Jess pressed her lips together. “She’s okay, but she haemorrhaged during surgery and had to have a blood transfusion. She’ll need to be monitored in the ICU for a while.”
Watching the colour drain from Maddie’s face, she could imagine what might be going through her mind. This wasn’t the peaceful water-birth with incense and forest sounds they’d planned months before. She always tried to warn people, but no-one wanted to picture the things that could go wrong. The best she could do right now was help Maddie with the baby and hopefully that would bring her some comfort.
“Want to do skin-to-skin?”
“Can I?” Maddie’s hands shook, as if she’d spent the last hour in shock, which she probably had.
Seeing Nate in the operating theatre had put Jess into shock, too. What was he doing here? First she’d settle Maddie and then she planned to find out. Things had been going well in her life, and she didn’t need him disrupting it all again.
“Of course. Take a seat and I’ll help you.” She unwrapped the sleeping baby and placed him gently on Maddie’s chest, underher opened shirt. She covered them both with a blanket, and Maddie stared up at her with panic in her eyes.
“He’s okay?” she asked, her voice wavering.
“He’s totally fine,” Jess said. “We got him out quickly.”
“What about the strep thing?’
“The anaesthetist gave Cara antibiotics intravenously. Just enjoy your new little one. If he wakes up and wants a feed, ring the bell and I’ll help you get a bottle ready. The staff will keep you updated on Cara.”
Tears ran down Maddie’s cheeks as she watched her tiny baby, and it was hard to tell if they were tears of worry or joy. Likely both. Hopefully, the little family would be together again soon.
“I won’t be far away,” Jess said, wanting to give Maddie some space.
Back in the nurses’ station, Jess struggled to write up her notes, upset by the emergency birth and by the surprise presence of Nate Mitchell.
Why was he working as a doctor in a tiny New Zealand hospital? It didn’t make sense. He was meant to be in London. Getting married. Living in his fancy apartment. Doing whatever it was British celebrities did all day. Slurping oysters and watching horse races with royalty, probably.
Had he come back to see her? A crazy idea. Even if he had—and it was completely unlikely—it didn’t matter. She deserved better than being someone’s mistress. She deserved better than Nate.
It was the same thing she’d been telling herself for months. Except, annoyingly, she couldn’t seem to forget about him.
NATE PAUSED AT THE DOORto the nurses’ station where he’d seen Jess enter minutes before. He took a deep breath and ran through various conversation starters.
Fancy seeing you here.No.
Great job back there. Not bad, but did it sound condescending?
Want to go out for dinner later?None of the etiquette he’d been taught in private school had prepared him for this.For goodness sake,just go, Nate told himself. He took a step forward and came face-to-face with Jess.
“Oh, I was just—” he stuttered, grabbing her arms to stop them both colliding.
“Nate.” Seeming far less rattled than him, Jess extracted herself from his grasp and stepped back. “Why are you here?”
“Here? I saw you going into the nurses’ station and I—”
“No, here in the hospital. In New Zealand. Why are you not in London?”
“I work here.” Next to her, his breath vanished. Left him speechless. She was even more beautiful somehow in her scrubs than she’d been in the gown at the premiere. Perhaps it was just standing this close, looking into her eyes. He pressed his hands together, still feeling the warmth of her skin against his palms.
“You work here,” Jess repeated. Not a question. More like a confirmation. Was that disappointment in her voice?
“I bought a place in Rangiora and moved here after I got the job.”
Jess tipped her head at him and placed her hands on her hips, her pony tail flopping to the side adorably. “Why on earthwould you leave celebrity life in London for a little hospital in New Zealand?”
“Why would I pass up slurping oysters, you mean?”
“Iknewthat’s what they did.”
