‘Then you’ve been very lucky. Not everyone gets those as they’re growing up.’ She sure as heck hadn’t. ‘Let’s get those blood samples done.’
Chrissie paled but climbed onto the bed and tugged one arm free of her jersey and shirt. Lying down, she found a small scared smile. ‘Be nice to me.’
Ally smiled. ‘If I have to.’ She could get to really like this girl. Pointless when she’d be gone in a month. Despite Chrissie’s fear of what the future had in store for her, she managed to be friendly and not sulky, as most teens she’d met in this situation had been.
Ally found the needle and tubes for the blood in the top drawer of the cabinet beside the bed. ‘Do you play any sport at school?’ She swabbed the skin where she would insert the needle.
‘I’m in the school rep basketball team and play soccer at the club. I get knocked about a bit in basketball because I’m so light, but my elbows are sharp.’ The needle slid in and the tube began to fill. ‘I’m fast on my feet. Learnt how to get out of the way when I was a kid and played rough games with the boys next door.’
Ally swapped the full tube for another one, this time for haematology tests. Flynn was checking Chrissie’s haemoglobin in case she had anaemia. ‘I see one of the beaches is popular for surfing. You ever given that a try?’ All done.
‘Everyone surfs around here. Sort of, anyway. Like belly-surfing and stuff.’
‘You can sit up now.’ Ally began labelling the tubes.
‘What? Have you finished? I didn’t feel a thing.’
‘Of course you didn’t.’ She smiled at the girl, stopped when she saw the moment Chrissie’s thoughts returned to why she was there, saw the tears building up again. ‘You’re doing fine.’
‘I’m not going to play sport for a while, am I?’
‘Maybe not competitively, but keeping fit is good for you and your baby.’
Chrissie blew hard into a handful of tissues. ‘You haven’t told me I’m stupid for getting caught out. Or asked who the father is, or anything like that.’
‘That’s irrelevant. I’m more concerned about making sure you do the right things to stay healthy and have an easy pregnancy. Have you got any questions for me?’
Chrissie swung her legs over the side of the bed and stared at the floor. ‘Lots, but not yet. But can I come see you later? After school? You’ll have the tests back by then, right?’
‘The important one, anyway. But won’t you want to see Dr Reynolds about that?’ She was more than happy to tell Chrissie the result, but she had no idea how Flynn might feel if she did.
‘He’s going to phone me, but I might need to see someone and I don’t want to talk to a man. It would be embarrassing. I’d prefer it’s you.’
‘That’s okay.’ Ally scribbled her cell number on a scrap of paper. ‘Here, call me. Leave a message if I don’t answer and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m free. Okay?’
‘Thanks.’ Sniff. ‘I didn’t sleep all night, hoping Dr Reynolds would tell me I’d got it wrong, that I wasn’t having a baby. But I used up all my pocket money on testing kits and every one of them gave me the same answer so I was just being dumb.’
‘Chrissie, listen to me. You are not dumb. Many women I’ve been midwife to have told me the same thing. Some of them because they couldn’t believe their luck, others because, just like you, they were crossing their fingers and toes they’d got it wrong.’ Ally drew a long breath. ‘Chrissie, I have to ask, have you considered an abortion? Or adoption?’
The girl’s head shot up, defiance spitting out of her eyes. ‘No. Never.’ Her hands went to her belly. ‘This is my baby. No one else’s. I might be young and dependent on Mum, but I am keeping it.’
In that moment Ally loved Chrissie. She reached over to hug her. ‘Attagirl. You’re awesome.’ It would be the hardest thing Chrissie ever did, and right now she had no idea what she’d let herself in for, but that baby would love her for it.
‘Have you ever had a baby?’ Chrissie pulled back, flushing pink. ‘Sorry, I guess I’m not supposed to want to know.’
‘Of course it’s all right to ask. The answer’s no, I haven’t.’
An image of a blue-eyed youngster bent over double and giggling like his life depended on it flicked up in her mind. Go away, Adam. You’ve got a mother, and anyway I’d be a bad substitute.
‘So while I will tell you lots of things over the weeks I’m here, I only know them from working with other mums-to-be and not from any first-hand experience.’ She would never have that accreditation on her CV. She would not raise a child on her own, and she wouldn’t be trusting any man to hang around long enough to see a baby grow to adulthood with her.
Flynn appeared in the doorway so fast after Chrissie left that she wondered if he’d been lurking. She said, ‘She’s only fifteen and is terrified, and yet she’s coping amazingly well, given the shock of it all.’
‘You must’ve cheered her up a little at least. I got the glimmer of a smile when she came out of here.’ He leaned one shoulder against the doorframe. ‘I meant what I said about her mother. Angela is going to be gutted, but she’ll stand by Chrissie all the way. From what I’ve been told, Angela’s always been strong, and refused to marry Chrissie’s dad just because people thought it was the done thing. Her father supported them all the way.’
Another baby with only one parent. But one decent parent was a hundred percent better than none. ‘Aren’t you jumping the gun? Chrissie didn’t mention the father of her baby, but that could be because she’s protecting him. They might want to stick together.’
‘They might.’ Flynn nodded, his eyes fixed on her. Again.
When he did that, her stomach tightened in a very needy way. Heat sizzled along her veins, warming every cell of her body. Damn him. Why does he have to be married?
‘Right, I’d better see my first patient. First booked-in one, that is. I told Chrissie I’ll talk to her later today. Is that all right with you?’
‘Go for it. As long as she’s talking with someone, I’m happy. You did well with her.’ There was something like admiration in his voice.
She didn’t know whether to be pleased, or annoyed that he might be surprised. ‘Just doing my job.’
‘Sure.’
The way he enunciated that one word had her wondering if he had issues with Kat and her work. But that didn’t make sense after he’d been fighting the other woman’s corner about using her holiday time. ‘Being a filler-in person, I don’t have the luxury of knowing the patients I see. Neither do I have a lot of time with them so I work hard to put them at ease with me as quickly as possible.’
‘So why aren’t you employed at a medical practice on a permanent basis? Wouldn’t you prefer getting to know your mums, rather than moving on all the time?’
If he hadn’t sounded so genuinely interested she’d have made a joke about being a wandering witch in a previous life and ignored the real question. But for some inexplicable reason she couldn’t go past that sincerity. ‘I get offers all the time from my bosses to base myself back at the midwifery unit, but I don’t do settled in one spot very well. Yes, I miss out on seeing mothers going the distance. I’m only ever there for the beginning of some babies and the arrival of others, but I like it that way. Keeps me on my toes.’
‘Fly in, do the job and fly out.’ Was that a dash of hope in his eyes? Did he think she might be footloose and fancy-free enough to have a quick fling with him and then move on? Because she’d seen the same sizzle