As Sheena continued to cry, apparently for no reason whatsoever, Janessa held her and stroked her hair, murmuring soothing noises until the tears began to stop. Miles couldn’t help but notice that Janessa was very maternal, as well as so caring and patient. He wondered if she planned to have any children of her own in the future. Her dossier had stated that she wasn’t married and, again, he was curious as to why not. She was only thirty-six years old, although she looked years younger, she was intelligent, funny and so incredibly beautiful. So why wasn’t she already spoken for?
‘There, now. Feel better?’ she asked Sheena.
‘No? Yes?’ Sheena smiled through the final tears that Janessa was wiping away. ‘I still don’t know.’
‘Pregnancy blues,’ Janessa remarked, brushing hair from Sheena’s eyes. ‘That’s all it was.’
‘I was lying here and I started thinking about everything, about things that could go wrong, about the surgeries, about how on earth I was going to cope …’
‘Doubts and concerns are very natural,’ Miles said, and Sheena quickly turned her head, surprised to find him there.
‘Miles? I didn’t see you come in.’
‘He came with me,’ Janessa said.
‘With you?’ Sheena wiggled up the bed and stared at them both.
‘Not
with me
with me, it’s just that Miles woke me up and then needed tea and then after the phone call, he made me coffee and as we were both awake we, uh … came together. Not
together
together but …’ Janessa fumbled over her words and started to blush as she realised the more she explained, the more incriminating it sounded.
‘I’m staying in the residential wing, next door to Janessa,’ Miles interjected, his tone smooth and commanding. ‘I’m still jet-lagged and was receiving phone calls from overseas. My phone woke Janessa. It’s all very simple and quite innocent.’
‘Exactly,’ Janessa said, not wanting to talk about it further, given that Sheena had a knack of seeing straight through her emotions. ‘Now … back to you. Do you want to talk about some of these concerns?’
‘They’re the same ones I’ve had all along.’
‘Well, now that Miles is here, perhaps if we go through them again, he’ll be able to give more information.’
‘Good idea.’ Miles came back round the bed to the same side as Janessa, pulling out a chair for her before getting one for himself. Settling down, he finished his coffee and looked expectantly at Sheena. ‘I’m here to help.’
‘Uh … OK. Let me see … where to begin.’
Janessa could see Sheena was trying to get her mind in gear. ‘Let’s start at the beginning. With the birth. From what Riley—Sheena’s obstetrician,’ Janessa added in case Miles hadn’t met Riley yet, ‘has said, there’s no question of a natural birth and that is why the C-section has been booked for two weeks’ time.’
‘That’s right.’ Miles nodded. ‘With the growth hormones we’re administering to the twins each day, this should help their bodies to develop a little faster than usual. There’s a chance, as they’re sharing the same placenta, that one is being more nourished than the other. However, after taking a good look at the data gathered on the twins so far, it appears that this is well under control. The stronger they are when they’re born, the better chance they have when it’s time to perform the first of the surgeries.’
‘And the delivery? Riley said it’s a straightforward procedure. Is that really true?’ Sheena wanted to know. ‘I’ve been there for plenty of deliveries before, I know what it’s like, but I still keep thinking that so many things could go wrong.’
‘They can, and you’re right to be concerned. In some ways, because you’re highly trained in the medical field, this can be seen as a disadvantage. You
know
what can go wrong and so you may tend to fixate on that. However, you have to trust this team.’
‘Miles is right,’ Janessa added. ‘Riley is a brilliant obstetrician and you’ve worked with him long enough to know that he’s able to think fast and clearly on his feet.’
‘True.’ Sheena sighed and nodded. ‘So the actual birth of the girls is the easy part?’
‘Precisely. Depending on their status at twenty-four hours, nothing will be done for the first few days, unless it’s absolutely necessary. We’ll be taking in-depth radiographs and CT scans of the girls but these will be done while they’re mildly sedated.’
‘And when will the first lot of surgeries commence?’ Sheena yawned and Janessa could see that in discussing these issues with Miles, Sheena’s mind was starting to let go of some of her concerns. This was good. What Miles was saying to her, keeping everything straight forward, honest and simple, was exactly what Sheena needed to hear. Keeping Sheena calm meant that her blood pressure would stay under control. If it shot up, they would need to perform the Caesarean sooner.
‘There’s no exact time frame for the surgeries as it all depends on the health of the girls. One set of twins I worked with weren’t finally separated until they were almost two years old. Each set is unique and, as such, needs to be treated in the same manner.’
‘OK.’ Sheena closed her eyes and Janessa stood.
‘That’s enough for now. I know you have more questions for Miles, but he’s not going anywhere so don’t stress.’
‘Good idea.’ Sheena yawned and slowly opened her heavy eyelids. ‘Thank you. Both of you.’
‘You’re more than welcome,’ Miles stated, moving the chairs he and Janessa had been sitting on out of the way. ‘We’ll see you in a few hours’ time.’ He leaned over and squeezed Sheena’s hand. Janessa couldn’t help but be impressed by him. He really did care.
As they tiptoed out of Sheena’s room, heading towards the nurses’ station, Janessa turned to face him. ‘Thank you.’
‘For?’
‘Putting her mind at rest. Not giving her platitudes. Being supportive.’
‘The same could be said of you.’
‘Yes, but I’m her friend.’
‘So am I.’
‘Ahh … so you
do
have friends,’ Janessa teased, a small smile on her lips. ‘Good to know.’
Miles returned her smile. ‘Amusing.’ His tone was droll but the look in his eyes let her know they were on the same wavelength. The realisation stunned her. The same wavelength? First she was attracted to the man and now she was connecting with him?
The smile slid slowly from her face and she swallowed over the realisation. Distance. She needed to find a way to distance herself from him, to stay professional but still be polite and friendly.
‘So … are you ready to head back to bed?’ The words out of his mouth were warm, deep and husky and Janessa felt a blush instantly come to her cheeks, especially when the night sister, who was sitting at her desk, gasped in surprise.
‘Uh … he doesn’t mean … We’re not …’ Janessa began, but stopped. She closed her eyes for a second, then took a calming breath. When she opened her eyes, she was determined not to be so flustered by the man who was now regarding her with keen interest, obviously waiting to see what she would say.
‘Dr Trevellion and I are both staying in the residential wing,’ she informed Sister. ‘Not together …’ She shook her head. ‘He’s in one apartment. I’m in another.’
‘We’re neighbours,’ Miles added, as though trying to help her out. ‘But the walls between our apartments are so thin we may as well be living together.’
Night Sister nodded politely, but the wide smile on her face said she was still highly interested in the dynamic that seemed to clearly exist between the two neonatologists.
Janessa groaned and shook her head. ‘You’re no help at all,’ she muttered, before heading from the ward. She didn’t wait for him and he didn’t catch her up. For all she cared, he and his wide-awake, jet-lagged mind could stay in the hospital and do whatever he wanted. She still had a couple of hours before her alarm went off and she was going to get some sleep, even if it meant wearing earplugs in order to drown out the noises of Miles on the other side of the paper-thin walls!
You may be able to drown out the noises he makes,
the little voice in the back of her mind told her,
but there’s no way you’ll be able to stop thinking about him.
J
ANESSA
jolted instantly awake when the sound of an alarm clock buzzed all around her.
‘What?’ She sat bolt upright, the journal she’d been reading to help her get back to sleep flying across the room. She reached out a hand to turn off her alarm clock, but to her astonishment found that the sound wouldn’t stop.
‘What?’ she said again, her brow puckering in tired confusion. She rubbed her bleary eyes and focused more clearly on the clock: 5:59 a … m. As she stared at the numbers, they changed to read six o’clock and with it came the sounds of the morning radio show she usually woke up to. The buzzing, however, still persisted and she stumbled out of bed, trying to figure out if it was a fire alarm or an evacuation alarm. Should she be grabbing her clothes and important case notes and rushing from the building?
Janessa walked bleary-eyed around the apartment, following the sound of the buzzing, now desperate to track its origin so she could stop it. She walked towards the kitchenette and it was only then that she realised the buzzing was coming from next door. From
Miles’s
apartment. Did the man have it in for her? Was he intent on disturbing her any way he could?
She stared at the wall. ‘You have got to be kidding me!’ What was he doing? Why wasn’t he turning it off?
Tired and still a little groggy, she pounded on the wall. ‘Miles!’ she called. No reply. Concern started to prick at the rear of her mind. ‘Miles?’ she called again, pounding a little louder on the wall. ‘Are you in there?’
‘Huh? What?’ His sleepy voice, all rich and deep and completely yummy, came through the wall. ‘Whaddya want?’ he called again, and this time his tone was slightly muffled and impatient, as though he’d put a pillow over his head in order to block out the noise.
‘Turn your alarm off,’ Janessa yelled, starting to feel silly talking to a wall. She crossed her arms over her nightshirt, her feet now starting to get cold as she hadn’t put on her slippers.
‘What? Janessa?’
The way he said her name, all dazed and confused and sexily sleepy, made her close her eyes as a wave of comfortable warmth washed over her. When she’d returned to her apartment, she’d still had a bit of trouble getting to sleep, thoughts of Miles and his gorgeous smile, his hypnotic eyes, his firm, contoured body keeping her awake.
Now, to hear him mumble her name as though he couldn’t quite figure out exactly where she was but wanted her to come closer, it only made her awareness of him escalate. In order to get back to sleep she’d picked up the latest copy of the neonate journal she subscribed to and begun reading … until she’d come across an article written by Miles Trevellion.
She’d felt a little strange, reading the words written by the man who only last night had kissed her! She closed her eyes, reliving the sensations, astonished at her own reaction. Why hadn’t she pulled away sooner? Why hadn’t he? It was the first time in such a very long time that she’d been kissed by a man in such a way and while she knew she shouldn’t, given that he was a colleague, she wanted more.
More kissing, more touching, more talking, more being with him. It was silly and schoolgirlish but she couldn’t help the way she felt. Thoughts of Miles Trevellion had been constantly on her mind since he’d walked into her NICU. Janessa thought back to the way he’d been at dinner, respecting that she’d wanted to keep things on a more professional level but excited when he’d shared some of his thoughts with her about the research he’d undertaken. He’d made her feel smart and worthy of his attention. It had been nice.
When she’d heard him return next door, she’d sighed, listening to him move around in his apartment. He’d started whistling softly to himself and Janessa had lowered the journal and closed her eyes, deciding to enjoy the sweet sound. Relaxing more, she’d eventually drifted off to sleep where visions of the man had infiltrated her dreams … nice dreams … dreams in which he was smiling down into her upturned face, holding her close and pressing his lips to hers as though he thought her the most precious and gorgeous woman in the world.
And then the buzzing had started … the buzzing that was still going.
‘Turn the alarm off, Miles,’ she called through the wall.
‘Janessa?’ Again her name from his lips was one of deep confusion, as though he wasn’t quite sure where she was.
‘You woke me up. Again!’ she accused, shaking her head and opening her eyes. It was better for her to be standoffish with him, to keep him at a professional arm’s length because if she allowed thoughts of him to intrude into her already over-burdened mind, things could get sticky. Yes, he was brilliant; yes, she enjoyed being with him; yes, she couldn’t help but fantasise about him pressing his lips to hers again and again—but the simple fact was that Miles was her colleague and one who would leave in six months’ time.
She thumped once more on the wall. ‘Turn it off,’ she called, and stomped over to the sink where she filled the kettle and switched it on. She needed tea, preferably one of the calming, herbal varieties, in order to get her mind back to a more neutral place. It wasn’t until she opened the cupboard that she remembered she’d given him the whole box of tea earlier that morning.
Closing the cupboard, she couldn’t help but growl, her frustration increasing. The man really was impinging on her life. She had to keep things polite and impersonal. She was expected in the unit in an hour’s time and she had hoped to get through quite a bit of paperwork before then. It looked as though this was yet another day in her life that wasn’t going to plan.
Sighing heavily, she put two pieces of raisin bread into the toaster and settled on having a glass of juice, pottering around in her kitchen until finally the buzzing of Miles’s alarm eventually stopped.
‘Thank you!’ Her words were called loudly, tinged with impatience. The man was disturbing her enough
without
his alarm clock joining in the fun.
‘Sorry. Didn’t want to oversleep. Forgot where I was,’ he returned, and his words made Janessa feel a little contrite at having been so annoyed with him. She didn’t envy him the jet lag at all.
‘It’s fine.’ All she wanted now was for him to keep quiet so she could get her head back on track and get ready for the day ahead. A quick breakfast, a quick shower, then dress, collect her paperwork and head to the unit. As she pulled out a plate and knife from the cupboard, waiting impatiently for the toaster, she almost jumped when Miles spoke again.
‘Were you able to get back to sleep all right, Janessa?’
This time, though, he wasn’t yelling through the wall. He was speaking quite normally and she actually looked around behind her to check that he hadn’t somehow wondered into her apartment.
‘Yes,’ she answered hesitantly.
‘That’s good. These walls really are quite thin, aren’t they?’
‘Yes.’
‘This is so odd. It’s as though if I were to punch my fist through this plasterboard I’d be able to see you.’
‘Don’t do that,’ she called urgently, looking at the part of her kitchenette wall where his voice was strongest. If he did that, he’d see her dressed in her thin nightshirt and bare feet. Even the thought of him looking at her now made her cheeks tinge with colour. ‘Uh … it would take for ever to get someone to come and fix it,’ she added, trying to cover over the embarrassment she felt. ‘Besides, you’d no doubt do an injury to your hand and we can’t have those surgeon’s hands damaged, now, can we?’
His answer was a rich, deep chuckle. ‘No. We can’t have that.’
The toast popped up but Janessa didn’t move. She was glued to the spot, staring at her blank wall where she was sure he stood. He really was so close and yet so far. She walked to the wall and placed her hand against it, almost wondering if she’d feel the heat radiating from his body, but that was plain ridiculous.
‘No. What’s ridiculous is the way you can’t seem to stop thinking about him, the way you hang on his every word and the way you’re letting him affect you,’ she murmured to herself.
‘Did you say something?’ he asked.
‘Uh …’ She moved away from the wall and backed out of the kitchenette. ‘I’m going to have a shower,’ she remarked, deciding to eat later at the hospital rather than staying in the apartment any longer than she had to. She couldn’t believe how aware she was of a man she’d only just met and one she barely knew at all.
As she turned on the taps in the shower, the pipes groaned and creaked and moaned before the water spluttered out in nothing but a trickle. ‘Ugh. Not now.’
She felt highly self-conscious of the fact that Miles could hear every little move she made. Why she should feel so … self-conscious about it all she wasn’t quite sure. It was illogical to think he would smash a hole through the wall and if she’d learned anything about him both through his journal articles and the ridiculous tests he’d put her through yesterday, it was that Miles Trevellion was a logical man.
As she waited for the water pressure to increase, she still felt as though he could see through the walls, could see her standing naked in her shower, and the thoughts made her entire body flush with sensual embarrassment. What on earth was wrong with her? Usually, she could disregard any feelings of awareness she felt towards colleagues, preferring to admire them in a professional capacity. So why was she unable to do it with Miles? What was so different about him?
Until yesterday, when they’d met, her life had had a steady rhythm. Sleep, work. Sleep, work. The occasional day off where she would go to the airfield, fly in her plane and release her stress. Now Miles was in her life and he seemed to bring a different beat, a different rhythm to her world, one that made her heart go
pit-a-pat
with excited awareness and she wasn’t quite sure what she should do about it.
Sighing, she turned off the taps and dried herself, knowing the sooner she headed to the NICU, the better off she’d be. Space. Distance. Separation. That was what she needed from her new neighbour and colleague, and the sooner the better.
Janessa quickly dressed in a pair of dark blue trousers and a pale pink knit top. Her hair was pulled back into her usual ponytail, out of the way and easy to put up into a surgical cap if necessary. Slipping her feet into flat, comfortable shoes, she quickly tidied her kitchenette and picked up the papers she’d brought over from her office the previous night.
She was about to walk out the door when she heard the squeak of the taps being turned on next door and the pipes shuddering as though they resented the fact that they had work to do. Janessa stopped, holding her breath as she unashamedly listened to the sounds from next door. Miles was in the shower. The water was running and she swallowed, closing her eyes, the picture of him standing with water dripping down around his brown hair, his angular face, his broad shoulders before sliding sensually over his firm torso and then down—
Her eyes snapped open and she swallowed over her thoughts. This was wrong. Him being so close to her was wrong. Miles and his enigmatic presence, his deep voice, his sexy body, his heart-stopping grin. She was a doctor, for crying out loud. The human body was just that to her—a body—and the fact that Miles Trevellion seemed to have a very nice specimen was of no concern. None whatsoever. Shaking her head, she grabbed her keys and opened her door. The sooner she was out of there the better.
And then he started to sing. Janessa paused, her hand curling tightly around her keys as she listened. He had a lovely voice. His smooth baritone made easy work of the notes and as she forced herself to move forward, closing her apartment door behind her, she found she was humming the same song as she headed down the stairs. Darn Miles. How had he managed to get so stuck inside her head so quickly?
She liked her space and Miles seemed to have infiltrated it at almost every turn. With Sheena, with the NICU and with her accommodation. Well … at least she still had her flying to herself. Escaping from the world and flying in her plane on her days off was by far her most favourite thing to do. Not only did it remind her of great times she’d spent with her father but also whisked her away from the pressures of hospital life. She hadn’t managed to get away enough lately but now, with the latest stressful addition to her little world, she was looking forward to heading out to the small airfield as soon as possible.
‘Morning, Janessa,’ Ray said brightly as she walked into the ward half an hour after Miles’s alarm clock had woken her up. ‘I was just about to make coffee. Can I get you one?’
She nodded, her stomach growling due to her aborted breakfast. She didn’t want to think about it because that meant she’d have to think of the cause of her aborted breakfast and she’d already thought way too much about Miles Trevellion this morning. ‘Thanks, Ray. How was last night?’
‘Helena’s handover recounted a non-eventful night. You’ve just missed her.’ He headed to the unit’s kitchenette and pulled out two cups before using the small espresso machine which had been a gift to them all from very grateful parents.
‘Taneesha’s stable? Joey didn’t turn blue again?’
‘Everything’s fine. A good night—which was a godsend, given how full the unit is.’
‘Still, there are quite a few babies who can be transferred to Maternity to be with their mothers today, so that should give us a bit of wriggle room.’
‘Great.’ As Ray made their drinks, he gave her a few more details about the handover from Helena, knowing that as soon as they’d had their coffee, they could do a quick round and make firmer decisions regarding the precious little ones in their care.
Ray handed her a cup that had a big red love-heart on the side and the words ‘Fill my Heart’ written beneath it, and for some reason she immediately thought of Miles. Janessa shook her head as though to clear it before sipping at the liquid with grateful thanks, deciding she really didn’t want anyone to ‘fill her heart’ and that she was more than happy to keep her life exactly the way it was.
The awareness she felt towards Miles Trevellion was nothing but a reaction to being out of the dating game. Besides, she wasn’t looking for any sort of romance in her life, especially not with a man who would be leaving Adelaide Mercy in six months’ time.