Page 41 of Stranded with the Surgeon
Sure, she might need some time off, but if it all went well, she could work right up until she was due, and if she saved up all her paid leave she could probably take a month off before coming back to work full time.
But what about Guy?
The issue had been there from the moment she’d seen the colour appear on the test strip, but it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list as she sorted through all the other worries. There was no avoiding it now, although Jennifer managed to put it aside for just a little longer while she made a quick trip to a medical ward to finish her day.
Colin Smith reminded her even more of Digger today, with his tufty hair in disarray but a cheeky smile on his face.
‘It’s my angel back again.’
‘You’re looking so much better.’ Jennifer’s delight was obvious. ‘Are they letting you go home soon?’
‘Tomorrow.’
‘That’s wonderful.’
Jennifer headed for home feeling very satisfied. She had to weave her way through a very busy street, with people enjoying a sunny Saturday evening at the cafés and boutique shops. Traffic was snarled up at one point, with drivers hooting in irritation. A teenage girl, texting on her cell phone without looking up, bumped Jennifer’s shoulder as she passed. Collecting her balance, she spotted a dark head at one of the footpath tables. For a split second, Jennifer was convinced it was Guy.
Turning into the alleyway leading to her apartment block, Jennifer saw the man’s profile and realised it wasn’t Guy. A curious mixture of relief and disappointment stayed with her as she climbed the stairs, and an image of the real man was uppermost in her mind.
Opening a window to air the apartment, all the sounds and smells of the street below came inside and Jennifer suddenly felt more than disappointed. She felt… trapped.
Lost.
She would rather be sitting beside a picture-perfect mountain lake, she realised with something like desperation. Absorbing the stillness. Waiting for Guy to return.
Sitting down, she tried to pull herself together, but nothing worked. The plans she had been formulating all week were no longer the answer to any problems. They all felt suddenly wrong. The satisfaction in following up one of her patients today to find him due for discharge evaporated. Could she even remember half the cases she had seen today? Would she have the time or inclination to follow any ofthemup?
She was tired. Bone-achingly weary. Closing her eyes and dropping her head onto the back of the couch, Jennifer allowed herself to focus on the only thing that really mattered right now.
She was going to have a baby.
Would it be a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes like her? Maybe it would be a boy with dark eyes and a flop of even darker hair.
Like his father.
And, with that thought, Jennifer sighed. There was no way around this. A telephone call or a letter to inform Guy of his impending fatherhood wasn’t good enough. He wouldn’t welcome Jennifer coming into his life again, but she had the perfect excuse now, didn’t she? Telling someone news like this could only decently be done face to face.
A knot of something like excitement coalesced amidst the emotional turmoil. All the half-formed fantasies and even the crazy idea she could be in love with the man of the mountains – that Jennifer had attributed to post-traumatic stress syndrome – edged back into her mind. If she saw him again, she would know exactly how she really felt, wouldn’t she?
She wouldn’t tell him she was coming. She wouldn’t even need to tell anyone at the hospital where she was going. The mission could be accomplished on her next couple of days off. And maybe, just maybe, Guy might be happy to see her again. He might even welcome the idea of becoming a father if it was forced on him. Never mind those emphatic statements he had made about not planning on having kids and having no space in his life for them. It was another remembered comment that seemed of far greater significance at this moment.
What had that woman said in the eavesdropped conversation?
Oh, yes…
If anyone needs a family, that young man does.
Jennifer was unaware of the tears trickling down her face.Sheneeded a family, too. A complete family. Something she hadn’t had since she was eight years old. Was that what the appeal of having a baby was all about? That she would have someone to love who would love her back?
But it wasn’t just the baby she wanted, was it?
Jennifer wanted Guy as well.
8
Escape was no longer an option.
By the time Guy had seen who was sitting on his doorstep, there was no way he could follow his instincts, turn around and drive away like the proverbial bat out of hell.
