Twin Surprise for the Single Doc

by Susanne Hampton

  She had been promised a life by the boys’ father that was just a lie. How could she be sure that Patrick was any different?

  She felt herself wanting to believe in him and everything he was saying and she was feeling, but she was scared. Was it just because of what they’d shared the day before that made her feel that she could trust him? Or was it more than that? Perhaps she felt indebted to him for saving her life and her babies. She knew she had never felt about a man the way she did at that moment.

  It was as if she had known him for years.

  Her head was spinning. Why could she imagine herself wrapped in the comfort of Patrick’s strong arms, her body pressed against the warmth of his...and his lips reaching for hers...? She shook herself back to reality. She was in no place to be having those thoughts.

  It wasn’t right...but it was happening. And, try as she might, she couldn’t pretend it wasn’t.

  She had feelings she didn’t understand for a man she really didn’t know.

  It didn’t make any sense, she thought, as she slipped her hands free.

  She had to channel thoughts of Harriet: what her sister would do and how she would think. She would certainly be more realistic and practical. That was how she had to behave. It had to be about her sons from now on. There was barely enough of her left emotionally to give both sons the love and undivided attention they deserved. She had to consider them in every decision she made. She needed to keep it simple, despite the way she felt herself drawn to the handsome Englishman. To her knight in shining armour.

  Perhaps they could be friends.

  She threw away that idea as quickly as it had arrived. The electricity she felt surge through her body when Patrick was near made friends untenable. She just had to manage her feelings for the short time he was around and behave as the unofficial patient of a very handsome, charismatic doctor would. However difficult that would be.

  ‘Is there something else on your mind?’

  ‘No, my mind’s still reeling from the news about Luca. You’ll think I’m absurd if I keep asking questions...’

  ‘Claudia, never apologise for asking questions. These are your babies and you have every right to have each and every question answered honestly and to ask it again and again if need be.’

  Claudia drew breath and with a tremble in her voice continued, ‘Why is only Luca affected?’ As she spoke, she looked at Thomas and wondered if she had been told everything. Or if there was more she should know.

  Patrick wanted so much to hold her close and comfort her. She was frightened and there was nothing as a professional he could do other than provide standard advice, albeit in an empathetic manner. For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to offer so much more but he couldn’t. He had to veto the feelings that were stirring in him. And before he swept her into his arms and kissed her more passionately than he had ever kissed a woman before.

  It wasn’t going to be easy but he couldn’t allow romantic thoughts to invade his mind and his heart. With his arms folded across his chest, he answered her. ‘Dr Wilson isn’t worried because Thomas doesn’t have the condition now, so he can’t ever have it. The opening between two major blood vessels leading from his heart closed naturally after birth. You need to understand that Thomas and Luca are fraternal twins so they are quite different developmentally in a number of ways. While they’re twins, they’re essentially just like any siblings so not all of their developmental conditions are going to be shared. Fortunately, this is one of them.’

  Claudia was relieved to hear everything that Patrick was explaining and his calm bedside manner was alleviating her concerns. ‘I have a non-identical twin sister,’ she offered, as he watched her appear to relax a little. ‘Harriet. She’s the complete opposite of me. She’s my rock. She’s a nurse, quiet and sensible, always thinking about other people. We’ve been there for each other since our parents died nine years ago.’

  ‘I’m sorry you lost your parents while you were still young.’ Patrick had been an adult when he’d found himself alone so he could understand the overwhelming sadness that must have been Claudia’s world when she lost her parents.

  ‘It was just before our twentieth birthday, so we weren’t that young, but we had been very protected, growing up in what was essentially a close-knit household. We grew up quickly. Harriet more so than me.’

  ‘You’re obviously close to her. Was there a reason that you didn’t call her from the elevator yesterday?’

  ‘She was on her way to Argentina. I wasn’t sure if she was still in transit and I didn’t want to worry her. I mean, there wasn’t anything else she could have done except worry.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right. Have you spoken to her yet?’ he asked as he sat back in his chair a little and glanced over at Thomas and Luca, both still sleeping soundly. ‘Does she know she’s an aunt?’

  ‘Oh, yes, I just called before the nurse brought me down here.’

  A smile crossed Claudia’s face. It was the first full smile that he had witnessed. And it made her even more beautiful, if that was possible.

  ‘Of course,’ she continued, unaware of the effect she was having on Patrick. ‘And, in typical Harriet style, she wanted to rush here to be with me. Drop her life to rescue her big sister. I was born first so I’m older by three minutes but she always behaves like the older, far wiser sister.’

  Patrick smiled. ‘So she’s on her way here then?’

  ‘Absolutely not,’ she said with an expression that told him she thought he should have known better. ‘I wouldn’t allow her to. She’s working in an orphanage and I’m not going to have her alter her plans. I’ll see her at home when she finishes her work over there in a few months.’

  ‘So you lived together back in London?’ he asked and then curiosity got the better of him. ‘Were you on holiday here or a work exchange of sorts?’

  Claudia went a little quiet and Patrick wondered if he had asked too many questions. Perhaps he’d been too intrusive.

  ‘You know what, forget I asked. It’s none of my business. I’m here to help answer any questions you have about your boys, not interview you.’

  She paused before she spoke although she hadn’t intended on opening up about the details of her past. Looking at Patrick, she couldn’t help but feel they had known each other for a long time. She had felt that way from the moment he’d taken off his sunglasses in the elevator and she had looked into his grey-blue eyes.

  ‘My sister and I still share our family home. I came over here for work. I won an internship with a weekly drama series on a major network. It was a huge opportunity and I took it. Again, I jumped in with both feet like I always do,’ she announced as she gently ran her finger over her tiny son’s shoulder.

  ‘I don’t think jumping in is a bad idea. You experience all that life has to offer that way.’

  ‘And some,’ she muttered under her breath and felt a shiver of regret run down her body. ‘Anyway, my contract is over so, as soon as the boys are strong enough, we will all head back to London. That’s where I want to raise them,’ she added, turning to look Patrick squarely in the eyes. ‘And my leaving is something the boys’ father does not object to... In fact, he is quite...’ She stopped. There was no need for Patrick to know any more. ‘Let’s just say my leaving is not causing him any grief.’

  ‘Well, then, we need to get them strong enough to travel.’

  Patrick stayed with Claudia for another twenty minutes, then excused himself as he needed to get to his practice. He had an afternoon roster of new patients and a few post-operative.

  ‘I’ll leave you with your boys, but if you like I can call again over the next few days to check up on all of you.’

  ‘I’d like that,’ she said instinctively but the moment the words passed over her lips she knew she shouldn’t have given him that answer. It was opening them both up
to the inevitable.

  She now had a date with a potentially sad farewell looming on the horizon.

  * * *

  Claudia had spent two days sitting beside Thomas and Luca, praying for them to reach the next tiny milestone and, despite the rush of hormones after the birth, she was feeling better emotionally but physically exhausted. She had stroked both boys between their gavage feeds and she chatted with the nurses and doctors. The doctor had reassured her that Luca’s condition was already showing improvement and he believed that within days they might be able to stop the ibuprofen.

  She had also received a call from Harriet. Her sister wanted an update on her nephews but she seemed distracted. She hadn’t been disinterested at all but there seemed to be something on her mind. Claudia put it down to the tireless work she must be undertaking at the orphanage. She had nothing but admiration for her sister and could hardly wait for Thomas and Luca to meet her.

  After she hung up, she suddenly felt tired and a little sore as they had ceased the IV pain relief and she was just having four hourly tablets. She decided after dinner to stay in her room and have an early night and get up early to spend the next day down in the nursery. To her surprise and relief, she had been able to stay in her private room.

  She had missed seeing Patrick the previous evening and during the day and wondered if she would ever see him again. Perhaps he had done his heroic act and then disappeared into the night, she thought. Her eyes drifted to the night lights of Los Angeles that she could see from her bed and she wondered where he was. Was he thinking about her and the boys?

  While he had every right to be enjoying dinner or drinks with another woman, a crazy part of her felt jealous. Was he dining at an elegant Beverley Hills restaurant or somewhere swank in downtown LA? Was his stunning date enjoying his company, laughing at his anecdotes or just mesmerised by his stunning eyes?

  Was the thought of the woman who had ruined his jacket and shirt the furthest thing from his mind?

  Hesitant to overstretch, she gently moved her body to the edge of the bed so she could put her teacup back on the bedside cabinet. Then she eased back into a comfortable position and plumped up her pillow before she nestled under the covers. Thinking about Patrick and actually spending any time caring what he was doing at that time of the evening was ridiculous, she berated herself. And having flashbacks to the moment he’d removed his shirt in the elevator was borderline torturous since she knew they would never have a future together.

  She looked up at the ceiling, wishing suddenly that her parents were alive to meet their grandsons. They would stroke their tiny cheeks and kiss them from morning to night and the boys would have loved their grandparents. If only they’d had the chance to meet them.

  And how would her parents have reacted to Patrick? They would most certainly thank him for bringing Thomas and Luca into the world. Her father would shake his hand and then pull him into his strong embrace with a hearty laugh. Her mother would be a little more reserved but still tell him how grateful she was for what he had done in saving their precious grandchildren.

  She felt a tear slip from her eye and onto the pillow.

  Her heart ached for what she had lost, now more than ever.

  CHAPTER SIX

  PATRICK STOOD OUTSIDE the door of Claudia’s hospital room, trying to resist the temptation to knock. He wondered why he had returned. He had tried to stay away and had almost succeeded. But something drove him to see the gorgeous brunette.

  Was there a man who still owned Claudia’s heart? Despite alarm bells ringing, he knocked on the door. Why was he going against every rule he had followed for over a decade? Never get close to someone, never form a bond or risk his heart, never look for more than one night. His decision to become an island had been born of necessity and it had served him well. But that resolve had never been so tested as it was now. The idea of Claudia, Thomas and Luca featuring in his future was a recurring thought that haunted him.

  His rejection of family and his family’s rejection of him were combined in fighting his thoughts about Claudia and the boys. And Claudia and the boys were winning.

  * * *

  ‘I hope it’s not too late. The nurse said you were still awake.’

  It was a voice that the sensible part of Claudia’s brain didn’t want to hear but one that made her hopeless heart do a little dance. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to pull herself up in the bed as Patrick walked into the room. He was dressed in dark clothing and he cut a ridiculously attractive figure. His trousers were black and he had a charcoal polo top and black leather shoes. His clothing highlighted his sun-kissed brown hair and light tan and the stubble that she imagined would be soft to her touch.

  His appearance was intoxicating. He wasn’t fighting fair, she thought. How was she supposed to keep her thoughts to doctor-patient when he looked so damn good?

  ‘You shouldn’t have come; it’s so late and you probably have far more important places to be than here.’ Her voice was crisp and it belied how truly happy she was to see him. She didn’t want to need him the way she did. She didn’t want to repeat the mistake of thinking she knew everything about a man, only to have her heart broken by what he was hiding.

  But something about Patrick made her think he wasn’t hiding anything.

  Was he an exception to the rule?

  * * *

  Patrick looked into her eyes in the dim light of the room and searched for something.

  He didn’t find it immediately but he persisted and moved closer to the bed.

  He saw her full lips curve into a smile. And her eyes were smiling too. He found what he was looking for. Despite what she was telling him, there was a welcome on her beautiful face. Part of him didn’t want to see any warmth there. He normally chose women who weren’t looking for the picket fence and happily ever after because he couldn’t provide it.

  With one look he was reminded of just how different she was and how he didn’t want to walk away without knowing more about her.

  ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be here earlier today or last night. I had patients until late and a surgical roster today that finished about an hour ago.’ There was more he wasn’t saying. He had forced himself to stay away. Tried to push thoughts of her from his mind and pretend that she hadn’t crept under his skin.

  He had no choice but to give in to his desire to see her.

  ‘You know there’s no obligation to come. You’re a busy doctor and I suppose there are lots of women having babies.’ She fussed with her bedclothes and averted her gaze as she spoke. She didn’t want to fall into the warmth of his eyes.

  He looked at her for a moment in silence with a curious expression.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked, sensing she had said something silly but not understanding why.

  ‘I’m a doctor, Claudia, but I don’t spend my days delivering babies.’

  She shot him a puzzled look. ‘What do you mean—are you a children’s doctor, not an obstetrician?’

  While he had not articulated his specialty during labour, with the risk of raising her anxiety level, she had obviously not read his business card.

  ‘Do you still have the card I left you in case you needed to reach me?’

  ‘Yes, it’s in the cabinet. Why?’

  Patrick crossed to the cabinet with long purposeful steps. ‘May I?’ he asked as he reached for the drawer.

  She nodded. There was nothing personal in there.

  ‘Here it is,’ he announced, the small white card in his hand. ‘You haven’t read it, have you?’

  Claudia shook her head. ‘I had no reason to. I haven’t called you.’

  She put her hand out and he passed the card to her. Squinting in the soft lighting, she searched the card for his details and read the words aloud.

  ‘Dr Patric
k Spencer...cosmetic surgeon?’ She collapsed back into her pillow in horror. Her arms instinctively folded across herself in an attempt to feel less vulnerable. There had to be some mistake. ‘You’re a plastic surgeon? You’re not an obstetrician? Why didn’t you tell me?’

  Patrick shook his head and drew in a deep breath but, before he could begin to answer Claudia’s questions, she asked more.

  ‘Then...how did you know what to do—are you even qualified to deliver my babies?’ Her voice was a little raised and equally shaky. She felt physically sick that she’d put her life and the lives of her babies in the hands of a cosmetic surgeon.

  ‘I knew what to do because I’m a doctor.’

  Claudia frowned. She felt exposed. ‘Why didn’t you mention that you were a cosmetic surgeon?’ she asked, looking directly at him. She was angry that he hadn’t told her. His announcement brought reality home. She really knew very little about Patrick and, except for the few words they’d exchanged, which had come mostly from her, he was like any man she could have passed in the street.

  Only something inside had made her want to believe that he would not wilfully hurt her. Had she done it again? Had she trusted someone at face value?

  Patrick rubbed his neck slowly and in silence. ‘You need to listen to me for a minute.’

  ‘I’m listening. Go ahead—explain why you never shared your real medical specialty with me when you were cutting free my underwear and examining me!’

  Not needing to give his reply any thought because it was the truth, he answered her quickly. ‘Because telling you might have sent you into a panic. The situation wasn’t desirable, you were understandably anxious and the last thing you needed to hear was the man about to deliver your babies hadn’t done so in over a decade. I was confident I could do it as well as anyone but you wouldn’t have known that.’