LITMIR.BIZ

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fractionally perk Gabby up since, inside, she’d become a little tired of catering to the woman’s every whim. At least she apparently appreciated it. “I’m doing everything I can to keep you comfortable, and hopefully help baby stay in there a little longer.”

      “I know I should apologize for being a tad complaining. Even grumpy occasionally. It’s just so tiresome being in this bed, but I know you understand that.”

      “I do understand. Would you like your pillows plumped again?”

      At her nod, Gabby complied, thinking it was good the pillows were faux down to prevent any allergens from being in the room, as real down would have been plumped to death by now. Cameron’s word “tad” was an understatement, but Gabby was pretty sure the woman truly didn’t realize that “Diva” should be her middle name.

      “It’s not easy getting comfortable, sitting in a bed all day, or to keep from getting bored. I’ll bring you another book to read, if you like.”

      “Maybe later.” She leaned back against her pillows with a long-suffering sigh. Just as Gabby was about to creep away, Cameron opened her eyes and started talking again. “And of course the other thing making it bearable to be here is Rafael. He’s just the sweetest, dreamiest thing, don’t you think? And he’s obviously a wonderful doctor.”

      Dreamy, maybe, when it came to his looks. But sweet? Definitely not. It was an effort, but Gabby managed to keep a smile on her face and sort of agree. “He has an excellent reputation. I’m glad you like him.”

      “Like him? I just love him! Adore him!” Cameron gushed. “I feel so lucky that he happens to be in Los Angeles right now. It seems like fate, doesn’t it?”

      Privately, she didn’t think it was fate, unless the universe had decided to challenge Gabby by making life at the clinic difficult, having to work with someone as full of himself as Rafael Moreno. But she was a professional and could handle it, no matter what. And, to look at the positive, at least Cameron was happy.

      She glanced at her watch. “If you’re not going to sleep right now, I’d like to get another ultrasound of baby, then give your next steroid injection.”

      “Should we wait for Rafael?” Anxious blue eyes met hers. “He said he’d be here this afternoon, and I’m sure he will be.”

      Damn the man for insisting he be in charge of everything, and basically telling the patient not to trust her. “I believe Dr. Moreno was simply being cautious because he doesn’t personally know me. But midwives are highly trained in all aspects of pregnancy and delivery, including caring for high-risk patients. You can trust me completely.”

      “Of course I trust you. In fact I’m— I— Oh, my God!” Cameron sat bolt upright in bed, her eyes suddenly wide and scared as she stared at Gabby.

      Her heart picked up speed because the look on Cameron’s face didn’t seem like overdramatic acting this time. She reached for Cameron’s hand. “What? What is it?”

      “I think...I think my waters just broke!”

      Oh, no. Gabby immediately checked to be sure Cameron wasn’t experiencing some other sensation that made her think it was her membranes breaking, but there was no doubt about it.

      Heart sinking, she prayed the steroids had gotten baby’s lungs developed enough for the premature infant to be all right. She perched on the side of the bed and reached for Cameron’s hands again. “You’re right. Your waters have broken, which means your amniotic sac is no longer intact. And that means baby has to be born, otherwise there’s risk of infection. I’ll call Dr. Moreno and get him here right away.”

      “Oh, yes, you must!” Cameron’s manicured nails dug into Gabby’s skin. “Tell him it’s an emergency!”

      “I’m sure he’ll get here as quickly as possible. Try not to worry, okay? With luck, you’ll have a smooth, uncomplicated delivery, and baby will be just fine. I’ll be right back.”

      Gabby managed to extricate her hands from Cameron’s grip and made a quick note of the time her waters had broken and an estimation of the amount of fluid before she moved into the hallway to pull up Dr. Moreno’s number on her cell. Hopefully, he wasn’t at lunch with some bigwig, or with a woman after a date the night before and not answering the phone because of it. And why that thought would make her tummy tighten uncomfortably, she had no idea. Must just be concern for Cameron, because she knew the woman would worry about having a different doctor come to deliver the baby.

      But he answered after only two rings, and Gabby let out a relieved breath. “Dr. Moreno, it’s Gabby Cain. Cameron’s waters broke a few minutes ago and—”

      “I’ll be right there.”

      She stared at the now dead phone. Now, there was a man of few words. And questions. Which was probably a good thing since the sooner he arrived, the sooner he’d wield his potent charm on Cameron to keep her calmer in a way Gabby wasn’t always able to accomplish.

      Back in Cameron’s room, she plumped her pillows yet again and checked her vital signs once more. “Dr. Moreno’s on his way.”

      “I knew he’d come right away. I’m just praying he gets here before my baby does!”

      “It usually takes a while for contractions to get strong enough for baby to be born. Are you feeling any yet?”

      “I...I can’t tell for sure. I feel very crampy, like there’s a fist inside my belly. It doesn’t feel good. And my back really aches. Is it going to get worse? I hate pain! I don’t do well with it at all!”

      The famous blue eyes staring at her were so scared and anxious Gabby gave her hands another reassuring squeeze. “How contractions feel varies a lot from woman to woman. Some go from feeling cramps that become more intense as labor progresses, and others experience pretty intense contractions. But all that is helping your baby be born, so it’s nothing to be afraid of.”

      “How long will it take?”

      “That varies too.” Gabby wasn’t about to tell her it could be just a few hours or as long as twenty-four or more. If Cameron was stressing now, that would probably send her into a panic. “I’m going to check your cervix to see how much it’s thinning and dilating, which may give us a clue how far along you are.”

      “Okay, but I want an epidural, because it already hurts a lot! So please call whoever does that right away. Unless Rafael will do that himself?”

      “Epidurals are done by an anesthesiologist. We’ll let Dr. Moreno decide when that should happen.” Since he’d wanted to be in charge, Gabby was more than happy to pass the epidural discussion on to him.

      It seemed Gabby had barely plumped Cameron’s pillows a third time and gotten ice for her to suck on when Rafael Moreno strode into the room as if he owned the place. All tall and powerful and regal, his mere presence seemed to electrify the air. His gaze trapped hers, and everything in the room seemed to fade away except for that intense connection. Suddenly she felt a little unsteady on her feet, but that was probably sheer exhaustion.

      “Thank God you’re here, Rafael!”

      Cameron’s voice snapped her back to reality. Focus on your job and patient, silly, not the handsome prince. Um, what had she been about to do just then? “Hello, Dr. Moreno. As I told you, Cameron’s had PPROM. I was about to check her cervical thinning and dilation.”

      “What’s PPROM?” Cameron sounded alarmed, and Gabby gave her a pat.

      “Sorry, I was talking to the doctor. It’s just an acronym for preterm premature rupture of membranes, which just means your waters broke before baby is full term.”

      “Let’s check how far along you are, Cameron, okay?” he asked. Rafael donned gloves and began the internal exam, smiling at their patient and asking questions as he did. Somehow he managed to have her smiling back and laughing at a few of his remarks, and Gabby had to grudgingly admit he had a wonderful

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