laughing blue eyes, was the child they had longed for whereas Eleanor, with her straight black hair and solemn demeanour, had been the cuckoo in the nest.
Ellie pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She wasn’t a child any more and she didn’t need anyone’s adoration to prove her worth. ‘The contractions are coming roughly two minutes apart now. Do you know how long it will be before Polly gets here? Marie said she was on her way back from Outhwaite Farm.’
‘Oh!’ Daniel grimaced. ‘It’s the farm that’s probably furthest away from here. It’ll take Polly a good thirty minutes to get back, I expect, but I’ll go and check where she is.’ He strode to the door then paused to glance back. ‘I meant what I said, Eleanor. I didn’t mean to snap at you.’
He didn’t wait for her to answer and Ellie was glad. She turned to Beth after he left, forcing down the bubble of happiness that had risen up inside her. She didn’t need Daniel’s approbation any more than she needed to be adored, she told herself sternly, but to very little effect.
She sighed. It had taken her a long time to develop a sense of her own worth. Growing up, she had always felt second-best compared to Gemma. Although her parents had been unfailingly kind and supportive, they had found it impossible to hide their delight in their natural daughter. Gemma had been so pretty and precocious and everyone had adored her—or so it had seemed to Ellie. Ellie had faded into the background after Gemma was born when Ellie was eight years old. It was only when she went to university that she had come into her own—made her own circle of friends, had her first boyfriend. She had slowly gained confidence and, once she had qualified and started practising, she had forgotten about the disappointments of her childhood. When she had started dating Michael Ross, another of the doctors at the practice where she’d worked, and had become engaged to him, her life had felt complete. And then she had let herself into his flat that morning and found him in bed with Stacey Roberts, one of the practice nurses, and her world had fallen apart...
‘Ooh!’
Beth’s groan brought Ellie back to the present. Bending down, she checked what progress they were making, her heart racing when she discovered that the baby’s head was crowning. ‘You’re almost there,’ she told Beth, trying to inject a note of confidence into her voice. ‘Baby’s head is crowning so it won’t be long now.’
‘The sooner the better,’ Beth muttered through gritted teeth. Her face screwed up as another contraction began and Ellie quickly gathered together everything she would need once the baby was born. Fortunately, they had birthing kits in the supply cupboard so she put on a pair of gloves and placed everything close to hand—scissors to cut the cord, a soft cloth to dry the infant, some narrow tubing to clear its airway if it was necessary. The head was emerging now and she slid her hand beneath it, gently supporting its weight as first one shoulder and then the other followed.
‘One more push should do it,’ she told Beth, thanking her stars that Beth was so clued up about what to do. ‘Here we go!’
The baby slithered out, screaming lustily, which was more than Ellie could have hoped for. It was a little girl, slightly on the small side, but absolutely perfect in every respect. Ellie wiped the mucus off the little one’s face, smiling as she wrapped her in a towel and handed her to Beth. ‘Congratulations. You have a beautiful little daughter.’
‘A girl!’ Beth exclaimed as she took her first look at her daughter. ‘I was convinced I was having a boy!’
‘Not disappointed, are you?’ Ellie teased her.
‘No way! She’s gorgeous.’ Beth dropped a kiss on her baby’s head.
Ellie turned away when she felt her eyes fill with tears. She had always dreamed of having a child of her own. Maybe it had become even more important because she and the baby would have been related by blood and that would have been even more special. Now the dreams she’d harboured had been bagged up and disposed of along with all that unwanted clothing. She wouldn’t have a child now because the last thing she planned to do was to fall in love again and risk being let down a second time. It hurt to know how much she would miss because of what had happened.
‘Well, it looks as though you’ve managed fine without me!’
Ellie swung round when the door opened to admit a tall, red-haired woman. Taking a quick breath, she hurriedly composed her features into a welcoming smile. Maybe her life wasn’t going to turn out how she had hoped it would but she would make the best of it. ‘I take it that you’re Polly,’ she said, holding out her hand. ‘I’m Eleanor Munroe, the new locum.’
‘Polly Davies.’ Polly shook hands then went over to Beth, smiling as she looked at the baby. ‘What a little poppet! And not a bad size too considering you had another three weeks to go.’
‘She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?’ Beth murmured, stroking the baby’s wrinkled little cheek.
‘Oh, so it’s a girl?’ Polly laughed, her pretty face lighting up with amusement. ‘That’s ten pounds you owe me.’ She looked round, deliberately drawing Ellie into the conversation. ‘Beth was convinced she was having a boy but I was equally sure it would be a girl so we had a bet on it. Looks as though I’m the winner!’
‘We’re both winners,’ Beth corrected her, laughing.
Ellie laughed as well but she couldn’t pretend that her heart wasn’t heavy at the thought of never having children of her own. It was hard to rid herself of the thought as she helped Polly deliver the afterbirth then get Beth and the baby ready for the transfer to hospital. Although Beth was reluctant to go, Polly managed to persuade her that it would be in her and the baby’s best interests. By the time Daniel led in the paramedics, everything was ready.
‘Let me know if they keep you in, Beth,’ he said, planting a kiss on his partner’s cheek. ‘We’ll set up a rota—that way you won’t be inundated by everyone wanting to visit at the same time.’
‘That would be great.’ Beth’s voice caught as she looked at the baby nestled in her arms. ‘It’ll be nice for this little one to have all her aunties and uncles there for her, even if her father isn’t interested.’
Ellie stepped aside as the paramedics wheeled Beth and the baby out to the ambulance. Polly was following on by car and she left as well. Daniel sighed as he watched them go.
‘I can’t believe that Callum doesn’t want anything to do with his own child, but he’s never even bothered to contact Beth since she wrote to tell him she was pregnant.’
‘So she said,’ Ellie said quietly. ‘It must be very difficult for her.’
‘It must. It’s hard enough bringing up a child on your own when it’s the result of circumstances beyond your control, but it must be much worse when it’s because the other parent doesn’t want to be involved.’
There was real regret in Daniel’s voice and Ellie found herself wondering if he was speaking from experience. She knew nothing about his personal life, whether he was married and had a family or what. However, before she could attempt to find out, he made an obvious effort to collect himself.
‘Anyway, leaving all that aside, I wanted to thank you, Eleanor. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end!’ He laughed ruefully. ‘And here was I, trying not to put too much pressure on you!’
