Their One-Night Twin Surprise

It was a loss to womankind that because one of their sisters had been blind to what a great man he was, all the rest would be denied the privilege of getting close to him. Except her, of course, but then they’d agreed it would never happen again, no matter how physically compatible they’d turned out to be. It was ironic that they hadn’t wanted to complicate their relationship by getting romantically involved when they were now going to be tied together for the rest of their lives.

Izzy watched him climb out of his suit and flash her that cheeky grin of his.

‘Enjoying the view?’

‘You wish,’ she shot back with just as much sarcasm before he realised how true his observation had been.

Given the physical nature of their work, it was important to keep up their fitness levels, but Cal was the type who could never sit still anyway. His trim, nicely muscled physique wasn’t the result of hours spent at the gym. He wasn’t the slightest bit vain enough to spend time staring at himself in the mirror whilst he hoisted weights. No, this perfect specimen of the male anatomy was a pleasant result of his busy life as a doctor in the field and the manual labour he did in his vast garden in his spare time.

She shivered as some particularly erotic memories sprang to mind of this handsome man with his tan, sun-bleached mop of hair and that mischievous glint in his eye, lying naked next to her.

‘Are you sure you’re all right? You’ve got that hungry look in your eyes again.’

Izzy blinked away inappropriate thoughts and images of her colleague, her friend, and the one constant she’d had in her life here in Belfast before she’d screwed up and potentially lost him for ever too.

‘Just starved.’ Apparently for more than food. Not that he’d ever shown any interest in her as a woman apart from as another one of his mates until that night.

It hadn’t been planned. Izzy had just needed to be with someone who cared about her. Through the tears and shared stories of heartbreak they’d found themselves kissing and searching for some feeling of peace. She didn’t regret anything. It had been a beautifully raw expression of their affection and compassion for one another. They simply should have taken adequate precautions for their evening as friends with benefits.

‘Let me get the paperwork out of the way and we’ll head to the pub before you get hangry. I know what you’re like when you’re so hungry you turn into a red-headed hulk.’

If she’d had any doubts that he only saw her as a mate, they vanished. She was so completely friend zoned he didn’t expect her to take offence at that comment.

‘Do not,’ she huffed, regardless she knew very well her fiery temper reached boiling point when there was a lack of food close to hand. He hadn’t drawn a pretty picture of her when she’d created a sexy centrefold out of him. ‘I’m not keen on the pub idea either.’

She worried he’d be suspicious if she sat in the bar nursing an orange juice instead of her usual glass of wine.

‘Dinner at that new Italian place, then? Although it’ll probably mean having to go home and get changed first. I’m not sure sweaty work clothes will fit their dress code.’ He was being unnecessarily concerned. Cal always managed to smell amazing no matter how stressful their shift proved or how energetic he’d been.

‘Hmm, I fancy something stodgy and greasy.’ She didn’t.

‘I’ll die of starvation if you make me go home first.’ She wouldn’t. However, if they went to that posh place and Cal changed the habit of a lifetime by not offering to pay the entire bill she’d be mortified because she couldn’t afford it.

Even before she’d discovered there’d be a new mouth to feed in the future, she’d been struggling to cover the bills. Gerry had never officially moved in, but he’d used her place as a base when not travelling around the country as a pharmaceutical rep. It wasn’t that she was missing his financial contributions to household expenses, quite the opposite. He was the reason she had no savings left to furnish her nest now.

She’d invited him into her heart and her home without the knowledge of his gambling habits. Gerry had had no family or friends either to call on for help and the cost of his funeral on top of his other financial mismanagement meant money was tight for her and nothing short of a miracle would change that now. Wages would have to stretch as far as possible and that would mean cutting back on luxuries like fancy Italian restaurants or any sort of social life.

Izzy should have known better than to think she was sitting pretty at any stage of her life and keep herself protected. Being a kid bounced around the care system had taught her never to rely on anyone except herself and never to let her guard down. Once too often she’d imagined she’d found her forever home, only to be returned like an ill-fitting shirt. Too young, too old, too opinionated, too red, she’d been a nineties Anne Shirley, without the lovable Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert giving her a happy ending at Green Gables.

Meals and board had been provided along with whatever basic material possessions she’d needed, but that all-important element had been missing, as it had for most of her life. Love wasn’t something given or received easily for her, even with Gerry.

It had been a slow burn for them but eventually she’d learned to trust, to open up her heart and believe him when he’d promised her a future and a family together.

Even though Cal knew about Gerry’s betrayal since it was the reason she’d been driven to his arms, the extent of her financial struggles was another secret she was keeping from someone she considered a friend. With good reason. He’d insist on riding in on his white steed, waving his fat wallet, to save her and she wasn’t going to be indebted to him or anyone else. She had to get used to managing on her own when she had errands to run or do the night feeds when she was exhausted beyond belief. The stakes were too high now for her to let anyone into that armoured heart again.

‘The “caff” it is, then.’ Cal took the lead from Izzy’s clues as to what she could afford, not necessarily what she craved. Which, at this moment, didn’t go beyond a chance to kick off her shoes and sit down with a cup of builder’s tea.

* * *

‘Do you think they’re going to be okay?’ Izzy cradled the chipped mug in her hands, drawing comfort from the heat as a chill fluttered over her skin.

‘Who?’ Cal sawed off another chunk of sausage and popped it into his mouth. It had become a tradition to go for a meal when their shift had ended. Not only because they’d worked up an appetite, but they needed that time to come down from the adrenaline high and process what they’d gone through at the scene of whatever medical emergency they’d just attended.

‘Tara Macready and her baby—you know, the woman we just saved.’ She set her tea down and poked the sausage and bacon on her plate with a fork. A fry-up was the standard fare in this particular establishment, but the smell of grease was making her feel queasy again. Rather than make him suspicious she’d ordered her usual, but she’d only managed to nibble at the toast so far.

‘We did our best and they’re in the best place to recover.’ Cal carried on eating, but the image of the blood and knowledge of Tara’s condition wouldn’t leave her. Most people probably wouldn’t have realised she was pregnant, but Izzy would’ve noticed even if it hadn’t been in her notes. These days she was aware of every new change in her body and she’d recognised Tara had the same slightly swollen belly as she did.

This kind of accident wasn’t an unusual sight, given the nature of their work, and it was vital they kept a certain detachment when attending these scenes. They weren’t supposed to take the emotional trauma home with them and usually she didn’t, other than a phone call to check up on a patient’s progress.

This one was different as it was a mother and her unborn child in jeopardy. Perhaps they’d all be different now she was going to be a mother herself. The idea of setting off in the helicopter alone was making her question her own mortality these days. Until now she’d never worried about her own safety up there, but in the not-too-distant future she was going to have someone depending on her coming home from work day after day.

The sound of cutlery clattering onto the plate made her jump and the touch of Cal’s hand as he settled it on hers didn’t help soothe her nerves.

‘They would never have made it at all if they’d gone by road and she might lose the use of her hand but they’re still alive. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours today? You’re not yourself at all.’ It wasn’t that Cal didn’t have sympathy for them, but he knew, as well as she did, that they had to do their job and move onto the next one without looking back in case it affected future call-outs.

That had taken some getting used to, although she’d had years of experience as a nurse in A and E. Cal too, a consultant in emergency medicine, had found those first cases difficult to walk away from at the hospital doors. They’d often talked into the wee hours about their day, much to his fiancée’s annoyance.

These pregnancy hormones were making her feel as though she’d taken a step back, seeing everything in a new, terrifying light. Not that she had any intention of giving up her job. She loved being part of the team being whisked up into the air at a moment’s notice to save people in trouble. This was simply a blip and one she couldn’t wait to get over, along with this nausea.

‘Sorry. I’m not the best company at the minute.’

He squeezed her hand. ‘You know I’m here for you anytime.’

His misplaced concern caused her eyes to prickle with tears. Recently she’d suspected her eyeballs had been replaced by tiny hedgehogs, that was happening so often. He was so considerate it pained her, knowing she was about to turn his world on its head again.

‘Thanks,’ she said, withdrawing her hand from the safety of his. It wasn’t going to do her any good to expect Cal to prop her up every time she had a wobble, no matter how comforting it was. They hadn’t planned this baby and whilst she was reconciled some way to the idea of becoming a parent there was no guarantee he would. There was every chance she would end up raising their child alone and she was fine with that. If that’s what Cal wanted.

‘Perhaps you came back too early—you know, after Gerry,’ he said softly with some hesitation, and she knew he was half expecting her to kick off at the suggestion. Which she usually did when anyone tried to tell her what to do, thinking they knew her better than she knew herself.

She didn’t agree with him on this occasion either but she’d no other way to explain her current mood without spilling the beans about the baby.

‘You could be right.’ She pushed her plate away before she vomited.

* * *

Now Cal knew something really was wrong with Izzy. She usually fought him over the smallest difference of opinion, so daring to suggest something as huge as she’d returned to work too soon warranted all-out war.

Between that and her roller-coaster appetite he was beginning to worry about her. One minute she was eating everything in sight, including his emergency chocolate stash he kept for those occasions they didn’t have time for a meal break. The next she was sitting staring at her rejected fry-up as though she was about to burst into tears at any second.

He hadn’t noticed until today how emotional she’d become, having taken her stoicism and ability to bounce back from any eventuality for granted. Caught up in the sorrow of his own break-up, he hadn’t seen past the front she’d been putting on since Gerry had died, accepting her assurances she was fine too easily. Probably because he didn’t want to over-analyse what had happened between them that night when she’d come to his place in a state about Gerry.

He’d been committed to his relationship with Janet, even if she hadn’t considered it a priority, but when Izzy had come to him seeking support and comfort, any thoughts of his ex had been obliterated by his all-consuming need for her. Once he’d tasted desire on her lips, all those suppressed feelings he’d apparently been harbouring for her had been tangled in there right along with their limbs and tongues. He never considered that she might’ve been down in those depths of despair all this time.

Yes, Janet had betrayed him in the worst possible way, stringing him along with that dream of his happy family, only to snatch it away for ever. It had been partly his fault, so desperate to set up a loving home like the one he’d grown up in he’d clung onto the wrong person, ignoring all her flaws in favour of the family he’d envisaged having with her. Now he was worried he’d taken advantage of Izzy when she was obviously still emotionally vulnerable.

They’d been close for years and that bond had irritated their partners at times, but they’d only crossed the line that night when their relationships had forcibly ended. Ever since they’d fallen into bed together he’d found it difficult to rein those feelings back in and pretend nothing had happened. They’d agreed that was the best course of action, but it was impossible to put their indiscretion completely out of his head when he saw her every day and was reminded how incredible that time together had been. As though they’d finally stopped pretending their chemistry was nothing more than camaraderie and had expressed their feelings for one another physically.

How was he supposed to forget something so amazingly honest after his recent experience of deceit?

‘I’ve been a bad friend to you lately. I’m sorry.’ There’d been a distance between them recently, which he’d created as a coping mechanism to protect himself, never thinking about the support Izzy needed. He thought back over these past horrendous months and thought of all the support she’d offered him after Janet had left.

Izzy had been a constant on his doorstep despite his repeated warnings he didn’t want to see or talk to anyone in the aftermath of his ex’s revelation. She’d been the provider of home-cooked meals when he hadn’t wanted to eat and the confiscator of alcohol when all he’d wanted to do was drink. Ignoring his bad temper, she’d fought past his defences and dragged him out of the quagmire, so he’d been able to get on with his life when he’d truly believed it was over.

That was the true definition of a friend. Not someone who muttered his sympathies and accepted her grieving was over because it suited him better than having to dig beyond a fake smile and talk about feelings. Now, seeing her here, eyes glassy with unshed tears, biting her lip to keep up the façade, he wanted to finally step up and be there for her. The way she’d done for him. She was the closest thing he had to family now. The only one who’d been there with him through the darkest hours of his life, and he owed her.

‘Don’t be daft. Aren’t you here, putting up with my mood swings?’ There was that smile again that he was learning not to trust when her eyes were cloudy with uncertainty and something else he couldn’t quite decipher but which made him feel guiltier than ever.

‘I wasn’t there for you after Gerry died.’

‘Um, I think you were.’

He wasn’t expecting her to reference what had happened between them but there was a suggestion of that passionate encounter flickering like erotic flames in her eyes. Rather than complicate matters more between them, Cal chose to ignore the reminder. In conversation at least. ‘If something’s wrong I expect you to tell me and let me help. Okay?’

‘Understood. Now, shall we get the bill?’ She wrestled out from his grip and waved to the waitress.

Cal sighed and pulled his credit card from his wallet. ‘I’ll get this. It’s the least I can do.’

Izzy made her usual protests as she fished in her bag for her purse, but he grabbed the bill first. ‘Let me pay my half at least.’

‘You can leave a couple of pounds for the tip if you want.’ It was then he caught a glimpse inside her purse to see only a few coppers resting in the lining. Rather than embarrass her further, he tossed the loose change he found in his pocket on the table and made to leave.

Something wasn’t right with Izzy and he wasn’t going to rest until he discovered what. And if he wasn’t the friend she needed he knew how to find the one who fitted that description.