‘YOU WILL come back tomorrow, Adam? Promise?’
Beth sighed when she heard the pleading note in Hannah’s voice. They had spent far more time at the hospital that night than she had planned on doing. Most of the other parents had left but Hannah had kept demanding that they stay a bit longer. It was obvious that the child had really taken to Adam and Beth couldn’t help wondering whether that was a good thing. Admittedly, he seemed anxious to do all he could for the little girl, but would his interest last?
She groaned as she realised how perverse that thought was. Only that morning she had been worrying herself to death in case he was planning to take Hannah away from her. Now she was equally concerned that he might disappear from the child’s life. It was proving impossible to find a balance where Adam was concerned!
‘Cross my heart and hope to die,’ Adam replied solemnly, making a cross over his heart. He whipped out his handkerchief and draped it over his hand. ‘And Nursie promises she’ll come back as well so long as you go to sleep now,’ he added in a piping falsetto.
Hannah giggled. ‘I like Nursie. Can she give me a kiss?’
‘She’d be delighted to.’ Adam bent and made extravagantly loud kissing noises as he touched the child’s cheek.
‘Now make Nursie give Aunty Beth a kiss,’ Hannah ordered.
‘Certainly.’ Adam turned and ‘kissed’ Beth’s cheek with his hand, once again making appropriate noises.
Beth shook her head, amused despite herself by his craziness. ‘You’re mad. Do you know that?’
‘I shall take that as a compliment,’ he observed loftily. ‘Because I’m sure that’s how it was meant.’
He stuffed his handkerchief back in his pocket then bent and kissed Hannah. Once again Beth was touched by the tenderness with which he treated the child.
‘Night-night, darling,’ he whispered. ‘You have a lovely sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘You have to kiss Aunty Beth, too,’ Hannah murmured sleepily. ‘She doesn’t have anyone to kiss her goodnight now I’m not there.’
‘Well, we can’t have that,’ Adam declared as he straightened. He placed a gentle kiss on Beth’s cheek and to her surprise there was the same tenderness in his eyes when he looked at her. ‘Everyone needs someone to kiss them good-night.’
Beth summoned a smile but she couldn’t deny that her pulse was racing when she bent to kiss Hannah. Why had Adam looked at her like that? she wondered dizzily.
‘Goodnight, sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she murmured to the child. She didn’t look at Adam as they left the ward. He couldn’t possibly care about her as much as he cared about Hannah, she told herself sternly. It was silly to let her imagination start running away with her.
‘I spoke to Charles Guest this afternoon, by the way. He told me that you’d had a word with him at lunchtime.’ Adam glanced at her as they reached the lift. Beth made a determined effort to get her thoughts back on track and keep them there.
‘That’s right. I expect he told you that he’s going to arrange for you to be tested as a possible donor?’ she explained evenly.
‘He did. I’m going to have a blood test tomorrow afternoon, in fact. The sooner we find out if I’m suitable the better.’
‘I don’t know what we’re going to do if you and Hannah aren’t compatible,’ Beth said worriedly. ‘It could take ages to find another donor.’
‘Let’s not think about that until we get the result of the blood test,’ Adam said quickly. ‘Isn’t there a saying about not borrowing trouble?’
‘It’s hard not to sometimes,’ she observed sadly as she stepped into the lift.
‘Hey, come on! That doesn’t sound like the woman who told me last night that you have to be positive.’ He smiled at her and once again she felt her heart miss a beat when she saw that same expression of tenderness in his eyes. It confused her so much to see it there that it was a relief when the lift arrived at the ground floor.
She got out and quickly made her way to the exit. She didn’t enjoy feeling so mixed up so it seemed wiser to bring the evening to an end as soon as possible. However, she was forced to slow down when Adam put a detaining hand on her arm.
‘Don’t rush off, Beth. I was wondering if you’d come and have something to eat with me if you’ve not got anything planned for this evening?’ He shrugged when she didn’t answer immediately. ‘I’m worried about Chris Andrews, to be frank. He doesn’t seem himself at the moment and I wanted to hear what you thought. It’s not something I feel that we can discuss in the surgery.’
‘He really upset Eileen today,’ she admitted. ‘And that’s not like Chris at all.’
‘Which is precisely why I wanted to speak to you.’ He didn’t try to press her but she could tell that he was genuinely concerned.
‘All right, then. I suppose we should try to decide if there is anything we can do,’ she conceded. Although the last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Adam that night, if there was a situation developing at the surgery that was going to affect them all then she had to try to help. ‘Where were you thinking of going to eat?’
‘I’m open to suggestions.’ He suddenly grinned. ‘So long as it isn’t anywhere too posh. I don’t think I’m dressed for one of Winton’s upmarket restaurants!’
Beth laughed at that. ‘I didn’t think you cared one way or the other what people thought?’
‘I don’t normally. However, I’d hate to disgrace you.’ His smile was teasing. ‘So that probably narrows it down to a fast-food restaurant. Fancy a burger?’
She shuddered. ‘No, thank you! How about a take-away? There’s a wonderful new Thai restaurant that’s opened not far from here, and you can order meals to take out. We could stop off there and buy what we want then take it back to my flat.’
‘Now, that sounds like the perfect compromise,’ he agreed immediately. ‘You lead the way and I’ll follow you in my car. OK?’
‘Fine,’ she agreed.
Adam’s car was parked just along the row from hers so he waited for her to back out. She checked her rear-view mirror as she exited the car park and felt her heart give a nervous little flutter when she saw him following her. She took a steadying breath but it was hard to control the inner turmoil she felt.
She sighed. She’d never envisaged that finding Adam would cause all these problems!
‘That was delicious!’
Adam sank back on the bench with a groan of contentment. They’d opted to eat outside on her tiny patio. The night was beautifully warm and it had seemed a shame to waste it by sitting indoors. While Beth had gathered together plates and cutlery, Adam had carried a coffee table outside so that they’d something to put all the waxed cartons on. They had helped themselves to the delicious food, although Adam had eaten the lion’s share. Now he turned and smiled at her.
‘That has to be the best meal I’ve had in months!’
Beth laughed as she forked up the last of her Thai green curry and rice. ‘Not that you’re exaggerating, of course.’
Adam had kept up an undemanding conversation while they had eaten and her former nervousness had quickly disappeared. She had decided that it was the pressure that she’d been under recently which had caused her to react so strangely earlier. It had been a stressful six months and it was bound to have had an effect on her.
‘I’m not, believe me. When most of your food comes out of a tin then it’s a real joy to have something that’s been freshly cooked.’
She frowned. ‘Why have you been eating tinned food? Was there no fresh food available where you were?’
‘I’m afraid not. The area I was working in has suffered years of drought. All the crops have failed for the past two years. Most of the people living there are starving,’ he explained flatly. ‘There isn’t any fresh food available, except for what the aid agencies have been managing to fly in to the area.’
‘How terrible,’ she exclaimed in dismay. ‘Those poor people. I imagine there was a lot of disease in the area?’
‘Dysentery was the main problem. There’s hardly any clean water there and dysentery is always rife in conditions like that. That, of course, leads to severe dehydration, especially in the children. I can’t begin to count the number of babies who died while I was there because they became severely dehydrated.’
‘It must have been awful. Why did you choose to go into aid work? It certainly isn’t the easy option,’ she said softly, suddenly wanting to learn more about why he had made such a decision.
‘It was something I had always wanted to do. My father was in the diplomatic service so we travelled extensively when I was a child. I realised at an early age how fortunate I was compared to most of the people I saw living in the countries where Dad was posted.’ He shrugged. ‘It just seemed the natural conclusion to try and do something to help them.’
‘So did you apply to an aid agency as soon as you qualified?’ she asked curiously.
‘No. I decided that I needed to get some experience first so I went to Australia and worked there for a year. The hospital I was at was sending a team out to east Africa as part of the Australian governments’s overseas aid programme and I was asked to go with them. I just never went back.’
‘Did the rest of the team stay out there?’ she asked in surprise.
‘No, everyone but me went back home after they’d done their stint.’ He shrugged. ‘I stayed and joined one of the aid agencies working over there. I’ve been with them ever since.’
‘And have you never regretted your decision?’ she asked, wondering if he would have continued doing that type of work if there had been someone waiting at home for him, like Claire for instance. ‘You could have been quite high up the professional ladder by now if you hadn’t decided to keep doing aid work.’
‘No, I’ve never regretted it. Until very recently I was perfectly happy with my life.’
His tone was reflective and she frowned because she wasn’t sure what he meant. However, before she could work it out, he changed the subject. ‘What about you, Beth? Have you ever wanted to travel or are you a home-body?’
‘Oh, the latter, definitely!’ She laughed when she saw his surprise. ‘Sorry, but I’m not like you, Adam. I’m not at all adventurous. I’ve never even been tempted to work in another part of the country because I love this area so much. That must sound incredibly boring to you.’
‘No, of course it doesn’t. It’s nice to meet someone who’s happy with her lot,’ he replied with a smile. ‘I take it that Patterson felt the same way?’
‘Not really. Ian is very ambitious and I imagine he’d be happy to move around if it meant furthering his career,’ she explained with a shrug. ‘Maybe that should have been a warning that we weren’t suited.’
‘I don’t suppose the situation would have deteriorated as it did if you hadn’t had all the stress of looking after Hannah to contend with,’ he observed bluntly. ‘Without that, no doubt you two would have been planning your wedding by now.’
Beth laughed ruefully. ‘Lucky escape, then, wasn’t it?’
‘So you’re not sorry that you and Patterson split up?’
She frowned because there was an edge in his voice that she couldn’t understand. ‘Not now. Oh, I was upset at first. I suppose I was angry and disappointed. Discovering that the man you had been planning on marrying isn’t who you thought him to be does come as a shock. However, I had Hannah to think about so that helped. Then last night you finally showed me just what a miserable human being Ian really is.’
‘So long as you aren’t still grieving for what might have been, Beth,’ he said softly, looking at her with eyes that seemed darker even than the night sky.
She felt a shiver run through her and looked away, but she could hear the quavery note in her voice when she spoke and was terrified that Adam would hear it, too. ‘No, I’m no longer grieving. Ian is part of my past and that’s the end of it.’
There was a moment’s silence before he cleared his throat. ‘So how have you found Chris recently?’ he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
‘He certainly doesn’t seem to be himself,’ she replied, struggling to keep her tone even. She took a quick breath, trying to rid herself of the feeling that something momentous had been about to happen before Adam had changed the subject.
‘He doesn’t. I admit that I don’t know Chris all that well but even in the short time I’ve been back I’ve had the impression that he’s very uptight at the moment. That incident with Eileen this morning is a prime example.’ Adam sighed. ‘The Chris Andrews I remember certainly wouldn’t have reacted like that.’
‘Maybe it’s a result of the pressure he’s been under since your uncle was taken ill,’ she suggested. ‘I was amazed by how busy it was here when I first started. Since Dr Wright has been in hospital, it’s been Chris who’s borne the brunt of the extra work.’
‘I have a feeling that the problem has been going on longer than that. Chris happened to let it slip that he hasn’t had any time off for almost two years.’
‘Really? That would certainly explain why he’s so keyed up at the moment. Nobody can work under that kind of pressure for all that time without it having an effect on them,’ she said worriedly.
‘Exactly. To be honest, I think that Chris is in dire need of a holiday. He needs to get right away from here so that he doesn’t have to think about work, otherwise I predict that he is heading for some sort of a breakdown,’ Adam stated bluntly.
‘I’m sure you’re right but how would we manage if Chris did take time off?’ she asked, trying to work out the logistics. ‘That’s assuming that you can persuade him, of course.’
‘It won’t be easy, but I think Chris is starting to realise that something needs to be done. We shall have to see what we can come up with.’ He frowned as he stared at the sky and thought about that idea. A few early stars had appeared now and they looked like sequins scattered across yards upon yards of dark blue velvet.
Beth sighed as she looked up, thinking how glorious it was to be outside on a night like that. She found her gaze drifting to Adam and it hit her that part of her pleasure stemmed from having him there with her.
As though he had sensed that she was looking at him, he suddenly glanced round. Beth saw myriad expressions cross his face in rapid succession before he smiled at her.
‘I’m glad we decided to eat out here rather than in some noisy restaurant. It’s such a beautiful night, far too good to waste it by sitting indoors.’
‘It is,’ she replied quietly, although her heart seemed to be making enough noise for both of them. She took a deep breath and willed it to calm down, but Adam’s nearness was having the strangest effect on her.
She turned and stared straight ahead, deeming it wiser than continuing to look at him. ‘Is that the Milky Way?’ she asked pointing to a cluster of stars shimmering overhead. ‘I’ve never been able to work out which galaxy is which.’
‘That’s right. And that’s the Plough over there. Can you see it?’
She frowned as she tried to see what he was pointing to. ‘I’m not sure…’
‘A little more to your left. There.’ He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her a little more to the left. ‘See. There should be seven stars in all. Count them.’
Beth quickly counted the stars then gave a gasp of delight. ‘Oh, yes! I can see it now.’
She turned to him in excitement and felt her heart—which had been beating so nosily just moments before—come to a dead stop when she found herself staring into his eyes. There was a moment when neither of them moved then Adam’s head dipped and his mouth found hers in a kiss that seemed to rock the whole world on its axis.
He raised his head and looked at her, and Beth felt her heart start beating again. She could feel the blood flooding through her veins, filling her with heat all of a sudden.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have done that but I’m not going to apologise,’ he said softly, his deep voice grating with something that made her shiver.
‘I didn’t ask you to,’ she replied, then gasped as she realised how that must have sounded.
He gave her a slow smile. ‘Then I don’t have to feel guilty about doing it again.’
His head came down once more and this time the kiss was longer, even more intense than before. Beth sighed as she felt the warm pressure of his lips settling over hers. She closed her eyes yet, strangely, she could still see the glitter of stars shimmering behind her lids.
She slid her arms around his neck, feeling her nipples harden as her breasts brushed the hard, warm muscles of his chest. It shocked her that she should be so responsive to him and she tried to draw away, but Adam wouldn’t let her go.
He drew her closer instead, his hands sliding down her back and leaving behind a trail of heat wherever they touched. Beth felt as though she were on fire, burning up with heat, aching with desire to have him touch her without the barrier of clothing getting in the way. Her skin felt so sensitive all of a sudden that she could feel goose-bumps breaking out all over her as his hands continued to caress her back and shoulders. When his lips teased hers apart so that his tongue could slide inside her mouth, she didn’t resist. She wanted him so much—
The sound of someone banging on the surgery door was a cruel intrusion. Beth gasped as she was brought back to the present with a jolt. It took her a moment to realise what was happening and by that time Adam was on his feet.
‘I’d better go and see who that is,’ he said roughly, turning to hurry inside the flat.
She quickly followed him although she was struggling to comprehend what was happening. She shot a look at Adam and felt herself go cold when she realised that he didn’t appear to be having the same difficulty as she was having.
Why was that? she wondered sickly. Because those kisses which had been so earth-shattering to her had been nothing more than a pleasant interlude to him?
A cold chill enveloped her as she followed him down to the surgery. It wasn’t nice to think that she might have made a fool of herself. Adam must have felt her response just now and she was mortified to think that he might have been amused by it.
‘Hello! Is anyone there? Please…I need help!’
‘Hold on.’ Adam quickly unlocked the surgery door as they heard a man’s voice calling frantically from outside. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘Oh, thank heavens you’re here! I saw the lights on upstairs and that’s why I knocked.’ The man gestured towards a car that was parked all askew by the kerb. ‘It’s my wife. She’s having a baby and there isn’t time to get her to hospital!’
Adam took charge immediately. Turning to Beth, he quickly rapped out instructions. ‘We’ll use your room because it’s the most suitable. Can you get everything ready? There should be an obstetrics kit somewhere about the place. And get on to the emergency services and ask them to send an ambulance here pronto, will you?’
‘Will do.’
She hurried away, leaving Adam to help the anxious husband fetch his wife inside. She found the obstetrics kit in the supply cupboard, added a bundle of paper sheets and towels, then hurried to her room and got everything ready. She had just finished putting through a call to the ambulance service when the others appeared, and she gasped as she recognised the woman who was being helped into the room as Elaine Graham, the young mother they had seen the previous day.
‘I didn’t realise it was you,’ she exclaimed, hurrying forward to help as they got Elaine onto the couch.
‘I’m afraid this baby has caught us on the hop,’ Elaine admitted. ‘I thought I’d have plenty of time to get to hospital but everything seemed to speed up—’ She broke off as another contraction began.
Beth quickly helped her out of her underwear after it had eased then placed a sterile drape over her legs. Adam was at the sink, scrubbing his hands, and he looked round with a grin.
‘Maybe the baby decided he wanted to be at his big brother’s party tomorrow,’ he suggested.
Elaine managed a smile. ‘You could be right. I only hope I’m home in time for it.’
‘Well, I don’t think you’re going to be hanging around here for very long.’ Adam had taken a pair of gloves out of the box on the counter and he went to the couch and quickly examined her. ‘This baby is definitely on his way and there’s no stopping him now!’
Everyone laughed, which helped ease a little of the tension. Beth found a chair for Elaine’s husband, Brian, and got him settled at the head of the couch. He still looked rather pale and she could see that he was shaking.
‘I wasn’t with Elaine when the other two were born,’ he admitted. ‘I didn’t think I’d be able to cope.’
‘It’s up to you if you want to stay,’ Beth assured him, ‘although I’m sure your wife would be glad of your support.’
Brian Graham took hold of his wife’s hand and squared his shoulders as another contraction began. ‘They always say there’s a first time for everything, don’t they?’ He winced as Elaine gripped his fingers. ‘And a last!’
Beth laughed softly as she went to join Adam. It was some time since she had assisted at a birth and she couldn’t help feeling a little thrill of excitement at the thought of helping this new baby into the world. Adam was monitoring the baby’s heartbeat so she waited for him to finish, feeling her heart sink when she saw the concern on his face.
He drew her away from the couch so that the parents couldn’t overhear what he was saying. ‘The baby’s heartbeat is way too fast. It seems to be in distress. How long is that ambulance going to be?’
‘At least twenty minutes. Do you have any idea what could be wrong with it?’
‘It’s just a guess but it could be that the cord is wrapped around its neck and cutting off its oxygen supply,’ he told her, moving back to the couch. He waited until Elaine’s next contraction had passed before gently examining her again.
‘I’m sure that’s what it is,’ he said, sotto voce, before turning to the young mother. ‘Elaine, I need you to stop pushing for me. Next time you feel a contraction pant but don’t push. Understand?’
‘Is there something wrong?’ she asked at once, her voice rising in panic.
‘I think the umbilical cord might be wrapped around the baby’s neck. I need to check but I don’t want you pushing because it will just draw the cord even tighter. Everything is going to be fine once I get it sorted out,’ he assured her.
He tried to slide his finger around the baby’s neck then shook his head. ‘It is the cord but I can’t get at it. There just isn’t enough room.’
‘Let me try,’ Beth offered. ‘My hands are smaller than yours.’
Adam stepped aside as she quickly bent down. Tears were streaming down Elaine’s face now and Brian had gone a dreadful colour. Beth bit her lip as she gently worked her the tip of her index finger under the constricting cord wrapped around the baby’s neck and, with infinite care, managed to ease it over its head.
‘Well done!’ Adam said, giving her a hug before turning to Elaine. ‘Right, all systems go now. Let’s get that little fellow out of there.’
It really was all systems go after that. Five minutes later the baby made its appearance into the world. Beth chuckled when it gave a lusty scream as she wiped its face.
‘Sounds as though your new daughter is pleased to be out in the big wide world at last.’
‘A girl?’ Brian gulped. ‘But there hasn’t been a girl in our family for years!’
‘Well, you’ve got one now.’ Adam lifted the squalling infant and handed her to her mother. ‘Congratulations, both of you, on a beautiful daughter.’
There was something in his voice when he said that which brought Beth’s eyes winging to his face, and she felt her heart ache when she saw the sadness in his eyes. Was he thinking about Hannah’s birth and all that he had missed?
It was painful to realise it, equally painful to imagine how things might have turned out. If Claire had told him about their child then maybe he wouldn’t have gone to work overseas, but would that have really mattered to him if he’d had Claire and Hannah to love and care for? Maybe he and Claire would have decided to stay together after all, and they might have had more children by this time.
Beth sighed. Ifs, ands and buts didn’t paint a true picture but she couldn’t ignore the fact that all that could have happened. It made her wonder all of a sudden why Adam had kissed her. Because it had felt right at the time? Or because she had reminded him of Claire until he had been abruptly brought to his senses by that knock on the door?
She went to find a clean towel to wrap the baby in, pausing as she looked at Adam standing by the couch. Maybe he saw her as a substitute for her sister, but that didn’t explain why she had kissed him. He certainly wasn’t a substitute for Ian! Why, she had never felt like that when Ian had kissed her…
Her heart rolled over.
She had never felt like that when Ian or anyone else had kissed her.
What could it mean?