Free Wedding on the Baby Ward / Special Care Baby Miracle by Lucy Clark

her door and Janessa knew it would be Miles.
    ‘Here,’ he said as she opened her door, pocketing her keys, phone and pager. He held out a cup of what smelled like steaming black coffee. ‘Black. Two sugars.’
    ‘Coffee? How did you know how I drink it?’
    He shrugged. ‘I noticed at the restaurant. Anyway, I brewed some before I thought better of it and came to annoy you for some tea. I thought you could use a cup now, wake you up a bit more.’ She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a baggy knit jumper, which looked warm and cosy. She’d brushed her hair, pulled it back into a ponytail and slipped her feet into a pair of flat shoes. She looked gorgeous, comfortable and very homely, and he realised that whether she was dressed as professional Janessa, sleep-tousled Janessa or comfortable, homely Janessa, she was an incredibly beautiful woman.
    She wore no make-up and he detected no pretence about her. Miles couldn’t believe how drawn he was to this woman. He’d worked with all different types of people over the years and ever since the death of his wife he’d been able to keep the lines between business and his personal life completely separate. Why couldn’t he do it with her?
    ‘Thank you. That was very thoughtful.’ She gratefully accepted the cup and took a sip, trying not to be too affected by his kind gesture. She would have coped better with him being so close to her if he’d remained as lacking in charm and chivalry as she’d first thought, and of course before he’d kissed her. ‘Mmm … just what the doctor ordered.’
    Miles couldn’t believe how pleased he was at her appreciation as they headed to the stairwell, both of them sipping the rich brown liquid as they went. ‘You’re more than welcome, especially after you gave me the whole box of tea.’
    ‘What’s a box of tea between friends?’ she said as a throw-away line.
    ‘Friends?’ The word was spoken softly and with a hint of surprise. Janessa simply glanced at him over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.
    ‘You
do
know what friends are, don’t you?’
    Miles smiled, liking the teasing lilt in her tone. ‘It’s been so long, I’m not sure I remember how to make friends. I know how to deal with colleagues, patients, emergencies, but friends …?’ He shook his head as they exited the stairwell, letting the sentence trail off.
    ‘Well …’ she drawled as they walked through the quiet residential wing foyer, Janessa waving to Arthur as they went by, ‘It looks as though there’s something to teach the great Miles Trevellion after all.’ The words were delivered with a bright smile and Miles almost choked on the liquid in his mouth. He swallowed quickly and coughed once as he continued to stare at her.
    In the artificial light of the hospital grounds, dressed casually, demeanour more relaxed than he’d previously seen, Janessa’s smile was wide, bright and completely encompassing, her tired brown eyes twinkling with merriment.
    ‘Good to know you’re human, like the rest of us,’ she added before they entered the hospital building and made their way to Maternity, several staff members greeting them with a quick hello or a polite smile and nod. Miles could tell that Janessa was not only well liked but respected and he was pleased that he’d be working alongside a colleague of her calibre.
    He’d read dossiers on Janessa and other members of the Adelaide Mercy senior team who would be assisting with the various aspects of the twins’ delivery and future surgeries. It was a policy of his to know as much about his teams as he could, and to know that Janessa not only had the skills but the caring personality to match this sort of work was definitely a bonus. Far too often he’d worked with surgeons and physicians who were only interested in the prestige and fame associated with something as unusual as separating conjoined twins. Thankfully, the team at Adelaide Mercy were all invested in this project and perhaps the main