Paddington Children's Hospital Complete Collection. Kate Hardy

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СКАЧАТЬ had read somewhere that some terrible parents made the most wonderful grandparents. That without the responsibility of parenthood, they enjoyed the experience. And she had hoped, truly hoped, that it might be the case here. That this might breathe some life into her relationship with her father.

      Apparently not, if his cool reaction was anything to go by.

      And Victoria knew deep down that there had been no real relationship with her father. At least, not the sort she wanted. She hadn’t seen or spoken to him since the function they had attended, despite Victoria having tried to call.

      Her father was brilliant but completely self-absorbed.

      Completely.

      ‘How far along are you?’ he asked.

      It had been six weeks since her time with Dominic, and with the requisite two weeks added, Victoria knew her dates.

      ‘Eight weeks,’ she said.

      ‘Do you want it?’ Professor Christie asked.

      He thought she was here to ask for a referral for an abortion, Victoria suddenly realised.

      And he’d write her one, Victoria knew.

      ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘I very much want my baby.’

      She stared at him but he was reading through some notes that lay on his desk.

      ‘What about the father?’ he asked, and looked up.

      ‘I haven’t told him yet. We’re not together or anything. He’s in Scotland.’ Victoria had heard that in passing. ‘On annual leave,’ she added to her father.

      She was forewarned as to the response she might get from Dominic, when her father spoke next.

      ‘Well, he’s in for a pleasant surprise when he gets back.’

      The sarcasm was evident in his voice and it told Victoria all she needed to know about her father’s thoughts on parenthood.

      ‘Victoria, you really need to give this some consideration. Being a single parent is hard work—I should know. It interferes in every aspect of your life. You’re the one who always bangs on about your career—think what it will do to that...’

      She hadn’t seen him since the function and then it had been for an award for his career. Victoria didn’t bang on, as her father described it. Given he was a professor and specialised in Accident and Emergency and she was a paramedic, she had, on occasion, tried to find some common ground.

      But there was none and there never had been.

      There was no room in this narcissist’s world for anyone other than himself.

      ‘I can’t help you financially,’ he said, for Professor Christie had amassed a small collection of ex-wives.

      ‘I’ve never once asked you to.’

      Victoria hadn’t.

      She had left home as soon as she had finished school and had never asked her father for anything.

      But she was about to.

      She looked at her father and knew that really there was no point even being here. He did not want to be a part of her life, and the occasional public showing of his daughter was only when he was between wives.

      ‘Victoria, I need to get on.’

      ‘There is something I want...’ Victoria said, and he let out the little hiss of irritation that he always did when she asked for a moment more of his time. ‘I was hoping to have the baby at Paddington’s.’

      Victoria had decided as she’d walked through the corridors of Riverside that she didn’t want her baby to be born here. There was nothing wrong with the hospital—she often brought patients here—but it felt bland to Victoria, and her father worked here too.

      She felt closer to a building than her own parents. It was sad but true, and that was why she asked the favour.

      ‘They only take complicated cases,’ Professor Christie said.

      ‘Not always,’ Victoria refuted. And she didn’t point out that she’d been born there and that members of staff tended to choose, where possible, to have their child there, but she would not be fobbed off.

      ‘It’s closing.’

      ‘Not necessarily,’ Victoria said. ‘And if it does close before the baby comes along, then I’ll be referred elsewhere, but I’d really like to have my antenatal care there.’

      As an adult she had never asked her father for anything, not one single thing. ‘Can you get me in there?’

      ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

      ‘Now,’ Victoria said, because she knew this conversation would be forgotten the second she walked out of the door. ‘I want to be seen before I tell work.’

      And so, more to get rid of the inconvenience, her father made some calls and finally she was booked in to Paddington’s maternity unit.

      ‘You need an ultrasound before he sees you,’ Professor Christie said, and he went through the details, telling her she had an appointment for tomorrow and that the referral form would be at Reception. Finally, he asked her to reconsider. ‘I really suggest you have a long hard think about going ahead with this, Victoria.’

      That hurt.

      On so many levels it hurt.

      Victoria knew he had never wanted her. She was certain that had her mother not left first, then he would have gone.

      As she got to the door Victoria turned and could see that she was forgotten already—her father was straight back to work, though she still stood there.

      Dominic was right—her father was cold to the bone.

      ‘I can see why she left you,’ Victoria said. ‘My mother, I mean.’

      Professor Christie looked up from his notes and he stared at his daughter for a long moment and then, just before resuming writing his notes, he, as always, had the last word.

      ‘She left you too.’

      * * *

      His words shadowed and clung to her right through into the next day.

      ‘You’re quiet,’ Glen observed as she was driven towards the children’s hospital with Glen, for once not in an ambulance.

      Glen had offered to come with her for her ultrasound appointment. Victoria had declined, though she was touched that her colleague had given her a lift. She had felt very sick on the underground but that was fading.

      Glen knew that she was pregnant.

      Of course he did.

      He had no idea, though, who the father was.

      They СКАЧАТЬ