The Italian's Passionate Proposal. Sarah Morgan

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      ‘It could hurt you if you don’t have it,’ Carlo said gently. ‘Being pregnant and giving birth to a child place huge demands on your body. We need to correct it or you could have problems during your delivery and you’ll be exhausted afterwards. When you come into the hospital we—’

      ‘She ain’t coming into the hospital!’ Mike growled, and Zan cleared her throat.

      ‘Don’t let’s worry about that now. You’ve got my number, and you know that I’ll deliver Kelly any time you want me to, anywhere you want me to, but we really do need her to take some iron.’ She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of tablets. ‘Will you take one a day for me?’

      Kelly glanced at Mike for approval before taking the bottle, and he gave a brief nod.

      ‘And now can I just check the position of the baby?’

      ‘Not with him in the room.’ Mike glared at Carlo, who strolled towards the living-room door immediately.

      ‘I’ll wait in the hallway.’

      Whatever had happened to the man to make him so suspicious?

      Five minutes later Zan called him back in.

      Her eyes were troubled as they met his. ‘I don’t think the baby is growing quite as fast as it should—She’s small for thirty-four weeks.’

      Carlo lifted his eyes to Mike. ‘Can I examine her?’

      ‘No!’

      ‘Mike, please?’ Zan’s voice was soft and reassuring and Mike hesitated, his jaw set.

      Finally he nodded. ‘All right.’ He glared at Carlo. ‘But I’m watching you.’

      ‘That’s fine.’ Carlo moved his hands skilfully over the mother’s abdomen, thinking that he’d never seen such a half-starved waif in his life. Normally he dealt with the pampered wives of the hideously wealthy, and the contrast was extreme. As he examined the girl he realised just how bored he’d become, working in his world-famous Women’s Unit in Milan. The case he was seeing now presented so much more of a challenge, both medically and socially.

      ‘Well?’

      Mike was looking at him threateningly and Carlo picked up the tape measure that Zan had used and measured Kelly from the top of the bump to her pelvic bone. The measurement was supposed to correlate roughly to the number of weeks of pregnancy, but in this case Zan was right. The baby seemed small.

      ‘Do you smoke?’

      Kelly shook her head, but her eyes slid nervously to Mike and Carlo deduced that the man probably smoked heavily and that she was therefore subjecting the baby to passive smoking.

      ‘The baby does seem slightly smaller than we would like,’ he said gently, talking directly to Kelly. ‘Ideally I’d like to get you to come to the hospital for a series of scans. Nothing scary. We just slide a clever device that’s basically a camera over your stomach and we’re able to measure the size of the baby’s head. That gives us an indication of what size the baby should be, and we can then take a look at the rest of him.’

      Kelly glanced at Mike, who shook his head.

      ‘She’s not going to hospital.’

      Carlo frowned. ‘But—’

      ‘That’s fine,’ Zan interrupted quickly, shooting Carlo a warning look. ‘But if you change your mind then come and see us any time. I brought you some clothes, Kelly.’

      She delved into the bin bag again and pulled out another bag full of tiny baby clothes, vests and a gorgeous blanket.

      Carlo’s eyes narrowed.

      If those clothes were second-hand then he was an Englishman.

      Kelly gave a gasp and her face suddenly shone like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

      ‘Someone was giving this away?’ She fingered one of the outfits in disbelief and Zan smiled.

      ‘They were no use to her.’

      Oh, sure.

      ‘But they’re like new.’ Kelly looked at Mike, her expression pleading. ‘Can I keep them—please?’

      Carlo found himself holding his breath and finally Mike nodded. ‘I suppose so,’ he muttered.

      ‘Oh, and I’ve had a word with the council,’ Zan said casually, ‘and they’re trying to rehouse you in a flat on the first floor.’

      Kelly looked at her with hope in her eyes. ‘Really?’ Her slim shoulders sagged slightly. ‘I just can’t let myself get excited in case it doesn’t happen.’

      ‘It will happen, Kelly,’ Zan said firmly. ‘There’s no way you can stay here. The weather is getting colder, the flat is damp and there’s fourteen flights of stairs between you and the ground floor. How are you going to manage that with a baby when the lift’s out of order? I’ve been talking to Social Services about rehousing you and they’re doing their best.’

      Carlo listened to her and wondered if the couple had any idea how lucky they were to have Zan to fight their corner.

      ‘She can take the tablets, but she ain’t coming to hospital for that scan thing,’ Mike said, and Zan looked him in the eye.

      ‘The baby isn’t big enough, Mike. We really need to—’

      ‘Get out!’

      Kelly flinched and shrank back into her chair.

      Carlo’s eyes narrowed slightly and he drew himself up to his full height, preparing himself for trouble.

      ‘We’re leaving,’ Zan said calmly, smiling at Mike as though he hadn’t just yelled at her in the rudest way possible. ‘We’ll talk about it again next time.’

      ‘She ain’t going to the hospital and that’s final.’

      Zan stood up. ‘That’s fine, Mike.’ She turned to look at Kelly, her gaze direct. ‘Any problems, call me.’

      With that she looked meaningfully at Carlo and walked out of the flat with him following close behind.

      CHAPTER TWO

      ‘DOES he hit her?’ Carlo followed her down the dark staircase and back onto the streets.

      ‘I don’t think so.’ Zan turned sharp left and then right down a wide road that stretched along the river. ‘I think he’s just very controlling.’

      ‘And why does he hate hospitals so much?’

      ‘He’s never told me, and I don’t push it or I won’t get to see Kelly at all.’ She glanced sideways and tried not to stare.

      She’d never met anyone as strikingly good-looking СКАЧАТЬ