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Something tugged inside. She’d spent her life congratulating friends and colleagues on being pregnant. She was a midwife. Of course she loved babies. But she’d never really thought about having one herself.
Of course, at some point in the future she’d always pictured herself eventually having a family. But it had always seemed so far away.
So why now—for the first time—did she feel a pang of something else? She didn’t want to acknowledge it, because then she would need to admit it was a pang of envy, something she really didn’t want to admit to.
Lien nodded gratefully. ‘Sorry, I think it was just the shock of the accident and the heat outside.’
‘Can I do anything for you?’ asked Viv.
Lien shook her head. ‘No, I just want to carry on as normal. I’ll grab something to drink in the kitchen.’
Now it was Viv’s turn to shake her head. She took Lien’s hand and led her into the kitchen and sat her down at the small table, grabbing something from the fridge, filling two glasses, then adding ice.
She sat down opposite her. ‘So, we’re just two members of staff who’ve been involved in something scary, in searing heat, who are taking a five-minute break to get something to drink.’
Lien was watching her carefully. ‘What is this?’ she asked cautiously as she eyed the contents of the glass.
Viv smiled. ‘You can read a million potential cures for nausea online. I always recommend this one to my mums. Apple juice, ice cold. Give it a try.’
Lien took a tentative sip, gave a nod and sat back a little in her chair. She gave a little sigh and then smiled at Vivienne. ‘It feels good to finally have told someone.’
Viv raised her eyebrows. ‘You didn’t technically tell me. I guessed.’ She scratched at an itch on her shoulder.
Lien waved her hand. ‘Whatever.’
‘Have you seen anyone yet? Have you had a scan?’
Lien’s cheeks tinged pink. ‘Not officially. But Joe and I might have sneaked over the other night.’
Viv laughed. ‘Well, I can complete your booking paperwork and take your bloods whenever you like. And, I can do a proper scan.’ She raised her hand. ‘But it’s entirely up to you to decide when you want that.’ She looked at Lien carefully, she seemed a little more relaxed. ‘And you know Ron will see you whenever you’re ready.’
‘I know.’ She nodded. ‘Just give us a little longer.’ She gave a dreamy kind of smile. ‘There’s something so nice about it still feeling like our little secret.’
The look on her face said it all—the connection between her and Joe. The love. Vivienne swallowed. All of a sudden her independent streak didn’t seem quite so cool. All it made her feel was well and truly alone.
She gave herself a shake. ‘You feeling okay?’
Lien nodded and took another sip of the apple juice. ‘There might be something in your theory.’
Viv smiled then looked around. The clinic around them was surprisingly quiet. ‘Where is everyone?’
‘Oh, Duc is in Theatre.’
Viv straightened. ‘With the kid?’
Lien shook her head. ‘With my man—the guy from the truck. He had an open fractured tib and fib. Duc’s taken him in to repair it.’
‘So, what happened to the little boy?’
Lien’s face was serious. ‘Joe’s taken him in an ambulance to one of the bigger hospitals—he needs a CT scan. He had no visible injuries apart from a few scrapes. But he still hadn’t woken up.’
‘Oh.’ Viv sagged back in her chair. ‘Tho, my pregnant woman, has been asking. She’s upset. She wanted an update.’
Lien frowned. ‘I’m not sure that either of the drivers hit him. I think they just skidded and hit each other because they swerved to avoid him.’
‘So why’s he unconscious?’
Lien shook her head. ‘Joe and I suspect he got a fright, fell over and hit his head. Even then, there wasn’t a big lump or anything on his head. We did the Glasgow coma scale on him and he had reactions to pain. He just didn’t wake up.’
Viv put her hand up to her chest. ‘I’ll need to find a way to tell her something. Maybe just that he’s been taken to another hospital, but I couldn’t see any big injuries.’
Lien nodded. ‘She’ll just stress otherwise. You need to keep her calm. It’s hardly an ideal start to her labour.’
Viv stood up and pulled her burgundy scrub top away from her body, scratching her bare arm again. ‘I think I’ll just change quickly before I go back in. Still feel a bit icky.’ She gave Lien a smile. ‘And I’ve got a baby to deliver. Tell Duc to come and see me when he’s out of Theatre, would you?’
Lien gave a nod and Viv grabbed her juice glass and ducked back into the locker room. She ended up taking a quick two-minute shower and pulling on a fresh pair of scrubs, tying her hair up and tucking it away.
Just as she arrived back at the delivery room Tho’s husband rushed along the corridor to meet her. Viv held up her hand. ‘Slow down, everything’s fine.’ His anxious expression instantly changed to one of relief. She smiled and held the door open for him. ‘Come in. In a few hours you’ll meet your baby.’
* * *
Duc pulled his theatre cap from his head. He was a general surgeon, not an orthopaedic surgeon, but the open fracture had compromised some of the man’s blood vessels. If he hadn’t operated, the man could have ended up losing his leg.
He made his way down to the delivery room to check on the pregnant woman. The room was buzzing. He arrived just as Vivienne was handing the newborn baby to mum. She had a glow in her eyes. It was clear that she loved this part of her job.
He stayed silent for a few moments, watching her interactions with the new parents, as a little fire came to life somewhere inside him. He couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his lips.
A thought burst across his brain. He could watch her all day.
Maybe he shouldn’t be thinking like this, but he couldn’t help it. He’d asked her to come here and help him—and she’d done that. Now he was contemplating trying to get his old job back. The appointment of Ron was a huge factor. Ron was a safe pair of hands—someone he could trust. The new midwife from Australia would start in a few weeks too. At that point, it seemed it might be time to recruit a new doctor and get his old life back.
But even though he’d sent the emails and received a semi-positive response, something was holding him back.
And the longer he stoo
d here, the longer he thought that thing was Viv.
All of a sudden he wasn’t thinking about work any more. It would be easy to list all the ways she’d helped around here—how adaptable she’d been—not least today.
But he was thinking of all the little things, the personal things she did. The way he sometimes caught her looking at him. The way he knew he sometimes looked at her.
There it was again. The flare of attraction he kept trying to temper down. The one he constantly tried to ignore.
Just at that moment she threw back her head and laughed as the baby started to make a whole load of noises, almost as if it was having a conversation.
His stomach clenched as her gaze connected with his. For a second it looked as though she caught her breath. Then she pasted on a smile and waved him in. ‘Come and meet our latest arrival.’ She gestured to the parents. ‘This is Duc. He owns the hospital. And this...’ she smiled down at the baby ‘...is Tho and Jin’s beautiful baby daughter.’ She winked at them both. ‘Can’t give you a name as yet, because they were convinced they were having a boy.’
He owns the hospital. The statement made his footsteps falter.
He pushed the uncomfortable thought from his head and went over to admire the baby. He spoke in a low voice to Vivienne. ‘Do you need me to do anything for you?’
She gave a shake of her head. ‘Lien said we should take a precautionary X-ray once Tho had delivered, but apart from that, everything seems good.’
She lowered her voice. ‘Have you heard how the little guy is?’
He nodded and gave a smile of relief. ‘He woke up around an hour ago. He’s developed bruises to his back and hips and an egg on his head, but he’s conscious and talking.’
Her smile spread across her face and right up into her eyes. ‘Oh, thank goodness. Best news I’ve heard.’
