Miranda's Big Mistake - Jill Mansell [153]
But that was the last thing he wanted to do.
`Are you M. Carlisle?' The nurse sounded doubtful.
Chloe, no longer laughing, searched Fenn's face. Why wasn't he making a bolt for the door, for freedom? Surely he was desperate to get away from this madhouse?
`Hang on, I've seen you on the telly,' said the nurse. `You're Fenn Lomax.'
Fenn took Chloe's hand.
`If you want me to stay, I will.'
`But…' Oh God, Chloe realised, suddenly overcome, I do want you to stay, more than anything. `But you'd hate it. Look, it's really kind of you, but you don't have to be polite… you've done so much already.'
`This isn't being polite and I wouldn't hate it.' Fenn barely trusted himself to speak, he was so terrified of saying the wrong thing. `I don't want to go, okay? I want to stay. Please.'
They gazed at each other, not daring to move. The nurse, watching them both, clicked and unclicked her pen a few times and glanced ostentatiously at her watch.
`So long as you don't start swimming with the dolphins,' Fenn added as an afterthought.
The woman rocking from side to side on the floor in her straining floral dungarees looked up indignantly.
`I heard that.'
Chapter 60
`YUUURRGH!' grunted Chloe, her eyes stinging with sweat and her fingers aching with the effort of gripping Fenn's hand. She blinked and fixed her gaze on her toenails, which Miranda had last week painted a dazzling shade of turquoise. Right, okay, here it came again…
`Push, Chloe, push,' urged the midwife crouching like a wicket-keeper at the foot of the bed.
Honestly, what does she think I'm trying to do - suck it back in?
`Nearly there,' Fenn murmured in her ear. `Come on, you can do it.'
The last midwife had gone off shift twenty minutes ago. This new one, charging in to replace her, was middle-aged, extremely brisk and sported a Jesus Saves badge pinned to the front of her uniform. Not having had time to peruse Chloe's notes at leisure, she was also under the impression that Fenn was the proud father-to-be.
Well, Chloe had to admit as Fenn wrung out the cold sponge and pressed it to her forehead, it was the kind of mistake anyone could make.
`Right, all ready now for the final push,' warned the midwife, flexing her fingers in preparation for that all-important catch.
Breathlessly, Chloe gathered herself. It was like being an Olympic weightlifter, psyching yourself up… ooh… except they had the option of walking away… aargh…
`Push right down, dear, as harrrd as you can.'
`I'm puh-pushing.' What does it look like I'm doing, you stupid old witch? Knitting a bobble hat?
`Come on, Chloe, you're doing it,' shouted Fenn as the midwife went into a one-woman scrum at the foot of the bed.
`Ouch.' Chloe winced as her own fingers went numb. 'Fenn… I'm supposed to be squeezing your hand.'
`God, I'm sorry! Don't talk! Push, Chloe, just PUSH PUSH PUSH!'
Obediently she pushed. The baby slithered out. Chloe gasped, `Oh!' and burst into tears.
`It's a girl.' Fenn's voice broke as he said it. He still had one arm around Chloe, supporting her shoulders. She turned and gazed up at him, lost for words.
`Let me just clean this wee one up a bit, then you can have her back.' The midwife, expertly snipping the cord, whisked the baby over to a waiting trolley.
Fenn squeezed Chloe's trembling hand. When he spoke at last, he said huskily, `I love you.'
And Chloe, flushed with a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration, smiled up at him and said, `I know.'
To her great surprise, she wasn't at all surprised. It was as if, deep down, she had known it all along.
Fenn bent his head and kissed her, months and months of pent-up emotion compressed into two seconds' worth of kiss.
Chloe tasted salt on his upper lip and whispered, `I love you too.'
Then the midwife was back, brandishing the wrapped-up baby like a raffle prize.
`Here we are then, a beautiful daughter, seven pounds twelve ounces,' she announced