‘There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the way you dance!’
‘That’s all down to you.’ He smiled at her. ‘I’ve raised my game to keep up with my partner.’
‘I don’t think so!’ she scoffed. ‘If you ask me, insinuating that you’re a rubbish dancer is just a line. I expect a lot of women fall for it, don’t they, Max?’
‘If it helped to persuade you to dance with me, that’s all that matters,’ he said quietly.
Lucy felt heat flash through her veins when he pulled her into his arms. The music had changed to a slow tune now and when the lights were dimmed, she closed her eyes, giving herself up to the seductive rhythm. She could feel his lips nuzzling her hair and sighed, enjoying the feeling of closeness and the fact that it made her feel special to be held like this, desired.
‘I could dance with you like this for ever, Lucy.’
Lucy frowned when she heard the grating note in his voice. Bearing in mind what he had said about not wanting a long-term relationship, it seemed very strange. Opening her eyes, she tipped back her head and looked at him. ‘I thought you avoided commitment?’
‘I do. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t have feelings.’
He drew her to him so that she could feel his arousal pressing against her. Lucy swallowed when she felt her nipples immediately peak in response. She was wearing a black silk dress that night and she knew that Max could tell she was aroused too.
He drew her even closer, his fingers splaying across the base of her spine as they swayed together in time to the music. Lucy could feel the tension growing with each second that passed and shivered. It was obvious that Max wanted her and it made her wonder why he’d been so keen to call a halt when he had. Surely it would have made more sense if he’d tried to persuade her to have an affair with him?
She was still trying to puzzle it out when the music stopped and the lights came up. She stepped out of his arms, feeling light-headed and giddy as the thoughts whizzed around her head. Leaving aside Max’s motives, what would she have said if he had tried to talk her into having an affair? It was easy to claim that she would have refused but was that really true? Although she knew that Max was the last person she should get involved with, there was no point pretending that she didn’t want him. But was it purely lust she felt, or something more? She wished she knew because maybe then she would know what to do about it.
Max could barely think thanks to the flood of emotions that filled his mind as well as his body. He had never felt this strongly about any woman and the thought scared him half to death. He knew that he needed to get a grip on himself but it was proving harder than he’d expected to do that.
‘Come on, you two, get a move on. The buffet’s being served and all the food will be gone if we don’t get there pronto.’
Max jumped when Cathy tapped him on the shoulder. He summoned a smile, but it was hard to disguise how worried he felt. ‘I’m not hungry, thanks. I think I’ll pass.’
‘All the more for the rest of us,’ Cathy quipped. ‘What about you, Lucy?’
‘I’ll get something in a minute, thanks.’
Lucy smiled at the other woman but Max could tell the effort it cost her and his heart seemed to scrunch up inside him. Lucy was obviously finding it as difficult as he was to deal with this situation, and that was even more worrying. He turned to her as Cathy moved away to badger someone else.
‘Are you all right?’
‘I’m fine, thank you.’
When he heard the wobble in her voice, Max was hard pressed not to haul her back into his arms and to hell with the consequences, only he knew that he couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair to her or to himself to let this situation develop any further. Lucy deserved so much more than he could ever give her. She deserved a man who could give her children, and he wasn’t that man. He couldn’t bear to think that one day she could come to hate him, couldn’t stand the thought that his shortcomings as a man would come back to haunt him once again.
The pain he felt was so sharp, so intense, that he could barely stand it. He knew that he had to leave before he ended up making a fool of himself. When Amanda came over to speak to them, he quietly excused himself. Most people were queuing up for the buffet and nobody noticed him leaving, so he was able to make his escape without it causing a fuss.
He sighed as he left the hospital and headed over to his car. So much for hoping the party would take his mind off Lucy! All it had done was to make him see how impossible the situation was. The sooner he left Dalverston the better. Lucy could get on with her life and he could get on with his.
Lucy had the following two days off and spent them catching up with any jobs that needed doing. Although her flat was tiny, she spent a long time making sure everywhere was clean and tidy. She knew that she was keeping busy for the sake of it but it was the only way she could cope with what had happened between her and Max.
The fact that he had left the party without saying goodbye to her had hurt. There had seemed to be a real connection between them that night, yet he had walked away without a word. She couldn’t help feeling let down even though she knew it was foolish. Max didn’t do commitment and she didn’t want him to, so why did she feel so upset?
By the time she went into work on Christmas Eve, Lucy felt more confused than ever. It didn’t help that the unit was almost deserted when she arrived. With no new admissions that day, most of the staff had been sent home early. Even the wards were eerily quiet as the majority of patients had been discharged.
‘It’s like the Marie Celeste in here,’ she observed when she went into the office for the handover.
‘Don’t knock it!’ Tina Marshall, one of their part-time staff who was working that night, admonished her. ‘I, for one, will be perfectly happy if it stays like this. I’ve got three children who are bouncing off the walls with excitement, waiting for Father Christmas to arrive. I doubt if I’ll get any sleep when I get home in the morning, so the quieter it is tonight, the happier I’ll be.’
‘Thank heavens my lot are past that stage,’ Amanda declared. She quickly updated them about the remaining patients in the wards and then stood up. ‘That’s it, then. Diane’s gone to the canteen for her break, but she should be back soon. Oh, and the staff choir will be doing their rounds at some point, singing Christmas carols. You’ll never guess who’s playing Father Christmas this year.’
‘Why? Who is it?’ Lucy demanded, but Amanda just grinned.
‘Wait and see!’
No amount of pleading would make her tell them so in the end they gave up. Lucy went to the desk after Amanda had left. There was a stack of notes belonging to the patients who had been discharged that day that needed filing so she took them into the office and set to work. It didn’t take her very long to finish the job and she was just wondering what she should do next when she heard voices in the corridor.
She hurried to the door and gasped when she saw a group of people gathered around the desk. They were dressed in an assortment of costumes ranging from elves and fairies to sheep. Father Christmas cut a fine figure in his flowing red robes, although she had no idea who was beneath the bushy white beard until he spoke.
‘Ho, ho, ho. A merry Christmas to you, young lady,’ Max said in an exaggeratedly deep voice that made her want to giggle.
‘And a merry Christmas to you, too, Santa,’ she replied, almost choking on her laughter.
‘We’ve come to spread a little Christmas cheer,’ he informed her. He handed her a song sheet. ‘Everyone’s welcome to join in, elves, fairies, staff and patients.’
‘Thank you.’
Lucy smiled as she took the sheet from him and he smiled back. Just for a second his eyes held hers and she felt her heart leap when she saw the awareness they held. She was immediately transported back to when he had held her in his arms at the Christmas party. There had been a connection between them that night, just as there was a connection between them now. Maybe it wasn’t what either of them want
ed but there was no point trying to deny it.
It was all very unsettling. When the choir began to sing the first carol, Lucy found it hard to concentrate. However, the familiar strains of ‘Away in a Manger’ soon had her singing along. They went into the wards where Max handed out fluffy white teddy bears to all the babies. He had a word with each of the mums and she couldn’t help noticing how they all responded to him. It wasn’t just the fact that Max was a very attractive man but that he obviously cared about people, and they responded to that. Once again she found herself thinking how at odds his attitude was to the way he lived his life.
They left the wards and made their way to the special care baby unit where Max placed a teddy on every incubator. When the choir began to sing ‘Silent Night’, Lucy wasn’t the only one with tears in her eyes. There was something incredibly moving about hearing the beautiful old carol sung in a place where the most vulnerable babies were cared for.
‘That was really lovely,’ she said sincerely as they left SCBU.
‘It always leaves a lump in my throat,’ Max admitted as he followed her along the corridor.
‘Me too. So where are you off to next?’ she asked, pausing when they came to the stairs.
‘There’s just Women’s Surgical left to do and that’s it. I can hang up my robe and beard. I must say that I won’t be sorry to part with the latter. It’s incredibly hot and itchy!’
Lucy laughed when he began to scratch his chin. ‘Good job you won’t have to wear it for very much longer. Do you usually play Father Christmas?’
‘No, this is a first for me. Sam Kearney was supposed to be doing it this year but he got held up in Resus. He phoned me to ask if I’d take over for him and I couldn’t think of a way to refuse.’
‘Well, I’m sure everyone appreciated your efforts.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ He gave her a quick smile then went to catch up with the rest of the party.
Lucy went back to the office, wishing that she could have thought of something to keep him there a bit longer. She sighed because it was dangerous to think like that. She needed to stay away from Max instead of concocting reasons to be with him. She found the laundry list and went to put away the fresh supplies that had been delivered. Tina helped her and they had just finished when the phone rang.
‘I’ll get it,’ Lucy said, hurrying to the desk. ‘Maternity. Lucy Harris speaking.’
It was Helen Roberts’s husband, phoning to tell them that Helen had gone into labour. He sounded frantic with worry and Lucy understood why when he explained that he had phoned for an ambulance only to be told that it could be some time before one reached them. Apparently, there’d been a serious accident on the motorway and every available ambulance had been deployed there. With his leg still in a cast, Martin was unable to drive Helen to the hospital himself.
‘Is there anyone else who could drive her here?’ Lucy asked.
‘No, nobody. Mum and Dad are away on a cruise and they won’t be back for another week,’ Martin told her anxiously.
‘How about a neighbour, perhaps?’
‘Jack Walsh is our nearest neighbour—he lives about ten miles away,’ Martin informed her. ‘I know it doesn’t sound very far, but we’ve had a lot of snow in the past few days and the roads are virtually impassable in places. It could take an hour or more for Jack to get here.’
‘That’s probably as long as it would take an ambulance to get to you,’ Lucy said, trying not to show how concerned she felt. She knew how dangerous it would be for Helen to give birth without the necessary precautions being taken. Poor glycaemic control during labour and birth could affect the baby, causing respiratory distress and hypoglycaemia amongst other things. Helen would need either insulin injections or intravenous dextrose plus insulin to keep her stable. She realised that she needed to discuss the situation with someone else.
‘I need to speak to one of the doctors about this, Martin, so I’m going to have to phone you back.’
‘You won’t be long, will you? We really need help here asap.’
‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ she assured him. She hung up then contacted the switchboard and asked them to page Diane, quickly explaining what had happened as soon as the registrar phoned her back.
‘I don’t know what to suggest,’ Diane admitted worriedly. ‘Obviously, the situation is extremely urgent but without an ambulance to ferry Helen here, I don’t know what we can do. I’ll give Max a call and see what he says.’
Lucy hung up, checking her watch to see how much time had elapsed. Although the conversation had taken only a few minutes, every second counted. When the phone rang, she snatched up the receiver. ‘What did Max say?’
There was a tiny pause before Max’s voice came down the line. ‘Diane just told me what’s happened. I’ve spoken to Ambulance Control and they’re trying to organise an ambulance, but it could take some time to get one out to the farm.’
‘What about the neighbouring authorities?’ she suggested, trying to still the thunderous beating of her heart, but hearing his voice so unexpectedly had thrown her off balance. ‘Can they help?’
‘Apparently they’ve already deployed any spare ambulances to the RTA. Ambulance Control will have to try further afield, possibly Lancaster or Penrith.’
‘But they’re miles away from here!’
‘I know. I’m not happy about it either, but it’s the best they can do in the circumstances. In the meantime, I’m going to drive up to the farm myself. I was on my way home when Diane phoned me but it won’t take me long to get back to the unit and collect what I need.’
He paused and Lucy realised that she was holding her breath as she waited for him to continue. ‘The thing is that I need someone to go with me. I’ve had a word with Carol Jackson, the nursing manager, and she’s agreed to find cover. A couple of the community midwives are on standby and I’m sure one of them will come in if it’s necessary. So will you come with me, Lucy? Please.’
Chapter Ten
‘How much further is it now?’
Max changed down a gear, keeping his gaze locked on the increasingly treacherous surface of the road. Thick snow blanketed the surrounding countryside, with drifts several feet deep in places. He couldn’t imagine how an ambulance would manage to negotiate these roads in such appalling conditions, which made it all the more imperative that they get through.
‘A couple of miles.’ Lucy angled the light from the torch so that she could see the map. ‘There should be a turning down here on the left any second now…There it is!’
Max slowed the car to a crawl before he turned into the lane. Even so, he felt the rear end slide sideways and held his breath as he steered into the skid. The last thing they needed was to end up in a ditch!
‘I’m glad I’m not driving.’ Lucy grimaced as the car righted itself and they set off down the lane. ‘It’s horrendously slippy.’
‘It is. I can’t see an ambulance making it up here, can you?’ Max observed, resisting the urge to look at her. He needed to keep his attention on the road, he reminded himself, then sighed. Just sitting next to Lucy was distracting enough.
‘No, I can’t. So what are we going to do if we can’t get Helen to the hospital before the baby arrives?’
She sounded worried and he hurried to reassure her. ‘Exactly what we would do if Helen was in the unit. We have everything we need, Lucy—insulin, dextrose, pain relief, the lot.’
‘And what if she needs a section? I mean, it could happen, Max. I know the recent scans of the baby seemed fine but…’
‘But nothing. We’ll deal with that if and when it happens.’ He reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘Don’t go borrowing trouble, as my granny used to say.’
She gave a shaky laugh as she withdrew her hand. ‘Your granny sounds like a very wise woman.’
She busied herself with the map, making it clear that she didn’t want any more reassurances. Max gripped the steering-wheel, feeling his fingers tingling from the brief cont
act they’d made with hers. Could Lucy feel it too, he wondered, feel those frissons of awareness flickering under her skin? He thought she did, and it only made him feel even more conscious of her sitting beside him. To know that Lucy shared these feelings he had was both a torment and a joy.
It was another ten minutes before they finally reached the farmhouse. Max heaved a sigh of relief as he switched off the engine. ‘I didn’t think we were going to make it down that last stretch. The snow was so thick that the tyres couldn’t get a grip.’
‘I’m glad it’s over,’ Lucy said thankfully, opening the car door. She hurried round to the back and opened the tailgate, reaching for the box of supplies they’d brought with them.
‘I’ll take that if you’ll carry my case,’ Max told her, lifting the box out of the Land Rover. They headed to the house and Lucy knocked on the door. Martin opened it and it was obvious how relieved he was to see them.
‘Thanks heavens you made it!’ He ushered them into the kitchen, using one of his crutches to direct them along the hall. ‘Through there on your left. Helen’s in the sitting room. We’ve been sleeping downstairs—it’s easier than negotiating the stairs with these things.’
‘We’ll find her,’ Max assured him. He led the way to the sitting room and found Helen lying on the sofa. ‘How are you doing?’
‘Not too bad.’ She summoned a smile but Max could see the worry in her eyes. ‘It’s the baby I’m more concerned about. If my glucose levels aren’t right then it could cause problems when it’s born, couldn’t it?’
‘Yes, it could, but that isn’t going to happen, Helen. We’re going to keep a close watch on your blood glucose levels, aren’t we, Lucy?’ He turned to Lucy, trying to ignore the flood of emotions that filled him. He didn’t have time to worry about how he felt when he needed to concentrate on Helen and her baby.
‘We are. In fact, we shall do everything exactly the same as we would have done if you’d been in hospital,’ she confirmed, using his own words to reassure Helen. They obviously worked because Helen’s smile was less forced this time.
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