Secret Sheikh, Secret Baby. Carol Marinelli

      So she did.

      For what felt like for ever.

      The emergency services had arrived and the passenger door was peeled back a touch further. She could get her head inside now. She couldn’t move to cover the baby with a blanket as the firefighter punched in the rear window—Karim did that. A paramedic had put a collar on the mother, and she had been extracted, but instead of stepping back, Karim climbed in further, covered the baby with an ambulance blanket, and covered Felicity’s head too.

      ‘She needs a hard hat,’ a fire officer called.

      ‘There’s no room for a hard hat,’ Karim responded. ‘Turn your head,’ Karim said to Felicity, which she did. Screwing her eyes closed, she tried not to move as the emergency crew created rear access to the baby.

      And Karim stayed with her in the strange little tent.

      He talked her through it, as her hand was numb and she wasn’t sure if the baby was alive or dead.

      ‘The firefighters have doused the engines,’ he assured her. ‘It shouldn’t be much longer now.’

      ‘My legs are freezing,’ Felicity admitted.

      ‘It will be over soon.’ He held her eyes, black on blue, and it helped. She could hear the chatter of the firefighters and the paramedics behind her, but it was Karim’s voice she was listening to. ‘They are giving oxygen to him now.’ It was as if he was her translator, and she could only listen to him, only trust what he was telling her, because he had been her eyes. ‘They want to put IV access into his scalp before they move him. Can you hold on a little while more?’

      Her whole arm and shoulder weren’t only numb now, they hurt. Her body was trying not to shake, though she was frozen. She thought of all her mums in the last throes of labour, when it was all too much, when it was impossible, and yet still, with encouragement, somehow they pushed on.

      ‘You can hold on,’ Karim said, and she listened to him instead of to her body, that wanted to stop. She told herself it wasn’t for much longer and pushed on.

      ‘Got him.’ A hand was over hers, pushing where she had, and a nameless voice told her she could let go now.

      ‘Move her slowly backwards,’ Karim ordered whoever was supporting her—because now she could let go Felicity was unsteady. She had to be pulled back rather than just remove herself from the car. Then she stood massaging her arm, tears pricking at her eyes as Karim climbed out too.

      ‘Well done,’ he said, and then changed his mind. ‘I told you to get back. You should think before you rush in.’

      ‘Did you?’ Felicity commented.

      ‘You should be more careful—there could have been more victims.’

      What made the rules different for him? Felicity thought, and then winced as blood rushed back to her numb arm. She stared down at her soaked, filthy clothes. Her hair and face were drenched, and suddenly she didn’t need scolding. She was close to crying, and he must have seen that because he changed tack.

      ‘Go into the hotel,’ Karim instructed. ‘I will come and speak with you there.’

      ‘I’m fine…’ Felicity attempted, but gave in because clearly she wasn’t—not that Karim was listening. His attention was back on the accident scene.

      Felicity looked on. The world was coming back into focus now, as her circulation returned. The street was awash with fire trucks and paramedics. The little babe was being lifted out in his intact child seat, loads of hands gently guiding the little life to safety. It was like watching a baby being born—a long, silent pause, then relief from the crowd, from everyone, as he was safely delivered from the confines of the car. A blanket had been put around her shivering shoulders and Felicity just stood and took it all in. But not Karim. Even though there were doctors and paramedics, all waiting to assist, he didn’t relinquish control. He snapped out orders as Felicity continued to stand and watch.

      Just who was this man?

      Only when the ambulance doors closed—when the siren blasted and the police directed it away—only then, when there was nothing more either could do, did he come over to Felicity and without a word guide her inside the hotel.

      Just as she had known he would.

      CHAPTER TWO

      ‘WELL, I don’t think we need to check your references!’

      They were sitting in the sumptuous hotel lounge; Felicity had relinquished her blanket and was shivering as Karim rapidly ordered drinks. Piping hot chocolate appeared in a moment. Soaking wet and shivering, and completely out of place in such surroundings, she must have looked a sight—but because Karim didn’t turn a hair, neither did she. For now.

      He gave her a kind smile and it dawned on Felicity where she was—not her surroundings, more the company. She was sitting with the man who had captured her attention for the entire day—the man she had chosen at the last moment to avoid. Now here she was, sitting drinking hot chocolate, the sole focus of his attention.

      And she had every right to be nervous!

      Now that everyone had stopped looking at her, she was able to look at him—and he really was the most heart-stop-pingly beautiful man she had ever seen. His coat had been removed by a waiter, and his gorgeous charcoal suit—apart from damp cuffs—was completely unscathed. His short black hair was glossy and wet, and his tie and the top of his shirt were loosened. He might have stepped out of a board meeting. The superbly cut suit accentuated his long limbs, and his olive complexion was set off with a crisp white shirt and gunmetal tie. His eyes were black, and they were kind, but they were not friendly. There was an elusive quality to him that Felicity couldn’t quite put her finger on. An air of superiority that had Felicity fast realising that she hadn’t a hope of relaxing and enjoying his company!

      ‘Allow me to introduce myself—I am Karim. I oversee recruitment for the university and the hospital.’

      Which was a rather vague introduction. Felicity frowned.

      ‘You’re a doctor?’ she checked. He had known what he was doing out there, had retained control even when the emergency services had arrived. He was more than a recruitment consultant—of that she was sure.

      ‘A surgeon.’ Karim nodded. ‘Though I rarely practise now. Recruitment is my focus.’ He changed the subject. ‘And you are Felicity Anderson, a fully qualified midwife who has all her paperwork up to date and is ready to leave.’

      ‘How do you know?’

      ‘Because I checked who you were with Noor.’

      ‘Oh!’ She blamed it on the hot chocolate, but she felt pink returning to her pale cheeks.

      ‘I asked her to point out any midwives or emergency nurses. We are very short of both.’

      ‘I see.’ Felicity nodded. So that was why he had been looking. She only had her imagination to blame for thinking otherwise. Curiously deflated, she sat there, exhausted now, as the adrenaline that had seen her through the accident fully wore off.

      ‘You did very well out there.’ Karim looked her over approvingly, but sadly, Felicity realised, he was assessing only her nursing skills. ‘Without you the baby would have exsanguinated.’

      ‘I just hope I did enough soon enough.’

      ‘I will ring and find out later,’ Karim said, looking forward to the prospect—perhaps they could do that from his room! ‘So, do you live in London?’

      ‘Unfortunately, no!’

      ‘Unfortunately?’ Karim checked.

      ‘I live in the north, and my train just got cancelled.’ She was drained at the prospect of finding somewhere to stay, but Karim clearly thought he had the answer.