‘You have a beautiful son,’ Luca said huskily, a smile playing around his firm mouth. ‘Congratulations. And well done. You were very brave.’
Tears spilled down Sally’s cheeks and she reached out a hand to Luca. ‘Thank you,’ she said, the words choked as she battled with tears. ‘If it hadn’t been for you I know I would have had a section and I would have hated that. You made it special.’
Luca squeezed her hand. ‘You’re very welcome,’ he said quietly, stepping back as the paediatrician moved closer to take the baby.
It was way past the end of her shift but Tia didn’t want to leave until the placenta had been delivered and Luca had finished.
She wanted to go home with him.
As they made for the car park Dr Ford caught up with them and put a hand on Luca’s arm, her expression warm.
‘You were just amazing in there. There’s so much I want to ask you. Shall we go for a drink?’
Tia almost gasped at the audacity of the woman but relaxed slightly as she felt Luca’s arm slip round her shoulders, pulling her close to him. ‘Not tonight—I’ve finished work and Tia and I are off until Boxing Day. There’ll be plenty of time to answer your questions when I’m back.’
A warm glow spread through Tia’s veins as his grip tightened. He was making it clear to Dr Ford that a meeting with her would be nothing but professional.
‘Fine.’ Dr Ford gave a bright smile that barely hid her disappointment and swung her dark hair over her shoulders. ‘I’ll see you after Christmas, then.’
‘Indeed.’ Luca took Tia’s hand firmly and led her to the car. ‘Get in before you collapse. You must be exhausted. You shouldn’t have stayed for that breech delivery.’
Tia’s expression softened. ‘I like Sally and—’ She broke off and blushed slightly. ‘And I wanted to watch you.’
Mild amusement lit his eyes. ‘Was I being tested? Did I pass?’
His lazy drawl made her blood heat and she struggled to keep her breathing steady.
Oh, yes, he’d passed.
‘You were great,’ she said gruffly. ‘Most doctors would have just sectioned her to avoid the risk of litigation. Dr Ford was right. You were amazing.’
He gave a shrug. ‘I don’t think so. There was no reason why she couldn’t deliver normally,’ he said. ‘She had a good-sized pelvis and the baby wasn’t big, she had a normal volume of liquor, no pre-eclampsia and no foetal distress. It was perfectly reasonable to let her deliver on her own.’
‘And what about the woman earlier, the ruptured uterus?’ Tia turned to look at him. ‘Did you have to do a hysterectomy?’
‘No.’ Luca shook his head and raked a hand through his hair. ‘She was lucky. We managed to repair it.’
Lucky.
Lucky to have Luca.
‘Luca…’ She turned to face him, feeling suddenly impossibly shy. ‘Thanks.’
He yanked on the handbrake and frowned at her. ‘For what?’
‘For not going for a drink with Dr Ford.’ She swallowed hard. ‘She’s very attractive…’
‘And why should that make a difference?’ He lifted an eyebrow, his expression deadly serious. ‘It’s you I want, Tia.’
Did he?
Warmth spread through her veins and for the first time she was tempted to believe him. He certainly didn’t behave like a man who was in love with another woman.
He gave her a slow smile and turned the key in the ignition. ‘Come on, let’s go home and get some sleep. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow.’
‘How about that one?’ Luca pulled the collar of his wool coat up and narrowed his eyes as he looked at the trees.
Tia picked her way over the muddy path and squinted at the price. ‘Luca, it’s a blue spruce! It costs a fortune.’