His Diamond Like No Other (Mills & Boon Medical)

by Lucy Clark

  ‘Carly, I’m going to need to check to see if you’ve started dilating.’ There was no response from Carly and Jane called to her, ‘Carly? Carly?’

  ‘BP?’ Sean asked, reaching for his stethoscope. He listened to her breathing.

  ‘Dropping,’ the paramedic replied.

  ‘There’s blood,’ Jane remarked a second later. ‘I think the uterus might have ruptured.’

  ‘Push fluids,’ Sean ordered. ‘Carly? Can you hear me?’ he asked, his tone firm and insistent.

  ‘Baby’s going into distress,’ said Jane.

  ‘Carly?’

  ‘Mmm?’ The tone was weak, as though Carly really didn’t have the will to fight any more. ‘Tired,’ she mumbled.

  ‘Come on, Carly. You’ve got a lot to live for. Are you having a boy or a girl? Do you know?’

  ‘Boy,’ she whispered.

  ‘BP still dropping.’

  ‘We need to get the baby out.’

  ‘It hurts,’ Carly complained, but at least her words were stronger.

  ‘Carly, your uterus has ruptured. The baby is not doing well. We need to get him out now. Do you understand?’ Jane asked, as she prepared the instruments she would need.

  ‘I’ll organise an anaesthetic,’ Sean stated and together with the paramedic they began to get Carly organised.

  ‘Carly, we need to get the baby out. If we don’t, we risk losing both of you. Do you understand?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Sean and the paramedic sedated Carly. ‘Review BP,’ Sean requested.

  The paramedic nodded, carrying out the instructions. ‘Improving,’ he remarked.

  Jane looked to Sean. ‘I’ll deliver. You be ready to receive.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  It didn’t take long for the administered anaesthetic to take effect and soon Jane had the scalpel in hand and was making an incision along the Caesarean line.

  ‘I need more exposure. Retract,’ Jane called, and Sean duly inserted the retractors. ‘Scalpel,’ she said again, unable to believe the amount of blood. They worked seamlessly together as though they’d been doing it for years, Sean able to pre-empt everything she required. ‘Something has definitely ruptured,’ she remarked.

  ‘We can keep her stable and once the baby’s out you can take a closer look around.’

  ‘Agreed.’ Jane concentrated on the present scenario, visualising it in her mind before she reached in to grab hold of the baby’s head. She’d assisted with several Caesarean section births over the years but never in circumstances like this. Thankfully, they had a lot of equipment in the ambulance but still she was having to improvise as she went along. ‘I’ve got him.’ She kept a firm grip on the little fellow and gently brought him out.

  ‘BP steady and holding,’ the paramedic reported.

  ‘Ready and waiting,’ Sean said, holding out a sterile towel ready to receive the baby.

  ‘Out you come, mate,’ she said, and in another moment Jane lifted the baby boy from his mother’s womb and into Sean’s large, capable hands beneath the sterile towel.

  ‘Clamp and cut,’ he instructed the paramedic, as Jane set about delivering the placenta. It was her job to look after the mother but she was acutely aware of the fact that the baby was not breathing.

  ‘No tone. Bag him. Begin cardiac massage.’ While Sean and one of the paramedics worked on the baby, she tried to focus her thoughts on discovering the source of the bleed.

  ‘BP?’ she asked, and the paramedic quickly took the observation.

  ‘Steady.’

  ‘Keep maintaining fluids. That’s it, Carly. You stay with us,’ she encouraged the unconscious mother. ‘How’s the baby doing?’ Jane asked.

  ‘Check pulse,’ Sean said, and the paramedic pressed his fingers to the baby’s groin, everyone silently praying the pulse was there.

  ‘It’s there! Faint but there.’

  Jane breathed a heavy sigh of relief. ‘He’s a strong one.’

  ‘He’s still having a little difficulty breathing but he is breathing. We’ll intubate and get this ambulance under way to the hospital.’ Sean continued to attend to the baby and Jane continued to investigate the source of Carly’s internal bleeding.

  ‘Swab,’ she instructed the paramedic who was assisting her. ‘I need more light.’ As she’d commanded, a strong beam of torchlight was directed where she needed it. ‘Ah. There it is. Clamp.’ She accepted the instrument and thankfully soon had the bleed under control. ‘How’s the baby?’

  ‘Colour returning. Five minute APGAR is seven.’

  ‘Excellent. Let’s get moving.’ And with Carly and the baby now in a more stable situation, one of the paramedics exited the back and headed around to the driver’s seat, all of them thankful that the police had managed to control the traffic so the area wasn’t as gridlocked.

  It wasn’t until they arrived at the hospital, the obstetric registrar and neonatal team waiting to take over, that Jane started to feel fatigue beginning to set in.

  ‘Well, that wasn’t the sort of ending I’d had planned for our day together,’ Sean remarked after they’d cleaned up. They were in the A and E staffroom, Jane sipping the cup of relaxing tea Sean had made for her.

  ‘What did you have in mind?’ she asked, resting her head back against the wall, watching Sean through heavy-lidded eyes.

  He shrugged and came over, sitting beside her and brushing her fringe from her eyes. ‘A quiet chat, a nice cuppa.’

  ‘Isn’t that what we’re doing now?’ Jane couldn’t disguise the huskiness in her tone and knew Sean was aware of it from the way he raised one eyebrow. That slow, irresistible smile started to appear on his lips. There was nothing she could do to control her emotions. She was exhausted, worn out, the emergency having zapped all her usual shields.

  ‘Not exactly the venue I’d imagined but I guess so.’ He brushed his fingers down her cheek, tenderly caressing her skin. ‘Jane, you’re tying me in knots. I can’t seem to think straight when I’m around you and I can’t seem to concentrate at all when we’re apart.’

  ‘I think you’re exaggerating.’

  His smile increased. ‘Perhaps.’ He brushed his thumb over her lips, just as he’d done previously. ‘You’re remarkable. So strong and valiant.’

  ‘I don’t—’

  ‘Shh. I’m trying to compliment you.’

  ‘Oh. Sorry.’ She was instantly contrite but somewhere, deep down inside her, she started to feel bold, started to feel that perhaps, with the way he was looking at her, with the way he seemed to be looking into her eyes as though she were the most precious person in the world to him, she might be able to take a chance. She gave him a little smile. ‘I thought you might be wanting to kiss me.’

  ‘Well…’ His eyebrow rose in interest. ‘That, too.’ He swallowed and brushed his thumb once more over her lips, before edging back slightly to remove the teacup from her hands and place it on the table. He used the opportunity to move in even closer, leaning towards her, pleased when she didn’t pull back but instead seemed to welcome his nearness. ‘Is that what you want?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, Sean, it is.’ Her lips parted to allow the pent-up air to escape.

  He exhaled slowly and came closer. ‘Am I dreaming?’ he whispered, his breath mingling with hers.

  ‘If you are, then it’s a dream we’re sharing,’ she returned, her tone equally as soft, equally as intimate.

  ‘A shared dream,’ he murmured, before his lips finally made contact with hers.

  CHAPTER TEN

  JANE COULDN’T BELIEVE the way it felt to be kissed by Sean. His mouth was gentle on her own, tenderly moving, testing, allowing her to pull away at any given moment, but that was the last thing she wanted. It was only now that she realised this was what she’d been yearning for for so long.

  It wasn’t just the fact that Sean wanted to kiss her but the fact that it was Sean kissing her. As though waiting for her to make the decision whether to pull away or to continue with this gloriousn
ess, he pressed small butterfly kisses to her lips until Jane reached out to thread her fingers through his hair, encouraging him to stay as close to her as possible.

  Even then, even after she’d put more urgency into her kiss, wanting to show him that without a shadow of a doubt she wanted this as well, Sean still hesitated, pulling back and opening his eyes to gaze down into her upturned face.

  ‘Are you sure?’ he whispered.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘This could change…everything,’ he murmured.

  ‘Yes.’ Her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed at him with desire in her eyes. Could he see the desire? Could he see just how much she wanted him? Needed him?

  Unable to stop herself, she suddenly yawned and then smiled sheepishly at Sean. ‘Sorry.’

  He shook his head and brushed one last kiss across her mouth. ‘It’s my fault for not realising how exhausted you must be.’

  ‘We helped out in the same emergency,’ she pointed out, annoyed with herself for breaking the moment. ‘Why aren’t you tired?’

  ‘You’ve faced far more than an emergency today. First meeting the rest of my family—’

  ‘They’re wonderful people, Sean. You’re very lucky.’

  ‘And if that wasn’t nerve-racking enough, having to face the demons of your past, putting your own personal trauma aside in order to help out someone who was in a similar situation.’

  ‘I couldn’t have done it without you. You were my anchor,’ she murmured, as he carefully removed her hands from his hair, entwining his fingers with hers.

  ‘I’m thinking we’re good together.’ He gave her hands a little squeeze, before edging back and pulling her to her feet. ‘I also think it’s best if we get you back to the residential wing before you fall asleep right here in the staffroom.’

  ‘If I did, would you be my knight in shining armour and carry me back to my castle?’ The words were that of a constant fairy-tale, one which she’d dreamt of over the years, desperately hoping that one day she would meet the man who was able to see the real her, to want the real her, to love the real her. Was it possible that Sean was that man?

  ‘Without a doubt,’ he murmured, dropping a kiss to the tip of her nose before letting go of her hands in order to quickly tidy the staffroom, tossing out the remainder of their drinks and washing the cups.

  ‘You’re quite adept in the kitchen,’ she remarked, when he linked his hand with hers and led them out into A and E.

  He pointed to himself with his free hand. ‘Single parent, remember? Adept at a lot of domestic duties.’ He led her through A and E, completely oblivious to the curious glances they were receiving from a few of the staff because they were holding hands. Jane hated being the source of gossip, but at the moment she had to admit that she felt sort of…delighted that Sean wasn’t afraid to show the world—or at least the A and E staff—that he cared for her. She only hoped she wasn’t making a grave mistake.

  She pushed the negative thought aside as they continued towards the residential wing, Sean continuing to hold firmly to her hand until they stood in the corridor outside her room.

  He turned her to face him, quickly enveloping her in his arms and holding her close. ‘Thank you for coming today.’ His words were thick with repressed emotion and Jane received the distinct impression that although he wanted to come in with her, he was also leaving the decision up to her.

  She swallowed. Could she do this? Could she let him in? Not only into her room but also into her heart? True, he was already there in an emotional sense but was it possible for her to let him see the real her? For him to see her scars? With Eamon, she’d been incredibly reserved, avoiding intimacy with him for as long as possible, until that one night when she’d made the mistake of opening up to him, showing him her scars and watching the revulsion cross his face.

  She’d known, as soon as she’d witnessed his expression, that he would find some excuse to leave, find some reason for calling off their engagement, and forty-eight hours later that was exactly what had happened.

  If things were going to progress with Sean, if there was any hope for any sort of future for them, then she preferred to know sooner rather than later. If she showed him her scars tonight, if she unveiled herself, she’d know as soon as he saw the deformity of her skin whether or not he truly cared about her. It was a risk but this way, if he did reject her, she’d be able to start the healing, start to find an even footing where she could quash the love she was beginning to feel for him and treat him as nothing more than a colleague and friend.

  ‘The sooner the better,’ she murmured against his chest.

  ‘Hmm?’ he asked, his big, strong arms still holding her close. Jane eased back and looked at him.

  ‘Come in.’

  Sean stared at her for a long moment as though she’d just spoken a foreign language and his sluggish mind was trying to translate. ‘Wait. What?’

  Jane fished around in her bag for her hospital lanyard, which held her room keycard, and quickly opened the room before she could change her mind. ‘Come in,’ she invited, holding the door for him.

  ‘Jane? Are you sure? I mean…’ He hesitated at the threshold. ‘I want to… Don’t get me wrong but—’

  ‘Shh.’ She quietened him, holding up one finger for silence. Then beckoned him forward and without another word from either of them Sean walked in, letting Jane close the door behind him. ‘There’s something I want to show you and I want to show you before I lose my nerve.’

  ‘Jane?’

  ‘I like you, Sean.’ She pointed to the chair near the small breakfast table, indicating he should sit down.

  ‘I like you, too, Jane.’

  ‘OK.’ She stepped forward after he’d sat down and pressed a finger to his lips. ‘If this is going to work, I need you to be quiet.’

  He frowned and whispered against her finger, his eyes filled with questions. ‘If what is going to work?’

  ‘Shh.’ She bent her head and brushed a kiss across his lips, before drawing in a deep breath and stepping away from him. ‘This is important to me and…’ She closed her eyes and started to unbutton her long-sleeved cotton shirt.

  ‘Jane. No. Wait.’ Sean shot to his feet.

  Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him. ‘What?’

  ‘I don’t think you should… I mean…just wait a minute and, uh…’ He raked an unsteady hand through his hair, his confusion evident in his concerned blue gaze. ‘I thought we could just talk and perhaps…well, if things escalated to that but…even then…’ He stopped, belatedly realising he was beginning to trip over his words.

  Jane was family. He’d invited her to become a part of his family so she wouldn’t have to be alone any more, so that she could spend time with Spencer and finally feel that after all these years she was no longer alone, and while he was most definitely attracted to her, and had been pleasantly surprised when she’d taken charge just now, the last thing he’d expected from her was some sort of striptease! Was this how the men in her life had previously treated her? Like some sort of possession to do with as they wished? Did she consider only their pleasure but not her own?

  He didn’t treat women in this way. He’d been raised to respect women, to cherish them and to treat them as equals.

  ‘I do want to talk,’ she said, but that didn’t stop her from unbuttoning her shirt. ‘Please, sit down. I need to get through this now before…before…’ She stopped, unable to voice the way she felt about him. It was definitely different from any other feelings she’d had in the past. Even with Eamon, the man she’d been about to marry, she hadn’t felt so comfortable or accepted, but she knew if there was any hope of a future with Sean, any hope at all, she needed to be completely open and honest with him, and that meant showing him her hideous body.

  ‘Please sit,’ she urged again, and it was the hint of veiled desperation in her voice that made him do as she asked. He swallowed, watching her every move, and when she’d finished undoing all the buttons on the
shirt, she took off her glasses and put them onto the table, the shirt still remaining closed.

  ‘Today was difficult for me, in many ways. Meeting your family…’ She smiled warmly at him as the memories of her wonderful time at the beach—feeling so included—washed over her. ‘That has definitely been the highlight. But the accident, facing what had happened to me all those years ago, being in A and E—a department I avoid at all costs if possible—was…confronting.’

  ‘You did so well, Ja—’

  ‘Shh.’ She spoke the sound softly before drawing in another breath and holding his gaze. ‘I remember everything about the accident, every minute detail as though it happened only yesterday. I want to tell you, Sean. I want you to know me, the real me, and to do that I need to open myself, open my past up to you, to let you into my deepest, darkest secrets.’

  Sean didn’t speak this time but instead nodded once, wanting to convey to her that he now understood more of what she was trying to do…and he was incredibly impressed by her strength.

  ‘We were driving home from a wedding, which had been up in the hills. I used to get carsick if I sat in the back so my mother had insisted that I sit in the front and she and Daina would sit in the back seat. Once we’d come down off the hills, the road now not so winding, Daina declared that it was her turn to sit in the front but my father refused to pull over. It had been raining, there was quite a bit of traffic on the road and he’d been drinking at the wedding. He was agitated and annoyed. He also had a very short fuse. My mother was trying to keep both Daina and my father under control by yelling at them to stop yelling at each other.

  ‘Then Daina decided we could just switch places at the next red traffic light. It would have to be quick, she said. I was to climb into the back while she ran around the outside of the car. I didn’t realise…’ Jane stopped and swallowed over her dry mouth, her words still quiet and straightforward with only the mildest hint of disbelief ‘…until it was too late that she’d already unbuckled my seat belt. A dog ran onto the road, between our car and the car in front, and because of my dad’s slower reflexes he swerved late and smashed our car into an enormous tree, as well as collecting a few other cars along the way.’