Read Online Tagan's Child by ammyford1 - Free Book Online

birthing partner, every other trip I’d made to a
hospital had brought pain and loss. I found the smell and
atmosphere cloying and every minute I spent in one made me feel
more and more claustrophobic. I fidgeted in my chair. How many more
torturous minutes would I have to wait before anyone gave me an
update on Audrey’s condition? I couldn’t fight it any longer, I
needed to go outside. I concentrated on walking at a normal pace
and tried not to break into a run as I made my way to the front
entrance.
    I finally made
it outside and sucked in the night air leaning my back against the
wall to steady myself. I closed my eyes. The air was cold and it
made my lungs ache.
    I took another
deep breath and opened my eyes to see Ahran striding towards me. He
was dressed all in black; black boots, black jeans and a black,
leather motorcycle jacket. His short blonde hair stood out in
contrast. He cut quite a picture as his long legs ate up the
distance between us. My pulse jumped at the sight of him. His broad
shoulders blocked my view as he stopped in front of me. Flippin’
heck, those eyes!
    “Have you heard
anything?” he said, without even saying hello. There it was again,
that look as if I irritated him. What was his problem? It bugged me
no end that I found him so goddamn attractive.
    “Hello Ahran,”
I said, unable to hide my sarcasm. “No, I haven’t heard anything.
You obviously aren’t familiar with English hospitals; it’s
customary not to tell anyone anything for hours on end.”
    “Come on,” he
said, taking my elbow and it felt like I was being frogmarched
through the hospital. Pulling my arm away from him, I stole a
sideways glance at his profile and noticed the muscle at his jaw
flexing. He seemed really pissed off. I started to seethe. Who the
hell did he think he was? I was just beginning to get my life
sorted out and then he turned up and it had all started to unravel
again. Self-pity began to mingle with anger. I hadn’t asked for any
of this, all I’d done was try to establish a more settled life and
do what was right for Toby. I did my best to demonstrate my
annoyance whilst we walked, although frankly this was difficult as
I struggled to keep up with his pace.
    I tried not to
notice the female attention Ahran’s presence attracted in the
waiting room at A&E. As we approached the reception desk, the
receptionist looked at me, then at Ahran, and then back to me. I
got the distinct impression she disapproved of me. Ahran’s leather
jacket creaked as he leant forward and I got a waft of aftershave,
leather and that smell of the sun again. It was a distracting
combination of scents and I took a step away. He started to ask
about Audrey and was being so charming and polite. On the two
occasions we had met he had been positively hostile. My annoyance
increased. A nurse had joined the receptionist and they were both
now fawning over him. I used the excuse of getting another cup of
coffee to distance myself. Some women were so transparent.
    I got my coffee
and sat down. Another nurse had joined the merry twosome at the
reception desk, drawn to Ahran like bees to a honey pot. Fawning
nurse #1 gave Ahran a dazzling smile and went through the double
doors they had taken Audrey through several hours earlier, whilst
fawning nurse #2 continued to fawn with the fawning receptionist. I
turned away in disgust.
    It couldn’t
have been more than three minutes when the nurse came back through
with the registrar. How did he do it? Ahran gesticulated towards me
and he and the registrar came to where I was sitting, leaving the
three fawners to admire Ahran’s tidy behind. I couldn’t believe I
had been there nearly three hours and had heard nothing, and yet
Ahran had managed to get the head honcho to come out in under three
minutes. The registrar was laughing at something Ahran had said as
they approached me.
    The doctor’s
face turned more serious. “Miss McAllister, sorry you have had to
wait so long, my team