by Lucy Clark
‘That would be me and you’re a paediatrician who is on maternity leave.’ Janessa stood and instantly picked up her friend’s wrist, checking her pulse. ‘You’re not allowed to be worried or stressed or concerned or anything else about the goings-on in the hospital, Sheenie, and you know that. We’ve discussed it.’
‘My blood pressure is fine,’ Sheena grumped.
‘Actually, it’s a little raised.’
‘That’s because you won’t tell me what’s going on. I’m just a human incubator. Nothing more. Nothing less.’
Janessa smiled. ‘Don’t say that. You know you don’t mean it. You mean everything to these babies and they mean everything to you. Your girls need you, Sheena, you’re their world. You’re the only one who can really protect them and you do that by lying here and doing nothing. We can only do so much to help the girls and therefore need to keep you as calm and controlled as possible. The gag order is in place because I can’t have you getting stressed about things you would ordinarily have some control over. You’re an amazing paediatrician, Sheenie, but you’re on maternity leave and I need you to leave hospital matters alone.’
‘But sometimes telling me what’s happening actually decreases the risk of my blood pressure going up because I’m not frustrated from being kept in the dark,’ Sheena quickly pointed out.
Janessa paused for a moment before shaking her head. ‘It’s all under control. Nothing to report. Now, before I forget, the special baby clothes that we picked out from the catalogue should be here within the next few days. I received an email telling me they were being shipped so we can look forward to their arrival soon.’
‘I can hardly remember what we ordered.’ Sheena frowned, still not happy that Janessa had cut off her sources of information.
‘Well, let me remind you. There was a pretty pink dress with frills and …’ As the two of them sat there, talking about baby clothes, Janessa started to feel the stress of her day begin to ease. It had been a long, long day, made even longer with the arrival of Miles Trevellion, who she hadn’t expected to see until tomorrow at their prep meeting.
‘Now,’ she said, standing to hug her friend, ‘you’ll be due for growth hormone injections soon because we need these little girls as fit and as healthy as possible, so settle down and get some sleep.’
‘Ha. My girls may be literally joined at the hip but that doesn’t stop them from doing their gymnastic double act any time I try to get some shut-eye. It’s impossible to sleep through that.’
Janessa laughed. ‘Well … if you can’t sleep, at least rest.’
‘I do little else, my friend, whereas you look as though you’re about ready to drop. Have you been burning the candle at both ends again?’ At Janessa’s shrug, Sheena eyed her friend closely. ‘When was the last time you went out to the airfield?’
Janessa sighed. ‘At least a fortnight ago. I didn’t manage to get out last week.’
‘Make sure you make some time, soon.’ There was a caring note in Sheena’s words. ‘I need my Nessa in top form to look after my girls when they’re born.’
Janessa placed her hand on Sheena’s abdomen and received a lovely fluttering kick in response. A smile came instantly to her lips. ‘I’ll be as bright as bright can be. Oh, I can’t wait to meet them, Sheenie. I’m so excited.’
‘Me, too. I know I whinge and moan but …’ Tears glistened in her eyes and Janessa passed her a tissue. ‘There I go again. My emotions are so unstable.’
‘They’re supposed to be,’ Janessa dismissed with a smile, taking a tissue for herself and dabbing at her own eyes. She noticed that Sheena looked past her and realised it was probably one of the sisters coming in to take Sheena’s obs. Glancing over her shoulder, she was stunned to see Miles Trevellion leaning against the doorjamb as though he’d been there for quite some time.
‘Hey, Miles. Come on in. Janessa and I are just having a weeping fest. Care to join?’
‘I’ll give it a miss, but thanks for the offer.’ He smiled at Sheena as he sauntered into the room and Janessa immediately put out a hand, grabbing hold of the end of Sheena’s bed, in order to steady herself against the effect of his powerful smile.
He’d showered and changed out of his suit and in some ways she wished he hadn’t. In a suit, he’d been just like all of the other consultants and surgeons she dealt with on a regular basis but now dressed in dark denim jeans that seemed to have long forgotten any shape but his own and a pale blue polo shirt, his dark brown wavy hair still a little damp from his shower, he was completely irresistible.
Up until now, the only dealings she’d had with Miles Trevellion had been when he’d been scowling or criticising her. Now … the smile that creased his face, the way his lips lifted to show off his white teeth, the intensity of his blue eyes as they sparked with life only enhanced his already naturally handsome features and, much to her chagrin, Janessa realised she wasn’t as immune to him as she’d previously thought.
‘H-How long have you been standing there?’ she wanted to know, silently berating herself for stammering. She forced herself to look away from him, to concentrate on staring at the floor, but she found her gaze drifting back to his as he spoke.
‘Long enough. I didn’t want to interrupt your bonding moments. You two talk to each other in exactly the same way that my sisters talk to each other.’
‘We feel like sisters,’ Sheena answered.
‘Is that so?’ Miles raised his eyebrows as he walked slowly round to the opposite side of the bed from where Janessa stood. He was looking more at Janessa than at Sheena and quirked an eyebrow in her direction.
‘We’ve known each other for years,’ Janessa felt compelled to say, even though she wasn’t sure why. It was just the way he was looking at her, as though he was accusing her of having too close a friendship with a person who was now a patient. Technically, though, Sheena wasn’t her patient—the babies were.
‘And neither of us actually have a sister,’ Sheena pointed out, ‘so we’ve ended up being the closest each other has.’
‘Interesting.’ Miles fixed Janessa with a curious stare. ‘Does that mean it will be too much for you to look after the twins once they’re born? You’re emotionally involved with Sheena. What if something were to go wrong? Would you be able to cope with such an event?’
Janessa visibly bristled. ‘Nothing is going to go wrong. That’s why you’re here, Dr Trevellion, and don’t you dare think, even for one second, about removing me from this case. Whilst Sheena and I look upon and support each other like sisters, we are not biologically related, which doesn’t make it at all inappropriate for me to care for her babies. Besides, our entire unit is like a close-knit family, so if you remove me from the case, you’ll have to remove everyone, and that will benefit no one. There is nothing any of us, not only in the NICU but within Maternity and the other associated departments, wouldn’t do for Sheena. She is beloved by us all and, in fact, I would go as far to say that because we all love her, the care we’ll be providing for Ellie and Sarah once they’re born and throughout their subsequent surgeries will be second to none.’
‘Aw …’ Sheena smiled at her friend, a fresh bout of tears gathering in her eyes. ‘That was lovely. Thank you.’ She reached for Janessa’s hand and gave it a little squeeze, then turned to look at Miles, her voice firm but still personable. ‘And you—don’t you even dare think of moving me to a different hospital. I don’t want to go to Philadelphia, even if they do have the highest success rate and experience with conjoined twins. These are my babies and I’ll be having them right here, at Adelaide Mercy, with my extended family standing beside me, supporting me throughout the entire process. I’m the incubator and I have spoken.’
Miles looked from one woman to the other, his gaze settling on Janessa. She was standing proudly by her friend’s bedside, her shoulders back, her chin raised, her eyes glinting with that defiance he’d witnessed earlier that day.
She looked … incredible.
; After he’d left the NICU, he’d returned to Maternity and checked on Sheena before being directed to the hospital’s residential wing, which was to be his home for the length of his stay. There was no point in trying to procure a furnished apartment close to the hospital as he’d be spending the majority of his time within hospital walls. Therefore, the one-bedroom apartment he’d been provided with was more than adequate for his needs.
He’d showered and changed his clothes, which had definitely helped him to wash away the long hours of travelling he’d had to endure. Once he’d unpacked, he’d headed out for a walk around the campus in order to get his bearings. The sooner he knew his way around the place, the better.
Throughout the entire afternoon, thoughts of Dr Janessa Austen had been niggling at the back of his mind, like an annoying noise he couldn’t shut off. Twice, as he’d walked around, he’d seen a woman of her height and colouring and, thinking it might be her, had been astonished to find his heart rate increasing at the thought of enjoying another sparring match with her.
Then he’d wandered back to the NICU, in the hope of seeing her again, to get another look, to try and figure out exactly what it was about her that appeared to be intriguing him so much. When she hadn’t been there, he’d politely asked one of the staff where she might be and had been told to check Maternity.
It was odd for his thoughts to be occupied in such a fashion, to be more than professionally curious about a colleague and now, as he stood opposite her, Sheena lying on the bed between them, Janessa Austen’s rich brown eyes filled with determination, Miles finally realised the answer.
It was because she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in.
It was clear that she believed in her staff, in her unit and in her bond with Sheena. She was a woman of substance and the more he spoke to her, the closer he was to figuring her out. Once he figured her out, he would be able to put her right out of his mind. He liked puzzles and the challenges they presented. That was no doubt the only reason why she’d even caught his attention in the first place. He was sure of it.
Miles slowly looked away from Janessa, his thoughts returning to the present. He smiled at Sheena, pleased she was still calm and controlled even though Janessa had become a little riled. ‘Of course. You will stay at Adelaide Mercy. Dr Austen will be by your side, caring for your children every step of the way. Whatever you say goes, Sheena. You’re the mother. You call the shots.’
‘Good. Don’t you forget it.’ Sheena looked closely at Miles for a moment then grinned widely. ‘You always were such a tease, Miles Trevellion. Always stirring. I see you haven’t changed.’
‘Why change perfection?’ he asked, and gave a little bow. Janessa watched him and frowned again, confusion replacing her earlier annoyance.
‘Stirring?’ Janessa let go of Sheena’s hand and placed both her hands on her hips. ‘Do you mean that you were simply saying those things in order to get a rise out of me, Dr Trevellion?’
‘You’re in trouble now,’ Sheena remarked to Miles in a sing-song voice.
‘Not a rise, Dr Austen.’
‘Then a test of some sort?’
‘If you like.’
‘You don’t think that’s a little juvenile? To test your new colleagues? Colleagues who, I might add, are all highly trained professionals?’
‘Colleagues who have shown me that they’re not afraid to stand up for what they believe in,’ he countered. ‘Colleagues who I now know are doing this job for more than the money they earn. There are two types of medical professionals in the world—those who do it for money and those who are called to serve their patients. I’ve worked with both over the years and in throwing a few bones at you, I’ve been able to see how you bite, when you bite and why you bite.’
‘I hope you’re not implying that Janessa is a dog in this scenario, Miles,’ Sheena interjected laughingly. ‘If so, don’t go hiding behind me.’
Janessa couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what her new and esteemed colleague was saying. He’d been testing her? Trying to rile her to see what sort of doctor she was? Anger, frustration and disbelief warred within her but there was also a part, deep down inside, that understood what he’d done.
He was a man who travelled the world, offering and applying his assistance to highly specialised cases, such as conjoined twins. He was a fount of knowledge and expertise, but as his placements would no doubt be of three to six months’ duration it would mean he’d have to develop a foolproof way of sounding out his colleagues in order to know what type of personalities he was dealing with sooner rather than later.
She took another calming breath, crossing her arms over her chest, and met his look. ‘Have you collated enough data on me, Dr Trevellion, or can I expect another round of your potshots?’ Although her words were calm, her tone was cool.
The answer she received from him was a bright smile and where the last one had been aimed at Sheena, this one was definitely aimed directly at her … and she felt its full effect. Her mouth went dry, her heart rate instantly increased and she found her knees beginning to buckle. Without breaking eye contact, she gracefully sat back down in the chair she’d occupied earlier.
The man had straight, white teeth, a slightly crooked nose, a cleft in his perfectly square jaw, which was covered in a five o’clock shadow that only added to his air of powerful masculinity. All of that combined with his intense blue eyes, which now appeared to be filled with warmth and deep satisfaction, made a lethal combination.
‘I’m very pleased to say that you’ve passed with flying colours, Dr Austen. Not only have you proved that you’re willing to stand up for your staff and your unit, you’ve proved to be the perfect person to assist me in the care of Sheena’s twin girls.’
‘How magnanimous of you, Dr Trevellion.’ She worked hard to keep her tone droll, as though she didn’t care one iota about his opinion when in reality she did. Here was a man she’d looked up to in a professional capacity, reading his articles, interested in his research, delighted by his turn of phrase, and when she’d met him, she’d been disappointed to find him like so many other surgeons—overbearing and dictatorial. And then he’d walked into Sheena’s room, smiling brightly, his eyes twinkling, his clothes fitting him to perfection.
Physically, he was gorgeous—and he no doubt knew it—but he was also showing her that he wasn’t as unreasonable as she’d first concluded. Perhaps there was more depth, more substance to Miles Trevellion. Perhaps the man who had written those powerful articles, not only detailing the intricacies of neonate surgery but also somehow allowing his compassion for his little patients to bleed into the structure of his clinical articles, was making an appearance.
Sheena laughed at them both, her head turning from one to the other as though she were at a tennis match. ‘Are you both seriously going to call each other Dr Austen and Dr Trevellion for the next six months? Seems a little old-fashioned and ludicrous to me,’ she finished.
‘Sheena’s right.’ Miles came around the bed and held out his hand to Janessa. ‘I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Miles.’
She stood, relieved when her legs appeared able to support her once more. Polite and professional. That was all she had to be towards him—polite and professional. ‘Janessa,’ she replied, and yet the instant his warm hand enveloped hers, she felt her logical thought processes fly out the window, and at the same time her knees started to buckle once more.
She stumbled a little and Miles instantly moved closer, placing his other hand at her waist to steady her. His nearness only seemed to make things worse, as she breathed in his subtle spicy scent and became all too aware of just how close they were.
Gasping, she looked up into his eyes and was surprised to find him staring back at her, his blue eyes wide and slightly shocked. His eyes were perfect, so blue and so … perfect. Just like a sky on a cloudless day where she could take to the air and escape her life for a brief spell.
Her heart start
ed to beat a little faster in her chest and her tongue came out to wet her lips. His gaze dipped for a second to witness the action, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down his perfect throat. The world around them seemed to pause, just long enough that they could take a quick breath, drawing each other in before slowly exhaling.
‘Janessa.’ Her name sounded incredible spoken in his rich, deep tones and a wave of tingles spread throughout her body. This was wrong. It was ridiculous that she should feel an instant attraction towards this man when she wasn’t even sure she liked him.
Naturally, she appreciated him as a colleague, easily accepting his genius in their chosen speciality and, of course, she’d fallen victim to a bit of hero-worship of such intelligence, devouring the articles he’d written the instant her editions of the Journal of Neonatology had arrived. That, however, didn’t mean she needed to act like a silly schoolgirl simply because he was touching her.
Becoming cross with herself, she quickly disengaged any contact and spun away from him, taking two wobbly steps towards the door, her increased heart rate causing her breathing to remain uneven. ‘Uh … anyway. I’d best go and … uh … check on a few of the babies before calling it a night.’ She spoke quickly … too quickly.
‘Are you all right?’ Sheena asked. ‘You’re all flushed.’
‘Am I?’ Janessa raised a hand to her cheek and tried her best not to look at Miles but when she did, she saw him standing at the foot of the bed, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He was looking at her as though something strange had just happened but he wasn’t exactly sure what. Had he felt it too? If so, what did that mean? Or perhaps this was another one of his tests. She quickly returned her attention to Sheena.
