It Started with a Pregnancy

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Melissa started. What was she doing? She had to get hold of herself. Cooper had managed to keep his composure without any problems. But it was claustrophobic being in a room with a man she’d seen naked. Naked.

There was that word again. She couldn’t get it out of her head. But if she closed her eyes for a second she could see his broad torso and muscular arms, all with a little smattering of dark hair that curled downwards towards…

‘Sister Bell… Missy?’

She spun abruptly, caught by the informal use of her name. That was what she’d told him to call her that night. His dark chocolate eyes were watching her carefully. He was cool and composed. His gaze never faltered. The ultimate professional. He expected her to be the same.

‘Are you ready to assist me?’

Melissa gave a quick nod, tearing her eyes away from his. She moved swiftly over the bed to help assist Katherine into the most appropriate position for delivery at the end of the bed. The semi-recumbent position would allow space at the end of the bed for the baby to hang. Cooper washed his hands and pulled on some gloves before positioning himself at the end of the bed, while Melissa remained at Katherine’s side, monitoring the recordings from the foetal monitor and blood-pressure gauge. Cooper swiftly examined Katherine again.

‘Okay, Katherine. The baby’s bottom is right at the cervix. On your next contraction you can start to push. We’ll let you know if you need to stop. Just let us know how you’re feeling.’

Katherine nodded tensely as the next contraction took hold of her body. Cooper continued to talk to her quietly but firmly over the next few minutes. ‘Good, Katherine, keep pushing. That’s the posterior buttock, now the anterior buttock.’ The baby’s legs were spontaneously delivered. He nodded swiftly at Melissa and the paediatrician to let them know that things were proceeding smoothly. ‘Take a deep breath again, Katherine. Things are going well.’

Melissa watched carefully as Cooper delivered the baby’s shoulders then checked the position of the arms and umbilicus. If the baby’s arms were extended, that could cause problems with the delivery.

‘Get ready, people, the baby’s arms are flexed so they’ll be delivered on the next push.’ He shot Katherine a big smile. He had managed to put the patient at ease and was clearly confident in his clinical abilities. ‘We’re nearly there now, Katherine, just another few big pushes.’

Katherine grimaced and gathered herself for the next push, gripping Melissa’s hand so tightly that she thought her bones might break. Melissa sat down on the bed, wrapping her arm around Katherine’s shoulders. ‘Do you know what you’re having?’ she asked, trying to distract her into letting go of her other hand.

Katherine shook her head fiercely. ‘I didn’t want to know. I wanted a surprise.’

Melissa nodded in understanding. Her view of the earlier ultrasound had revealed the baby’s sex but she wasn’t about to let Katherine know. She felt Katherine’s abdominal muscles begin to tense again. ‘Another big push now.’

Cooper positioned his hand to check the position of the baby’s head. ‘Okay, it’s going to be the Burns-Marshall manoeuvre,’ he said, clarifying the position to the waiting team. ‘This might be a little uncomfortable, Katherine, as we need to turn the baby one hundred and eighty degrees and we have to do it slowly to prevent sudden changes in pressure.’

With his focus entirely on the job in hand, Cooper grasped the baby’s ankles, waited for the hairline to appear and then slowly pivoted the baby until the nose and mouth were free. There was silence in the room for the two minutes while he carried out the procedure and the staff silently held their breath. When it was done Cooper handed the baby over to the waiting arms of the paediatrician, who made a quick assessment and used some suction to clear the baby’s airways. A quick whiff of oxygen later and the room was filled with the angry roar of a baby who was well and truly awake. The paediatrician gave Melissa a little nod and she picked up a nearby blanket to wrap round the screaming bundle, who was rapidly turning a nice shade of pink.

Just for a second she stopped. This was one of the moments that she loved. Those first few minutes where the baby adjusted to its new surroundings. Some hated the transition and screamed, others were mesmerised and looked around wildly with unfocused eyes. Those first few seconds were precious and it was one of the reasons Melissa loved her job so much. Her stomach gave a little squeeze as she stared at the little one in her arms. When would it be her turn? Would she ever be the person whose heart filled with joy at the first sight of her baby? Her biological clock was ticking and with no potential partner on the horizon, a baby was a long way off.

She glanced down once more at the perfect little pink face in her arms and pulled her mind back into the present.

‘Here we go, Katherine,’ she said, handing over the precious gift. ‘Meet your son.’

Katherine seemed oblivious to the noise in the room and took him with trembling arms. ‘Isn’t he gorgeous?’ she breathed heavily.

Melissa sat down next to her on the bed. ‘Have you got a name picked out for him yet?’

Katherine nodded. ‘I’m going to name him James, after my dad.’

‘That’s lovely. I’m sure he’ll be delighted.’

She looked up as one of the junior midwives stuck her head around the door. ‘Just to let you know that Katherine’s mum has arrived.’ She caught sight of the little bundle lying Katherine’s arms. ‘Oh, great, the baby is here. Do you want me to send her in?’

Melissa turned to Katherine. ‘We’re not quite finished yet, but do you want her to come in and see the baby?’

Katherine nodded silently. Her eyes hadn’t left her baby’s. She was still in the newborn glow of motherhood.

Melissa looked at Cooper carefully. It had been her first experience of the new consultant and it was one of the smoothest breech deliveries she had ever seen. He clearly knew his stuff. Melissa went to leave the room and find Katherine’s mother. She brushed past Cooper, who was standing talking quietly to the paediatrician. It was a tight squeeze and her breasts brushed against the back of Cooper’s white coat. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered on the way past, and breathed a sigh of relief as she ducked out of the door.

Cooper finished his conversation with the paediatrician and had a few final words with Katherine before picking up her notes and carrying them out the room.

His registrar was waiting outside the room for him. ‘Anything I can do, Cooper?’

He nodded quickly. ‘Yes. Katherine still has to deliver her placenta. Can you go and supervise for me?’

Cooper didn’t normally like to leave a patient immediately after delivery but he was still getting over the shock of seeing Melissa in the room. He walked into the nearest consulting room and closed the door behind him. Sitting at the desk, his hand automatically went to his trouser pocket where he turned his wedding ring over and over in his pocket.

What on earth was she doing here? He’d been dumbfounded when she’d walked into the room. She hadn’t even noticed him to begin with, she’d been too focused on the patient. But when she had seen him she’d looked as if she’d been hit with a ton of bricks. It was obvious she hadn’t wanted to see him again. He’d realised that as soon as he’d woken up the next morning and she’d gone. No note. No nothing. Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma’am!

She hadn’t seemed like that type of girl. He’d almost believed she’d never had a one-night stand before. But six weeks later and with no sign of her, his opinion had changed. The last place he’d expected to see her was on the first day of his new job. Why hadn’t she told him she was a midwife? He groaned and put his head in his hands. But he hadn’t told her he was a doctor either. She had been stunned to see him.

He’d come here to be a new person. He’d wanted to be in a new place where no one knew his history. He wanted to be in a place where he had no ties. Where he could just focus on the job. This was a nightmare. Once word got out he’d slept with the ward sister he would be at the mercy of the hospital grapevine. It had been bad enough at his old post, where everyone had seemed to have a ‘wonderful single female friend who would be just perfect for him.’ He didn’t want to mix business with pleasure. He hadn’t even really decided if he was ready for the pleasure side. Cooper sighed and leaned back in his chair. This was the last thing that he wanted. He’d had experience of the hospital grapevine. The whispered words ‘That’s the consultant whose wife died’ had haunted him for months. That was why he was here. In a new place where there would be no discussion about his personal life, no interference. And now this.

He couldn’t bear it. This was the job he loved. This was the one constant in his life. This was the thing that still gave him a reason to get up in the morning, because even after everything that had happened to him, this was the job he was good at. There were patients who needed him, patients that he could save. Other doctors might have hidden away, retrained and entered a different branch of medicine, but that had never even entered his mind. His own hospital had held too many painful memories to stay, but here it was different—here a whole new set of memories was waiting to be made and he couldn’t allow anything to spoil that for him. He had to be the ultimate professional. This was work and he could manage to maintain a professional relationship with Sister Bell. Couldn’t he?

Sister Bell—that was exactly how he would think of her. Not Melissa and certainly not Missy. No. He stood up and straightened his white coat. He could do this.

Cooper’s eyes scanned over the sports arena. He’d been too late to catch Melissa at work but one of the other midwives—Andrea, after wrinkling her nose at him—had told him that she usually came for a run after work. He spotted the figure at the other side of the running track. He’d recognise that body anywhere and that thought triggered a little twist in his gut.

Just as she’d caught his eye in the pub, so she caught his eye here too. She was wearing a bright red tracksuit with a grey running vest and white trainers. Her chestnut hair was pulled up in a ponytail and he watched as she finished her lap and checked the time on her watch. He started to jog slowly around the track towards her. He didn’t even know what he was going to say. That he was sorry? That this was awkward? That every time he saw her he had flashbacks to their night together?

He watched as she sat down on the arena steps and pulled her rucksack towards her, pulling a mini chocolate bar from it and eating it in two bites. Then she leaned forward and rested her head on her arms, obviously trying to catch her breath. He slowed as he approached her; there was no time like the present.

Melissa’s heart was pounding. She checked her pulse then wondered if her heart was pounding due to her exercise or the day she’d just had at work. The events of the day played over and over in her mind like some bad Groundhog day.

She felt her cheeks flush as she remembered when she’d had to brush past him. Just as well she’d been wearing a hideous sports bra under her uniform. She would have died if he’d noticed her nipples’ automatic response. She wasn’t used to being haunted by erotic thoughts at work. Which seemed strange since she used to work with her ex, David. But David hadn’t conjured up the wild responses that she’d experienced with Cooper. If this was what happened to her mind after one day, how on earth was she going to work with him?

Then there was the fact he hadn’t told her he was a doctor—worse, an obstetrician. She’d just come out of a relationship with a doctor and she certainly wasn’t looking for another! Why on earth did he have to be working here?

She groaned and stuck her head in her hands. Oh, wake up, Missy! She’d met him in a pub that was five minutes away from the hospital—a known haunt of hospital personnel. He’d picked a flat that was less than a ten-minute walk from the hospital. Most of the new staff tended to look for properties close by, until they had a chance to get to know the local area. And he’d been a new face, someone she’d never seen before. She should have known he was a doctor.

Junior doctors changed jobs every six months, some seniors did too, registrars usually every couple of years, but always around the same time of year. But he was a consultant. Come to think of it, he was pretty young to be a consultant obstetrician. But then again, what age was he?

She couldn’t remember if she’d asked him that—she was sure she hadn’t. And there weren’t many details about that night she’d forgotten. No, she’d spent the last six weeks reliving that night over and over in her head.

How could she work with this man? The thought of seeing him every day sent delicious tingles along her spine. He was one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. She’d seen him under cover of darkness before and through a haze of wine, and sometimes that hid a multitude of sins. But not for Cooper. No, he was just as much a Greek god in the cold, harsh light of day as he’d been on that crisp winter’s night. She knew that already he’d be the talk of the hospital. There weren’t that many handsome, unattached doctors in their midst. She could probably write a list of the names of colleagues who would attempt to ensnare him. That gave her a little flare of, what—jealousy? About someone she hardly knew?

She remembered the delicious excitement that night of leaving with the mysterious stranger. She remembered her thoughts about destiny. She remembered her thought, Who would ever know? Melissa groaned. Once. Just once in her life she’d thrown caution to the wind and acted on her instincts. Everything about that night had been magical. So much so that when she’d woken in the morning she’d picked up her clothes and crept out, reluctant to do anything to break the spell from the night before. But at work she was sensible Melissa. Reliable, dependable and good at her job, not the bumbling, distracted idiot she’d felt like today. She wanted to keep her personal and professional lives separate. She was going to have to speak to him. There really wasn’t any way around this.

She lifted her head at the slowing footsteps approaching her. Missy was startled. He was the absolute last person she expected to see right now.

He slowed his jog and walked the last couple of steps towards her in his navy jogging shorts and T-shirt. No other clothes could showcase his muscled legs so perfectly. A wicked thought filled her mind and instantly a smile danced across her lips as he thumped down next to her.

She leaned back against the steps. ‘So, Dr Roberts, what can I do for you?’ The mixed scent of his sweat and cologne instantly invaded her senses, making her head swim with memories of their night together.

That was it. That was what he’d loved about her. That had been the attraction—the fact she wasn’t afraid to say whatever was on her sassy mind. He leaned back against the steps next to her, ‘Well, Sister Bell, I’m not quite sure,’ he said. ‘We seem to have got ourselves into a bit of a predicament.’

He turned towards her, his face only inches from hers. And then she saw them, those chocolate eyes again. Those deep eyes. The type that drew you in and made you forget who you were and where you were. The same eyes that had mesmerised her on that long, hot night together.

‘You’re a distraction,’ she said.

‘What?’

He flinched backwards and drew his gaze away from hers and she blinked twice. Apparently she was the only person caught in the memory.

‘You distracted me at work today, Cooper. It’s really difficult to be in a confined space with someone you last saw naked.’

He raised an eyebrow at her candour. ‘Get straight to the point, why don’t you?’

‘It needs to be said.’ Her fingers twiddled with a lock of her hair. She was trying to appear cool and casual. ‘I felt as if I couldn’t concentrate at work today and that’s not me. I’m very good at my job.’

He nodded thoughtfully. ‘I’m sure you are.’ He ran his hand through his hair, catching the big brown strand that fell over his eyes. He looked sideways at her and gave a grin. ‘I’d hate to be responsible for your mind not being on your work.’

There it was again, that sexual tension that seemed to spring up whenever they were near each other. There was silence between them for a second as his words hung in the air. Did he really need a distraction at work? No, he didn’t. What he needed was to take some time to settle into his new position and find his feet again. His eyes darted around the empty jogging track. If he didn’t look at her then he couldn’t think illicit thoughts. He struggled to find the words he felt he had to say. ‘This is probably a bit awkward for us both.’

Melissa groaned. She raised her hand in disgust. ‘Please don’t give me the speech.’

This time his eyes did meet hers, and his brow furrowed in confusion.

‘What do you mean—the speech?’

She shook her head. ‘I’m too old for all this. It’s more than a little awkward. I asked you what you did for a living. You deliberately skirted the question. Do you think I would have gone home with you if I’d known I was going to spend the next year working with you?’ She was getting annoyed now. Her pent-up frustration from spending the last few hours in the labour suite with him was finally bubbling to the surface.

‘Well, I don’t know, do I?’ he answered calmly. ‘Would it have made a difference?’

Melissa gritted her teeth. What was that supposed to mean? That she would have gone home with him anyway? Did he think she was some kind of tramp?

‘Yes!’ she spat out. ‘I’ve learned from experience that work and pleasure shouldn’t mix.’

Did she really mean that? What she’d learnt from experience was that she, David and work shouldn’t have mixed. Or maybe she just shouldn’t have mixed with David, full stop. But Cooper was someone entirely new. Did she really just want to be his one-night stand? Or did she want something more? Her mind was in such a turmoil of emotions right now she didn’t know what she wanted. But the last thing she needed right now was another work-related romance. Last time around it had been a disaster, with everyone knowing every detail of her life. A private life should be just that—private. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure, and lowered her voice. ‘Please tell me you haven’t told all your new colleagues about the woman you picked up in the pub?’

Cooper sat wordlessly. She thought he would do that? He’d come here to tell her that what they’d had had been a mistake. He wanted to concentrate on his new job. A beautiful stranger had seemed like a great way to move back into the land of the living. But a beautiful colleague whom he’d see on a daily basis and would imagine in all sorts of ways would only confuse things for him. His gut twisted with the inevitable realisation that he wasn’t ready for this yet.

His stomach clenched into a tight knot. He lifted up his finger and brushed it momentarily against her cheek. He thought this was what he had wanted too. No complications. To forget all about it. But all of a sudden, as the woman he’d shared the most passionate night of his life with sat beside him, he wasn’t so sure.

‘Of course I haven’t said anything to anyone,’ he said softly. ‘I’m not that kind of guy.’

He heard her let out a huge sigh of relief. ‘Thank you, Cooper,’ she whispered. She saw the hurt expression on his face and gave her shoulders a little shrug. ‘I don’t know you, Cooper, I mean really know you. I had to ask.’ She leaned forward, picking up some of the red asphalt from the running track and letting it run through her fingers. ‘So what happens now?’

He turned to face her. Confusion spread across his face. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Cooper, you came halfway across town to come and speak to me.’ She put her red-tinged fingers on his arm. ‘What is it you want to say?’

Her heart was thumping in her chest. She knew what she wanted him to say, but from the expression on his face she knew he would never say it.

He bit his lip. He hated this. He wasn’t even sure how to say it. Maybe if he’d been here a few months and had met her at work, maybe if he’d been six months down the line and had met her in the pub, it would be different, but right now it just didn’t feel right and he had to tell her. ‘I’m not looking for a relationship right now.’

The words came out rapidly and for some horrible reason it had an effect on her that she hadn’t expected. It hurt. She’d been taught a valuable lesson years ago when her father had left her mother for another woman, and she’d spent months watching her mother break down. With that and David, she’d learnt never to depend on a man, only on herself. And she shouldn’t forget it. ‘I didn’t ask you for a relationship, Cooper.’

‘I know that but we’ve got to work together and—’

Melissa stood up, she didn’t need to hear any more. She patted him on the shoulder. ‘Don’t worry, Coop, we can work together.’

She picked up her rucksack and shrugged her shoulders into it, before glancing at her watch and starting to jog back along the track. She had to move quickly, before the tears that were filling her eyes threatened to spill down her cheeks. Some nights were best just forgotten.

CHAPTER THREE

COOPER glanced at his watch. It was after five o’clock and his antenatal clinic had just finished. One of his overdue patients had already been in labour when she’d come to her appointment. She hadn’t even realised it and had been shocked when Cooper had sent her along to the labour ward. It had been four hours and he wanted to go and check how she was doing. But going to the labour ward meant there was a good chance that he would run into Missy.

He’d spent the best part of the last ten days avoiding the labour ward as much as possible. It wasn’t as difficult as it sounded as he had patients to see in the antenatal clinics in the hospital and the community, and he had patients to see in the wards after they had delivered. He really only got called to the labour suite if there was an immediate problem and his registrar wasn’t available to deal with it. The joys of being a consultant.

On the few occasions he’d attended an emergency in the labour suite, he’d managed to avoid Missy altogether. She wasn’t always on duty, or was sometimes attending to another patient. But today was different. His patient would be in the medical side of the labour suite, where Missy worked. And he had already seen her in one of the corridors a few hours ago when she’d come along to the clinic to pick up some notes for a patient. He was bound to meet her today.

This was ridiculous. He couldn’t let a one-night stand affect his working practice, he was far too professional for that. He stood up from his chair and strode across the room, collecting his white coat from behind the door.

His heart stopped. Just for a second. A woman, sitting in a chair, was bent over, pulling something from her bag. Her blonde hair had fallen across her face and as she sat up, she put her hands to her back and arched backwards. She was obviously pregnant, six or seven months, but that wasn’t the problem.