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 again the kitchen was tidy and she was thankful Ethan wasn’t a messy slob, like Quinten.
Why she was comparing the two men, she had no idea. Perhaps it was because, apart from her father, they were the only other men she’d lived with. Yes, Ethan was showing promising signs of being a great housemate and, hopefully, a great friend, too. She ignored the little voice at the back of her mind that questioned the way that one smouldering look from Ethan could ignite a fire within her such as she’d never experienced before. She didn’t want to acknowledge the fire or the spark because if she gave it too much thought, she might end up making another mistake, and where romance and love were concerned, she’d already made her fair share.
Besides, any crazy emotions she felt towards Ethan were no doubt due to her overactive pregnancy hormones and nothing more. Once the baby was born, the crazy feelings would stop and she would return to normal…she hoped.
Added to that was the fact he’d told her about his wife. He was a widower who was still coming to terms with his grief. Perhaps being in Pridham would help him to heal, help him to accept his past and move forward into a less stressful future. CJ hoped she’d be able to support him through that, but as nothing more than a friend.
Her phone buzzed, bringing her thoughts back to the present, and she checked the text message. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was from Ethan, the message stating an ultrasound had been booked for her in two hours’ time.
‘How sweet. He’s so sweet, baby,’ she told her child. ‘Sweet and thoughtful.’ CJ shook her head. ‘No. Not sweet, he’s being professional and helpful…and thoughtful, but then he is a doctor and therefore is supposed to be thoughtful and helpful and professional.’ She frowned as she decided what text message to send back but after typing several messages and then deleting them because they either sounded too personal or too sterile, she decided on sending emojis—one of a smiley face and one showing a thumbs-up.