Harlequin Medical Romance December 2015, Box Set 1 of 2 (44 page)

Sean came over to her as soon as the fireman had left. ‘I need your help, Molly, but I have to warn you that it could be risky, so you must say if you feel that you don't want to do it.'

‘Why? What's happened?' she asked.

‘The search and rescue team have located a woman trapped in one of the first floor apartments. The problem is that they have only managed to clear a very small area to get to her—more like a tunnel is how the fireman described it. It's not wide enough for any of their men to get through and they daren't risk enlarging it in case the floor above caves in. It's just possible that you might be able to get up there if you're willing to give it a shot.'

‘Of course,' she said immediately. ‘Have they spoken to the woman and do they know if she's been injured?'

‘Yes.' He grimaced. ‘Her name is Karen Archer and, although she isn't injured, she is pregnant. The baby was due at the end of January but she thinks she might be having labour pains.'

‘Oh, dear. That doesn't sound good, does it? The sooner I take a look at her the better.'

Molly hurried to the door, pausing only long enough to tell Jayne what was happening. Sean led her over to the officer in charge of the search and rescue team and explained that she was willing to try to reach the woman. Molly nodded when the man explained the situation once more, emphasising how difficult it was going to be to get to the apartment.

‘I understand,' she said, her heart thumping. ‘I'd still like to give it a shot, though.'

‘Are you sure, Molly?' Sean asked softly as the officer went off to speak to one of his team. He took hold of her hand and gently squeezed it. ‘Nobody will blame you if you decide not to go ahead.'

‘We can't leave that poor woman on her own if the baby's coming.' She dredged up a rather wobbly smile. ‘I'll be fine, Sean. Don't worry about me.'

‘I can't help it. I couldn't bear to think of anything happening to you, Molly.'

He gave her fingers another quick squeeze then let her go when the officer came back. Molly forced herself to concentrate as he ran through a list of instructions aimed at keeping her safe. She knew it was important that she listened to what he was saying but it wasn't easy to remain focused
. Sean cared about her, really cared about her.
It had been clear from the tone of his voice that he had been telling her the truth just now and she wasn't sure what to make of it. All she knew was that it changed things, gave her a reason to hope, although she wasn't ready to admit exactly what she was hoping for. That was a step too far. Or, at least, it was at the moment.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

T
HE
SITUATION
WAS
even worse than Sean had expected. Once they were inside the building, it soon became clear just how much structural damage had occurred. The stairs leading to the upper floors had collapsed, leaving behind a pile of rubble in their place. The fire crew had managed to clear a narrow passageway which Molly would have to scramble through to reach the first floor. Although sturdy metal props had been erected to help support the upper section of the building, he was very aware that it could collapse at any second. The thought of Molly risking her life was more than he could bear and he drew her aside.

‘I can't allow you to go up there, Molly. It's far too risky.'

‘I have to go. We can't leave that poor woman on her own while her baby is born.' She shrugged. ‘I'll be fine, Sean. After all, they wouldn't allow me to try it if they thought I'd be putting myself in danger, would they?'

Sean knew she was right, although it wasn't much comfort. He shook his head. ‘I still don't like the idea. If anyone's going up there then it has to be me.'

‘How? You're too big to get through that gap, Sean. Why, even I'm going to have difficulty so you definitely won't make it.'

‘I suppose so.' Sean sighed as he was forced to concede defeat. ‘All right, but you're to promise me that you will turn back if you encounter any problems.'

‘Cross my heart.' She drew an imaginary cross over her heart with her fingertip and he laughed.

‘You do realise that I'm going to hold you to that, Sister Daniels?'

‘Of course!'

She treated him to a smile before one of the crew came over to ask if she was ready. Sean sucked in a tiny breath of air, feeling ripples of heat running through him. Molly had smiled at him the way she had used to do and it felt wonderful to be on the receiving end of all that warmth again.

There was no time to dwell on the thought, however. One of the search and rescue team was attaching Molly to a safety harness. Once he was sure that she understood how it worked, he handed her a two-way radio receiver and led her to the bottom of the gap, showing her where to place her foot to begin her ascent. Sean's hands clenched as he watched her start to scramble up over the rubble. The surface was very unstable but somehow she managed to find the necessary hand and footholds. Within seconds she disappeared from sight, leaving him feeling more anxious than ever. She was on her own now and he didn't like that idea, not when he wanted to be there to protect her.

Sean froze as the full impact of that thought hit him squarely in the chest. He wanted to protect Molly from harm and not just for now either. He wanted to be there for her for ever and ever more.

* * *

Molly was out of breath by the time she made it to the top of the passageway. It had been a difficult climb but, thankfully, the first floor appeared to be relatively undamaged. She unfastened the safety harness then picked her way around the chunks of plaster that had fallen from the ceiling until she came to the apartment. The door was wide open and she hurried inside, her heart sinking when she found the woman slumped on the living room floor.

‘Hi! It's Karen, isn't it? I'm Molly and I'm a nurse. So how are you doing?' she said, kneeling beside her. She was somewhat older than Molly had expected, probably in her early forties, and it was obvious how scared she was.

‘I think I'm in labour.' She looked up and there were tears in her eyes. ‘Please don't let my baby die. We've waited such a long time to have a child of our own and I couldn't bear it if anything happened to it now.'

‘Nothing is going to happen to you or your baby,' Molly said firmly, knowing this wasn't the time to worry about the ethics of making such a statement. Karen needed all the reassurance she could give her if she was to get through this ordeal. ‘Let's make you more comfortable for starters. Can you stand up if I help you?'

‘I'll try.'

‘Great.' Molly put her arm around her and managed to get her to her feet and onto the sofa. ‘I need to examine you to see if you are actually in labour, if that's all right.'

Karen nodded, her face scrunching up with pain. Molly suspected it was labour pains but she still needed to check that it wasn't a false alarm first. She quickly removed Karen's underclothes, hiding her dismay when she discovered that the woman was fully dilated. There was little doubt that the baby was going to make his or her appearance very shortly.

‘You're definitely in labour,' she told her. ‘I've brought everything we need with me so I'll just get ready. Have you been to any antenatal classes?'

‘Oh, yes. Mike—that's my husband—and I have done them all. Breathing and relaxation techniques, what happens during the delivery and afterwards.' Karen gave a slightly hysterical laugh. ‘We thought we were completely prepared for the birth, but the one thing we didn't foresee was that this would happen!'

‘No wonder.' Molly laughed. ‘Where is your husband, by the way?'

‘He went to fill up the car with petrol to make sure he wouldn't run out over Christmas,' Karen explained. ‘I wish he was here. I'd feel a lot happier if he was around to talk me through all those breathing techniques we learned.'

‘I'm sure you would but we'll manage fine.' Molly squeezed Karen's hand. ‘The fact that you've done the classes will be a big help.'

‘But the baby is still going to be born early,' Karen said anxiously.

‘Yes, but only by a few weeks so the lungs should be fully developed,' Molly assured her. ‘Right, I'm just going to fetch what I need and then listen to your baby's heartbeat.'

Opening her bag, she took out the emergency birthing pack that was part of their standard equipment. Fortunately, she'd done a refresher course earlier in the year on delivering a baby so she had few qualms in that respect. However, delivering a child in the confines of the A&E department was very different from what was happening here. Just for a moment, she found herself wishing that Sean was there with her before she sighed. Sean wasn't here and she would have to get through this on her own. It would be good practice for the future because, once Sean completed his contract, he would leave Dalverston and she doubted if he would ever come back again.

* * *

The time seemed to pass with excruciating slowness. Sean found himself continually checking his watch, unable to believe that mere minutes had passed when it felt like hours since Molly had disappeared into the upper reaches of the building. What was happening up there? Had Molly found the woman? Or had she encountered some sort of a problem? His mind raced over a dozen different possibilities, each worse than the one before, and he groaned. He would drive himself crazy if he carried on this way!

The crackle of the radio receiver cut through his thoughts. Sean's heart lifted when he heard Molly's voice issuing from the speaker as she asked to speak to him. He took the receiver with a nod of thanks, overcome by relief.

‘How's it going?' he asked, trying not to let her know how worried he had been. ‘Have you found the woman?'

‘Yes, and she's definitely in labour. She's fully dilated so it shouldn't be long before the baby arrives. I've checked its heart rate and everything seems to be fine but can you arrange for an ambulance to be standing by just in case anything happens at the last moment?'

‘Of course.' He paused but the words had to be said, no matter what repercussions they might cause. ‘Be careful, won't you, Molly? I don't want you putting yourself at risk. You're too important to me.'

‘Am I?' she said so softly that he had to strain to hear her.

‘Yes.' He took a deep breath but it was time he admitted the truth to himself as much as to her. ‘You always were.'

There was no time to say anything else as there were too many other issues to deal with. Sean handed over the radio while one of the crew ran through the emergency evacuation procedure with Molly. He listened while the other man explained what would happen once the baby was delivered but it was difficult to concentrate when his thoughts were in such turmoil. Maybe he had been wrong to tell Molly that he cared but he needed to set matters straight once and for all. If it weren't for that vow he had made then he knew that he would never have let her go.

Sean knew it was the wrong time to think about such matters. Forcing his mind back to the current crisis, he headed outside to arrange for an ambulance to be standing by. He had just reached the door when a shout went up and the next moment the ceiling started to collapse. Huge chunks of debris rained down on them as he and the crew scrambled to safety. He came to a halt in the car park, bending double as he tried to clear the dust from his lungs. The air was thick with it so that it took a while before he could see what had happened and his heart seized up at the sight that met him. The entire front of the building had collapsed, leaving what remained of the upper floors suspended in mid-air. And, somewhere inside that wreckage, Molly was trapped.

* * *

Molly had no time to do anything when the building started to shake. She simply knelt down beside the sofa and gripped tight hold of Karen's hand. There was a tremendous roar, like an express train rushing through a tunnel, and then silence. Clouds of dust were swirling around them, making it impossible to see across the room, and she waited until it had settled before she stood up.

‘Where are you going? Don't leave me!' Karen grabbed hold of her hand in panic and Molly paused.

‘I'm just going to see what's happened. I'll only be a second.'

She eased her hand free and picked her way around the chunks of masonry that littered the living room floor. The apartment was a mess but it was only when she reached the bedroom that she discovered the full extent of the damage. There was a gaping hole now where the front wall should have been. She didn't dare go any closer because the floor was tilted at an angle but, from what she could tell, it appeared that the entire front section of the building had collapsed.

Molly's heart was racing as she made her way back to the living room to find the radio receiver, hoping that someone would be able to tell her how long it would take before they got her and Karen out. However, one glance at the shattered remains of the handset soon put paid to that idea. All she could do now was pray that help would arrive before the rest of the building collapsed as well.

‘Some bits of the front wall have collapsed,' she explained as she crouched down beside the sofa. She dredged up a smile, deciding that it would be better to play down the true extent of the damage. The last thing she wanted was to cause Karen any more stress. ‘I'm sure they'll sort it out so let's concentrate on you and this baby, shall we? Have you decided on a name yet?'

‘Mike and I decided that we didn't want to know what sex it was—we preferred to wait and see when it was born. So it's Holly if it's a girl and Nicholas if it's a boy,' Karen replied and then groaned. ‘Oh! Here we go again.'

Molly checked the time but there was no doubt that Karen's contractions were coming closer together, a sure sign that the birth was imminent. She held Karen's hand until the pain eased and nodded. ‘You're doing really well. It shouldn't be long before your baby is born so what I need now is something to wrap him or her in. Do you have a blanket handy?'

‘Everything's packed in that green case near the window in our bedroom.' Karen's face screwed up as she focused on getting through the next contraction.

Molly bit back a sigh because the case, along with everything else at that side of the bedroom, was now in the car park.

‘I'm afraid I can't get at it at the moment so we'll have to use something else, like a towel, for instance. That would be fine.'

‘Oh. Well, there's clean towels in the bathroom cupboard.'

‘Great.' Molly hurriedly fetched a couple of towels and placed them on a nearby chair. She checked Karen once more. ‘The baby's head is crowning, so you're nearly there.'

She carefully supported the baby's head as it emerged, checking that the umbilical cord wasn't wrapped around its neck, which could prevent it breathing. Then first one shoulder and then the other were delivered. The rest of the body slid out in a rush as the child began to cry lustily.

Molly laughed in relief. ‘Congratulations! You have a beautiful little boy who, from the sound of it, has a fine pair of lungs.' She cleaned the baby, tied and cut his umbilical cord, then wrapped him in a towel and handed him to Karen. ‘Well done. You were absolutely marvellous, especially as you didn't have the benefit of any pain relief.'

‘It doesn't matter,' Karen murmured, staring at her baby son in awe. ‘It was worth all the pain to be able to hold my own child in my arms at last.'

Molly left them to get to know one another while she tidied up. Once the afterbirth had been expelled, she left the apartment and gingerly made her way towards where she had entered the building. There was no sign of the passageway that the crew had cleared for her, only a heap of rubble. It looked as though they were trapped up here until help arrived. Once again she found herself wishing that Sean was there with her before she drove the thought from her mind. It would be stupid to allow herself to become dependent on him.

* * *

Sean had never pulled rank before but he had no qualms about doing so now. The rescue crew had set up a long ladder with a cage on the top and were proposing to enter the building to search for Molly and Karen by using that. He shook his head when the officer in charge explained once more that his men were all trained in the use of first aid.

‘No, it's not enough,' he said shortly, determined that if anyone was going into the building, it was going to be him. The thought of having to stand here and wait any longer for news was more than he could handle. He needed to find Molly and make sure that she was all right. He would never forgive himself if anything had happened to her.