The Midwife's Marriage Proposal

It was a less than subtle reminder that he’d been the one to cut her out of his life and Tom ran a hand over the back of his neck, seriously discomfited for the first time in his thirty-four years.

If he’d known she was coming back, he would have had time to prepare—would have somehow arranged for them to have their first meeting in private. Clearly there were things that needed to be said.

As if reminding them both that they weren’t alone, Emma gave a little cough.

‘You know each other?’ Her tone pulsed with a curiosity that she couldn’t hide and she glanced between them with interest.

Sally smiled, nothing in her expression suggesting that she was anything other than totally relaxed. ‘It was a long time ago.’

Her tone suggested a casual acquaintance of long standing, a relationship with no real attachment on either side.

Remembering the explosive passion they’d shared, Tom wondered how she’d managed to forget the incredible intimacies that had bound them together.

And then he looked into those cool green eyes and realized that she hadn’t forgotten.

Neither had she forgiven.

In those green eyes he saw disdain where there had once been adoration, contempt where that had once been unconditional love.

He drew breath slowly, shocked by how severely that contempt unsettled him.

And yet what had he expected?

Had he known she was coming, how would he have anticipated their reunion?

Sally Jenner had every reason to hate him.

‘I heard you were working in the Himalayas.’ Suddenly he wanted to know everything about her. Where she’d been, what she’d been doing. When she’d stopped crying over him.

‘Among other places.’ Her reply was intentionally vague and he saw the flash in those green depths and understood.

Mind your own business, her eyes said. What do you care, anyway?

‘And where are you living now?’

He needed to know. There were things he had to say to her and they certainly couldn’t be said in public.

She ignored his question, her gaze turning to Emma who was still watching them in awed silence. ‘Sorry. This must be very boring for you and I’m sure we need to get on with some work.’

Emma shrugged. ‘Well, if you two want to catch up, I can—’

‘Not at all,’ Sally interrupted her smoothly, moving away from the window and making her way towards the door. ‘We’ve said hello. It was nice to see you, Tom.’

With a few casually spoken words she’d dismissed him as unimportant and Tom wrestled with an inexplicable impulse to power her against the wall and remind her just what they’d shared.

But that would be a totally illogical response, of course, given that he’d been the one to walk away from their relationship.

He’d thrown their relationship away. So why was he now questioning that decision?

Because in thirty-four years he’d never met another woman who stirred his blood like Sally Jenner.

It was only after she’d left the room that he realized that she hadn’t said where she was living.

He narrowed his eyes. There was one person who would definitely know where she was living.

His sister, Bryony.

‘I can’t believe you know Tom,’ Emma breathed as they walked back down the corridor. ‘You didn’t mention it when I talked about him.’

‘It was a long time ago,’ Sally said smoothly, wishing desperately that she could escape for just five minutes to gather together her scattered emotions. But there was no chance of that.

Almost as soon as they left the staffroom, one of the other midwives appeared, looking stressed.

‘We’ve had two admissions in the last five minutes and one of them is Angela Norris. She’s in a state.’

Emma gave a sigh and turned to Sally. ‘Do you mind being thrown in at the deep end?’ She gave a rueful smile. ‘Angela isn’t going to be easy to look after. She’s only recently moved to the area and she’s going to need a lot of care and attention. This is her second baby. The first was born by Caesarean section and she was promised a section again in her last hospital, but Tom isn’t keen on sectioning women unless there’s no alternative. He’s told her that he wants her to aim for a normal delivery. She isn’t very happy about the whole thing, to be honest.’

Sally felt her whole body tense. ‘So …’ She cleared her throat. ‘Tom will be monitoring her?’

‘Oh, yes—he’ll keep a very close eye on her, especially if he’s concerned about that scar.’

Which meant that she’d be working with him right from the start, with no chance to collect herself.

Sally closed her eyes briefly. What was the matter with her? She’d had seven years to collect herself. How much longer did she need? And she’d always known that taking a job in his department would mean working closely with him. She’d decided that she needed that. If only to prove to herself that she was over him. She’d decided to confront her fears head-on.

And she was going to be fine, she told herself firmly.

He was just a colleague, nothing more. A colleague.

‘I’ll be very happy to look after Angela,’ she said firmly, smiling at Emma. ‘Let’s go.’

Angela was sitting on the bed in one of the rooms, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, a small suitcase at her feet. Her husband sat next to her, visibly tense as he held his wife’s hand and tried to calm her down.

Sally was by her side in an instant, her expression concerned as she slipped an arm around the woman, the need to comfort instinctive in her. ‘Don’t be upset,’ she urged softly, as she quickly introduced herself to the couple. ‘Whatever the problem is, we’ll sort it out together, I promise. This is supposed to be a happy, exciting time.’

Angela took a shuddering breath but her shoulders remained stiff under Sally’s gentle touch. ‘I really want a Caesarean section. It’s what I had last time. It’s what I was expecting. How can doctors say one thing in one place and something completely different in another? I just don’t understand it.’

Her eyes filled again and Sally frowned slightly. ‘I can see why that must be confusing, but the most important thing is to help you relax. Then we can talk about it.’

Angela fumbled for a tissue and blew her nose hard. ‘I want a Caesarean,’ she said emphatically, and Sally nodded.

‘Can you tell me why?’

Angela closed her eyes and put a hand on her bump. ‘Because it’s safer. Oh, help, I’ve got another contraction coming.’

She screwed up her face and concentrated on her breathing while Sally encouraged her gently, smoothing her hand over the top of Angela’s bump so that she could feel the strength of the contraction.

‘That feels like a very strong contraction. Is it going off?’ She felt the tightness ease under her hand and Angela nodded.