The Perfect Mother for His Son

By Emily Forbes

A doctor and his son…
…could she be the nurse to complete this family?
Pediatric nurse Daisy has never reacted to anyone the way she does to new doctor Ajay. She’s stunned by their outrageous chemistry—and ­the way he instinctively understands her on a level she’s never experienced before. It has perfectionist Daisy throwing her usual checklist straight out the window! Are this single dad and his adorable son the ready-made family she’s never allowed herself to want?
 
Bondi Beach Medics quartet
Book 1 – Rescuing the Paramedic’s Heart
Book 2 – A Gift to Change His Life
Book 3 – The Perfect Mother for His Son
Look out for the next book
Coming soon
 
“…touching and full of intense chemistry. And intense emotions, actually. Reunited by Their Secret Daughter was a feel-good romance where the characters were destined to be together, their circumstances were extremely interesting, and which had a HEA magical enough for a fairy tale.”
-Harlequin Junkie


“Overall, Ms. Forbes has delivered a delightful read in this book where emotions run high because of everything this couple go through on their journey to happy ever after…and where the chemistry between this couple was strong; the romance was delightful and had me loving these two together….”
-Harlequin Junkie on Rescued by the Single Dad


 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Medical Romance
• Release date: Jan 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9780369712523

Emily Forbes

Emily Forbes is an award winning medical romance author for Harlequin Mills & Boon. She has written 38 books and in 2013 won the Australian Romantic Book of the Year for her novelSydney Harbor Hospital: Bella's Wishlist. Get in touch with Emily at [e-mail], via her website emily-forbesauthor.com, her Author Page on Facebook or chat with Harlequin Medical Romance authors at loveisthebestmedicine.wordpress.com.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

‘DR PATEL, WE have an incoming ambulance. Unconscious sixteen-year-old diabetic patient. Can you take that?’

Ajay put his phone into a drawer of the nurses’ station and slid it closed. He didn’t like to keep his phone on him at work, it could be too much of a distraction, but he liked to keep it near in case of an emergency. Leaving it at the nurses’ desk meant they could check the caller ID and notify him if it was important. Although there could only ever be one call that wouldn’t go unanswered and that would be related to his son.

He’d actually been about to call home to check on Niki, but that would have to wait now. His son had seemed a little out of sorts that morning, and even though he knew that Mrs Singh, his housekeeper and part-time nanny, would have let him know if there was a problem, he was still concerned.

Ever-present worry ate at the back of his mind. He knew he was overprotective; he knew he was always prepared for bad news. From what he’d seen doctors who were parents behaved in one of two ways—either checking on every little cold and scrape or ignoring any illness or injury unless the kid was critically ill.

Niki had been a premmie baby; his arrival into the world had been traumatic for everyone and he still had additional needs. As sole parent to a child with a disability Ajay knew he had a heightened sense of responsibility, and he suspected his concerns wouldn’t be disappearing any time soon.

Niki’s needs were the reason he’d applied for the position in the emergency department at Bondi General Hospital. They lived in Bondi, but Ajay had been making the long commute across the harbour to North Sydney Hospital, and the time spent travelling had eaten into his time with Niki and sapped his energy. It had become a burden, and he’d needed to make a change.

He’d figured he had two options: move house or change jobs. He hadn’t wanted to uproot Niki from the only home he’d known and the house that Ajay loved. He had enough to deal with already. He hadn’t needed the additional stress of moving house. He was still the new kid on the block at Bondi General, but he hoped the move would solve a lot of problems once he settled in.

He heard the approaching sirens and headed for the ambulance bay. The heat and humidity still surprised him as he stepped out of the hospital. Summer in Bondi was often hot and sticky, and humidity had never bothered him—he’d grown up in the tropics and was accustomed to it—but the contrast between the air-conditioned comfort of the hospital and the muggy Sydney weather was always stark, and he could feel perspiration begin to gather at the base of his spine.

But then the ambulance swung into the driveway and there was no time to think about the weather or to worry about Niki. He had a job to do.

He reached for the back door of the vehicle and pulled it open. A young female paramedic climbed out. He recognised her; he’d been at Bondi General for three weeks now, and faces were becoming familiar, although names were not always so easily recalled.

His eyes flicked to the name badge sewn onto her shirt. Mei. ‘Hi, Mei, what have we got?’ he asked as Mei pressed the button to release the stretcher.

‘Unconscious sixteen-year-old girl, Type One diabetic. Hypoglycaemic episode. We picked her up near Campbell Parade.’

Ajay knew Campbell Parade. As a local, he was familiar with the road that ran parallel to the famous beach. It was only a ten-minute drive from the hospital—less in an ambulance with flashing lights and sirens.

He stepped to the head of the stretcher. ‘What are her vitals?’ he asked.

‘Blood glucose three point three mmol per litre, heart rate one-forty. We’ve given her one milligram of Glucagon and we’re running ten percent glucose through the IV.’

The paramedics had managed the patient well, and there wasn’t a lot more Ajay could do except monitor her and hope she regained consciousness.

‘Do you know her name?’

‘Breanna,’ Mei replied as the second ambulance officer appeared from the driver’s side and another young girl approached from the left. The girl had obviously been crying, but otherwise seemed fine. Ajay assumed she was a friend, no one had mentioned a second patient.

‘Is she going to be okay?’ the girl asked.

‘And you are...?’

‘Isobel.’

‘You were with Breanna?’

The girl nodded.

‘Tell me what happened.’

‘I’m not really sure. She said she didn’t feel well and then she collapsed.’

‘Has she been drinking?’

The girl nodded and replied, ‘Vodka.’

Ajay wasn’t surprised. While Bondi Beach was a dry zone, the area around Campbell Parade, which bordered the beach, was well known for its party atmosphere. Alcohol and diabetes were not a good combination for Breanna, but Ajay would save his lecture for later—right now he needed more details.

‘Vodka and what?’

‘Lemonade.’

‘Diet lemonade?’

Isobel shook her head. ‘No—why?’

The sugar in the mixer made the risky situation worse, but he ignored her question for the moment as he focused on treating his patient.

‘Has she eaten anything?’ he asked as he and Mei started pushing the stretcher into the hospital. ‘You knew she was diabetic?’ he added, when Isobel shook her head a second time.

‘Of course.’

‘Has this happened before?’

Another shake of the head.

‘Did you try to get her to have something sugary? A soft drink? Jelly beans?’

‘No. She didn’t have her emergency kit with her and it happened so quickly. One minute she was fine—the next she was on the ground.’

Ajay suspected Isobel’s recollection was a little hazy, but it was all he had. ‘Did she hit her head?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘Has she taken anything else? Anything illegal? Smoked anything? Tablets?’

It was the summer holidays, two days after Christmas, and people were in full party mode. Not that it really made any difference. Ajay had worked in hospital emergency departments for long enough to know that kids partied at any time of the year, but he swore it was getting worse.

Was he getting old? No, he knew drugs were more commonplace, cheaper than alcohol and had fewer calories. Young girls in particular had taken up popping pills in numbers he hadn’t seen before, and he needed to know exactly what he was dealing with.

Isobel was wringing her hands and having difficulty maintaining eye contact. He wondered what else she wasn’t telling him.

‘I’m not judging,’ he said. ‘Just trying to make sure I have all the facts so I can treat her properly.’

‘We didn’t take any drugs. Is she going to be okay?’ Isobel repeated.

Ajay had no idea, but the odds were in her favour. ‘I hope so. Has anyone called her parents?’

‘You’re not going to call them?’ Isobel was agitated now.

‘Breanna is only sixteen. We’ll have to notify them.’

‘We’ll get in so much trouble.’

Ajay thought that was highly likely, but also irrelevant. ‘You’ll need to wait here while we assess her,’ he said when Isobel continued to follow them as they pushed the stretcher towards the treatment area. ‘You’ll need to give us some details about Breanna—do you think you can do that?’

He nodded at Julie, the triage nurse, and she guided Isobel to the waiting area. There was nothing else he needed from her at this stage.

Ajay knew that giving Isobel a task to keep her occupied was going to be the best thing for everyone. It would make her feel useful and stop her getting in the way.

‘On three.’

Breanna was transferred from the stretcher onto a barouche and Ajay forgot about anything else for the moment. All he was focussed on was treating his patient. He positioned an oxygen mask over her face as one of the nurses connected her to the monitors. He ordered routine blood tests and a blood alcohol test and instructed the nurse to continue with the intravenous ten percent glucose.

He would wait, hoping Breanna would regain consciousness before he called her parents. He knew Julie wouldn’t have called them yet—she’d be waiting for more information about Breanna’s condition and more than likely waiting for him to make the call as the treating doctor. It went with the job.

Julie stepped into the treatment bay. She had a piece of paper in her hand. ‘Breanna’s parents’ names and number,’ she said as she tucked it into the top pocket of his scrubs. ‘They’re in Western Australia for a birthday party. The girls were staying by themselves for a few days. You can call them, but there’s no way they can make it back tonight.’

He nodded in acknowledgement, realising that it was late and Breanna’s parents were two and a half thousand miles away, on the opposite side of the country. ‘Well, we’re not releasing her,’ he said. She was only sixteen and he wouldn’t release her into someone else’s care. ‘She’ll have to be admitted to the paediatric ward. I’ll call her parents if you can organise a bed for her?’

He went to find Isobel, wanting more details before he spoke to Breanna’s parents. Had she had a hypoglycaemic episode related to alcohol before? If so, would the parents know? What questions would they ask? He wanted to be able to allay any concerns if possible.

‘Has this happened before?’ he asked Isobel.

‘Are we in trouble?’ she asked, evading his question.

‘With me? Your parents? Breanna’s parents? Or the police?’

‘The police!’

‘The paramedics said they picked Breanna up on Campbell Parade, near the beach,’ he continued. ‘You’re both under eighteen. Were you drinking in public?’

‘No! We had a few drinks at home before we went out.’

Ajay suspected it was more than a few, but that was irrelevant now, and at least if they couldn’t be charged with underage drinking in public that was one less thing to worry about.

Julie was waiting for him as he ended his phone call with Breanna’s distraught parents. He had tried to allay their fears but, as a parent, he knew all too well that they would be frightened, and being four thousand kilometres away would only add to their fear and feelings of helplessness.

‘I’ve got a team coming from Paediatrics to take her up to the ward,’ Julie told him. ‘Speaking of which...’

Julie was looking over her shoulder, but Ajay had already sensed that someone was standing behind him.

He turned around and forgot to breathe. Forgot what he was doing.

Standing before him was a petite blonde vision. Five or six inches shorter than him, she was wearing light blue scrubs that matched her eyes. Her pale hair looked like spun gold and was held back from her face by a headband decorated with artificial flowers. Her lips were pink and her skin luminous. She was stunning, and not at all who he’d been expecting.

‘Hello, Daisy. Hello, Bill,’ Julie said.

Until Julie had spoken again Ajay hadn’t noticed the orderly standing beside the woman. An oversight—but in his mind a completely understandable one. No one would be looking at anyone else.

‘Our patient is in here,’ she said, gesturing towards the treatment bay. ‘Dr Patel can fill you in.’

He wasn’t sure that he could remember anything about the patient. It wasn’t like him to lose his train of thought—he prided himself on his focus, on his ability to compartmentalise—but his mind was blank. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts.

‘I’m sorry, have we met?’ he said as he stalled for time. There was something familiar about her. A sense of déjà vu. ‘I haven’t been at Bondi General for long,’ he said with a smile, hoping he didn’t sound rude, ‘and I’m still sorting out who I should and shouldn’t remember.’ He didn’t think he would have forgotten her.

She shook her head. ‘No, we haven’t met. I’m a nurse on the paediatric ward. I’m Daisy Carlson,’ she said as she stepped into the treatment cubicle.

Carlson? He frowned. That surname was familiar even if Daisy wasn’t.

‘You will have worked with my sister Lily. She’s doctor in A&E,’ she added.

Was that it? She looked familiar because he knew her sister?

There was definitely a similarity—they were both blonde and pretty—but he didn’t think that explained the sense of connection he felt, although he was at a loss to put his finger on exactly what had triggered that feeling.

‘Of course. Daisy, you said?’ He smiled as he spoke.

She nodded, and he was aware that she was watching him intently. He wondered if she was as intrigued by him as he was by her. The idea was flattering.

‘This is our patient?’ she asked.

She glanced at the patient, but returned her attention to Ajay as she finished speaking. He got the sense that her attention was less about her being intrigued by him and more that she was sizing him up. That was less flattering, and he wondered if she doubted his skills. He was new, but he knew what he was doing. What was she waiting to hear?

He nodded. ‘Breanna. Type One diabetic, brought in unconscious, hypoglycaemic, blood alcohol level of zero point zero nine. She’d recovered consciousness, she’s stable and sleeping, but she’s only sixteen and I’m not discharging her without an adult.’

‘Where are her parents?’

‘Interstate for the weekend. They’re in Margaret River in Western Australia. I’ve spoken to them, but they’ve got a three-hour drive back to Perth, meaning they’ll miss the midnight flight. The earliest flight they can get is at six in the morning.’

Daisy nodded. ‘Okay.’

---

Daisy was surprised that she was able to string any words together. She hoped her sentences were coherent, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate while Dr Patel was watching her. His smile had burned through her, making her dizzy. She’d almost found herself reaching out, looking for something solid and stable to right her axis and support her.

She tried to concentrate on what he was saying, but to do that she had to focus her attention on his lips—and that didn’t help her cause at all. His lips were full and she found herself waiting, hoping, they’d break into another smile.

She lifted her gaze to his eyes instead. His eyes were amazing. Dark and intense, they looked like pools of molten chocolate, liquid and sensuous. She was a sucker for eyes. And lips. She knew it was because she focused on those areas. She could read people’s lips, but she’d also learnt to read their expressions, and much of that came from their eyes. The windows to the soul. Eyes could tell her how someone was feeling—which was helpful when she couldn’t hear their tone.

She picked up the patient’s notes as Bill attached a bed-mover and prepared to steer Breanna out of A&E. She flicked through the pages, scanning the blood test results, the list of medications, even as she knew she wasn’t absorbing any of the information.

She held on to the side of the bed as Bill moved it along the corridor. He didn’t need her help—the bed-mover was doing the work—but Daisy needed the support. Her knees were shaky and her heart was racing. She was a bundle of nerves. But it had nothing to do with the patient and everything to do with the new doctor in Emergency.

She could feel his eyes on her, following her progress towards the lift, but she resisted the urge to turn around.

She leaned against the wall of the lift as it took them up to the paediatric ward and took slow, deep breaths as she tried to calm her heart rate.

CHAPTER TWO

AJAY WAS AT work early. He’d raced through his regular early-morning swim and foregone his second cup of coffee to give himself time to check on Breanna before officially starting his shift.

Breanna’s