Saving His Little Miracle (Mills & Boon Medical) by Jennifer Taylor

had caused her a great deal of stress was obvious. Reaching out, he covered her hand with his, wanting to offer her whatever comfort he could.
    ‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.’ Alistair Simpson grimaced. ‘If it does turn out that Megan has contracted an infection then we need to make sure it’s cleared up before she can return home. In her weakened state even the most innocuous childhood illness can have a devastating effect.’
    ‘Of course.’
    Lowri dredged up a smile but Vincenzo could tell how upset she was. The fact that Megan had needed to be readmitted to hospital so soon after she had been allowed home must be extremely worrying for her. He frowned as an idea suddenly occurred to him.
    ‘There would be less chance of Megan contracting an infection again if she didn’t come into contact with any other children,’ he suggested.
    ‘Of course,’ Alistair agreed. ‘The more contact she has with other children, the greater the risk of her catching something. Normally, her immune system would help her fight off most illnesses but the drugs she’s received have weakened her body’s defences. That’s why we advise parents to keep their children away from anyone who’s got a cough or a cold or something similar.’
    ‘She will improve, though,’ Vincenzo clarified, more for Lowri’s benefit than his own. He understood the situation perfectly and agreed wholeheartedly with Alistair’s decision to keep Megan in hospital. He would have done the same thing himself, in fact, but he simply couldn’t bear to see Lowri looking so despondent.
    ‘Oh, yes. Her immune system will improve but it’ll take some time,’ Alistair warned. ‘That’s why it’s essential that you take all possible precautions in the meantime.’
    ‘Of course.’ Vincenzo realised they had come to the end of the consultation. He stood up and held out his hand. ‘Thank you, Dr Simpson. I appreciate the fact that you came in after hours to see Megan.’
    ‘All part of the job,’ Alistair said lightly as they shook hands. He escorted them out of the office then left, no doubt eager to return home to his bed.
    Vincenzo sighed as he watched him striding along the corridor. Lowri desperately needed to get some sleep as well but he knew it was pointless suggesting that she go home. All he could do was to try to help any way he could, starting with a plan to avoid anything like this happening again. Megan needed to be in a germ-free environment and that was something he could arrange.
    He followed Lowri into the side room where Megan was sleeping, wondering how to convince her that the best place for Megan right now was the villa. There would be far less chance of the child contracting another infection there. Leaving her with her sister while Lowri went to work was merely risking her health unnecessarily, in his view, and he was determined that he was going to make Lowri see sense. Megan’s weakened immune system would have a chance to recover at the villa and she would be in a much stronger position when the stem-cell transplant took place.
    His heart lurched. Before they could even start to make plans for the transplant, they would have to create this baby.
    * * *
    By five o’clock the following morning, Lowri’s head was pounding. The combination of tiredness and stress had brought on a headache and she felt sick from the pain. She closed her eyes, willing the throbbing to abate. She didn’t have the time to be ill. Megan needed her and she needed to be here for her too.
    ‘Are you all right?’
    Vincenzo’s voice sliced through the throbbing in her skull and she winced. Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she nodded. Surprisingly, he had insisted on staying and she had to admit that she had been glad of his company. Having him here had made her feel less scared, if she was honest.
    ‘Yes. I’ve just got a bit of a headache, that’s all.’
    ‘Maybe this will help.’
    There was the scrape of chair legs as he stood up. Lowri