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‘I wanted the best, and I saw no reason to hide our relationship,’ he told her quietly, and Justin Lee extended a hand and gave her a warm smile.
‘We’ve all been following Luca’s work on pre-term delivery with great interest,’ he said. ‘I read the last paper he had published and it’s been a pleasure to meet him in person and even more of a pleasure to discover that his girlfriend is pregnant! I happen to have a free half-hour and Luca wanted me to do your scan. Is that all right with you?’
Tia nodded slowly. She could hardly refuse to be scanned by someone who was reputedly one of the country’s leading foetal medicine specialists!
Justin settled himself on a stool next to the machine and Luca stared over his shoulder.
‘This is a state-of-the-art machine,’ Justin told him, and proceeded to give Luca the low-down of its capabilities, most of which was beyond Tia’s comprehension.
She lay tense and unsmiling as Justin started to scan her, her mind suddenly clouded with panic.
What if something was wrong with the baby?
As if sensing her distress, Luca moved from his place by Justin’s side and settled himself next to her, taking her hand in his and encouraging her to look at the screen.
‘Watch this,’ he urged, his deep voice velvety smooth. ‘It’s magic, Tia. Our baby.’
Our baby.
Reluctantly she glanced at the screen and her gaze was caught and held by what she saw. The image was so clear she gave a little gasp and Luca’s grip on her hand tightened.
‘That’s an arm,’ he told her, watching the screen as Justin carried on with the scan, ‘and the head, can you see?’
Oh, yes, she could see.
Suddenly Tia felt as though someone was squeezing her heart.
Their baby…
‘He’s very active,’ Justin said with a smile, pressing some buttons to take measurements.
‘He?’ Tia’s voice was little more than a croak and she cleared her throat.
Justin gave her a smile. ‘Not necessarily. I confess that I’m horribly sexist and call all babies he at this stage.’
He made some notes and pointed out some other things he thought would interest them. All too soon it was over and Tia was slipping off the couch and fastening her shoes.
She straightened up and for the first time in her pregnancy her hand crept to her stomach. Suddenly the fear went and she felt incredibly protective.
She only half listened while Justin discussed the results of the scan with Luca, her mind almost completely focused on the living being she was nurturing within her body.
‘I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes,’ Justin said, gathering up the notes and handing something to Tia.
‘What’s this?’
She stared down at the photograph in her hands and her vision blurred.
‘It’s your baby,’ Justin said quietly, a smile in his voice. ‘Congratulations.’
He left the room, closing the door quietly behind him, and Luca took the photograph out of her hands and placed it on the couch.
‘Does it seem so frightening now that you’ve seen him?’ His voice was deep and rough and she shook her head slowly.
‘No. No, it doesn’t.’
He slid his fingers into her blonde hair and tilted her face up to his.
