Saving His Little Miracle (Mills & Boon Medical) (10 page)

‘How long do you plan to keep her here?’

Vincenzo glanced round when Lowri spoke, sighing when he saw how exhausted she looked. That this new setback had caused her a great deal of stress was obvious. Reaching out, he covered her hand with his, wanting to offer her whatever comfort he could.

‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.’ Alistair Simpson grimaced. ‘If it does turn out that Megan has contracted an infection then we need to make sure it’s cleared up before she can return home. In her weakened state even the most innocuous childhood illness can have a devastating effect.’

‘Of course.’

Lowri dredged up a smile but Vincenzo could tell how upset she was. The fact that Megan had needed to be readmitted to hospital so soon after she had been allowed home must be extremely worrying for her. He frowned as an idea suddenly occurred to him.

‘There would be less chance of Megan contracting an infection again if she didn’t come into contact with any other children,’ he suggested.

‘Of course,’ Alistair agreed. ‘The more contact she has with other children, the greater the risk of her catching something. Normally, her immune system would help her fight off most illnesses but the drugs she’s received have weakened her body’s defences. That’s why we advise parents to keep their children away from anyone who’s got a cough or a cold or something similar.’

‘She will improve, though,’ Vincenzo clarified, more for Lowri’s benefit than his own. He understood the situation perfectly and agreed wholeheartedly with Alistair’s decision to keep Megan in hospital. He would have done the same thing himself, in fact, but he simply couldn’t bear to see Lowri looking so despondent.

‘Oh, yes. Her immune system will improve but it’ll take some time,’ Alistair warned. ‘That’s why it’s essential that you take all possible precautions in the meantime.’

‘Of course.’ Vincenzo realised they had come to the end of the consultation. He stood up and held out his hand. ‘Thank you, Dr Simpson. I appreciate the fact that you came in after hours to see Megan.’

‘All part of the job,’ Alistair said lightly as they shook hands. He escorted them out of the office then left, no doubt eager to return home to his bed.

Vincenzo sighed as he watched him striding along the corridor. Lowri desperately needed to get some sleep as well but he knew it was pointless suggesting that she go home. All he could do was to try to help any way he could, starting with a plan to avoid anything like this happening again. Megan needed to be in a germ-free environment and that was something he could arrange.

He followed Lowri into the side room where Megan was sleeping, wondering how to convince her that the best place for Megan right now was the villa. There would be far less chance of the child contracting another infection there. Leaving her with her sister while Lowri went to work was merely risking her health unnecessarily, in his view, and he was determined that he was going to make Lowri see sense. Megan’s weakened immune system would have a chance to recover at the villa and she would be in a much stronger position when the stem-cell transplant took place.

His heart lurched. Before they could even start to make plans for the transplant, they would have to create this baby.

* * *

By five o’clock the following morning, Lowri’s head was pounding. The combination of tiredness and stress had brought on a headache and she felt sick from the pain. She closed her eyes, willing the throbbing to abate. She didn’t have the time to be ill. Megan needed her and she needed to be here for her too.

‘Are you all right?’

Vincenzo’s voice sliced through the throbbing in her skull and she winced. Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she nodded. Surprisingly, he had insisted on staying and she had to admit that she had been glad of his company. Having him here had made her feel less scared, if she was honest.

‘Yes. I’ve just got a bit of a headache, that’s all.’

‘Maybe this will help.’

There was the scrape of chair legs as he stood up. Lowri opened her eyes a crack but the light made her head hurt all the more and she hurriedly closed them again. She heard the measured tread of his footsteps as he came around the bed and she tensed. With her eyes closed she had to rely on her other senses and all of a sudden they seemed to be working overtime.

She bit her lip when she felt his breath stir her hair. He was standing right behind her now, so close that she could feel the heat of his body all down the length of her back, and shivered even though she didn’t feel the least bit cold. When his fingers began to stroke her neck, she had to bite back a gasp.

‘Wh-what are you doing?’ she demanded shakily.

‘Massaging your neck. It’s what I used to do for Nonna—my grandmother. She suffered from migraines and I found that it helped if I massaged her head and neck.’

‘Oh.’

Lowri wasn’t sure what to do. Whilst part of her knew she should tell him to stop, she couldn’t deny that the gentle pressure of his fingers was having a beneficial effect. In the end she did nothing. She simply sat there while he massaged the tension out of the knotted muscles in her neck. When his hands moved to her head, she didn’t protest either. It felt so good to feel his strong fingers moving over her skull. Although he applied only the lightest pressure, she could feel his fingertips burrowing through her hair, warm and firm as he worked his way across her head from back to front.

Lowri sighed when she felt his fingertips start to stroke her brow. Maybe his only intention was to relieve her headache but she had to admit that she couldn’t recall ever feeling anything as sensual as this gentle massage. When his thumbs found the throbbing spots at her temples and began to caress them in a steady circular motion, she groaned.

‘Are you all right?’ His hands stilled as he bent forward to look at her.

‘Fine.’ She dredged up a smile, praying that he couldn’t tell how she really felt. Maybe it was the fact that her senses were unusually heightened, but she could feel ripples of awareness running through her. Her mind flew back to what had happened the previous evening and she realised with a rush of alarm that if Megan hadn’t interrupted them they would have made love. She had been willing to do so then and she would be willing to do so now too.

Lowri’s eyes flew open. She was so shocked by the thought that it was a moment before she realised that her head was no longer aching. Vincenzo’s massage had been highly effective even if it had given rise to thoughts that she knew would plague her in the days to come. She wanted to make love with Vincenzo and not just because she wanted to help Megan either.

‘How do you feel now? Is your headache any better?’

The deep rumble of his voice strummed along her raw nerves and she flinched. It was an effort not to betray how on edge she felt as she replied. ‘Much better. It’s more or less gone, in fact.’

She gave a tinkly little laugh and hurried on, not wanting him to grow suspicious. Vincenzo had agreed to her demand for another child purely because he wanted to help Megan. However, if he realised that her reasons for them making love had taken on a far wider objective, he might refuse to go ahead. Maybe she didn’t know him all that well but one thing was certain: he would run a mile if he thought she was trying to trap him into making a commitment.

‘You obviously have healing hands, Dr Lombardi,’ she said lightly, struggling to get a grip. She couldn’t afford to do anything that might make him reconsider his decision to help Megan. ‘Your patients must be delighted to be under your care.’

‘Offering my patients a massage isn’t something I normally do.’ He gave a deep laugh, so soft and sensual that Lowri felt her skin prickle with awareness. ‘I prefer to reserve my skills as a masseur for the people I care about.’

Oh, it was tempting! So very tempting to ask him if she was one of those people. Lowri just managed to hold back the words but the question glowed, neon bright, inside her head: did Vincenzo care about her?

It was a relief when the door opened as the nurse came in to check Megan’s obs. Lowri stood up as Vincenzo moved away and went to the window. It was raining outside, a heavy grey drizzle that blotted out the sky and made everywhere look so dark and dismal that she shivered. Although it was almost June they had seen little sign of summer yet.

All of a sudden she found herself wishing that she could take Megan away for a holiday. Megan would benefit from spending time in the sun but it was unlikely to happen. Even leaving aside the not inconsiderable matter of how much it would cost, she couldn’t take any more time off work, although if Megan
did
need to stay in hospital for any length of time, she would have to do so.

She sighed as she thought about the problems it was going to cause. She had used up all her holiday entitlement as well as a period of compassionate leave so she would have to ask for unpaid leave of absence. The thought of how hard it was going to be to pay all the bills without any money coming in was yet another problem she would have to deal with.

‘You’re looking very thoughtful.’

Lowri glanced round when Vincenzo came to join her. The long night had taken its toll on him too, she realised as she took stock of the shadows under his eyes and the darkness of stubble on his jaw. He could have left any time he’d wished and yet he had stayed with her throughout the night, and all of a sudden she wanted to know why.

‘Why did you stay, Vincenzo? You didn’t need to, so what made you decide to give up a night’s sleep?’

‘I thought it might help if I was here.’

The lack of emotion in his voice might have put her off but Lowri sensed that it was deliberate. He didn’t want to admit that he cared what happened to Megan. The thought warmed her, helped to lift the black cloud of despondency that had descended on her, and she smiled at him.

‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’

‘Prego!’

He dismissed her thanks but Lowri knew that he was pleased all the same. She turned back to the window, watching as the city skyline slowly appeared through the gloom. It was almost six and she would have to go and telephone the hospital to warn them she wouldn’t be able to work that day. She frowned, hating the thought of letting down her colleagues once again.

‘Tell me, Lowri. Something is troubling you,
sì
? Tell me what it is and maybe we can work out a solution to the problem.’

Maybe it was the new feeling of harmony that seemed to exist between them but she found herself blurting it all out. ‘I’m going to have to phone work and tell them I won’t be in. I hate letting them down but there’s nothing I can do about it. Megan needs me here.’

‘Of course. I’m sure they will understand.’

‘Oh, I’m sure they will too. That’s not the real problem, though. I’ve already used up all my holiday entitlement plus a fairly lengthy period of compassionate leave.’ She grimaced. ‘It means that I’ll have to apply for unpaid leave of absence if Megan is kept in for very long.’

‘And that will cause you some financial difficulties, I imagine.’

Lowri heard the grating note in his voice and immediately wished she hadn’t told him that. The last thing she wanted was him thinking that she was asking him for money.

‘I’ll manage,’ she said hurriedly, turning away from the window. The nurse had finished now so she went back to the bed, praying that Vincenzo would let the matter drop. She didn’t want his money; it was the last thing she wanted!

‘I would be happy to help in any way I can.’ He came over to the bed, standing at the opposite side so that she was forced to look at him. Lowri adopted a deliberately neutral expression, hoping he couldn’t tell how mortified she felt.

‘Thank you but it won’t be necessary.’ She shrugged. ‘I have some savings and I shall manage.’

‘I’m sure you will. It appears to me that you are extremely good at managing your affairs, Lowri. However, why should you have to struggle when I can help you?’

‘Because I don’t want your money, Vincenzo! This has never been about money.’

‘I know that.’ His eyes met hers, held them fast so that she couldn’t look away. ‘Your only concern all along has been our daughter and I admire you for that. But please don’t cut me out. I want to help and not just because it would make me feel less guilty to be able to do something for Megan. What happens to her truly matters to me, in here.’

He laid his hand over his heart and she felt tears prick her eyes. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was telling her the truth and she was deeply moved by his honesty. How could she refuse and deny him the chance to do something for their daughter when it was so important to him?

‘I promise that I won’t try to cut you out, Vincenzo,’ she said softly. ‘If you want to help then of course you can.’

‘In that case, maybe you will consider an idea I’ve had.’

‘What idea?’ she said cautiously.

‘Dr Simpson stressed how important it is that Megan should avoid coming into contact with anyone who might be harbouring some kind of infection at the present time, didn’t he?’

Lowri nodded, wondering where this was leading. ‘That’s right.’

‘
Bene
. Well, it seems to me that the ideal place for her right now would be the villa.’

‘The villa,’ she repeated uncertainly.

‘
Sì
. My villa at Garda. The place you visited when you came to see me.’ He paused to give her time to absorb the idea before continuing. ‘My suggestion is that you take Megan there to recuperate. Not only will she be able enjoy the fresh mountain air and the sunshine, but she will be in a relatively germ-free environment.’

‘It’s kind of you to suggest it,’ she began, but he cut her off.

‘It’s not kind—it makes sense.’ His tone held an arrogance that immediately made her bridle.

‘Maybe it makes sense to you but I have already explained that I don’t want to take any more leave unless it’s absolutely necessary,’ she retorted.

‘And you don’t consider it necessary now? Not even after Megan has been rushed back into hospital suffering from some sort of infection?’ He stared coldly back at her. ‘It seems to me that you need to decide where your priorities lie.’