A Month to Marry the Midwife by Fiona McArthur

Author:Fiona McArthur
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘IT LOOKED LIKE a parachute accident. Except she left a note.’ He kept staring at his clenched fingers. Didn’t look at her. He couldn’t believe he’d said that to a stranger and opened himself up to the inevitable questions.

Ellie’s voice was a whisper. ‘Oh, heck.’ Closer than before. ‘Why would she do that?’

He figured he might as well get the rest out. Be done with it. ‘Because we lost our third baby at twenty weeks’ gestation and she said she couldn’t go on.’ His voice was flat because if he let the emotion in it would demolish him. His inability to help his own family had destroyed Bree. ‘I was next to useless, and using work to bury my own grief, and she refused to talk about it together. We drifted apart. Each suffering in our own way but unable to connect. Then it was too late.’

Her voice was different now. Compassionate. ‘Is that why you were so determined Marni be transferred?’

He jerked back to the present with the question. Her thought processes were way different to his. He took a deep breath of his own. Was that the only satisfaction he’d had in the last four years?

Sam thought about what she’d asked. It had kept him sane, having a mission. ‘Probably. Since Bree died I’ve been working on a regime for women who have repeat extreme premature labours, and the results have been promising with the new treatments.’

When he looked up from his hands he saw she was beside him. Her voice was soft. ‘Your way of managing the grief?’

‘Or the guilt.’ Why was he talking about this? He never spoke about Bree. Her hand touched his shoulder as she bent over him. It was feather-light but he felt the pressure as if it was burning into him like a hot coal through ice. Melting him.

‘What was she like? What did she do? Your dad must have been upset as well.’

‘Before the babies Bree was happy. A great paediatrician, wonderful with kids. Afterwards...’ he paused and shook his head, speaking so quietly it was as if he’d forgotten she was there. ‘She hid her depression using work too. We both did. She said she wanted more space. When she died my dad felt almost as bad as I did that we hadn’t seen it coming. So it was tough for him as well.’

She leant her head down and put her face against his hair. ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’ Her lemony freshness surrounded him like angel dust as she reached down and hugged him.

Nobody had hugged him since Bree had died. His dad was more of handshake kind of guy and he didn’t have any women friends. Then she slid her hands around his shoulders, pulled his head onto her chest and stroked his hair. Her hands were warm whispers of comfort, infused with empathy. ‘I’m so sorry. But it’s not your fault.’

He twisted his head and looked at her, saying very slowly and deliberately, his

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