White Christmas For The Single Mom (Christmas Miracles In Maternity #3)

by Susanne Hampton

  ‘I suppose I would,’ Georgina agreed. ‘But I would still be a little loopy by the end.’

  Both women laughed before turning the subject to something a little more serious. Juliet wanted to know about the supports in place for when the babies finally went home. While it wasn’t her role, she was interested to know how much assistance would be available as she reinforced the fact that four babies would be an enormous workload for the next few years.

  ‘The babies’ grandparents live very close to us, and I have a housekeeper, so I won’t be struggling in terms of running the house,’ Georgina answered. ‘I’m very fortunate, and I know that Leo will be very hands-on too.’

  ‘Leo’s also running the family business, so he may not always be able to help, so please don’t try to be brave if you feel overwhelmed at times. Let those around you know if you are struggling,’ Juliet told her. ‘Get extra help and take some time for yourself, even if it’s just a ten-minute soak in a bubble bath. It will help you to re-energise, regroup and get right back to being a mother.’

  ‘That sounds like you’ve been through it.’

  ‘I have, believe me, but not with four babies. I only had one, she’s four years old now, but it was a full-time job for me for the first few months.’

  ‘Didn’t your husband help at all?’

  Juliet paused before she answered, thinking back for a moment to when Bea was a baby and then to even before that, to how scared she was as the delivery date drew closer. The fear that engulfed her some days knowing that she would be bringing up Bea alone. And how some nights she lay awake worried that she would not be enough for her daughter. That she wouldn’t cope. But she did.

  ‘I wasn’t married. I’m a single mother.’

  ‘And a surgeon,’ Georgina responded. ‘That’s amazing. You’re bringing up your daughter alone and holding down a career.’

  ‘It’s not been that difficult. Bea’s almost at school now.’

  ‘But you’ve done it by yourself and flew all the way over here from Australia to help my babies. I think you’re the one who should take time out and have a bubble bath!’

  Ella stepped into the room as the women were still happily chatting. She was there to take Georgina’s blood pressure.

  ‘I think I will head off and leave you in Ella’s care,’ Juliet said as she stood up to go. She wanted to go back to her office and confirm that everything was on track. ‘I will see you and Leo in the morning.’

  With that Juliet walked back down to her office and as usual she looked into Charlie’s office as she passed by. It was a habit that had formed quickly but she was grateful he wasn’t always there or it might have seemed awkward. This time he was there, sitting on the sofa with his feet up reading. It looked like a report of sorts but she didn’t stop.

  Not until she heard him call her name and she turned back to see him standing in the doorway.

  ‘How are Georgina and Leo holding up?’

  ‘Georgina’s doing very well and Leo’s gone home. She wanted him to rest for tomorrow,’ Juliet told him, still feeling warmed by the affection the parents-to-be shared. ‘They would have to be the sweetest couple, so in love and looking out for each other. Truly beautiful.’

  Charlie didn’t comment and Juliet suddenly felt terrible for bringing up their marital happiness. She felt so insensitive and decided to change the subject rather than add to her verbal blunder.

  ‘What about you?’ she asked to break the uncomfortable silence. ‘Did the baby have an uneventful entry into the world? It must’ve been a quick labour for you to be back here already.’

  ‘It was her fourth,’ Charlie said, clearly keen to move away from discussing Georgina and Leo’s love story. ‘She was a pro. Her baby boy was delivered in forty-five minutes and she has three more at home to match. There will be no shortage of men to mow the lawns in that household.’

  Juliet assumed the conversation would end there and made a mental promise to herself to be more sensitive but Charlie continued the conversation. ‘Is Georgina fine with the change to the anaesthesia, then?’

  She paused mid step and turned back to him, elated that there was no damage from her inappropriate comment. ‘Yes, she understood why you thought it would be best. And I’m sure, because the suggestion has come from you, she feels very comfortable. I think she’s happy we’re working closely together—it makes her feel better about everything.’

  Charlie had heard the overall details the day before but wanted some clarification around a few of the finer details. He invited her back into his office and they talked through everything from the preoperative medication to the post-operative care. He was impressed that Juliet was thorough, focused and left little to chance. It was how he liked to operate. He wasn’t one to ever take unnecessary risks.

  They were winding up the conversation and Juliet mentioned heading down to collect Bea. ‘You apparently said you could look at staying here longer if needed to one of the midwives.’

  ‘That’s right. I’ll stay until the babies are born.’

  ‘And after that?’

  ‘I’m not sure. If there’s a position here, and the need for my skills, I may look at my options. But my family and friends all live in Perth, quite close by, which is a great support for both of us and of course my mother and father still keep watchful eyes on both of us. I’m fortunate but some may find it odd that they still fuss over me at my age.’

  ‘Helicopter parents?’

  ‘You could say that, but with all good intentions.’

  Charlie nodded. ‘Well, they let you out of their sight to make this trip at least.’

  Juliet laughed. ‘They actually pushed me onto the plane. I wasn’t convinced that I should come here but they insisted.’

  ‘Then they can’t be too overprotective. You and Bea have travelled a long way and you’re definitely not under their watchful eyes now.’

  Juliet smiled. ‘What about you?’ she enquired. ‘Are your parents here in the Cotswolds?’

  Charlie’s smile seemed to drop instantly. The cheery disposition Juliet had been enjoying seemed to slip away and she wished she hadn’t asked. She prayed they too hadn’t died. That would be a heavy burden for someone to bear. She watched as he stood up slowly and walked to the window, looking out into the distance. He didn’t appear to be focusing on anything in particular.

  ‘It’s none of my business, really you don’t have to answer.’

  Charlie stared ahead, still saying nothing for a few moments. ‘No. My parents both passed while I was in medical school. They left me a sizable inheritance to ensure I could complete my studies but they left me alone. No brothers or sisters.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘It was a long time ago and it only hits home occasionally. Usually around holidays like Christmas when it’s all about family time.’ Charlie rested back into his chair. ‘On the subject of family, I overheard you tell the nurse in A&E that Bea only has one parent. And tell me if I’m overstepping the line but are you widowed like me...or divorced?’

  Juliet reached into her bag for her bottle of water and took a large sip. She had known the subject could arise but she wished it had not been that day. She had no intention of blurting out to him details around her irresponsible one-night stand. She was a doctor and she slept with a man she didn’t know and fell pregnant. Juliet accepted that it wasn’t the eighteen-hundreds, as her father had often said, but the circumstance of Bea’s conception, in her eyes, still made her look fairly naive and irresponsible.

  Charlie was so conservative in almost every way and to announce that, By the way I was reckless, slept with a man I barely knew, trusted him when he said he’d handled the contraception and as a result became a single mother, but the rest of the time I’m incredibly responsible...except of course for the day we met and Bea was alone in the
playground and fell...and last week when I decided on a minute’s notice to drag a four-year-old halfway around the world.

  Any way she looked at the situation, she felt that Charlie might judge her.

  But then why did she care? His opinion shouldn’t matter. But it did. She had been silly enough to trust a man who didn’t deserve that trust the night Bea was conceived and naive enough to think there would be more than one night. Perhaps even forever.

  She doubted that Charlie ever threw caution to the wind and for that reason she felt anxious about confessing her stupidity. But just as Charlie had told her about his wife and his parents she felt she should give him the same level of honesty.

  ‘Bea’s never met her father but he is alive and living somewhere in Western Australia.’ There it was said. Out in the open. And she knew the floodgates were also open to the barrage of questions that would follow. And she would answer all of them truthfully. Or not answer them at all.

  ‘May I ask why?’

  ‘It’s for the best,’ she mumbled. ‘It’s just that he’s not a good person. To be frank, he’s the worst type of bad.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Truly.’

  ‘Do you want to talk about it?’

  She momentarily closed her eyes and took a shallow breath. It was a risk to tell such a man about her stupid night, very stupid night with a serial womaniser. It made her appear as young and naive as she knew she looked.

  ‘Then you don’t have to...’

  ‘No, I want to...’ She swallowed pensively. ‘The reason Bea’s father has never met her...is because we haven’t seen each other since I became pregnant.’

  ‘So he left you when he discovered you were having his baby?’

  ‘Not exactly. He left long before I knew.’

  ‘How long before?’ he asked.

  ‘He left the morning after I became pregnant and he’s married so there’s no point going there.’

  ‘Married?’

  ‘He wasn’t at the time...but he married a few weeks later. He was apparently engaged when we met but I had no idea. I discovered later, much later, he was a serial womaniser. He married before I had even known I was pregnant.’

  ‘But he should have been held accountable. A man can’t just walk away from the responsibility of his own child.’

  That was what Juliet’s father had said despite not knowing the identity of the man. No one knew the identity of the father, not even her parents. It was Juliet’s secret. Perth was not a huge city and she did not want her father to confront Bea’s father and tell him what he thought. It would have opened a Pandora’s box and she thought that Bea might be the one to suffer the most.

  ‘It wasn’t long after the wedding I discovered he and his new bride were expecting triplets.’

  ‘How did you discover that?’

  ‘A cruel twist of fate had his wife’s OBGYN reach out to me when a complication arose during the pregnancy. I couldn’t bring myself to consult on the case so I deferred to another neonatal surgeon. How could I operate on the children of a man I despised so completely? If anything had gone wrong I feared that I’d have questioned myself for eternity and far more than anyone else ever would for sure, but it wasn’t worth the risk.’

  Charlie sat shaking his head. ‘Still he should provide support for his daughter. It must be hard as a single mother, financially and emotionally.’

  Juliet rested back into the generous padding on her high-backed chair. ‘It is but I wouldn’t change a thing. I adore Bea. She’s my world.’

  ‘She’s adorable...despite her father. That must be because she’s got more of you in her.’

  Juliet smiled up at the man who was close to capturing her heart but she wasn’t ready to let him. She still couldn’t risk being hurt again.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘It’s definitely his loss,’ Charlie began before shifting the direction of the conversation slightly. ‘Will you ever let Bea reach out to him?’

  Juliet felt a warm feeling rush over her with his words. She would never have expected Charlie to say something like that. He wasn’t judging her at all. He hadn’t reacted the way she had feared.

  ‘With three children under his belt and, from the gossip around Perth, more than a few post-honeymoon flings and another one or two since the birth of his children, I don’t want him in her life. He’s a real-estate developer with no conscience and both the means and opportunity to entertain other women and he’s been doing that for a very long time. I will be thinking long and hard about allowing Bea to be the fourth, and unwanted, child of the man who enjoyed a pre-wedding fling with me despite having a fiancée at home waiting for him.’

  ‘And if she asks about her father growing up?’

  Juliet had not decided how she would respond when Bea asked about her daddy. And invariably she would one day.

  ‘I’m not sure how I’ll handle it. Despite my feelings about the man who fathered Bea, he’s after all half of Bea and I want my daughter to grow up proud of who she is, not doubting herself because of her father’s despicable behaviour. It’s a dilemma I’ll face later. Although I must admit recently I’m beginning to believe it will perhaps be sooner rather than later. Almost all of Bea’s little friends at playgroup have fathers and Bea’s beginning to talk about their daddies. She has a grandpa who had just retired but then... But that’s another story. Anyway, he is more than thrilled to be the male role model but I know it’s not the same as having a daddy.’

  Charlie didn’t reply. Bea was a wonderful little girl and didn’t appear to be suffering from paternal neglect so obviously Juliet’s father was a great surrogate. She was a sweetheart and many men would be proud to call her their daughter and watch her grow up under their watchful eye. Be there to unwrap Christmas presents together, buy her first bike and then her first car and of course scrutinise boyfriends who would never be good enough for his daughter.

  Suddenly Charlie began to suspect if he wasn’t careful he might just be one of those men. ‘Look at the time—it’s getting on and I have some paperwork to catch up on tonight at home,’ he said abruptly, collected his leather briefcase, said goodnight and left his office.

  * * *

  Bea was happily playing in her room with cartoons on television and Juliet had just folded the last of the towels from the dryer, all the while thinking about Charlie. She could think of little else as she stacked the towels in the airing cupboard. With the empty basket in her arms, Juliet made her way into the sitting room. She could see the front porch through the lace-covered bay window.

  Her jaw dropped and she almost dropped the basket when she saw who was standing on her doorstep.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  ‘OH, MY GOODNESS, what are you doing here?’ Juliet squealed as she opened the door. She couldn’t have been more surprised...or happier. ‘Quickly come in from the cold!’

  ‘It was your father’s idea. He thought that we could help with Bea while you concentrate on the quads’ surgery.’ Her mother embraced Juliet, then stepped aside for her husband to do the same.

  ‘It’s a challenging surgery and we don’t want you worrying about picking up Bea from the crèche,’ her father chipped in as he carried one of the suitcases inside and then hugged his daughter warmly. He turned back for the other one still on the porch, then closed the door on the bitterly cold night air.

  ‘Or worrying if she gets a sniffle with the sudden change in climate,’ her mother added as she looked around the cosy sitting room of the cottage.

  ‘Oh, my God, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’

  ‘Because you would have said we were fussing—’

  ‘Which you are...but I’m very glad you like to fuss.’

  ‘And we missed you both terribly.’

  ‘It’s been less than
a week.’

  ‘See what an only child has to suffer. Two parents who miss you after less than a week and follow you to the other side of the world,’ her father continued as he placed the second suitcase down. ‘So learn from us and give Bea some brothers or sisters in the future or she’ll be doomed to having a helicopter parent hovering around like us!’

  Juliet smiled. ‘If I’m half as good a parent as you two, then Bea will be a lucky girl.’

  ‘We are the lucky ones, Juliet. You make us both very proud.’ Her father hugged Juliet again and then stepped away a little as his eyes filled with tears of happiness.

  Juliet could see the emotion choking him and knew all three of them would be a mess if she didn’t change the subject. ‘So when did you decide to fly out? And how did you arrange it so quickly?’

  ‘We had passports so we just rang the travel agent. We’ve booked into a hotel nearby for tomorrow but they didn’t have a spare room tonight.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing. There’s plenty of room here.’

  ‘We don’t want to put you out. We’ll just stay tonight if that’s okay. We can sleep on the sofa.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’ll stay here...now how long are you able to stay?’

  ‘Till you get sick of us,’ her mother replied.

  ‘Then you’ll be here for a long time,’ Juliet said. ‘What about a nice cup of tea?’

  ‘That would be lovely,’ her father said.

  ‘Well, actually, we’ve booked one of those river cruises through France and Spain,’ her mother added. ‘That’s the week after Christmas.’

  ‘I thought you had planned that for next July? You were going to enjoy summer in Europe. Leave the Australian winter behind and thaw out over here.’

  ‘That was our plan but we brought it forward. No point flying out twice. It’s a long way for two old people.’

  Juliet laughed. ‘Hardly old but you’ll be missing the sunshine on your cruise.’

  The three of them looked up as Bea came running down the hallway. ‘Grandma! Grandpa!’