The Surrogate's Unexpected Miracle Read online

  ‘This is nice...’ Mike was looking up at the beamed ceiling and then his gaze ran swiftly over the old cooking range and the arched doorway into the big pantry that had once been a creamery for the original farm. He frowned at the masking tape crisscrossing one of the windows where a pane of glass was badly cracked and he was making rapid notes on a tablet device. ‘Good thing you left it fully furnished. It looks like someone’s living in it and these antiques look original.’

  ‘Some of them probably are,’ Lucas agreed. ‘And it certainly is a lovely home. It needs to be sold to a family that will love it.’ As the Gilmore family had. ‘I’m not selling to anyone who wants to demolish this house.’

  Brian’s words still stung. Maybe Dorothy and Eric hadn’t realised what was involved in a formal adoption process. They’d changed his name before enrolling him at his new school and somehow that had been enough and he’d slipped through the system. He’d been Lucas Gilmore ever since.

  He’d been their son.

  And he wasn’t about to let cousin Brian destroy any part of the miracle that had turned his life around so completely. He had his solicitor working on the legality of the unexpected claim and he was hopeful he could have it overturned in court.

  A family of his own was never going to happen—he knew too well the nightmare of things going wrong—and even if he had been planning one, it wouldn’t be here—where the ghosts of what had gone so wrong in his own early life were never very far away.

  But that was what this house needed.

  A family. Laughter echoing through the rooms and love to be celebrated in meals taken at this old, scrubbed pine table.

  Hopefully, what was left of the three months he had signed up for at Auckland General would be long enough to see that happen. As if prompted by the thought, he turned his head to where the grandfather clock in the hallway was ticking again. A slow, steady sound that had always been the heartbeat of this old house.

  ‘How ’bout I leave you to have a look around at the rest of the place, Mike? If you pull the front door closed, it’ll lock itself. I’m due to start my shift in Emergency in less than an hour and you never know what the traffic’s going to be like on the motorway. I’d better get my skates on.’

  * * *

  If she hadn’t been so frightened, Ellie would have been mortified, arriving at any emergency department like this, let alone the one she worked in herself!

  She was on a narrow ambulance stretcher. On her knees, with her head on her hands and her bottom up in the air.

  Knowing she was bleeding had been enough to scare her. The speed with which the paramedics checked her out, got an IV line in and fluids running and then headed for the nearest hospital using lights and sirens told her they were just as worried about the situation as she was. And, moments before they had arrived at the hospital, her waters had broken and, in the wake of the rush of fluid, she knew things had just become a whole lot worse.

  ‘Something feels weird,’ she told them. ‘I think I might have a cord prolapse.’

  A quick glance by the lead paramedic confirmed her fears.

  ‘As soon as we get you out, we’ll get you head down, on your knees and use gravity to take pressure off the cord. We’ll support you and move slowly, okay?’

  ‘Okay.’ She felt the clunk as the wheels of the stretcher came down and locked. With help, she turned to get on her knees, putting her elbows on the mattress and lowering her head between her hands.

  The warning not to start pushing even if she felt the urge had been unnecessary. Ellie knew how dangerous this was. If the baby’s head put too much pressure on the cord, it would cut off the oxygen supply and lead to a stillbirth. She couldn’t let that happen. Ava and Marco would sort things out. They had really wanted this baby. They’d all gone to that first ultrasound appointment together and there had been tears of joy all round. Surely nobody would really plan to bring a new life into the world just to fix a failing relationship?

  The contractions were at increasingly shorter intervals but she hadn’t felt any urge to push.

  Yet.

  The hospital would have had advance warning of her arrival and the problem with blood loss but there hadn’t been time to warn them about this new complication. Would there be a specialist obstetrician waiting for her in one of the resuscitation rooms already?

  In this undignified position, Ellie couldn’t see anybody’s faces. Just their legs, as she was wheeled carefully past the triage desk, with the paramedics on either side of the stretcher, both with one arm over her body to support her balance.

  She could recognise voices, however.

  ‘Cord prolapse,’ one of the paramedics said. ‘Waters broke about two minutes ago.’

  ‘It’s okay, Ellie. We’ve got this...’ That was Sue—one of her best friends here. ‘Resus One, guys.’ The hand that had given her back a quick, reassuring rub disappeared and Sue’s voice faded as she turned away. ‘Has anyone got an update on that obstetrics consult? Luke? Can you take this in the meantime?’

  Ellie watched sets of wheels flash past. That was an ECG monitor and those were a tangle of IV stands. A drug trolley was being pushed in the opposite direction. She could hear the sounds of a busy emergency department all around her. If she’d been on her feet, in her scrubs, with her stethoscope around her neck, this would all be perfectly normal.

  She’d never been on this side of the fence before.

  Or realised just how horribly vulnerable it made you feel.

  ‘We’re going to get you onto the bed,’ someone told her. ‘We’ll lift you. Don’t try and help.’

  ‘We’ll put her in an exaggerated Sims’ position to start with.’ Ellie didn’t recognise this male voice. ‘Left lateral with at least two pillows to support the pelvis. Lower the head of the bed, too. And get some oxygen on the mother.’

  The mother? Ellie squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She wasn’t supposed to be about to become the mother. This was a nightmare. Maybe she’d wake up in a minute to find Ava and Marco standing there. Smiling. Excited to be about to meet their new baby...

  This was a slightly more dignified position, at least, but she still had a restricted visual field. She could see the length of the body in dark green scrubs beside her, but it wasn’t until he crouched that she could see the face that belonged to that new voice. Tanned skin. Kind of wild brown hair with blond streaks. Hazel eyes. He looked like he’d just come out of some surf, on a hot summer’s day, with a board casually slung under one arm.

  ‘Hi, Ellie. I’m Luke Gilmore, one of the doctors here. I’m just going to have a look and see what’s going on, okay?’

  As another contraction gathered force, Ellie could only nod.

  Luke Gilmore? He had to be new here. A locum? She’d stopped work three weeks ago to rest and prepare for the birth so she hadn’t met him. She hadn’t even heard his name.

  Or had she? It did seem vaguely familiar...

  With the contraction reaching its peak, the thought was obliterated by pain. She pushed her fist into her mouth but couldn’t stifle a cry.

  For a long moment, nothing existed except the pain but then she became aware of the voices around her.

  ‘What was the time interval for that last contraction?’

  ‘Two minutes.’

  ‘Estimated blood loss?’

  ‘Five hundred mils on scene.’ The paramedics were still there. ‘We put in a wide bore IV and she’s had a litre of saline so far.’

  ‘She’s still bleeding. Let’s get another litre going.’

  That was this Dr Gilmore’s voice. Did he know what he was doing? He certainly sounded confident enough. Ellie could feel that her lower body was bare now. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn’t know this person but there were plenty of people she did know seeing a lot more of her than they ever ha
d before. Not that she cared. Nothing mattered right now other than to get through this safely. There was a baby’s life at stake. Maybe even her own, if she was still losing so much blood.

  She could feel a hand inside her.

  ‘Ah...’ The sound was hard to interpret. Satisfaction...or concern? ‘Ellie? You’re going to feel me pushing. I need to take the pressure off the cord.’

  He still sounded calm, this Luke. And she could feel him pushing hard against the baby’s head.

  ‘Any risk factors in the pregnancy?’

  ‘Not that we know of.’ The paramedic sounded embarrassed. It was a question they should have asked.

  ‘Low lying placenta,’ Ellie said, but her voice was muffled behind the oxygen mask.

  ‘Sorry, what was that?’ Luke was still pushing against her baby’s head to ensure it was clear of the cord but he leaned sideways so that she could see his face as she turned her head. In the bustle of people and activity around her, there was something very calming in the steady gaze of those hazel eyes that were visible again.

  ‘I’ve had a low-lying placenta. Only marginal but I was due for another scan this week and possible admission for observation and a C section if indicated.’

  She saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes at her clinical information.

  ‘Ellie’s a nurse,’ someone behind him said. Sue had come into the resus area. ‘She’s one of our best ED nurses, in fact.’

  Luke’s face disappeared from her line of sight. ‘Where’s our Obs consult?’

  ‘Here.’ A female voice who sounded rather nervous.

  ‘This is Anne Duffy,’ Sue said. ‘O&G registrar.’

  Maybe Luke had picked up on the nervousness. ‘Have you got a theatre available? We’ve got a cord prolapse here. She’s fully dilated but still in stage one. We’re looking at either an emergency C section or an operative delivery.’

  ‘No.’ Anne sounded young as well as nervous. ‘We’re in the middle of a C section for triplets. It’s got most of our staff tied up for a while but it shouldn’t be too long until one of the consultants is available. Is the baby distressed?’

  Maybe it was her imagination but Ellie thought she heard Luke sigh. ‘Have we got that foetal monitor hooked up yet?’

  ‘Yes. Baby’s heart-rate is one-thirty. No, hang on...one-ten... It’s dropping...’

  Ellie could feel her own heart-rate increasing. This was suddenly getting very serious. If the baby’s heart-rate was dropping, it meant that the head was finally putting too much pressure on the cord despite the interventions. The clock was ticking now...

  And something else was changing.

  ‘I need to push,’ she said.

  ‘Don’t push.’ The registrar definitely sounded nervous now. Terrified, even? ‘Take deep breaths. Try and go limp. Relax your pelvic floor.’

  If Ellie had had any spare breath right then, it might have come out as an incredulous huff. Just how much experience had this junior doctor had? She fought the urge to push, her face scrunched as tightly as possible against the pain.

  ‘Heart-rate’s down to eighty,’ someone said.

  ‘Not too long isn’t good enough.’ There was a different note in Luke’s voice now. He had made a decision and was taking control. ‘Lay out the forceps kit, please. Can someone put out an urgent page and get a paediatrician down here, stat? Anne—take over here. Two fingers on the baby’s head and upward pressure, okay?’

  ‘Got it.’

  ‘Have you done a forceps delivery?’

  ‘I’ve assisted with one.’

  ‘Ellie? Can you hear me?’

  ‘Y-yes.’ Her voice came out sounding oddly croaky. Frightened...

  Luke was crouched right beside her now, his face only a few inches from her own.

  ‘We need to get your baby out as soon as possible. You’re fully dilated and with the help of forceps we can do it. I’ve done a long stint in obstetrics and have experience in assisted delivery. Are you happy for me to go ahead?’

  There was nothing about this that Ellie was happy about. But there was something in those eyes that gave her something to cling to.

  Confidence. Hope...

  She nodded, giving her consent.

  ‘We can give you some Entonox but there’s no time for any other pain relief to kick in. It’s going to be a bit rough. I’m sorry...’

  He was sorry. He looked as though he would take that impending pain himself rather than inflict it on her. Ellie closed her eyes to hold back tears but she nodded again. ‘It’s okay...’

  She could feel the tension in the room around her. Hear the clatter of instrument kits being unrolled onto a stainless steel trolley. She felt her body being moved so that she was lying on her back, sterile drapes being folded around her and listened to the instructions Luke was issuing as her legs were lifted and supported.

  And he talked to her all through it, too.

  ‘I’m giving you a bit of local for the episiotomy. You’ll feel it sting for a moment.’

  It stung a lot but Ellie knew it was only the start. She sucked on the mouthpiece giving her the inhaled pain relief.

  ‘I’m inserting the first blade, now. And the second. And I’m locking them. When the next contraction starts, I’m going to need you to push—as hard as you can, sweetheart.’

  Sweetheart?

  The word cut through the fear and pain. It was just a word that should have evaporated into the ether the moment it had been spoken but it didn’t. It echoed in her head and sent ripples through her body. It was something warm and caring and lovely in the middle of something horrific. And when the instruction to push came moments after the next contraction started she pushed with every ounce of strength she could summon.

  And maybe she found more strength than she knew she had because, in the wake of being abandoned by the person she cared about most, he’d called her sweetheart...

  It only took two contractions, a minute apart, with her pushing as if her life depended on it and Luke pulling with the baby’s head cradled between the blades of the forceps and she could feel the baby coming into the world.

  ‘It’s a boy, Ellie,’ someone said.

  She knew that. Marco and Ava had known that, too. They’d already picked out a name. Carlos.

  Her train of thought vanished as she became aware of the silence in the room. There was no baby crying. And nobody else was saying anything, either. The silence was shocked. And shocking. Ellie jerked her head up to see a tiny, limp body that someone was rubbing briskly with a towel.

  A woman she didn’t know—the nervous young registrar, perhaps—saw her looking.

  ‘It’s okay, Ellie. We’re doing everything we can for your baby.’

  Tears that had been building for too long exploded from Ellie as she let her head drop back down.

  ‘But he’s not my baby,’ she sobbed. ‘And now nobody wants him...’

  CHAPTER TWO

  WHAT?

  Surely he hadn’t heard correctly?

  For a split second, Lucas froze, completely distracted from what he was about to do.

  Nobody wanted this baby?

  One of the department’s senior nurses, Sue, was right beside him.

  ‘This was a surrogate pregnancy,’ she told him quietly. ‘But I have no idea what’s gone wrong.’

  Lucas couldn’t give a damn about what might have gone wrong. There was a knot in his chest that felt like anger.

  He knew what it was like to be an unwanted child. To face a world where you were not worth enough for anybody to want you.

  No more than a blink of time had passed but Lucas snapped back to reality.

  ‘Give him to me,’ he snapped.

  Picking up the limp bundle, he carried it to the troll
ey that had been hastily prepared with neonatal resuscitation gear. He gently laid the tiny body onto the sterile drapes. The miniature mask seemed to cover half the face as he delivered puffs of oxygen. He put his hands around a chest that felt alarmingly fragile, positioning both his thumbs on the sternum. Gentle but rapid compressions. Sue had followed him and picked up the mask. One puff, three compressions. One puff, three compressions.

  You can do it... Come on... Fight...it’s worth it, I promise...

  Only Luke could hear the words in his head. Or were they coming from his heart?

  Someone’s going to love you...

  There weren’t any words that came with his next thought—it was just a flash of sensation that came from nowhere.

  I love you...

  He shook off the bizarre notion. Getting emotionally involved in this unexpected case wasn’t going to help anyone. He needed to think ahead. Professionally. Intubation as the next step... IV access through the umbilical cord...chasing up that specialist paediatric consult...

  And then the miracle happened. He felt the tiny body move between his hands. He paused the compressions and felt the push of that little ribcage against the pads of his thumbs as the baby took its own first breath.

  And then another. That tiny face scrunched itself into an angry expression and the third breath was enough to provide the power for a warbling sound. The next effort was much more convincing.

  This little guy was a fighter, after all.

  And then Luke heard another cry from a very unexpected direction. From behind him.

  From this new mother who didn’t want this baby.

  He could feel his face tightening as he turned. His heart hardening.

  And then he saw her face.

  Propped up on her elbows, Ellie must have been watching this whole resuscitation effort and she had definitely heard those first sounds of a new life awakening.

  Her hair was a tangle of blonde knots around a face that was pale enough to suggest she had lost a concerning amount of blood. And those eyes...

  Huge, dark blue pools that were telling him something very different than the last words he had heard her speaking—that this wasn’t her baby and that nobody wanted him.