Free The Marry-Me Wish by Alison Roberts

if it was available.A privileged space that should have been a peaceful refuge from the bustle of the emergency department.
    But there were two tiny babies cocooned in their car seats on the floor beside Anne’s bed and they were both whimpering. Their mother wasn’t any happier.
    â€˜I still can’t believe you didn’t call when you were feeling so lousy. My God, Annie…’
    â€˜Don’t fuss, Jules. I’m all right.’
    â€˜You might not have been. We should never have let you go home by yourself. The plan was stupid.’
    â€˜No.’ Anne shook her head wearily. The whimpering of the babies was increasing in strength and the sound felt like a chainsaw inside her head. ‘I was doing fine.’
    â€˜Are you kidding? Mac’s at your house right now, collecting the stuff you’ll need. You left the stove on, Annie. And the tap.’
    Anne winced. Again. ‘I know. I’d been planning to make some lunch before I went for a walk. I…must have got distracted, that’s all, and forgot I’d turned anything on.’
    â€˜You’re lucky the house just flooded and didn’t burn to the ground with you lying unconscious on the floor.’ Julia was shaking her head in consternation but then her chin jerked up. ‘David!’
    â€˜Is that true?’ came the familiar voice from the doorway. ‘Anne flooded her house?’
    â€˜Tried to burn it down as well. It’s my fault. I should never have agreed to let her go home by herself.’
    David was staring down at the babies. ‘Are they hungry?’
    â€˜I’ll feed them in a minute. I had to come and seeAnne first. We just threw everything and everyone in the car when they rang to say Anne was in here. Someone found her down by the river, would you believe? Carried her here, unconscious.’
    â€˜Mmm.’ David’s glance towards Anne held a sparkle of amusement. ‘I would believe it. It was me that carried her.’
    â€˜Oh…’ Julia’s jaw dropped and she dragged her gaze from David back to Anne. ‘You didn’t tell me that.’
    â€˜You haven’t given me a chance to say much at all.’
    Julia ignored the implied reprimand. ‘Mac’s gone to collect Annie’s stuff,’ she informed David. ‘We’ll be taking her home with us.’
    â€˜No.’ Anne managed to find the strength to sound decisive. ‘I’m not going home with you, Jules.’
    â€˜But you have to.’
    â€˜No, I don’t.’ The babies were howling now. Anne closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to shut out her surroundings, but not before she caught sight of a nurse entering the room, closely followed by Mac who was carrying a suitcase.
    â€˜Dr Bennett really needs some peace and quiet to rest,’ the nurse told Julia.
    Mac looked at David and then at Anne. He put the suitcase down and picked up a handle of a car seat in each hand. ‘Come on,’ he ordered his wife. ‘Let’s go and deal with these two. We can come back when they’re quiet enough not to be upsetting anybody.’
    The nurse nodded her approval. ‘I’ll take you to the relatives’ room.’ She closed the door behind the noisy procession.
    Anne cautiously opened her eyes. David was still here.
    â€˜How are you doing?’ he asked.
    She gave a tiny huff of sound. ‘Better now, thanks.’
    David glanced at the door as though still seeing the babies being taken away. His face was expressionless as he turned back.
    â€˜I hear the final verdict was a patch of retained placenta.’
    Anne nodded. ‘Probably a succinturiate lobe that didn’t get missed at the time, being an extra bit. Hardly surprising when they had two to check in somewhat unusual circumstances.’
    David ignored the reference to her surrogacy. ‘But you’re not up for a D&C?’
    â€˜No.’ Anne’s sigh of relief was