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Teo was busy for the rest of the morning and all afternoon that day.
A three-year-old boy, Timmy, who’d been burnt by climbing into a bath of scaldingly hot water was in the paediatric intensive care unit. Teo was part of the team led by Luke Williams that was having to deal with the complications of hypovolaemic shock caused by fluid loss from the burns. It was the child’s kidney function that was causing concern today and haemodialysis had to be added to the plethora of procedures that was keeping the small boy alive.
Timmy’s mother was beside herself with guilt and fear.
‘I had to feed the baby,’ she sobbed. ‘I had no idea that Timmy was trying to be helpful and run his own bath. I always, always run the cold tap first and then add hot water. I thought he was watching TV in the lounge room. The baby’s got colic and she’s really hard work after a feed.’
Teo could only listen and imagine how hard this had to be for her. There was no point in laying blame when it could only make things worse for everyone.
‘His dad walked out on us when I got pregnant again. One kid was bad enough, he said. He couldn’t handle having two.’
Teo made a sympathetic sound but part of his mind was wandering. Where was Emma’s dad? Zoe hadn’t mentioned a partner and he’d heard what sounded like a fierce determination to cope with her own situation. On her own. Had she been wearing a ring? He made a mental note to have a look next time he saw her.
Except he had no reason to see her again, had he?
The realisation was curiously disappointing and it stayed with him for the rest of the day as he did his rounds, checking on his small patients and comforting distressed parents. Zoe intrigued him. That she could be so competent in one area of her life and so lost in another made it seem like there had to be a key to unlocking the barrier dividing the areas. And it was sad that it was the home and family side that she was struggling with because Teo knew that was, by far, the most important part of anybody’s life. If Zoe could find it, she might not feel the need to be at work at all during this crucial stage of bonding with her baby and then, later, she could have the best of both worlds.
The final task of his day took him back to the paediatric outpatient clinic. Empty of patients now, there was only a cleaner pushing a vacuum cleaner around the chairs and a weary-looking receptionist filing paperwork at the desk.
‘Busy day, huh?’ He smiled at the receptionist. This wasn’t the time to take anybody to task for leaving a distressed mother and child without assistance while they had been waiting.
‘It was a nightmare,’ the receptionist said. ‘One registrar got called away for something on the ward and another had to deal with a kid who had an epileptic seizure in the toilets and we were running so late.’
‘Did Zoe Harper come back again with Emma?’
‘Yes.’ The girl gave him a curious glance. ‘Is she a friend of yours?’
Teo didn’t have time to respond. The cleaner was coming towards the desk.
‘I found this under the chair over there,’ the older woman said, holding out a leather wallet.
‘Oh, my goodness.’ The receptionist took the wallet. ‘Thank you so much. Someone’s probably worried sick about this.’ She opened the wallet. It had a pocket at the back for notes and slots for credit cards on the other side. In the middle was a plastic-covered pocket for a driver’s licence. ‘Zoe Harper,’ she said in astonishment. ‘Good thing you’re here, Dr Tuala.’
‘Is it?’
‘Well, she’s a friend of yours. You could take it back to her.’
‘I could.’ Teo’s tone was confident. Surely there’d be something in the wallet that would have her address on it? He could drop it off on his way home. He would get to see Zoe again. Even better, he could find out whether she had some support at home in the form of a partner.
He held out his hand for the wallet. ‘I’m on my way home right now,’ he said. ‘Consider it sorted.’
CHAPTER THREE
THE knock on the door couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Zoe was sitting in the tiny living room of her terraced cottage in one of Sydney’s older suburbs. Emma had been bathed and changed and had just started her final feed for the evening. And, for once, it was going well. Sucking on her bottle, she lay in the crook of Zoe’s arm, staring up at her mother. The memories of the awful morning they’d had in that waiting room were finally beginning to ebb away.
Zoe couldn’t help jumping at the sound of the knock. Nobody came visiting at this time of day.
Her first thought was that it could be James and she didn’t want to see him. There’d been undeniable relief on both sides when they’d decided to call it quits on their relationship. James had generously gifted her his share of the hefty deposit they’d put down on this cottage.
‘Consider it child support,’ he’d suggested. ‘That way, we can go our own ways with no hard feelings.’
The gesture had been very generous, considering that Zoe had inherited a piece of land from her grandmother that was probably worth a lot now. Not that she’d had a chance to think about what to do with it with everything else that was happening in her life.
Even worse than it being James, there was the faint possibility it could be one of her parents, given that she had finally written to them to inform them that they were grandparents. But she hadn’t expected a reply to the letter, let alone a personal appearance. They would see the fact that she was unmarried with a baby as further evidence of the trouble she’d caused from the moment she’d been born. Besides, how many years had it been since her mother had even left the house?
Zoe didn’t know because she hadn’t been in contact with them since she’d come to Sydney at the age of eighteen to start her training as a paramedic. That had been nearly ten years ago.
The possibilities flashed through her head so fast, she had considered them both by the time the knocking stopped. Both were enough to make her feel incredibly tense. Emma was still staring up at her but her contented sucking had stopped. She jerked her head back and the teat of the bottle sprang free and sent a spray of milk onto Zoe’s face. Emma’s face was crumpling ominously as a second knock came. Louder and more commanding than the first.
Her heart sinking, Zoe got to her feet. Emma would be howling by the time she got to the door. If someone was going to try and sell her an encyclopaedia or something, it could very well be the final straw.
It wasn’t James. It wasn’t her father and, thank goodness, it wasn’t her mother.
That it was Teo Tuala rendered Zoe completely speechless. He had something in his hand that he was holding out towards her.
‘The cleaner found this in the waiting room,’ he said. ‘Good thing you had your driver’s licence in it. Even better that it had your address on it too.’
‘Good grief … I thought I’d left it in the car. I was going to go and look for it when I got Emma off to sleep.’
Which wouldn’t be any time soon. Emma was rubbing her nose against Zoe’s shoulder and her wails were increasing in strength.
‘I was just feeding her.’ Zoe couldn’t help sounding defensive. ‘She was perfectly happy a moment ago.’
‘And I interrupted by pounding on the door. Sorry.’
Teo really did have the most glorious smile. It radiated charm with a good helping of contrition this time.
‘I’ll get back to it, then.’ Zoe had Emma in her arms. She also still had the bottle in her hand. She hesitated for a second, wondering how to take hold of the wallet. ‘Would you mind putting it on the hall table?’
‘Not at all.’ Teo followed her in. He closed the door behind him. He looked around. ‘Nice place,’ he said. ‘I love these cottages. I live in a modern apartment block but only because it’s handy for the hospital. I’ve got a house in Samoa, right by the beach.’
‘Oh …’ Zoe had an instant image of a tropical paradise. ‘Do you get back there often?’
‘I go back for a week every couple of months. I like to help out at the local hospital as much as I can.’ His smile had a wry curl. ‘It used to be to see all my relatives as well but a whole bunch of them live over here now and the others all come to visit. I’ve got my favourite cousin and her brood arriving tomorrow.’
He had a voice that was just like his personality, Zoe thought. Deep and rich and warm. It was relaxing to listen to. Even Emma seemed to like it. She was still grizzling but the head rubbing was slower. Suddenly, the awkward thought in the back of her head that she would have to usher Teo out when he seemed happy to stay and talk just melted away.
‘Would you like a coffee or something?’ she asked. ‘It’s the least I can do to thank you for coming all this way with my wallet.’
‘That would be great.’
‘I’ll just need to finish feeding Emma first.’
‘No worries.’ Teo followed her into the living area. There was only the one couch in here. Zoe sat on one end, feeling the tilt of the cushions as Teo took the other end. He was so big, it meant that they were sitting very close together. Zoe pushed the awareness away. She tipped Emma back and offered her the bottle again.
Emma pulled away from the teat, turning her head one way and then the other. Her face got steadily redder as she gathered strength to let Zoe know that this was not going to work.
‘I could have a go at that, if you’d like.’ Teo’s tone said it didn’t matter in the least if she didn’t like the idea. ‘Seeing as it was my fault her supper got interrupted.’
He was offering to rescue her again. Because he thought she was pathetic?
‘That way, you could make the coffee.’ She could see a hint of mischief in his smile now. ‘I haven’t had one since about nine o’clock this morning and I’m having serious caffeine withdrawal.’
Not only was he offering to help, he was making it seem like she was doing him a favour. And did it matter if he thought she was pathetic? Judging by the way he’d handled Emma that morning, Teo was more likely to be successful in getting her fed and settled for the night. And if Emma settled, she would have a good sleep and be easier to look after tomorrow. Zoe would get a good sleep herself. She stamped on the pride or the need to prove herself or whatever it was preventing her from accepting her visitor’s help.
‘That would be great,’ she said, deliberately echoing Teo’s acceptance of her offer of coffee. She handed over her baby and then the bottle. ‘How do you like your coffee?’
‘Dash of milk and two sugars.’
Zoe grinned. ‘Good to see a medical professional setting such a healthy example.’
‘My aunties think I’m fading away. They give me six sugars. I’m in a programme to wean myself of the addiction.’ The skin around the corners of his eyes was crinkling into well-worn smile lines. ‘Hello, my name is Teo Tuala and I’m a sugarholic.’
A snort of laughter escaped Zoe, which made Emma’s head turn. She looked surprised enough to have forgotten why she was crying. Teo eased the teat of the bottle into her open mouth and she turned back, sucking vigorously and reaching up with her hands to help hold the bottle.
‘That’s the ticket,’ Teo said approvingly. ‘Good girl, Emma.’
It didn’t take Zoe long to make the coffee but by the time she brought two steaming mugs back from the adjacent kitchen, Emma had finished her milk. Teo had her upright on his shoulder, and was rubbing her back. Seconds later, Emma burped loudly.
Zoe shook her head at the ease with which Teo was going through the routine.
‘How do you know so much about babies?’
‘I’m a paediatrician.’ Teo grinned. ‘There was a class or two about babies, as I recall. I might have even read a book.’
Zoe didn’t return the smile. ‘I’m a mother,’ she said. ‘And I’ve read every book there is. I can’t handle Emma that well.’
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