One Night With The Italian Doc. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ and let go a little. Louise sat with her for ages, listening about Carmel’s mum’s illness and all the plans they had made for Christmas Day that were now in jeopardy.

      Finally, having talked it out, Carmel calmed a bit and Louise pulled the curtains and suggested she sleep. ‘I’ll put a sign on the door so that you’re not disturbed.’

      ‘Unless it’s my husband.’

      ‘Of course.’ Louise smiled. ‘The sign just says to speak to the staff at the desk before coming in.’

      She checked in on Felicity, who was one of Anton’s high-risk pregnancies, and then she got to Emily.

      ‘How’s my favourite patient?’ Louise asked a rather grumpy Emily.

      Emily was very bored, very worried and also extremely uncomfortable after more than a week and a half spent in bed. She was relying heavily on Louise’s chatter and humour to keep her from the dark hole that her mind kept slipping into. ‘I’m dying to hear how you got on at your appointment.’

      ‘It went really well,’ Louise said, as she took Emily’s blood pressure.

      ‘Tell me.’

      ‘He was really positive,’ Louise explained, ‘though not in a false hope sort of way, just really practical. I’m going to be seeing him in the new year, when all my results are in, to see the best direction to take, but I think it will be IVF.’

      ‘Really!’

      ‘I think so.’ Louise nodded. ‘He discussed egg sharing, which would mean I’ll get a round of IVF free …’

      ‘You don’t feel funny about egg sharing?’ Emily asked, just as Anton walked in.

      ‘God, no,’ Louise said, happy to chat on. ‘I’d love to be able to help another woman to get her baby. It would be a win-win situation. I think egg sharing is a wonderful thing.’

      She glanced over as Anton pulled out the BP cuff.

      ‘I’ve done Emily’s blood pressure,’ Louise said.

      ‘I’m just checking it for myself.’

      Louise gritted her jaw. He did this all the time, all the time, even more so than before, and though it infuriated Louise she said nothing.

      Here wasn’t the place.

      ‘Everything looks good,’ Anton said to Emily. ‘Twenty-nine weeks and four days now. You are doing really well.’

      ‘I’m so glad,’ Emily said, ‘but I’m also so …’ Emily didn’t finish. ‘I hate that I’m complaining when I’m so glad that I’m still pregnant.’

      ‘Of course you are bored and fed up.’ Anton shrugged. ‘Would a shower cheer you up?’

      ‘Oh, yes.’

      ‘Just a short one,’ Anton said, ‘sitting on a chair.’

      ‘Thank you,’ Emily said, but when Anton had gone she looked at Louise. ‘What’s going on with you two?’

      ‘Nothing,’ Louise said.

      ‘Nothing?’ Emily checked. ‘Come on, Louise, it’s me. I’m losing my mind here. At least you can tell me what’s going on in the real world.’

      ‘Maybe a teeny tiny thing has gone on,’ Louise said, ‘but we’re back to him sulking at me now and double-checking everything that I do.’

      ‘Please, Louise, tell me what has happened between you.’

      ‘Nope,’ Louise said, but then relented a touch. ‘We got off with each other a smudge but I think the big chill is from my getting IVF.’

      ‘Well, it wouldn’t be the biggest turn-on.’

      ‘I guess.’

      ‘Can you put it off?’

      ‘I don’t want to put it off,’ Louise said. ‘Then again, I sort of do.’ She was truly confused. ‘God, could you imagine being in a relationship with Anton? He’d be coming home and checking I’d done hospital corners on the bed and things …’

      ‘He’s nothing like that,’ Emily said.

      ‘Ah, but you get his hospital bedside manner.’

      ‘Why not just try?’

      ‘Because I’ve sworn off relationships, they never work out … I don’t know,’ Louise sighed, and then she looked at her friend and told her the truth. ‘I’m scared to even try.’

      ‘When’s the maternity do?’ Emily asked.

      ‘Friday, but I’m on a late shift, so I’ll only catch the end.’

      ‘If you get changed at work I want to see you before you go.’

      ‘You will.’ Louise gave a wicked smile. ‘Let’s see if he can rustle up another supermodel.’

      ‘Or?’

      Louise didn’t answer the question because she didn’t know the answer herself. ‘I’ll go and set up the shower for you,’ Louise said instead, and opened Emily’s locker and started to get her toiletries out. ‘What do you want to wear?’

      ‘Whatever makes me look least like a prostitute,’ Emily said, because, after all, it was Louise who had shopped for her!

      ‘But you look gorgeous in all of them,’ Louise said, ‘and I promise that you’re going to feel gorgeous too once you’ve had a shower.’

      Emily actually did. After more than a week of washing from a bowl, a brief shower and a hair wash had her feeling so refreshed that she actually put on some make-up and her smile matched the scarlet nightdress that Louise had bought her.

      ‘Wrong room!’ Hugh joked, when he dropped in during a lull between patients, please to see how much brighter Emily looked.

      In fact, Emily had quite a lot of visitors and Anton glanced into her room as he walked past.

      ‘Is she resting?’ Anton asked Louise.

      ‘I’m going to shoo them out soon,’ Louise said. ‘She’s had her sister and mum and now Hugh’s boss and his wife have dropped in.’

      Alex and Jennifer were lovely, just lovely, but Emily really did need her rest and so, after checking in on Carmel, who seemed much calmer since her sleep and a visit from her husband and children, Louise popped in on Emily, dragging the CTG monitor with her.

      ‘How are you?’ Louise asked.

      ‘Fine!’ Emily said, but she had that slightly exhausted look in her eyes as she smiled brightly.

      ‘That’s good.’ Louise turned to the visitors. She knew Alex very well from the five years she had worked in Theatre СКАЧАТЬ