by Becky Wicks
She sprang from the bed and dropped to her knees in front of the wheelchair. ‘Oh, my...’
She trailed off as Fraser took her hand in his and held up the ring box, now open. Her eyes scanned the sparkling silver band and her mouth fell open at the practically blinking white diamond commanding attention at its centre.
‘Yes!’ she said, laughing through her tears, and Esme echoed her answer.
‘Yes, yes, yes!’ Esme squealed. ‘Mummy, show me!’
Sara watched him slide the ring of her dreams onto her finger and took his face in her hands. ‘I love you,’ she whispered, up close. ‘You have no idea how much.’
‘Mummy, show me!’
Esme was adamant. Laughing, Sara stood up, but she kept one hand in Fraser’s as she showed off her brand-new jewellery.
‘It’s so sparkly!’ Esme was delighted.
Fraser’s mother had helped him pick it, in the end. She was over the moon that they’d got back together—especially after hearing about everything that had happened—and was even more excited about having a granddaughter than he’d anticipated. She’d actually said she had never been so proud of him, and that, had he been there, his father would have been proud too.
‘So, are you going to come to England and live with us?’ Esme was looking at him now as if she had the whole thing planned out in her head already. ‘Or are we going to live with you in Scotland?’
‘I don’t know what will happen yet,’ he said honestly. ‘Your mum and I still have to talk about some things. But...’
Sara was still staring at her ring. He hoped the giant diamond was everything she’d ever envisaged in an engagement ring. It was definitely what she deserved. And by the look on her face she was pleased.
‘I’m setting up a dialysis centre on the Breckenridge Practice premises,’ he said.
Sara’s eyes sprang to his. She shook her head, as though everything was still sinking in.
‘I want to create a safe place where kids can feel special, no matter what battles they’re facing. And I want you to help me. And you too, Esme—you’re my expert on this matter.’
‘I get to help kids like me?’
Esme looked fascinated, and excited, just as he’d hoped. He envisaged a great life for them all in Edinburgh. There was plenty of room at the house, and in his central apartment—room for Sara’s father too if he wanted to visit, or to stay.
Sara was looking at him in wonder, biting her bottom lip. ‘You’re amazing...’ she said.
‘It’ll be a team effort,’ he replied. ‘But a fun one and a rewarding one, I hope. I couldn’t sit back and not do everything in my power to help people like Esme. And Boyd’s looking into funding...’
‘It’s a great idea,’ she said. There was pure love and admiration in her eyes.
Esme was looking at him thoughtfully. ‘Now that I have your kidney, you’re a part of me.’
‘That you are,’ he told her fondly.
‘And you are my daddy, so maybe I should call you Daddy.’
He couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He wished he could stand up from the wheelchair, but he’d been instructed not to. ‘What do you think, wife-to-be?’ he asked Sara.
Her eyes told him she’d never thought she’d be sitting there, knowing Esme was safe and healthy at last, with a working kidney and a father.
‘I think that would be fine by me,’ she said after a moment. And when she kissed him again he didn’t need words to know that she’d be moving to Edinburgh, and that their family would never be separated again.
‘In that case, there’s one more thing,’ he said.
He reached behind him in the wheelchair and pulled out a bottle of champagne. Sara’s eyes grew wide and flitted to Esme.
‘Not for now.’ He laughed, holding it out to her. ‘Save it. It’s for popping in your house—to mark this occasion. I figured you could finally make that extra cork mark on the ceiling.’
EPILOGUE
One year later
‘THIS IS WHAT I used to call my robo-kidney!’
Esme was pointing the arm of her new toy stethoscope at one of the dialysis machines and Sara hurried over, unable to wipe the smile off her face. The centre had only been open a few months, but already Esme thought she ran the place. To be fair, she probably did.
‘I see you’re getting the full tour,’ she said to the young boy in a blue tracksuit. He was hiding shyly behind his father.
‘So this is the famous Esme,’ the man said, shaking Sara’s hand just as she registered the now all too familiar twinge of nausea starting to curl about her intestines and beyond.
She struggled not to let it show, casting her eyes to Fraser across the room.
‘You used to be on dialysis?’ the kid whispered, peeking out slightly, intrigued now.
This was the effect that Esme seemed to have on people. He was just seven, this boy who held the same look of uncertainty that Esme had used to hold in her eyes. It was his first time at the centre.
‘I was, but my daddy gave me one of his kidneys,’ Esme said proudly. Her chest seemed to swell in pride as she motioned to Fraser, who turned at the sound of the word ‘daddy’. ‘That’s my daddy over there. He’s the biggest hero for saving my life. Maybe we can find someone to give you a kidney too? But for now the robo-kidney will do the job for you. And I can tell you everything you need to know.’
Fraser smiled from across the room. He excused himself from the parents he was talking to by the weighing scales and made his way over. Sara’s hand went automatically to her belly, as if the tiny seed inside her had registered his presence. She took a deep breath, willing the sick feeling to pass.
‘Welcome,’ Fraser said, shaking the man’s hand.
His fingers brushed Sara’s lower back through her jacket and Esme curled her arms around Fraser’s waist. She looked up at him adoringly from between them.
‘Thanks for coming,’ Fraser went on. ‘I see you’ve met our top kidney specialist.’
He lifted Esme easily into his arms and Sara’s heart swelled at the sight of their faces pressed together for a second.
‘She’s six going on sixty,’ he said, and Esme giggled.
Sara felted uncomfortable, and she looked at some charts, embarrassed. Fraser noticed.
‘Are you OK,’ he asked her as he put Esme down.
She nodded and moved her hand from her belly, aware of their patients again and of how ridiculously busy they were. He didn’t know about the baby inside her yet—no one did.
Being pregnant now was probably bad timing. When they’d agreed to start trying for a baby shortly after the wedding she hadn’t actually expected it to happen so soon. They had only been married six months. She hadn’t even allowed herself to get excited yet.
They continued the tour together, Fraser and Esme, while Sara administered dialysis to an Iranian man who’d moved from Glasgow to a village nearby, just to come here. Pride flowed through her as she took in the magnitude of all that they’d achieved in such a short amount of time.
They were well on track to becoming the second largest kidney care provider in the UK, with more machines than anywhere else in Scotland. A growing number of patients of all ages and backgrounds were signing up, having heard about the experienced husband-and-wife team, plus their adorable daughter, who were running it.
They could accommodate up to three shifts of patients a day now, and had patients visiting three times a week for four hours or more. Most people knew Esme by now, and if she wasn’t there they’d ask for her—especially the kids.
It had been Esme’s idea to bring a ‘wall of fame’ to Edinburgh, too. It was where each kid shared a little information about their lives outside of dialysis.
‘We used to have one of these in London, where I got my dialysis treatments,’ she was saying now, po
inting at the photos of kids’ faces, each one in the centre of a colourful paper flower.
Without the dialysis herself, Esme was even more vibrant and playful—and perpetually excited about new adventures and ice-cream.
Sara wondered yet again how she’d feel about her latest news.
She glanced at Fraser as another twinge of nausea struck. She gripped the desk quickly, and one of the biomedical technicians—a lady called Liz—put a hand on her arm to steady her.
‘Mrs Breckenridge? Are you OK?’
‘I’m OK, thank you,’ she said, but she knew her face was probably too pale.
Liz frowned and lowered her voice. ‘Let me take over. Maybe you should go and lie down? Someone in your condition shouldn’t be on her feet so much.’
Sara gaped at her in surprise. Liz pulled an imaginary zip over her lips, and winked at her before taking over her duties.
Unable to stop the nausea now, Sara stepped aside quickly, into the water treatment room. Taking long, deep breaths, she leaned against the huge cool tank, waiting for it to pass.
‘Sara?’
When she opened her eyes Fraser was closing the door to the room and stepping towards her under the glaring sterile lights.
‘I saw you come in here—what’s the matter?’
She swallowed, aware that she probably looked terrible.
‘You look green,’ he confirmed, putting a big hand to her forehead. ‘Here, sit down.’
He pulled a chair away from the wall and motioned for her to sit, but she stayed pressed against the cool tank. It was making her feel better.
She closed her eyes, still sucking in breaths as Esme’s high-pitched voice carried in from the treatment room.
‘Fraser, I’m pregnant,’ she said, putting a hand to her belly again.
His eyes widened in front of her. He stared at her in total shock for a moment.
‘I know there’s a lot going on,’ she continued, ‘with this place and with Esme, but...’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Fraser’s look of shock was transformed into one of pure exhilaration. ‘Sara, this is... This is really good news. I think... Don’t you?’ He put his hands to her shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. ‘You are excited, aren’t you?’
‘I am,’ she told him. ‘I am. I just know how busy we are...’
‘Family comes first,’ he said firmly. ‘You know that.’
‘I do,’ she said, feeling silly now.
She’d known he’d be excited. Slowly but surely, she allowed herself to feel excited too. The look on his face meant everything to her.
He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Wow... I’m going to be a dad again—really?’
He pulled her close and she sighed with relief into the skin of his warm neck. Her nausea was fading, thankfully, and in its place was a new set of butterflies. He’d always given her butterflies.
‘How long have you known?’ he asked.
‘A couple of weeks,’ she said. ‘I wanted to be absolutely sure before I told you. Are we ready for this?’
‘Of course we’re ready for this. ‘You know, I should have known,’ he told her now, stepping back and smiling at her mischievously.
‘Because of all the hot sex we’ve been having?’ she whispered, raising an eyebrow.
He grinned. ‘No! Well, yes, but mostly because of this.’
Fraser reached into the pocket of her white coat and swiftly pulled out her knitting needles, still laced into a ball of pale blue wool.
‘Click, click, click,’ he teased, smiling as he held them out.
She snatched them back, laughing. ‘One pink mitten, one blue mitten—just in case,’ she told him, shoving her work in progress back into her pocket. ‘Seriously, Fraser, are you ready for this?’
She scanned his blue eyes, looking for any trace of doubt. She saw none.
‘We have help,’ he said. ‘We have money, we have time, and we have this house. We have Esme. Sara, we are all ready.’
He brought her fingers to her lips before he kissed her up against the water tank. She prayed no one would open the door.
‘I think we need to get some more champagne,’ he said after a moment against her lips, ‘and some ice-cream.’
‘Ice-cream?’
‘Isn’t that how Esme celebrates all her good news now? I happen to think she’s going to be crazy for a new brother or sister.’
‘As crazy as I am about you?’
Sara wrapped her arms around her husband. Seven years and a daughter had brought them to this point, and in a few more months they’d be a family of four.
She had no idea what lay ahead, but she’d try to stay true to the promise she’d made herself and Fraser...that every day would be an adventure that they’d cherish, no matter how stormy the ride.
* * *
If you enjoyed this story, check out this other great read from Becky Wicks
Tempted by Her Hot-Shot Doc
Available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from A Single Dad to Heal Her Heart by Caroline Anderson.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
Did you know that Harlequin My Rewards members earn FREE books and more?
Join
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
today to start earning your FREE books!
* * *
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS of your choice
OR
EXCLUSIVE GIFTS from your favorite authors or series.
Click here to join for FREE
Or visit us online to register at
www.HarlequinMyRewards.com
Harlequin My Rewards is a free program (no fees) without any commitments or obligations.
A Single Dad to Heal Her Heart
by Caroline Anderson
CHAPTER ONE
‘WOW, LOOK AT that glorious view!’
Stifling her impatience, Livvy glanced back across the scree slope to the valley floor stretched out below them, the late spring grass a splash of vivid green. In the distance Buttermere lay like a gleaming mirror, the bleak slate hills behind it rich purple in the sun.
And between her and the view—admittedly glorious—was Matt, dawdling his way up the winding, rocky path and driving her nuts because it was the last day of their team-building exercise in Cumbria and there was a trophy at stake.
They’d been there since Friday, four teams all in some way connected to the emergency department of Yoxburgh Park Hospital; Sam and Vicky from the ED, Dan and Lucy from Orthopaedics, and Ed and Beth from Paediatrics, which had left her and Matt as the Trauma team.
She’d only started at the hospital a few weeks ago and she’d met him a few times fleetingly when he’d come down to the ED, but ever since they’d arrived at the lodge and sat down together to decide who would be in each team, she and Matt had seemed a natural fit.
‘Are you OK with that?’ she’d asked at the time, and he’d nodded, his grin a little cheeky.
‘Yeah, suits me. You’re small enough that I can pick you up if you dawdle.’
‘I don’t dawdle, and you’d better not!’
‘D
on’t worry, Livvy, I think I can just about keep up with you,’ he’d said drily, and he had, seemingly effortlessly. They’d tackled all manner of challenges, and he’d been witty, mischievous, not above cheating and game for anything Sam threw at them.
Until now. Now, with everything to play for, he was stopping to admire the view?
Yes, it was beautiful, and if they had time she’d stop and drink it in, but they didn’t because so far the four teams were neck and neck, so the first to the summit of Haystacks would take the crown. And Matt was trailing.
Deliberately?
‘Are you dawdling on purpose or just studying my backside?’ she asked, hands on hips and her head cocked to one side, and he stopped just below her, a smile playing around that really rather gorgeous mouth that she was itching to kiss.
He took a step closer, curling his hands around her hips and sending shivers of something interesting through her. They were standing eye to eye, and his mouth was so close now...
His smile widened, crows’ feet bracketing those laughing eyes the colour of the slate that surrounded them, and he shook his head slowly from side to side.
‘Cute though it is, and it has been worth watching, I’ll admit, I was actually studying the scenery then.’ The smile faded, replaced by awe. ‘Stop and look around you, Livvy, just for a moment. It’s so beautiful and you’re missing it—and anyway, it’s only supposed to be fun!’
She sighed, knowing he was right, but still impatient. ‘I know, but we can’t let Sam catch us now, we’ll never hear the end of it. We can look on the way back when we’ve won.’
He shook his head again and laughed. ‘You’re so competitive. Just be careful, that edge is unstable. Why don’t you let me go first?’
She laughed at him and took a step backwards out of reach. ‘What, to slow me down? No way. And besides, I’m always careful,’ she threw over her shoulder as she turned, and then she took another step and the ground vanished beneath her feet...
* * *
‘Livvy—!’
