Pregnancy Surprise in Byron Bay
Author
Emily Forbes
Reads
15.3K
Chapters
10
Giving in to temptation has lasting consequences for two doctors in this surprise pregnancy romance from Emily Forbes! THE BUMP IN THEIR REUNION GP Molly moved to Byron Bay to start fresh, leaving behind the relationship that left her unappreciated and unfulfilled. Then she's reunited with a blast from the past, new temporary doctor Theo. His thrilling kiss once made her believe she deserved more. Now their chemistry has reignited, and exploring the spark between them for the few weeks Theo's in town will surely be heartache free…? Until Molly gets a surprise: she's pregnant!
CHAPTER ONE
MOLLY PRESCOTT CHECKED the time as she stepped out of the surf at Clarkes Beach and picked up her towel. She cursed softly to herself. She’d need to hurry if she was going to make the meeting on time.
Who was she kidding? She was definitely going to be late, she thought as she dried her face and wiped her arms with her towel. The clinic manager, Paula, had organised a quick breakfast meeting to introduce everyone to the new locum doctor who was coming up from Sydney to provide cover in the Byron Bay clinic for a few weeks. But there would be enough staff for him or her to be introduced to until Molly arrived. She wasn’t the most senior doctor on staff, she’d only been there for six months, and maybe no one would even notice if she was late. Or maybe they had come to expect it. Timekeeping was one thing she had difficulty with. She was always trying to squeeze too much into her day and time was constantly getting away from her as a result. It was a perpetual struggle. She hadn’t won the battle yet but she hoped that one day she’d miraculously develop a time-management gene.
Punctuality had been one thing, along with resilience and independence, that she’d hoped might improve with her move to Byron Bay. Here in the northern New South Wales coastal town she had only a short commute to work—nothing like the fifty-minute trip she’d made twice a day back in Sydney—but instead of improving, she’d just filled that extra time with another activity—her daily swim.
She quickly towelled her blonde hair before throwing a T-shirt over her swimsuit and jogging up the beach. She still had to get home to the apartment she rented with Gemma, one of her colleagues, shower and then make the quarter of an hour walk from Lighthouse Road into town. She would have liked to have taken a detour past The Top Shop to grab some breakfast but she didn’t have the extra ten minutes that would take.
She really should have cut her swim short today but it was her favourite way to start the day, she needed it for her mental health and it was an important part of the process of finding herself. Swimming gave her time to reflect on what she wanted out of life. After wasting years of her life with her ex-boyfriend, finally saying goodbye to Daniel was supposed to be a turning point in her life. Her plan had been to move to Byron Bay and to make time and space to work on herself. She no longer wanted to worry about pleasing others. She no longer wanted to seek attention. From her father. From her ex. From anyone.
She shook her head. She didn’t want thoughts of Daniel encroaching on her mind. She was putting her past behind her, moving on from a bad relationship. Moving in general, she reminded herself as she checked her watch again, hoping her tardiness would be forgiven. Her consulting list didn’t start until ten o’clock on Wednesdays so no one should expect her to be there at quarter to eight.
Molly’s shoulder-length hair was still damp when she arrived at the clinic and she knew the humidity of the summer air would make it kink but she certainly couldn’t have spared the time to blow-dry it. She sneaked into the staffroom a few minutes before eight, quite pleased with her effort, and relieved to hear Tom Reynolds, the senior doctor whose leave necessitated locum cover, still going around the room introducing the staff to the new locum.
She could smell coffee and she headed for the machine to grab a cup, along with a muffin, sending a silent thank you to Paula for organising food. She added milk to her coffee and took a bite of her muffin just as she heard Tom say, ‘And, last but not least, is Dr Prescott.’
The room was full and many of the staff were standing, as there weren’t enough chairs for everyone. Molly could hear Tom but, being only five feet four inches tall, she couldn’t see to the front of the room. But Tom had obviously seen her tardy arrival.
She quickly tried to swallow the muffin and school her expression to casual nonchalance in an attempt to convey that she’d been at the back of the room all along as opposed to sneaking in thirty seconds before.
‘Molly, this is Dr Williams.’
All she could see was the top of what she assumed was a man’s head, although it could have been a tall woman. She waited for her colleagues to part, not expecting them to reveal a familiar face.
‘Theo?’
She hadn’t seen him for four years, but he looked just the same. Tall, close to six feet, with broad shoulders that belied his otherwise slim physique. His thick black hair, cut short at the sides, was swept away from his forehead above dark eyes that widened a little, the only indication that he was as surprised as she was.
‘Hello, Molly. It’s been a while.’ He nodded slightly but only managed a half-smile. He didn’t look all that thrilled to see her and she couldn’t blame him.
Four years had passed but all of a sudden it felt like yesterday. And not in a good way.
She felt the long-forgotten heat of embarrassment, could feel the blush creeping up her neck and into her face, and knew her cheeks were now stained pink.
She tried to school her features to mirror his. Trying on a mask of pleasant surprise rather than abject embarrassment as she wished the floor would open up and swallow her.
She dropped her gaze, focusing on her coffee, as Tom continued speaking. She let her colleagues close the space and shield her from view as the colour faded in her cheeks.
‘While I have you all here, I had a call from the organisers of Schoolies Festival. They need a few more volunteers for the weekend so if any of you can spare a few hours they’d love to hear from you. I think any clinical staff would be qualified to help, but, for any admin staff who are interested, as long as you have a police clearance and your first-aid accreditation, you can sign up too. Paula has the contact details.’
Her mind drifted as Tom continued speaking about the imminent influx of teenagers who would be descending on Byron Bay for the next ten days to celebrate the end of their school lives.
She threw her unfinished muffin into the rubbish, her appetite deserting her as the memories flooded in. She hadn’t seen Theo since their university graduation ceremony and she hadn’t spoken to him since they both attended the same party to celebrate the end of their final exams prior to graduation. The last words they’d exchanged had come just after she’d unceremoniously kissed him.
Mortified about her behaviour and still feeling the sting of rejection, she had avoided him at graduation as she’d tried to pretend nothing had happened. She’d been immensely relieved when he’d appeared reluctant to seek her out too.
But the feeling of embarrassment returned now as she remembered her foolishness. She knew she’d behaved badly. Drunk and emotional, she’d acted impulsively and then tried to pretend nothing had happened. Theo had treated her with kindness and compassion and she’d repaid his kindness with the assumption that he’d welcome her impulsive kiss, even though she’d been in a relationship. Albeit an emotionally complicated one.
He had kissed her back—she hadn’t drunk so much that she’d forgotten that—but when he’d asked if she would take Daniel back if he had cheated on her she hadn’t replied. She’d known she would. She’d done it every time. And Theo had known it too. He’d stood up and walked away.
She didn’t want to be twenty-five again. She hadn’t always made good choices four years ago but she had matured; life had a way of forcing you to grow up. She was rebuilding herself and she didn’t really want to see someone who knew the old Molly, who knew the mistakes she’d made in the past, on a daily basis. Someone who she felt had judged her and found her lacking.
After four years she was still embarrassed and ashamed of her behaviour. Of the kiss. She’d acted carelessly and then realised she didn’t want to be the girl who cheated on her boyfriend. She didn’t want to be the cliché. Her boyfriend had cheated on her—often—but she didn’t want to play tit for tat. She wanted to be the bigger person and kissing Theo had been a mistake. She shouldn’t have put him in that position.
She could feel herself being watched and she lifted her eyes to see Gemma grinning at her from the other side of the room. Gemma raised her eyebrows, darted her eyes in Theo’s direction and mouthed one word. Wow.
Molly glared at her and Gemma started to cross the room as Tom wrapped up the meeting and the rest of the staff began to disperse.
Molly had been vacillating over whether or not she should approach Theo. If she did, how should she behave? What should she say? Four years was a long time. Especially considering what had happened between them. So, at least Gemma’s arrival meant she didn’t have to make that decision. She could talk to Gemma instead. That would give her time to compose herself and work out how to manage this unexpected turn of events.
‘Oh. My. God. Talk about tall, hot and handsome,’ Gemma said as she reached Molly’s side.
Molly glanced around, hoping Theo wasn’t within earshot, and was relieved to find he’d actually left the room. She really didn’t want to have this conversation with Gemma in the middle of the staffroom but it looked as though that was what she was getting.
‘Where have you been hiding him?’ Gemma asked.
‘Theo?’ Molly feigned indifference, knowing she felt anything but. ‘I haven’t been hiding him anywhere. I haven’t seen him for years.’
Gemma was watching her closely. ‘He’s not a skeleton in your closet?’
Molly shook her head and turned away to gather the left-over breakfast items. Wrapping the platters of muffins and fruit and putting them into the fridge for later gave her an excuse to avoid Gemma’s gaze as she tried to stop the blush from returning to her cheeks.
‘So, you don’t know if he’s single?’ Gemma continued.
Molly felt a twitch of jealousy. Theo was hers. But that was ridiculous. She was ridiculous. Gemma was quite entitled to fancy Theo.
‘I have no idea, but I thought you were taking a break from dating?’ she replied as she closed the fridge and started stacking empty coffee cups into the dishwasher.
Gemma had recently been dating a pilot but it turned out he had a girl in several cities and she was currently single. ‘It only takes one man to change my mind. But tell me if he’s off limits.’
‘Why would he be off limits to you?’ Molly asked as she closed the dishwasher and switched it on.
‘Several reasons. If you fancied him, for one. After all, you saw him first. Or if he’s an ex of yours then I’m not going there.’
‘I told you, he’s not an ex. There’s no history between us,’ she said. She knew she was massaging the truth very slightly but she wasn’t about to share all the embarrassing details. ‘We studied together, that’s all.’
‘You’ve never mentioned him.’
‘Why would I?’
‘Because he’s gorgeous and he works for Pacific Coast Clinics.’
‘I didn’t know he did.’ She’d only been employed at the clinic for six months. She knew there were several associated clinics throughout New South Wales, and she knew the locum was coming from one of them, but she hadn’t bothered to look at the staff list across all the different locations. There’d really been no need. ‘You’ll have to work fast—he’s only here for six weeks,’ Molly said, trying to sound light and breezy. It sounded like no time but Molly feared it might feel like an eternity.
‘No.’ Gemma shook her head. ‘Looking like he does, I bet he’s not single and I’m not going to get burned again.’
Molly didn’t try and persuade her friend otherwise. Besides, she could be right, Theo could be spoken for already.
Molly wiped the bench, dried her hands and she and Gemma headed for their consulting rooms. She planned to use the extra time before her list started to follow up some of her patients, check their results and organise referrals. But her mind kept drifting.
She and Theo had studied medicine at university together but they hadn’t been close friends. They’d moved in different circles. He’d spent a lot of his time in the library, she’d spent a lot of time in the university bar with Daniel, when they’d been ‘on’ again.
When their circles had overlapped she’d got the impression that Theo had judged her choices. She knew they’d been questionable but, at the time, her choices had made sense. At least in the world she knew.
She remembered Theo had a way of quietly watching people, taking stock, and once, in just a few moments, he had accurately summed up her and her relationship with Daniel, which had frustrated her. She hadn’t wanted to hear his opinion. She’d wanted to be seen as strong and confident, not weak or scared, and she definitely hadn’t wanted to admit that he’d been right.
There were so many things in her past she’d rather not think about. The present was about making better decisions. She was using her time in Byron Bay to find herself. To work on herself. She’d grown up, the middle of three sisters, always feeling as though her father would have preferred to have sons. She was constantly trying to prove that girls could do anything boys did, trying to be the perfect daughter. Then the perfect girlfriend. She’d been desperate for attention, desperate for affection.
She realised now that had been a big factor in her relationship with Daniel. Her father had ignored her mother, herself and her sisters and Molly had been flattered by Daniel’s interest in her. He was intelligent, good-looking and popular and she’d been so desperate for attention she’d overlooked the negatives—his lies, his unfaithfulness, his unkindness. Her younger self had been happy just to have someone take notice of her and she knew she’d been conditioned to believe that everyone cheated—her father had certainly been guilty of the same offence on several occasions—and so the young Molly hadn’t stopped to think about whether Daniel’s attention was positive or negative. She hadn’t cared. But not any more. She knew now that she didn’t need someone else’s validation—especially not when it was thinly-disguised emotional abuse. Now, away from her family and single for the first time in years, she was just trying to be the best version of herself. Whatever that was.
Here in Byron, she wasn’t a sister, a daughter, a girlfriend. She was just Molly. A doctor. A friend.
But seeing Theo reminded her of the old Molly, the one she was trying to leave behind. She didn’t want to be reminded of that girl.
She’d need to avoid Theo. And seeing as he was only in Byron Bay temporarily, it shouldn’t be too hard.
Theo Chin Williams tried to concentrate as Tom Reynolds showed him around the clinic. He schooled his expression to make it look as if he was listening but he wasn’t sure he would retain any of the information. His mind was too busy going back over old times. Back to Molly. He’d been stunned to see her at the clinic today. He hadn’t seen her profile on the Pacific Coast Clinics website and he knew he would have noticed it, which meant it wasn’t there. She must be new to the practice.
Four years was a long time but Molly hadn’t changed. At least, not in appearance. She looked exactly the same—petite, blonde, shiny. Theo had always seen an aura of lightness and joy about her. With the exception of one memorable occasion, she’d always presented as a happy person. She’d been popular at university. She’d been fun and people had been drawn to her. He knew he had been. But they had mostly moved in different circles and Molly had barely noticed him. Except for that one night.
He remembered their last encounter. Their only intimate encounter in the seven years they’d been acquainted. Molly had cried on his shoulder, confided in him, kissed him and they hadn’t spoken since.
He had admired her from afar for many years before that fateful night. He’d put her on a pedestal and hadn’t been able to resist kissing her back when she’d abruptly and unexpectedly kissed him, but he’d been convinced she would never choose him over Daniel and so he’d walked away, wishing he were brave enough to stay.
At the end of the staff meeting he’d wondered if he should approach her, but what would he say after four years? They weren’t friends, they were acquaintances at best. And then Tom had steered him out of the staffroom to embark on a tour of the clinic, taking the opportunity away from him.
Which brought his mind neatly back to the matter at hand. Back to the reason he was in Byron Bay—to work. He was here for the next six weeks in a locum capacity but he’d also been tasked with some problem-solving. The Byron clinic was the newest addition to the Pacific Coast portfolio, a group of medical centres owned by his parents and managed by his mother, and she had flagged some issues, which Theo had been entrusted with sorting out. Between treating patients and going over the clinic’s books and operating procedures he had enough on his plate. He didn’t need to add Molly Prescott to his list. His mother was a perfectionist who expected nothing less than one hundred per cent effort at all times. He knew he was expected to return to Sydney with answers, and possibly solutions, to the issues she’d raised. He had plenty to focus on and his mother would not be pleased if he let himself get distracted. She wasn’t interested in excuses, only in results.
Molly was a blast from the past but one that didn’t need revisiting. He didn’t need the distraction. Reminiscing wasn’t a priority for him and he got the impression it wasn’t high on her agenda either.
He forced himself to concentrate on the guided tour he was being given. He knew Tom’s leave started today and he knew he would be expected to step up to the plate and take on a patient load immediately. He needed to focus. He hadn’t seen Molly for four years. He could put her out of his mind for another few hours, at least while he was at work. He was older and wiser now, no longer infatuated. They had both moved on.
He could ignore the fact that she still glowed, still made the air around her shimmer. He could ignore the fact that his heart rate had escalated when their colleagues had parted to reveal her standing there and he could ignore the fact that his hands had perspired and his mouth had gone dry.
He could ignore her.
Molly scrolled through patients’ test results on her computer screen but couldn’t find the headspace to pick up the phone to pass any results on. She was being extremely unproductive. She was unsettled and she hated to admit it but Theo’s arrival was responsible. She really thought she’d been making progress since she’d moved to Byron Bay. She was growing in confidence, no longer having to wonder what life with Daniel would have in store for her, whether she would be in or out of favour, whether she’d be fighting for attention or battling for his affection. She was on the path to independence and she didn’t want Theo’s arrival to pull her backwards. But she was stronger now, she wasn’t the same girl any more, and she would show Theo that. Or just avoid him and allow him to see that for himself.
She nodded to herself, encouraged that she’d found a solution. She earmarked a couple of patients for the receptionists to call with non-urgent results and decided she’d go and grab another coffee before her consulting list started. Perhaps that would kick her brain into gear. Into the present and off the past.
On her way to the kitchen, she passed Paula’s office. The practice manager had a large internal window looking out to the reception area. Molly glanced through the window and saw Theo leaning over Paula’s desk, deep in conversation and pointing at a computer screen. What on earth could they be discussing? She paused briefly as her curiosity got the better of her, before realising she didn’t want to be caught peering in at the unexpected tableau. It was none of her business and if it had been anyone but Theo she wouldn’t have given it a second thought. Why did she find him so interesting?
Not wanting to go down that rabbit hole, she continued on to the kitchen but couldn’t resist glancing through the window as she returned with her coffee. Theo was still there.
Molly kept walking and just as she reached the reception desk the front door to the clinic burst open and a very distressed middle-aged woman barrelled in, holding the door for her male partner. The man was overweight and sweating, not unusual in the humid air of Byron Bay, but Molly could see he was having difficulty breathing.
The woman plonked him on a seat and rushed to the desk, ignoring the other patients waiting to be attended to. ‘Please, we need to see a doctor. My husband isn’t well.’
‘Are you a patient of the clinic?’ the receptionist asked as Molly hurried around the desk and into the waiting room.
The woman shook her head. ‘No. We’re here on holiday. My husband has been complaining of indigestion, over-indulging I think, but it’s got so bad this morning he’s finding it hard to breathe.’
The clinic was not technically an emergency clinic but because they were right in the centre of town they got a lot of walk-ins. Despite the sign on the door giving the hospital’s details, if the clinic was open people just turned up. The hospital had recently undergone extensive upgrades but, being a ten-minute drive out of town, it wasn’t nearly as convenient. Especially for the tourists.
Molly sat down next to the man. ‘My name is Molly, I’m one of the doctors.’ He turned towards her but she could see he was having difficulty taking her words in. He was rubbing his sternum but it seemed to be an unconscious movement. ‘Why don’t you come with me and we’ll get you looked at?’ she continued.
She was concerned he was displaying symptoms of a cardiac episode. She could call for an ambulance but she knew from experience that dealing with any emergency was better done behind closed doors and out of the reception area. She wanted to get him somewhere with some privacy. He’d walked into the clinic, she just hoped he’d be able to walk into her consulting room. She didn’t fancy her chances of breaking his fall if he toppled over.
‘I’ll take him, if you can get some details,’ Molly told the receptionist.
The man stood, unsteadily, and Molly instinctively gave him her arm for support. ‘What is your name?’
‘Warwick,’ he replied breathlessly.
Molly took him into the examination room where they had an ECG machine, just in case she needed it. She pressed on the footplate under the treatment bed, lowering it so Warwick could sit down. She lifted the back support and helped him to lift his feet.
‘Can you describe to me what you’re experiencing?’
‘I’m having trouble breathing. It feels like someone is squeezing my lungs.’
‘Does it hurt?’
Warwick nodded.
‘Is this the first time you’ve had this pain?’
‘It’s the first time it’s been this bad,’ he said, not without some difficulty.
‘Are you seeing a doctor for any chronic health conditions? Do you have any allergies? Any heart issues? Angina? Diabetes? Anxiety?’
Warwick shook his head.
‘Are you taking any medications?’ Molly asked as she wrapped a blood-pressure cuff around his arm and pressed the button to inflate it.
‘Tablets for high cholesterol.’
Did he not think that was a condition worth mentioning? she thought as she looked at the reading on the monitor. She was surprised to find his blood pressure was within normal limits but noted his heart rate was rapid.
‘I’d like to take a closer look at your heart. Have you ever had an ECG done before?’
Warwick shook his head again.
‘I need to stick some electrodes onto your chest. Can you undo your shirt for me?’ Molly asked as she turned her back to prepare the ECG machine.
‘I don’t...’ Warwick’s sentence faded away behind her. She spun around.
Warwick’s eyes were closed. Was he breathing?
Molly looked for a rise and fall in his chest.
Nothing.
‘Warwick?’ She shook his shoulder before grabbing his wrist and feeling for a pulse.
Nothing.
She dropped the back of the bed, lying him flat.
She suspected he was in cardiac arrest.
She needed help.
She darted out of the room, snatching the defibrillator kit from the box on the wall outside Paula’s office, and yelling instructions to Crystal at the reception desk as she flew past. ‘Call an ambulance. Code blue.’
Through the window of Paula’s office she could see Theo sitting by the desk.
She needed help and there was no time to go looking for it. She scanned the corridor, hoping someone else might materialise but, of course, no one did.
It would have to be Theo.
She stuck her head through the door. There was no time to worry about the past. She’d have to shelve her plans to avoid Theo.
She needed help.
She needed Theo.
‘Theo!’ She all but shouted his name, barely waiting for him to look up before she was already turning back to her exam room. ‘I need you. Patient in cardiac arrest.’
