And Donna should have known better than to barge in on a patient.
‘Donna, I’m busy.’
‘No. No, he’s not busy. Not any more.’ Gemma smiled at the sight of Nate’s girlfriend and held out her hand in welcome. ‘This makes it all perfect. You have a new lady in your life. From what Fiona told me about you I was sure you wouldn’t let grass grow under your feet. How do you do? I’m Gemma. And this is Cady. We’re just leaving. But…’ She eyed Donna’s stunning dress with a wry smile. ‘If I were you, I’d put a cloth over your shoulder if you’re intending nursing Mia in that dress. She does suffer a little from reflux.’
With that she gave them both her very brightest smile, collected Cady and walked out the door.
‘Stop!’
She didn’t.
And Nate moved. Hell, he moved. He’d never moved faster in his life. Gemma had walked out into the reception area but before she could reach the door to the car park he was in front of her, blocking her path.
‘You’re not going anywhere.’
She raised her mobile eyebrows at that. ‘You’re planning on locking me up and throwing away the key?’
‘No.’
‘Then what?’
What? He ran his fingers though his hair and he groaned. ‘Hell.’
‘What’s wrong, Nate?’ Donna was clearly puzzled.
‘I…this lady…Gemma…wants to leave me with her baby.’
‘No.’ Gemma wasn’t having any of that. ‘She’s your baby. Not mine. Get things right.’
‘Your baby.’ Donna blenched. ‘Yours! Did you and…?’ She looked wildly from Gemma to Nate and back again, and Gemma gave a derisory laugh.
‘Don’t get yourself in a state here. No, Nate and I didn’t do a thing. I’ve only just met your Dr Ethan. This isn’t my baby. I’m only the stork, delivering his bundle whether he likes it or not.’
Donna’s confusion grew. ‘What’s going on?’
What was going on? Nate didn’t have a clue. He was so at sea that he felt like he was drowning. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Let me past.’ Gemma’s voice was implacable.
‘You can’t leave.’
‘I can. I must. I need to work tomorrow. I’ve taken every one of my sick days and more over the last few weeks, and if I’m not back tomorrow I risk being sacked.’
‘You work?’
‘Amazing but true.’
‘And who looks after Cady while you work?’
‘There’s no joy down that road,’ she snapped, seeing where his thoughts were headed. ‘Cady goes to day care at the hospital and I can’t afford to keep two children in care.’
‘You’re a nurse?’
‘No, Dr Ethan.’ Her patience had pretty much come to an end. ‘I’m a doctor. Amazing as it sounds. Just like my sister. Only I’m so unlike my sister that you wouldn’t believe it. In fact, I’ve never had an illegitimate child in my life. Now, if you don’t mind…’
‘Gemma, I feel funny.’ The child’s voice from beside her was neither plaintive or high-pitched. He was simply stating a fact, and Gemma closed her eyes in a gesture of sheer weariness.
‘I know, sweetheart. So do I. I need to find somewhere for us to have dinner.’ She turned back to Nate. ‘I’ve been waiting all afternoon to see you and I can wait no longer. You have a baby to see to. I have Cady. So can we leave it, please?’
He stared down at the card that she’d given him. There it was in black and white. Dr Gemma Campbell. Anaesthetist. Sydney Central Hospital.
She really was a doctor.
And this was no nightmare. This was cold, hard fact.
‘I can find you at Sydney Central?’
‘Yes. As I said—only if you want the kids to be in contact. It’s up to you. I’ll tell Cady about Mia as he grows up, but if you don’t want her to know…or if you decide on adoption…’
‘Nate, honey, what the hell is going on?’
‘It seems I have a baby,’ Nate said in a voice that held not the slightest hint of humour. His tone said that he’d been trapped. There was anger behind the words and both women heard it.
And surprisingly Gemma’s face softened into very real sympathy.
‘I’m sorry, Nate,’ she told him. ‘I understand you’ve been used. But…so have I. And it does boil down to the fact that you’re Mia’s father. Good luck with her, and I hope you learn to love her—as I love Cady.’
And she smiled and walked around him. Out into the car park. Out of his life. For ever?
CHAPTER TWO
DONNA wasn’t the least bit interested in babies.
‘She has to be joking,’ she said flatly as Gemma disappeared into the night. ‘She can’t just dump you with the kid.’
‘No.’
But it seemed she had. Nate stared at the closed door, trying to figure out a reason why he should stride after her and stop her going. Could he ring the police? Could he have them haul her back and accept her responsibility?
But her conversation played itself back in his mind. Over and over. This baby wasn’t Gemma’s responsibility. She was Nate’s.
One stupid act…
He should never have slept with Fiona, he thought wildly. Was he as crazy as Fiona had been? One stupid act…
‘Nate, honey…’
‘I don’t think we’re going to be able to go to the Jazzfest,’ he told her, and her lovely face fell.
‘But we must. We’ve had these tickets for ages and all our friends will be there.’
‘Donna, leave it.’
She paused and stared at him. Then her eyes fell on the baby.
Mia was just waking, and her tiny eyelids fluttered open. With her eyes open the resemblance to Nate was almost uncanny.
‘She really is your baby,’ Donna whispered, stunned.
And Nate looked down.
Green eyes met green eyes. Her gaze was as intent and direct as his. Man and baby, meeting for the first time in both their lives.
Dear God… His gut wrenched as it had never been wrenched in his life before. She was just…beautiful. Perfect. Slowly he reached out a finger and traced the baby-soft skin of her cheek. Still her eyes held his, as if she knew that here was a man whose future was inexplicably locked to hers.
‘You can’t keep her.’ Donna’s voice sounded as if it were light years away—from a past life—and Nate had to wrench himself back to reality. To now. To here and to what counted for commonsense.
‘I don’t know.’
‘The mother…’
‘Is a past girlfriend. I didn’t know she was pregnant. And now she’s dead.’
‘Oh, Nate, I’m sorry,’ Donna said—with the easy sympathy of someone this didn’t affect in the least. She glanced at her watch. ‘Look, why don’t we pop her over into children’s ward? That way we can still make it to the Jazzfest