The Prince and the Midwife (The Hollywood Hills Clinic)
Page 11
The baby was a good color and seemed to be under no stress at all, and the usual, spontaneous satisfaction hit Rafael square in the chest. He grinned at the mother then at Gabriella. Their eyes met for the briefest moment, but it was long enough to see she felt exactly like he did, which was that he wanted to pump his fists in the air that all had gone smoothly, despite the not-very-normal situation.
“You can be front-page news if you want to be, Trina,” Gabriella said as she did a quick bulb suction on the baby before handing him to his mother. “I think you might be the first woman to give birth on the floor of the clinic midwife’s office.”
Trina, obviously tired but now beaming, laughed. “Being on the front page is always one of my goals.”
Something Rafael couldn’t imagine, and he’d be glad to have her take his place the next time it happened.
Neonatal arrived to take the baby and get him cleaned up and swaddled.
“Your body was obviously perfectly made for this, Trina, with baby coming so fast and easy, and with no complications at all.” Rafael had learned that it was always good to distract his patients with chitchat and jokes while he took care of post-birth necessities. “You might consider doing it another ten times or so. What do you think?”
Predictably, Trina laughed at the same time she scowled at him. “Easy for you to say when you’re not the one who went through the pain or got your body all stretched out. Besides, every woman’s body is made for birthing babies, right? It’s our curse in life, though I have to say he just might be worth it.”
He smiled at the happy, adoring look she was giving her baby, then glanced at Gabriella, wanting to enjoy her smile, too.
Except she wasn’t smiling. Her eyes held the sadness he’d seen in them before. No, this time he’d even call it anguish, and her slender shoulders were slumped with the weight of something heavy but invisible. Seeing her pain, that same heavy weight seemed to settle in his own chest as it ached for her, and he knew that, damn it, he had to learn what was making her feel this way.
To hell with keeping his distance. With keeping her safe from him. He might not have much to offer her other than the here and now and an ear to listen and a shoulder to cry on, but he could at least offer that. Or whatever it was she needed from him.
God knew, he was well acquainted with what it felt like to not have anyone close who particularly cared who you really were.
Dios. He wanted, right then, to take her in his arms and kiss away that sadness. To whisk her off somewhere to talk about it right now, to find out the source and show her that, whatever it was, it would be all right. Except they were at work, caring for a new mother and a new life. Waiting wasn’t his strength, but patients had to come first.
Gabriella must have felt that he was watching her, maybe even sensed the intensity and turmoil inside him at that moment, because she turned to look at him. Their gazes fused for a long moment of charged connection before she blinked, then turned away. He saw a smile force its way to her lips as her face became a smooth mask. She chatted with Trina as she was helped onto a gurney to transport her to a room, and cooed over the baby the neonatal team had placed back in its mother’s arms.
Anyone who hadn’t been looking at Gabriella exactly when he had might have seen only the pleased, warm midwife caring for her patient. Giving them the kind of heartfelt attention and empathy any pregnant woman would be lucky to receive from her nurse.
Gabriella seemed to be pointedly directing her attention to anywhere and anyone but him as she and a technician got the room cleaned up. Just before the new mother was wheeled out, she thanked him and he turned to smile at her, chucking the little newborn under his chin but still thinking of Gabriella busying herself behind him. He pondered how exactly to approach her. His phone rang, and the screen told him it was James.
He stepped into the hallway, keeping an eye on Gabriella’s office door to make sure she didn’t escape before he had a chance to talk to her.
“Hello, James, what’s up?”
“Can you take a couple of days to go to a special destination?” James asked.
“Depends on the destination.”
“A sheikh friend and his wife and extended family are staying in Vail, Colorado. He came here to take care of some business in L.A., and they were planning to leave the U.S. day after tomorrow. Except it looks like she might be close to delivering earlier than expected. Any way you can head to the mountains to see what’s going on?”
He didn’t have to ask why they didn’t just go to the local hospital or see a doctor there. He knew a number of Middle Eastern princes, and they didn’t “do” local hospitals without having some connection, along with a guarantee of privacy.
“Any way they can get here?”
“No. He’s worried, and doesn’t want her to travel. So, can you?”
“Yes.” For the first time in half an hour he felt like smiling. “Though I’d need assistance, which means you’ll have to adjust Gabriella Cain’s schedule so she can come with me.”
“Those are your terms?” A low laugh came down the phone line. “Fine. But I hope you know what the hell you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.”
Rafael wasn’t too sure he knew either of those things, but he was going with it anyway.
CHAPTER NINE
SWOOPING DOWN THEN back up and around on the winding road that had been cut through sheer rock cliffs, the powerful rented sedan effortlessly handled the mountain curves Gabby was sure her own little car would have struggled with mightily. With any other driver at the wheel, she might have been a little nervous at the speed with which he was taking the sweeping turns, but Rafael’s supreme confidence was evident, just like it was at work. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
She couldn’t help but wonder if her coming along on this work trip had been James’s idea or Rafael’s. Somehow, she had a feeling it was the prince wielding his powers of persuasion, which was a nice way to say he was manipulative. But how could she be sorry about that?
She glanced at the man and his gorgeous profile, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
“Spectacular, isn’t it, Gabriella?”
“Yes.” And she wasn’t about to tell him she was thinking of his looks as well as the scenery. “But I’m surprised you wanted to take the time to drive from the airport, instead of using a helicopter. I thought the Sheikh was worried to death.”
“The chopper would only cut about twenty minutes off the trip. And I talked to both the Sheikh and his wife on the phone. Between you and me, I’m almost positive this is false labor, and maybe not even that. She’s taking every twinge or odd feeling as something catastrophic. But of course we need to confirm that, which is why we’re here.”
Gabby stared out the window, suddenly not seeing the craggy rock cliffs and tumbling river below. She was remembering the odd twinges. Peculiar, off sensations that she too had assumed were nothing, focusing on her patient instead. A stupid error in judgment that had ended up being catastrophic indeed. “I hope we’re seeing her as soon as we get there. Just in case.”
“Don’t worry. We are.”
He must have sensed something in her response, because his voice had changed from pleased at enjoying their drive to more serious.
“If you think it’s unlikely to be labor, why did you want me to come?”
“I don’t know this man, and some sheikhs can be difficult to deal with. Traditional attitudes being what they are, it can be helpful to have a woman who’s an experienced midwife helping care for his wife.”
“I guess I can see that. How often has Dr. Jet-Setting OB run into problems with that?”
“A few times. When I do, I put on a wig and a dress. Solves everything.”
He flashed her a quick grin, and Gabby laughed at that amusing and absurd vision. As though putting
on those items would in any way disguise the potent masculinity that exuded from the man.
The road flattened and soon the wilderness gave way to houses and large apartment buildings alongside the highway, then the town of Vail itself came into view. Rafael swung the car through a roundabout and on into the village, where cobbled walks and charming buildings lined the streets, many designed to look like they belonged in an old Swiss town.
“Like I said, we’ll stop at the hospital first, then check into the hotel.”
Unable to shake the unease she felt about the pregnant woman’s condition, Gabby was just about to ask how far it was to the hospital when she saw signs for it and they swung into the parking lot. “Wow, I’m surprised the hospital is so close to the main town. And how did you know where it was?”
“I’ve been here a few times. It’s a good gig to combine skiing with working.”
“I’d think you’d do that in Switzerland and Austria.”
“There, too. Among other places. Like I said, it’s a good gig.” That grin again, then he was out of the car and coming over to her side to open the door, reaching for her hand.
“You don’t have to open my door, you know. I’m an open-my-own-door kind of woman.”
“Sorry if it bothers you. But as you noted the first day we met, I do as I please. And it pleases me to be a gentleman.”
The words held a tinge of that arrogance that was just part of him, but his eyes were warm and sincere. Even as she rolled her eyes a little, she had to laugh. “I guess it’s impossible for a prince to not believe he can do as he pleases. And since you haven’t asked me to kiss your ring, I guess I’ll indulge you by letting you assist me out of the car.”
“The only reason I haven’t asked you to kiss my ring is because I don’t wear one. But I would like you to kiss something else.” And with that, he leaned into the car and pressed his mouth to hers.
For a split second she stared into half-closed moss-green eyes before her own flickered shut. And just like that her heart began to pump in slow thuds as she savored the taste of him in her mouth, as she breathed in his scent, letting herself slowly sink into the kiss until he broke the delicious contact and pulled back.
The eyes staring at her this time had darkened, and it seemed his chest rose and fell in several deep breaths before his lip quirked at one corner. “Air’s thin up here, isn’t it? Let’s go.”
He held out his hand, and she didn’t say a word as she slipped hers into it. Then kept it there as they walked into the hospital, and she had the same bad-good feeling she’d had when James had first told her she needed to come on this trip.
She’d never get truly involved with a man again. Never fully trust that kind of relationship. But if she had to briefly fall off that wagon, wasn’t Rafael the perfect man to do it with? Okay, yes, she already had, figuring it would be just that one time. But she was beginning to see that, as long as he was still working at the clinic, there was no way she could resist letting their professional time together turn personal.
She wanted him. Again. And it looked like he wanted her the exact same way.
Her lips hadn’t stopped tingling, and she willed herself to look normal as they stopped at the front desk to get directions to the seventh floor. Still holding her hand, he led her to the elevator. “I didn’t hear what the room number was.”
“That’s because there’s no need to know it. They’ve paid big money to basically rent out the whole floor.”
“The whole floor?”
“Not uncommon. The Sheikh wants privacy and discretion. He’ll likely have flown in his own staff to prepare food for everyone and to tend to his wife. Possibly brought comfortable furnishings for their stay here. I had one patient in Morocco whose family brought twelve place settings of fine china from their palace to the hospital.”
“Wow.” That was about the only thought she could conjure, though she wasn’t sure if it was because she was so amazed or because her brain could only focus on one thing at a time, and at that moment it was still thinking about his lips and the feel of his hand wrapped around hers. About the rest of their stay here together and where it all might lead.
Rafael punched the elevator button and the doors closed. Alone in the enclosed space, their recent kiss sizzled in the air between them, so hot she could practically feel it burning her skin. And from the slight flare to his nostrils, the way his skin seemed to tighten over his cheekbones he felt every bit as much heat as she did.
The elevator pinged open just in time, since her fantasy of grabbing him and pushing him back against the wall to have her way with him was making her feel a little woozy. Their eyes met, and she saw his lips curved in a half-smile and realized hers were, too. Then he gave her a quick wink, and it was so unexpected from autocratic Prince Rafael Moreno she gave a little breathless laugh.
“We’ll hold that thought until later, hmm, bella?” he murmured.
They walked down the corridor, and Gabby couldn’t help but stare at the number of people around. Some wore uniforms, and others were dressed in elegant clothes. There were even quite a few children, and while some occupied themselves quietly with a board game, several boys were tearing down the hall, kicking a ball and shouting.
“This looks like a hospital, and yet not,” she said to Rafael in disbelief. “Does the hospital director know this is going on?”
“I’m willing to bet he’s done this drill once or twice so, yes. Also planned ahead and put away any equipment that could be damaged by an errant kick.” His eyes twinkled. “Let’s see how our patient is doing. I’ll find out where she is.”
He stepped toward a small group of women and started speaking in some language Gabby had never heard, amazed at him and his various skills. Though she shouldn’t have been, really. Probably a prince grew up learning any number of languages. She felt embarrassed all over again at her very rudimentary knowledge of Spanish, vowing to study it more. She hadn’t needed it too much in Seattle, but speaking the language even halfway well would come in very handy in California.
“This way,” Rafael said. He didn’t lead the way, having her follow. Instead, he waited for her to join him, then pressed his hand against her lower back as they walked together.
“More of your gentlemanliness? Waiting for me?” she teased.
“Or maybe I just wanted an excuse to touch you.”
The gaze that met hers was twinkling, but hot, too, and Gabby sank her teeth into her lower lip to make sure nothing came out that shouldn’t. Something along the lines of You don’t need an excuse, which I’m pretty sure you know.
Acutely aware of that wide hand on her back, she had to wonder when she’d gone from being an efficient workaholic uninterested in dating to a woman with sex on her mind in the middle of a hospital. Though she knew the answer, and it was standing right next to her in all its six-foot-plus gorgeous glory.
When they went into the patient’s room, Gabby was in for yet another unexpected sight. The place looked more like a plush hotel room than a hospital room. Even more so than The Hollywood Hills Clinic rooms—and, since she’d always thought they seemed right out of a five-star hotel, that was saying something. This had to be one of those situations Rafael mentioned where they’d brought in furniture for their stay. A portable wall between two rooms had been removed, creating a huge space, and comfortable furniture filled the area. The bed was still a hospital bed, but it had beautiful linens, and the bedspread looked like something from a high-end furnishings magazine.
An exotic-looking woman lay in the bed, which surprised Gabby a little. Since she wasn’t connected to any monitors or IV at this point, Gabby would have expected her to be sitting in one of the deep, upholstered armchairs, but maybe she felt more comfortable lying down. Or maybe, since Rafael had said her husband was worried, everyone thought she should stay in the bed to be safe.
Of course, she couldn’t deny that she hoped Rafael had wanted her along for another reason, too. Then scolded herself for having that sex subject dive back into her mind when she had work to do.
“Hello, Amala, I’m Gabby Cain, a nurse midwife from The Hollywood Hills Clinic. I understand you’re having some pain, and are worried about the baby?”
“Yes.” Thankfully, Amala spoke excellent English, and Gabby smiled in relief. “I keep having pains. Contractions, I think.”
“Have you timed them at all? To see how far apart they are?”
“No. But they happen often.”
“Okay. I’m going to take your pulse and blood pressure to check those—is that all right?” She pressed her fingers to the woman’s delicate wrist. “Tell me about the pain. Where is it, exactly?”
“My belly. Low. And down...there as well.”
The woman seemed uncomfortable even using a euphemism, and Gabby smiled wider to hopefully relax her. “The good news is that your pulse and blood pressure are normal. So, are you feeling any pain in your back? Up high in your belly?”
“No. Not my back. I am not sure about how high. But they go away sometimes if I lie down.”
Sounded like Rafael might be right about this being false labor, but it was too soon to say for sure. She glanced up to see him finishing his conversation with the Sheikh, then he came to join her on the other side of the patient’s bed.
“I’m Dr. Rafael Moreno. It’s my privilege to come see you today. I understand you’re thirty-four weeks pregnant. Can you tell me about your symptoms?”