A Forever Family Collection

‘It sounds wonderful.’

After Jade ended the call she turned away from the photos of the family and breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard to admit it, but she had to concede that Mitchell was beyond attractive and he had stirred some feelings she’d forgotten she had ever felt, but now this would not be an issue: she would be busy working three days a week so would not see much of him during her stay.

Despite his obvious masculine appeal, and the way he was making her feel, she tried to convince herself that Mitchell Forrester would not be a threat to her. He was wayward and reckless if his postcards were anything to go by, she told herself just in case her hormones were making their own plans. Reliable, steadfast and sensible would be the prerequisites for any man to be in Amber’s life, just the way Ruby had liked her men. And it wouldn’t happen for a very long time, if ever. She needed to focus on being the best caregiver to Amber. That was the role she had been given and she intended on doing the very best job.

She had sat Amber down a few months before the trip and tried to explain why her life was different.

‘I know that most of your friends at playgroup have mommies and daddies but you have an aunty instead,’ Jade began to explain. ‘Your mommy and daddy look down from heaven and watch over you every day to make sure you are happy and safe. And I think that I am the luckiest aunty in the world to have you.’

Jade had become Amber’s legal guardian with Maureen and Arthur’s blessing as they had wanted what was best for their granddaughter. Mitchell had never contested the role, and Jade wasn’t surprised. Jade had seen from the moment she’d arrived in Adelaide that nothing had changed. Maureen and Arthur were so supportive and Mitchell was just there for the fun times.

‘Ith it my birthday?’ Amber squealed her question when she saw her grandfather blowing up balloons and her grandmother putting out pink and yellow napkins and a small stack of brightly wrapped gifts on the table.

‘Not for a few days, but this is an early birthday party so that Uncle Mitchell can say happy birthday and watch you blow out the candles,’ Maureen told her. ‘He has to go to work for the rest of the week so he will miss your real birthday. So you’ll have two parties.’

Amber’s eyes grew wider. ‘Two parties?’

‘Yes, Amber,’ Jade answered. ‘Grandma is spoiling you and you’ll be having two parties this year.’

Amber was clapping her hands and laughing as she sat beside her grandfather while he blew up the last of the balloons.

‘Don’t tell me I’m doing this again in a few days?’

‘Darling,’ Maureen began, ‘there’s only a handful of balloons so please just tie the ribbons onto each one and we can put them up before Mitchell arrives.’

‘Too late, I’m here.’

Mitchell had initially hesitated to accept the dinner invitation when his mother had called but when he’d discovered it was to celebrate Amber’s birthday he agreed immediately. The vision of Jade by the pool had haunted him all day and was the reason he’d hesitated. Something made him want to stay away from Jade but something stronger made him want to spend time with her.

He wanted to find out more about her, and if he was right about her motives. Did she really think that wearing clothes so dour that they were suited to a retired prison warden would make her a better guardian? A blind man could see her devotion and success raising Amber. She didn’t need to dress in costume to achieve anything. He would never understand why she covered the body he knew for a fact was amazing. And why she seemed so averse to his light-hearted remarks about life.

It was as if she had nominated herself for the position of moral compass of the family, if not the world. But as he looked at her he had to admit something about her was growing on him. She was cute, a good and devoted woman, and now that he had seen so much more she had also become desirable woman in his eyes. Common sense told him to limit his time around her but something else told him the opposite.

Jade turned around to see Mitchell standing in the doorway with a large white bear in a yellow spotted dress and a very small white box with a silver bow. He was wearing black jeans, black boots and a tight plain white T-shirt that didn’t hide his ample chest. She felt her temperature start to rise and her heart flutter. Then she noticed he was avoiding eye contact with her.

She prayed he had not seen her watching him from her balcony as he’d walked to the beach that morning. The swagger in his step and his lean, tanned body barely dressed had had a mind-numbing effect on her the moment she’d seen him and the image was still close to doing the same now. She felt her skin heat up and threaten to flush and she was bewildered by what was happening to her.

Over the past three years on her own she must have seen hundreds of good-looking men walking the streets, having coffee in the hospital cafeteria, in the twenty-four-hour supermarket when she called in after a late shift, but none of them had stirred any interest. Nothing. She’d walked past them as if they’d been store mannequins. But now, looking at Mitchell, she was very aware of the unsettling attraction she was feeling.

With difficulty, she attempted to drag her thoughts back to where they belonged and where they needed to remain for the next few weeks.

‘This is for the birthday girl,’ Mitchell said, his hands outstretched to Amber.

Jade could see Amber’s face light up as Arthur led her by the hand over to Mitchell and the presents.

‘The teddy is for now,’ he began, as he put the bear into her arms. ‘And this present is for when you are older.’ He carefully handed her the small present.

Jade noted the colour of the dress. Mitchell had remembered Amber’s favourite colour. Amber took the presents and gave Mitchell a hug before she returned to the chair and unwrapped the white bow on the box, her teddy firmly planted on her little lap.

‘It-th’s pretty!’ she exclaimed, as she pulled a silver heart-shaped locket from the box. ‘Look, Aunty Jade, it-th’s pretty.’

‘You can put photos inside so one day when you are off travelling the world you will always have your family travelling with you,’ Mitchell added.

Amber had no idea what he was talking about but Jade was taken aback and the expression on her face did not hide it. The teddy was cute and the locket was lovely but the message behind it didn’t sit well with her. Was this Mitchell’s advice to her? Head off, put family in a locket and live your life somewhere else? She hadn’t pictured Amber ever leaving to see the world. She felt sick at the thought of not being there to protect her. And upset that Mitchell was using Amber’s birthday to impart his set of values on niece when she was only three years old.

‘That is very pretty’ she said, as she sat down and opened the delicate locket. ‘It will be lovely to wear to very special parties.’ Not a trip around the world away from family, she continued in her mind.

‘I’m surprised you didn’t buy one in green to go with her camouflage outfit for her trip down the Amazon for her sixth birthday,’ she said to Mitchell in a lowered voice as she made her way past him to the kitchen. ‘Really, a trip around the world? She’s three years old and maybe there’s the chance she’ll be like her father and she won’t want to run away from her family.’

Mitchell was stunned into silence. He thought her rebuke was an overreaction. It was a present of his choice with his sentiment. Not everyone saw the world the way Jade obviously did. He noted her dress sense had returned to that of elderly maiden aunt.

‘Like me? Is that what you mean? Actually, the message was about the importance of family,’ he said in the same low voice with a scowl as he followed her into the kitchen. ‘Pity you couldn’t see past your own agenda to see I didn’t have one.’

‘My agenda?’

‘Yes. It’s pretty obvious you’re planning on wrapping Amber in cotton wool for her entire life. Let her build sandcastles but avoid the water. Like a bystander who can watch but not experience life. That’s what this is about. It’s not healthy to bring up a child with no sense of adventure.’

‘How lovely to see you two getting to chat finally,’ Maureen said as she entered the kitchen to collect some plates. ‘Arthur is putting some prawns on the barbeque to go with the potato bake and salad.’

‘That sounds delicious,’ Jade said through gritted teeth. She was so angry with Mitchell. She was just protecting her niece the best way she knew how. She suddenly prayed that Mitchell wasn’t right. She didn’t want to cocoon Amber and not let her take her place in the world or have fun as she grew up. She bit her lip as her eyes darted nervously around the room. His words made her question herself. Was she at risk of smothering Amber?

‘I’ll see what I can do to help outside,’ Mitchell said, his eyes narrowing in Jade’s direction before he disappeared onto the balcony to help Arthur put up the balloons.

‘Such a pretty locket and so sweet of Mitchell to think of something like that. I thought you’d approve of something so delicate and timeless,’ Maureen said as she collected the salad from the refrigerator, added some home-made dressing and headed back outside.

‘Very pretty,’ Jade returned. She couldn’t agree with the rest of Maureen’s words. She wasn’t sure what she thought about Mitchell or herself any more.

Mitchell and Jade chose to sit at opposite ends of the table for dinner. They said nothing to each other and neither made eye contact with the other. Amber didn’t appear to have much of an appetite and just played with her food, then lay down on the sofa with her new teddy.

‘Are you okay, sweetheart?’ Jade asked with a little frown of concern.

‘I’m full.’

Maureen looked over at Amber and lowered her voice. ‘She didn’t want much for lunch today either. I think jet-lag has hit her. It was a long trip for a little girl. And you too, Jade.’

‘I’ll keep an eye on it,’ Jade said. ‘You’re probably right but if she doesn’t pick up I’ll take her for a check-up.’

‘Do you want me to make an appointment with the nephrologist just for peace of mind?’ Arthur asked. ‘It’s probably not related but it will put your mind at rest.’

‘Let’s see how she goes,’ Jade replied, as she watched Amber play with her yet-to-be named bear. ‘The flight probably exhausted her. In a day or so she should pick up.’

‘Teddy wants to lie down, he’th tired.’ Amber said softly.

The adults all smiled and returned to their dinner, each of them not wanting to appear concerned but still keeping an eye on Amber.

‘And what did you get up to today while Amber was showing us the dolphins, Jade?’ Maureen finally asked to lift the conversation.

‘Nothing much … I just relaxed by the pool.’

Mitchell choked loudly on hearing the words. His drink threatened to spill from his lips and his eyes watered as he valiantly fought to not splutter. Nothing much didn’t just describe her day … it did, however, describe her outfit, or lack thereof, perfectly. She had been lying naked by the pool. And had looked amazing doing so.

‘Are you all right, dear?’

‘Uh-huh,’ he responded, his lips forming a rueful slant as he tried not to make eye contact with Jade. He wasn’t all right. He wanted to be honest and tell her that he had seen her that morning lying sans clothing by the water’s edge but he would never embarrass her that way. Also peeping Tom came to mind to describe him and he didn’t want that label. It had been an accidental sighting but a very pleasant one.

But the sighting even now, many hours later, was causing his heart to beat a little faster despite his opinion of her. It was an image at total odds with the role she was playing. Perhaps being the only one at the table who knew the real Jade drew him to her. He had seen the version she was hiding from the world and his parents. And he liked what he’d seen. He suspected why she was behaving that way but he didn’t agree with it. Just as she had over-reacted about the locket, Jade was trying to protect her niece from the world and even the real Jade. He just had to find a way to convince her that she didn’t need to be anything other than herself.

‘I just got a bit of sun …’

‘Oh, I’d say you got a whole lot of sun,’ he muttered under his breath.

‘Is everything okay?’ she asked with a curious frown.

‘Yes, fine, I’m just saying that you must have enjoyed sunbathing while everyone was out. I guess you just really like the sun.’

‘What a peculiar thing to say, Mitchell,’ Maureen said as she took another mouthful of salad.

Jade shot him a confused glance as she collected the plates.

‘Never mind,’ Mitchell returned as he stood to take the stack of plates from Jade’s hands. His warm skin brushed against hers and the electricity surged despite her anger towards him.

‘Forget I said anything. It’s just my warped Aussie humour. I’m sorry if the present upset you. There was nothing meant by it. Amber can put anything she wants in the locket. By the time she’s sixteen she will probably have a crush on a pop star who can’t sing a note but he’ll have great hair and perfect teeth and she will put his picture in the locket.’

Jade stepped into the kitchen. ‘More than likely.’ Her tone was cool but pleasant.

‘What about a truce?’ he whispered as he followed her. ‘For Amber’s sake?’

Jade met his glance but wasn’t convinced.

‘I was out of line,’ he apologised. ‘I understand you want to keep Amber safe. With what happened to Ruby and David, you have every right. But please trust me, I would never let anything happen to Amber.’

Jade squinted a little as she took his words on board. They did seem heartfelt and she didn’t want any animosity ruining what little time they had with Maureen and Arthur.

‘Truce.’

‘Happy birthday, dear Amber, happy birthday to you.’

Amber was happy to sit back at the table for the arrival of her two-tier princess birthday cake. Her eyes lit up when she saw the iced strawberry sponge cake with tiny wax figurines of her favourite storybook princesses sitting on the top, with three candles burning brightly.

To the sounds of Hip, hip, hooray, she blew out the candles, ate half of the slice of cake on her plate and then went back to the sofa with her new teddy and rag doll. The trip had taken its toll, and Jade wasn’t surprised that Amber wanted to go to bed early.

On seeing how tired she was, Mitchell scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom, where Jade brushed her teeth then slipped her into her pyjamas before he helped to tuck her into bed.

His assistance with the bedtime preparations was his effort to show he was serious about the truce and helping out, but he was surprised how much he enjoyed being a part of it all. Something deep inside felt good about being able to kiss Amber on the forehead and hear her say goodnight to him. It was a long way from his handshake two days previously. He had never experienced that unconditional affection.

He spent all of his working hours saving the lives of children but he never saw them tucked into their own beds. He experienced gratitude in buckets from the parents, although he never expected it. Ensuring these little patients had the best possible opportunity for healthy, happy lives was just what he did. But as he stood watching Amber drift off to sleep he felt a tug at his heart. Perhaps he was missing out on something after all.

He wondered for a moment if his self-imposed exile from family and commitment was worth it.

Then he shook his head and realised that he was fooling himself.

Despite his feelings towards his niece, he would never be ready for children and a family full time, it wasn’t in his genes.

‘Are you okay to sleep in here by yourself for a little while?’ Jade asked softly. ‘I’ll leave the door open and you can hear us on the balcony.’

Amber nodded and she went to sleep with her bear and rag doll. She was so tired she didn’t need a story. Jade couldn’t help but notice the shift in Mitchell and how his face had lit up when Amber had said goodnight to him.

‘I’ve been asked to start tomorrow for the temp agency,’ Jade announced on their way back to the dinner table. ‘I have a three-week placement.’

‘That’s great. Which hospital?’ Mitchell asked as he tried to process the feelings that still lingered after being a part of Amber’s bedtime ritual.

‘The Eastern Memorial,’ she said, then added, ‘Arthur told me it was his old workplace.’

‘Yes, it was,’ Mitchell replied with a rueful look. But he didn’t tell her that it was also his workplace and that he was a consultant neonatologist there.

And that fate had just decreed that he would be her very temporary boss.

CHAPTER FOUR

MITCHELL WALKED DOWN to the water’s edge in the warm night air. He wanted to clear his head before he tried to sleep. This was not how he had seen Jade and Amber’s visit playing out. He had pictured a fun-loving, easygoing woman, a kindred spirit of sorts. A Californian beach babe who might like to hang out, enjoy a few drinks at a bar, hit the surf and maybe even enjoy a casual hook-up.

Instead, he had found a woman whose commitment ran so much deeper than that. She had changed everything about her life for her niece. In Mitchell’s eyes it wasn’t necessary and he doubted he would be able to do the same, but he couldn’t help but admire how far she would go to provide the upbringing she believed her niece needed.

The rebel girl was now more at home having a cup of tea and an early night on her own. And she would give her life to protect Amber but he found it such a waste for her to hide behind the image of someone else. He had seen the real woman beside the pool and it had sent his body into overdrive.

She was pretending to be so much less than she was. Looking out over the moonlit water, Mitchell wondered how someone could be so completely selfless. Someone so young and beautiful who would have so many options yet she had obviously turned her back on them all for Amber.

He wanted to know more about her yet he had to prevent this conundrum of a woman from getting under his skin. He didn’t want to be involved with a woman that genuine. It would be a disaster for everyone. The idea of being tied to one woman and having a family would never work for him. Or would it? he wondered as he picked up a pebble and cast it into the moonlit ocean. It had felt so good to be in the room with Jade, putting Amber to bed. It had seemed so natural and as if they had done it before … and could do it a thousand times and never tire of it.

But there was doubt weighing heavily in his mind. An uncertainty that he could stay the course. A hesitation in his heart that he could not be relied on in a forever situation. His greatest misgiving would be his ability to last the distance and not break the hearts of those who loved him.

Until now that had never been tested. Until now he had never wanted to really get to know a woman beyond a one-night stand or contemplate being a part of a woman’s life.

The feelings that he was experiencing were all new to him. Mitchell was at an unexpected crossroad with no clue how he intended on navigating his future.

He stood in silence alone on the beach more confused than he had ever been.

Jade crossed to the scrub room and slipped on a disposable gown over the white nursing uniform she had pulled from her suitcase and pressed that morning. Morning had come quickly after another good night’s sleep. Amber’s day had been so filled with fun and adventure with her grandparents and then her early birthday dinner that she had been exhausted and had slept through the night, allowing Jade to do the same.

Jade’s shift began at two in the afternoon and she would finish at ten that night. Arthur had offered to drive her but Jade had insisted on catching the tram as the temp agency had advised, since their home was not far from the tram stop on Jetty Road. She really didn’t want to impose and it gave her a chance to see more of the city on her walk.

She reached out with her foot to the pedal to turn on the tap and noticed a woman in her late twenties, with a worried expression and dressed in a gown and slippers, drying her hands. Jade gave her an encouraging smile.

‘I hope to be going home soon. It’s my third day,’ the woman said softly, returning a meek smile. ‘I so wish I was taking Jasper with me but that will be a while, they say. How long do prem babies usually stay in hospital?’

‘It’s hard to say because all babies are different,’ Jade began to explain. ‘It depends on how your baby’s progressing. Babies who are smaller and those born earlier sometimes have some medical problems other than just being tiny and so tend to stay longer on the unit. But a premature baby who is otherwise well usually stays in the neonatal unit until around the date he or she was due to be born. If your baby does very well, is eating and gaining weight, then he or she might even be able go home even sooner. How early was Jasper?’

‘Ten weeks early. He’s on a ventilator because he has a lung problem that I don’t really understand,’ she returned quietly. ‘Hy-mem … something disease. The doctor tried to explain it to me but I didn’t really understand. And I didn’t want to ask too many questions. I thought he might think I’m being pushy, wanting to know everything medical when I’m not a doctor or even think I’m stupid for not understanding.’

Jade knew from her training and years of neonatal nursing that mothers of premature babies and their families all faced uncertainty and this caused raised levels of anxiety. Visiting their baby in Neonatal Intensive Care was a stressful situation that most knew little or nothing about.

‘It’s important that you never think of yourself as being difficult. Any questions you might have are valid,’ Jade explained, as she turned off the tap with her elbow. She was aware that the exchange of information allowed the nurses to gauge the stress within the family and most particularly the mother’s ability to cope. ‘Parents need to feel a part of the decisions being made for their baby, and you can’t do that if you don’t understand what is happening.’

‘Really? He won’t mind if I keep asking questions, and he won’t think they’re silly things I’m asking? It’s just that you’re here every day and it’s all so new to me.’

‘I promise you that the doctors and the nursing staff would never think of any questions as silly. More than likely the doctor assumed that you knew what he was saying if you didn’t ask any questions, and I guarantee he would have been more than happy to explain it to you. You’re a mother of a newborn in intensive care and you have every right and need to know what is happening throughout his treatment. Please, never hesitate to ask any of us whatever you want to know.’

The young woman sighed and seemed to lift in confidence a little.

‘I just don’t know what the disease is and why Jasper has it?’

‘Hyaline membrane disease is also called infant respiratory distress syndrome and is suffered by almost half of premature babies under thirty weeks,’ Jade offered instinctively as the woman’s body language showed she was relaxing. ‘It means that every time Jasper breathes in he has to expand his lungs completely. Healthy lungs don’t collapse to an airless state, but because of his prematurity Jasper’s lungs are deflating totally. It makes breathing very hard work for him.’

The woman dropped the dampened paper towel into the bin and tentatively approached Jade, looking for reassurance. ‘So it’s common, then?’

‘Many premature babies have issues with breathing as a result of their early arrival, and even if they aren’t as premature as Jasper they can still have this problem. But your baby is in very good hands here. If you have any questions about Jasper and the doctor isn’t available, just ask any of the nurses.’

‘I haven’t seen you here before. You’re American. Have you moved to Adelaide to live?’

‘No, I’m on a working holiday. Today is my first shift and I will be here for the next three weeks. So let me know if you have any other questions. I’ll be here tonight till late.’

‘Thanks so much. I have to express some milk and grab something to eat. The nurse told me that I have to keep up my calories to make sure I can produce enough for Jasper.’

Jade nodded. ‘Yes, you do. You have to get sleep and rest and eat well for both you and Jasper. One of the most important things you and your partner can do for your baby is look after yourselves. Get sleep, eat healthy meals, and take a break from it all. It’s exhausting having a baby in the neonatal unit, particularly after a difficult or emergency birth. It’s natural to want to put your baby first but you must be good to yourself, too.’

She watched as the woman put a half-smile on her tired face then left the washroom to head back to the ward, hopefully secure in the knowledge that she could ask anything she needed to know without any judgement from the medical staff. Ultimately, she would be her baby’s only constant in the multiple care-giving system of neonatal intensive care and she needed to feel confident in that role.

Jade had already been given her patient roster at handover. It wasn’t a busy time in the nursery and she only had two infants to monitor. Checking the first infant’s chart, she noted that Costa was due for a gavage feed. She crossed slowly to another nurse already on duty. As she drew closer, she noticed she was quite young. She had a friendly face with a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her hair was a mass of copper curls kept out of her eyes with a pearly clasp on the top of her head. She wasn’t particularly tall, perhaps two or three inches shorter than Jade, and this added to her overall young appearance. She imagined that Amber might look similar when she was older.

‘Hi, I’m Jade.’

‘I’m Mandy. You’re from the agency too, then?’

‘Yes, first shift and staying for about three weeks, part time, though.’

‘Welcome on board.’ Then, distracted by something or someone in the glass-walled scrub room, she paused and then lowered her voice. ‘Scrumptious, isn’t he?’

Jade noticed a huge smile spread across the young nurse’s face but had no idea why.

‘If I wasn’t engaged …’ Mandy began in a wistful tone, before tilting her head to one side in the direction of the door ‘… I’d offer him breakfast in bed.’

‘Who?’ Jade cut in.

‘Mitchell Forrester, the dishy doctor just scrubbing in.’

Jade froze. Mitchell worked at the hospital? He hadn’t mentioned it the night before. She felt her stomach jump and her heart race. Why hadn’t he told her? She was suddenly quite confused as she’d thought they were getting on well and if he wanted it to remain that way he certainly should have volunteered that information the previous night.

Perhaps he didn’t like the idea of them working together. She couldn’t be sure but there were so many things about which she wasn’t sure. Including her feelings for the man scrubbing in. She could see exactly why the nurse spoke that way. Mitchell was very handsome and more than likely up for some fun with the right woman, but it wasn’t her. She was not in the market for a one-night stand and up until now her resolve to stay single had not been tested.

‘I suppose,’ Jade replied coldly, not wanting to let on that she had any connection to Mitchell or the fact there was a tiny part of her that agreed.

‘It doesn’t hurt to have some eye candy in the workplace. I mean, it’s a nice distraction from the round-the-clock care we provide for premmies. I think it’s the universe rewarding us!’

Jade could not join her enthusiasm. She wanted to be anywhere else but near Mitchell. He was resurrecting needs she had put to rest the moment Amber had arrived in her life. She didn’t want or need a distraction from her role. She didn’t dare let her eyes rest on him for long. His raw masculinity was reminding her that she was a woman with desires that hadn’t been met in a very long time.

‘I guess, from what I’ve heard, the parents can rest assured their babies are in the very best hands. And in Mitchell Forrester’s hands is where I’m sure every second nurse in the hospital would like to be,’ she added with a laugh.

‘Well, there’s no accounting for taste,’ Jade answered woodenly, making it clear she had no intention of joining the recruitment line for his harem. Then she noticed that a theatre nurse spoke to him briefly and he turned and left the scrub room with her.

She was relieved that he wasn’t coming in. It gave her a little longer without him there.

Her attention quickly returned to baby Costa. She began the gavage feed that was due by aspirating the contents of his tiny stomach to assess the quantity of still undigested food, along with the colour and appearance. Satisfied that everything was within normal limits, Jade slowly returned the contents to ensure that valuable electrolytes were not lost. Then, attaching the syringe with the milk, she held it above the baby to allow gravity to control the feed, and began the thirty-minute process.

‘I’m Soula, Costa’s mum,’ came a young female voice as Jade was about twenty minutes into the feed.

Jade raised her eyes only momentarily from her tiny patient to acknowledge the young woman dressed in her gown and slippers.

‘Hello, Soula. I’m Jade, and I’ll be looking after Costa this afternoon. He’s certainly a handsome young man.’

‘He looks like his father,’ Soula returned with a nervous smile. ‘The same thick black hair. His yia-yia, Maria, adores him as he reminds her of Yanni … he’s my husband and her eldest son. She had five boys but I think maybe one or two will be more than enough for us.’