gone,’ Louise said, as he carried on writing.
‘Who?’
‘Jennifer.’
‘That’s good.’
‘She’s nice, isn’t she?’ Louise said, and watched his pen pause for a second.
‘So I’ve heard,’ Anton responded, and carried on writing.
‘Have you met her?’
Anton looked up and met Louise’s eyes, which were sparkling with mischief. ‘Should I have?’
‘I don’t know.’ Louise smiled, all the more curious, but, looking at him, properly looking at him for the first time since he had handed her the referral, she was curious now for different reasons. ‘Why aren’t we talking, Anton?’
‘We’re talking now.’
‘Why are you checking everything I do?’
‘I’m not.’
‘Believe me, you are. I might just as well give you the obs trolley and follow you around and simply write your findings down.’
‘Louise, I like to check my patients myself. It has nothing to do with you.’
‘Okay.’ She went to go but changed her mind. ‘We’re not talking, though, are we?’
He glanced at the sticking plaster on her arm from where she had had blood tests. ‘How was your appointment?’
‘He was very informative,’ Louise said.
‘You’re seeing him again?’
‘In January.’ Louise nodded.
‘May I ask …?’ Anton said, and Louise closed her eyes.
‘Please don’t.’
‘So I just sit here and say nothing?’ Anton checked.
He glanced down the corridor. ‘Come to my office.’
Louise did as she wanted to hear what he had to say.
‘I want to see if we can have a chance and I don’t think we’ll get one with you about to go on IVF.’
‘Oh, so I’m to put all my plans on hold because you now think we might have a chance.’
‘I don’t think that’s unreasonable.’
‘I do,’ Louise said. ‘I very much do. I’ve liked you for months,’ she said, ‘months and months, and now, when I’m just getting it together, when I’m going ahead with what I’ve decided to do, you suddenly decide, oh, okay, maybe I’ll give her a try.’
‘Come off it, Louise …’
‘No, you come off it,’ Louise snapped back. A part of her knew he was right but the other part of her knew that she was. She’d cancelled her dreams for a man once before and had sworn never to do it again and so she went to walk off.
‘You won’t even discuss it?’
‘I need to think,’ Louise said.
‘Think with me, then.’
‘No.’
She was scared to, scared that he might make up her mind, and she was so past being that person. Instead, she gave him a cheeky smile. ‘Richard told me to have a very nice Christmas.’
Her smile wasn’t returned.
‘I’m not into Christmas.’
‘I meant—’
‘I know what you meant, Louise,’ Anton said. ‘You want some gun for hire.’
‘Ooh, Anton!’ Louise smiled again and then thought for a moment. ‘Actually, I do.’
‘Tough.’
Anton stood in his office for a few moments as she walked off.
Maybe he’d been a bit terse there, he conceded.
But it was hearing Louise talk about egg sharing with Emily that had had him on edge. From the little Louise had told him about her fertility issues he had guessed IVF would be her best option if she wanted to get pregnant. Often women changed their minds after the first visit. He had hoped it might be the case with Louise while deep down knowing that it wouldn’t be.
He had seen her sitting in the canteen with her mother today—and it had to have been her mum as Anton could see where Louise had got her looks from—but even that had caused disquiet.
Louise had talked this through with her family. It was clearly not a whim.
It just left no room for them.
Anton wanted more than just sex for a few weeks.
Then he changed his mind because a few weeks of straight sex sounded pretty ideal right now.
Perhaps they should try pushing things aside and just seeing how the next few weeks unfolded.
He walked out of his office and there was Louise, walking with a woman in labour. She caught his eye and gave him a wink.
Anton smiled in return.
The tease was back on.
‘I AM SO, so jealous!’ Emily said, as Louise teetered in on high heels on Friday night, having finished her shift and got changed into her Christmas party clothes.
‘It’s fine that you’re jealous,’ Louise said to Emily, ‘because I am so, so jealous of you. I’d love to be in bed now, nursing my bump.’
‘You look stunning,’ Hugh said.
Louise was dressed in a willow-green dress that clung to her lack of curves and she had her Mistletoe range stockings on, which came with matching panties, bra and suspenders. As they chatted Louise topped her outfit off with a very red coat that looked more like a cape and was a piece of art in itself.
‘God help Anton,’ Hugh said openly to Louise.
‘Sadly, he’s stuck on the ward.’ Louise rolled her eyes. ‘So that was a waste of six pounds.’
As she headed out Hugh turned to Emily, who was trying not to laugh at Hugh’s reaction.
‘Was she talking about condoms?’ Hugh asked.
‘She was.’
Oh, Louise was!
