The Midwife's One-Night Fling: The Midwife's One-Night Fling / Baby Miracle in the ER

Freya had never been surrounded by more people, and yet she had never felt more alone.

There was a social club at the hospital, but she was hardly going to walk in on her own, and making friends was proving a lot more difficult than she had anticipated.

However, later, rather than sit alone with her noodles, Freya reminded herself that she did indeed have friends and called Alison.

‘How are things?’ Alison asked.

‘Busy,’ Freya said. ‘Well, work is—the social life, not so much.’

‘But you’re in London!’ Alison said.

‘I know...’ Freya sighed, because Alison’s observation just made it worse. ‘I am trying,’ she admitted. ‘I sort of hinted to a couple of girls at work that there was a film I’d like to see, but I felt like a bent coin in a vending machine.’

‘Rejected?’ Alison laughed.

‘Exactly.’

‘Keep at it. Just say yes to anything you’re invited to.’

‘I’ll have to be invited somewhere first.’

‘You will be.’

‘How are you?’ Freya asked. She felt her throat clamp tight, but she swallowed and pushed through, trying to keep her voice casual and light. ‘How’s the baby.’

‘All good. I’m fifteen weeks now, and I swear I’ve got a bump, although Callum says it’s too early.’

Freya hesitated, because women sometimes showed more quickly with a second pregnancy, but she couldn’t gauge whether or not that was the right thing to say to Alison now.

Freya dealt with pregnant woman every working day, and she dealt with loss too. And, what was more, she prided herself on dealing with it well. Yet when it came to her friend she felt like an absolute novice, and simply didn’t know how to be around the subject of Alison’s pregnancy.

Freya was terrified she might break down, and Alison didn’t need that. Of course they had both cried together in the days following Andrew’s birth, and then his death, but right now Freya was sure it was time to be strong.

‘When’s your ultrasound?’ Freya asked.

‘In two weeks’ time. I’ll believe it’s really happening once I’ve heard its little heart.’

Alison’s voice broke then, and Freya closed her eyes when she heard it. ‘It will be okay,’ she offered.

‘You don’t know that, Freya,’ Alison snapped.

‘I know, but...’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Sorry,’ Alison said.

‘Don’t be.’

And then Freya turned on her midwife voice and said all the right things, just as she would to a patient.

But Alison was her best friend. It was awkward and it was difficult and things were different between them.

There was no escaping that.

CHAPTER THREE (#ufa772c71-6473-5118-bbbe-2fb399325060)

RICHARD LEWIS REALLY was stunning.

Even asleep he managed to bring a little skip to Freya’s heart when she walked in and saw him, lying across several chairs in the staff room.

Pat and Kelly were deep in conversation there, and didn’t seem bothered in the least by the sight of Richard sprawled out.

It bothered Freya—or rather it bothered her senses. She tried not to peek as she stirred her soup, but she didn’t try very hard because her eyes kept wandering over.

He hadn’t shaved again, and Freya knew he must have been working all night. It was now late morning.

She had been at the Primary for a month now, and he was no less intriguing and no less gorgeous.

During the course of her working week Freya saw him regularly. He had a new registrar, who wasn’t yet able to do epidurals unsupervised, so Richard was in L&D quite often to oversee his work. And he was always called if there was a difficulty with a delivery or a Caesarean.

There was rarely time for conversation, though.

Freya considered the Maternity Unit here extremely busy, but his workload was incredible. He rushed to emergencies all over the hospital—and that was aside from Theatre and patients in the ICU.

Of course there were many anaesthetists in such a busy hospital, but Freya, despite her warnings to herself, was only interested in one!

Her instincts had been right. He was a heartbreaker, indeed. She had found that out from the other midwives. Not that they’d actually confided in her! No—she was still struggling to fit in. But she had overheard a couple of conversations, and apparently he’d just ended a brief fling with a nurse in Casualty. And Von, one of the other midwives, was still hoping that she and Richard might get back together.

She looked over at him. He needed a shave and a haircut. Or rather he might think that if he looked in the mirror, but to Freya he looked just fine.

Better than fine!

He was like a bear, Freya thought. Not a fat bear, more like a bear just out of hibernation, all slender and restless and hungry.

And then she smiled at her mad thoughts.

Pat was chatting to Kelly about the film that Freya still hadn’t seen. ‘I was thinking I might go this weekend,’ Pat said.

‘You have to,’ said Kelly. ‘It’s amazing.’

Freya again tried to be brave. ‘I’m dying to see it,’ she admitted.

‘You should.’ Kelly looked over and nodded, and then she stood. ‘Come on, Pat. We’d better get back.’

Once they’d gone Freya let out a sigh. Over and over she’d been mentioning that she’d love to go and see the film, but there had been no takers. How much more of a hint was she supposed to give?

She sat staring at the television and took a sip of her revolting packet soup. And then a voice—one she had really come to like—chimed deep and low.

‘I’ll take you to the bloody film.’