Saving His Little Miracle (Mills & Boon Medical)

by Jennifer Taylor

  She dismissed the thought, knowing it was pointless reading anything into what had gone on. Maybe Vincenzo had appeared to be deeply moved by Megan’s reaction to him leaving but if he had cared that much, he would have phoned to see how she was. Her mouth thinned as she made her way to the pool. Vincenzo didn’t really care about Megan. And he certainly didn’t care about her!

  She spent an hour playing in the pool with Megan. As soon as the little girl started to tire, she lifted her out and took her inside. There was still an hour to go before lunch and Megan would benefit from a nap beforehand. Although Megan’s health was definitely improving, she tired easily and Lowri took care to make sure that she rested during the day.

  She stripped off Megan’s swimsuit and popped on a nightie then persuaded her to lie down on the bed with one of her new dolls. She soon fell asleep so Lowri went to her own room, meaning to read until Megan woke up. She had just opened her book when the phone in the hall rang and the next moment she heard Maria calling her.

  She ran down the stairs, her heart racing as she wondered if Vincenzo had finally deigned to phone her. Picking up the receiver, she held it to her ear. ‘Yes?’

  ‘It’s Vincenzo. My secretary told me that you had telephoned. There is nothing wrong, I hope?’

  He sounded concerned but Lowri had no intention of being mollified. ‘And what if there was something wrong? What would you do, Vincenzo? Come haring back here like a knight in shining armour to sort it all out?’ She laughed scornfully. ‘I doubt it. Not when you haven’t even bothered to phone!’

  There was a brief silence before he replied. ‘I am sorry. It was remiss of me not to phone before now. I can only apologise.’

  ‘Apologies cost nothing, though, do they? It’s actions that speak loudest of all.’

  ‘Meaning what precisely?’ There was the faintest rumble of anger in his voice, just the tiniest ruffle marring its silky-smooth surface. Lowri felt a thrill of pleasure run through her when she realised that she had managed to arouse a reaction.

  ‘Meaning that if you’d cared anything at all about Megan then you would have phoned to find out how she was. It’s ironic, really. I’m the one who claimed to be a better actress than I thought I was, but you’re the one who actually deserves all the plaudits. Your performance the morning you left for Milan deserved an Oscar!’

  Stony silence greeted her comment. Lowri held her breath, determined that she wasn’t going to break it. As far as she was concerned, it was Vincenzo who was at fault, not her.

  ‘I take it that you phoned for a reason and not simply because you felt the need to berate me for my failings?’

  His voice was so cold that she shivered. Lowri could feel chills running down her spine but that, undoubtedly, had been his intention. Vincenzo was the master of the cold put-down, the Bard when it came to choosing words that would have the most effect on anyone who crossed him. However, she refused to become another of his hapless victims.

  ‘Well, I certainly didn’t phone so we could have a pleasant little chat.’ She laughed coolly. ‘That would have been a complete waste of both our time.’

  ‘Indeed. So what is it that you need to tell me, Lowri?’

  His tone was still on the chilly side but there was a hint of amusement in it that surprised her. Warmed her. Wormed its way through her anger. It was hard not to show how disconcerted she felt, only she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had thrown her off balance.

  ‘I thought you should know that I shall reach the most fertile point in my monthly cycle in a few days’ time. If we hope to conceive this baby then we shall have to do something about it.’

  * * *

  Vincenzo gripped hold of the desk as the room started to spin. Do something about it or, in other words, sleep together!

  ‘Are you still there?’

  ‘Sì.’ He cleared his throat but he could feel his heart racing almost out of control. It was an effort to appear calm when it was the last thing he felt. ‘Thank you for letting me know. You were right to do so. We cannot afford to waste any time if we are to help Megan.’

  ‘Precisely.’

  Lowri’s tone sounded calm enough but he caught nuance of some other emotion just beneath the surface and his heart raced all the harder. The thought of sleeping with him had aroused a lot of emotions inside her too, although it would be foolish to imagine that she felt the same as he did.

  The thought was like a douse of cold water. Vincenzo felt his euphoria disappear, swept away by the reality of the situation. When he and Lowri slept together, they wouldn’t be making love but a baby. And that was the only reason why she was prepared to go through with it.

  ‘I shall make arrangements to return to the villa,’ he said in his most businesslike tone.

  ‘So you still want to go ahead? You haven’t changed your mind? I thought maybe you had when you didn’t phone.’

  ‘No, I haven’t changed my mind. Have you?’

  ‘I...uhm...no. Not really.’

  ‘But you do have doubts?’ he persisted, sensing she was holding something back.

  ‘Not doubts. More concerns, if anything.’

  It was like getting blood from a stone, getting her to answer. Vincenzo realised that they needed to discuss this; however, before he could question her further there was a knock on the door and Fabio Russo, one of his junior registrars, poked his head into the room.

  ‘Yes? What is it?’ Vincenzo snapped, making no effort whatsoever to disguise his annoyance at the interruption.

  ‘Mi scusi,’ the young man muttered, looking scared out of his wits. ‘Pronto Soccorso has phoned. They have a child with a serious head trauma and need you to see him.’

  ‘Tell them I shall be there shortly,’ Vincenzo instructed curtly, then immediately wished he hadn’t been so abrupt when the younger man scurried away.

  ‘I can tell that you’re busy, Vincenzo, so I won’t keep you. Goodbye.’

  She hung up before he could reply. Vincenzo stared at the receiver for a moment then slammed it down onto the rest and put his head in his hands. He needed to resolve whatever issues Lowri had but he couldn’t do that until he had attended to his patient. He had never felt so torn before, never allowed anything to take precedence over his work, but this was different. This concerned Lowri and Megan and this new baby they might or might not have.

  His heart contracted in sudden fear. If Lowri had changed her mind, then what would it mean for Megan? What chance would she have without this stem-cell transplant? He had been tested as a potential donor while they had been at the hospital, but he hadn’t been a good enough match either so they appeared to have run out of options. Oh, maybe there was a chance that a donor would be found at some point but would it be soon enough? Would Megan live long enough to receive the treatment she needed so desperately?

  His head hurt as he made his way to Pronto Soccorso. There was so much to think about, so many emotionally charged issues to deal with, and he was a novice at it. All he could do was his best and if that meant persuading Lowri to have this baby, that’s what he intended to do.

  Heat roared along his veins as he followed the attending physician into Resus. His reasons for wanting to make love with Lowri might be of the very highest order primarily, but he couldn’t deny that there were other, far less lofty reasons for doing so too!

  * * *

  Lowri felt on edge all afternoon long. The conversation she’d had with Vincenzo had done more harm than good. She regretted being so waspish with him, even though she felt that she had been right to take him to task.

  He should have phoned to check on Megan, yet she had a feeling that it hadn’t been a lack of interest that had stopped him. His failure to get in touch had been deliberate, thought out, rationalised. And it was why he had felt the need to distance himself that worried her most. Whilst she had some qualms about them having this baby, she was still prepared to go ahead. Was Vincenzo still willing to go through with it though, despite w
hat he had said? That was the big question.

  The thought stayed with her even though she tried to push it to one side. The nap had done Megan good so once lunch was over Lowri took her for a walk to the nearest village. There was just a handful of shops there but Megan enjoyed looking at the brightly painted pottery and other knick-knacks made for the tourist trade. There was a coach parked near the tiny walled harbour, which was the town’s main attraction, so Lowri steered clear of there. Although it was doubtful if Megan would catch anything from the tourists, there was no point taking chances. She led her up a side street instead and bought her a miniature tea set from one of the shops and took her home. It had been a pleasant interlude, even if it hadn’t managed to dispel all the thoughts whizzing around her head. She would need to talk to Vincenzo to do that, always assuming that he would talk to her.

  She helped Megan arrange her new tea service on the terrace, filling the tiny pot with orange juice and begging some miniature cookies from Maria. While Megan ran upstairs to fetch her dolls, Lowri took the opportunity to pour herself a drink. She carried it outside and stopped dead when she found Vincenzo standing on the terrace, staring in bemusement at the tiny plates and cups. He looked up when he heard her approaching and shook his head.

  ‘I was beginning to think that I had wandered into a different dimension. This isn’t Lilliput, is it?’

  ‘No. Or at least it wasn’t when I last checked.’ Lowri chuckled, feeling some of her anxiety melt away. Nothing too serious could have happened otherwise he wouldn’t be able to make jokes like that, would he?

  ‘Thank heavens for that.’ He smiled. ‘I’m not sure I’d make a very good giant. All that fee-fi-fo-fumming would get me down after a while.’

  ‘Maybe you should choose a different fairy-tale character?’ she suggested, putting her glass of lemonade on the table. ‘Which was your favourite when you were a child?’

  ‘I don’t remember.’

  He held his smile but all the warmth seemed to have gone out of it for some reason. Lowri frowned, wondering what she had said to trigger that reaction. However, before she could ask him, Megan came back, squealing with excitement when she saw Vincenzo.

  ‘You’ve come back! Mummy said you were too busy but I knew you’d come.’ She ran over and grabbed hold of his hand. ‘’Cos you promised, didn’t you?’

  ‘Sì. And I always try to keep my promises, tesoro.’

  Bending, he dropped a gentle kiss on the child’s cheek. Lowri looked away when she felt her eyes fill with tears. She knew it was silly but she couldn’t help it. Megan really seemed to like Vincenzo and he seemed to like her too. They had a genuine rapport and she could only hope that it would continue, although there was no guarantee. Vincenzo hadn’t made any promises about the future and she mustn’t forget that.

  The thought of Megan’s disappointment if he disappeared from her life was very hard to swallow. However, Lowri knew that she had to face facts, and the biggest fact of all was Vincenzo’s aversion to having a family. The thought set loose all her misgivings once again. Was it right to bring another child into the world when it might not have any contact with its father?

  When she had set out to persuade Vincenzo to help her, she had given little thought to what would happen beyond saving Megan’s life. Now, however, she could see that she needed to think everything through very carefully. She could imagine the detrimental effect it would have on Megan if she never saw Vincenzo, but how much worse would it be for the baby to grow up believing that he or she had been born for one reason only—to save its sister’s life? No child should feel it was second best, and she couldn’t bear to think that her child might grow up believing that.

  Her spine stiffened. It was something they urgently needed to discuss. She needed to know exactly where she stood before they went any further. The question was simple: did Vincenzo intend to play a role in his children’s lives or not?

  * * *

  Vincenzo closed his eyes, savouring the all too rare feeling of peace that filled him. It was just gone eight and Lowri was putting Megan to bed. As a treat, the little girl had been allowed to stay up late and have supper with them, but it had been obvious by the time they’d finished that she had been flagging. Now, as he heard Lowri’s footsteps crossing the terrace, he opened his eyes and smiled up at her.

  ‘That was quick. She went out like a light, did she?’

  ‘Yes.’ She laughed as she sat down beside him on the cushioned lounger. ‘I didn’t bother giving her a bath. She could barely keep her eyes open when I was undressing her. Anyway, she spent ages in the pool this morning so she can’t be that grubby!’

  ‘A little dirt never hurt anyone,’ Vincenzo observed lightly, trying to keep his mind on what they were discussing. He sighed under his breath. It was a losing battle when Lowri was sitting so close to him that he could smell the lemon scent of her shampoo and feel the warmth of her skin.

  ‘Did you get that from your mother?’ She turned slightly to look at him and smiled. ‘It was one of my mother’s favourite sayings too, funnily enough.’

  ‘I don’t remember but it can’t have been my mother. She died when I was very small.’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I had no idea.’ Reaching out, she covered his hand with hers. ‘How awful for you, Vincenzo. Mum was such an important part of my life. She was a feisty little Welsh woman—which accounts for my and Cerys’s names. However, she was the kindest person anyone could hope to meet and we all adored her. I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for you, having to grow up without your mother.’

  ‘As I said, I was very young when she died, barely two, in fact.’ He shrugged, trying to keep a rein on his emotions. He rarely thought about his mother and how different his life might have been if she had lived but Lowri’s response had let loose a lot of very painful thoughts. ‘What is that saying about you don’t miss what you’ve never had? I think that explains it.’

  ‘Ye-es.’

  She sounded unconvinced but at least she didn’t pursue the subject and he was glad. Talking about his childhood wasn’t something he planned on doing tonight... Or ever, he swiftly amended. He cleared his throat, determined that he was going to deal with the current crisis in the calmest way possible. That was why he had decided to drive to the villa tonight.

  Even though he’d been bone tired after an afternoon in Theatre, he’d known that he needed to sort everything out with Lowri, make sure that she was still prepared to go ahead and have this baby. Megan’s whole future depended on it and he needed to convince her that any doubts she might be harbouring were groundless.

  If he could.

  The thought that he might fail hit him hard but he knew that he had to be strong. After all, it was Lowri who had come up with this plan in the first place and she must have felt that it could work. Obviously, her concerns were recent and it was up to him to convince her that it was still the right thing to do, to gain her trust and, indeed, prove his worth.

  It was daunting to think he might fail but Vincenzo gave no sign of unease as he stood up. Picking up the bottle of wine, he topped up their glasses. ‘We may as well finish this while we talk.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Lowri accepted the glass but instead of drinking any of the wine she put it on the table. ‘We need to talk, don’t we, Vincenzo?’

  ‘Sì. That is why I came back tonight. I could tell from our conversation earlier in the day that you have issues that need to be addressed.’

  He resumed his seat, crossing one leg over the other in the hope that he could present a calm front. In truth, he had never felt more keyed up in his life but he refused to show it, refused to worry her even more by letting her see that he was worried too.

  He sighed. Why had everything become so damned complicated? Why had he suddenly started trying to second-guess someone else’s thoughts and feelings? It was something he had never done before and he was particularly bad at it. Nevertheless, he would have to get himself up to speed if he hoped to persu
ade her to go ahead with this plan.

  The thought sent a shaft of heat through him and he rolled the glass between his palms to cool them. He needed to persuade Lowri to make love with him. He needed to do it so that Megan might have the chance to live a long and happy life. That had been Lowri’s aim from the outset. She hadn’t contacted him because she had missed him. She hadn’t wasted the past five years wishing that they had stayed together. She probably hadn’t given him any thought at all, in fact, except initially, when she had found out she was having his child.

  His heart ached as he forced himself to face the facts. He was simply someone she’d had a brief affair with. Someone who had come into her life and turned it upside down. He meant nothing to her beyond that and it made him see how difficult it was going to be to convince her that he was sincere about wanting to be there for their children.

  In her eyes he was all negatives. There were very few plus points he could lay claim to apart from his wealth and she seemed indifferent to that. So if she did have doubts, how was he going to persuade her that he was worth taking a chance on? That he wouldn’t let her down, that he would support her and the children for ever when he wasn’t sure he was capable of doing it himself?

  Vincenzo closed his eyes and did something he hadn’t done for years, not since his grandmother had died. He prayed.

  CHAPTER TEN

  LOWRI COULD FEEL her heart pounding as the silence lengthened. Vincenzo was sitting there with his eyes closed and she had no idea what he was thinking.

  She jumped when his eyes opened and he pinned her with a look that made her feel as though he was searching her very soul. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking, what she could do to help him, but the words wouldn’t come. She could only wait and see what happened.

  Her breath caught when he suddenly got up. Walking to the end of the terrace, he stared across the lake. The sun had almost disappeared now and the shadows were turning the water to the colour of pewter. The last of the ferry boats had docked but there were still some sailboats out on the water. She watched the glow from their lights while her mind raced. What was Vincenzo going to say? That he had changed his mind about this baby, that he no longer wanted to go ahead, that he didn’t need or want the responsibility of another child? The thought was too much.