The Midwife's Child

‘OK, I’ve finished with the ventouse now. Well done, Alison.’ Jed worked quickly, removing the cup and getting ready to deliver the rest of the baby. ‘Here he comes.’

The baby slithered into his waiting hands and he lifted it smoothly onto Alison’s abdomen, grinning as it started to yell.

‘I love that sound!’

Brooke breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at him, momentarily forgetting the tension between them. She loved that sound, too.

‘Oh, Alison!’ Tim Neal’s voice was choked with emotion as he gently touched his new baby, and Brooke blinked several times. Bother! Why was she always such a marshmallow?

Fifteen minutes later the cord was cut, the placenta delivered and mother and baby were cuddled up together as if they’d known each other for ever.

‘Well, you didn’t need me here at all,’ Sita declared cheerfully, having checked the baby and pronounced it well.

‘Thank you.’ Tears misted Alison’s eyes as she looked at Jed. ‘You were brilliant, wasn’t he, Tim?’

Her husband looked shell-shocked by the whole experience. ‘He certainly was.’

‘Don’t tell him that. It’s crowded enough in the labour ward without having a doctor with an oversized head,’ Brooke quipped, helping Paula clear up after the delivery. But he had done well, she had to admit it. He’d managed to deliver the baby with the minimum of fuss but she’d seen the skill in his technique.

‘She’s gorgeous.’ Jed smiled down at the baby and touched its tiny cheek with one strong finger.

Brooke froze, her eyes fixed on his face.

‘Do you have children, Doctor?’ Alison smiled up at him and Jed shook his head.

‘Not yet. But one day I hope to.’

Suddenly Brooke felt as though she was suffocating and she mumbled an excuse and left the room.

Dear God, what was she going to do? How was she going to handle this?

* * *

It was nearly ten o’clock by the time the labour ward had calmed down, and as she changed and dragged on her coat Brooke felt exhausted. The prospect of a bus ride home filled her with gloom. What on earth was she going to do about the stupid car?

Pushing the worry aside, she stuck her head round the office door and smiled at Gill. ‘I’m off. My bus goes in five minutes.’

‘Thanks, Brooke!’

Brooke gathered up her bits and pieces from the staffroom and dashed out of the hospital, sprinting across the car park as she saw the lights of the bus approach.

‘Brooke!’

No! She stopped dead and turned, eyeing the low, expensive sports car and Jed Matthews with frustration. What was it like to have a car that started?

‘Not now, Mr Matthews. I’m already late.’ She turned and ran for the bus, her heart bursting as she crossed the lawn just in time to see it pull away. ‘No! No, no, no!’

Tears pricked her eyes and she slammed her bag down onto the seat and sat down next to it. Suddenly it was all too much and the tears slid down her cheeks. Damn. She never cried! Never! Brushing them away with the back of her hand, she gave herself a sharp telling-off. How pathetic! She was just tired, that was all. Tired. Nothing more.

Strong fingers curled into her shoulder and pulled her upright.

‘Get in.’ Jed propelled her towards his car. ‘I’ll give you a lift home.’

‘No! I don’t want a lift!’ She shook herself free and glared at him, her eyes still shiny with tears. ‘Just leave me alone, will you? I don’t need you here on top of everything else!! First the heating, then the roof and now the car, and I missed my bus…’

She choked on the lump in her throat and, before she could protest, strong arms had swept her off her feet and deposited her in the passenger seat. Warmth and comfort enveloped her and she sagged against the plush seat, the fight draining out of her like water through a sieve.

‘I don’t want a lift,’ she mumbled, her dark lashes clogged with tears as Jed leaned across her to fasten her seat belt. The urge to touch him was so strong it was a physical pain. She could see the dark shadow of his jaw and smell that tantalising male scent that she remembered so well. Dear God, she loved this man. She’d loved him from the first minute she’d stared into those sexy blue eyes, and she’d never stopped loving him even though she knew it was hopeless.

‘Where to?’ He pulled out of the hospital car park and drove slowly towards the main road, glancing at her expectantly.

She rallied her flagging spirits and fumbled for the doorhandle. ‘I don’t want you to take me home. I don’t want to go anywhere with you.’

‘Unless you want to add to your problems by falling out of a moving car, I suggest you leave the door shut,’ he drawled, picking up speed so that she had no choice but to release the handle.

‘You’re a bully.’

‘Stop behaving like a child and give me some directions.’ His words were clipped, his expression exasperated. ‘Brooke, you missed your bus and I’m taking you home. It’s as simple as that. Now, do I turn left or right?’

‘I don’t want to go home with you.’ For some reason the tears wouldn’t stop flowing and she hated herself for it.

‘Left or right?’ This time his voice was gentler and he paused at the junction with the main road and dug a hand in his pocket, handing her a tissue.

She took it and blew her nose hard. Oh, what was the point in fighting with him? She needed to get home and this was as good a way as any. ‘Right. Take the road towards Elterwater.’

‘Progress!’ He slammed his foot on the accelerator and the car sped along the quiet roads, making a soft purring sound that Brooke had never heard before. Her car made the oddest noises. Bangs and grinding noises. Nothing like this. Maybe this was what a car was meant to sound like when it worked.

His eyes were fixed on the road ahead. ‘So, how long have you lived up here?’

‘In the Lake District?’ She pushed the tissue up her sleeve. ‘Two years.’

‘Why did you move from London?’

‘I needed—’ She broke off and glared at his profile. ‘Who said I was in London?’

He gave a sigh, his dark hair glossy in the moonlight. ‘Are you always this defensive? Relax, Brooke. You won’t be giving anything away. I know who you are and I know you worked in London. Why did you move?’

For a hundred reasons, none of which she could tell him. ‘I like the country.’

‘Right.’ He glanced at her, one eyebrow lifted. ‘Where now?’

‘Left at this junction and then right up the hill. My cottage is first on the right. Or at least it was when I left it this morning,’ she said dryly. ‘Knowing my luck, it’s probably fallen down by now.’

He laughed but he gave her a keen look as he pulled the car to a halt. ‘That bad, huh?’

‘You have no idea,’ Brooke muttered under her breath, releasing her seat belt and giving him the best smile that she could manage. ‘Thanks for the lift.’

She scrambled out of the car, thinking that sports cars weren’t that easy to get out of, and slammed the door, her eyes narrowing as he did the same thing.