And perhaps leaving his phone behind all day on Sunday had not been a good idea either, because when he’d got back he’d seen missed calls and texts from Brooke, clearly wanting to talk to him.

  Which he’d never answered.

  ‘What did you do?’ asked Kelly. ‘If looks could’ve killed you’d be lying on a mortuary slab right now.’

  ‘Looks like I need to apologise.’ He put his hands in his pockets as he thought about how best to do that.

  Kelly handed him his mug of tea. ‘Well, I sure as hell hope you’re good at grovelling, because that girl looked like she meant business.’

  He sipped his tea and was thoughtful.

  There was a hell of a lot he needed to think through today.

  * * *

  Brooke couldn’t believe it! That he’d just said hi to her as if everything was okay between them! As if he hadn’t walked out on her like that and left a stupid note.

  He’d said that he would spend the day with them on Sunday. She’d made plans in her head—a walk in the park, maybe a meal out, a good chat over some good comfort food, maybe taking some pictures of the babies together—something like that. Nothing special. Just things they could do together.

  But then they’d made love—unexpectedly—and it had been the single most amazing thing that had ever happened to her. No man had ever made her feel that way. It had been as if...as if...

  As if he loved me...

  That had to be wrong, right?

  But the way he’d made love to her... That couldn’t have been just sex. It hadn’t been just a quickie—wham, bam, thank you, ma’am. It had been special. Tender. Loving. She’d felt as if she’d found the lost part of herself, one she’d never known was missing.

  Falling asleep in his arms, in her bed, had felt so good. To know that he was wrapped around her, the length of his strong body against hers, had made her feel safe and secure for the first time since for ever.

  The scent of him, the feel of his hard body moulded around hers...

  She’d woken with a smile upon her face. A silly, dreamy smile as she’d yawned and stretched—and suddenly realised that there was no one next to her.

  Brooke had sat up, alert, feeling the sheets to see if they were warm, to see if maybe she had dreamed it all. The sheets had been cold and she’d been naked, and she never slept naked, and her body had felt pleasantly used. As if she were glowing.

  She’d thought that maybe he was in the kitchen. Or perhaps he’d had to get up to check on Lily in the next room?

  So she’d lain back in bed against the pillows, still with a smile upon her face, thinking that at any minute he would come through the door and say good morning, and maybe—just maybe—if the babies weren’t yet awake, have a repeat of what had happened last night?

  She’d felt glad that they had come together. She’d had no regrets. Not then. Because she’d felt sure that of all the men in the world Matt was not one of those who would walk away from her and leave her behind. And they’d moved forward in their relationship, hadn’t they? You didn’t have a night like that with someone and walk away.

  But she’d waited, and she’d waited, and when she’d started to get that funny feeling in her stomach she’d got up and slipped on a tee shirt and knickers to go and look for him.

  And discovered that the only thing left of Matt and Lily was a note.

  Brooke,

  I’m sorry, but I had to go. We crossed a line last night, and I should never have allowed it to happen.

  I didn’t want to wake you. I know you offered for us to spend the day with you and Morgan, but I really think we should respect each other’s boundaries, so I’ll see you at work on Monday.

  Many thanks once again,

  Matt x

  Many thanks? That was the response she got after what they had shared? Many thanks?

  It was insulting. She’d tried to call him on his mobile, but it had just kept going to voicemail. She’d messaged him. Once. Then a second time. Then she’d worried that she might seem like some sort of obsessive stalker, so she’d stopped.

  He would ring her, right? Surely it had meant something to him? Yes, they had crossed a line, but they had both wanted to. Hadn’t they...?

  But perhaps to him it hadn’t meant anything at all? Perhaps she’d misread what was happening between them. And maybe she, so desperate for love and attention had mistaken his kindness for something more? To be left again like this was just so...painful.

  When his silence had continued she’d got angrier and angrier that he’d apparently just dropped her like a hot potato after getting her into bed.

  She was horrified that he could do that to her. Appalled. Aggrieved. Upset.

  I’ve been used. He needed physical comfort and used me. Like I’ve always been used.

  She wasn’t sure she had anything to say to him. How could he treat her like that after she’d told him how her dad had been with her? How Eric had been with her.

  Brooke wasn’t sure whether she wanted to rage at him, slap him across the face, or just never speak to him again. And his guilt had made her think of her own. Sleeping with Jen’s husband, of all things! What had she been thinking?

  But they had to work together. They had to be a team if the department was to run smoothly. So she’d thought the best way to be would be to say nothing at all. Not until the right moment presented itself. Then she would have something to say.

  So she’d gone straight to work. Determined to fill her day with patient after patient after patient. With no more need to check in with Major Galloway she could get through her day without having to interact with him at all.

  ‘Sarah Greenwood?’ Brooke called for her first patient of the day.

  A middle-aged woman stood up and followed her through to a cubicle.

  ‘Hello, Miss Greenwood, my name’s Dr Bailey. What can I do for you today?’

  ‘I’ve been having these really bad abdominal pains. Like there’s something trying to burst out of me. I feel...full. Bloated. It’s horrible.’

  ‘And how long have you been feeling like this?’

  ‘A couple of weeks... I tried to call my GP to get an appointment, but I can’t get in till near Christmas! I’m sorry, but I just had to come here—just to put my mind at rest if nothing else.’

  ‘Okay. What type of pain is it? Is it a dull pain or a sharp one?’

  Sarah shrugged. ‘Both. It depends, sometimes, on what I’m doing.’

  ‘And when was your last period?’

  ‘Middle of October.’r />
  ‘And is the pain all over, or just in one particular area?’

  ‘It seems to be more on the left side.’

  Knowing it could be any number of things, Brooke took Sarah’s blood pressure, her temperature and her pulse. All seemed normal. ‘Is there a chance that you could be pregnant?’

  Sarah shook her head. ‘No. I’m not with anybody right now.’

  ‘No casual partners?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘When was the last time you had sex?’

  Her patient blushed. ‘Over a year ago.’

  ‘Can I have a feel of your tummy?’

  Sarah lay down on the bed and Brooke gave her a thorough examination of the abdomen. She thought she could feel a swelling on her patient’s left side, possibly on her ovary, but she’d need an ultrasound to be sure.

  ‘You can sit up now. Okay, Miss Greenwood, I’m not sure what this is, so I’ll need to run a few more tests. Maybe get an ultrasound done—have you had one of those before?’

  ‘No, but I know what they are. What do you think it is?’

  ‘It could be several things at this stage. Let’s do the ultrasound and see what happens. But don’t worry—you’re here now. I’ll look after you.’

  ‘I’m just worried that it’s something serious. My mum had ovarian cancer, you see, and she started off the same way. I want to have children. I’m still young enough. And if it’s something serious...’

  The patient’s family history was important, and it did not bode well. But that did not mean Sarah had ovarian cancer. It might be an ovarian cyst, which was often something simple to sort out.

  ‘Do you have children, Doctor?’

  Brooke nodded. ‘I have a daughter.’

  ‘You’re lucky. I haven’t found anyone yet who wants to stick around long enough to have children with me.’

  Technically, neither had Brooke. Eric had been useless, and Matt... Well, she’d begun to think that he was the solid, dependable type, but she’d been wrong. Perhaps her radar was off? How had she managed to find men like that time after time? Did she have a big sign pointing at her head that read ‘Needy and naïve’?

  ‘I worry I’ve left it too late, and now this...’

  Brooke laid a reassuring hand on her patient’s. ‘Let’s see what the tests say. It’s way too early for you to be worrying before the results are in. I’m going to take a blood sample, too. Just to check and make sure there are no STDs.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t think I’ve got anything like that—’

  ‘You’d be surprised, sometimes. Did you always use protection the last time you had a sexual partner?’

  ‘Not every time, no.’

  ‘And were you exclusive?’

  She grimaced. ‘I was.’

  Brooke smiled in sympathy. ‘I’m sorry. So let’s check that out anyway. I’ll be back in a tick.’

  ‘Thank you, Doctor.’

  Brooke headed off to get a kit that would allow her to take blood, and also to ask one of the healthcare assistants to bring the portable ultrasound to her cubicle when it was next free.

  ‘Dr Bailey?’

  Hearing Matt’s voice, she closed her eyes, telling herself silently to remain calm. She opened them again and turned around. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Could I have a moment of your time to talk to you?’

  ‘I’m busy with a patient right now.’

  ‘It’s important.’

  ‘My patient is important, Major Galloway. Now, if you’ll excuse me?’

  And she headed back, proud of herself for staying calm and polite and for not having looked at him. Because if she had she might have faltered. And she wanted to remain angry right now. It helped. Somehow...

  She took Sarah’s blood and then performed the ultrasound, moving the Doppler over her patient’s abdomen and soon noting a large cyst on the left ovary. It looked benign, filled with fluid, but due to the patient’s history it needed to be checked and tested to be on the safe side. It might burst on its own in time, or be reabsorbed, but it might have been there for a while. Sarah would need to see a specialist for further tests they just couldn’t do in A&E at this time.

  Brooke explained the situation and promised to write to her GP to arrange the referral. ‘Try not to worry, Miss Greenwood.’

  ‘Thank you, I’ll try. But I can’t promise. Not until I know for sure.’

  ‘I understand. Take care.’ And she waved her patient goodbye.

  She went back to write up her notes. As she did so Matt came striding out of Majors, with Kelly following behind him.

  ‘Dr Bailey, I need you to come with us for a major incident. There’s been a large traffic collision just down the road and there are people trapped in vehicles. The paramedic on scene has requested doctors.’

  ‘There are none on scene?’

  ‘All mobile doctors and the HEMS crew are busy on other cases, and the advanced paramedics have been called to another incident ten miles away. We’re the closest, and you and Kelly are the most experienced on my team.’

  ‘Okay.’ She’d been called out on a field team twice before. Once to the London bus bombings some years before, and a second time to a train crash. Both times had been horrendous.

  She hurried to grab the jacket that would identify her as a doctor at the scene, grabbed the kit bags that were always ready and prepped for occasions such as this, and quickly hurried after Matt and Kelly.

  They were taken to the RRV—rapid response vehicle—that would drive them to the scene.

  Her thoughts were whizzing like mad as they negotiated their way through the thick traffic that had built up. It was agonising to sit there, inching forward like a snail. She almost felt as if it would be faster to get out and run, but then suddenly the cars parted and they could get through, and they arrived to find a refuse collection lorry had crashed through a car, up a pathway and into a café.

  There was smashed glass everywhere, alarms were going off, and people were crying, looking horrified. Sickeningly, she spotted one or two people with their mobile phones out, filming it all or taking pictures.

  But she had no time to worry about them. That was for the police to take care of. She was here for the casualties.

  A fire engine was already there, and a fireman in a white helmet, indicating his high rank, was letting them in on who their casualties were.

  ‘The driver of the lorry had a heart attack at the wheel. My guys have been giving CPR, but there’s been no sign of life now for over twenty minutes. There were two other men in the truck, both have cuts and lacerations. The driver of the car that was smashed up is trapped within the vehicle and we’re working to free her. There are also numerous casualties in the café, including a pregnant woman who has taken a blow to the abdomen. Multiple lacerations throughout, and we have victims in shock. One customer of the café was knocked down by the truck as it entered the building and appears to have broken his leg.’

  Matt nodded. ‘I’ll take the guy in the truck. Dr Bailey, if you could handle the driver of the car and, Kelly, you check out the café customers. Triage only. Understood? I’ll join you as soon as I can.’

  They all nodded and headed off to deal with their patients.

  Brooke made her way to the smashed up car, its bonnet crumpled and steaming, watching whilst firefighters tried to remove the roof. A fireman sat in the back seat, holding the driver’s head still.

  ‘What’s the patient’s name?’

  ‘Vijaya.’

  ‘Okay.’ She removed a cervical collar from her kit, ready to attach it to the patient’s neck. ‘Vijaya? My name’s Brooke and I’m a doctor from the London Grace. Are you in any pain?’

  ‘My neck hurts—and my leg.’

  ‘Okay... Well, you’ve got a handsome fireman hol
ding your spine nice and straight for me, and I’m just going to have a quick feel of your neck before I put this collar on. I want you to tell me if anything hurts.’

  With her fingers she probed Vijaya’s neck, feeling along the vertebrae. ‘Anything?’

  ‘I don’t know. It just hurts.’

  ‘Were you stationary when the lorry hit you?’

  ‘Yes. I’d just got in...was about to pull away. I’d just released the handbrake when the lorry hit me.’

  ‘I’m going to check out the rest of you, if I can.’ Brooke made a primary survey—checking for breaks, bleeds, anything obvious. ‘Does your chest hurt?’

  ‘A little.’

  ‘Did you have your seatbelt on?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And how does your breathing feel? Does it hurt to breathe in?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Take a deep breath for me.’

  Vijaya did so. ‘It doesn’t hurt.’

  That was good. Brooke peered in as far as she could and saw that the engine block had been pushed in somewhat, and was pinning Vijaya’s left leg. There was some bleeding.

  ‘Can you wiggle your toes for me?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You can feel both feet?’

  ‘Yes. My leg hurts, though.’

  ‘Your leg seems trapped, Vijaya. I don’t know how badly you’re injured—we won’t know until we get you free. It shouldn’t be long. Do you have any medical problems I need to know about?’

  ‘I’m a Type Two diabetic.’

  ‘Okay, anything else?’

  ‘No. Well, I’m claustrophobic...’

  Brooke could see the frantic look in Vijaya’s eyes as the firemen put up a sheet to protect her from glass as they cut away the car’s roof. Being trapped in the car with all these firemen about, and now the tarpaulin, must be very scary indeed.

  She reached in and took Vijaya’s hand in hers. ‘I’ve got you. Just a moment or two more. Do you have any family I can call?’

  ‘My husband is probably wondering where I am.’

  ‘What’s his name?’

  ‘Rav.’

  ‘And his number?’ With her free hand she pulled out her mobile and as Vijaya told them to her punched in the digits and listened to the phone ringing at the other end. ‘He’s not answering. I’ll try again in a minute.’