Tina Beckett - Cinderella And The Surgeon / Miracle Baby For The Midwife

‘Ah. That makes sense. Try and get her a bit of fresh air too. She needs it.’ It was almost like Danielle had instantly forgotten the first part of the conversation. She stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out some coins. ‘Here, get me something sweet. This diet I’ve been on is killing me. I need a chocolate fix.’

Esther smiled and nodded. ‘No probs. See you soon.’

She checked back at the crib. Harry had settled into the seat and had pulled the flap down on the crib and was talking in a quiet voice to Billy. As she walked over he pretended not to notice. ‘Watch out, Billy. Here comes Crabbie Rabbie. We’ve got to behave around her or we’ll both get into trouble.’

Esther’s mouth hung open. ‘Who on earth told you that?’ She’d always known her nickname. Her colleagues frequently used it with affection, but she hadn’t expected some visiting surgeon to come out with it. People had clearly been talking.

‘What?’ Now it was his turn to have the glint in his eyes. He glanced over each shoulder as if someone was standing behind him. ‘Did I say something?’

She leaned at the edge of the crib and looked down at Billy. ‘Billy, don’t you listen to these bad influences. You know who the favourite is.’

She touched Harry’s shoulder on the way past. ‘And you’re right. You do have to behave. Don’t forget it.’

Jill hurried over with her bag on her shoulder. ‘Are we good to go?’

Harry smiled. ‘Absolutely, your boy is in safe hands. Now take your time. I’ll be right here waiting.’

He shot Esther a quick glance. A silent message passing between them. Their joking was pushed aside again. Jill was the priority here. There was so much evidence about healthy mum, healthy baby. Esther took it completely seriously, and it seemed like Harry did too.

Esther held open the door for Jill, taking one final glance backwards as something warm spread through her. Most surgeons she met were quite insular. Only interested in moving on to their next surgery once the job was done. Harry seemed to be taking a much wider view. It was nice.

His head was dipped close to Billy and he was chatting away, his cup on the table next to him. She watched as he used some gel nearby before stretching his hand inside and letting Billy grasp his finger.

A smile lit up Harry’s face.

And that was the moment she knew he was trouble.

SHE DIDN’T SLEEP too well that night. She might as well have covered the night shift the amount of times she was back and forth to the toilet.

By the time she took the route along the Thames she’d reached that strange point where sleep now seemed like an optional extra, so she bought the biggest coffee she could from one of the street vendors with two extra shots to try and give herself the oomph that felt missing.

It was a huge relief when she walked into the NICU and Harry wasn’t there. Last thing she wanted was him calling her on how tired she looked. Apparently he’d gone back to France to see the baby he’d operated on previously.

He’d been so scrupulous about Billy’s monitoring—almost as much as she was—and she’d heard him on the phone to France yesterday on a few occasions. It was clear he kept a close eye on any baby he’d operated on.

Yesterday they seemed to have reached an uneasy truce. There hadn’t been a single word about her expertise or competence. She’d spent most of the day looking after both Billy and his mother, but Harry had constantly stayed around. Lingering doubts had hovered in her head and part of her wondered if he was keeping an eye on Billy, or if he was really keeping an eye on her. The more she’d thought about it last night, the more it seemed to amplify in her mind. Could he have hung around yesterday to assess her competence?

Once the seed was planted there she just couldn’t shake it off. She’d re-examined every conversation they’d had. The fact he’d offered to sit with Billy to let her take Jill to the canteen. The truth was Jill hadn’t eaten much at all.

But for the first time Jill had agreed to leave Billy’s bedside and have a few hours’ sleep in an actual bed. The NICU had two small rooms—just big cupboards, really—where parents could actually lie down and sleep, then have a shower if they wished. If Harry was examining her care, surely he could see how important it was to take care of mum too?

Billy’s post-op care had been unremarkable, but when she’d read the theatre notes Esther realised just how touch and go it had been for him. Even if she’d initially detested him Harry Beaumont was a skilled surgeon, and looking at the neat clean scar line on Billy’s tiny chest and the way his lungs filled with air every few moments, the scare in Theatre seemed a lifetime away.

Esther’s stomach had churned as she’d made her way to the unit that day. She’d washed her hair and made sure her scrubs were immaculate. Even applying a little more make-up to her still slightly pale face. And that annoyed her too, because she’d always been immaculate at work. So why did it seem even more important that day? In a way she’d almost been annoyed when she realised Harry Beaumont wasn’t there after all. But the annoyance had quickly given way to relief. On a day like today she wanted to be comfortable at work. All her concentration had to be on Billy and his mother. Not on some random, tall, dark and handsome arrogant fool with toffee-coloured eyes.

Heat rushed into her cheeks as she finished another set of Billy’s checks. Where had that thought come from?

Abi nudged her elbow. ‘So, anyway, I was telling you. We’ve found out what branch of royalty our new surgeon has.’ She smiled brightly as if she thought Esther might actually be interested. ‘He’s from your neck of the woods. He’s a duke. From Scotland. The Duke of Montrose.’

Esther wrinkled her nose. ‘There’s nothing Scottish about him. Have you heard that cut-glass accent?’

Abi laughed. ‘What—you don’t have posh people in Scotland?’

Esther had to smile too. ‘Sure we do. But not in my neck of the woods. Anyhow, when these people get titles, it doesn’t mean it relates to where they stay, or where they’re from. The Prince of Wales wasn’t born and brought up in Wales, was he?’

Abi frowned for a second. ‘I guess not.’ She waved her hand as she started to walk away. ‘Anyway, just thought you’d want to know.’

Esther was surprised. ‘Why on earth did you think I’d want to know?’

Abi’s eyebrows rose. ‘Just in case you were plotting a murder. Thought you’d want to know who he is before you kill him.’ She was grinning as she left, but Esther pressed her lips together.

Okay. Abi hadn’t mentioned anything about the day before. But people were clearly talking. At some point she’d expect Harry to appear again and review Billy. If she were lucky, somebody else would be on duty. If not, it was really important that she didn’t give off those vibes. The ones that said, If I was a superhero and had powers, I’d strike you down with my laser vision.

She had to maintain her professional composure. It didn’t matter they’d had a few fallouts. The patients were the most important thing in NICU. It was important that an easy ambience was kept in place. She could be civil. She might not smile, but she could certainly be civil.

‘Hey, Esther, can you take a call from Harry Beaumont? He wants a report on Billy.’

She stiffened and picked up Billy’s chart. ‘Sure.’

It seemed like she’d have to start right now. She picked up the phone from where it was lying on the nurses’ station and did actually smile as she kept things deliberately formal. ‘This is Esther McDonald, Billy’s midwife, can I help you?’