The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection. Kate Hardy

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      Theo was telling someone not to bottle things up?

      Madison caught his eye briefly, and saw the wry recognition in his gaze—he’d clearly guessed what she was thinking. Definitely a case of pots and kettles.

      ‘We’ll send the anaesthetist through to you now,’ Theo said. ‘And we’ll see you in Theatre. Try not to worry,’ he added gently.

      When he and Madison had left the consulting room, he turned to her. ‘Do you want to assist?’

      ‘Is this part of your job enrichment thing?’

      He nodded. ‘Which isn’t me being cruel and heartless, by the way. This is a horrible situation and we need to get something positive out of it—so if it gives you more of an insight into another specialty, that’s a good thing.’

      ‘In other words, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.’

      He gave her a half-smile. ‘That’s a pretty good philosophy. Works for me.’

      But did it? she wondered. Because, despite the fact he loved his family and he liked children, he still refused to face his fears. He was still adamant that he’d never get married and have children.

      They both changed into Theatre greens and scrubbed up.

      ‘You’re probably aware that the risks of the op are quite minor,’ Theo said. ‘Because of her pregnancy, her uterus is soft, so the biggest risk is perforation—I need to watch for that, and I also need to make sure I remove all the mole and send samples to the lab.’

      ‘All textbook stuff.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But textbooks don’t prepare you for the way you feel, do they? The Scotts really wanted this baby, Theo, and they’d been trying for almost a year. They’re completely broken-hearted. And I feel so bad that I can’t fix it for them.’

      ‘It isn’t your fault, Maddie. And there’s no reason why they can’t try for another baby in the future.’

      How could he say that so coolly and calmly? she wondered. How, when he wasn’t prepared to face those risks himself?

      The operation went smoothly, and after Mrs Scott had come round in the recovery room, Madison brought Mr Scott in to see his wife and sat with them for a while. ‘I know Theo talked to you about what to expect after the operation, but you’ve had a lot to take in so I thought you might find this useful.’ She gave them one of the patient advice sheets she’d written the previous year and had updated a couple of months before. ‘Don’t worry if you have any irregular bleeding, because that’s perfectly normal—but if you develop a temperature or you have a tummy ache or you find your period’s very heavy and clotty, you need to talk to your family doctor as you might have an infection. Don’t use a tampon until your next period, and it’s a good idea to avoid sex until the bleeding’s stopped.’

      ‘How long will it go on?’

      ‘It varies—a few days. But if the bleeding goes on for longer than that, come back and see us and we’ll check you out.’ Prolonged bleeding might mean that the molar tissue had grown into the muscle layer of Mrs Scott’s uterus—not that she was going to worry her patient with potential complications.