was she so easily enmeshed him, like those nets hanging off the boats down on the beach, and he had to disentangle himself. A liaison with a junior midwife was the last thing he needed.
He just hadn’t wanted misunderstandings at work and especially when his aunt thought so much of her. Really his only reason for being here.
He finished his breakfast in a hurry and stood up. ‘Sorry to rush off.’
‘No. You go. I’ll stay a little longer. I often eat down here when I’m working the late shift.’
Tilly watched him go with his strong brown legs eating up the distance and the incline to his aunt’s house. He didn’t look back and his spine stayed straight and tall as he moved like a well-oiled machine, though actually he was a bit of a machine, with his running and his rules for the ward and the world. Marcus The Machine. A control freak. Which was sad.
Yet somehow she didn’t think he’d planned the invitation to have breakfast with him. She smiled to herself. She’d bet that had come out of nowhere.
CHAPTER FOUR
WHEN Tilly walked into work that afternoon she didn’t even get a handover. Gina shooed her straight through to Birthing as she arrived and briefed her on the way. ‘There’s a teenage mum in birth suite four. I’d like you to look after her.’
‘Yes, please.’ Tilly was happy with that and Gina grinned at her enthusiasm.
‘India Ray. Her mum’s in South Australia and the boyfriend’s outside on the street at the moment. She has a nasty history of abuse and of course she’s terrified of the birth and anyone touching her. The seniors will cover the ward until she’s delivered so concentrate on her. She’s had her monitoring done, so you can see the trace in the chart—all’s well there.’
Tilly nodded, she could almost hear her mum’s voice, ‘If a girl’s had a rotten childhood, past abuse can seriously affect the way she labours.’ It had been a passion of her mother’s that she’d passed on to Tilly, to be especially supportive and aware that labours could suddenly stop when women felt vulnerable.
Privacy and actual physical contact were huge issues.
‘Good luck.’ Gina left her to finish handover with the others and Tilly knocked on the door and slipped into the darkened room. She could hear rapid breathing coming from the bed.
‘Hello, there, India.’ Tilly peered through the dimness and waited for her eyes to adjust. ‘I’m Tilly. I’m the midwife looking after you this afternoon.’
There was no response from the young woman on the bed. Tilly tried again. ‘How’s it going?’
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