The Midwife's Christmas Miracle Read Online Free PDF Page B

felt. What was it about her that made him want to break all his rules? He wished he knew because maybe then he would be able to do something about it.
    ‘Good morning,’ she replied politely.
    Max frowned when he heard the cool note in her voice. Once again he was left with the impression that he was persona non grata and it was very strange. What had he done to offend her, he wondered, and how could he make amends? And why in heaven’s name did it matter so much?
    There was no time to dwell on it right then, however. By necessity the meetings needed to be brief and there was a lot to cover. They discussed various matters but the issue that concerned everyone most of all was the difficulty they were having obtaining supplies. Recent budget cuts meant that they no longer held as large a stock of basic items in the unit and several times they had run out.
    Max promised to look into it and the meeting broke up. Although the delivery rooms were empty, a couple of mums were due to be discharged that day so there was a lot to do. He tagged on the end as everyone filed out of the room. Lucy was in front of him and it struck him that it would be the ideal opportunity to have a word with her. If he had upset her, it would be better to get the problem out into the open rather than have it niggling away in the background all the time.
    He caught up with her outside the office. ‘Can I have a word with you, Lucy?’
    ‘Of course.’
    She turned to face him and Max was aware of a definite coolness about the look she gave him. Bearing in mind how well they had got on in the clinic, it seemed very strange, and he didn’t waste time beating about the bush.
    ‘Have I done something to upset you?’
    ‘Of course not,’ she replied quickly, but he saw the colour that touched her cheeks and knew that she was fibbing.
    ‘Are you sure?’ He smiled, hoping she would confide in him if he kept things low key. ‘Because I get the distinct impression that I’m in your bad books for some reason.’
    ‘You’re imagining it. Now, if that’s all, I really do need to get on.’
    ‘Of course. But if I have upset you, Lucy, I apologise. The last thing I want is for us to be falling out.’
    ‘There’s nothing to apologise for,’ she said tersely, turning away.
    Max sighed as he watched her hurry along the corridor. Despite her protestations, he knew there wassomething wrong and it was frustrating not to be able to do anything about it. Exasperated with himself for letting it bother him, he went into the office and phoned the purchasing manager, not pulling his punches as he told him what he thought about the new system. It was rare he ever spoke so sharply but it paid dividends that day. The man immediately agreed to increase their stock limits and even promised to have extra supplies delivered by lunchtime.
    Max hung up, knowing that he should be pleased that the matter had been resolved so speedily. However, it was hard to feel any pleasure when there seemed to be a cloud hanging over him. Maybe it was silly, but he hated to think that Lucy was annoyed with him. For some reason her opinion mattered to him more than anyone else’s had done in a very long time.
    Lucy went straight to the ward after she left Max. Sophie and baby Alfie were being discharged that morning and she wanted to say goodbye to them. Alfie had developed a mild case of jaundice after his birth and that was why he had been kept in. Extra fluids and phototherapy had soon cleared it up and he was now well enough to go home.
    She pushed open the door, doing her best to calm herself down, but she could feel her nerves humming with tension. She hadn’t known what to say when Max had asked if he’d upset her. She had never considered herself to be an overly demonstrative sort of person, so the fact that he had picked up on her mood had stunned her. Richard certainly hadn’t noticed if she’d been upset. He’d been oblivious to anything that hadn’t directly affected