Midwives On Call: Her Baby Surprise

What I’m really afraid of is staying to talk to Ally too long and ending up inviting her home to share dinner with us. If she’s free and available. As if a woman as attractive as her would be seriously single. The absence of rings on her fingers didn’t mean a thing.

He looked around and groaned. ‘Sheba,’ he yelled. ‘Come here.’

Too late. The mutt was belly deep in the sea, leaping and splashing without any concern for how cold the water had to be.

Adam ran down to the water’s edge and stood with his hands on his skinny hips. ‘Sheba, Dad says we’re going home. You want your dinner?’

Beside Flynn, Ally chuckled. ‘Good luck with that.’

Glancing at her, he drew a deep breath. Her cheeks had flushed deep pink when the mutt had dumped her on the sand, and the colour still remained, becoming rosier every time she laughed. Which was often.

He noticed her rubbing her hip. ‘You did hurt yourself.’

She jammed her hand in her pocket. ‘Just a hard landing, nothing to worry about.’

‘You’re sure?’ He’d hate it if Sheba had caused some damage.

‘Absolutely.’

Adam and Sheba romped up to him. Then the dog did what wet dogs did—shook herself hard, sending salty spray over everyone. Now Ally would complain and walk away. But no. Her laughter filled the air and warmed the permanent chill in his soul. It would be unbelievably easy to get entangled with someone like her. Make that with this woman in particular.

He sighed his disappointment. There was no room in his life for a woman, no matter how beautiful. Not even for a short time. Adam and work demanded all his attention. Besides, how did a guy go about dating? He hadn’t been in that market for so long he wouldn’t know where to start. Was there a dating book for dummies? I don’t need one. It’s not happening. He gave himself a mental slap. All these questions and doubts because of a woman he’d met five minutes ago. He was in need of a break. That was his real problem. Solo parenting and work gobbled up all his time and energy.

‘Let’s go.’ He grabbed Sheba’s collar and turned in the direction of their street. ‘Nice meeting you.’ He nodded abruptly at the woman who’d been the first one to catch his interest since Anna had died two years ago. It had to be a fleeting interest; one that would’ve disappeared by the time he reached home and became immersed in preparing dinner, folding washing and getting ready for work tomorrow. Damn it all. It could’ve been fun getting to know her.

‘Bye, Ally,’ Adam called, as they started walking up the beach.

She stood watching them, both hands in her jacket pockets. ‘See you around.’ Was that a hint of wistfulness in her voice?

‘Okay,’ Adam answered, apparently reluctant to leave her. ‘Tomorrow?’

‘Adam,’ Flynn growled. ‘Come on.’ He aimed for the road, deliberately stamping down on the urge to invite the woman home to share dinner. He did not need anyone else’s problems. He did not need anyone else, full stop.

Anyway, she probably wouldn’t like baked beans on toast.

Baked beans. He only had to close his eyes to hear Anna saying how unhealthy they were. They’d eaten lots of vegetables for lunch so he could relax the rules tonight. Beans once in a while wouldn’t hurt Adam, and would save him some time. Who knew? He might get to watch the late news. Life was really looking up.

CHAPTER TWO

PLASTERING ON HER best smiley face the next morning, Ally stepped inside the medical centre, unzipping her jacket as she crossed to the reception desk. ‘Hi, I’m Alyssa Parker.’ Lucas always wrote her full name on her credentials when sending them to medical centres. It was a technicality he adhered to, and she hated it. ‘Ally for short. I’m covering for Kat while she’s away.’

A man straightened from the file he was reading and she gasped as the piercing blue eyes that had followed her into sleep last night now scanned her. Her smile widened. ‘Flynn.’ The buzz she’d felt standing by this man yesterday returned in full force, fizzing through her veins, heating her in places she definitely didn’t need warmed by a married man. He was still as sexy, despite the stubble having been shaved off. Stop it. But she’d have to be six feet under not to react to him.

‘Ally. Or do you prefer Alyssa?’

‘Definitely Ally. Never Alyssa. So you’re Dr Reynolds?’ They hadn’t swapped surnames the previous day. Hardly been any point when the chances of meeting again had seemed remote. Neither had she learned his first name when she was told about this job. She became aware of the receptionist glancing from her to Flynn, eyebrows high and a calculating look in her eyes.

Fortunately Flynn must’ve seen her, too. ‘Megan’s our office lady and general everything girl. She’ll help you find files and stock lists and anything else you want.’

‘You two know each other?’ Megan asked her burning question.

Ally left that to Flynn to deal with and took a quick look around the office, but listened in as Flynn told the receptionist, ‘We met briefly yesterday. Can you tell the others as they arrive that we’re in the tearoom and can they come along to meet Ally?’ Then he joined her on the other side of the counter. ‘I’ll show you around. You’ve got a busy clinic this morning. Three near full-term mums and four who are in their second trimester.’

‘Three close to full term? Was there a party on the island eight months back that everyone went to?’ She grinned.

‘You’d be surprised how many pregnant ladies we see. Phillip Island’s population isn’t as small as people think. One of the women, Marie Canton, is Adam’s daytime caregiver when he’s not at preschool.’

So Adam’s mum worked, too. Ally wondered what she did. A doctor, like her husband? ‘Will Marie be bringing Adam with her?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘What time’s my first appointment?’ she asked, suddenly needing to stay on track and be professional.

But Flynn smiled, and instantly ramped up that heat circulating her body, defying her professionalism. ‘Nine. Was it explained to you that Kat also does high school visits to talk to the teenagers about contraception?’ Flynn stood back and indicated with a wave of his hand for her to precede him into a kitchen-cum-meeting-room. ‘You’ve got one on Thursday afternoon.’

‘I didn’t know, but not a problem.’ What was that aftershave? She sniffed a second time, savouring the tangy scent that reminded her of the outdoors and sun and…? And hot male. She tripped over her size sevens and grabbed the back of a chair to regain her balance. ‘I’m still breaking these boots in,’ she explained quickly, hoping Flynn wouldn’t notice the sudden glow in her cheeks. He mustn’t think she was clumsy but, worse, he mustn’t guess what had nearly sent her crashing face first onto the floor.

But when she glanced at him she relaxed. His gaze was firmly fixed on the boots she’d blamed. Her awesome new boots that had cost nearly a week’s pay. His eyes widened, then cruised slowly, too slowly, up her thighs to her hips, up, up, up, until he finally locked gazes with her. So much for relaxing. Now she felt as though she was in a sauna and there was no way out. The heat just kept getting steamier. Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. Her eyes must look like bug’s eyes; they certainly felt as though they were out on stalks.

Flynn was one sexy unit. The air between them sparked like electricity. His hair was as tousled as it had been yesterday and just as tempting. Her fingers curled into her palms, her false nails digging deep into her skin as she fought not to reach out and finger-comb those thick waves.

‘You must be the midwife.’ A woman in her midforties suddenly appeared before her. ‘Faye Bellamy, part-time GP for my sins.’

Ally took a step back to put space between her and Flynn, and reached for Faye’s proffered hand. ‘That’s me. Ally Parker. Pleased to meet you.’

‘Pleasure’s all ours. Darned nuisance Kat wanting time off, but I’ve read your résumé and it seems you’ll be a perfect fit for her job.’ Bang, mugs hit the benchtop. ‘Coffee, everyone?’

Kat wasn’t meant to take holidays? Or just this one? ‘Yes, thanks. Where’s Kat gone?’

Flynn was quick to answer. ‘To Holland for her great-grandmother’s ninetieth birthday. She’s been saving her leave for this trip.’ He flicked a glance at Faye’s back, then looked at Ally. ‘She could’ve taken two months and still not used up what she’s owed,’ he added.

‘Europe’s a long way to go for any less time.’ Not that it had anything to do with her, except she would have been signed on here for longer and that meant more weeks—okay, hours—in Flynn’s company. Already that looked like being a problem. His marital status wasn’t having any effect on curtailing the reaction her body had to him.

She took the mug being handed to her and was surprised to see her hand shaking. She searched her head for something ordinary to focus on, and came back to Kat. ‘Bet the trip’s another reason why there isn’t much furniture or clutter in the flat.’ A girl after her own heart, though for a different reason.

‘Morning, everyone.’ A man strolled in. ‘Coffee smells good.’ Then he saw Ally. ‘Hi, I’m Jerome, GP extraordinaire, working with this motley lot.’

Amidst laughter and banter Ally sat back and listened as the nurses joined them and began discussing patients and the two emergencies that had happened over the weekend. She felt right at home. This was the same Monday-morning scenario she’d sat through in most of the clinics she’d worked at ever since qualifying. Same cases, different names. Same egos, different names. Soon her gaze wandered to the man sitting opposite her, and she felt that hitch in her breathing again.

Flynn was watching her from under hooded eyes, his chin low, his arms folded across his chest as he leaned as far back in his chair as possible without spilling over backwards.

Ally’s breathing became shallow and fast, like it did after a particularly hard run. The man had no right to make her feel like this. Who did he think he was? The sooner this meeting was finished the better. She could go and play with patients and hide from him until all her body parts returned to their normal functions. At the rate she was going, that’d be some time around midnight.

The sound of scraping chairs on the floor dragged her attention back to the other people in the room and gave her the escape she desperately needed.

But fifteen minutes after the meeting ended, Flynn was entering her room with a frightened young girl in tow. ‘Ally, I’d like you to meet Chrissie Gordon.’ He ushered the girl, dressed in school uniform, to a chair.

‘Hi, Chrissie. Love your nail colour. It’s like hot pink and fiery red all mixed up.’ It would have lit up a dark room.

‘It’s called Monster Red.’ Chrissie shrugged at her, as if to say, Who gives a rat’s tail? Something serious was definitely on this young lady’s mind.

Given that Flynn had brought Chrissie to see her, they must be about to talk about protection during sex or STDs. Or pregnancy. The girl looked stumped, as if her worst possible nightmare had just become real. Ally wanted to scoop her up into her arms and ward off whatever was about to be revealed. Instead, she looked at Flynn and raised an eyebrow.

‘Chrissie’s done several dip-stick tests for pregnancy and they all showed positive.’ Flynn’s face held nothing but sympathy for his patient’s predicament. ‘I’d like you to take a blood sample for an HCG test to confirm that, and then we’ll also know how far along she is if the result’s positive.’

It wasn’t going to be negative with all those stick tests showing otherwise. ‘No problem.’

Ally took the lab form he handed her and glancing down saw requests for WR and VDRL to check for STDs, antibodies and a blood group. She noted the girl’s date of birth. Chrissie was fifteen. Too young to be dealing with this. Ally’s heart went out to the frightened child as she thought back to when she’d been that age. She’d barely been coping with her own life, let alone be able to manage looking after a baby. Face it, she doubted her ability to do that now. Locking eyes with Flynn, she said, ‘Leave it to me.’

His nod was sharp. ‘Right, Chrissie, I’ll call you on your cell when the lab results come back.’

‘Thanks, Dr Reynolds,’ Chrissie whispered, as her fingers picked at the edge of her jersey, beginning to unravel a thread. ‘You won’t tell Mum, will you?’

‘Of course not. You know even if I wanted to—which I don’t—I’m not allowed to disclose your confidential information. It’s up to you to decide when to talk to your mother, but let’s wait until we get these tests done and you can come and see me again first, if that’ll make it easier for you.’ Flynn drew a breath and added, ‘You won’t be able to hide the pregnancy for ever.’

‘I know. But not yet, okay?’ The girl’s head bowed over her almost flat chest. ‘I’m afraid. It hurts to have a baby, doesn’t it?’

Ally placed a hand over Chrissie’s and squeezed gently. ‘You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Let’s do those tests and find out how far along you are. After I’ve taken your blood I’ll explain a few things about early-stage pregnancy if you like.’

‘Yes, please. I think.’ Fat tears oozed out of Chrissie’s eyes and slid down her cheeks to drip onto her jersey. ‘Mum’s going to kill me.’

‘No, she won’t,’ Flynn said. About to leave the room, he turned back to hunker down in front of Chrissie and said emphatically, ‘Angela will be very supportive of you. You’re her daughter. That’s what mothers do.’

Yeah, right, you don’t know a thing, buster, if that’s what you believe. Did you grow up in la-la land? Ally clamped her lips shut for fear of spilling the truth. Some mothers couldn’t care two drops of nothing about their daughters. Some dump their babies on strangers’ door-steps.

But when she glanced at Flynn, he shook his head and mouthed, ‘It’s true of Angela.’

Had he known what she’d been thinking? The tension that had been tightening her shoulders left off as she conceded silently that if he was right then Chrissie was luckier than some. A big positive in what must feel like a very negative morning for the girl. ‘Good,’ she acknowledged with a nod at Flynn. As for his mind-reading, did that mean he’d known exactly what she’d been thinking about him back there in the staffroom?

‘Have you had a blood test before?’ she asked Chrissie. She’d wasted enough time thinking about Dr Reynolds.

Flynn disappeared quietly, closing the door behind him.

‘Yeah, three times. I hate them. I fainted every time.’

‘You can lie on the bed, then. No way do I want to be picking you off the floor, now, do I?’

She was rewarded with a glimmer of a smile. ‘I don’t weigh too much. You’d manage.’

It was the first time anyone had suggested she looked tough and strong. ‘I might manage, but me and weightlifting don’t get along. How heavy are you anyway?’

‘Forty-eight k. I’m lucky, I can eat and eat and I stay thin. My mum’s jealous.’ At the mention of her mum her face fell and her mouth puckered. ‘I can’t tell her. She’ll be really angry. She had me when she was seventeen. All my life she’s told me not to play around with boys. She wants me to go to university and be educated, unlike her. She missed out because she had me.’

Handing Chrissie a cup of cold water and a box of tissues, Ally sat down to talk. Her first booked appointment would have to wait. ‘I won’t deny your mother’s going to be disappointed, even upset, but she’ll come round because she loves you.’ Flynn had better have got that right because she didn’t believe in giving false hope. It just hurt more in the long run.

‘You think? You don’t even know her.’

‘True. But I see a young woman who someone’s been making sure had everything that’s important in life. You look healthy, which means she’s fed you well and kept you warm and clothed. Your uniform’s in good condition, not an op-shop one. You’re obviously up to speed with your education.’ She daren’t ask about her father. It didn’t sound like he factored into Chrissie’s current situation so maybe he didn’t exist, or wasn’t close enough for it to matter. ‘I’m new here. Where do you live?’

‘Round in San Remo. It’s nice there. Granddad was a fisherman and had a house so Mum and I stayed with him. He’s gone now and there’s just us. I miss him. He always had a hug and a smile for me.’

‘Then you’ve been very lucky. Not everyone gets those as they’re growing up.’ She sure as heck hadn’t. ‘Let’s get those blood samples done.’

Chrissie paled but climbed onto the bed and tugged one arm free of her jersey and shirt. Lying down, she found a small scared smile. ‘Be nice to me.’

Ally smiled. ‘If I have to.’ She could get to really like this girl. Pointless when she’d be gone in a month. Despite Chrissie’s fear of what the future had in store for her, she managed to be friendly and not sulky, as most teens she’d met in this situation had been.

Ally found the needle and tubes for the blood in the top drawer of the cabinet beside the bed. ‘Do you play any sport at school?’ She swabbed the skin where she would insert the needle.

‘I’m in the school rep basketball team and play soccer at the club. I get knocked about a bit in basketball because I’m so light, but my elbows are sharp.’ The needle slid in and the tube began to fill. ‘I’m fast on my feet. Learnt how to get out of the way when I was a kid and played rough games with the boys next door.’

Ally swapped the full tube for another one, this time for haematology tests. Flynn was checking Chrissie’s haemoglobin in case she had anaemia. ‘I see one of the beaches is popular for surfing. You ever given that a try?’ All done.

‘Everyone surfs around here. Sort of, anyway. Like belly-surfing and stuff.’

‘You can sit up now.’ Ally began labelling the tubes.

‘What? Have you finished? I didn’t feel a thing.’

‘Of course you didn’t.’ She smiled at the girl, stopped when she saw the moment Chrissie’s thoughts returned to why she was there, saw the tears building up again. ‘You’re doing fine.’

‘I’m not going to play sport for a while, am I?’

‘Maybe not competitively, but keeping fit is good for you and your baby.’

Chrissie blew hard into a handful of tissues. ‘You haven’t told me I’m stupid for getting caught out. Or asked who the father is, or anything like that.’

‘That’s irrelevant. I’m more concerned about making sure you do the right things to stay healthy and have an easy pregnancy. Have you got any questions for me?’

Chrissie swung her legs over the side of the bed and stared at the floor. ‘Lots, but not yet. But can I come see you later? After school? You’ll have the tests back by then, right?’

‘The important one, anyway. But won’t you want to see Dr Reynolds about that?’ She was more than happy to tell Chrissie the result, but she had no idea how Flynn might feel if she did.

‘He’s going to phone me, but I might need to see someone and I don’t want to talk to a man. It would be embarrassing. I’d prefer it’s you.’

‘That’s okay.’ Ally scribbled her cell number on a scrap of paper. ‘Here, call me. Leave a message if I don’t answer and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m free. Okay?’

‘Thanks.’ Sniff. ‘I didn’t sleep all night, hoping Dr Reynolds would tell me I’d got it wrong, that I wasn’t having a baby. But I used up all my pocket money on testing kits and every one of them gave me the same answer so I was just being dumb.’

‘Chrissie, listen to me. You are not dumb. Many women I’ve been midwife to have told me the same thing. Some of them because they couldn’t believe their luck, others because, just like you, they were crossing their fingers and toes they’d got it wrong.’ Ally drew a long breath. ‘Chrissie, I have to ask, have you considered an abortion? Or adoption?’

The girl’s head shot up, defiance spitting out of her eyes. ‘No. Never.’ Her hands went to her belly. ‘This is my baby. No one else’s. I might be young and dependent on Mum, but I am keeping it.’

In that moment Ally loved Chrissie. She reached over to hug her. ‘Attagirl. You’re awesome.’ It would be the hardest thing Chrissie ever did, and right now she had no idea what she’d let herself in for, but that baby would love her for it.

‘Have you ever had a baby?’ Chrissie pulled back, flushing pink. ‘Sorry, I guess I’m not supposed to want to know.’

‘Of course it’s all right to ask. The answer’s no, I haven’t.’

An image of a blue-eyed youngster bent over double and giggling like his life depended on it flicked up in her mind. Go away, Adam. You’ve got a mother, and anyway I’d be a bad substitute.

‘So while I will tell you lots of things over the weeks I’m here, I only know them from working with other mums-to-be and not from any first-hand experience.’ She would never have that accreditation on her CV. She would not raise a child on her own, and she wouldn’t be trusting any man to hang around long enough to see a baby grow to adulthood with her.

Flynn appeared in the doorway so fast after Chrissie left that she wondered if he’d been lurking. She said, ‘She’s only fifteen and is terrified, and yet she’s coping amazingly well, given the shock of it all.’

‘You must’ve cheered her up a little at least. I got the glimmer of a smile when she came out of here.’ He leaned one shoulder against the doorframe. ‘I meant what I said about her mother. Angela is going to be gutted, but she’ll stand by Chrissie all the way. From what I’ve been told, Angela’s always been strong, and refused to marry Chrissie’s dad just because people thought it was the done thing. Her father supported them all the way.’

Another baby with only one parent. But one decent parent was a hundred percent better than none. ‘Aren’t you jumping the gun? Chrissie didn’t mention the father of her baby, but that could be because she’s protecting him. They might want to stick together.’

‘They might.’ Flynn nodded, his eyes fixed on her. Again.

When he did that, her stomach tightened in a very needy way. Heat sizzled along her veins, warming every cell of her body. Damn him. Why does he have to be married?

‘Right, I’d better see my first patient. First booked-in one, that is. I told Chrissie I’ll talk to her later today. Is that all right with you?’

‘Go for it. As long as she’s talking with someone, I’m happy. You did well with her.’ There was something like admiration in his voice.

She didn’t know whether to be pleased, or annoyed that he might be surprised. ‘Just doing my job.’

‘Sure.’

The way he enunciated that one word had her wondering if he had issues with Kat and her work. But that didn’t make sense after he’d been fighting the other woman’s corner about using her holiday time. ‘Being a filler-in person, I don’t have the luxury of knowing the patients I see. Neither do I have a lot of time with them so I work hard to put them at ease with me as quickly as possible.’

‘So why aren’t you employed at a medical practice on a permanent basis? Wouldn’t you prefer getting to know your mums, rather than moving on all the time?’

If he hadn’t sounded so genuinely interested she’d have made a joke about being a wandering witch in a previous life and ignored the real question. But for some inexplicable reason she couldn’t go past that sincerity. ‘I get offers all the time from my bosses to base myself back at the midwifery unit, but I don’t do settled in one spot very well. Yes, I miss out on seeing mothers going the distance. I’m only ever there for the beginning of some babies and the arrival of others, but I like it that way. Keeps me on my toes.’

‘Fly in, do the job and fly out.’ Was that a dash of hope in his eyes? Did he think she might be footloose and fancy-free enough to have a quick fling with him and then move on? Because she’d seen the same sizzle in his eyes that buzzed along her veins.

Then reality hit. Cold water being tipped over her wouldn’t have chilled her as much. Sorry, buster, but you’re married and, worse, you’re not even ashamed to show it.