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  ‘Get a room, you two!’ Judith boomed, making her way onto the deck and making them both jump. Ciro’s arm was firmly around Harriet’s shoulders as Judith made her way over briskly. ‘What are you doing, manhandling my new ANUM?’

  Oh, that!

  Clearing her throat, Harriet felt Ciro’s grip tighten around her as she let go of one dream to pursue another. ‘Judith, would it cause a lot of problems if I pulled out of the ANUM applications?’

  ‘Probably,’ Judith said, but it was softened with a wink. ‘Right now, I’ve got more important things to worry about. The captain’s turning around and heading back to dock, he swears he’s never going to let hospital personnel hire the boat again—and I wouldn’t be counting on getting your deposit back, Ciro.’

  ‘No worries.’ He grinned, almost sounding like an Aussie. ‘What the hell’s that noise?’

  ‘Charlotte!’ Judith tutted, gesturing for them to follow and heading down the stairs to the party that was in full swing, Charlotte taking the microphone, eyes blazing, leading the crowd as a familiar song about survival, known to women the world over, started up.

  Ciro smiled in delighted recognition, but his voice was suddenly serious. ‘Do you think that Charlotte will be okay, I am worried that I have…’

  ‘She’ll be fine.’ Harriet grinned, imbued with optimism for womankind as she felt Ciro’s arm wrap around her. ‘Just as I was—we’re survivors!’

  EPILOGUE

  IT WAS nothing like Harriet had expected.

  Even though they were in Canberra, even though one maternity ward was pretty much like another, walking along the corridors of the birthing unit was nothing like Harriet had anticipated. ‘Lonely’ wasn’t a word that sprang to mind when a fresh batch of Delgato twins were about to make their entrance!

  ‘Tell them to be quiet,’ Harriet moaned, leaning against the wall as another contraction hit and Ciro energetically rubbed her back. All she wanted to do was go to sleep, all she wanted to do was climb into bed and rest a while, but the midwives were insisting that she walk around to speed things up. ‘People will start complaining.’

  ‘They’re fine,’ Ciro soothed. ‘They’re just excited.’

  Excited didn’t come close to describing the atmosphere in the waiting room. The television was blaring, the Delgato sisters chatting in their loud, expressive voices to Harriet’s rather bemused mother, who was feeding lollies to Ciro’s two thoroughly spoiled nieces, as Estelle happily and extremely competently breast-fed her twins at the same time!

  And as much as Harriet adored them, loved them all, suddenly all she wanted was for the noise to stop, for everyone to just go away and leave—even Ciro!

  ‘This is all your fault,’ she snarled. ‘How the hell am I supposed to cope with twins?’

  ‘I told you from the start that they run in the family,’ Ciro answered easily, but his hand was waving for the midwife to come—preferably immediately!

  ‘How am I supposed to finish my degree with two of them?’ Harriet demanded, a complete alter ego emerging as they led her to the delivery room.

  ‘You will.’ Ciro was with her now, standing behind her and holding onto her forearms as she leant back into the welcome cradle of his arms, panic taking over as she realised that she wanted to push.

  ‘They can’t come in,’ Harriet begged. ‘I don’t want anyone to see me…’

  ‘Calm down.’ Ciro’s voice steadied her, a piece of driftwood in the turbulent ocean of labour, and she clung to it for dear life. ‘Just go with it, Harriet,’ Ciro said, his voice low and soft in her ear, and it wasn’t annoying now, just everything she needed to hear. ‘You just do what feels right for you and don’t be scared.’

  And she wasn’t.

  With Ciro next to her, Harriet could be who she was, pursue her own dreams and follow her own instincts with love always on her side.

  ‘Clever girl!’ Ciro’s voice was louder now, urging her to keep going, to push just a little bit longer. ‘It’s got red hair!’

  Which wasn’t much incentive, but Harriet continued to push, screaming out loud as her baby slipped into the midwife’s hands, hearing Ciro’s joyous declarations as the angry pink bundle unfolded before her eyes, massive smoky blue eyes staring directly at Harriet. And she wanted so much to hold her, to relish the moment, but it was happening again, utterly no reprieve as her body continued its most important task. And it was just as miraculous as the first time, just as exhausting and exhilarating and as utterly amazing to bring her second child into the world.

  ‘A girl!’ It was Harriet calling it now, Harriet staring at the tiny bundle being swathed in wraps and handed to her as the first twin was brought back to join in.

  ‘Two Harriets.’ Ciro beamed, smiling and crying at the same time, staring at the angry little red-headed bundles.

  Harriet didn’t even mind when the entire waiting-room contingent trooped in. She watched her mother’s face as she gazed in awe at her granddaughters, even managing to laugh when Nikki’s petulant voice stated the obvious.

  ‘More girls!’

  ‘I am destined to be surrounded by women,’ Ciro said proudly, kissing the top of Harriet’s head, staring down at his brand-new family. ‘And I wouldn’t have it any other way.’

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-2280-3

  SPANISH DOCTOR, PREGNANT NURSE

  First North American Publication 2008.

  Copyright © 2005 by The SAL Marinelli Family Trust.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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