“Ah, I think I see where you’re going with this. Brilliant,” Nate says. “And then the midwife?”
“The midwife tells the woman to move onto her hands and knees.”
“And does the Gaskin maneuver.”
“But nothing is happening. The clock is ticking. The baby’s been without oxygen for over five minutes, so she gently rotates the shoulder in the birth canal and, at the last minute, the baby is delivered.”
“Happy endings all around. Perfect. I think Laney will love it.”
“It makes your character look a bit like an idiot,” she said, with a playful smirk.
“He doesn’t need any help with that. He makes himself look like an idiot.”
“True.”
“I just hope my patients back home don’t watch the show and think that’s how I really am.”
Home. The word landed like a brick in Jess’s stomach. Why did the idea of Nate leaving make her so upset? It wasn’t like it was a secret. He was here temporarily. Then he’d head backto London. Back to his city apartment and his big city job. He’d talked about it enough when they’d been cooking together.
“I don’t think there’s a risk of that,” she said, and meant it. No-one would ever confuse the arrogant Doctor Raynard with Nate. Althoughshehad when she’d first met him.
“Do you leave straight after filming ends?”
“The night of actually. A painfully long 23 hours of flying. And I don’t sleep well on planes, unfortunately.”
Scrunching up her nose, she remembered her own long flight a few years back to Europe when she’d travelled with her ex. “I hope you’ve got first class booked?”
“Not even premium economy, I’m afraid.”
“At least you have the in-flight meals to look forward to,” she said, sarcastically.
“I actually like the in-flight meals. Better than mouldy sandwiches in the back of loan cars.”
Jess laughed. “You should pack it in your carry on, just in case.”
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS FLEWby and Nate couldn’t believe it had been a month since he’d left London, escaping to this beautiful country and meeting the equally beautiful Jess. He didn’t dare let it show, but his feelings for Jess had only grown stronger in the last few weeks. As much as he wanted to, there was no point pursuing a relationship with her.
He no longer thought of her as being similar to his ex. Sure, they had similar looks, but the more he got to know Jess, the more her bubbly, passionate personality shone through. She was someone who lived life fully, loved a good laugh, and had thisway of making everyone around her feel important. Including him.
It made him realise how broken his relationships back home had been. How much he’d neglected them and made his friends and family feel second to his work, especially his ex. He didn’t know how much of his life was salvageable, but he knew his priorities had shifted. He wanted to try living the way Jess lived. Working hard, but also valuing the people in her life. He’d taken too much for granted for too long, and it was a painful lesson to learn. Once he was back home, he’d make it right.
Nate packed his bags, ready for his flight that evening and drove to the Five Stags where the crew were having their wrap party. He couldn’t stay long, only a few minutes. He liked to be organised with flights, so he’d arranged an Uber to take him to the airport well before check-in time to avoid any stress. Still, he wanted to say goodbye to the film crew, many of whom had become like family.
His stomach fluttered thinking about the main reason he was there. Yes, there was one person he wanted to see one last time. He couldn’t seem to convince himself to shut his feelings off for Jess.
He entered the Five Stags and was greeted with a welcoming cheer from the crew. His colleagues slapped him on the back, hugged him, and Laney offered to shout him a drink. Would he be getting this kind of welcome back home? Not likely. His dad had offered to meet him at the airport, but Nate had told him not to worry. The flights were so late. He’d be arriving in a cab to an empty apartment.
“Doc, you’re going to be a massive hit!” Laney gushed, already fairly tipsy, and shoved a pint towards him. “What a comeback for your acting career! I see big things in your future.”
“Thanks, Laney, but back to real doctoring for me now,” he said, declining the cider. “In fact, I’m heading back now. I just dropped in to say thank you and goodbye.”
Laney pouted and leaned in conspiratorially, pointing at Jess across the room. “I think you’d better say a special goodbye to someone over there.” Nate breathed in sharply. Laney must have noticed something. Had she caught him watching Jess on set? Getting flustered when she was nearby? Had he made it that obvious?
Embarrassed, he tried to brush it off. “I’ll try to be back for the premiere.”
“You better be.” Laney hugged him tight.
When she released him, Nate headed in Jess’s direction, trying to be as subtle about it as possible.
