Bound By Their Babies: Bound by Their Babies

She patted the mattress beside her, and he went in and perched on the edge of the bed.

‘What’s up?’

‘I’m just nervous. It will be all right, won’t it?’ she asked, a worried frown puckering her forehead. ‘It has to be.’

He shrugged. ‘I hope so. We’re well prepared. We can’t do any more than we have.’

‘No, I guess not.’

She eased the sleepy baby off her nipple, and he looked away hastily, his eyes falling instead on a small double picture frame on her bedside table.

‘Could you hold him for me, please? I need the bathroom and then I need to change his nappy.’

‘Sure.’ He stood up and took Zach from her, his eyes drawn again to the photos under the bedside light as she left the room.

They were both pictures of Em and Pete, but they were very different. The first had been taken on their wedding day, laughter shining in their eyes; the second looked like a selfie, with her propped up beside him on a bed, Pete holding something on his chest. He peered closer, and the little blur became clear.

‘Oh, Em,’ he breathed, emotion clogging his throat. The only image Pete would ever see of his son, his twelve-week scan photo, was resting on his heart. Em must have been taken the selfie on the day of the scan, less than a week before Pete died.

He stared at it silently, the image blurring. It was so cruel, so unfair. He’d promised Pete on his deathbed that he’d look after Emily and the baby and keep them safe, and he said it again now, his mouth moving silently as Emily came back into the room.

‘Thanks,’ she said, taking the now sleeping baby from his arms. She put him down on the bed, then turned back to Jake as he stood up and slipped her arms round him and rested her head on his chest with a sigh.

‘We will be OK, won’t we, Jake? We can do this, can’t we?’

He dragged his eyes off the photo and tried to stop thinking about the feel of her body against his. ‘Of course we can, and it’ll all be fine, one way or another. Go on, go to bed, get some sleep.’

Her arms tightened briefly and then, as if the hug wasn’t enough to finish him off, she tilted her head and touched her lips to his cheek. Her scent curled around him, the soft touch of her skin, the warmth of her lips, the fullness of her body pressed against him not helping at all.

He dropped his arms and stepped back, blew the sleeping baby a kiss and walked to the door. As he turned to shut it, the photo caught his gaze again.

He closed the door, checked Matilda and went into his own room, shutting the door firmly between him and temptation.

What on earth had he let himself in for? And he’d told Emily to be sure she was doing the right thing? If it hadn’t been for his promise to Pete, he’d tell Emily he couldn’t do this and he’d find another way, but he couldn’t, because he’d promised to look after her and her baby, and she needed this job share every bit as much as he did. He’d just have to grit his teeth and get on with it.

Assuming they got the job share, which they wouldn’t if he didn’t get some sleep so he could think straight tomorrow.

But sleep was a long time coming, because every time he closed his eyes he saw the haunting image of a dying man, chiding him for his hypocrisy.

* * *

Nick had been right.

The interviews were thorough, rigorous and didn’t cut either of them any slack, but somehow they got through them, and after the joint interview they were sent out so the board could discuss the results.

There was a small waiting area with chairs grouped around a low table with a pile of magazines on it, and as they sat there Emily rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.

‘I hope I didn’t let you down,’ she mumbled. ‘I didn’t know what they wanted from me half the time. I probably talked rubbish.’

He slid his arm round her shoulders and hugged her. ‘It can’t have been any worse than mine, and I thought we did all right in the joint interview.’

‘By a miracle.’

‘Well, maybe we’re due one,’ he said, the photo of Pete on her bedside table all too clear in his mind.

‘Hope so. A lot depends on it. I spoke to Pete’s parents while you were in there, they said if the children didn’t get on at nursery they’d have them on Wednesdays for us.’

‘Wow. That’s a big commitment.’ Not one his own parents would be able or willing to make, he knew that. They’d made their feelings perfectly clear and had very little time for him or their granddaughter.

She shrugged. ‘They’re lovely people, and I think they’d like it, but they live on the other side of Bury St Edmunds and it’s a long way. Further now than it was, so it isn’t really feasible.’

‘Let’s wait and see. It may not even be necessary—oh, here we go. Chin up.’

He retrieved his arm as the boardroom door opened, his legs suddenly like jelly as he got to his feet, but Ben was smiling as he beckoned them in and the CEO told them that their application had been successful and the job share was theirs.

‘We were very impressed with the amount of thought you’d both put into it, and the meticulous planning of your schedule, and also your willingness to be flexible and add extra time. So if you want to go ahead, I’ll inform HR and they can start working on the contracts, and we look forward to welcoming Mrs Cardew to the hospital.’

‘Thank you—that’s amazing,’ he said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and beside him he heard Emily sniff and let out what might have been a sob of laughter.

‘Wow. Thank you—thank you so much,’ she said, her voice wobbling a little. ‘I won’t let you down. We won’t let you down.’

* * *

She waited until they were out of the room and walking along the corridor before she let out a tiny whoop and hugged him. ‘Yessss! We did it!’

‘We did,’ Jake said with a laugh, hugging her back, ‘and I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Shall we grab a really quick lunch? I’m in Theatre this afternoon and I ought to go and see my patients first, but I’ve got half an hour. Are you OK to pick up the children without me afterwards and talk to the nursery about having them every Wednesday?’

‘Yes, of course I am—and definitely yes to lunch,’ she added, suddenly aware that she was shaking all over. ‘I think my blood sugar’s a bit low. I couldn’t eat breakfast and I’m starving.’

‘Me, too. We’ll go to the Park Café and get a sandwich and a coffee. We can celebrate properly later.’

They walked into the café and he headed for the grab-and-go chiller. ‘Are you sure a sandwich and coffee’s OK?’

‘Of course it is,’ she said, and took a sandwich out of the chiller, just as one of the café staff hailed Jake from behind the counter.

‘Hello, Mr Stratton. How’s your little girl? I felt so sorry for her. Is she all right?’ the woman asked, and Emily realised that this must be where Jo had left Matilda, in the middle of this busy café right off the main hospital thoroughfare where anyone could walk in.

‘She’s fine, Sue, thank you,’ Jake was saying. ‘She’s doing well and we’re all sorted.’

‘Oh, good, I am glad. Cappuccino with an extra shot?’

‘Please, and a decaf cappuccino, as well.’

He added a bar of chocolate and paid the bill, and they headed out through a set of doors that led to an outside seating area.

There was an open barrier around the outside, just a few low screens to indicate the café area, but beyond it was the park, which was open to the public and without any security, and Jo had left Matilda here? She was even more appalled. Compared to the security of the nursery, this was terrifying—

‘I can’t believe it she left her here,’ she said, shocked. ‘What if Ben hadn’t been there? Anybody could have wandered in off the park and just wheeled her away, and who would have stopped them? No wonder you were so angry!’