Sarah Morgan Summer Collection

The memories came rushing back. The evil weather. Catherine critically ill. ‘If the weather is bad, it can’t fly,’ Evanna reminded her gruffly, and Sandra was silent for a moment.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t think. You’re thinking about what happened to Dr MacNeil’s wife, aren’t you? When Catherine became ill they wanted to fly her to the mainland but the helicopter couldn’t get here. She died because of it.’

And Logan, griefstricken and racked by guilt, had made a heroic effort to save the baby.

His daughter. Little Kirsty, now a bouncy, healthy one-year-old.

Evanna felt sadness swamp her but kept her expression neutral. This wasn’t the time to think about Logan. ‘Catherine MacNeil was an extremely unusual case. It’s unlikely that the outcome would have been different, even if she’d been in a consultant unit on the mainland.’

‘But we all know that’s why Dr MacNeil won’t consider home births.’ Sandra sighed and glanced at her husband. ‘I hadn’t really thought about it properly. Perhaps it would be more sensible to have it in hospital. What do you think?’

Her husband nodded, visibly relieved by her change of heart. ‘Definitely. You know that was always my preference.’

‘The community unit is lovely. I just spent a week there as part of my refresher course,’ Evanna told them. ‘I did three weeks on the labour ward in the hospital and a week at the unit. They’ve done up their delivery rooms to look like bedrooms so it’s home away from home, really. I think you’ll like it.’

‘But I can have most of my care with you and Dr MacNeil?’

Evanna nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

‘Will I need to go to the hospital at all?’

‘You’ll need to go to there for an ultrasound scan between ten and thirteen weeks,’ Evanna told her, reaching for a leaflet, ‘and then again between eighteen and twenty weeks for another scan. Apart from that, providing there are no problems, we can do everything else here. Today I’ll take some blood from you so that we can check your blood group and screen you for some conditions.’

She ran through all the tests that could be done and Sandra looked at her husband.

‘We want all of it, don’t we? I’m not taking any chances. You know how long we’ve waited for this to happen.’

‘Can you step on the scales for me, Sandra?’ Evanna stood up and reached for some blood bottles. ‘I’ll just weigh you and check your blood pressure and then I’ll take the blood. You can make an appointment with Dr MacNeil to discuss the results and he can listen to your heart and lungs and that sort of thing.’

‘I don’t even dare look at how much I weigh. Mind you, I’ve been feeling so sick that I’ve stopped eating so that might help.’ Sandra closed her eyes tightly and pulled a face. ‘Is it awful?’

‘No.’ Evanna scribbled the number on a pad ready to input into the computer. ‘Have you actually been sick?’

‘Oh, yes.’ Sandra stepped off the scales and slipped her shoes back on. ‘The moment I wake up I just need to dash to the bathroom. It’s awful.’

‘Try eating a dry biscuit before you move in the morning.’ Evanna checked her blood pressure and recorded the result. ‘That’s fine. Now, I’ll just take that blood sample and you can do me a urine sample and then we’ll leave you in peace for a while! Let me give you a pack of information that you can flick through when you have a moment.’

‘Is it still all right for me to use the gym?’

‘Absolutely.’ Evanna took a pack out of her desk and handed it to Sandra. ‘It’s important to stay fit and active. You’re not ill, you’re pregnant.’

Sandra smiled. ‘I know. And it feels fantastic. I don’t even care about the sickness, I’m so excited.’

‘It’s normal to feel sick in the first few months of pregnancy but we’ll keep an eye on the sickness. Let me know if it gets worse. Make an appointment to see Dr MacNeil and another to see me next week. That way, if you have any questions from what you’ve read, we’ll have plenty of time to go over it. I’ll send the forms through to the hospital and they’ll contact you about the scan. They always try and give islanders a late morning or early afternoon appointment so you have time to get the first ferry out and the last ferry home.’

‘Thanks, Nurse Duncan.’ Sandra virtually floated out of the room and Evanna watched her go with a wistful smile.

What would it be like,she wondered,to know that you had a new life growing inside you?

Giving herself a mental shake, she stood up and walked into Logan’s room. ‘I’ve just seen Sandra. She’s pregnant and she’ll be making an appointment to see you for a check-up.’

Logan had his eyes fixed to the computer screen. ‘Tell me you talked her out of having a home birth.’

‘I talked her out of it. How did you know she was even thinking about it?’

‘I heard a rumour in the pub.’ His long fingers tapped several keys and the printer whirred. ‘Why does everyone around here seem to be pregnant?’

‘Because it’s a natural consequence of relationships?’ Evanna kept her voice steady. ‘I’ve put all Sandra’s observations onto the computer so it should be easy enough to just add in the results of your examination.’

‘Thanks. Ethan just rang from the hospital. They’ve admitted Jason to keep an eye on him.’

‘I can’t believe she let a six-year-old go out into the Atlantic in a blow-up boat.’ Evanna shuddered as she thought of what might have happened. ‘Why do people leave their brains behind when they go on holiday?’

‘I don’t know.’ Logan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. ‘That beach is clearly marked as unsafe for inflatable boats but perhaps she didn’t see the sign.’

‘The baby is obviously wearing them out.’ Evanna thought about what the woman had said. ‘I might call later in the week and check on them. I hope Jason is going to be all right. I dread to think how long he was under the water for.’

‘Hypothermia can actually give some protection against hypoxia. There have been cases of children recovering after being submerged in cold water for more than forty minutes.’ Logan shrugged. ‘Once the core temperature drops below thirty-two degrees Celsius, the brain needs less oxygen. Because children get cold very quickly, generally much faster than adults, they might reach that low core temperature before damage occurs from lack of oxygen.’

‘But presumably you’re worried or you wouldn’t have called for the helicopter.’

‘There can be late complications, obviously, which is why we transferred him to hospital, just to be on the safe side.’ Logan stood up. ‘But on the whole the prognosis is reasonable. He was submerged for less than ten minutes, he’s young and his core temperature was thirty-four. On the downside, all the signs were that he did aspirate seawater, so they’ll need to keep an eye on him until they’re sure he’s all right. They’re going to miss a few days of their holiday.’

‘In the circumstances, they’re lucky that’s all that they’re missing.’

‘Evanna, about Saturday …’ Logan glanced towards her. ‘Kyla and I are having a barbecue in your honour. Usual crowd. Six o’clock, my place. We’re starting early so that Kirsty can join in. Is that all right with you?’

Evanna’s heart lifted and then sank. She should say no. Hadn’t she promised herself that she wasn’t going to spend so much time with him? It was bad enough seeing him at work, without seeing him socially. But to refuse would look odd because they always socialised in a big group. She just had to adjust her own attitude. She had to try to look at him differently. ‘I—That will be lovely.’

‘What’s the matter?’ His eyes searched her face. ‘You don’t seem your usual cheerful self.’

What could she possibly say to that?

She could hardly confess that she was trying not to be herself because she badly needed to stop loving him! At the moment she would have happily become someone entirely different. Not that that would necessarily help, she thought gloomily, because half the women on the island were in love with Logan MacNeil. The other half was either too old or happily married.

He was perceptive, she acknowledged, about absolutely everything except her feelings for him. And perhaps that was just as well. She didn’t really want him knowing how she felt. It would damage their friendship and make things too awkward.

‘I’m fine, Logan.’ She kept her tone light. ‘Just a bit tired after the drive.’

He was still watching her. ‘It’s probably being in the city. It’s far more exhausting than living here, on the island. Well, get some rest before Saturday. Meg, Kyla and a bunch of the cousins are going to be there and I know they’ll be disappointed if you don’t make it. And Kirsty has really missed you. You have a way with her that no one else has.’

What about you, Logan? she wanted to ask. Did you miss me, too? Instead, she smiled through stiff lips. ‘In that case, I’ll try and be there.’ She left the room and bumped into Kyla, who grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the treatment room.

‘You look as though you’ve just been to the dentist for root-canal treatment. What’s wrong?’

Evanna told her and then gave a wan smile. ‘What am I supposed to do? If I avoid him then I also avoid all the people I love, like Kirsty, you, Meg—your cousins—’ She broke off and chewed her lip. ‘That’s the trouble. I promised myself that I was going to spend less time with him but if I do that then I don’t have a social life.’

‘It would be much simpler if he just realised that he loved you,’ Kyla said gruffly, resting her hips on the couch. ‘I’ve come up with plan B. Plan A, which was for you to forget about him, obviously isn’t going to work. So plan B is to make him notice you. Once he notices you, he’ll realise that he’s been in love with you all his life.’