Jed snapped on a pair of gloves and examined Alison carefully, his face a mask of concentration.
‘OK.’ His handsome face was thoughtful as he finished his examination and gave Alison a warm smile. ‘It’s hard to know who’s more tired, you or the baby.’
Alison’s grip tightened on Brooke’s hand and she and her husband exchanged anxious glances. ‘Is he in trouble?’
Jed hesitated, choosing his words carefully. ‘Not yet, but we need to deliver him as quickly as we can. Have you heard of a ventouse delivery?’
Alison took a deep breath. ‘That’s the suction thing, isn’t it?’
Jed nodded. ‘Basically, yes. I attach a flexible cap to the baby’s head and when you push, I give you a bit of extra help. You’re still doing most of the work, but I can give you a helping hand.’
Brooke blinked with admiration. Somehow he’d managed to make it seem as though Alison would still be doing it all herself. Clever man.
‘Will it hurt?’ Alison looked suddenly anxious and Jed shook his head, his eyes kind as he moved over to the sink and started to scrub.
‘Your epidural was topped up not long ago so, to be honest, it shouldn’t, and I’ll be as gentle as I possibly can.’
Seeing Alison’s expression, Brooke decided that Jed’s bedside manner was second to none but, then, she already knew that, didn’t she? Remembering just exactly how skilled Jed’s bedside manner was brought a blush to her cheeks and she dragged her mind back to work with an effort.
‘Paula, would you bleep the paediatrician and then assist Mr Matthews, please? I’ll sit with Alison.’
Alison grabbed her hand tightly. ‘Will you stay with me the whole time?’
‘The whole time,’ Brooke promised, hoping that Jed was as skilled at using the ventouse as he was at performing emergency Caesarean sections.
He was. As soon as she and Tim had manoeuvred Alison into the right position, Jed applied the cup to the baby’s head with enviable ease. He glanced over his shoulder at Paula.
‘Have you seen this before?’
She shook her head and he raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, stand a bit closer, then, and I’ll tell you what I’m doing.’
Paula blushed and did as she was told, sneaking a glance at the broad shoulders as she moved to where he’d indicated she should stand.
Noticing the look, Brooke felt a stab of jealousy which she quickly suppressed. What was the matter with her? Why should she be jealous?
Brooke watched as Jed applied traction, explaining quietly to Paula and talking occasionally to Alison who had Brooke’s hand in a vice-like grip.
‘It’s important not to use excessive traction,’ he murmured, using the force of the contraction to help his own efforts. ‘It’s descending nicely. Well done, Alison. We’ll soon have this baby out. What’s the heart rate doing, Brooke?’
Brooke glanced at the CTG machine and met his eyes. Frankly, it wasn’t good but she didn’t want to panic Alison.
‘Eighty,’ she said flatly, and Jed nodded, comprehension in his blue eyes.
‘Right. One big push for me, Alison. Come on, baby.’ He pulled gently and the head emerged, blue and mottled, just as Sita slid discreetly into the room with the necessary equipment.
‘OK, I’ve finished with the ventouse now. Well done, Alison.’ Jed worked quickly, removing the cup and getting ready to deliver the rest of the baby. ‘Here he comes.’
The baby slithered into his waiting hands and he lifted it smoothly onto Alison’s abdomen, grinning as it started to yell.
‘I love that sound!’
Brooke breathed a sigh of relief and grinned at him, momentarily forgetting the tension between them. She loved that sound, too.
‘Oh, Alison!’ Tim Neal’s voice was choked with emotion as he gently touched his new baby, and Brooke blinked several times. Bother! Why was she always such a marshmallow?
Fifteen minutes later the cord was cut, the placenta delivered and mother and baby were cuddled up together as if they’d known each other for ever.
‘Well, you didn’t need me here at all,’ Sita declared cheerfully, having checked the baby and pronounced it well.
‘Thank you.’ Tears misted Alison’s eyes as she looked at Jed. ‘You were brilliant, wasn’t he, Tim?’
Her husband looked shell-shocked by the whole experience. ‘He certainly was.’
‘Don’t tell him that. It’s crowded enough in the labour ward without having a doctor with an oversized head,’ Brooke quipped, helping Paula clear up after the delivery. But he had done well, she had to admit it. He’d managed to deliver the baby with the minimum of fuss but she’d seen the skill in his technique.
‘She’s gorgeous.’ Jed smiled down at the baby and touched its tiny cheek with one strong finger.
Brooke froze, her eyes fixed on his face.
‘Do you have children, Doctor?’ Alison smiled up at him and Jed shook his head.
‘Not yet. But one day I hope to.’
Suddenly Brooke felt as though she was suffocating and she mumbled an excuse and left the room.
Dear God, what was she going to do? How was she going to handle this?
* * *
It was nearly ten o’clock by the time the labour ward had calmed down, and as she changed and dragged on her coat Brooke felt exhausted. The prospect of a bus ride home filled her with gloom. What on earth was she going to do about the stupid car?
Pushing the worry aside, she stuck her head round the office door and smiled at Gill. ‘I’m off. My bus goes in five minutes.’
‘Thanks, Brooke!’
Brooke gathered up her bits and pieces from the staffroom and dashed out of the hospital, sprinting across the car park as she saw the lights of the bus approach.
‘Brooke!’
No! She stopped dead and turned, eyeing the low, expensive sports car and Jed Matthews with frustration. What was it like to have a car that started?
‘Not now, Mr Matthews. I’m already late.’ She turned and ran for the bus, her heart bursting as she crossed the lawn just in time to see it pull away. ‘No! No, no, no!’
Tears pricked her eyes and she slammed her bag down onto the seat and sat down next to it. Suddenly it was all too much and the tears slid down her cheeks. Damn. She never cried! Never! Brushing them away with the back of her hand, she gave herself a sharp telling-off. How pathetic! She was just tired, that was all. Tired. Nothing more.
Strong fingers curled into her shoulder and pulled her upright.
‘Get in.’ Jed propelled her towards his car. ‘I’ll give you a lift home.’
‘No! I don’t want a lift!’ She shook herself free and glared at him, her eyes still shiny with tears. ‘Just leave me alone, will you? I don’t need you here on top of everything else!! First the heating, then the roof and now the car, and I missed my bus…’
She choked on the lump in her throat and, before she could protest, strong arms had swept her off her feet and deposited her in the passenger seat. Warmth and comfort enveloped her and she sagged against the plush seat, the fight draining out of her like water through a sieve.
‘I don’t want a lift,’ she mumbled, her dark lashes clogged with tears as Jed leaned across her to fasten her seat belt. The urge to touch