own to it. And those dark, dark eyes—so deep she could drown in them.
She only just stopped herself raising a hand to touch his cheek, to find out if his skin was as soft as it looked. Kieran’s forebears must have some Mediterranean blood, she thought, because his hair was almost bluish-black and his skin had a faint olive tinge to it. Italian? Spanish?
Before she could make a fool of herself, Lisa returned, to Judith’s relief. She helped Lisa onto the bed. ‘I’m going to dust your tummy with talc,’ she said, ‘so I don’t pinch your skin.’
‘Thank you.’
Kieran took over. ‘With her right hand, Judith’s going to lift your little one’s bottom out of your pelvis. Her left hand’s going to be on the top of the baby’s head, and she’s going to push his head down so it follows his nose—as if he’s going to do a forward roll in your tummy. You’ll feel her left hand pushing his head down while her right hand pushes his bottom upwards at the same time.’
Judith tried it, then turned her head to mouth at Kieran, ‘It’s not working.’
‘But some babies like to be different,’ he said with a reassuring wink. ‘They’d rather do a backward roll than a forward roll, so Jude’s going to try that one next.’
Judith swallowed hard. It had looked so simple in the textbooks she’d pored over last night. She hadn’t bargained for a particularly stubborn baby.
‘Take your time, Jude. There’s no rush.’ Kieran smiled at her, then at Lisa. ‘Are you OK there, Lisa?’
‘Yes, Dr Bailey.’
‘Kieran,’ he corrected with a smile. ‘OK. Take some nice deep breaths for me. That’s it. Relax.’
He had a gorgeous voice. Judith could imagine lying face down on a bed, while his hands eased the knots out of her shoulders. Deep breaths…Relax…
She remembered where she was and could have kicked herself. Her mind needed to be on her patient, not her consultant! Even if he was the most attractive man she’d met in years.
‘Come on, little one,’ she coaxed, almost under her breath. ‘Turn for me. That’s it. Keep going. Keep going.’ She stared at Kieran. ‘Wow. I think he’s done it!’
Kieran quickly checked Lisa’s abdomen. ‘Yep. Well done, both of you.’
‘I didn’t do anything—I just lay here,’ Lisa protested.
‘You relaxed and let it happen. That’s important,’ Kieran said. ‘Now I’m going to check your baby’s heartbeat with the cardiotocograph again.’ He put the sensors back in place and looked at the trace. ‘His heart rate’s a bit slow, but this happens in around forty per cent of cases—it’s all down to compression around the head.’
Bradycardia or a slow heartbeat could also mean that the umbilical cord had been knotted, Judith knew, in which case she’d have to turn the baby back to a breech position and they’d have to admit Lisa for observation—maybe even for a Caesarean.
‘I’ll keep the CTG going for a bit longer, until I’m happy that the heart rate’s come back up again,’ Kieran said.
‘What happens then?’ Lisa asked.
‘It’s up to you. We can induce you, or you can go home to wait until labour starts naturally.’
‘If you wait, there’s a chance the baby might turn back again. But if you’re induced, there’s more chance that you’ll need us to help you deliver the baby. So it’s your choice,’ Judith said.
‘If the baby turns again, will I definitely have to have a section?’ Lisa asked.
‘Not necessarily,’ Kieran advised. ‘If you’d like to try for a vaginal delivery, and provided the baby isn’t distressed, that’s fine.’ He smiled at her. ‘Baby’s heart rate is coming back up again, and I’m happy with the trace. Everything seems fine. Do you have any pain anywhere?’
Lisa shook her head.
‘Good. If you feel any pain or experience any bleeding, you need to ring your midwife straight away, or come straight here,’ he advised.
‘So I can go home now?’
‘Rest for a little while first,’ he said. ‘But as soon as you feel ready to go, provided you’re not in any pain, let one of the nurses know and I’ll come and check you over before you go.’
‘Thank you. Both of you,’ she said, looking relieved.
Judith liked his bedside manner, the way he’d made Lisa feel at ease. Kieran Bailey was more than just a pretty face, she thought. And from the look on Lisa’s face, she thought so, too.
But as Judith left the room, she noticed a familiar scent. Baby sick. Kieran smelled faintly of baby sick. As she knew for a fact no babies had been sick on him on the ward that morning, it could only mean one thing.
His own baby had been sick on him that morning before work.
And that would explain why he’d been late on his first day.
She sighed inwardly. Just her bad luck. It was the first time she’d been attracted to someone in a long time—and he was married. Or at least involved with someone. The lack of a wedding ring didn’t mean anything.
And as for that flash of awareness she’d seen in his eyes, she’d make sure she kept him at arm’s length. She had no intention of smashing up someone else’s relationship. Hopefully the attraction would fade after a few weeks.
Or even less than that. Memories threatened to choke her.
‘Are you taking your lunch-break now, Jude?’ Louise asked.
Judith glanced at her watch. ‘If that’s OK with you, Mr Bai—Kieran?’ she corrected herself.
‘Fine.’
‘Why don’t you go, too?’ Louise suggested. ‘I can bleep you if you’re needed.’
Judith remembered her promise to Bella to look after Kieran. Damn. She needed some space right now to get her head straight. But it was his first day. It wasn’t fair to abandon him. ‘Um, would you like to come to the canteen with me?’ she asked. ‘I’m meeting a couple of friends, but they won’t mind if you join us.’
‘Thanks, but…’ Something that looked like guilt flickered over his face. ‘There are a couple of things I need to do. I’ll, um, see you later.’
‘Sure.’ She wasn’t sure if she was more disappointed or relieved that he wasn’t joining them. Relieved because she had a chance to put some distance between them. As for the disappointment, it was better this way. Besides, Zoe and Holly would have grilled the poor man until he’d given them his complete life history.
Her best friends were already waiting for her in the canteen. ‘Chicken salad wrap, orange juice and the last strawberry yoghurt,’ Zoe said, sliding the plates across to Judith’s place.
‘Angel.’ Judith hugged
