The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (3 page)

‘Isn’t it?’ He grimaced. ‘Knowing Helen, she will blame herself for this and that’s where you can help, Lucy. I want you to make her understand that it isn’t anything she’s done wrong. The last thing we want is her getting stressed. It won’t help her or the baby.’

‘Of course. I’ll do anything I can,’ she assured him.

‘Thanks.’

He gave her a quick smile and she felt a trickle of warmth flow through her when she saw the approval it held. Once again, she felt her spirits lift and it was such an odd feeling when her mood had been so downbeat recently. She wasn’t sure why Max had this effect on her and didn’t have a chance to work it out as he continued.

‘Right, now that’s sorted out we’d better make a start or we’ll still be here at midnight.’

Lucy went to the door and called in their first patient. She’d always enjoyed meeting the mums and being involved in their care and she realised that she was looking forward to it more than ever that day. Knowing that she was part of a team that really cared about these women and their babies made the job so worthwhile.

All of a sudden she was glad that she had made the move to Dalverston, and not just because she’d escaped from a difficult situation either. She would learn a lot from working here, learn a lot from working with Max, too. For the first time in ages, it felt as though she had something to look forward to.

‘L
UCY
will have a word with you on your next visit, Rachel. You’ll be able to decide what you want to do then. Isn’t that right, Lucy?’

Max sat back in his seat while Lucy took over. They made a good team, he thought, listening as she explained how they would work out a birth plan the next time Rachel came to the clinic, before she escorted her out to Reception. Although her predecessor had been an excellent midwife, she’d been a little brusque at times. He knew that some of the younger women in particular had found her intimidating, but that definitely wasn’t the case with Lucy. She had a gently reassuring manner that put even the most nervous mums at their ease. He couldn’t remember when he’d last enjoyed a clinic so much, in fact.

He was in the process of absorbing that thought when she came back into the room. His brows lifted when he saw the frown on her face. ‘Is something wrong?’

‘I’m not sure. Apparently, Helen Roberts hasn’t turned up. From what you told me, it seems rather strange that she would miss an appointment, doesn’t it?’

‘It’s not like Helen,’ he agreed. He brought up Helen’s file on the computer and checked her phone number. ‘I’ll give her a call and see what’s happened to her.’

He picked up the phone then stopped when his pager suddenly bleeped. It was the code for the maternity unit, so he dialled their number first. ‘It’s Max. You paged me.’ His heart sank when Amanda informed him that Helen Roberts had just been admitted. ‘I’ll be right there.’

‘Problems?’ Lucy asked as he hastily stood up.

‘Helen Roberts has been rushed in by ambulance. It appears she collapsed on the bus on her way here.’

‘That explains why she didn’t keep her appointment!’ Lucy exclaimed. ‘Are you going up to Maternity to see her?’

‘Yes.’ Max picked up his jacket off the back of the chair and shrugged it on. ‘The diabetes care team will need to know what’s happened. Can you give them a call for me, please? I’ve been liaising with Adam Sanders, their registrar, so can you see if he’s available? I’d really like his input.’

‘Of course.’

Lucy reached for the receiver at the same moment as he went to pass it to her and he felt a ripple of awareness shoot through him when their hands brushed, and quickly drew back. He cleared his throat, unsure why it had happened.

‘I’ll leave you to sort it out, then. Can you phone Amanda and let her know if Adam can make it? He knows Helen and it will be easier if he reviews the case rather than bring someone else up to speed.’

‘Will do.’

‘Thanks.’ Max turned away, wondering if he’d imagined the faintly breathy note in her voice. Had that brief moment of contact affected her as much as it had affected him?

He sighed as he made his way to the lift because it was stupid to think that Lucy had even noticed what had happened. It had been the briefest touch, after all, and he had no idea why he was making such a big deal of it. It certainly wasn’t like him to behave this way.

Although he appreciated the power of sexual attraction, these days sex was merely a means to satisfy a need. There was never an emotional connection between him and the women he slept with. It had never worried him before because that was exactly what he had wanted: to remain detached. However, all of a sudden he found himself wishing for more. How good it must feel to make love to a woman and know that he was the centre of her universe.

Lucy made arrangements for the diabetes registrar to visit the maternity unit then phoned Amanda to let her know he was on his way. She offered to go back and help, but Amanda assured her they could manage and told her to go for lunch. They had a mum booked in to be induced that afternoon and she needed Lucy there.

Lucy tidied up then made her way to the staff canteen. The place was packed when she arrived but she spotted Joanna sitting at a table in the corner with a couple of her friends. Once she had paid for her lunch, she went to join them.

‘Do you mind if I sit here?’

‘Of course not!’ Joanna grinned at her. ‘So how did you get on at clinic? I bet it was busy with Diane being off sick.’

‘It was.’ Lucy sat down and started to peel the plastic film off her tuna mayo sandwich. ‘Max was brilliant, though. Even though the list was horrendous he made
everyone feel as though he had all the time in the world for them.’

‘Uh-oh! It sounds as though we’ve added another member to the Max Curtis fan club,’ Joanna declared, laughing.

‘Of course not!’ Lucy blushed. She hadn’t realised that she’d sounded quite so enthusiastic and hurried to explain. ‘It’s just nice to work with someone who obviously cares so much about his patients.’

‘Ah, so that’s it, is it? You admire Max’s qualities as a doctor, nothing else?’

‘Of course not,’ Lucy stated firmly, trying to ignore the niggling little voice that was whispering it wasn’t true. Had she imagined that brief moment of awareness that had passed between them? she wondered uneasily. It had been over and done with in a nanosecond so it was hard to believe that it hadn’t been her imagination playing tricks.

‘I’m not interested in Max, if that’s what you think,’ she reiterated, as much for her own benefit as anyone else’s. She must have sounded convincing because Joanna shrugged.

‘Fair enough. It’s probably a good thing, too. At least you won’t end up disappointed.’

‘What do you mean?’ Lucy asked in surprise. ‘Why should I be disappointed?’

‘Oh, just that there’s no point setting your sights on Max, is there, girls?’ Joanna glanced at the other women who shook their heads. ‘You see, Lucy, dishy though Max is, he has one major flaw—he doesn’t do commitment. He’s quite up-front about it, mind you, makes no bones about the fact that love and marriage aren’t on his agenda, so that’s something in his favour. A lot of men
string a woman along but at least whoever Max goes out with knows the score.’

The conversation moved on to something else but Lucy found it hard to concentrate. What Joanna had told her simply didn’t gel with what she had seen. Max didn’t seem like the type of man who moved from woman to woman in pursuit of personal pleasure. He cared too much about people to enjoy that kind of life in her opinion, although maybe she wasn’t the best person to judge. After what had happened with Richard, she couldn’t claim to be an expert on men, could she?

A familiar ache filled her heart but for some reason it didn’t seem as painful as it used to be. If she was honest, the thought of Max living the life of an eternal bachelor hurt far more. Maybe it was silly but she felt let down and it was worrying to know that she had made another mistake. From now on she must see Max for what he was: just another man who was out for all he could get.

‘Thanks for coming.’

Max shook Adam Sanders’s hand then went back into the side room. Helen Roberts had suffered a hypoglycaemic attack after her blood glucose levels had dropped too low. Although she was stable now, it was a blow after she had done so well. He could see the worry in her eyes when he went over to the bed.

‘It was just a blip, Helen. You heard what Dr Sanders said, that you’ve been doing too much and need to rest more. So long as you follow his advice, there’s no reason why it should happen again.’

‘I was only trying to get everything ready for when the baby arrives,’ Helen protested. ‘Martin broke his leg
last week. One of the bullocks barged into him when he went to feed them, so he’s out of action at the moment. I thought I’d finish setting up the nursery—put up the cot and unpack all the baby clothes, things like that. I wasn’t doing anything more than any other mum would do.’

‘But you aren’t just any other mum,’ Max reminded her gently. ‘All that extra work knocked your glucose levels out of kilter. Add to that the growing demands of the baby, combined with the tendency for insulin resistance to increase during pregnancy and you have a recipe for disaster.’

‘I know you’re right, Dr Curtis, but it’s so hard. I want to do what other women do and get ready for when my baby arrives.’ Tears began to trickle down her cheeks and he patted her hand comfortingly.

‘I understand that, Helen. But you’ve got this far and it seems silly to take any risks. Why not let your husband do the unpacking? He’s probably sick of being laid up with nothing to do and will enjoy it.’

‘Heaven knows what state the place will be in after he’s finished!’ Helen declared. ‘Martin isn’t exactly the tidiest of men.’

‘I’m sure he’ll make a special effort if you ask him.’

‘You’re right. He will.’ Helen wiped her eyes and smiled. ‘He’s just so thrilled about this baby. We thought we might not be able to have a family because of my diabetes, you see, so it’s like a dream come true.’

‘It must be.’

Max dredged up a smile but the comment had struck a chord. He had always loved children and had assumed that he would have some of his own one day. Both his
brothers had kids and he’d had no reason to think that he would be any different to them. Finding out that the chances of him ever fathering a child were virtually nil had rocked his whole world. Although he’d thought he had accepted it, he suddenly found himself thinking how marvellous it would be if a miracle happened…

He cut off that thought. He wasn’t going to put himself through all the heartache of wishing for the impossible to happen. ‘I’d like to keep you in overnight, Helen. Dr Sanders wants to monitor your blood glucose levels for the next twenty-four hours and I’d feel happier if you were here while it’s done.’

‘I understand, Dr Curtis.’ Helen sounded resigned. ‘Best to be safe rather than sorry.’

‘It’s just a precaution,’ he assured her. ‘I’ll pop back later to check on you. In the meantime, you’re to lie there and rest.’

Max made his way to the desk. Amanda was talking to Lucy when he arrived and he smiled when they both looked up. ‘Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted you to know that I’m keeping Helen Roberts in overnight. I know it means tying up the side room but I’d feel happier if she was here while everything settles down. One of the diabetes care team will be popping in at intervals to check her blood glucose levels.’

‘That’s fine,’ Amanda assured him. ‘In fact, it will be the perfect opportunity for Lucy to meet her. I know Helen was concerned when Maria left. She was worried in case her replacement didn’t have any experience of diabetic pregnancies. You can set her mind at rest, can’t you, Lucy?’

‘Of course.’

‘If there’s anything you aren’t sure about, I’d be happy
to run through it with you,’ Max offered, but Lucy shook her head.

‘That won’t be necessary, thank you. I’ve worked with a number of women who had diabetes and I understand the problems they can face during the birth.’

Her tone was so cool that Max frowned. He had the distinct impression that he had upset her, although for the life of him he couldn’t think what he’d done. When she excused herself, he went to follow her then stopped when Amanda asked him about the patient they were inducing that afternoon. By the time they had sorted everything out, Lucy had disappeared.

Max was sorely tempted to track her down but in the end he decided not to bother. What could he say to her, anyway? That he was sorry for committing some unknown misdemeanour?

He sighed as he headed to the canteen for a late lunch. Lucy Harris might be a very attractive woman, but that was as far as it went. He had worked out a life-plan for himself and he had no intention of ditching it just because he suddenly found himself harbouring all these crazy ideas.

Maybe Lucy was the type of woman who’d been
born
to have kids, but that had nothing to do with him. The truth was that he was no use to Lucy or any other woman in that respect.

Lucy spent a productive half-hour with Helen Roberts. They discussed Helen’s birth plan and Lucy was pleased to see that although Helen hoped for a normal vaginal birth, she was realistic enough to know it might not be possible. By the time Helen’s husband, Martin, arrived, she felt they had established a genuine rapport.

‘You’ve been really great,’ Helen enthused as she gathered up her notes. ‘Maria was very nice but she could be a little intimidating at times, couldn’t she, Martin?’

‘She certainly put the wind up me,’ Martin replied drolly. ‘Put it this way, I wouldn’t have crossed her!’

‘So long as you’re happy, that’s the main thing,’ Lucy said, not wanting to be drawn into a discussion about her predecessor. It would be highly unprofessional for one thing and very unfair when she had never met the woman. ‘Now, don’t forget that if you’re at all worried then you can always phone me. If I’m tied up then leave a message and I’ll call you back.’

‘Thank you. I really appreciate that. You’ve been so kind, just like Dr Curtis has,’ Helen declared. ‘He’s really lovely, isn’t he? I can’t believe that nobody has snapped him up but one of the other mums told me that he isn’t married. Is he seeing anyone, do you know?’

‘I’ve no idea.’ Lucy summoned a smile, trying to ignore the hollow ache inside her. She wasn’t sure why she found the idea of Max’s playboy lifestyle so upsetting but she did. ‘I’ve only been here for a couple of days so I haven’t had time to get up to speed with the gossip.’

‘Well, make sure you do.’ Helen grinned at her. ‘I don’t know what your situation is, Lucy, but you and Dr Curtis would make a lovely couple, if you want my opinion.’

‘Which she doesn’t.’ Martin shook his head when Lucy blushed. ‘Now see what you’ve done, Helen. You’ve embarrassed her.’

‘Rubbish!’ Helen said stoutly. ‘It was only a bit of fun. You’re not embarrassed, are you, Lucy?’

‘Of course not,’ Lucy lied, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her. She said goodbye and left, but as she made her way to the office she couldn’t help thinking about what Helen had said. If the circumstances had been different, would she have seen Max as a potential partner?

Her heart sank because she knew it was true. On the surface, at least, Max was just the kind of man she’d always found attractive. It wasn’t just how he looked either. His relaxed and easygoing manner didn’t detract from the fact that he was deeply committed to the welfare of his patients, and that was a definite turn-on. That he didn’t pull rank and treated the nursing staff as equals was another point in his favour. It was his private life she had an issue with, and that really and truly wasn’t any of her business.