‘Logan? Can you hang about a bit? I’ve got a problem with a patient who will need to be transported off the island.’
For a second he looked as if he was about to say something else. But whatever it was, it vanished in an instant. Logan was the consummate professional. ‘Who’s the patient?’
‘Lynsey Black. Pregnant with twins, possible placental abruption.’
Logan’s face paled but Gemma held up her hand. ‘It gets worse. She’s starting to have contractions.’
Logan pointed towards the phone. ‘Make the call, Gemma, and I’ll stay with the patient.’
She breathed a sigh of relief. She’d known if it was a matter of a patient Logan would be fine. He was always professional at work. His patients always came first.
In a way it was reassuring. She knew she could always depend on her colleague.
Too bad that only related to work matters.
* * *
Gemma appeared back in the room in minutes. She walked over to where Logan was monitoring Lynsey’s contractions. Her voice was low. ‘There’s a problem,’ she whispered in his ear.
He turned his head away from Lynsey, who was deep in conversation with someone on her mobile phone.
‘There are no neonatal beds at the local maternity hospital. The helicopter is going to have to take us to the Princess Grace Maternity in Glasgow.’
Logan resisted the temptation to let out a curse. ‘Can they give us an estimate of how much time that will add onto the journey? I have to tell you that now she’s started having contractions, things are moving quickly. We don’t have a lot of time here.’
‘I know that. The helicopter will be here in the next ten minutes. But they’ve asked for two doctors—one for each potential delivery.’
Logan nodded. Of course they had. Their paramedic would have to deal with a mother who was potentially haemorrhaging. It made sense to have two other professionals to deal with possibility of two premature babies.
He put his hand on her shoulder. Gemma looked ready to burst into tears. She’d already had to make a transfer in a helicopter, and he knew she hadn’t enjoyed it. This journey would be longer, and fraught with even more danger. Three lives were at risk here.
‘I’m happy to come along, Gemma.’ Then he added, ‘And I’m even happier to have an experienced paediatrician on board. You might need to give me some tips.’ He wanted to give her a little confidence and some professional reassurance. Personally, he wanted to wipe the look of terror out of her eyes, which she was obviously trying to hide.
He should have sat her down and talked to her the minute she’d come in this morning. The trouble was, he still didn’t really know what to say to her, or how to say it. So, as usual, he’d been waiting for an opportunity to present itself. Too late.
She shook her head and put her hand up over his. There was a tremble to her hand. This was freaking her out more than she would ever let on.
‘What about Edith? Can we take the midwife too?’
Logan shook his head. ‘It will be a tight fit as it is. There will only be room for you, me and the paramedic. As it is, you might have to sit in my lap.’
He was deliberately joking with her. Trying to take some of the tension out of the air. He needed her to be calm. He didn’t doubt her professional capabilities for a second. But he could almost sense her fear.
He gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Don’t worry, Gem. We’re in this together.’
Her brown eyes met his. There were grateful tears in the corners of her eyes. It didn’t matter what he thought about her history. It didn’t matter about the fights they’d had. Deep down, he knew Gemma was a good doctor. A good person. Even if he didn’t understand her reasons, she’d been right about one thing. He had absolutely no right to stand in judgement of her.
She was his colleague and they had to work together to try and keep this patient and her babies alive.
But it was so much more than that.
Gemma Halliday and her beautiful daughter had got under his skin. When he heard a little girl laugh, he automatically looked over his shoulder to see if it was Isla. And even though he tried to fight his own thoughts, Gemma was permanently among them.
Edith signalled to them. She was holding the bag of IV fluids in one hand and gesturing to a stretcher with the other. ‘Bill is here to transport us over to the landing pad. Are we ready to go?’
Gemma had already turned back round, her professional face once more firmly in place. ‘Let’s go,’ she said, as she headed towards the door.
Logan smiled. He picked up her bag from the floor and her jacket from the peg behind the door. ‘Gemma? Forgotten something?’
‘What? Oh.’ Her face flushed red as she ran the few steps back and grabbed her bag and jacket. ‘Thanks.’
Her hand brushed against his again. ‘No problem.’
She was gone in an instant and he was left staring at his hand, at the skin she’d just touched.
There it was again. No matter how much he tried to deny it, there was no getting away from the effect Gemma had on him. It was electric.
* * *
The journey was a nightmare. By the time they’d arrived at Grace Maternity one baby had been delivered and the second was well on its way. Lynsey had been haemorrhaging significantly and they’d ended up with two lines in her veins, both pumping fluids into her.
Logan had never been so relieved to see the delivery team waiting for them as soon as they’d opened the doors of the helicopter. Lynsey was swept away on a stretcher, with an incubator and neonatologist waiting for the first baby. The second incubator was raced along the corridor after Lynsey’s trolley and disappeared into the nearest theatre.
Logan stared down at his gloved hands. Even though he’d pushed his shirtsleeves out of the way they were still stained with blood. Lynsey’s haemorrhaging had been severe. He only hoped this second baby could be delivered safely.
He pinged off the gloves into the nearest clinical waste bins. One of the staff at Grace gestured him towards a trolley. ‘You’ll get a scrub top in there. Showers are just along the corridor on your left if you want to get yourself tidied up.’
‘Thanks.’ He grabbed a navy scrub top and started down the corridor in the direction he’d last seen Gemma heading. They would need to make arrangements to get back to Arran. He didn’t want her to think he’d just disappeared.
She was standing with her nose pressed up against the glass in the theatre door, watching the proceedings from a safe distance. She jumped as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
‘Logan! Sorry, you startled me.’
‘How are things going?’
She pointed through the door, ‘They’ve already got her on a rapid transfuser. She’s lost a lot of blood.’
‘And the second baby?’
‘Just about to be delivered.’ She glanced down, first at his shirt then at her own blood-splattered one. ‘Can you show me where you got that? I think I need to change too. Then I’d like to stay long enough to make sure Lynsey and the babies are okay.’
‘No problem. Why don’t we get changed then go for a coffee?’
She held up her bag. ‘I can pay this time. Someone reminded me to bring my bag.’
They showered and changed quickly, their dirty clothes stuffed into a patient clothing bag and stored behind the reception desk to be collected on their way out.
As they made their way back along the corridor they could hear some raised voices. ‘I want to see her. She’s my wife. Let me in.’
Someone was speaking in a calm, quiet manner. ‘I’m sorry, sir, your wife is currently being assessed by the doctor. If you take a seat in the waiting room, someone will come and get you in a few minutes.’
Gemma froze, her steps halting in the long corridor. Logan’s arm had been behind her body and it knocked into her backside. She didn’t even notice. She looked shocked.
‘You’re not listening to me! I want to be there when my wife is being assessed. Don�
�t you know who I am?’
Logan bristled at the angry voice. All patients’ relatives could become anxious, but this was getting ridiculous. He could glimpse the older woman, who was tiny, squaring up to the large red-haired man.
‘I know exactly who you are. That’s why I’m telling you now to have a seat in the waiting room. If you don’t do exactly as I say I’ll have you removed. Have I made myself clear?’ She was obviously used to dealing with difficult relatives and her diminutive size strangely only seemed to make her a more formidable force.
Logan’s feet carried him closer. The man was shaking with rage. If he was going to take a swing for the nurse, Logan wanted to be ready to stop him.
The man’s face was almost the same colour as his hair. After a few tense seconds he stomped down the corridor, still ranting under his breath.
Logan shook his head. ‘What a prat. I bet his wife doesn’t even want to see him.’ He turned back to Gemma. She looked scared. She looked in shock. ‘Gem? What’s wrong?’ He walked over and put his hands on her shoulders.
His touch seemed to spur her into action. Her legs moved quickly, pacing up the corridor and staring through the gaps in the curtains surrounding the cubicles. She was like a woman on a mission. What on earth was she doing?
She searched through four empty cubicles then another three with patients she obviously didn’t know. He could tell immediately when she’d found who she was looking for.
‘Lesley!’ She disappeared at once behind the curtains. A chill swept over his body. It was the way she’d said the word. She’d sounded almost...haunted.
Realisation was sweeping his body, making every tiny hair stand on end. Lesley. The friend she’d been a surrogate for.
That’s why she’d stopped in mid-step in the corridor. The boorish redhead must have been Patrick. But this was a maternity hospital and Lesley couldn’t have children. Did she work here? Gemma hadn’t mentioned anything on the flight here.
Logan was torn. This was the thing that had pushed them apart. But no matter what his feelings on the matter, his only concern here was Gemma. He’d seen her face. He needed to be sure she was okay.
He stood at the gap in the curtains. Lesley was lying on a trolley, her face badly bruised and swollen, her abdomen revealing a pregnancy. Logan’s first reaction was horror at the wounds inflicted on the pregnant woman. His second, surprise that Gemma’s friend was pregnant in the first place. He’d thought she couldn’t have kids.
Gemma was over in an instant, her arms wrapping around her friend’s neck. ‘Lesley, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?’ She hesitated then put her hand gently on Lesley’s. ‘You’re pregnant.’ He could hear the surprise in her voice. But there was real and absolute concern in her voice. He didn’t doubt how much she cared about her friend, even if they had been estranged.
Lesley didn’t answer. She was sobbing. Logan turned away, not wanting to invade either of the women’s privacy but wanting to make sure he was close enough to support Gemma if needed.
After a few minutes Lesley lifted her head. Her lips were burst, her nose looked as if it was broken. Purple livid bruising was appearing across her face, the tops of her arms and...around her throat. He’d tried to strangle her?
Logan’s hands clenched into fists. His pregnant wife. And he’d tried to strangle her. It didn’t matter to him that he didn’t even know this woman. How dared a man do this to his wife?
His stomach curled. Gemma had been right. She’d been so right. Logan couldn’t bear the thought of what Isla might have been exposed to if Gemma had handed her over to this couple.
Gemma was cradling her friend’s head, slowly stroking the back of her tousled hair. ‘Lesley, I’m so sorry.’ She bent a little lower, shaking her head. ‘Obviously, I’m happy that you’re pregnant, Lesley. And I’m praying that your baby is safe. You have to tell me, is this the first time Patrick’s done this?’
Lesley’s sobs got louder as she shook her head. ‘It’s been worse since I’ve been pregnant. He can’t stand the fact that there are things out of his control.’ She put her head in her hands. ‘After all those years, all those treatments, I just fell pregnant out of the blue. Then Patrick started questioning if the baby was his.’
Logan could see Gemma’s shoulders start to shake. Was she going to start crying too?
Then he noticed her stance, how she was holding her body. No. Gemma was mad. Gemma was enraged.
‘Have you reported him to the police, Lesley?’
‘No! I can’t. He’s my husband. What would people think?’ She shook her head fiercely. ‘He’s a doctor. He can’t have something like this on his record.’
Gemma’s voice was shaking. ‘Lesley...’ she pointed at Lesley’s abdomen ‘...you have a baby to protect from a violent man. You owe it to your child to report Patrick’s actions.’ She lowered her voice until it was almost a whisper. ‘What if he’s harmed your baby, Lesley? You’ve waited such a long time for this. You can’t let him harm your baby.’
There was another burst of sobs. ‘They’ve scanned me. They think the baby is fine but I’ve to stay in for other treatment.’
Well, that much was obvious. The maternity staff would be determined to keep her and her baby safe. They would want to give her time to consider what had happened. They would want to give her options. It was a sad fact of life that for a lot of women domestic abuse was much more prevalent during a pregnancy.
But Lesley was still clearly trying to work through things. ‘It isn’t the baby he wants to hurt, Gemma. It’s me. He won’t touch the baby once it’s here.’
Logan could see the rage build in Gemma’s face, although to the outside world she appeared icily calm. Her professional demeanour meant she could say the words she should, he only hoped her personal feelings wouldn’t take over.
‘You don’t know that for sure. Lesley, as a paediatrician, I need to tell you that your child is at risk. By raising his hands to you today he put the life of his child in danger. This is a child protection issue. The staff at this hospital will already have reported this incident to the police.’
‘They need my permission!’
‘No. No, they don’t. They consider you, and your child, vulnerable. They have a responsibility to report this.’ She placed a hand over Lesley’s. ‘It’s time, Lesley. It’s time to tell the truth about Patrick. It’s time to realise he can’t do this and to protect your baby.’
Her face crumpled and she knelt beside the trolley. It was clear she would try anything to get through to her friend.
‘I’m sorry, I really am. But you’ve got to look after yourself. And you’ve got to look after this baby. Do you have somewhere safe you can go? Could you call your mum? I’m living on Arran now—if you want to get away from everything, you can come and stay with me.’ Logan flinched at her words. Gemma had a bigger heart than he could ever have expected. She was willing to open her door to her friend in her time of need. Even though she knew it would be hard. Even though she knew that Isla would meet the woman who had been meant to be her mother.
He could hardly imagine anything more difficult. But for Gemma it seemed more important to keep the baby and Lesley safe. He shouldn’t have expected anything less.
Lesley dissolved into a fit of tears, shaking her head, her hands wrapped across her stomach. ‘I don’t know, Gemma. I just don’t know. How can I get away from Patrick? You know what he’s like. I’m surprised he hasn’t busted the doors down to get in here.’ She started to shake. ‘What if he hurts my baby, Gemma? What if he hurts my son?’
‘A boy? You’re having a boy?’
Lesley nodded as Gemma enveloped her in a hug. ‘I am so happy for you.’ She knelt beside the bed. ‘Let me help you. Please, let me help you keep that baby safe.’
Her hands stroked her friend’s hair. Her eyes met his. ‘I have a friend with me, Lesley. A friend who will help. If we can get you the all-clear, we can whisk you out of here tonight. Take you back to Arran wit
h us. You can have a few days to decide what you want to do.’
Lesley’s voice was shaking. ‘I think I want to go home. I think I want to go home to my mum in Uist.’
Uist. One of the other Scottish islands. She’d need to try and get her a flight from Glasgow to Benbecula. It would take some organising.
Gemma nodded and took a deep breath. ‘Then come home with me. I’ll arrange your travel.’
Lesley was shaking. ‘What about Patrick? What about my things?’
Gemma shook her head. ‘There’s nothing you can’t replace. We’ll get your things. Just not right now.’ She gave her friend another hug. ‘Let me go and speak to the sister. Let me try and find out what’s safe for you, and for the baby.’
She turned towards Logan and walked towards him. He could tell by the expression on her face that it was taking every ounce of self-control she had just to hold herself together.
She could have said so much more. She hadn’t even mentioned Isla. She hadn’t even mentioned the fact that five years before her friend had contemplated taking her baby into an environment where Isla could have been at risk. He could only imagine how much was circling around in her brain right now.
Lesley was the victim here. They both knew that.
But even Logan couldn’t hide his feelings of anger at what Isla could have been exposed to. It made his blood run cold. He didn’t know Lesley. He hadn’t been her friend. But if it had been Gemma lying on that bed, could he have been so rational and self-contained?
Not a chance.
He admired her self-control.
He took a few steps backwards down the corridor and held out his arms to her as she almost collapsed into them. He moved her further along the corridor, away from Lesley’s cubicle and into one of the side rooms.
Her whole body was shaking. She couldn’t stop it.
Logan was consumed with guilt. She’d been right.
The hunch. The bad feeling. The uncomfortable vibes.
A Mother's Secret (Mills & Boon Medical) Page 14