Page 48 of Stranded with the Surgeon

‘I’ve got a very good chance. It’s certainly not something I’m about to throw away.’

‘And how will that work?’ Guy’s words dripped ice. ‘Raising a child and being head of department in one of the country’s busiest EDs?’

‘I’ll employ a nanny,’ Jennifer snapped back. ‘It’s perfectly manageable… if not ideal.’

‘“Not ideal” is an understatement.’

‘At least he or she will have one parent available.’

‘Part-time,’ Guy said scathingly. ‘Very part-time. Why bother?’

‘Excuse me?’ Jennifer’s jaw dropped. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘You have your life pretty well sorted, don’t you, Jenna?’ Guy picked up her empty soup bowl, stacked it on top of his and stood up abruptly to carry them to the sink. ‘You’ve escaped Hicksville and have a trendy inner-city pad. You’ve climbed the career ladder with admirable alacrity and now you’re lined up for a top job that will leave you very little time for any kind of a family life. A child doesn’t exactly fit in, does it?’

‘I didn’tplanthis.’ Jennifer was horrified by the succinct – and unarguable – appraisal of her life. ‘I’ll make it fit in.’

Guy turned on a tap. ‘As I said, why bother?’

‘Because I want this baby, that’s why.’

He spun around to face her. ‘Doyou?’

‘Yes.’ Tension was making the muscles in her jaw ache. Another part of Jennifer ached even more fiercely from the shaft of despair lodging inescapably deeper.

Guy thought she was selfish and shallow enough to be unfit as a mother. And maybe she had been not so long ago, but her life had changed since then.Shehad changed. Why couldn’t Guy see that? It was because it washisbaby she was carrying that the most dramatic change of all had occurred.

‘You don’t need to look at me as though I’m Jack the Ripper.’ Guy spoke calmly as he wiped his hands on a dishcloth. ‘I’m just pointing out that you do have choices.’

‘I’ve made my choice.’ Jennifer couldn’t stand this any longer. Her chair scraped on the flagstones as she stood up. ‘I came here to give you a choice, and it’s pretty obvious what that is.’

‘Wait a minute! Where do you think you’re going?’

‘Out for a walk.’ Jennifer didn’t look back. ‘I’ll be back in an hour. If you still want to get rid of your child – and me – then you’ll only have to say the word.’

‘Wait!’

But Jennifer didn’t wait, and the front door closed with a resounding thud behind her.

* * *

An hour.

It wasn’t a long time when he had to choose a route from the most significant crossroads Guy had ever stumbled into. He sat by his fire, his dogs at his feet and his head in his hands.

If he said the word, Jennifer and his unborn baby would disappear from his life. He knew the level of determination… and courage this woman was capable of.

If she chose to raise this child alone then that was exactly what she would do. What was more, she’d make a damned good job of it.

Decency would prompt her to keep in touch, of course. Guy would probably get photographs once or twice a year to mark anniversaries like birthdays or Christmas. The figure getting taller in each imaginary snapshot was frustratingly shadowy. Would they have his dark hair and eyes? Or be fair like Jennifer? A girl or a boy?

Would he get more than photographs? Would he know when this small person smiled for the first time, took its first step or said a real word? Maybe he would receive a wobbly crayon drawing or a copy of a school report eventually.

It would never be enough. Guy thought of the way Phil and Ellie had looked holding their brand-new son, and something squeezed with painful intensity in his chest. He wanted to be able to hold his child. To make sure it knew that he would always be there for it. To take it into the mountains and share the love he had for nature. To share some of the love bottled up inside him that had no recipient.

But… if he chose that other road, he would have more than ongoing contact with his child. He would have to have a relationship of some kind with Jennifer. The memory of how it felt to hold her swamped Guy so easily because it was so familiar, but his fantasies had never included a relationship out of the bedroom. What would she be like to live with? Even in some kind of temporary fashion – like extended visits maybe.

She’d be a challenge, that was for sure. He’d have to be very sure of his ground and prepared to fight to the death if he wanted to win any arguments. But then she’d also be very loyal, and if he – or the child – needed someone fighting in their comer, she’d be the perfect choice.

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