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The Motherhood Mix-Up
Jennifer Taylor











JENNIFER TAYLOR lives in the north-west of England, in a small village surrounded by some really beautiful countryside. She has written for several different Mills & Boon


series in the past, but it wasn’t until she read her first Medical Romance


that she truly found her niche. She was so captivated by these heart-warming stories that she set out to write them herself! When she’s not writing, or doing research for her latest book, Jennifer’s hobbies include reading, gardening, travel, and chatting to friends both on and off-line. She is always delighted to hear from readers, so do visit her website at www.jennifer-taylor.com




The Motherhood

Mix-Up

Jennifer Taylor





www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)








In memory of Jean and Bob Taylor,

the best parents anyone could have had.




Table of Contents


Cover (#u5e7a9b96-2701-5afb-a615-b27b9b222c97)

About the Author (#u96aa1e19-74e2-5f6d-a7ad-4c836667187d)

Title Page (#u00b475b3-755e-572b-bf6e-405f7f04fe30)

Dedication (#u0b30e443-20d8-5761-ba7a-a612c5c4fc1d)

Chapter One (#ulink_856a6891-ac45-56b4-989f-c0811d3011ba)

Chapter Two (#ulink_8e5bc393-0045-5a25-9c5c-50adc95f51eb)

Chapter Three (#ulink_cce32fc8-a1b5-5289-b212-31c16746b0e8)

Chapter Four (#ulink_fa80319c-0c01-5d16-ab94-57f7e9173f06)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)




CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_3a139660-0b9a-5fcf-af9a-4abd135c1679)


‘DR KHAPUR WILL see you now, Mrs Adams.’

‘Thank you.’

Mia Adams stood up and followed the receptionist along the corridor. It had been almost six years since she’d last visited the fertility clinic. Although she had intended to come back after Harry was born, to thank everyone, somehow she had never got round to it. The journey into central London from Kent had seemed too daunting with a baby in tow, plus there’d been Chris to consider.

Although Chris had coped remarkably well with the problems of living his life as a paraplegic, there had been times when he had needed that extra bit of care and attention. Consequently, the months had slipped past before she had realised it. It was doubtful if she would ever have come back, in fact, if she hadn’t received that letter.

Mia frowned, wondering once again why Dr Khapur had contacted her. Harry was five now and she couldn’t understand why the consultant wanted to see her. It wasn’t as if she was hoping to have another child; Chris’s death two years ago had ruled out that possibility. So what did Dr Khapur want? Had something happened? Something to do with Harry?

Mia’s stomach lurched at the thought. It was an effort to appear composed as the receptionist ushered her into an elegantly appointed office. Dr Khapur rose from his seat, smiling warmly as he came around the desk.

‘Mrs Adams! Thank you so much for coming. Please…take a seat, my dear.’

The elderly doctor guided her towards a group of comfortable chairs near the window and Mia felt her unease intensify. Whenever she had visited the clinic in the past, she had sat at one side of that huge mahogany desk and Dr Khapur had sat at the other. Maybe it was silly but this new approach made her feel more nervous than ever so that her hands were shaking as she placed her bag on the floor.

‘Did you have a good journey?’ Dr Khapur asked solicitously as he sat down. He smiled at her but Mia detected a certain strain about his expression that heightened her feeling that something wasn’t right. It was an effort to reply calmly when her nerves seemed to be stretched to breaking point.

‘Fine, thank you, Doctor. Chris and I moved to London a few years ago, so I didn’t have as far to travel.’

‘Ah, I see. Good. Good.’

He rubbed his hands together and Mia had the distinct impression that he was finding it difficult to decide how to continue. She leant forward, knowing that she had to get to the bottom of what was going on. If something was wrong, and if it had anything to do with Harry, she needed to know what it was.

‘Dr Khapur, I… .’

She got no further when the door suddenly opened. Mia looked round in surprise, frowning when she saw the tall, dark-haired man who had entered the room. Privacy was of the utmost importance to the clinic’s clients and she couldn’t understand how he had got past the receptionist. That Dr Khapur was less than pleased by the interruption was obvious from the way he jumped to his feet.

‘Mr Forester, please! I really cannot allow you to come barging in like this.’

‘Is this her?’ The man ignored Dr Khapur as he turned to Mia and she shivered when she felt his cold grey eyes sweep over her. Colour rushed to her cheeks as she imagined what he would see. Medium height, medium build, mid-brown hair and regular features didn’t add up to all that much in her opinion. Her eyes were her best feature, a pure emerald green that lit up her face when she was happy. However, as she was feeling far from happy at that moment she doubted they would do much to enhance the impression he formed of her.

She stood up, surprised that she should care one way or the other what he thought of her. She had no idea who he was even though it appeared he knew her.

‘I’m sorry but what exactly is going on?’ She looked away from that searching grey gaze and turned to the doctor. ‘I think I deserve an explanation, Dr Khapur.’

‘I…ehem…’ Dr Khapur began unhappily.

‘Of course you do. And if I’d had my way, you would have had that explanation months ago.’ The man’s voice was hard, edged with an anger that Mia didn’t understand, although it still affected her.

‘In that case, why don’t you explain it all to me, starting with your name and why you’re here?’ She heard the tremor in her voice and knew that he must have heard it too but it was the least of her worries. She didn’t care what he thought about her. She only cared about what he was going to say and if she was right to suspect that it had something to do with Harry.

‘My name is Leo Forester.’ His tone was still hard but the anger had disappeared now and been replaced by something that sounded very much like compassion. Mia shuddered. She had a feeling that Leo Forester wasn’t a man given to feeling compassion very often. She was already steeling herself when he continued but there was no way she could have prepared herself for the shock of his next statement.

‘The reason why I am here, Mrs Adams, is quite simple. I am your son’s father.’

Leo could feel the tension that had gripped him ever since he had woken up that morning reach breaking point. Just for a second his vision blurred before he ruthlessly brought himself under control. This wasn’t the time to weaken. He had to get this sorted out. It wasn’t only his life that would be affected by the outcome of this meeting but Noah’s as well.

The thought of his son was the boost he needed. Leo ignored the fact that Mia Adams’s face had turned the colour of putty. Maybe he should have tried a gentler approach but at the end of the day it wouldn’t change anything. He was her son’s father even if she was going to find it very hard to accept that.

‘If this is some kind of a joke,’ she began, but he didn’t give her a chance to finish.

‘It isn’t. Believe me, Mrs Adams, I wouldn’t joke about a thing like this.’ His tone was harsh and he saw the rest of the colour leach from her face and regretted his bluntness. For a man like him, who made a point of never regretting his actions, it came as a shock, an unpleasant one too. He couldn’t afford to make allowances for Mia Adams’s feelings or Noah could suffer.

He turned to Dr Kahpur, needing to get back onto a more solid footing. ‘Mrs Adams and I need to talk. Is there a room we can use?’

‘I’m sorry but I have no intention of going anywhere with you until I know what’s going on and why you’ve made that ridiculous claim.’

Leo could still hear the tremor in Mia Adams’s voice but it didn’t disguise the steel it held as well. He realised with a start that even though she had suffered a massive shock, she wasn’t simply going to accept what he had to say. A flicker of something akin to admiration rose inside him and he nodded, trying to hide his surprise. If he rarely regretted his actions then he was even less likely to form a favourable opinion of a person with such speed.

‘Of course. Perhaps Dr Khapur would care to explain the situation to you.’

Leo sat down, waiting while the others resumed their seats. Mia Adams didn’t look at him as she smoothed her skirt over her knees. She appeared completely composed as she waited for the elderly doctor to begin and Leo’s admiration cranked itself up another notch or two. After dealing with Amanda and her constant histrionics, it was a pleasant change to meet a woman who didn’t feel it necessary to create a scene to get her own way.

‘This is all very difficult, my dear,’ Dr Kahpur began. ‘Nothing like it has ever happened before, you understand, so it’s been extremely hard to know how to handle things. All I can say is that we shall do everything possible to put matters right.’

Leo forbore to say anything, although how Dr Khapur could make this situation right was beyond him. He waited in silence for the older man to continue, wishing he would get on with it. The sooner Mia Adams was in possession of the facts, the sooner they could decide what they were going to do.

‘It would be a lot easier if you’d explain why this gentleman claims he is Harry’s father.’ Mia Adams’s tone was firm. Leaning forward, she looked Dr Khapur straight in the eyes. ‘I want to know the truth, Dr Khapur.’

‘I…Yes, of course you do.’

Dr Khapur looked more uncomfortable than ever at being asked a direct question and Leo realised that they wouldn’t get anywhere if he left it to him to explain what had happened. Time was of the essence and every wasted second was a second too long.

‘It appears there was some kind of a mix-up,’ he said shortly. He adopted his blandest expression when Mia Adams turned to look at him, the one he used when he needed to break particularly bad news to one of his patients. In his opinion, the absence of emotion helped people cope with even the worst prognosis.

The fact that he knew Mia Adams would consider this the worst thing that could have happened to her made his heart pang in sudden sympathy but he ruthlessly blanked it out. He wasn’t interested in her feelings, he reminded himself. It was Noah who mattered, Noah and her child, Harry. his son.

A wave of emotion rose up inside him at the thought. Bearing in mind that he had spent his adult life divesting himself of any hint of emotion, it took him by surprise. It was an effort to continue when he felt so out of control.

‘It seems that the embryos were implanted in the wrong women. My ex-wife received the embryo that had been created from your egg and your husband’s sperm while you received ours. In short, Mrs Adams, Amanda gave birth to your son and you gave birth to ours.’

‘No!’ Mia Adams leapt to her feet. She glared at him, twin spots of colour burning in her cheeks. ‘I have no idea why you’re making up these ridiculous lies but I refuse to sit here and listen to anything else.’

She spun round on her heel, her back rigid as she strode to the door. Dr Khapur stood up as well but Leo didn’t give him the chance to intervene as he went after her. Gripping hold of her wrist, he drew her to a halt, feeling a ripple of awareness run through him when he felt the delicacy of the bones beneath his encircling fingers. They felt as fragile as a bird’s, so easily crushed that unconsciously he loosened his hold even though he didn’t release her.

‘I am not lying. Every word I’ve said is true.’ He bent and looked into her eyes, feeling another frisson pass through him when he found himself suddenly enmeshed in that glittering emerald gaze. He had never seen eyes that colour before, he found himself thinking inconsequentially before he brought his mind back to more important matters.

‘The child you gave birth to, Mrs Adams, is, in reality, my son. And now we need to decide what we’re going to do about it.’




CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_9cb18a2d-827b-5ab5-a9c4-43124794847a)


MIA SANK DOWN onto a chair, praying that she wouldn’t pass out. Her head was spinning from a combination of shock and fear. It couldn’t be true. Harry was her son; she knew he was! Maybe a mistake had been made but what proof was there that she’d been involved in the mix-up?

Oh, she could understand Leo Forester’s desperation—who couldn’t? To discover that the child he had believed to be his wasn’t his biological child must have been a terrible shock. But there was no way that he was going to lay claim to Harry!

She looked round when the door opened, feeling her heart contract with fear when she saw Leo Forester come in. Dr Khapur had acceded to his request that they should be allowed some time on their own to talk and this time she hadn’t objected. The sooner this was sorted out, the better.

‘Mrs Rowlands is making us some coffee. It should be ready in a moment.’

He sat down opposite her, stretching out his long legs under the coffee table. Mia studied him in silence, wondering how it must feel to discover that everything you had believed to be true was no longer certain any more. She knew how she felt, yet there was little sign of the confusion she felt apparent on his face.

How old was he? she wondered suddenly. Late thirties? Older? His hair was very dark with only a few threads of silver shining through. It was expertly cut, too, the crisp dark waves clipped close to his well-shaped head. His features were strong and very masculine—a firm jaw and well-defined cheekbones giving him an aristocratic appearance that befitted his whole bearing. Leo Forester looked like a man who was used to being in charge, a man who rarely took account of other people’s opinions. It wasn’t the most comforting thought in the circumstances.

A knock on the door roused her from her reverie. Leo Forester got up to answer it, taking the tray from the receptionist and carrying it over to the table. Without bothering to ask, he poured them both coffee, pushing the sugar bowl and milk jug towards her before picking up his cup. Mia added a dash of milk to her coffee, although she didn’t feel in the least like drinking it. However, it gave her something to do, a few extra minutes’ grace before she had to tell Leo Forester that she was very sorry but he would have to look elsewhere for his missing child. Harry was hers, hers and Chris’s, and nobody was going to take him away from her.

‘Before we go any further, Mrs Adams, I want to show you something.’ Leo Forester put down his cup then reached into his inside pocket and took out his wallet. Flipping it open, he passed it across the table. ‘This is Noah.’

Mia reluctantly took the wallet from him and glanced at the photograph, wishing that he hadn’t shown it to her. It seemed wrong to build up his hopes, wrong and unnecessarily cruel. Maybe he did believe that ridiculous claim he’d made but she knew the truth, knew that Harry was her child…

Her breath caught as her eyes alighted on the solemn face of the little boy in the photograph. He had blond hair, so blond that it appeared more silver than gold. His eyes were blue, a deep dark blue framed by thick black lashes that matched the dark slash of his eyebrows and created a startling contrast to his fairness. Just as Chris’s had done.

Mia felt the ground roll beneath her feet as she stared at the picture, at the small straight nose, at the determined little chin with that hint of a dimple in it. It was pure coincidence, of course. Maybe the child did look very like her late husband but it didn’t prove that he was hers and Chris’s child, as Leo Forester claimed.

‘I take it from your expression that there’s a resemblance between Noah and your husband?’

Leo Forester’s voice betrayed very little of what he was feeling and Mia was grateful for that. She seemed to be awash with so many conflicting emotions that she couldn’t have coped with his as well. She gave a tiny shrug, needing to hold onto what she knew to be the truth. Harry was her son, not this boy.

‘Chris was very fair too,’ she said quietly, passing the wallet back to him.

‘I wondered who Noah favoured.’ Leo Forester slid the wallet into his pocket and picked up his coffee cup. His hand was rock steady as he lifted it to his lips and all of a sudden Mia found herself resenting the fact that he could behave this way. Surely any normal person would be torn in two, wondering and worrying about this situation?

‘The fact that your son happens to have similar colouring to my husband is hardly proof, Mr Forester.’ Scorn dripped from her voice but if she’d hoped to sting him into a reaction she was disappointed. His expression didn’t alter as he looked steadily at her over the rim of the cup.

‘Of course not. It will need DNA tests to confirm it. I suggest we make arrangements to have them done as soon as possible.’

‘I have no intention of allowing Harry to be tested!’ She glared at him, feeling a wave of anger wash away the fear that had invaded her ever since he’d made that ridiculous claim. ‘I’m very sorry for you, Mr Forester. I’m sure that in your shoes I would do everything possible to get to the bottom of this matter. However, Harry isn’t your son. He’s mine. Mine and Chris’s.’

‘And if that is true then the DNA results will prove it.’ He shrugged, his broad shoulders moving lightly under his perfectly tailored jacket. That he was a wealthy man wasn’t in doubt and Mia felt a fresh rush of fear hit her. Leo Forester obviously had the means to pursue this if he chose. If he decided to take it to the courts, he would be able to hire the very best lawyers to make his case. Even though she was working, she had no hope of fighting him if it came to a lengthy legal battle. She simply didn’t have the money. Perhaps it would be wiser to concede this point in case the fight became more desperate in the future?

The thought of what might happen in the future made her inwardly tremble but she had learned at an early age to hide her feelings. She looked steadily back at him, wishing that she had followed her instincts and never agreed to visit the clinic. She’d had a bad feeling when that letter had arrived out of the blue, although not for a moment had she imagined that something like this would happen.

‘If you’re determined to go down that route then I shall agree to have Harry tested on one condition.’

‘And that is?’ Leo Forester raised a dark brow. His expression was as bland as ever but Mia could see a nerve tic in his jaw and realised, with a start, that he was nowhere near as composed as he was pretending to be. The thought was comforting for some reason and her tone softened.

‘That Harry isn’t told anything about this. He’s only five and it will just confuse him if he’s told that Chris might not be his daddy.’

‘I have no intention of telling him or Noah anything until we get the results of the DNA tests.’

Leo Forester put his cup down with a clatter and Mia realised, with another start that he’d had to put it down because his hands were shaking. Maybe he did prefer to keep a rein on his emotions, but beneath that cool exterior there was definitely passion brewing. It made her wonder what would happen if he ever let himself go.

Mia pushed that thought aside. What Leo Forester did or didn’t feel was of no consequence, except where it concerned Harry, of course. She needed to make it clear that any hopes he was harbouring about claiming her son as his own were never going to come to fruition.

‘I shall arrange to have a DNA profile done on Harry. Once I receive the results, I’ll contact you. Obviously I’ll need an address or telephone number where you can be reached.’

‘I’ll give you my card.’ He took out his wallet again and pulled out an ivory-coloured card. He didn’t hand it over immediately, however.

‘It seems pointless you having to go to all the trouble of finding someone to carry out the DNA tests, Mrs Adams. Why don’t you leave me to make the arrangements?’

‘Thank you but I’d prefer to do it myself,’ Mia said shortly, and he frowned.

‘Because you don’t trust me not to pull some sort of a stunt so that the results come back in my favour?’

Mia heard the irritation in his deep voice but it didn’t bother her. There was too much at stake to worry about his finer feelings, if he really had any, of course. It was disappointing to wonder if she’d been wrong about him. Maybe what you saw was what you got and in this instance it appeared that the handsome Leo Forester was a very cold fish indeed.

‘Yes.’ She took the card off him, annoyed that she should waste even a second thinking about him. Leo Forester had come into her life uninvited and definitely unwelcome and the sooner she got rid of him, the better. ‘I have no intention of allowing you to pull the wool over my eyes, Mr Forester. Whilst I feel very sorry for the plight you find yourself in, it really isn’t my concern. The only person I’m interested in is my son.’

She stood up, picking up her bag and looping the strap over her shoulder. Leo Forester stood up as well and for a moment she thought he was going to stop her again when she tried to leave. However, in the event, he merely stepped aside so she could pass.

‘Thank you,’ Mia murmured politely. She made her way to the door, curbing the urge to run. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how scared she felt, how fearful of the future. Harry was her son. She repeated the mantra as she reached for the handle, hoping it would help her maintain her control. For some reason it seemed important that she shouldn’t let Leo Forester know how terrified she was.

‘Aren’t you forgetting something, Mrs Adams?’

Mia had actually opened the door when he spoke and she paused reluctantly, wondering if he had done it deliberately, almost let her escape before calling her back, like a cat playing with a mouse. She glanced round, smoothing her face into a carefully neutral expression. He might enjoy playing games but she had no intention of being party to them.

‘I don’t think so.’ She shrugged. ‘What else is there to say until the results of the DNA tests come back?’

‘Obviously, I need an address or, at the very least, a phone number where I can contact you.’

‘Why would you want to contact me?’ Mia countered. ‘You and I have nothing further to discuss, Mr Forester. As I’m sure the DNA results will prove.’

Mia walked out of the door, half expecting him to call her back again, but he didn’t. She made her way along the corridor, shaking her head when Dr Khapur’s secretary jumped up and told her that the doctor wanted to speak to her. She didn’t want to speak to him. Not right now, anyway. At some point she would need an explanation as to why she’d been involved in this ridiculous affair but not right now. Right now all she wanted to do was go home and see Harry. Her son, not Leo Forester’s.

Leo cursed himself as he strode along the corridor. He had made a complete and utter hash of things and ended up making an already difficult situation worse. Wrenching open the door, he stepped out into the street, wondering why he had allowed Mia Adams to get to him that way. He knew what had to be done; he should do because he’d gone over it enough times. However, all the careful arguments he’d rehearsed, the calm and rational statements he had planned, had simply melted away. He had taken one look at the fear on Mia Adam’s face and bottled it. Hell!

There was a taxi dropping off a fare at the corner. Leo flagged it down and gave the driver the address of the hospital. He was due in Theatre at two and it was almost that now. The taxi dropped him off outside the main doors and he hurried inside, nodding briefly to the porter.

Although he divided his time between his private practice in Harley Street and his NHS commitments, he was well known at the hospital, if not well liked. He was a hard taskmaster and he knew that the members of his team admired rather than liked him. It had never worried him before but as he made his way up in the lift, he suddenly found himself wishing that he had a better rapport with the people he worked with. If he had taken the trouble to develop his social skills, maybe he would have had better luck convincing Mia Adams to trust him.

Leo’s mouth compressed as he stepped out of the lift. He wasn’t given to such foolish thoughts normally and it was irritating to be beset by them today. The sooner he got himself in hand, the better. Mia Adams might be hoping this situation would go away but he knew it wasn’t that simple. This was just the beginning and there was going to be a lot more upset before this matter was resolved. It wasn’t only him and Mrs Adams who would suffer either. There were two little boys whose lives were going to have to change.

Mia was on duty the following morning. She took Harry to the school’s breakfast club and left him happily demolishing a bowl of cereal then walked to the station. It was almost three years since she had moved to London. Chris had been offered a job with a leading firm of accountants and they had decided it was too good an opportunity to miss. The fact that Chris had been confined to a wheelchair following a climbing accident in his twenties had severely restricted his job options; however, the firm hadn’t seen it as a problem.

Chris had loved the job and enjoyed every minute of his working life. Mia knew that moving to the city had been the right thing to do but she couldn’t help wondering if she should move back to Kent at some point. Harry would not only benefit from all the fresh air and open spaces to play in, he’d be able to spend more time with his grandparents. The downside, of course, was that she would have to give up her job and she doubted if she would find another that would allow her to spend so much time with Harry.

As a senior sister, working as part of the bank of nurses at The Princess Rose Hospital, she could pick her own hours. She had worked mornings when Harry had been at nursery so she could be home in time to collect him at lunchtime. Now that Harry had started school, she had increased her hours and was thinking about going full time soon—heaven knew they could do with the extra money. However, as it would mean Harry having to stay at the after-school club until she got home, she had decided to leave the decision until after Christmas. Harry would have settled into school by then and she’d feel happier about leaving him for longer.

The train was late as usual and she had to run to reach the hospital in time for her shift. Penny Morrison, who organised the bank nurses, grinned when Mia came panting into the office.

‘Either you’re in training for the next London Marathon or the train was late. My guess is that it’s the second option.’

‘You’d be right too.’ Mia hung her coat in her locker then took a comb out of her bag and tidied her hair. ‘I wish they’d invest in some new trains. I mean, they wouldn’t break down as often if they weren’t so old, would they?’

‘Ah, but new trains cost money and nobody has any these days, or so they claim.’

Penny picked up the spreadsheet she used to sort out where everyone was working. There were fifteen bank nurses and they covered all the departments as and when they were needed. It was a system that worked well and had reduced the high costs of hiring agency nurses to provide cover.

‘Right, you’re down for Cardiology this week. The ward sister has sprained her ankle and she’s off sick. You might end up there a bit longer, in fact.’

‘Fine by me. I’ve not covered Cardiology before so it will be nice to do something different,’ Mia agreed. ‘Anything I should know beforehand?’

‘Not really. Oh, apart from the fact that one of the consultants is a bit of a tartar so watch your back.’ Penny rolled her eyes. ‘Jackie was there a couple of weeks ago and she’s refused to go back if he’s on duty.’

‘Heavens! He sounds a real sweetheart, I don’t think.’ Mia grimaced as she took her ID out of her bag and clipped it to the pocket of her navy uniform top. One of the other nurses arrived just then so she left Penny to deal with her and made her way to the third floor where the cardiology unit was situated. Everything looked very peaceful when she arrived and she grinned at the staff nurse who’d been holding the fort until she got there.

‘Either all your patients are extremely well behaved or you’ve sedated them. Which is it?’

‘Neither.’ The staff nurse grimaced. ‘They’re simply too scared to kick up a fuss.’

Mia laughed. ‘You don’t look that scary to me.’

‘Oh, it’s not me who’s terrified them into submission.’ The younger woman looked over Mia’s shoulder and groaned. ‘Here’s your culprit now. And that’s my cue to beat a hasty retreat. Good luck. You’ll need it!’

Mia looked round, the smile still lingering on her lips as she looked at the man walking towards her. He was tall with dark hair lightly threaded with silver and chiselled features…

All of a sudden the room started to whirl, spinning faster and faster until she felt quite giddy. What on earth was Leo Forester doing here?




CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_a1f94064-59cf-5981-841c-db03e6f6372b)


‘THESE NOTES ARE incomplete, Sister. Make sure the file is updated before I return for my afternoon round. I shouldn’t need to remind you that it’s your job to ensure that all the information I require is available.’

Leo handed the file to Mia Adams. He turned to the two new F1 students who had joined his team the previous week, ignoring the wary look that passed between them. Maybe he had been rather hard on Sister Adams but he wouldn’t tolerate incompetence in any shape or form.

‘Mrs Davies will be having bypass surgery tomorrow. What needs to be done beforehand to ensure the operation goes smoothly?’ he demanded, ignoring the voice in his head that insisted he was being unreasonable. So what if Mia Adams had taken charge of the unit only that morning? As ward sister, it was her responsibility to ensure that everything was up to date. Far too many errors occurred because staff had omitted some vital piece of information.

The thought reminded him rather too pointedly of the error that had been made over Noah. Finding out that the child he had believed to be his son had no biological connection to him and Amanda had been a terrible shock and he still hadn’t got over it. He loved Noah with all his heart and there was no way that he was prepared to give him up, but he still needed to find out the truth, prove that Mia’s child—Harry—was his real son. After that, well, he had no idea what would happen. It all depended on what Mia Adams decided.

The thought that so much was hanging on her decision wasn’t easy to accept. Leo was used to running his life his own way and rarely made allowances for other people. It was little wonder that his tone was brusquer than ever when the students failed to answer. He didn’t want to be beholden to Mia Adams, but he might not have a choice.

‘I fail to see why you’re finding it so difficult to come up with an answer.’ He pinned the unhappy pair with an icy stare. ‘This is something you should have covered in your first year as students. If you can’t answer a simple question like this then you are of no use to me.’

‘May I suggest we take this into the office?’

Leo looked round in surprise when Mia Adams cut in. He wasn’t used to being interrupted and didn’t appreciate her making suggestions. He opened his mouth to tell her that in no uncertain terms but she had already moved away. Leo frowned as he watched his team follow her to the office. They hadn’t waited for his permission; they had simply done her bidding and it was a shock, an unpleasant one, to realise that they preferred to follow her lead rather than his.

‘I’ll come back to see you later, Mrs Davies,’ he said politely, noticing for the first time that the woman was trembling. She gave him a wan smile as he moved away from the bed and Leo found himself wondering what was wrong with her. She’d appeared perfectly composed when he had arrived but obviously something had upset her.

His mouth thinned as he strode towards the office. It was Mia Adams’s fault, of course. Mrs Davies had picked up on the tension and reacted accordingly. Well, he intended to take Sister Adams to task and make sure she understood who was in charge before she upset any more of his patients.

‘A word, please, Sister Adams,’ he began as he entered the office.

‘Just a moment, Mr Forester.’ She barely glanced at him as she carried on issuing instructions to one of the nurses and Leo felt his temper leap up a couple more notches. He was the consultant and although he didn’t consider himself to be next to God in the pecking order, he did expect to be treated with due respect.

‘After you’ve sorted that out, Sally, can you take Mrs Davies a cup of tea? She’s a bit upset so sit with her, will you? It will help to calm her down if she has someone to talk to.’

Mia smiled at the younger nurse, giving no sign that she was worried about keeping him waiting, and Leo had to clamp down on the urge he felt to do something drastic, like shake her. Bearing in mind that he wasn’t a man given to violence on any level it was a surprise to find himself reacting this way. It was little wonder that he was caught flat-footed when she turned to him.

‘There’s something you wish to say to me, Mr Forester?’

Her tone was cool in the extreme and he saw several members of his team glance at each other in amazement. Nobody spoke to him this way. Nobody queried his decisions or interrupted him either. Nobody had ever dared—until now. Leo’s temper, which had been hovering just below boiling point, peaked and he glared at her.

‘Yes. Let me make this clear, Sister Adams. When I am with a patient I don’t expect to be interrupted. Do you understand?’

‘Perfectly. However, I think it’s only fair that I make my position clear too. The patients are my responsibility while they’re on this unit. That means that if I notice that someone is in pain or upset I shall do something about it.’ She paused, her emerald-green eyes meeting his across the desk, and if there was any hint of remorse in them Leo certainly couldn’t see any sign of it. ‘Mrs Davies was becoming increasingly distressed by the way you were speaking to your students. Naturally I took steps to resolve the matter.’

Mia held his gaze, wondering when the heavens were going to fall in on her. That Leo Forester was less than pleased by what she had said was obvious but she didn’t care. Nobody should be allowed to speak to people the way he had spoken to those poor students. Maybe other folk were willing to put up with his bad temper but she wasn’t, especially not after the havoc he had created in her life.

The claim he had made about Harry being his son had been on her mind constantly for the past twenty-four hours. Although she was sure it was a mistake, she couldn’t quite rid herself of the thought, what if ? What if he was right? What if Harry was his son and what if Noah was hers? What if the DNA tests proved it? Then what would happen? Her mind kept churning it all over but there were never any answers. How could there be? The situation was way beyond anything she’d had to deal with before. It made everything else that had happened in her life pale into insignificance. If Harry wasn’t her son, she had no idea what she was going to do.

Thoughts flashed through her mind at the speed of light yet it felt as though a lifetime had passed when she focused on Leo Forester again. That he was furiously angry was obvious and she decided there and then that the only way to deal with him was by fighting fire with fire. Maybe it was wrong to allow their personal issues to spill over into work but she refused to bow down before him on any matter. Harry was her son. She was responsible for the patients on this unit; they were both unassailable facts.

‘If you have a problem with the way I run this ward I suggest you take it up with the head of Nursing. I’m sure she will be happy to discuss any issues you care to raise.’

She picked up the file and walked around the desk, pausing when she came level with him. Even though several inches separated them she could feel the power of his anger like a living force and inwardly shuddered. Leo Forester would make a very bad enemy. It was a scary thought in view of what had happened.

‘Please feel free to use my office, Mr Forester. I shall make sure you aren’t interrupted.’

Mia swept out of the door, half expecting him to call her back, but surprisingly he didn’t. She made her way to the nursing station and logged into the patients’ records. Leo Forester was right: there was something missing from Anthea Davies’s notes. The woman had had an angiogram the previous week and the results needed to be added to her file. Mia made the necessary changes and printed out a fresh sheet and placed it in the file. Contrary to what Leo Forester thought, she was always thorough, always liked to be prepared to prevent any mistakes occurring.

She sighed as she went over to the cabinet and filed the notes in their rightful place. If only the staff at the fertility clinic had been as thorough she and Leo Forester would not be having to face such a potentially life-changing situation.

Leo was tied up in Theatre for the rest of the morning. However, as soon as he’d finished he changed back into his clothes and headed for the cardiology unit. Whilst he hadn’t been prepared to make matters worse by causing a scene, he had no intention of letting Mia get away with treating him that way. Maybe they did have issues, issues that none of their colleagues knew about, but he wasn’t going to let her make a laughing stock of him.

She was in the men’s section of the unit when he arrived, talking to one of his patients, a young man called David Rimmer who had a long history of heart problems. David had been born with several holes in his heart and had been in and out of hospital over the past twenty-two years. Recently, he had started to suffer from cardiac arrhythmia—an abnormal and rapid heartbeat—and he would be having cardioversion that afternoon. His heart would be stopped before an electric current was passed through it, hopefully shocking it back into its proper rhythm. Although Leo knew that David must be in a lot of discomfort, he grinned when he saw Leo approaching.

‘Seems you’ve met your match at last, eh, Doc? The buzz on the ward is that Mia gave you a real rollicking this morning. I only wish I’d been there to see it!’

Leo summoned a smile, not wanting the younger man to think he was at all put out to learn that he was the subject of gossip. ‘You shouldn’t believe everything you hear, David. It’s not always true.’

David laughed. ‘You would say that! Still, it’s nice to know that you’re human after all. It’s done wonders for your image.’

Leo frowned. How on earth could his run-in with Mia have improved his image? He glanced around the unit, feeling his surprise intensify when several patients smiled at him. Normally, he found that people were rather reserved around him, but not today. As he looked at the friendly faces turned towards him, he felt a sudden warmth envelop him. It was rather nice to be on the receiving end of smiles for once.

He cleared his throat, refusing to get carried away by such a ridiculous notion. He much preferred it that his patients should value him for his skills as a surgeon rather than as a potential friend. ‘I wonder if I might have a word with you, Sister?’ he said politely. Maybe he wasn’t out to win friends but there didn’t seem any harm in observing the niceties.

‘Of course.’ Mia’s tone was icily polite. She turned to the younger man and Leo couldn’t help feeling the tiniest bit irked when he heard the warmth in her voice as she wished David good luck. Obviously, he didn’t rate that level of concern.

The thought was irritating, although Leo was very aware that he was behaving completely out of character. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared a jot how people addressed him, as long as they weren’t rude, of course. Nevertheless, Mia’s distant approach stung. For a second he found himself wondering how it would feel if she addressed him with genuine affection in her voice before he dismissed the idea. It was never going to happen, not after the havoc he was about to create in her life.

He led the way into the office and closed the door. He didn’t want any interruptions, nothing and nobody to throw him off course. Maybe they were facing a very difficult situation but he needed to lay down some ground rules. Mia didn’t look at him as she walked around the desk and sat down. She appeared perfectly composed but Leo sensed her inner turmoil and for some reason the harsh words he’d been going to say seemed wrong. This was as stressful for her as it was for him; maybe he could afford to lighten up a little.

‘Before you say anything I want to apologise. I should never have spoken to you like that this morning.’

The apology caught him on the hop. Leo hadn’t expected it and found himself struggling to reply. ‘No, you shouldn’t,’ he said more sharply than he’d intended.

She gave a little shrug, her slender shoulders rising and falling beneath her navy cotton uniform, and he felt a flash of awareness shoot through him. For the first time since they’d met, he really looked at her, deliberately taking stock instead of simply forming an overall impression.

Her features were neat and regular: a firm little chin; a short straight nose; softly rounded cheeks. Her skin was very pale, almost translucent in the harsh glare of the fluorescent light overhead. Her hair was a soft mid-brown, caught neatly back from her face with a plain black clip. Her eyes were her best feature, a pure emerald green that seemed to glitter with an inner fire that fascinated him. Some people might have described Mia Adams as ordinary but not him, he decided. Not when he looked into those incredible eyes.

Leo took a deep breath, used it to shore up his world, a world that seemed to be falling apart around him. First there’d been the shock of discovering that Noah wasn’t his child and now this. He couldn’t be attracted to Mia Adams; he wouldn’t allow himself to be! However, as he looked at that ordinary little face and those extraordinary eyes staring back at him, he realised that he might not have a choice. There was something about her that intrigued him, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she had given birth to his son.

Mia bit her lip, wishing that Leo Forrester would say something. He was staring at her with the oddest expression on his face…

He suddenly spun round on his heel and strode out of the room, leaving her staring after him in confusion. She hadn’t expected him to let her off so lightly. Maybe she had apologised, and meant it too, but she’d been sure he would give her a dressing down. He’d have been perfectly within his rights to do so because she had overstepped the mark that morning.

Normally, she wouldn’t have dreamt of speaking to a consultant that way. But she’d not even tried to hold back as she had told him what she thought. Maybe this situation was unusual but she would be extremely lucky if he didn’t make a formal complaint about her and heaven only knew what would happen then. Staff had been sacked for less and the thought of losing her job was worrying. She would need every penny she could earn if it came to a legal battle over Harry.

Somehow Mia got through the rest of the morning and did the hand-over. It was after two p.m. when she collected her coat from the staffroom. Penny was at her desk; she looked up and grinned when Mia went in.

‘Well done, you! I hear you sent the redoubtable Leo Forester away with a flea in his ear.’

‘Don’t!’ Mia grimaced as she shrugged on her coat. ‘I suppose it’s all round the hospital?’

‘Of course. Suffice to say that most folk consider you to be a real heroine. Leo Forester isn’t exactly top of everyone’s Christmas card list,’ Penny added dryly.

‘I really shouldn’t have said what I did,’ Mia admitted. ‘It was a stupid thing to do.’

‘You’re only human, love. Which is more than I can say for the handsome Leo. Heaven only knows how he ever became a father. Oh, he’s gorgeous looking and everything, but he’s so cold. I mean, can you imagine him letting go enough to actually make love to a woman?’

Mia felt a tide of heat sweep up her face. She bent down to retrieve her bag from the locker, not wanting Penny to witness her reaction to the question. Maybe Penny couldn’t imagine it but she could. Only too well.

Fortunately the phone rang so she was saved from having to reply. Mia mouthed ‘Goodbye’ and left hurriedly. If the trains were running on time, she should be home just in time to collect Harry from school. She headed out of the main doors, pulling up the hood of her coat when she discovered it was raining. Afternoon visiting was under way and there were cars coming and going from all directions. She paused to allow an expensive sports car to pass through the gates ahead of her, sighing when it stopped and the passenger window rolled down. No doubt someone was going to ask her if she knew where they could park.

‘Get in.’

Mia jumped when a deep voice barked out the command. Bending, she peered into the car, feeling her heart leap when she saw Leo Forester behind the wheel. His expression was as bland as ever but she could see a spark of something in his eyes that warned her it would be a mistake to argue with him. Opening the door, she slid into the seat, buckling the seat belt as he pulled out of the gates. They drove in silence for several minutes before he spoke.

‘I think it would be best if we agreed to forget what happened today. Neither of us expected to find ourselves working together, but as there’s nothing we can do about it, we’ll just have to get on with it.’

Mia felt a rush of relief flood through her. ‘You don’t intend to make a complaint about me, then?’

‘Of course not.’

He sounded so surprised that she grimaced. ‘I thought you might, that’s all.’

‘Well, you can stop worrying. I won’t be making any complaints, not unless you do it again, of course. I don’t think my ego could take another battering.’

The hint of laughter in his voice was so unexpected that Mia stared at him. ‘I was sure you’d want to teach me a lesson.’

‘I probably would have done if circumstances had been different.’ His grey eyes met hers for a second before he returned his attention to the road but it was long enough to make Mia’s heart race.

She took a deep breath, calling herself every kind of a fool. Leo wasn’t interested in her, not the person she was. He was only interested in Harry. She had to remember that and not allow herself be duped into thinking that he cared about her feelings any more than she must care about his. It was the children who mattered, Harry and his son Noah. And his next words confirmed that.

‘I assume that you’re going to collect your son from school?’ He drew up at the traffic lights and turned to look at her. Mia steeled herself when she saw how solemn he looked. She had a feeling that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

‘Yes, I am. Why?’

‘Because I’d like to ask a favour of you.’ His eyes held hers fast and for some reason she found that she couldn’t look away. ‘May I go with you, Mia? And meet Harry?’




CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_46c61eb9-465f-5f8a-88a7-94b9031c3716)


ONCE, JUST BEFORE he had gone off to university, Leo had made a parachute jump. All his friends had been keen to try it and he’d gone along with them. In the event, most of them had chickened out so there’d been just two of them in the plane and he’d been the first to jump. As he had stood in the doorway, watching the ground rushing past below, he had felt his stomach sink with a mixture of excitement and fear. Although he had never jumped again, he remembered the feeling quite clearly. It was exactly how he felt as he waited to meet Mia’s son, scared and elated because he was about to leap into the unknown.

‘There he is.’

Mia touched him on the arm and Leo flinched. He looked over to where she was pointing but he couldn’t pick out one child from another. There seemed to be a sea of small excited faces staring back at him…

Leo’s breath caught as his eyes alighted on a sturdy little boy with dark brown hair standing up in spikes around his head. It had to be Harry; he just knew it was! Even though he would have dismissed the idea that his genes had somehow recognised those of his son if anyone had suggested it, he knew it was true.

Anyway, the boy had his nose as well as his hair. He had his chin too and his cheekbones, he realised in astonishment. In fact, the resemblance was so marked that he couldn’t understand why Mia hadn’t noticed it. Surely she could see how alike they were, he thought as she brought the child over to meet him?

‘Harry, this is Leo. He’s a doctor and he works at the hospital. He very kindly gave me a lift here so I wouldn’t be late.’

Leo had to hand it to her. Even though she must be finding it extremely difficult, there was no hint of uncertainty in her voice as she made the introductions. Her only concern was for her son and his admiration for her increased tenfold, especially when he found himself comparing the way she behaved to the way Amanda would have reacted.

The thought of the scene his ex-wife would have created was very hard to swallow and his mouth thinned with displeasure. Harry took one look at his grim expression and scooted behind his mother’s legs. Leo took a deep breath, cursing himself for allowing thoughts of Amanda to spoil the moment. Amanda had caused enough damage without him allowing her to ruin this too.

‘Hello, Harry. It’s nice to meet you.’ Leo fixed a smile to his mouth but Harry obviously wasn’t convinced it was genuine. He shrank away when Leo held out his hand.

‘He’ll come round,’ Mia said quietly. ‘Just give him a moment.’

She led Harry to the gate, leaving Leo to follow. There were a lot of parents milling about and they soon disappeared from view. Leo experienced a moment of panic as he peered over the crowd because he still had no idea where she lived. Maybe it was selfish but he needed a few more minutes with Harry, a bit more time to get to know his son.

The words seemed to dance in neon-bright letters before his eyes. Harry was his son; he was more certain than ever it was true. But where did that leave Noah? He loved Noah with an intensity he had never believed himself capable of feeling. From the moment he had been handed the wrinkled, bloodied little bundle in the delivery room, he had known that he would lay down his life to protect him. Amanda had got over her longing for a child by then and hadn’t even wanted to look at the miracle they had created, but he had been entranced, thrilled, enthralled.

When Amanda had decided after six months of motherhood that it wasn’t for her, Leo hadn’t argued and he certainly hadn’t tried to stop her leaving. He had never actually loved her but she had been sophisticated and worldly and had suited his requirements, as he had suited hers.

Their parting had been amicable enough and he’d been relieved that he’d been left, both physically and metaphorically, holding the baby. It had meant he could bring up Noah the way he wanted, make sure Noah enjoyed a far happier childhood than he’d had. If only Amanda had stayed away none of this would have happened.

The crowd parted and he spotted Mia and Harry standing by the gates. He hurried to join them, seeing the way the child shrank back as he approached. It grieved him that he had made such a bad impression on the boy and he promised himself that he would do everything possible to rectify it. If he was to be part of Harry’s life he wanted the child to feel comfortable around him.

‘I’ll run you home,’ he said, refusing to dwell on the thought that he might not get the chance to play daddy to his son. It all depended on what Mia decided and as he had no idea what that would be, he couldn’t go counting his proverbial chickens. Unlocking the car, he flipped forward the passenger seat so Harry could climb into the back. It was a tight squeeze and Leo realised not for the first time that he would have to buy something more suitable. Maybe he did love his car but with two children to consider now, it was hardly the most suitable of vehicles.

Mia made sure that Harry’s belt was buckled then slid into the passenger seat. Leo closed the door and went round to the driver’s side. He started the engine then glanced at her, seeing the strain that had etched tiny grooves at the sides of her mouth. His hands clenched on the steering wheel because the urge to reach out and smooth them away was almost too strong to resist. However, he had to resist it, had to resist doing anything that might alienate her.

‘Where to?’ he asked instead, sounding brusque and cold when he had meant to sound warm and approachable for Harry’s benefit.

‘Straight down the road and left at the junction.’

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Harry and Leo saw the little boy’s face immediately brighten as he checked the rear-view mirror before pulling out. That there was a deep and loving bond between the pair was obvious and he found himself wishing with all his heart that Noah could have had that sort of a relationship with Amanda. The problem was that Amanda put herself and her needs first every time. Noah came way down her list of priorities, somewhere below the next designer handbag she coveted or the next exotic holiday.

Leo could feel his mouth tightening again and fought to control it. If he was to win Harry round, he not only needed Mia’s co-operation but a major re-think about his own behaviour. He sighed. He had realised from the moment he had discovered that Noah wasn’t his biological child that his life was going to undergo a massive upheaval, but only now did he understand how much he was going to have to change.

‘It’s the house with the red door…just there on the left. Yes, that’s it.’

Mia gathered up her bag, trying to control the urge to leap out of the car. She wasn’t sure why she had agreed to let Leo meet Harry but it had been a mistake. She glanced round, seeing the worry on her son’s face. Although Harry was a happy and loving little boy, like most children his age he hated unexpected changes to his routine. Being ferried home by a stranger, even in such a luxurious vehicle as this, was obviously troubling him.

‘Thank you again for the lift,’ she said politely, turning to Leo. Although she was eager to get Harry into the house, there was no way that she was going to be rude. She summoned a smile when Leo looked at her. ‘I hope we haven’t taken you too far out of your way.’

‘Not at all.’ He shrugged. ‘I live in Primrose Hill so it’s only a short drive from here.’

A short drive maybe, but there was a massive difference in property prices, Mia thought wryly, glancing at the neat little terraced house they were parked in front of. She hurriedly opened the car door, not wanting to go down that route. Continually worrying if Leo intended to use his extensive resources to lay claim to Harry was counterproductive. She got out of the car then turned to unlatch the seat so Harry could get out, frowning when she found herself fumbling with the unfamiliar mechanism.

‘Let me do it.’

Leo gently moved her aside and tipped the seat forward. He offered Harry his hand but the child ignored him. Jumping out of the car, he ran up the path to the house and stood there with his back towards them. Mia sighed softly.

‘Harry hates it when his routine is changed. He prefers it when he knows exactly what is going to happen and when.’

‘It might have helped if I’d made a better impression,’ Leo observed, and Mia frowned when she heard the regret in his voice. He hadn’t struck her as a man who ever regretted his actions; he came across as far too confident for that. However, it appeared she may have been wrong.

It was worrying to think that she might have misjudged him. Mia cleared her throat, not wanting him to guess how unnerved she felt. ‘Children are highly susceptible to people’s moods and Harry has become even more sensitive since Chris died. He was only three when it happened so he didn’t really understand what was going on, but he saw how upset I was and it made a big impression on him.’

‘I see.’ Leo frowned. ‘I didn’t know that you’d lost your husband. I’m very sorry.’

‘Thank you.’ Mia felt a lump come to her throat when she heard the sympathy in his voice. Although she had come to terms with Chris’s death, it touched her that Leo should offer his condolences and mean them too.

‘Was it an accident? He couldn’t have been very old, I imagine.’

‘Indirectly, yes, it was.’ She took a quick breath, knowing that she couldn’t afford to let his response influence her. Until she was sure that she could trust him with regard to Harry, she needed to be objective.

‘Chris was injured in a climbing accident while he was at university. He suffered serious spinal damage and was unable to walk afterwards.’ She shrugged, aware of how hard it was going to be to remain dispassionate. Leo wasn’t the sort of man one could ignore. ‘As you know, being confined to a wheelchair makes people more susceptible to certain conditions and sadly that’s what happened with Chris.’

‘I’m sorry,’ he repeated. ‘It must have been a very difficult time for you.’

Mia inclined her head, deciding it was safer not to pursue the matter. Talking about Chris’s death always upset her and she couldn’t afford to allow her emotions to get the better of her. She quickly changed the subject to one that seemed more fitting.

‘I have the address of a lab that does DNA testing. I’ll collect the samples tonight and post them off first thing tomorrow morning. I should have the results back by the end of the week.’

‘Will there be a problem about providing a sample of your husband’s DNA?’ he queried, frowning.

‘No.’ Mia didn’t elaborate. She didn’t want to explain why she had kept Chris’s hairbrush. It was the last link she had to him, the only thing left of the man who had given her so much; however, there was no way she intended to explain that to Leo. She forced a smile to her lips, hating the fact that she felt so emotional. It wasn’t just thinking about Chris—it was everything else, Harry and Noah and what would happen if it turned out that she and Leo really did have the wrong children.

‘Anyway, I mustn’t keep you. You must be anxious to get home,’ she said, blanking out the thought. Of course she had the right child! Harry was her son and he couldn’t be anyone else’s. As the DNA results would prove. She held out her hand, preferring to end the meeting on a note of formality. ‘Thank you again for driving us home.’

‘It was my pleasure.’

His hand enveloped hers and Mia felt a rush of heat invade her when she felt the strength of his fingers close around hers. She quickly withdrew her hand and hurried up the path. She heard the car start up but she didn’t look round. She didn’t want to think about Leo Forester any more that day. She just wanted to go inside the house and get on with the evening. She and Harry had a set routine and she intended to stick to it—tea, playtime, bath, story, bed. If she stuck to it her life would feel normal but if she deviated in any way then who knew what could happen.

Mia bit her lip. There was one change to their routine she would have to make. She had promised to collect the DNA samples and she couldn’t break her word even if she wanted to. What would happen if the tests proved that Harry wasn’t her son? she wondered sickly. How would she cope with having her whole world torn apart?

Having a child of her own had always been her dream. She had been taken into care when her own mother had been unable to cope with looking after her. Her father had been well off the scene by then. Mia had never met him and didn’t even know his name so she had spent her childhood being shunted from one foster-home to another.

She had longed for someone to love and care for her, but it hadn’t happened. Her mother had refused to allow her to be put up for adoption so Mia had had to make do with temporary placements. Some had been good, others not so good, but the worst thing was that none of them had been permanent.

She had grown up longing for a home and a family of her own, although she had been very choosy about who she had gone out with. She hadn’t intended to make the same mistakes her mother had made and had turned down more dates than she had accepted. She had earned herself a reputation for being very standoffish, in fact, and that in turn had led to the incident that still haunted her.

When the new registrar on the spinal unit where she had worked had invited her out, she had refused at first. Although Steve Parker had seemed pleasant enough, Mia hadn’t been sure if it would be wise to go out with him. Steve was a bit of flirt and she had had no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost. However, he had persisted and in the end he had worn her down.

They had gone out together several times and Mia had found herself enjoying his company. Steve had been fun and attentive and it had felt good to be on the receiving end of his compliments and feel special. Although she had never slept with a man before, she’d realised that she wanted to sleep with Steve so when he had suggested they should spend the night together, she’d agreed.

It was a complete and utter disaster. Steve was so rough and insensitive, making no allowance for the fact that it was her first time. Mia couldn’t wait for it to be over and left as soon as she could. She tried to write it off to experience but it wasn’t possible, not after she found out that Steve had been spreading stories about her, claiming that she was frigid and that any man foolish enough to get her into bed would regret it. However, the final humiliation came when she learned that he’d also claimed he had only slept with her to win a bet and that he was sorry he had bothered. As he’d put it, it would have been better if he’d forfeited the money!

Mia was mortified and swore she would never allow anything like it to happen again. She never went out on a date after that and might never have seen her dreams come true if Chris hadn’t been admitted to the spinal unit. She nursed him back to health, sat with him while he struggled to come to terms with what had happened, and grew to love him for his humour and his courage. When he asked her to marry him, she accepted immediately, sure that it was the right decision. And when she had Harry, she knew that she had everything she had ever wanted.

Now it appeared that nothing was certain any more. All she knew was that if she lost Harry, her life would be meaningless.

By the time Friday rolled around, Leo felt as though he was walking on a tightrope. Mia had promised that the DNA results would be back by the end of the week and they should arrive that day. His stomach was churning as he made his way to Theatre because the thought of what they would reveal was mind-blowing. If they proved that Harry was his son, what was he going to do?

He scrubbed up, nodding his thanks when the scrub nurse helped him on with his gown. His team was waiting for him, standing silently in Theatre as he preferred them to do. Some surgeons liked to listen to music while they operated but he liked silence, nothing to distract him, nothing to distract them. Heavy metal or classical—it was all the same to him. Noise.

‘How’s the patient?’ he asked Gerry Carter, his anaesthetist. He knew that the theatre staff drew lots to decide who would work with him, the ones who lost being sent in as part of his team. it had never worried him before that he was so unpopular but for some reason he found it irritating that day. Would it hurt them to smile when he came in, to wish him good morning even? Surely he wasn’t that much of an ogre that he not only scared little children but grown men and women as well?

The memory of how Harry had reacted to him had stayed with him and he found himself thinking about it again as the anaesthetist rattled out a summary of their patient’s vital signs. He was going to have to do something about his attitude if he hoped to win the boy round, Leo decided for the umpteenth time. He suddenly realised that Gerry had stopped speaking and was staring at him, obviously expecting a response, although for the life of him, Leo couldn’t imagine what it should be.

‘Sorry. What did you say?’ He gave a short laugh, faintly rusty admittedly but a laugh all the same. ‘It must be my age. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate these days.’

There was a stunned silence before someone gave a little chuckle, hastily turning it into a cough when they realised what they were doing. Leo felt heat flow up his face as he wondered if he’d made a fool of himself and was grateful for the concealing folds of his mask. He concentrated on what Gerry was saying, nodding when the other man came to the end of his spiel.

‘That’s great. Thanks. OK, folks, let’s get to work.’

Leo grimaced as he took his place at the table. Normally, he would have simply set to work without uttering a word, so why had he felt the need to say that? Surely he wasn’t that desperate to improve the image his colleagues had of him? It was Harry he needed to impress, nobody else…except Mia.

Finding out that her husband had died in such tragic circumstances had affected him far more than he would have expected. He had found himself thinking about it all week, imagining how difficult the past few years must have been for her. He had also found it hard to come to terms with the fact that her husband had been wheelchair-bound. Although he knew it had nothing to do with him, he couldn’t help speculating about their relationship. Had Mia undergone IVF treatment because she and her husband had been unable to make love?

He swiftly erased that thought. He needed to concentrate and he couldn’t do that if he was thinking about issues that didn’t concern him. the patient, Hilary Johnson, was undergoing surgery to replace her aortic valve. Leo made the first incision through the sternum then Hilary was placed on a heart-lung machine and her heart was stopped. It was an operation that was only carried out in extreme cases, when a patient was suffering life-threatening symptoms, but he had performed it many times before and worked swiftly, excising the damaged valve and replacing it with a prosthesis. He waited while the woman was removed from the machine, preferring to check for any problems before closing up. He nodded when everything appeared to be functioning normally.

‘That all seems fine. Dr Halshaw, perhaps you would like to close up? It will be excellent practice for you.’

He moved aside so that his registrar could step up to the table, ignoring the startled looks that were being exchanged. He rarely invited his juniors to take part so it was a bit of a red-letter day, but maybe it was time he made some changes in work too. After all, the younger doctors were never going to progress if they didn’t get any hands-on experience, were they?

‘Good. You’ve made quite a decent job of that,’ he said when the younger man had finished. He glanced around, rather enjoying the fact that everyone appeared slightly stunned to hear him praise one of their number. A sudden and wholly unfamiliar sense of mischief spurred him on. ‘Thank you, everyone, in fact. You all did extremely well today.’

Leo exited Theatre, smiling to himself when he heard a babble of conversation break out as the doors swung to. Maybe it was time he tried a different approach if it stopped people becoming complacent. It would keep them on their toes if they weren’t sure how he was going to react.

He showered and changed, then went to the consultants’ lounge to write up his notes. Although one of the juniors would type them up later, he preferred to outline the procedure while it was fresh in his mind. He had almost finished when there was a knock on the door.

‘Come,’ he called, without glancing up from the screen. He saved the file before he looked up, feeling his heart give an almighty leap when he saw Mia standing in the doorway. She had an envelope in her hands and he knew—he just knew!—it contained the results of the DNA tests.

Leo rose to his feet, his head swimming as thoughts rushed through it. He wasn’t ready for this! He didn’t want to hear what she had to say, didn’t want to know if Harry was his real son. He loved Noah and he didn’t want any other child to supplant him.

‘I have the results of the DNA tests.’

Her voice was so calm that it cut through all the turmoil in his head. Leo nodded abruptly. ‘And?’

‘I haven’t opened it yet.’ She showed him the envelope with its seal still intact. ‘I thought it best if we read it together. That way there will be no mistake.’

Meaning that he wouldn’t be able to accuse her of skewing the results, he thought wryly, although he couldn’t blame her for being cautious. Whatever they discovered, it was going to have far-reaching consequences for all of them—him, her and the two boys.

‘Right. Do you want me to open it?’ he offered, but she shook her head.

‘I’ll do it.’ She slid her finger under the flap and ripped it open. Taking out the single sheet of paper it contained, she read what it said before handing it to him.

Leo glanced sharply at her but he couldn’t discern anything from her expression. He took a quick breath then looked at the paper, although the words seemed to dance before his eyes. He, a man who read reports far more complicated than this every day of his life, couldn’t make sense of it!




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