Their Baby Surprise (6 page)

‘Well, whatever speed you’re moving at it’s too fast for you. If you need someone to fetch and carry for you then ask, Rachel. That’s all it takes.’

‘I know, and thank you.’ She looked up at him so trustingly that he knew he had to confess, although how he should go about it was another matter entirely.

‘About before, when I went rushing off,’ he began, but she held up her hand.

‘You don’t have to explain, Matt. I understand.’

‘You do?’ He could barely hide his dismay and she sighed softly.

‘Yes. You didn’t want to upset me, but it’s all right. Really it is. I’m not going to take sides. They have to work this out themselves.’

‘They do?’ Matt murmured, because he had no idea what she was talking about.

‘Yes.’ She leant forward and he could see the sympathy in her eyes. ‘If Heather has contacted you then it’s only natural that you should want to see her. I promise I won’t say a word to Ross. For one thing I don’t intend to interfere and for another I don’t want to raise his hopes unnecessarily.’

‘Oh. Right. I see.’ Matt didn’t know what to do. He knew that he should explain that Heather hadn’t contacted him but that meant opening up a whole new can of worms. He mentally argued with himself about the rights and wrongs of keeping quiet but still hadn’t decided when Rachel changed the subject.

‘If you’ve got a few minutes to spare now, can we talk about this idea I’ve had?’

She launched into her proposal for a teenage pregnancy advisory service and he didn’t interrupt her. Maybe it was cowardly to take the easy way out but it was a lot less stressful for both of them. Admitting that he was attracted to her would alter the dynamics of their relationship and he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. What it all boiled down to was one simple question: was he willing to risk losing Rachel as a friend when he wasn’t sure if he was ready for any other kind of a relationship?

CHAPTER SIX

‘I
KNOW
it will mean extra work for us all, but after what happened today with Melanie and baby Charlie, I honestly feel that it would be worth it. If we can prevent another near-tragedy from happening, it has to be a good thing, don’t you agree?’

Rachel waited for Matt to answer, hoping that he would see the benefits of her proposal. She hadn’t realised how passionately she felt about the idea until she had explained it to him. Now she could only hope that he would share her enthusiasm.

‘I think it makes an awful lot of sense,’ he said slowly. ‘Yes, it will entail extra work, especially while we set everything up, but the flip side is that we may not get so many callouts or visits to the surgery. Once the younger mums gain more confidence, they will be less likely to call us in unnecessarily.’

‘Exactly!’ Rachel beamed at him, delighted that he had taken her ideas on board. Not that Matt had a closed mind when it came to any new ventures; he was always open to fresh ideas that would benefit their patients. It was one of the things she had always admired about him, his willingness to listen and learn, but there again there were so many other things to admire that it was hard to select just one from the whole delicious package.

She cleared her throat, aware how easily her mind could run off at a tangent if she let it. ‘There may be funding available too. I’ll need to check on that. But if we could get some sort of a grant, we could buy in extra help as and when it’s needed—a midwife to speak to the mums before they give birth, maybe a health visitor or even one of the more experienced mothers to offer practical day-to-day advice—that type of thing. I know some of those services are available already but I get the impression that the younger mums in particular don’t feel there is enough help on offer to them.’

‘I get the same impression. In fact, one of my patients mentioned only the other day that all the new mums get nowadays by way of guidance are three one-hour sessions before their babies are born. They’re supposed to cover everything during that time from the birth right through to the end of the baby’s first year.’

‘Is that all?’ Rachel exclaimed. ‘It definitely isn’t enough, especially not for the very young mums like Melanie. They need a lot more support than that to prepare them for motherhood.’

‘They do. I imagine you’re particularly keen to help them because of your own experiences,’ Matt suggested quietly.

‘You’re right, I am. I know what it’s like to feel out of your depth, even though I was one of the lucky ones and had my parents to help me.’

‘Then if you feel so strongly about it, Rachel, we’ll see about setting it up as soon as possible.’ He glanced at his watch and grimaced. ‘Now I’m afraid I’ll have to cut and run. It’s my turn for the antenatal clinic so maybe we can continue this discussion later. There’s still a lot of ground we need to cover.’

Rachel checked her desk diary and shook her head. ‘I won’t be able to fit it in today, I’m afraid. I’ve got the anti-smoking clinic this afternoon so I’ll be tied up until evening surgery begins. That clinic always seems to run over time for some reason.’

‘How about tonight, then?’ Matt stood up to leave. ‘If we hope to secure sufficient funding for this scheme to go ahead, we need to work the costs into next year’s budget. The figures are due in at the end of January so we’ll have to get a move on.’

‘If you’re sure you don’t mind,’ she began hesitantly, not wanting him to suspect how much the idea appealed to her. Spending another evening with him was something she hadn’t anticipated and her heart was kicking up a storm at the prospect.

‘Of course I don’t mind.’ He gave her a quick grin. ‘Let’s do it the civilised way and talk it all through over dinner.’

‘That would be lovely,’ she agreed, and he nodded.

‘Good. It’s a date.’

He straight left after that but it was a couple of minutes before Rachel followed him from the room. It had been a turn of phrase, that was all, she told herself firmly as she made her way to the meeting room where the anti-smoking clinic was being held. It certainly wasn’t a date and she had to get that idea right out of her head. They were just two colleagues who planned on having dinner together while they discussed work-related issues. Yet even though she understood that she couldn’t help wishing that he had invited her out for a very different reason. To know that Matt wanted to spend some time with
her
would have meant a great deal.

The afternoon flew past and before Matt knew it, it was time for evening surgery. He saw his first half dozen patients without encountering any major problems. Most people had come with the usual complaints that were the mainstay of any busy general practice—coughs and colds, ear infections and aching joints. He treated everyone the same, taking the time to listen to them and affording them the courtesy they deserved. He liked people and wouldn’t have chosen to do this job if he didn’t care.

His next patient was a teenage boy called Adam Shaw. He came shuffling into the room, looking very ill at ease. Matt asked him to sit down and smiled encouragingly at him. ‘So what can I do for you today, Adam?’

‘I…well…um…’ Adam turned bright red with embarrassment. It was obviously an ordeal for him to explain the reason why he had come.

‘There’s no need to be embarrassed, Adam. I assure you that I won’t be shocked by whatever you tell me.’ Matt looked the boy firmly in the eyes. ‘Just spit it out and tell me what’s wrong.’

‘It’s down here, you see,’ Adam muttered, pointing to his groin. ‘There’s something…well, not right.’

‘In what way?’ Matt’s tone was businesslike because he knew it was the fastest way to extract the information he needed. At this rate they would still be sitting here at midnight!

That reminded him of what he had planned for the evening but he managed to brush the thought aside. If he started thinking about Rachel and this dinner they were having, he would be in no better state than young Adam.

‘Can you describe your symptoms for me, Adam?’

‘I…um…I’ve had this sort of
discharge
,’ Adam explained, his face turning even more fiery. ‘And everything feels sort of
swollen
, you know.’

‘I see. Right, I’ll need to examine you so if you could just pop behind the screen and remove your trousers etcetera, I’ll be with you in a moment.’

Matt gave the boy a couple of minutes to get ready then examined him. Adam’s testicles were indeed swollen and he admitted that he experienced discomfort every time he passed urine. Add that to what the boy had told him about there being a discharge and Matt was soon able to make a diagnosis.

‘It looks as though you have non-specific urethritis, Adam,’ he told the teenager once they were sitting down again. ‘The urethra has become inflamed and that’s why you have these symptoms. My main concern now is to identify the micro-organism that has caused it, although most cases of NSU are due to a sexually transmitted disease like chlamydia. If that is the cause in this instance it means I shall have to contact all your sexual partners and check if they require treatment too.’

‘Oh, no! I can’t believe this is happening.’ Adam put his head in his hands and groaned. ‘Will you have to tell my parents? They’ll go mad if they find out!’

‘No.’ Matt shook his head. ‘You’re seventeen so there is no need to involve anyone apart from the girls you’ve slept with. It’s imperative that they are checked out too because if it is chlamydia, it can have serious repercussions for them in the future. For you as well as it can cause infertility if it isn’t treated.’

‘I’ve only slept with one girl and that’s the truth, Dr Thompson. It was my first time and I thought it was hers, too, but apparently not.’

Adam was obviously deeply upset by the idea that he had been misled. Matt gave Adam a moment to collect himself then carried on, wanting to get all the information he needed. He made a note of the girl’s name and address then collected some samples to send to the lab for testing. He then wrote out a script for erythromycin and told Adam to come back to see him in a week’s time when the lab results would be back. He would explain then that Adam would need to make follow-up visits for the next three months to make sure he hadn’t suffered a relapse.

He made a note to check if Adam’s girlfriend was a patient at the practice and buzzed in his next appointment, glancing at the clock as he did so. Just half an hour to go until surgery ended and he and Rachel could enjoy that dinner they had planned. Maybe it was only a working dinner but that didn’t matter. Being with her was enough, probably more than he should allow himself given his parlous state of mind. However, he was only flesh and blood and he couldn’t help wanting to spend time with her even if he wasn’t sure if it was wise.

Rachel made a quick trip to the bathroom as soon as her last patient had left. If she’d had any idea that she would be going out that night she would have worn something more glamorous than the sober grey suit she had put on that morning. There wasn’t much she could do about it now, so she washed her face, applied a fresh coat of lipstick and fluffed up her hair, wishing as she did every day that it would lie smoothly around her face instead of insisting on curling so riotously. Still, it was thick and glossy and that was something in its favour even if it refused to be tamed.

She went back to her room and was just attempting to struggle into her coat when Matt appeared. He looked so big and handsome as he came striding into the room that her heart gave a girlish leap of delight. She could just imagine him striding across the deck of a pirate ship, or riding hell for leather across an open plain. He was real hero material from the top of his dark hair to the tips of his well-shod feet, she decided dreamily.

‘Need a hand with that?’

He took the coat from her and slid it up her arms before she could blink, and she shivered when she felt his hands smoothing the collar into place. Even though there were several layers of clothing between his hands and her flesh, she could feel her skin tingling, tiny flurries of heat that scorched along her veins and made it difficult to think. It was only when he removed his hands that she was able to pull herself together and she sighed softly. She needed to keep her emotions under far tighter control if she wasn’t to make a fool of herself tonight.

‘Thanks. I just need to get my bag then I’m ready to leave,’ she told him, determined not to get sidetracked again. She bent over to open the bottom drawer of the desk, quite forgetting about her injured knee, and gasped when it suddenly gave way beneath her.

‘Careful!’ Matt grabbed hold of her arm and steadied her. He shook his head. ‘What did I say before about you asking for help, Rachel? Leave it. I’ll get it.’ Bending down, he retrieved the bag, grimacing when he discovered how heavy it was. ‘What on earth do you keep in this thing? It weighs a ton.’

‘Oh, just the usual things,’ she replied, making a mental note to be more careful in future. She was trying to remain on even keel and that wouldn’t be possible if at every turn Matt ended up touching her. Her heart lurched as she recalled the strength of his grasp as he had set her safely back on her feet and she hurried on. ‘The problem is that I never seem to get round to clearing out the clutter and just keep adding to it.’

‘You women and your handbags,’ Matt declared, rolling his eyes as she limped around the desk.

‘Look who’s talking,’ she retorted, glancing pointedly at his case. ‘You don’t exactly travel light yourself, do you?’

‘Ah, but the difference is that all I keep in here are essentials—pills and potions, etcetera.’ He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as naturally as though it had been part of their daily routine for ever and laughed, mercifully covering the tiny gasp that escaped her when she found herself pressed against the solid length of his body.

‘And that’s it? You’re willing to swear on oath that you don’t keep anything else in there?’ she retorted, doing her best to keep her emotions firmly leashed.

‘Of course,’ he declared loftily, pausing in the doorway to switch off the lights. ‘Everything this case contains is work-related.’

They headed along the corridor at a snail’s pace, Matt adjusting his speed to accommodate the fact that she couldn’t hurry. Whilst Rachel appreciated his thoughtfulness it didn’t help one little bit. Each slow, deliberate stride he took brought his hip and thigh into even closer contact with hers and it was the sweetest kind of torment imaginable. Even though she was wearing heavy winter clothing, she could feel the power and strength of his body as clearly as though they had both been naked.

Heat rushed through at the picture that instantly sprang to her mind and she bit her lip. The situation was going from bad to worse and she had no idea what to do about it. All she did know was that she mustn’t let Matt suspect how she felt or it could ruin everything. She would rather have him as a friend and a colleague than not have him in her life at all.

They went to the same restaurant they had been to the previous night. Matt had suggested going somewhere different for a change but Rachel had claimed that she wasn’t dressed for anywhere too upmarket. To his mind she looked fine, more than fine, wonderful, in fact, although he forbore to say so. This was a working dinner, he reminded himself as the waiter showed them to their table. It wasn’t a date.

The thought of what a real date might have entailed shimmered in front of his eyes like a mirage.
If
they had been out on a date, he’d have been able to tell Rachel how he felt, admit that he was attracted to her, maybe even confess his fears about getting hurt. And after dinner was over they might even have decided to continue the evening. It wasn’t as though they didn’t know one another, so it wouldn’t have felt as though he was rushing her if he’d invited her back to his house. They could have sat by the fire in the sitting room and drunk coffee, and then he would have kissed her, slowly, deeply, passionately.

His body tingled as he imagined how sweet her lips would taste, like honeyed nectar. He would kiss her once then kiss her again and keep on kissing her until it was no longer enough for either of them. Even though Rachel had never chosen to have a long-term relationship, he knew that she would be a passionate and responsive lover, a tender and giving lover too. It was her nature to be generous and there would be no holding back. She would give herself to him with all the generosity of the person she was and he would bury himself in her softness, her sweetness, and allow it to heal him. He would become whole again in her arms, fearless and unafraid of the future. The thought was almost too tempting to resist.