A Ring for the Greek's Baby

‘You look awfully pale.’

He slanted her a wry look. ‘You should talk.’

‘Can I help you?’ asked the weary-looking receptionist.

‘My...er...fiancée needs to see a doctor,’ Loukas said.

Fiancée?

Emily rounded her gaze on him and mouthed, ‘What the hell?’

The receptionist glanced at Emily’s bandaged finger. ‘For your finger?’

‘That and...something else,’ Loukas said, pulling at his shirt collar as if it was too tight.

Emily moved closer to the reception window. ‘I didn’t want to come in but Loukas insisted.’

‘What seems to be the problem?’ the receptionist asked.

‘I’m...pregnant.’

‘Are you bleeding?’

‘No.’

The receptionist handed Emily a form on a clipboard and a pen dangling on a string. ?

??Fill out the patient details and someone will be with you shortly.’

Emily sat beside Loukas and painstakingly filled in the form, but she was conscious of him sitting there in a state of barely disguised agitation. He shifted his feet, crossed and uncrossed his ankles. Pushed them back underneath the chair, only to bring them out again. He rubbed at the back of his neck. He loosened his tie. Then he sat forward with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

And so he should sweat. What was he thinking, pulling that ‘my fiancée’ stunt on her? Did he think she’d be too embarrassed to correct him?

Then why didn’t you correct him?

I was too embarrassed.

You could correct him now.

In front of all these people in the waiting room?

Better do it sooner rather than later.

Emily anchored the pen under the clip on the clipboard with a resounding click and placed it on the vacant seat on her left. ‘Can you sit still, or is that your conscience niggling at you?’

He swivelled his head to look at her. ‘I hate hospitals.’

‘Well, maybe if you hadn’t told the receptionist we’re engaged, you wouldn’t be feeling so rotten.’ She kept her voice at a stage whisper because she was conscious of the other patients sitting nearby. ‘But I suppose you only did that because you knew I’d be too embarrassed to make a scene. But once we get out of here I’m going to give you a piece of my mind.’

He glanced at the clock on the wall and gave an exaggerated eye roll. ‘If we ever get out of here.’

Emily winced at the time that had already elapsed. Where had the last hour and a half gone? ‘I hope it won’t be too long. You can go if you like. I can catch a cab after I’m—’

‘No. I’m staying with you and that’s the end of it.’ He jerked his sleeve up to glance at his watch, presumably to check if the one on the wall was lying, and then sat back against the plastic chair with a thump. ‘How long is “shortly”, for God’s sake?’

‘I once waited six and a half hours for a splinter in my foot to be removed when I was ten,’ Emily said. ‘My mum left me for most of it to go to an astrology workshop. I got the nurse to call her when I was done.’

Loukas turned to look at her, his brows drawn together in a tight frown. ‘Are you close to her?’