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‘Well, I’m pleased you’re pleased,’ Tia said quickly, trying to move the consultation away from the emotional side. It was making her feel odd inside.
‘How have you been?’
‘Pretty sick,’ Karen confessed, ‘but I read somewhere that if you’re sick it means that your hormone levels are high and you’re less likely to miscarry. If I lost this baby I don’t know what I’d do.’
She looked at Tia anxiously and Tia gave her a reassuring smile. ‘You’re fourteen weeks now, Karen, and you had a normal scan at twelve weeks. It’s unusual to miscarry at this stage.’
Karen gave a shaky smile. ‘I hope you’re right.’
Tia checked Karen’s menstrual history and estimated the date of delivery and asked questions about her obstetric history.
‘This is your first pregnancy?’ She scribbled in the notes as Karen chatted away, asking questions about Karen’s general health and her family history.
‘We’re all very healthy,’ Karen said.
Tia stood up. ‘Great. OK, I need to do some tests. Weight, height, test your urine and take some blood. All very routine.’
When she’d finished the tests she sat down and discussed the options with Karen. ‘What most people opt for is shared care,’ she explained, ‘so you visit your GP and community midwife for most antenatal checks and just come to the hospital for k
ey visits. Then obviously you come here to be delivered.’
Karen nodded. ‘I definitely want to have this baby in hospital. It’s so precious, I wouldn’t dream of having it anywhere else.’
She placed a protective hand on her abdomen again and Tia looked away quickly.
Why couldn’t she feel like this woman? The truth was, she spent most of her time pretending that the baby wasn’t there—worrying about Luca.
But she was pregnant.
Panic surged inside her and she stumbled to her feet, suddenly desperate to get away from Karen.
‘I just need to arrange for you to see the doctor,’ she said quickly as she made for the door. ‘I’ll be back in a moment.’
Breathing rapidly, her palms damp with sweat, she hurried out of the door and bumped straight into Luca who was walking past.
‘Slow down!’ His hands shot out and steadied her, his long fingers tightening on her arms as he held her firmly. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Nothing.’
Except that she was having a baby and she didn’t have any of the normal feelings.
Luca gave her a searching glance and then guided her into a nearby consulting room which was empty.
‘Now, tell me the truth.’ He stood with his back to the door, blocking her escape, his dark eyes locking onto hers. ‘Something has upset you. What, Tia? Tell me.’
She shook her head, feeling totally foolish. How could she possibly tell him?
He said something in Italian that she didn’t understand and closed the distance between her.
‘Stop hiding from me.’ He cupped her face in his hands and tilted her face up to his. ‘You’re as white as a sheet and you’re shaking. I want to know what has happened.’
Luca’s jaw was tense and she sensed that he was angry. With her? For being ridiculous?
‘I—It’s nothing, Luca,’ she said quickly. ‘But now you’re here, I need you to see a patient in Room 2.’ She pulled away from him before his nearness demolished her self-control.
Whatever had possessed her to impose a no-touching rule? What she really needed now was to feel his arms around her.
‘You know something, Tia?’ His tone was conversational but his gaze was strangely intense. ‘We could be married for a hundred years but we won’t ever get to know each other unless you start trusting me with your feelings.’
