A Proposal to Remember Read online

  Matt shook his head. ‘You’ve lost your marbles.’

  ‘You only think that because you haven’t seen her,’ Carlo drawled, shrugging out of his coat and walking towards his bedroom.

  ‘And are you going to tell her the truth?’

  Carlo stopped walking. ‘No. Not yet.’

  He was enjoying the simplicity of their relationship.

  ‘And what if she goes to the press once she finds out who you are?’

  Carlo’s fingers tightened on his coat. ‘Then I’ll have made a serious error of judgement.’

  * * *

  Carlo hadn’t laid a finger on her.

  Zan pulled her coat over her uniform the next morning and tried to squash the feelings of disappointment.

  They’d spent the whole evening together and he hadn’t even kissed her properly. About a dozen times she’d thought he was going to—at one point he’d seemed to be within kissing distance every time she’d turned around—but he hadn’t made that final move. Obviously he wasn’t as frustrated as she was. She was beginning to wish she hadn’t said no on the first night.

  She’d wanted him to slow down, not stop altogether!

  She stepped out of the lift and through the door that led to the street, gasping as the cold hit her. It had stopped snowing but the air was freezing and her breath made smoky clouds ahead of her as she hurried along the pavement towards the hospital.

  It was still fairly early but the roads were already busy and there were several other people walking to work, heads down against the cold.

  Uneasy after her experience with the muggers, Zan glanced briefly over her shoulder, checking that no one was following her. The only person behind her was an elderly woman with a stick and on the other side of the road a broad-shouldered man in a long coat strode briskly, paying no attention to her whatsoever.

  She relaxed slightly but still felt considerable relief when she reached the hospital gates and hurried inside.

  The unit was as busy as ever and Zan made her way to the antenatal clinic.

  Kim was looking harassed. ‘Just tell me, what happened nine months ago?’

  Zan dragged the scarf off her neck and raised an eyebrow. ‘Frankly, I have trouble remembering what happened yesterday. Why are you asking about nine months ago?’

  ‘Because I want to know why there are so many women delivering this week,’ Kim muttered, staggering under the weight of a pile of notes that she was carrying back to the desk. ‘Did I miss a wild party or something? I’m trying to count back and work it out.’

  Zan laughed. ‘Don’t be a misery. Christmas babies are always really special. I’m still hoping that Helen will have her twins on Christmas Day.’

  Kim gave her an incredulous look. ‘Don’t you want to eat your turkey in peace?’

  Zan gave a wistful smile. ‘I just think it would be really exciting if the twins were born on Christmas Day.’

  ‘You need your head examined.’ Kim glanced up with a smile as a very pregnant woman approached the desk. ‘Hello, Millie. How have you been?’

  Zan picked up the first set of notes and walked through to her consulting room to begin the clinic.

  She saw a steady stream of patients and it was lunchtime before she caught up with Kim again.

  ‘Are you joining me in the canteen for lunch?’ Kim’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. ‘I want to hear episode two of your story.’

  Episode two had been decidedly non-eventful, Zan reflected gloomily. Lots of tension but absolutely no action. Carlo hadn’t even kissed her. Apart from the brief touch of his lips when he’d left her for the night. And that hadn’t really been a kiss. More a tease.

  She gave a slow smile as a suspicion grew in her mind.

  Was he playing games with her?

  Was he trying to drive her wild?

  Maybe that was exactly what he was trying to do.

  Suddenly cheered, she smiled at Kim. ‘I’m popping out at lunchtime to buy a present for my brother.’ It was true. She still had a couple more things to buy. ‘But I’m still free tonight for that pizza.’

  She and Kim had arranged to go out the previous week and she’d been looking forward to it.

  Having arranged the details, she wrapped up warmly, slipped out of the hospital and walked towards the shops.

  The streets were crowded with Christmas shoppers loaded with bags and she fought her way into a small boutique that sold unusual knitwear and chose a chunky ribbed jumper for her brother.

  Then she remembered Carlo. If he was spending Christmas with her then she’d need to buy him something.

  Thinking back to their conversation, she smiled.

  She knew exactly what to buy him and she knew just the shop.

  She was hovering by the till, waiting to pay, when she glanced up and noticed a man buying chestnuts across the road.

  It was the same man that she’d seen that morning.

  Frowning slightly, Zan paid for the jumper, trying to convince herself that it was perfectly possible to bump into the same person twice in one morning. He probably worked locally.

  She was just jumpy after the attack the night before.

  Still feeling edgy, she left the shop and went back to the hospital, telling herself that there was nothing to worry about.

  Kim grabbed her as soon as she arrived back in the clinic.

  ‘Someone called for you but they didn’t leave their name. It was a woman and she sounded frantic.’

  Zan dumped her parcels and frowned. Who would have called her?

  Her eyes widened as a thought struck her. ‘Kelly?’

  ‘Possibly.’ Kim gave a sigh. ‘I did ask her, but she hung up at that point.’

  ‘Oh, help.’ Zan glanced round the packed clinic and bit her lip. ‘Do you think…?’

  ‘Maybe. You’d better check it out,’ Kim said immediately. ‘I’ll call the agency and see if I can get some extra help here. If you need anything, call us. Not that she’s likely to let anyone help but you.’

  Without waiting to argue, Zan sprinted off and found the bag she used for community visits. She checked the contents, added some extra equipment and then made her way to the door.

  For a brief moment she contemplated telling Carlo where she was going and then she thought better of it.

  He was busy in the clinic and she didn’t want to interrupt him.

  * * *

  Carlo had just finished seeing a patient when his mobile rang.

  It was Matt.

  Carlo listened in silence and then closed his eyes briefly, his broad shoulders suddenly tense. ‘She’s gone into the flat?’

  He listened to Matt’s response and then let out a long breath. ‘Hang around outside. I’ll be there in ten minutes.’

  He made two more phone calls and then snapped the phone shut and went to find Kim, who was placating a woman who’d been waiting for two hours.

  ‘We have a problem.’ He took her to one side and glanced around to check that no one was within earshot. ‘Zan’s with Kelly and I think she needs help.’

  Kim’s eyes widened. ‘She’s called you?’

  ‘I…er…yes.’

  No. His bodyguard had been following her. And he’d heard a woman screaming from inside the flat.

  Had it been Kelly or Zan?

  Sweat broke out on his brow.

  The temptation to order Matt to break the door down had been overwhelming.

  ‘Oh, hell.’ Kim raked fingers through her blonde hair, visibly panicking. ‘I shouldn’t have let Zan go on her own, but the problem is that the husband won’t let anyone else near her.’

  ‘I’m going to see if I can help her.’

  Kim shook her head. ‘They won’t let you in.’

  ‘They might.’ They’d let him in before. Just. ‘The registrar can cover the rest of the clinic. If he has a problem he can call me.’

  Kim nodded and looked at him helplessly. ‘What can I do to help?’

  ‘Nothing for now.’ Carlo dr
agged on his coat and picked up his bag. Then he paused. ‘On second thoughts, maybe you can. Do you have a portable oxygen cylinder?’

  ‘I’ll fetch it.’ Obviously thinking along the same lines, they hurried to the equipment room.

  Carlo stuffed a bag full of equipment while Kim helped.

  ‘I really, really hope you don’t need any of this,’ she said fervently, and he nodded agreement.

  ‘Let’s hope not. But if that baby is arriving six weeks prematurely, in a freezing flat, we could have a problem on our hands.’

  It was an understatement, and they both knew it.

  Kim walked with him to the door. ‘I’ll alert Social Services and the ambulance service. If necessary, we can put an incubator in the ambulance.’

  ‘Good. I’ll call you.’ Carlo strode out of the door and made for the car park.

  * * *

  Slumped in a car at the far end of the car park, two men watched as Carlo walked towards his car. The bigger of the two men sat up slightly, suddenly alert, checking a photograph that lay in his lap.

  ‘That’s him.’

  His partner nodded agreement and both of them watched while Carlo slid into the driver’s seat and drove away.

  ‘So we’ve finally tracked him down. Now what?’

  ‘Nothing yet.’ The man gave an unpleasant smile. ‘We wait. But Carlo Santini is about to have a memorable Christmas.’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ZAN finished examining Kelly for the second time and tried to stay calm.

  It was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

  The flat was freezing and she was delivering a premature baby at home.

  This was a midwife’s equivalent of a bad hair day.

  ‘Kelly, you have to let me call an ambulance,’ she said quietly as she listened to the foetal heart again. So far it had been steady and strong, but it was starting to dip with contractions and Zan was feeling vulnerable and exposed with so little equipment and no medical back-up.

  Mike stepped forward, his eyes cold. ‘She has the baby here.’

  Zan glanced at Kelly but she just stared at the floor, her face white with pain, her long hair straggly as it hung past her thin shoulders.

  For a wild moment Zan wondered whether she could floor Mike and drag Kelly bodily to hospital.

  But that wasn’t an option, of course.

  She was just going to have to do the best she could in the circumstances.

  ‘Just as long as you realise that this baby is going to be very small when it’s born,’ Zan told him. ‘Babies born this early often need to go to our intensive care unit to help them breathe.’

  Kelly gave a little sob and bent double as another pain hit her.

  Zan talked to her quietly, reminding her how to breathe, almost wishing that Kelly had bonded with another midwife.

  Why her?

  Kelly gave a sharp scream and even though the room was freezing Zan felt sweat break out on her forehead.

  ‘Try and remember your breathing, Kelly,’ she murmured gently, rubbing the other girl’s back, horrified by how thin she was.

  ‘I want to push,’ Kelly sobbed, and Zan examined her again to check that her cervix was fully dilated.

  ‘You’re right,’ she said finally, ‘you are ready to push. Let’s get you into a better position.’

  She glanced at Mike, but before she could speak there was a loud knocking at the door.

  Mike glared at her threateningly. ‘Did you call someone?’

  ‘You’ve been in the room with me the whole time,’ Zan pointed out logically, ‘so you know I haven’t.’

  ‘Then who—?’

  ‘Mike, it’s Carlo Bennett.’ Carlo’s deep voice penetrated the door and Zan closed her eyes in relief.

  Kim must have told him.

  Mike’s mouth tightened. ‘I’ll get rid of him.’

  ‘No!’ Zan’s sharp tone stopped him as he strode towards the door, shoulders braced for conflict.

  ‘He ain’t coming near my Kelly!’

  Zan took a deep breath. ‘Mike, ideally Kelly should be in hospital, but if you won’t allow that then at least let the doctor come to her. Please.’

  Mike’s jaw was set. ‘No way.’

  ‘Mike, please.’ Kelly spoke in a quivering voice and then gave a groan as she pushed again.

  Mike looked at her uncertainly. ‘No…’

  ‘Let him in,’ Kelly whispered, her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her hand gripping Zan’s.

  Without another word Mike dragged open the door and Zan felt the tension drain out of her as she saw Carlo, broad-shouldered and powerful, standing in the doorway with an impressive array of equipment tucked under his arm.

  ‘Thank goodness.’ Zan shot him a look of pure relief and he gave her a reassuring smile.

  ‘It’ll be OK.’ He put a hand on Mike’s shoulder, ignoring the frosty look that the other man gave him. ‘Can I take a look at her?’

  Mike hesitated, but then glanced at Kelly again and stood to one side.

  Carlo found the bathroom, washed his hands and then crouched down beside Zan.

  ‘How are you doing, Kelly?’

  ‘Not too good.’ The girl was deathly pale and clearly exhausted.

  ‘Her waters broke in the night but she didn’t call until lunchtime,’ Zan told him. ‘I’ve tried to persuade them to go to the hospital but they won’t. She’s fully dilated and ready to push.’

  ‘So hospital isn’t an option for the moment,’ Carlo muttered, glancing around him with a frown. ‘This place is too cold for a premature baby.’

  Without waiting for an answer from anyone, he reached into his pocket for his mobile phone, leaving Zan to deal with Kelly.

  ‘I’m just calling a friend,’ he told Mike, and proceeded to dial a number and speak in rapid Italian.

  Zan had no idea what he was doing. She was too busy delivering the baby.

  She’d brought clean sheets and blankets from the hospital, and she laid them out now and fished the mucus extractor out of her bag.

  Then she prepared an injection to give Kelly to help her uterus contract once the baby had been born.

  ‘I’ll give that.’ Slipping the phone back into his pocket, Carlo took the syringe from her and watched while Zan delivered the baby’s head.

  ‘Gently now, Kelly,’ she said quietly as she controlled the delivery. ‘That’s great…’

  As the head slid out Zan felt her heart start to pound. The baby was so tiny. It should have been born in hospital, with a team of paediatricians handy and a warm intensive-care cot ready.

  Instead, it was about to be born in a filthy flat which was freezing cold, while snow fell outside.

  Kelly gasped as another contraction hit her and Zan delivered the anterior shoulder, aware that Carlo had swiftly given the necessary injection and was now preparing himself to take the baby.

  ‘You see to the mother,’ he ordered quietly, and as the baby slithered into her waiting hands she found herself praying.

  ‘You have a little boy, Kelly,’ she said softly, passing the limp body to Carlo, who wrapped the baby in a towel.

  Please, let him cry.

  The baby lay still, showing no signs of life. His skin was tinged a sickly blue colour and he made no effort to breathe.

  Kelly struggled upright and then gave a sob of desperation. ‘Why isn’t he crying? Why isn’t he crying?’

  Zan bit her lip and tried to keep her voice steady. ‘Mr Bennett’s just examining him, Kelly.’

  Kelly’s eyes were wild and she shook her head. ‘No! Oh, my God, no—tell me he isn’t—’

  ‘We’re working on it, Kelly,’ Carlo was using the mucus extractor to clear the airway but he glanced up when he heard the knock on the door.

  ‘Open it,’ he ordered harshly. Mike heard the command in his tone and for once responded without argument.

  Zan’s eyes widened as he came back into the room carrying two heaters.

  Following Carlo’s in
structions, Mike plugged the heaters in and positioned them.

  Heat belted into the room and Carlo dried the baby carefully and reached for the oxygen. Then he directed a low flow of oxygen over the baby’s face to try and stimulate a gasp reflex.

  Meanwhile Zan turned her attention back to Kelly and delivered the placenta.

  Despite her weakened state, Kelly seemed to be doing remarkably well, but she was obviously beside herself with worry about the baby.

  ‘Please, don’t let him die—please. Oh, Mike—do something.’

  Tearing sobs shook her slight frame and Zan put her arms around her, praying for a miracle.

  It was Christmas. Didn’t miracles happen at Christmas?

  Obviously not.

  The baby was limp and unresponsive and Mike gave a moan of anguish, the fight draining out of him.

  Zan felt her eyes fill.

  It was so unfair.

  The baby was so tiny and helpless.

  It deserved to live.

  Finally Carlo bent his head and covered the baby’s mouth and nose with his mouth, breathing gently. Then he started cardiac massage, using his index and middle fingers to depress the sternum.

  The tears spilled out of Zan’s eyes and trickled down her cheeks. Maybe it was unprofessional to cry but she just couldn’t help it.

  She could see that Carlo was using every trick at his disposal but the baby was showing no signs of responding.

  He was just too little.

  ‘What’s happening—?’ Mike’s voice was rough with panic and Zan looked at him pleadingly, trying to appeal to the father in him.

  ‘He’s very, very sick. We have to get the baby to hospital. Please, let me call an ambulance. Please, Mike…’ She choked slightly and saw Mike hesitate, but before he could speak the baby gave a little cough and a feeble cry.

  Kelly gasped in delight. ‘He’s alive! You’ve done it. Oh, thank you.’ She burst into tears again and Mike frowned and went to put his arms around her.

  Carlo was still working on the baby.

  ‘He isn’t out of the woods yet,’ he said grimly, wrapping the baby warmly and covering his head to prevent further heat loss. ‘This baby is tiny, Kelly, and he’s grunting. That means that he’s having trouble with his lungs. Babies that are born early can suffer from something called respiratory distress syndrome. They need help with their breathing.’