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trying to get past him. ‘Why is she bleeding like that? Does it mean that she’s going to lose the baby?’

      ‘I’m sorry but we don’t have the time for this right now,’ Nick said firmly. ‘Please, wait outside. I’ll come and tell you what’s happening as soon as I can.’

      With that, he closed the door and walked straight over to the bed. Katie tried to hide her dismay as they quickly transferred Karen from the trolley because, in her opinion, Nick had been a bit rough on the poor man. She found herself mentally crossing her fingers that he wouldn’t turn out to be a bit of bully like some of the obstetricians she’d worked with over the years. Her mums had a right to expect the kind of birth they wanted and she’d fight tooth and nail to make sure their wishes weren’t ignored.

      ‘Hi, Karen, I’m Nick Lawson, the new specialist registrar on the obstetric unit. It just so happens that you are my very first patient here in Dalverston so I’m going to make sure you get five-star treatment from here on.’

      Katie frowned when she heard the teasing note in Nick’s voice because it was a world away from the manner in which he’d treated Karen’s husband. As she listened to him she quickly stripped off the blood-soaked sheet and set up the foetal monitor which would record the baby’s heartbeat and the frequency of the mother’s contractions.

      ‘I want to examine you if that’s OK?’ he said, gently palpating Karen’s swollen abdomen. ‘Just yell out if it hurts or give me a good old thump if it makes you feel better.’ He grinned at her. ‘I’m tougher than I look!’

      Katie was amazed when Karen gave a wobbly laugh. The poor soul was in a great deal of pain and terrified as well, but the gentle teasing had helped to reassure her. She stood to one side, ready to attach the monitor as soon as Nick had finished his examination. He was gentle but thorough, she noted, and she couldn’t find any fault as he quickly established the baby’s position before turning to her.

      ‘Let’s get a tracing of the baby’s heart rate, please, Sister.’

      ‘Yes, Dr Lawson.’ Katie quickly strapped the ultrasound transmitter to Karen’s tummy, glancing round when Nick said softly in her ear, ‘Can you turn up the sound so Mum can hear that her baby’s all right?’

      Katie nodded as she set the dials so that a rhythmic beeping noise was emitted by the machine and she saw Karen’s face crumple in relief.

      ‘Oh, I can hear him! He’s all right, isn’t he? I thought he was…’ She couldn’t go on as tears overwhelmed her. Nick took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

      ‘Your baby’s fine, Karen. His heartbeat is a little faster than it should be because he’s getting a bit distressed so I’m going to have to deliver him by Caesarean section. I know it wasn’t what you’d planned but it’s the best thing for both of you.’

      ‘I don’t care what you do so long as my baby is all right,’ Karen gulped.

      ‘We’re going to do everything possible to make sure he’s fine so you just hang on in there.’

      One last squeeze of Karen’s hand then Nick was all business as he turned to Katie. ‘I want bloods for cross-matching and SCBU put on standby. They need to know that we have a pre-termer, thirty-five weeks gestation. I’d like you to assist me, Sister, so can you get someone in here while we scrub up? I’ve already spoken to the anaesthetist on duty and he should be here very shortly.’

      ‘Of course.’

      Katie went to the phone and called the nursing station to ask Abbey to take over from her. She checked the fluid and changed the bag then Larry Price, the duty anaesthetist, arrived, closely followed by Abbey. Nick had already left and she spotted him in the corridor as she went to get changed, talking to Clive Johnson. The man was obviously distraught at the thought of his wife having an operation and she sent up a quick prayer that Nick wouldn’t be too brusque with him.

      She pushed open the changing-room door then glanced back in time to see Nick slap the other man on the shoulder and for some reason her heart felt a bit lighter all of a sudden. Maybe it was silly but she was glad that her fears about him being a bully seemed to have been groundless.

      Her lips snapped together as she let the door slam shut behind her. She wasn’t going to go all soft because Nick might not be the monster she’d imagined him to be. He would need to do an awful lot more than be nice to the patients and their husbands if he hoped to redeem himself in her eyes.

      ‘Can you take him, please?’

      Nick handed the squalling baby boy to Katie then turned his attention back to the child’s mother as the infant was whisked away. Karen had lost an awful lot of blood and the sooner he got this sorted out the happier he’d be.

      He swore under his breath as he carefully removed the placenta and placed it in a dish. Two thirds of the placenta had become detached from the wall of the womb and it was a miracle that Karen and her baby had survived the resulting blood loss and shock. Although placental abruption was fairly rare in the UK, it cost a lot of lives in developing countries where there was a lack of decent antenatal care. The condition was often linked to high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia, although there’d been no indication of either of those in this instance. He’d read Karen Johnson’s case notes and there’d been no indication of anything wrong at her last check-up, two days previously.

      Nick was suddenly filled with self-disgust when it struck him how close they’d come to a tragedy and all because he’d not wanted to tell anyone who he was. He’d put his own desire for some peace and quiet above the welfare of their patients and it was a salutary reminder of how an action could have far-reaching consequences. If he hadn’t been so damned set on doing what he’d wanted to do all those years ago then his brother might never have died!

      ‘Four pounds three ounces, with an Apgar score of six.’

      Nick glanced around when Katie came over to tell him how the baby was faring. Thinking about Michael’s accident always upset him so it was a relief to focus on something else instead. ‘Not too bad a weight considering he’s a month early. His score could be a lot worse, too. Are you going to take him down to SCBU now?’

      ‘If you no longer need me.’ She glanced at the patient and sighed. ‘Poor Karen. She’s had a really rough time. It must be even more of a shock for her because she had such an easy pregnancy. She didn’t even suffer the odd bout of morning sickness like most of our mums do.’

      ‘It’s how it goes sometimes,’ Nick replied flatly because he felt so bad about what had happened. If Karen had been sent to a hospital further away, her chances of surviving would have been greatly reduced. Time was of the essence in a situation like this so it was hard to keep the guilt out of his voice when he asked the anaesthetist for a BP reading. He saw Katie glance at him, as though she’d picked up on it.

      A wash of heat ran up his face and he bent over the operating table because he really didn’t want her asking him any questions and, after a moment, she moved away. Nick concentrated on the task of suturing as she left Theatre with the baby, stitching each layer of tissue with a skill and speed that came from long practice. Larry, his anaesthetist, whistled as he watched Nick put the last suture in place.

      ‘I thought Niall was good but you’re a real whiz with the old needle and thread. Good job my wife doesn’t work here any longer or she’d be asking for your phone number. She’s been on at me about having some new curtains made for our sitting-room.’

      Nick laughed, appreciating both the joke and the moment of camaraderie. ‘I’ll have to send her an estimate for my services, although I have to warn you that I’m not cheap.’

      ‘I’ll bet you’re not!’ Larry chuckled. ‘It must be a nice little sideline for you.’

      They finished off soon afterwards and Nick thanked the rest of the team who’d assisted him. Although he’d been the major player, he couldn’t have managed without Larry and the scrub nurse, not to mention Katie, of course. A buzz of heat sprang up in the pit of his stomach

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