by Nana Prah
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Destiny Mine
Copyright © 2015 by Nana Prah
ISBN: 978-1-61333-814-8
Cover art by Tibbs Designs
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
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Midwife to Destiny
Dedication
To all of the strong women in my life who have shaped me into who I am today.
Thank you.
Destiny Mine
By
Nana Prah
Chapter One
The only way Esi Darfour could’ve been more drenched with sweat would be if she was the one lying spread eagled on the bed. She swiped her dripping forehead on her shoulder to avoid touching herself with her bloodstained hand.
“All you need is one more push with the next contraction, and the baby will be out,” she encouraged.
The twenty-eight-year-old woman rolled her head to the side. “I can’t. I’m too tired.”
Those were her least favorite words when dealing with a laboring woman. “Ama, you’ve done a wonderful job, so far. Going through labor for fifteen hours isn’t easy. All you have to do is give one more push. One more when you have a contraction, and you’ll have your baby. Don’t you want your child safe and healthy?”
The young woman nodded.
“Then push as hard as you can during your next contraction, okay?”
“Okay.”
She had tried her best to make sure both mother and child would survive this delivery without ending up in the operating room. It was Ama’s first pregnancy, and she had been a demanding client from the onset. As a sickle-cell patient, her odd-shaped blood cells could cause her to go into a debilitating crisis if she wasn’t managed well. They’d monitored her with extra care to ensure a safe delivery. Esi had spent a lot of time with her during her painful labor. Now that Ama hovered on the precipice of obtaining her reward for ten months of pregnancy and fifteen hours of labor, it would be a shame for her to fail.
Seconds ticked by before the young woman groaned, indicating a contraction had hit.
“Push, Ama, push. You can do it. Push so you can see your firstborn.”
Ama leaned up on her elbows and pushed. Esi caught the baby as it slipped out placed the newborn on the mother’s belly, and then clamped the cord. With practiced expertise, she scooped up the slippery infant and, with one hand, suctioned out the mouth then the nose. A wailing cry brought relief into the room. She held up the child to the new mother. “Tell me the sex of the baby.”
Ama gazed in awe at the fruits of her labor. She smiled and whispered, “It’s a girl.”
“You have to deliver the placenta, but that will come with another contraction. I’m going to take the baby and clean her off.”
Amazed by another addition into the world, her heart filled with love as it always did with a new birth. “Welcome to the world, baby girl. I pray you have a wonderful life here on earth.”
***
“Good morning, ladies.”
Esi glanced up at the voice that always caused her heart to race, but otherwise ignored the man. Dr. Adam Quarshie was a pain in her ass, and she had no difficulty expressing it. Her attraction to him annoyed her. After all, at least three-quarters of the female population of the large teaching hospital was drawn to him. She had no time in her life for a known Lothario, so she squelched her attraction. It would’ve been nice if she’d managed even a modicum of success in doing so. For now, she dealt with it by attempting to make his life as difficult as possible. She reveled in irritating him.
Alice, one of her fellow midwives, stood with her C-cup, torpedo-like breasts pointed straight at the man. “Good morning, Dr. Quarshie!”
The saccharine greeting caused her eye to twitch.
The other three midwives gave less enthusiastic greetings.
Esi’s focus on the words she’d written in Ama’s chart waned. Ama’s delivery during the night had sucked out every bit of her energy, but the exertion had been worth it when she hadn’t needed a Caesarean section. Both mother and baby were doing well, and there was no sign of an impending sickle-cell crisis.
All she wanted to do was to hand over the ward to the three midwives coming on duty and go home.
Adam leaned an elbow on the counter. “Any patients for me to review? How is the woman with sickle cell?”
Alice answered, “She’s doing well.”
Esi turned away to hide the smirk creeping onto her face at his look of expectation. Alice worked hard, but sometimes Esi wondered how she’d managed to pass midwifery school when she often became a little scatter brained. Especially around gorgeous doctors.
“I helped her deliver this morning. Mother and baby are doing fine. I gave her an episiotomy, so no vaginal tearing. No signs of sickling.” Esi stood on weary feet and handed him the folder, anticipating he would want to go see the patient. She trudged ahead of him as they walked to the recovery room.
As he spoke to the new mother, Esi observed him. She must be too exhausted to put up her anti-Adam defenses because today she wanted to sidle over to him to be closer.
Her gaze travelled down his muscular body. Unlike many of the other doctors who tended to gain a belly as they grew older and settled into the comforts of married life, Adam Quarshie could overshadow any man in his late twenties. His stomach had remained flat and his muscles strained against his yellow button-down shirt when he moved.
She took her time raking her gaze up his body and to his face. Her gasp of embarrassment stuck in her throat as her eyes met his.
Why did he have to have such an adorable grin? God could’ve at least rotted his teeth to save the hearts of women all over Ghana.
“See something you like, Esi?”
She cleared her throat. “Yes, I do. Your shoes are nice. Where can I get a pair for my brother?”
He chuckled. “My shoes. Hmm. I got them on Oxford Street in Osu.”
“Thanks.”
He moved towards
her, and she refused to step back as he crowded her. He smelled amazing, like he was fresh from a shower. She struggled not to move closer or inhale deeper.
“Or I could take you.” His voice came out soft yet had a distinct rumble.
Did the man not know how to be anything but seductive?
If she checked her pulse, she knew it would be way above the normal range. She snorted as she stepped around him and went to the patient’s bedside. “I’m going home. You did a great job.” She tilted her head to view the child’s face cradled in the new mother’s arms then smiled at the newborn’s mother. “You were able to gather the strength to push the baby out. You are a strong woman, Ama.”
The woman ducked her head. “Thank you.”
Esi turned to Adam, not bothering to hide her annoyance. “Are there any other patients you want to see?”
“I’ll come back to do ward rounds later. How about going to Osu?”
“I’d rather…rather….” Fatigue had blocked her brain. Later on in the day, long after it was too late, she’d think of any number of things she could have said to put him in his place.
He raised an eyebrow. Their perfect arch sat over slanted dark brown eyes.
“You’d rather what?”
“Eat a live snail.”
He scrunched his face. “Disgusting. No Osu for you, then. Next time, I’ll ask to take you somewhere that won’t make you prefer eating something raw and slimy over hanging out with me.”
“No such place exists, Quarshie.” They walked, rather, she stalked while he strutted, down the hallway towards the nurse’s station.
“I’m sure there is somewhere, and one day I’m going to take you there.”
She didn’t bother to look at him. “In your dreams.”
He winked. “Always in my dreams.”
Her heart skipped a beat as Sade’s classic song “Smooth Operator” came to mind. She regarded him through narrowed eyes as he headed towards the door. His heartbreaking ways didn’t appeal to her at all. Everyone knew relationships weren’t his thing. She’d never even consider going out on a date with him. She knew too many casualties of his charm. The type of guy who would go to all sorts of lengths to get a woman on his radar. Once he caught and used her, he moved to the next one…or two. After having once dated a womanizer, she wouldn’t subject herself to that kind of man again.
No way. Not her. Never.
Adam walked out of the labor ward, happy. He enjoyed when Esi was on duty. She was by far the best midwife he’d worked with. He admired the proficiency she displayed while doing her job.
It didn’t hurt that she was shaped like the object of a teenage boy’s wet dream—all hips and breasts. He shoved his hand in his pocket and adjusted himself. Why did he have such a strong need to go out with her? Each time he tried to chat her up, she shot him down. But like a boomerang, he kept going back.
It couldn’t be her beauty. She was passably pretty at best. Even with her smooth, dark skin, she’d lose in a competition with some of the other women he’d been with.
In his opinion, her lips were her most attractive feature. Firm. Not too full, but just enough to suck into his mouth and rub his tongue over.
Considering she had no interest in him, he needed to get over this fascination with her.
Not true. She’d been unable to hide her fascination with his body when she’d licked her lips, as her gaze scanned him in the patient’s room. The same unfamiliar pleasant tingle rolled down his spine as he recalled her hungry expression. She was interested, all right, but refused to admit it.
If she’d relax and allow it, he could have a good time with her. Her smartass attitude always left him entertained, even though he tended to be the target of her derision. This desire for the elusive Esi could only be eradicated by falling into bed with a gorgeous, willing female.
He had no difficulty getting women. Unlike some of his male counterparts, he never led anyone on and promised them anything more than a great sexual experience. They knew going in, a relationship wouldn’t evolve from their encounter. He cringed at the rancid R word.
He always made sure the women he got involved with understood that all he could give them would be a bit of fun. He didn’t do long term, not even if she turned out to be a fantastic lay.
He looked at his watch. There’d been no need for him to be at the hospital this early, but she had worked the night shift, and he’d wanted to see her. Adam refused to dig too much into it. He never did when it came to the short spitfire.
He headed to the operating room theatre, even though today he’d be consulting in the outpatient department where he would spend the day reviewing old patients and assessing new ones who might need to be scheduled for surgery. An emergency Caesarean section would be his only reason for operating. His best friend, Jason Lartey, stood at the nurse’s desk when he swung the door open.
“Chale, what are you doing here? You aren’t scheduled for today,” Jason asked, reaching his hand out. They shook, sliding their hands past each other and creating a loud snap with their fingers at the end.
“You know I can’t stay away from my favorite place in the hospital, Chale.” Adam turned and greeted the nurses sitting at the station. One of them giggled and averted her eyes when he winked at her.
Jason led him away from the nurse’s desk. “Will you ever change?”
He had no idea what his friend was going on about. “What?”
“Do you flirt with every woman, or is it a habit?”
“A little bit of both. It never works on your wife, though.”
“Because she’s immune to your false charms.”
Adam’s mouth slackened. “No woman is immune, Chale.”
“How do you explain Ora?”
“Aberration? Weird? Abnormal? Or it could be she’s so into you, she doesn’t see anyone else.”
Jason nodded. “True.”
Adam rolled his eyes. “Wipe that stupid grin off your face.” He relaxed into the chair opposite Jason. “How is she?”
Jason extended his hands out in front of his belly. “Don’t tell her I said this, but she’s huge.”
“I don’t want you to die an early death. I like having you around. How’s she feeling?”
“Good. She keeps saying she’s more than ready for the babies to come out, but she’s only seven months.” Jason beamed as he talked about his wife and unborn twins.
He glared at his friend. “I don’t understand why you didn’t enjoy her for longer. After the babies are born, sex gets tossed out the window. You’ll be lucky to get it once a month.”
“I doubt that. She’s become somewhat addicted to my loving.” Jason dropped his smirk and tapped his pen on the table, considering him. “I promise. One day you’ll find the woman who will make you want to have children.”
Esi’s scowling face popped into Adam’s mind. He shook his head. “No way. Not in this lifetime. I’m going to be playing the field for the rest of my life.”
“Isn’t that getting old? Don’t you want someone to go home to at the end of the day?”
He hitched a shoulder. “I can take as many women home as I want, whenever I see fit.”
“And what about love?”
Jason had been a goner from the moment he’d met Ora. Adam would never allow that to happen to him. “It doesn’t exist. It’s an elevated form of lust. I’m doing fine living in the baser echelons of lust. No sexual boredom that way.”
Jason chuckled. “You’re crazy.”
“I know. What’s happening this weekend? Are you up for a night out?”
Jason’s refusal didn’t surprise him. “Not this weekend. We’re going baby shopping.”
“Seriously?” He couldn’t believe how whipped his friend had become.
Jason’s arms crossed over his chest. “Yes.”
“I remember when you used to be fun,” Adam grumbled.
“I still am, Chale. Marriage is a good thing. It’s making me a better man.”
Exasperated with his friend’s enjoyment of being tied down, he shot up and walked towards the door. “Not from where I’m standing. I have to get down to the labor ward for rounds. I’ll see you later. Call me when you want to go out for a beer or do something less effeminate than shopping for baby stuff. I miss the days when we used to party all night.”
Jason followed him, clapping a hand hard on his shoulder. “We all have to grow up some time.”
“Whatever, man.” Shrugging off the curse, he stepped out the door and threw over his shoulder, “Tell the ball and chain I said hello.”
Jason chuckled. “Will do.”
Chapter Two
“What’s wrong with you?” The question burst out of Esi’s mouth harsher than intended. She hated that Adam kept her in a state of imbalance.
“It’s nice to finally meet a midwife with no compassion,” he said in the condescending tone he seemed to reserve for her.
She squinted at him. If she could throw laser beams from her eyes, like she’d asked God for on numerous occasions, the man would be lying in a pile of ashes. “If you want compassion, go to one of your hundreds of girlfriends.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She had no right to bring his womanizing ways into the conversation. She blamed her lack of verbal control on working her fourth twelve-hour night shift in a row.
“Is it necessary to attack my personal life?”
She almost snarled at his jovial tone, but instead turned on her heel and went to the nurse’s desk to write in a patient’s chart. Before pen hit paper, her conscience forced her to turn towards Adam. “I’m sorry,” she said through gritted teeth. “Your lifestyle isn’t any of my business. Even if I meant every word.”
He tilted his head. He winced, reminding her of why she’d asked about his welfare in the first place.