‘Do you think you can climb up?’ she panted, her breath coming in laboured spurts.
‘I…don’t…know,’ Sophie replied, her teeth chattering with cold.
‘You have to try. Come on. I’ll help you.’
She managed to guide Sophie’s foot onto a rung then used her shoulder to boost her up the ladder. It was painfully slow and Lucy could feel her hands as well as her legs going numb with the cold. Sophie was halfway up the ladder now and she knew it was time that she got out as well.
She grabbed hold of a rung and tried to haul herself out of the water, but the weight of her clothing was dragging her down. It didn’t help either that her hands were so cold that it was hard to maintain her grip on the metal rung.
Lucy gasped as she fell back into the water. She could hear Sophie shouting and did her best to reach the ladder, but she was too far away from it now. The water closed over her head as she sank beneath the surface and her last thought before the blackness descended was about Max and how much she loved him. It didn’t matter if they could never have a family; she just wanted to be with him.
Chapter Fifteen
IT WAS the worst week of Max’s entire life. Worse even than when he’d found out that he would never be a father. He missed Lucy so much, missed seeing her smile, hearing her laugh, just missed being with her. In the short time he had known her, she had come to mean the world to him and he couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without her. It was only the thought of the harm it could cause that stopped him seeking her out and telling her how he felt.
He spent New Year’s Eve at home on his own, having turned down several invitations. He didn’t feel like celebrating and would have been very poor company if he’d gone out. He went into work on New Year’s Day and did his best to appear upbeat when everyone wished him a happy new year but his heart was heavy. He wasn’t looking forward to the coming year when he would be leaving Dalverston, and leaving Lucy.
He tried to shrug off the feeling of hopelessness and concentrated on work. There’d been two admissions during the night and both mums were hoping that their baby would be the first to be born in the unit that year. One of the women had suffered from high blood pressure throughout her pregnancy and when her BP started to rise to dangerous levels, Max decided that a section would be the safest option.
The procedure went smoothly and he was back on the unit within the hour. Amanda was on the phone when he returned and he could tell that she was upset. ‘What’s happened?’ he asked as soon as she’d hung up.
‘That was A and E on the phone. Apparently, they’ve got Lucy down there. I’m not sure what’s happened exactly, but they said something about her being pulled out of the canal.’
‘The canal!’ Max exclaimed in horror. ‘Did they say anything else, has she been badly injured?’
‘No. They just asked if we had a contact number for her family. I said I’d have a look and phone them back.’
‘I see.’ Max spun round, his heart hammering with fear. The situation must be serious if A and E needed to get in touch with her family. ‘I’m going down there right now. Page me but only if it’s urgent, OK?’
‘I…um…yes, of course,’ Amanda agreed, looking a little startled by his hasty departure.
Quite frankly, Max didn’t care what anyone thought. His only concern at that moment was Lucy and what had happened to her. He ran along the corridor, taking the stairs two at a time rather than waiting for the lift. A and E was heaving with people but he pushed his way through the crowd gathered around the Reception desk.
‘You’ve got Lucy Harris here. Where is she?’ he demanded when the receptionist looked up.
‘I’m not sure. Just let me check.’ The woman started to scroll through a list of names on her computer while Max tried to curb his impatience. ‘Ah, yes, here it is. She’s in Resus, Dr Curtis.’
‘Thanks.’
Max hurriedly made his way along the corridor, feeling his stomach churning as he stopped outside the door to Resus. This was where the most seriously injured patients were treated and he couldn’t bear to think that Lucy was in need of this kind of specialist care. His hand was shaking as he pushed open the door because he didn’t know what he would do if anything happened to her.
‘Max! This is a surprise. What are you doing here?’
Max looked round when he recognised Sam Kearney’s voice. ‘I believe you’ve got Lucy Harris in here. How is she?’
‘A lot better than she was, I’m happy to say.’
Sam led him over to the corner and pushed aside a screen. Max felt his heart bunch up inside him when he saw Lucy lying on the bed. She was covered from toes to chin with insulated blankets and there was another blanket wrapped around her head. Although her eyes were closed he could hear her breathing and some of his panic subsided. She was alive and that was the most important thing.
He turned to Sam. ‘Do you know what happened? Someone said that she’d been pulled out of the canal.’
‘That’s right. From what I can gather, she jumped in to rescue a girl who’d fallen into the lock. Lucy managed to help her out but couldn’t get out herself. It was pure luck that a chap walking his dog heard the girl screaming for help. He managed to haul Lucy out.’
‘Thank heavens for that!’ Max declared in relief. ‘So how badly injured is she?’
‘She’s suffering from hypothermia. Core body temperature was a shade below thirty-five degrees when she was admitted but, as you can see, it’s risen since then.’ Sam directed his attention to the monitor and Max nodded.
‘That’s a positive sign, isn’t it?’
‘It is, although she’s not out of the woods just yet,’ Sam warned him. ‘As the body’s temperature drops, there is increasing dysfunction of all the major organs, so we’ll need to monitor her for the next twenty-four hours or so. On the plus side, however, her heart rate is steady and her sats are improving.’
‘I see.’ Max went over to the bed, feeling his heart swell with relief when Lucy’s eyes slowly opened. ‘How do you feel?’ he asked, his voice thickened with emotion.
‘I’m not sure. Cold, I suppose. And scared…’
She tailed off as though it was too much effort to continue. Max reached for her hand and held it tightly in his. ‘There’s nothing to be scared about, sweetheart. I’m here now and I’m going to take care of you, if you’ll let me.’
Bending, he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, feeling his pulse leap when he felt her kiss him back. In that moment everything became crystal clear. He loved her and that was why he’d been so scared when he’d found out she’d been injured. He had been fighting his feelings for weeks but he could no longer hide from the truth. He loved her. It was as simple and as complicated as that. He was still reeling from the discovery when he heard Sam laugh.
‘Ever had the feeling that you’re surplus to requirements? I’ll be back in a few minutes, not that I think you’re going to miss me.’ Sam looked pointedly at the ceiling. ‘Whoever put that there has a lot to answer for.’
Max grinned when he saw the bunch of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. ‘Remind me to thank them!’
Lucy smiled as Sam sketched them a wave and left. ‘If you’re not careful, people will start talking. You don’t want to ruin your reputation, do you, Max?’
‘For being the eternal bachelor, you mean?’ He raised her hand to his lips. ‘Those days are well and truly over.’
‘Are they?’ she whispered, searching his face.
‘Yes.’ He took a deep breath. It was such a huge step and he wasn’t sure even now if it was the right thing to do.
‘Just tell me, Max.’
Her voice was soft, the look she gave him so filled with love that all his doubts disappeared. Bending, he looked into her eyes, wanting there to be no mistake about what he was saying. ‘I love you, Lucy. I love you with all my heart and my soul and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll let me.’
She close
d her eyes for a moment and when she looked at him again he could see tears sparkling on her lashes. ‘I love you too, Max. With my heart and my soul and every tiny bit of me.’
‘Oh, my darling!’ He swept her into his arms and kissed her with all the love he felt. He had never dreamt this moment would happen so it made it all the sweeter, all the more precious. They were both breathless when he let her go and he laughed wryly as he checked the monitoring equipment.
‘Hmm, your pulse rate shows a definite increase and your temperature has risen too. This could be an alternative method for treating cases of hypothermia. What do you think?’
‘Fine, so long as it’s only me you’re planning on treating, Dr Curtis.’
Max chuckled. ‘Oh, it is. Most definitely.’ He kissed her lingeringly then smiled into her eyes. ‘I’m not interested in anyone else. I haven’t been interested since I met you.’
‘No?’ She arched a brow. ‘What about that date you had a couple of weeks ago?’
‘A complete and total failure. I spent the evening wishing I was with you,’ he confessed.
‘So it didn’t lead to a night of unbridled passion?’ she asked lightly, but he heard the question in her voice.
‘No, it didn’t. You stole my heart the moment I met you, Lucy. It just took me a while to admit it. But you’re the only woman I want, now and for evermore.’
‘I’m so glad,’ she said simply. ‘It’s how I feel too. You are the only man I shall ever want.’
‘You do understand what it means, though, about us not having a family,’ he said quietly, because he needed to be sure that she had thought it through properly.
‘Yes. I wish things could be different, Max, but I know that I’ll be happy so long as I have you.’
‘Are you sure? It’s such a big decision and I don’t want you to regret it at some point.’
‘I won’t regret it. I promise you that.’ She smiled up at him with her heart in her eyes. ‘I love you, Max, and whatever the future brings, we shall face it together.’
Max was so choked with emotion that he couldn’t say anything. He kissed her on the mouth, letting his lips say everything he couldn’t. There were tears in his eyes this time when he drew back. ‘I love you, Lucy. I want to spend my life with you so will you marry me? Please.’
‘If you’re sure it’s what you want then yes. Yes, I’ll marry you, Max!’
Max gave a great whoop of joy. He was about to take her back in his arms when he suddenly became aware that people were clapping. He pushed back the screen, grinning when he discovered that they had attracted an audience. ‘I take it that you lot were listening?’
‘Too right we were.’ Sam clapped him on the shoulder. ‘It’s not every day that you get to hear the hospital’s most die-hard bachelor being brought to heel!’
Everyone laughed at that, Max included. He turned to Lucy and smiled. ‘I hope you weren’t planning on keeping this a secret.’
‘No. I don’t care who knows.’
‘Let’s hope you still feel that way after the hospital grapevine gets to work.’
He pointedly closed the screen then kissed her again. One kiss led to another and probably would have led to many more if his pager hadn’t bleeped. He groaned as he unhooked it off his belt and checked the display. ‘Maternity. I hate leaving you here like this, but I have to go. I’ll come back as soon as I can—that’s a promise.’
‘I understand, Max, and I’ll be fine, honestly.’ She kissed him on the mouth then sighed. ‘Odd how something so wonderful has come out of what could have been a tragedy.’
‘It is. Sam told me that you saved someone’s life,’ Max said soberly. ‘You were very brave, Lucy.’
‘I only did what anyone else would have done.’ She frowned. ‘Did you know that it was Sophie Jones who fell into the lock?’
‘No, I had no idea! What was she doing by the canal in the first place?’
‘I’m not sure, but she was in a terrible state. It will take too long to explain it all to you now, but that baby I found was hers. It was Alfie.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. I’ll tell you the whole story later when you’ve got time to listen. All I will say is that I can understand why she left him outside our door. That poor girl has been through an awful lot and she desperately needs help.’
‘Then we’ll make sure she gets it.’
He gave her a last kiss then made his way back to the maternity unit. It was obvious from the expressions on people’s faces that the hospital grapevine had already been working overtime but Max didn’t care who knew about him and Lucy. In fact, he was sorely tempted to take out an advert in the paper and announce the news to the world at large. The woman he loved had agreed to marry him. Now, that really was a cause for celebration!
Christmas Day, one year later…
Lucy smiled as she walked into the sitting room and knelt down in front of the Christmas tree. Although it was ridiculously early, she hadn’t been able to stay in bed any longer. Excitement coursed through as she placed a small package under the tree. It might not look very much but she knew that Max would love this gift more than any other.
‘So this is where you’ve got to.’
She looked round when Max suddenly appeared, feeling her heart fill with love. The past year had been so wonderful that several times she’d had to pinch herself to prove she wasn’t dreaming. They had been married in the spring in a simple civil ceremony held in the grounds of a hotel on the banks of Lake Windermere. Her cousin Amy had been one of her bridesmaids, along with her sister and Max’s three small nieces. Family was important to them both and it was good to know that any rifts had been healed.
They had stayed in Dalverston after both agreeing that they wanted to start their married life there. Max had been appointed to the post of consultant on a permanent basis when Anna Kearney had decided not to return to work following her maternity leave. Although they both lived and worked together, Lucy knew that she would never grow tired of being with Max. He was her whole world.
‘I couldn’t sleep,’ she told him as he came and crouched down beside her.
‘Too excited about what Santa has brought you, I expect,’ he said, dropping a kiss on her lips.
Lucy sighed as she snuggled against him. She had never realised how much she could love someone until she had met him. ‘I love you,’ she murmured.
‘And I love you too.’ He kissed her again then picked up one of the gaily wrapped parcels. ‘Happy Christmas, my darling.’
Lucy took it from him and ripped open the paper. There was a velvet-covered box inside and she gasped when she opened the lid and saw a silver charm bracelet nestled against the satin lining. ‘It’s beautiful, Max! I love it.’
‘Good.’ He took the bracelet out of its box and fastened it around her wrist. ‘The woman in the jeweller’s shop told me that it holds about twenty charms, so that’s the next twenty Christmases covered. I thought I’d start you off with this.’
He showed her the first charm, a tiny silver elephant, and she laughed. ‘A reminder of our honeymoon in Thailand? We had such fun that day when we rode those elephants, didn’t we?’
‘We did, but then every day I spend with you is fun, Lucy.’ His eyes were tender as they traced her face and she sighed.
‘We’re so lucky, Max. We have everything anyone could want.’
‘Yes, we do,’ he agreed, but she saw the cloud that crossed his face and knew what he was thinking. Happiness bubbled up inside her as she thought about the gift she had placed under the tree. She was going to save it till last because she knew that Max was going to love it more than any other.
They took it in turn to open their presents, eagerly exclaiming at what the other had bought for them. By the time they finished there were just a few gifts left under the tree. Max picked up a large box covered in red paper with tiny reindeer printed all over it.
‘Alfie is going to love this. I can’t wait to see his face when he s
ees this toy tractor.’
‘I think you like it almost as much as Alfie will,’ Lucy teased, laughing at him.
True to his word, Max had done everything in his power to help Sophie. He had contacted the local council and insisted that she should be placed on their priority housing list. Sophie had moved into her new flat in the summer and was thrilled to have a place of her own. He had also liaised with the child protection team and it was thanks to Max that Alfie was now back home with his mother and obviously thriving. The fact that Sophie was planning to train as a nursery nurse was yet more proof of how the girl had turned her life around with a bit of help.
‘What’s this?’ Max frowned as he held up the parcel she had placed under the tree that morning. ‘I don’t remember seeing this before. Who’s it for?’
‘You,’ Lucy said simply.
‘Me?’ He ripped off the paper and Lucy saw the colour drain from his face as he stared down at the plastic wand it had contained. ‘Is this what I think it is?’ he said, his deep voice grating.
‘Yes.’ Reaching over she pointed to a small window in the plastic stick. ‘See those two blue lines? They mean I’m pregnant. Happy Christmas, Max. You’re going to be a daddy.’
‘But how…? When…?’
Words failed him and she laughed because she knew exactly how he felt. She felt that way too, stunned and gloriously, wonderfully happy.
‘I think how it happened is pretty easy to explain. We just did what any couple does when they love each other. As for when—well, by my reckoning it must have been that weekend we spent in Paris. The dates certainly fit. According to this, I’m eight weeks pregnant.’
‘I can’t believe it.’ There were tears in his eyes as he reached out and pulled her into his arms. ‘I know that doctor I saw didn’t completely rule out the chance of it happening, but I thought he was trying to let me down gently.’
‘Apparently not.’ She kissed him on the mouth, then drew back and looked at him. ‘I know it must be a shock for you…’
‘It is! But it’s the most wonderful shock I’ve ever had. Thank you, Lucy. Thank you so much. Sharing my life with you has been like a dream come true and to know that we’re having a baby as well is just the icing on the cake. I didn’t know it was possible to feel this happy!’
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