The Doctor's Christmas Bride (Lakeside Mountain Rescue 1)

Jack nodded and Bryony knew that Sean was handing over responsibility to someone who wasn’t so close to Ellie. He was obviously finding it hard to be objective.

‘Nicky, I need a pad for that scalp wound. We can glue it later.’ Jack smiled down at Ellie. ‘You’re going to be fine, but I’m going to put a couple of lines in and check the baby.’

His voice was smooth and confident and he held out a hand to Nicky who’d already anticipated everything they were going to need.

Ellie shifted slightly on the trolley. ‘I’m bleeding, Jack,’ she murmured, her eyes drifting shut. ‘I can feel it. Oh, God, I can’t believe this is happening again. I’m going to lose it, I know I’m going to lose it.’

‘You’re not going to lose this baby,’ Jack said firmly, his swift glance towards Bryony communicating clearly that she should call her brother again.

Bryony called Theatre again, and explained the situation. In the meantime Sean had put two lines in, and Ellie was connected to various monitors and had an IV running.

‘Blondie, I want BMG, coagulation screen, rhesus/antibody status and a Kleihauer test. The foetal heart rate is good,’ Jack said softly, his eyes on the monitor. ‘Ellie, I’m just going to feel your uterus—I want you to keep that oxygen mask on now, please. No more talking, sweetheart.’

But Ellie clutched his arm. ‘If Tom can’t get here, I want you to section me,’ she croaked, her eyes suddenly swimming with tears. ‘Don’t let me lose this baby, Jack. Please, don’t let me lose this baby.’

Jack’s eyes locked on hers, his gaze wonderfully confident and reassuring. ‘If I have to section you here, I can and I will,’ he promised, ‘and you are not going to lose this baby, Ellie. I swear it. Trust me, angel.’ He looked at Nicky. ‘Get me a pack ready just in case. And someone tell Tom Hunter that if he doesn’t get himself down here in the next two minutes, he’s buying the drinks for the whole of next year.’

Swallowing back a lump in her throat, Bryony took blood and arranged for it to be sent to the lab, someone delivered the portable ultrasound machine and Jack carefully scanned Ellie’s abdomen, staring at the screen with total concentration as he looked for problems. He squinted closer at one area and exchanged glances with Sean who gave a discreet nod.

‘The foetal heart is still 140,’ Jack said, carrying on with the ultrasound until he was satisfied with what he’d seen.

Ellie tried to move the mask and Jack put a hand on hers to prevent her, anticipating her question.

‘The baby is fine,’ he said softly. ‘I can see the heart beating and he just kicked me really hard. He’s better in than out at the moment.’

Ellie gave a weak smile and closed her eyes again just as Tom strode into the room.

‘Sorry, folks—tricky section upstairs. How are you doing here?’

Jack briefed him quickly and Tom listened carefully, asking the occasional question, his eyes flickering to Ellie who had her eyes closed. For once he and Jack were serious, no trace of their usual banter or humour as they conferred. Tom washed his hands and approached the trolley.

‘Hi, Ellie,’ he said gently, ‘it’s Tom. I just want to check on that baby of yours.’

Ellie’s eyes opened and she looked frightened as she pulled the mask away from her face. ‘I want you to deliver it, Tom,’ she croaked. ‘Deliver it now. Please. I’ve got one of my feelings. A very bad feeling…’

Tom squeezed her shoulder briefly and then slid the blanket down so that he could look at her abdomen. ‘Trust me, Ellie,’ he said gently. ‘I’m not going to let you lose this baby.’

‘I marked the top of the fundus,’ Jack told him and Tom nodded as he examined Ellie thoroughly.

Five minutes later he glanced at Jack. ‘She’s bleeding quite a bit. I’m going to section her. Is there anything I need to know? Has she had a head injury?’

‘She has a minor scalp laceration but she wasn’t knocked out and her cervical spine is fine,’ Jack told him. ‘She’s all yours.’

Tom ran a hand over the back of his neck. ‘Is Ben coming?’

Ellie looked at him, her face pale. ‘Just do it, Tom,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t wait for Ben. Sean, will you stay with me?’

Sean stepped forward. ‘Try getting rid of me,’ he said gruffly, taking Ellie’s hand in his. ‘Let’s get her up to the labour ward and get this baby out.’

Everything happened swiftly after that.

Sean and Jack transferred Ellie up to the labour ward while Tom phoned around and called in the assistance of the top anaesthetist and two paediatricians, and then he sprinted up to Theatre after them.

Bryony and Nicky cleared up Resus, both of them quiet and worried about Ellie. They were still talking quietly, enjoying a brief lull in the usual run of patients, when Ben strode into Resus, his face drawn with worry.

‘Where is she?’

‘In Theatre on the labour ward,’ Bryony said immediately. ‘Tom is sectioning her.’