The Midwife's Child

There was a long silence while he looked at her, a muscle working in his dark jaw. He hadn’t bothered to shave and he looked very male and very, very sexy.

‘You don’t love me.’ He repeated her words flatly and turned and stared out of the window, his broad shoulders rigid with tension.

‘That’s right.’ Her voice was amazingly steady in the circumstances. ‘I thought I did but I don’t.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

She swallowed, knowing just how astute this man was. ‘I’m sorry, Jed, but it’s true. I—I just don’t feel the right way about you.’

The silence seemed to stretch into infinity and then finally he seemed to stir himself, turning and crossing the room towards the door, his mouth set in a grim line.

‘Well, then, there’s nothing more to be said, is there?’ Suddenly he looked tired and defeated and she could barely control the tears as she remembered the warmth in his eyes when they’d made love. Why did this have to happen? Why?

‘I’ll finish packing my things,’ she said huskily, and he gave a brief nod.

‘Fine.’ He turned to go and then paused. ‘I’d still like to take Toby to my parents for the day tomorrow. I’ll collect him in the morning and you can pick him up any time after lunch.’

With that he turned on his heel and walked towards his bedroom, slamming the door behind him so that the whole house shook.

* * *

‘You look awful.’

Brooke smiled wanly. ‘Thanks, Gill. Thanks a bunch.’

‘Anything I can do?’

Not unless she had a magic wand to wave over Jed to make him truly love her, Brooke thought glumly.

‘No.’ She turned on a bright smile that fooled no one. ‘I’m fine. What’s happening today, then?’

‘Well, we’re going to be busy,’ Gill warned her, and Brooke rolled her eyes.

‘When are we ever not busy?’

‘True.’ Gill checked the board and pulled a face. ‘In fact, we’re so busy I hardly know where to put you. The tricky one is likely to be the lady in 6—she’s a forty-year-old primip and it’s an IVF baby. Very precious baby. Very worried parents. Need I say more?’

Brooke gave a tired smile. ‘I get the picture. Any problems?’

‘Not so far.’ Gill gathered up some notes and tucked them under her arm. ‘She came in at about eight o’clock last night because her waters broke, but her contractions stopped so we sent her to the ward. Then they started again at about six o’clock this morning so they transferred her back up here for monitoring because she’s so twitchy.’

‘Fine. I’ll get to it, then.’ Brooke straightened her uniform and walked down the corridor towards Room 6.

The couple were both sitting on the bed, leafing through magazines together.

‘Hello, I’m Brooke, and I’ll be with you for the rest of the day.’ Brooke smiled at them both and picked up the notes, checking the time of the last examination and quickly scanning the CTG trace that was stuffed into the notes.

‘I’d hoped I might have had it by now,’ the woman murmured, glancing anxiously at her husband. ‘The suspense is almost too much to bear. I just want it to come.’

Brooke nodded sympathetically. ‘I understand that, but nature takes its time, I’m afraid, especially with first babies.’

‘But I’m so tired already.’ The woman lifted a shaking hand to her head and Brooke could see the panic in her eyes.

‘Carol—can I call you Carol? You’ve got a long way to go and it’s important that you relax as much as possible. Has anyone talked to you about pain relief?’

‘I said on my birth plan that I didn’t want any.’ She sniffed. ‘I don’t want to do anything that might harm this baby.’

Brooke settled herself on the bed, knowing that she had a lot of work to do if she was going to succeed in making this woman feel comfortable and relaxed.