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Carlo looked him straight in the eye. ‘I’m defending her because I know that this isn’t about her and the baby. Not really. It’s about you,’ he said softly. ‘You are making this personal.’
‘Dio, of course I’m making it personal!’ Nico flashed him an impatient look. ‘How do you think I feel, knowing—?’
He broke off and Carlo rose to his feet, watching his brother closely.
‘You can’t take her child, Nico.’
‘Watch me.’ Nico’s expression was grim. ‘And you’re forgetting that it isn’t just her child, it’s my child. And according to my sources, the girl is in big trouble. She earns next to nothing as a nurse and she obviously doesn’t manage her money well. At the moment she has been given two weeks’ notice to find somewhere else to live because she can’t keep up the rental payments. My sources tell me that she doesn’t have enough money for anywhere else. Soon my child will be homeless. Do you expect me to sit and watch while that happens?’
Carlo let out a long breath. ‘I can see that the situation is less than ideal, but—’
‘My child does not deserve a nomadic existence with a mother who clearly can’t manage her finances well enough to keep a roof over her head,’ Nico growled, and Carlo watched him thoughtfully.
‘She might not be willing to give the baby up,’ he pointed out, and Nico frowned dismissively.
‘The girl is clearly struggling to bring the baby up alone. I suspect that she will be only too pleased to take a financial incentive in exchange for the baby. Clearly having a baby was a whim and the reality of life as a single parent has proved less romantic than she expected.’
‘I think you underestimate the attachment between a mother and her child,’ Carlo said quietly. ‘Especially a mother who went to the trouble of having artificial insemination in order to conceive. She would have had a counselling session at the clinic and her reasons for wanting a child must have been good. I doubt that she will give the baby up lightly.’
‘You’re wrong.’
‘Maybe.’ Carlo gave a brief smile. ‘But my advice is stick to mending hearts, and leave the serious business of baby-making to those of us with some understanding of the emotions involved.’
‘I understand the emotions better than most.’ Nico’s teeth were gritted and Carlo gave a sigh.
‘Sì, I know you do.’
Nico shrugged, his black eyes hard and cold. ‘Then you’ll understand why I am right to go after the baby.’
‘I understand, but I don’t condone it.’ Carlo picked up the file again. ‘Answer me one question. If Abby Harrington had turned out to be in her late thirties and happily married, would you be threatening to take the baby?’
Nico frowned as if the question was completely superfluous. ‘Of course not. I would have checked that they had everything they needed and walked away.’
But it would have been the hardest thing he’d ever had to do in his life.
‘Then do the same thing now,’ Carlo said quietly. ‘You cannot take a child from its mother. Let it go, Nico. If you want family life, find a nice girl and marry her.’
Nico’s eyes were hooded. ‘Like you have, you mean?’
‘I’m still auditioning for the role.’ Carlo’s dark eyes flashed wickedly and Nico raised an eyebrow in mockery.
‘You feel the need to audition the whole female population?’
Carlo gave a rueful smile. ‘All right, I’m the first to admit that, like you, I’ve never found a woman who can see further than my wallet.’ His smile faded. ‘But that fact doesn’t make this right, Nico, and you know it.’
‘I’m not seeking your approval.’ Nico’s tone was harsh. ‘I came here because I wanted the answer to a question.’
‘Which was?’
‘I wanted to know if you were aware of her deception.’
Carlo shook his head. ‘No. I didn’t deal with her case and you should know me well enough to know that I wouldn’t do that to you.’
Nico’s expression darkened. ‘Lucia did.’
Carlo shrugged. ‘As we both know, Lucia is young and impulsive. And very spoilt by our parents. This was probably another one of her whims.’ He walked towards his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘I know you don’t take advice from anyone, but I’m going to give it anyway. Whatever reasons this girl had for deceiving us, she clearly wanted that child. Don’t jump to conclusions. Are you absolutely sure she knows you’re the father?’
‘Of course she knows.’ Nico was back in control, his emotions buried under the icy exterior for which he was renowned. ‘Lucia told me at the time that her friend drew up a list of qualities that she wanted in a father and I was the perfect match.’
His tone was bitter and Carlo sighed.
‘Lucia adores you, Nico. She probably genuinely did think you’d be the best father in the world and you know that all her school friends worshipped you. She just didn’t think it through.’
Nico’s mouth tightened. ‘She never thinks things through.’
‘And as for the friend—if she does know, she clearly didn’t want you to find out.’ Carlo rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, clearly concerned. ‘This is going to come as a shock to her, Nico.’
Nico’s mouth tightened. ‘Good.’
Abigail Harrington had deceived him. She was clearly a calculating, manipulative woman who was totally unsuited to motherhood. As far as he was concerned, the bigger the shock, the better.
CHAPTER ONE
‘I HATE leaving her—she was a bit fretful in the night. I’m afraid she might be coming down with something.’ Abby reluctantly handed her daughter over to Karen, the nursery nurse who ran the hospital crèche. ‘Maybe I should have kept her at home, but they’re so short-staffed on the ward that I just couldn’t do it to them, and—’
‘Abby, stop worrying!’ Karen interrupted her gently and settled Rosa on her hip, her expression sympathetic and mildly amused. ‘She looks perfectly healthy to me. I know you feel guilty about working but you don’t need to. There are plenty of single mothers in the world and plenty of them have to work. She has a really great time here and you’re a brilliant mother. The best I know.’
Was she?
Abby bit her lip, painfully aware that Karen didn’t know the whole truth of Rosa’s conception.
It was a part of her life that she never discussed with anyone.
And although it was true that there were plenty of single mothers in the world, there were surely very few in her situation. And because she never forgot that she’d chosen this life for Rosa, she was doubly determined to be the very best mother that she could be.
‘It’s so hard for you, being on you own. You must feel so lonely sometimes,’ Karen said gently. ‘I know you don’t like talking about it, but do you ever think of contacting her father?’
‘No.’ Abby shook her head.
How could she? Because she’d been so desperate to have a baby, she’d chosen to do so without the traditional support of a man. Rosa’s conception had been arranged with clinical efficiency and total secrecy, and she had absolutely no idea who the father was.
And that knowledge nagged at her constantly despite the fact that the pain of her own childhood had left deep scars and she was only too aware that having two parents was no guarantee of childhood bliss. She’d been sent to boarding school at the age of seven by workaholic parents keen to relieve themselves of a child they’d never wanted, so she knew better than anyone that two parents didn’t necessarily make a happy family.
But that didn’t stop her feeling guilty that she’d deprived Rosa of a father.
‘You never talk about it and you’re always so self-contained and independent.’ Karen sighed. ‘He must have hurt you so much.’
Abby bit her lip, unable to correct the misconception without giving away her secret. The truth was that Rosa’s father hadn’t hurt her at all. She didn’t even know him. All she knew was what her friend Lucia had told her. That the donor was Italian and very clever. And as for being independent, well, she’d had to be. Unlike most of her peers, her parents had never been there for her so she’d learned to take care of herself.
‘How’s little Thomas Wood?’ Karen settled Rosa more comfortably on her hip and changed the subject neatly. ‘When’s he going for his op?’
‘Tomorrow.’ Abby pulled a face and handed over a bag containing all Rosa’s things for the day. ‘That’s the other reason I felt I had to work today. I need to give his parents some support. They’re terrified.’
‘I’m not surprised.’ Karen shook her head, her expression sombre. ‘I can’t begin to imagine how it must feel to see your five-month-old baby going for open-heart surgery.’
‘Yes.’ Abby leaned forward to kiss her daughter one more time. ‘Still, Thomas is luckier than some. We’ve got an Italian surgeon arriving today to spend a few months on the unit until they appoint someone permanently. He’s supposed to be one of the best there is and he’s going to be teaching and working on the wards for a while. He’s doing Thomas’s operation. With an audience of thousands, from what I can gather. I hope he’s got steady hands.’
She stroked a hand over Rosa’s head, marvelling at how silky her dark hair was. ‘You promise to call me if you’re worried about her? Even if she’s just a bit off colour—’
‘For crying out loud, Abby!’ Karen gave her an exasperated look and waved a hand towards the door. ‘Just go, will you? She’ll be fine!’
Abby gave a faltering smile, cast a last longing look at her daughter and then forced herself to leave the brightly decorated crèche and make her way up to the paediatric surgical ward where she worked. As usual she had a dull ache in the pit of her stomach.
She hated leaving Rosa so much.
It was like a physical wrench that didn’t seem to get any easier with time. Given the chance, she would have spent every moment of every day just playing with her daughter and cuddling her but circumstances made that impossible. She had to work. Fortunately she loved her job and knew how lucky she was to work on such a respected unit. She found the field of paediatric cardiac surgery stimulating and absorbing and she knew that once she arrived on the ward she’d put thoughts of Rosa to one side and concentrate instead on the sick children and worried parents who needed her care.
And in a way Karen was right, she reassured herself firmly as she pressed the button for the lift. Plenty of parents worked and their children didn’t suffer for it.
She took comfort from the fact that Rosa was a happy, sociable child and being with the other children in the crèche provided her with an important source of stimulation.
As the lift doors opened she straightened her uniform and checked that her long blonde hair was securely fastened.
‘Hi, Abby.’ Heather, the ward sister, greeted her with a warm smile and gestured towards the side room. ‘The Woods are biting their nails to the quick in there. Fortunately we’re well staffed today so you should be able to concentrate on them and give them all the support they need.’ She glanced around furtively and lowered her voice. ‘And maybe you’d better check they understand everything that’s happening. Mr Forster had a brief chat with them before he left but you know what he was like, poor thing. He never had any time for the parents and he was hopeless at explaining anything. They looked more confused when he came out than they did when he went in.’
Abby gave a wry smile. One of their consultants, Mr Forster, had just taken early retirement on the grounds of ill health, but it was widely rumoured that he had just been finding the job too stressful. It was certainly true that he’d always been hopeless at explaining. He used the same terminology that he used with his medical team so his patients never understood him. ‘Perhaps the new surgeon will set an example.’
‘Let’s hope so. Thomas should be first on the list tomorrow and our Italian whiz-kid should be up later to talk to them.’
Abby’s blue eyes gleamed with amusement. ‘Whiz-kid’ seemed a strange description for someone with such an awesome reputation who was doubtless crusty and grey-haired. She’d never met the man in question but she was sure that he’d long ago outgrown the ‘whiz-kid’ title.
Making her way to the side room, she tapped on the door and walked in.
Lorna Wood had Thomas on her lap and he was dozing quietly.
‘Hi, there.’ Abby’s voice was hushed so that she didn’t disturb the baby and Lorna looked up, her face pale.
‘Oh, Abby, I’m so pleased to see you.’
‘How are you doing?’
Not very well, by the look of her, but, then, that was hardly surprising in the circumstances. Abby couldn’t begin to imagine how she’d feel if it was Rosa who was about to have major heart surgery.
Lorna pulled a face. ‘I feel awful. Worried, panicky…’ She spoke in an undertone, careful not to wake the sleeping baby. ‘But mostly I feel guilty.’
‘Guilty?’ Abby’s eyebrows rose in surprise and she closed the door behind her. ‘Why guilty?’
The young mother shrugged helplessly. ‘Because Thomas seems fine most of the time and I’m asking myself if all this is necessary. Am I doing the right thing by letting him have the op?’ Lorna glanced at her, her eyes filling as she begged for answers. ‘I know they keep telling me that he’ll get worse, but why not wait until it happens? Why do the operation now?’
More evidence that Mr Forster’s explanations had been less than perfect, Abby thought, hoping that the new consultant would have a better way with words. With Mr Forster they’d virtually had to provide a translation.
‘I know that Thomas seems well, but waiting might damage the heart further,’ she said quietly, and Lorna bit her lip.
‘But how do we know that for sure?’
Abby took her hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘I think you need to talk it through with the surgeon who is going to do the operation,’ she suggested. ‘He’s coming to see Thomas later. I’ll make sure that he knows that you’re worried so that he finds time to answer your questions.’
Clearly, concisely and in language that could be understood by normal mortals!
Lorna shrank slightly in her seat. ‘I don’t want to bother him,’ she said quickly. ‘He’s an important man and I’m the least of his worries.’
‘You won’t be bothering him,’ Abby said firmly, used to dealing with that type of attitude. She’d lost count of the times patients had told her they refrained from asking questions because they didn’t want to bother the doctor. ‘If there are things you don’t understand then you must ask!’
Lorna pulled a face. ‘I find doctors really intimidating. Especially surgeons who can operate on a child’s heart.’ Her eyes were round with admiration. ‘I mean, can you imagine being clever enough to do something like that? I always feel as though my questions are stupid and I’m wasting their time. Mr Forster has explained everything to me once. It isn’t his fault if I’m too stupid to understand.’
‘You’re not stupid, Lorna,’ Abby said firmly, making a mental note to brief the new consultant fully. He needed to spend time with the Woods. And he needed to use simple language. ‘If it would make you feel better, I’ll make sure I’m there, too. And I’ll make sure that he doesn’t leave the room until you’ve asked him every question you have and fully understand what’s happening.’
‘This whole thing feels like a nightmare. I just wish this was all a dream and I could wake up,’ Lorna muttered, and Abby leaned forward and gave her a quick hug.
‘The worst part is the waiting.’ She looked at the sleeping child and smiled. ‘I need to do his obs—you know, temperature, pulse that sort of thing—but I’ll wait for him to wake up. Later on I want to take you to the cardiac intensive care unit—we call it CICU—so that you know what to expect when Thomas comes back from Theatre.’
Lorna bit her lip. ‘Is it very scary?’
‘It can seem scary,’ Abby said, her tone gentle. She knew how important it was to be honest with parents and to prepare them for what lay ahead. ‘You know that when he first comes back from Theatre he’ll have a tube down his throat to help him breathe and a drain in his chest, as well as a drip. The monitors can seem very high-tech and daunting but the staff on CICU are wonderful and I know they’ll take good care of you and Thomas. We’ve a baby who has just had a similar operation to Thomas on the unit at the moment so I can show you what to expect and you can chat to the parents.’
‘And after CICU he’ll come back here to the ward?’
‘Once the doctors feel he’s well enough, they’ll transfer him back here.’
Lorna cuddled the sleeping child closer. ‘And will you still be the nurse looking after us? You’re always so calm. Nothing seems to make you flap—the minute you walk into the room I feel less panicky. I don’t think I could bear having anyone else.’
‘When I’m on duty I’ll be your nurse,’ Abby assured her. ‘We try and maintain continuity whenever we can.’
Lorna gave a weak smile. ‘Our nurse. You’re supposed to be Thomas’s nurse but you end up looking after the whole family.’
‘That’s because the whole family is part of Thomas’s recovery,’ Abby pointed out gently.
The whole ethos of the ward was to give care to the whole family, in recognition of the stress on the parents when a child was undergoing major surgery.
‘Give me a call when Thomas wakes up and I’ll check his obs,’ she said, picking up his chart and checking what had happened in the night. ‘In the meantime, I’ll track down this new consultant and make sure he makes time to see you.’
‘I hear that he’s Italian.’ Lorna looked at her anxiously. ‘Is he good, Abby?’
Abby thought of the eulogies that had been heaped on the man’s head in the past few weeks and smiled.
‘He’s better than good, Lorna. The doctors here say that he’s a legend in paediatric cardiac surgery. He’s pioneered several different techniques and his results are astonishing. That’s why he’s going to spend some time over here with us. Sharing his experience as well as filling in for Mr Forster until they make a permanent appointment. It happens quite often, believe me. In a way Thomas is lucky that he’s taken his case.’
Lorna nodded and gave a wan smile. ‘I just hope he’s as good as you say.’
