‘I’m worried that the baby is going to be starving.’ Tears welled up in Michelle’s eyes. ‘She has no idea how to take a bottle. Ow.’ She screwed up her face. ‘You’re right, that does hurt.’
‘Mi dispiace. I’m sorry. I know it’s uncomfortable.’ Stefano straightened. ‘I want her catheterised so that we can monitor her fluid output. Let’s give her some high-flow oxygen and we need to get a line in. Phil, I want FBC, ESR and U&Es. She has pleuritic chest pain and a pleural rub.’ He delivered a string of commands, his instructions succinct and fluent and Liv stood back for a moment so that the radiographer could do her job.
‘We’re just going to run a few tests on you, Michelle, and then I promise I’ll go and talk to your husband. If necessary I can fetch someone from the obstetric unit to help with the baby.’
Michelle pressed a hand to her chest, her breath coming in shallow pants. ‘I’ve never felt anything like this before. It feels as though I’m being stabbed.’
‘The chest X-ray looks completely normal,’ Phil muttered and Stefano’s dark eyes flickered to the screen. For a brief moment all his attention was focused on the image and everyone in the room looked at him expectantly.
Liv glanced at the monitor again. ‘Sats are dropping,’ she murmured and reached for the ECG machine.
‘The clinical signs are all consistent with a diagnosis of PE,’ Stefano reached out a hand to take a set of results that one of the nurses was flourishing in his direction. He scanned them quickly and then put them on top of the notes. ‘She’s seven days post-Caesarean section, which is a major risk factor. Let’s give her a dose of tinzaparin.’
Liv checked Michelle’s blood pressure again. ‘Her pulse is a hundred and ten and she’s hypotensive.’ She turned back to the patient. ‘Michelle, I just want to do a trace of your heart so I’m going to undo your shirt and attach some wires to your chest.’
‘Has my husband arrived?’ Michelle’s breathing was shallow and rapid. ‘Could you find out? It’s really worrying me.’
‘Rachel?’ Liv spoke over her shoulder. ‘Can you go to the desk and ask them to tell us as soon as Michelle’s family arrive? Put them in the relatives’ room and make sure they have everything they need. I’ll be with them as soon as I can.’
Michelle gave a strangled laugh. ‘I can’t be in hospital. I have a new baby and it’s Christmas in a couple of weeks.’
‘Don’t worry about that, now,’ Liv soothed, her eyes on the ECG. ‘Stefano?’
‘Sì, I am looking.’ His eyes narrowed, he studied the trace. ‘Get ICU on the phone for me. And I want 10 milligrams of alteplase as a starting dose. Let’s arrange for a CT scan.’
It was another hour before Michelle was finally transferred to ICU and only then did Liv and Stefano go and talk to her husband.
They found him pacing the relatives’ room, holding a bawling baby against his shoulder while a toddler clung to his leg.
‘How is she? The other nurse said she was being transferred.’ White-faced with anxiety, he stepped towards Stefano and the baby’s screams intensified, as if the infant sensed that something important was happening. The father rubbed her back helplessly. ‘Sorry. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to do with her. I think she’s hungry and I can’t get her to take the bottle. Michelle expressed some milk last night and left it in the fridge, so it isn’t that it tastes different but I think she just isn’t used to the teat, or something.’
‘Why don’t I have a try?’ Liv held out her arms. ‘Then you can have a proper conversation with Mr Lucarelli. I’m sure there are lots of things you want to ask him.’
‘Would you mind?’ Gently and slightly clumsily he lifted the baby from his shoulder and handed her to Liv. ‘You forget how tiny they are when they’re first born. It’s terrifying.’
Liv expertly snuggled the baby against her and reached for the bottle, leaving Stefano to update Nick on his wife’s condition.
She sat down in the chair, settled the baby in the crook of her arm and drew the teat across her lips. ‘You poor little thing,’ she murmured softly. ‘Are you starving?’
The baby was red-faced from crying and gave a little hiccough. Then she played with the teat for a moment before turning her head away in disgust.
‘I know it feels a bit weird, but it tastes just the same. Trust me.’ Liv squeezed a tiny bit of the milk onto the baby’s lips and watched as her mouth moved hungrily. ‘See? It tastes nice. We just need to teach you to suck.’ She skilfully manoeuvred the teat into the baby’s mouth and the infant lay still for a moment, and then gave a gulp and swallowed. Liv smiled. ‘Good girl.’
‘Oh thank goodness,’ Nick muttered, watching from across the room. ‘She’s been crying for hours. I was at my wits’ end. You are utterly, utterly amazing.’
Liv glanced up and met Stefano’s eyes and there was something in his watchful gaze that made her shift awkwardly in her seat.
What was he thinking?
Probably that she was good with babies but hopeless at scintillating dinner conversation.
Still mortified that she’d gone on and on the night before, she dipped her head and concentrated on the baby. ‘She’s fine. She just needed a bit of help to suck from a teat. It’s a different technique.’
Nick gave a helpless shrug. ‘I don’t suppose you fancy moving in with me for a week or so?’
Liv gently withdrew the bottle from the baby’s mouth and lifted the baby against her shoulder. ‘What about Grandma? Can she help?’
‘She’s great with this one…’ Nick scooped the toddler onto his lap ‘…but the baby needs Michelle.’
Stefano rose to his feet. ‘Let’s see how she goes this morning. Once her condition is stabilised we may be able to transfer her to a ward and she can have the baby with her. We’ll do everything we can to help, I assure you.’
‘You’ve been very kind.’
The door opened and Anna put her head round the door. ‘Liv? Can Rachel take over in there so that you can help me out here? Everyone is obviously bored with Christmas shopping so they’ve decided to spend the afternoon with us instead.’
‘No problem.’ Liv carefully handed the baby back to Nick and smiled at him. ‘You can stay here for now. Once we have some news from ICU, you can go and see Michelle.’
She left the room and hurried after Anna but Stefano’s fingers curled around her wrist and stopped her.
‘Liv, wait.’
The touch of his hand turned her limbs to jelly and she took several deep breaths before turning to face him. This time she was not going to embarrass herself. ‘Thank you for last night,’ she said brightly, staring at a point in the middle of his chest. ‘Best spaghetti I’ve ever eaten. Oh—here’s the money I owe you.’ She dug twenty pounds out of her pocket, trying not to think what that bowl of spaghetti had done to her budget.
‘I don’t want your money, Liv.’ His voice was a deep, lazy drawl and the breath stuck in her throat because he was so cool and in control and she felt so, so awkward.
‘Please take it. Honestly. There’s no reason why you should pay for me.’ She risked a glance at him and then wished she hadn’t because he was the sort of man you just couldn’t look away from. He was impossibly, indecently handsome and his gaze held hers for a moment and then flickered to her mouth.
Liv stopped breathing and a slow, dangerous warmth spread through her body. For a wickedly delicious moment