he cared over and above and, while she conceded he was not one to take risks, perhaps that would make their collaboration perfect. He could temper her risks, mitigate the strategies and together they could find the best way forward.
‘What is it you want to know?’
‘I want to know if we have sufficient staff on board for starters. And if we don’t, I need you to tell me who’s missing. Oliver has left it up to me, and I would like your input.’
Finally he looked up and spoke earnestly. ‘I think you’re fine with the surgical team. Each and every one is the best that Teddy’s has to offer and I don’t think you want to further crowd the operating room. My concerns would be around the anaesthesia.’
‘Why would that be?’ she asked with her curiosity piqued as she shifted to the edge of her chair.
‘If the laser procedure was to be the catalyst for pre-term delivery of the quads you would be looking at a Caesarean if the babies were to have any chance of surviving. They would be barely twenty-nine weeks’ gestation, and babies that premature would not survive the birth canal. There would not be sufficient time for an epidural to be administered so you’d be forced to use a general.’
‘So we’ll have that option on hand?’
Charlie stood and walked around to the front of the desk, crossed his legs and looked directly at Juliet. ‘I think you should try to avoid general anaesthesia.’
With a frown, Juliet continued the questions. ‘How can we though? You just said yourself that our only option if labour was to commence as a result of the laser surgery was a GA.’
‘No, I said that it would be the only option if we weren’t fully prepared.’
‘So you think we should have an epidural in place for the procedure rather than the local anaesthetic and conscious sedation?’
‘Yes, that way we’ll have both bases covered. It would meet your needs during the fetoscopic procedure, but allow a Caesarean to be performed immediately any signs of distress were detected from any of the babies.’
‘It makes perfect sense.’
‘Glad you agree.’
‘Am I missing anything else?’
‘No, I think we’ve covered it all now.’
They both felt the other trying to meet halfway. It was almost as if the slate had been wiped clean in a very short time by them trying to understand the other. It was starting to resemble a collaboration of minds and skills. And each of them was pleasantly surprised.
Juliet wondered fleetingly if there was a chance it could possibly become a collaboration in another sense. Then just as quickly she pushed that from her mind. She didn’t need any complications in her life. And she knew Charlie Warren would be a very big complication. And if she fell for him, a very big heartache that she couldn’t risk.
‘I know we won’t agree on the procedure,’ she began with her mind back in appreciative colleague mode, ‘but I value your advice. I’ll meet with the anaesthetist tomorrow and brief him on the changes and then let the Abbiatis know. I’m glad we agree on this.’
‘I’m glad too,’ Charlie offered as he suddenly saw Juliet in a very different light. He had seen glimpses over the previous days but only in short bursts, before her need to bring home her opinion took over masking the woman he was seeing clearly again now. Suddenly he felt the defensive armour he had worn close to his chest for two years loosening a little. He had not meant to tell her about losing his wife but the words had just spilled out and he was not sorry. Letting Juliet know about his past seemed natural. In fact everything about being around Juliet suddenly seemed very natural.
‘It’s been a long morning,’ he suddenly announced. ‘And I’m quite hungry as I skipped breakfast. Would you like to join me for lunch?’ He felt as if he was getting to know the real Juliet and it had been a long time since he had wanted to get to know anyone. Her interest in seeking his opinion, despite their opposing stands on the procedure, made him feel as if his advice meant something to her. And she had not pried into his personal life. He had told her about losing his wife and she had left it alone. He appreciated that respect of his unspoken boundaries.
‘That would be lovely, Charlie, but I’m due to collect Bea. Would you mind if she joined us?’
‘Not at all.’
Charlie was already smitten by Bea. She was a tiny version of her mother. Just as bossy, just as beautiful...and just as endearing. Her innocent joy of everything festive was making him see Christmas through her eyes instead of a man who had lost his wife at that same time of the year. The distaste he had held for anything close to celebrating was losing ground under the spell of the tiny decorator with a love of tinsel.
* * *
‘Did you know that Charlie helped me with the tinthel on the windowth?’
‘Did he indeed?’ Juliet asked as she sipped her Earl Grey tea in the downstairs hospital tea room. Juliet did not want to let on she had witnessed Bea ordering Charlie around. It still brought a smile to her face as they sat together having a light lunch. Charlie had suggested they could head into town to have something to eat, but Juliet was well aware that he had a patient in labour and already beginning to dilate and thought better of taking him away. The roads were icy and she knew he would be taking his motorbike and the thought of him racing back in bad weather if the labour turned into a delivery without much notice did not sit well with her.
‘Yeth. He was a very good helper. And he carried the boxthes.’
‘Because you were a very good boss,’ he said, with his eyes laughing. ‘And you can’t carry boxes of tinsel with a broken arm.’
Juliet laughed and looked over at Charlie. He was the most complex man she had ever met. He had so many layers and she wasn’t sure why but when he lowered his guard around Bea in particular she could see how very special he was. Juliet watched him smiling down at her daughter. His affection for her was palpable. And it made Juliet happier than she could have imagined. Not that she was looking for a father for her child, but if she had been Charlie would definitely have been a good choice.
Even Bea knew it.
‘And how exactly did carting tinsel for a four-year-old became your role?’ Juliet asked as she watched Bea happily sipping on her oversized chocolate milkshake. She felt certain the ladies in the tea room had found the largest cup and filled it to the brim. Bea’s little legs were swinging back and forth as she gleefully watched the toy train, driven by a tiny Santa, circling a smaller Christmas tree in the corner of the tea room. Cotton wool covered the base of the tree like freshly fallen snow and it had been sprinkled with silver glitter. Juliet could see her daughter was in complete awe of it all. Juliet finally felt she could relax and exhale over her decision to bring Bea with her to the UK.
‘I wanted to check on Bea’s cast,’ Charlie continued. ‘I know you would have been keeping an eye on it, but I wanted see how my workmanship had stood up to the rigours of a four-year-old. Before I knew it I was recruited to decoration duty.’
‘Be careful, knowing my daughter, she’ll soon have grand plans of taking the tinsel to any part of the hospital that is not looking festive.’
‘Oh, she’s already scoped the entire floor
