Lucy quickly read the note. She sighed as she handed it back to him. ‘What a shame that it should happen now after she’s been doing so well.’
‘Isn’t it?’ He grimaced. ‘Knowing Helen, she will blame herself for this and that’s where you can help, Lucy. I want you to make her understand that it isn’t anything she’s done wrong. The last thing we want is her getting stressed. It won’t help her or the baby.’
‘Of course. I’ll do anything I can,’ she assured him.
‘Thanks.’
He gave her a quick smile and she felt a trickle of warmth flow through her when she saw the approval it held. Once again, she felt her spirits lift and it was such an odd feeling when her mood had been so downbeat recently. She wasn’t sure why Max had this effect on her and didn’t have a chance to work it out as he continued.
‘Right, now that’s sorted out we’d better make a start or we’ll still be here at midnight.’
Lucy went to the door and called in their first patient. She’d always enjoyed meeting the mums and being involved in their care and she realised that she was looking forward to it more than ever that day. Knowing that she was part of a team that really cared about these women and their babies made the job so worthwhile.
All of a sudden she was glad that she had made the move to Dalverston, and not just because she’d escaped from a difficult situation either. She would learn a lot from working here, learn a lot from working with Max, too. For the first time in ages, it felt as though she had something to look forward to.
Chapter Three
‘LUCY will have a word with you on your next visit, Rachel. You’ll be able to decide what you want to do then. Isn’t that right, Lucy?’
Max sat back in his seat while Lucy took over. They made a good team, he thought, listening as she explained how they would work out a birth plan the next time Rachel came to the clinic, before she escorted her out to Reception. Although her predecessor had been an excellent midwife, she’d been a little brusque at times. He knew that some of the younger women in particular had found her intimidating, but that definitely wasn’t the case with Lucy. She had a gently reassuring manner that put even the most nervous mums at their ease. He couldn’t remember when he’d last enjoyed a clinic so much, in fact.
He was in the process of absorbing that thought when she came back into the room. His brows lifted when he saw the frown on her face. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘I’m not sure. Apparently, Helen Roberts hasn’t turned up. From what you told me, it seems rather strange that she would miss an appointment, doesn’t it?’
‘It’s not like Helen,’ he agreed. He brought up Helen’s file on the computer and checked her phone number. ‘I’ll give her a call and see what’s happened to her.’
He picked up the phone then stopped when his pager suddenly bleeped. It was the code for the maternity unit, so he dialled their number first. ‘It’s Max. You paged me.’ His heart sank when Amanda informed him that Helen Roberts had just been admitted. ‘I’ll be right there.’
‘Problems?’ Lucy asked as he hastily stood up.
‘Helen Roberts has been rushed in by ambulance. It appears she collapsed on the bus on her way here.’
‘That explains why she didn’t keep her appointment!’ Lucy exclaimed. ‘Are you going up to Maternity to see her?’
‘Yes.’ Max picked up his jacket off the back of the chair and shrugged it on. ‘The diabetes care team will need to know what’s happened. Can you give them a call for me, please? I’ve been liaising with Adam Sanders, their registrar, so can you see if he’s available? I’d really like his input.’
‘Of course.’
Lucy reached for the receiver at the same moment as he went to pass it to her and he felt a ripple of awareness shoot through him when their hands brushed, and quickly drew back. He cleared his throat, unsure why it had happened.
‘I’ll leave you to sort it out, then. Can you phone Amanda and let her know if Adam can make it? He knows Helen and it will be easier if he reviews the case rather than bring someone else up to speed.’
‘Will do.’
‘Thanks.’ Max turned away, wondering if he’d imagined the faintly breathy note in her voice. Had that brief moment of contact affected her as much as it had affected him?
He sighed as he made his way to the lift because it was stupid to think that Lucy had even noticed what had happened. It had been the briefest touch, after all, and he had no idea why he was making such a big deal of it. It certainly wasn’t like him to behave this way.
Although he appreciated the power of sexual attraction, these days sex was merely a means to satisfy a need. There was never an emotional connection between him and the women he slept with. It had never worried him before because that was exactly what he had wanted: to remain detached. However, all of a sudden he found himself wishing for more. How good it must feel to make love to a woman and know that he was the centre of her universe.
Lucy made arrangements for the diabetes registrar to visit the maternity unit then phoned Amanda to let her know he was on his way. She offered to go back and help, but Amanda assured her they could manage and told her to go for lunch. They had a mum booked in to be induced that afternoon and she needed Lucy there.
Lucy tidied up then made her way to the staff canteen. The place was packed when she arrived but she spotted Joanna sitting at a table in the corner with a couple of her friends. Once she had paid for her lunch, she went to join them.
‘Do you mind if I sit here?’
‘Of course not!’ Joanna grinned at her. ‘So how did you get on at clinic? I bet it was busy with Diane being off sick.’
‘It was.’ Lucy sat down and started to peel the plastic film off her tuna mayo sandwich. ‘Max was brilliant, though. Even though the list was horrendous he made everyone feel as though he had all the time in the world for them.’
‘Uh-oh! It sounds as though we’ve added another member to the Max Curtis fan club,’ Joanna declared, laughing.
‘Of course not!’ Lucy blushed. She hadn’t realised that she’d sounded quite so enthusiastic and hurried to explain. ‘It’s just nice to work with someone who obviously cares so much about his patients.’
‘Ah, so that’s it, is it? You admire Max’s qualities as a doctor, nothing else?’
‘Of course not,’ Lucy stated firmly, trying to ignore the niggling little voice that was whispering it wasn’t true. Had she imagined that brief moment of awareness that had passed between them? she wondered uneasily. It had been over and done with in a nanosecond so it was hard to believe that it hadn’t been her imagination playing tricks.
‘I’m not interested in Max, if that’s what you think,’ she reiterated, as much for her own benefit as anyone else’s. She must have sounded convincing because Joanna shrugged.
‘Fair enough. It’s probably a good thing, too. At least you won’t end up disappointed.’
‘What do you mean?’ Lucy asked in surprise. ‘Why should I be disappointed?’
‘Oh, just that there’s no point setting your sights on Max, is there, girls?’ Joanna glanced at the other women who shook their heads. ‘You see, Lucy, dishy though Max is, he has one major flaw—he doesn’t do commitment. He’s quite up-front about it, mind you, makes no bones