CHAPTER SIX
WHY THIS SHOULD matter so much, she wasn’t sure. As CJ shuffled back to her room, brushing her teeth and emptying her bladder in the hope of getting a few decent hours of sleep, she thought back to those moments of awareness she’d experienced since Ethan Janeway had entered her life. Even tonight, holding his hand and feeling the strong, protective reassurance he exuded, had left a residual warmth deep down inside.
He’d stared at her yesterday, when they’d arrived at Whitecorn Hospital, as though he’d wanted to press his lips to hers. She’d been too busy reeling from the fact that she’d actually wanted him to follow through with that urge to even contemplate why he’d looked at her in such a way.
Why had he?’ It made no sense. Was he simply looking for female companionship? If that was the case, why on earth would he consider a heavily pregnant woman? She was uncomfortable all the time and slept in a bed with a plethora of pillows. None of her sexy lingerie fitted her and probably wouldn’t for some time, and soon she would be even more exhausted as the sole parent to a helpless baby. What on earth was attractive about any of that?
* * *
When Ethan woke the next morning, he was surprised he’d actually managed to sleep—again. ‘This might actually become a habit,’ he mumbled after he’d dressed for his first day on the job. Heading into the kitchen, he was pleased to have it to himself. While he ate breakfast, he kept glancing at the door through which CJ might walk through at any moment. Indeed, any little sound had him tensing with anticipation.
He still couldn’t believe he’d not only told her about his heart attack but also about Abigail. Normally, he was a closed book—even with his family. It had taken Melody quite a while to get through to him and he knew his tenacious sister had only kept badgering him because she’d been incredibly worried about him...worries that had been proved correct.
He glanced once more towards CJ’s door. Would she want to ask him more questions or would she respect his privacy? ‘Probably the latter,’ he murmured to himself. Both of them had been through marriages that, from what she’d said about her husband, hadn’t been the happiest, and both of them had lost the opportunity to change the outcome. If Abigail had survived, he’d vowed to himself to be a better husband, to be more attentive, to help her, to listen to her more. Ethan sighed heavily. But she hadn’t survived. She’d been taken from him and so had—
He stopped the thought. He may be trying to be more open, to be more communicative, especially with the people who mattered most in his life, but dwelling on such heartbreak would not help him at all this morning, especially when he had a clinic to attend to.
He glanced again at the door that led to her part of the house. Perhaps he should just check on her before he left; after all, with the anxiety she’d been exhibiting during their early morning tête-à-tête, he wanted to see for himself that she was indeed OK.
‘Professional concern,’ he muttered to himself as he knocked softly on the door. He’d check on her and then he’d be able to give Donna a report of what had happened, keeping CJ’s doctor in the loop as to her patient’s emotional state. He listened carefully for a moment but didn’t hear anything. Slowly he opened the door and walked quietly towards her room.
The door was open and he heard her steady breathing before he saw her. Good. She was sleeping. Relaxed, sleeping and surrounded by a horde of pillows. He headed back to the kitchen relieved she was doing fine. After discovering his own wife had had pre-eclampsia and had kept it from him, Ethan was more than a little cautious when it came to pregnant women in their last trimester. As far as he was concerned, Abigail’s death, and that of his gorgeous little baby girl, would not be in vain. Not on his watch.
* * *
CJ woke up in exactly the same position in which she’d gone to sleep, indicating she’d had a great sleep. Checking the clock, she was astonished to find it was after ten in the morning. Her first instinct was to scramble out of bed and rush over to the clinic, before she remembered that Ethan was here.
A smile instantly spread across her lips at the thought of her housemate. Ethan had come to Pridham so that she could rest and look after herself. Where she’d thought she might have been bored, right now, she felt a wave of stress leave her. That was very nice.
She sighed again and stroked her stomach. ‘Thank you, sweetheart,’ she told her baby, ‘for letting Mummy have a good sleep. Do you feel good too, my honey?’ Taking her time, CJ showered and dressed, singing in the shower and keeping up a steady dialogue with her unborn child. ‘We’re going to relax this morning because Ethan’s doing the clinic. Then we’ll go and visit some people this afternoon so we can introduce him to today’s house call list.’
Secretly she hoped they could do the house calls in his awesome car. It was nice they shared the same interest, especially as she and Quinten hadn’t really enjoyed the same hobbies or activities. Being able to talk to Ethan about car engines, about the stitching on the leather seats, about sourcing difficult parts that were out of stock—that sort of thing was wonderful. It meant she wasn’t having to watch what she said in case she said something to upset him, as she had with Quinten.
Now, though, she realised the reason Quinten had often picked an argument with her had been because he’d felt guilty about wanting to leave her. They’d been a wrong fit right from the start. CJ sighed and headed to the kitchen. Once
