And now he was beside her. She knew he was. She could feel him. Ignoring him was definitely not going to be an option. Thankfully, Sarah still stood to her left, giving her moral support. She needed it.
Sarah had heard Brighde’s recount of the night spent in Xavier’s bed many times over the past eight weeks but Brighde had never expected the two of them to meet. She felt her cheeks redden as she thought about the intimate details she’d shared with her best friend.
‘Hello, Brighde. I didn’t expect to see you here.’
His deep voice washed over her and she fought the impulse to close her eyes and give in. His tone was seductive. She knew he probably didn’t mean it to be but that was the effect it had on her. She glanced at Sarah, wondering if Xavier affected her the same way, but she seemed completely relaxed whereas Brighde felt as if someone had tied her up in knots while she wasn’t paying attention.
Was he pleased or disappointed to see her?
She shouldn’t care.
But she did.
And she couldn’t ignore him. Not while he stood beside her. She turned towards him, lifted her head and willed herself to keep it together as she looked into the depths of his dark eyes.
And there it was. The same seductive come-to-bed expression that had drawn her to him the first time. Different circumstances, same reaction. She was in trouble.
Her eyes drifted lower, away from his carnal gaze, as she fought temptation. She couldn’t afford to go to pieces here. She had a job to do.
He was wearing scrubs. Shapeless blue hospital scrubs that did nothing to disguise the width of his shoulders, the length of his legs and the flatness of his stomach. She could still remember how every ridge and groove of his abdominals felt under her hand. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them she was looking at his hand. He had his fingers wrapped around a coffee mug. She could remember when those fingers had been cupped around the cheek of her arse.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She couldn’t breathe. She needed to breathe.
She looked at Sarah in desperation.
Sarah stuck out her hand. ‘Hi, I’m Sarah, one of the midwives. I don’t think we were ever properly introduced.’
‘Nice to see you again,’ Xavier replied as he took her hand.
He was all charm. He even remembered Sarah.
‘Brighde is looking after your patient,’ Sarah said, obviously figuring she’d given Brighde enough time to gather her wits. ‘She’ll take you to the delivery room.’
‘Lead the way.’ He was looking at her again. She was caught, spellbound, by his gaze. Come on, get yourself together.
Sarah gave her a gentle push, making Brighde’s feet move. She doubted she would have been able to put one foot in front of the other otherwise.
Okay. Focus, Brighde. Just do your job and worry about Dr O’Donnell and his bedroom eyes later. That’s the way. Think of him as Dr O’Donnell and not Xavier. Separate him into two parts, professional and private, and just remember to keep them separate. Pretend you’ve never met him. He’s nothing to you. And, whatever you do, don’t start a personal conversation.
But she was aware of his body heat as they walked side by side down the corridor. His scent. She even imagined she could hear him breathing. And she had the feeling once again that her cells were straining towards him. She concentrated hard to make sure she kept walking in a straight line. She could feel herself veering towards him. She needed to stay on track.
She breathed deeply as she put her hand on the door to the delivery room.
Focus, Brighde.
‘Our mum-to-be is Kirsty, twenty-nine years old and forty-one weeks’ gestation with her first baby, so a little overdue. No complications with the pregnancy. She’s been in labour for about twelve hours but just reached nine centimetres. Kirsty is tired but the baby is fine, although it’s quite large. Around four kilograms. Her husband is Matt.’
Xavier pushed open the door and strode into the room, full of confidence. No one would ever imagine he was new to the hospital. He looked as if he’d been here for ever. He looked completely comfortable. She was the one who was unsettled.
Xavier introduced himself to Kirsty and Matt while he washed his hands. He pulled on a pair of gloves while Brighde fastened a gown over his scrubs and resisted the temptation to run her hands down his back. She stepped away as soon as she was done; the further away she could stay the better.
‘Let’s see what’s going on, shall we?’ Xavier said as he crossed to the bed.
Kirsty was still kneeling on the bed with Matt supporting her as she rocked. Brighde expected Xavier to reposition Kirsty. She expected him to ask her to lie down, as that would make it easier for him to see what was going on, but she was pleasantly surprised when he pushed a small wheeled stool over to the bed with his foot and sat behind Kirsty.
‘Good news,’ he said as he finished his examination. ‘You’re fully dilated and I can see the baby’s head. Everything’s good. Are you comfortable in that position?’ He was calm, relaxed, friendly, engaging. He was perfect.
‘No,’ Kirsty half laughed as another contraction gripped her.
‘Sorry, bad choice of words,’ Xavier admitted. ‘What I meant was, would you like to stay in this position or did you want to try something else? From my experience this is often the most comfortable position to give birth but it’s up to you.’
‘I don’t think I can move,’ Kirsty said.
‘All right, stay just like you are. Are you okay, Matt?’
Matt would need to support Kirsty in that position. Kirsty was leaning on his shoulders and he had his arms wrapped around her waist. It was an awkward position for both Matt and Xavier but Xavier didn’t seem fazed by it. Brighde didn’t know many obstetricians who would happily make their own job more uncomfortable. Most still went for the standard, ‘lie on your back, bend your knees and push’.
Brighde had to force herself to focus on the task at hand. She couldn’t afford to be distracted by Xavier although it was hard when all she could see was the width of his shoulders, the dark curls on the back of his head and his long fingers as they rested on the bed. His voice alone was enough to distract her without the additional fact that he was sitting mere inches from her. Her fingers itched to reach out and slide through his hair. She stepped away to check that she had a warm blanket ready for the baby. Knowing she did but needing an activity to keep her hands busy.
But she kept one eye on him.
‘Your baby is doing fine,’ he said as he checked the foetal heart rate monitor before checking Kirsty again. ‘When you feel the next contraction I want you to push. It’s time to meet your baby.’
Brighde took up her place at Xavier’s side, ready for the delivery.
‘Okay, here we go. Push!’ Xavier instructed. ‘Stop now, breathe. Okay, nearly there, you’re doing great, Kirsty. All right, you can push again.’
He delivered the baby’s head before letting Kirsty rest again. The baby’s shoulders would be next and Xavier had to reach and contort himself for this part due to the position he’d left Kirsty in. ‘Okay, one last push. You’re almost there.’
The baby slid out into Xavier’s waiting hands. ‘Congratulations. A healthy boy.’
Kirsty collapsed back onto her haunches and Brighde helped her to lie down. Xavier handed the baby to his mum, laying him on her chest.
The next few minutes were busy