Bride for the Single Dad

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Oh, so you are here. I thought I’d better check that the clinic was going ahead,’ Leah declared.

  ‘Of course it is. How many have arrived so far?’

  ‘About a dozen.’ Leah shrugged. ‘More than usual, but I suppose that’s to be expected in the circumstances.’

  Polly sighed under her breath. They both knew that people would be eager to see her in the hope that they could get an inside track on the gossip, although it would have been more tactful if Leah hadn’t made that comment. ‘Everything’s ready so you may as well show the first one in,’ Polly said evenly, letting it pass.

  Leah disappeared and a few seconds later the first mum arrived. Polly said hello and got straight down to work, making it clear that the only subject under discussion was the patient’s health and that of her unborn child. She wasn’t going to say anything about all those silly rumours, like the one she’d heard that morning about her holding hands with some man—

  Polly gasped as it hit her that there was some truth in it. She’d held Elliot Grey’s hand—well, held his wrist, actually. Obviously, Maureen, who worked in the store, had seen them and had got the completely wrong idea. Polly swallowed her groan. All she could do was hope that Elliot wouldn’t get wind of it. She couldn’t imagine that he would be pleased to be cast in the role of the other man!

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ‘I SEE POLLY’S BACK.’

  ‘Really! Have you seen her?’

  ‘Yes, she’s in reception. I must say I was surprised to see her. I don’t think I’d be keen to show my face if I’d done what everyone’s saying she did...’

  The rest of the conversation was swallowed up as the two nurses stepped into the lift Elliot had just vacated. He frowned as he made his way along the corridor. It was two weeks since Polly had looked after Joseph that day and he’d not had sight nor sound of her since. He had assumed that there’d been no reason for her to visit the hospital but it seemed he might have been mistaken. What on earth had she done to deserve a comment like that? he wondered as he pushed open the door to Outpatients. From what he knew of her, Polly wasn’t the kind of person to make enemies. On the contrary, she drew people to her—as he knew from experience.

  The thought sent a frisson scudding through him and he sighed as he went into the examination room set aside for his use. Far too often, he had found himself thinking about Polly lately. There was something about her that had stirred his emotions in a way that hadn’t happened for a very long time. More than once when he had been speaking to the parents of one of his young patients, he had found himself wondering if she would have approved, and it was galling to say the least. He didn’t need anyone’s blessing about the way he behaved!

  A knock on the door roused him from such unsettling thoughts. He looked up as Donna Roberts came into the room.

  ‘Morning,’ the staff nurse said cheerfully, placing a pile of folders on the desk in front of him. ‘We’ve a really long list this morning, starting with little Alfie Nolan’s parents. I believe you asked to speak to them before they take Alfie home.’

  ‘That’s right.’ Elliot reached for the top folder, although he could remember every detail of the case. For some reason it had lodged in his brain, which didn’t always happen. Was it the fact that he had met Polly that day that had made it so memorable? he wondered, then immediately dismissed the thought. Not everything that happened could be classified as BP or AP—before or after Polly!

  ‘Show them in. The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll be finished.’ Elliot set the notes aside, determined to put all thoughts of Polly out of his head. She had helped him out of a difficult situation and that was it. Their relationship—such as it was—had started and ended that same day. She wasn’t a factor in his life, nor did he intend her to become one. He had Joseph and his work: he had everything he needed...

  Didn’t he?

  * * *

  ‘Just try to stay calm, Amy. You won’t do yourself or your baby any good by getting so worked up.’

  Polly patted Amy Carmichael’s hand but she could tell that her words were having little effect. Amy had been inconsolable ever since she had received a letter asking her to attend the Outpatients’ department. She had been in tears when she had come into the antenatal clinic, which was why Polly had offered to go with her. Amy’s husband was in the Army and he was away on tour at the moment. With no other family members living nearby, she was very much on her own. Although it should have been her day off that day, Polly found it easier if she kept busy.

  Now that Peter had gone home she felt very much on her own, especially as she was living so far out of town. Peter had managed to find her a cottage as a temporary stopgap and she was grateful to have somewhere to live, even if it was off the beaten track. It was Peter who had fetched her belongings from Martin’s parents’ house too. They had taken it all very badly and Polly still hadn’t spoken to them, although she knew that she would have to do so at some point. She hadn’t spoken to Martin either, although she had heard that he was back in Beesdale. She had decided that she would leave it to him to get in touch if he wanted to, although there was very little to say in the circumstances. Cancelling the wedding had caused a great deal of upset and, even though it hadn’t been her doing, she couldn’t help feeling slightly guilty. It didn’t help that the rumours about her and Elliot were still circulating. Even though she knew there wasn’t a scrap of truth in them, it was very hard to swallow. She sighed softly. She just had to hold onto the thought that it wouldn’t be long before she moved away and put it all behind her.

  ‘How about a cup of tea?’ she suggested now, trying not to think about the forthcoming move. It was what she needed to do to get her life back on track and there was no point getting upset about it.

  ‘I don’t think I could drink it.’ Amy bit her lip. ‘There’s something wrong with the baby, isn’t there? I thought there was when I had that scan. It was the way that radiographer looked at me.’

  She started to sob and Polly put her arm around her and hugged her. ‘Let’s wait until you’ve seen the doctor,’ she began then stopped when one of the nurses appeared and called Amy’s name. ‘Do you want me to come in with you, love, or would you prefer to see the consultant on your own?’

  ‘Will you come with me? I don’t want to be on my own if it’s bad news,’ Amy said, wiping her eyes.

  ‘Of course.’ Polly slipped her hand under Amy’s elbow and helped her to her feet. They followed the nurse along the corridor to one of the examination rooms. Tapping on the door, the nurse ushered them inside.

  ‘Amy Carmichael, sir.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  Polly bit back a gasp when the man swung his chair around and she realised it was Elliot Grey. It had never crossed her mind that he would see patients in clinic. His predecessor hadn’t done so, leaving it to his registrar, so it was a shock to see Elliot sitting there. In a fast sweep, her eyes ran over him, her heart sinking as she took stock once more of that air of aloofness he projected. He hadn’t changed, although she had no idea why she had imagined that he would have done. After all, what reason was there to think that meeting her might have made a difference to him? The truth was that she had made no impact whatsoever on him and it hurt to realise it, hurt in a way she couldn’t understand either. After what had happened, it would be a long time before she was ready for another relationship.

  ‘Please sit down.’

  Elliot cleared his throat and Polly had the distinct impression that he was as disconcerted to see her as she was to see him. Heat flashed along her veins as she drew up a chair, wondering why it made her feel so on edge to know that he wasn’t indifferent to her after all. She had to force herself to concentrate when he continued.

  ‘I asked to see you today, Mrs Carmichael, because your ultrasound scan has shown that your baby has a diaphragmatic hernia,
’ he said without any preamble.

  ‘A hernia,’ Amy repeated, barely able to get the words out. Polly set aside her own feelings, knowing what a shock this must be for her, even though Amy had feared the worst.

  ‘That is correct. Basically, what it means is that some of the baby’s abdominal contents are in the place where his lungs should be and this is affecting how his lungs develop,’ Elliot continued.

  ‘Does it mean that he can’t breathe properly?’ Amy asked, tears starting to trickle down her face again.

  ‘At the moment your baby doesn’t use his lungs because he’s receiving oxygenated blood from the placenta via his umbilical cord,’ Elliot explained. ‘However, once he’s born and needs to start breathing properly, it could become a problem. It depends how much of his lungs have been damaged.’

  ‘Are you saying that he could die?’ Amy exclaimed. She turned to Polly, her face mirroring her horror. ‘Is that what’s going to happen—my baby’s going to die because he can’t breathe?’

  ‘No, Amy, he isn’t,’ Polly said quickly. ‘There will be a team of doctors and nurses there when he’s born and they will help him to breathe. Isn’t that right, Dr Grey?’

  ‘Yes. I, along with my colleagues, will be present at the birth and we shall intubate and ventilate your baby.’

  ‘Basically, what that means is that a tube will be inserted into your baby’s windpipe so that he can be given oxygen,’ Polly explained gently because she could tell that Amy had no idea what Elliot meant.

  ‘And you can do that at my house?’ Amy asked uncertainly.

  ‘No. It will need to be done here in the hospital,’ Elliot told her.

  ‘But I want to have my baby at home!’ Amy wailed, getting even more upset at the thought of being admitted to the hospital. She turned beseechingly to Polly. ‘Surely you can sort it out, Polly. You can help my baby breathe, can’t you?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t, Amy. I simply don’t have the necessary expertise.’ Polly patted the young mum’s hand. ‘I know how disappointed you must be when you were planning to have a home birth, but the baby’s safety comes first. He’s going to need a lot of care after he’s born and he can only receive that here in the hospital.’

  She glanced at Elliot when a distraught Amy started to sob in earnest and was surprised to see what looked like sympathy in his eyes. Maybe he wasn’t as unfeeling as he appeared, she thought, and felt a rush of pleasure at the idea. It was a moment before she realised that he was speaking.

  ‘I understand that this must be a shock for you, Mrs Carmichael, but we have to put your baby’s welfare first. Once he’s been ventilated he will be moved to the neonatal unit, where he will continue to receive support with his breathing.’

  Elliot’s tone was calm to the point of being emotionless as he explained that the hole in the baby’s diaphragm would be surgically repaired, although it wasn’t possible to predict the outcome at this stage as it depended on the amount of healthy lung tissue that remained. Polly felt her momentary rush of euphoria fade. Far from being filled with compassion for poor Amy, Elliot obviously viewed this as just another case. He didn’t really care about the people involved or the effect it would have on them.

  It was a dispiriting thought and it was a relief when he brought the interview to a conclusion. Polly helped Amy to her feet, trying not to let her disappointment show as she bade Elliot goodbye. How could he be so unfeeling? she wondered as she and Amy made their way along the corridor. Surely he, more than anyone, understood how devastating it was to find out that your baby wasn’t perfect? She had seen the expression on his face when he had told her about Joseph and knew that he had been as upset as any parent would have been in such circumstances, yet he seemed unable to take those feelings and translate them into compassion for anyone else...unable or unwilling?

  Polly frowned as she glanced back along the corridor. Was that the real explanation? It wasn’t that Elliot didn’t feel anything but that he didn’t allow himself to feel it? He had locked away his emotions and refused to admit that he possessed any. Polly knew it was true and her heart ached even more because he wasn’t only cutting himself off from other people: he was cutting himself off from his real self.

  * * *

  Elliot felt on edge for the rest of the day. He was in Theatre that afternoon and far too often he found himself thinking about what had happened that morning when he had seen Polly. He was very aware that he had fallen far short of her expectations when he had broken the news to Amy Carmichael, but what else could he have done? Amy needed to understand the facts of the situation and he would have been doing her a huge disservice if he had tried to pretend that everything would be fine, although maybe he could have been a bit more positive about the eventual outcome.

  He sighed as he thanked his team and left Theatre. It wasn’t like him to wonder if he had done the right thing but for some reason Polly seemed to have this effect on him. He had always believed that it was better not to let emotions get in the way but she obviously didn’t share that view. She had done everything she could to make it easier for Amy but, as he knew from experience, nobody could take away the pain of learning that your child wasn’t perfect. It was something you had to come to terms with, as he’d had to come to terms with his own pain over Joseph.

  Marianna hadn’t stayed around after Joseph was born. Although Elliot had hoped that she might change her mind once she saw him, she had refused to have anything to do with him, so there had been nobody to share the heartache with. Every parent expected to have a perfect child and it was hard to accept that your child was never going to be that. Would it have helped if he’d been able to talk through his feelings? he mused then immediately dismissed the idea. As he knew to his cost, there was no point relying on other people: they only let you down.

  It was a sobering thought but it helped to put things into perspective. Elliot drove home, feeling his spirits lift as he left the city behind. The Yorkshire Dales really was a beautiful part of the world, he thought as he drove along the winding roads to Beesdale. He reached the outskirts of the town and paused at the crossroads. He rarely drank alcohol but, after the day he’d had, he could do with a glass of wine—he would stop off at the shops and treat himself to a bottle. He turned left and parked in the High Street. There was a very good general store there that sold wine, along with everything else.

  The old-fashioned brass bell jingled merrily as he opened the door and made his way to the small but well-stocked off-licence section. There were a couple of women standing at the till, chatting, but it wasn’t until he heard Polly’s name mentioned that he paid any attention.

  ‘I still can’t believe it. I mean, I really like Polly—she delivered my youngest grandson and my daughter can’t speak too highly of her. But to be carrying on with another man—Well!’

  ‘I know. It was a dreadful thing to do—’

  The bell jangled as someone else came into the store and the conversation stopped dead. Elliot frowned as he took a bottle of wine off the shelf. It was the second time that day he’d heard someone talking about Polly in less than complimentary terms. What had they meant about her carrying on with another man? He wouldn’t have put her down as the unfaithful type but, there again, what exactly did he know about her? A feeling of intense disappointment swept over him. For all he knew, Polly could have a string of lovers on the go!

  Elliot turned to make his way to the till, stopping abruptly when Polly herself suddenly appeared at the end of the aisle. She stopped when she saw him and he had the distinct impression that she was about to turn tail and run. Maybe it was curiosity that got the better of him, but he realised that he couldn’t let her leave without finding out what was going on. Foolish or not, but it seemed important to find out if Polly really was the person he had thought her to be.

  ‘Are you after a bottle of wine as well to round off a busy day
?’ he asked lightly, stunned by the fact that it should matter so much.

  ‘Erm...yes.’ Reaching out, she grabbed the first bottle she came to, and Elliot’s brows rose.

  ‘Champagne? Are you celebrating?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ Colour flooded her face as she put the bottle back on the shelf and reached for another one. ‘This will do,’ she said, picking up a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

  ‘Snap.’ Elliot held up the bottle he’d chosen so she could see the label. ‘Obviously, we have the same taste in wine.’

  ‘So it seems.’

  She gave him a thin smile as she edged past him but Elliot was unwilling to let her escape so easily. Maybe it was the fact that he’d had such a miserable afternoon thanks to her, combined with all those snippets of conversation he’d overheard, but he found himself hurrying after her. The two women were still standing by the till and he saw them look at one another when he appeared. He had a feeling that he was missing something, although he had no idea what it could be.

  He waited while Polly paid for her wine then handed over a ten pound note and paid for his, conscious of the silence that had fallen. The shop bell rang and he snatched up the bottle, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Polly was already unlocking her car when he got outside and he hurried over to where she had parked. Maybe it had nothing to do with him what she had done, but it made no difference. He wanted to know what she was guilty of. Needed to know for some reason he couldn’t explain. Up until today, he had thought she was perfect—kind, caring, considerate, faithful. However, it appeared the picture he had built of her wasn’t true. If the gossip was to be believed, Polly wasn’t perfect after all. She had flaws, just like every other woman he had known, and he needed to get that clear in his head. Maybe then he could stop entertaining all these crazy thoughts and get back to normal. Once he knew her for who she really was, she would lose her appeal. And that was what he wanted more than anything.