Laelia was sitting in the side room, sipping her tea smiling at Joan as she was describing the baby clothes she wanted to buy. Joan offered her help with anything if she needed it. Auntie Joan, I’m so glad I have you; Laelia said with utter conviction and pride shining in her eyes, you have been the best mom to me and you will be the best grandmother as well, just don’t spoil the baby rotten, okay. She let out a cheerful little giggle.

With a lump in her throat, Joan smiled back at this beautiful goddaughter she had raised and couldn’t be prouder of. She had achieved so much and had gone through so much heartache in her short life that she couldn’t be anything but proud of Laelia.

Sweetheart, why were you so angry when you came out of Dr Papadopoulos’s? Joan asked her tentatively.

It was nothing, Auntie Joan, forget it ever happened but I do think I will be looking for a new OB-GYN, that man is just so infuriating, I don’t think I will be able to stand him on my antenatal checkups. She said in clipped tones.

Joan cocked her head to the side, wondering why her sweet goddaughter was being so unreasonable all of a sudden. Laelia my dearest if he upset you or if you had a misunderstanding of some sort I’m sure it all comes down to him being unfamiliar with his surroundings and you being his very first patient in his new practice, maybe he still has to iron out the kinks.

 Laelia blew out an angry breath, No he doesn’t need to iron out any kinks the man needs an ice-cold bucket of water poured over him and to be kicked so hard on the shin that he jumps around like a fish out of water, was her vehement retort.

This threw Joan, she had never not at any time during the last 31 years, heard her speak with such venom, she was always the nicest person around, even when she was in depths of despair and grieving her loss she had been sweet, kind and caring and had never said a bad word to anyone. What had happened she wondered?

Laelia was gritting her teeth, she just couldn’t understand how such a handsome man could be so obtuse and rude, yes he had been rude to the point where she just wanted to bite him, hard.

She looked up at Joan and slowly let out the air in her lungs and breathed deeply again.

He asked me if I knew who the father of my baby was she blurted out.

Joan stared at her, he did what?

Laelia repeated herself, that stupid man asked me if I knew who the father of my baby was.

She couldn’t believe her ears, Dr Papadopoulos had asked Laelia, her Laelia if she had any idea about the paternity of her unborn child, but why did he ask her? It was all in her file.

She looked at Laelia and then looked at her cup of tea which was empty, this called for reinforcements, and this called for peppermint biscuits as well. Joan got up quickly collected the cups and walked to the kitchenette attached to the room, busying herself making fresh tea and fetching biscuits from the overhead cupboard. Arranging the biscuits on a plate she walked back into the room looking up at Laelia and seeing the hurt written all over her poor child’s face.

I’m sure it was a misunderstanding sweetheart; Joan spoke the words softly not wanting Laelia to get angry and upset her again.

Placing the biscuits in reach of Laelia she took one for herself and dipped it into her tea, nibbling slowly and thinking.

I think he is a pompous ass. Laelia ground out.

Joan almost choked on her cookie and looked at her goddaughter, something strange was going on here, Laelia never swore, never argued and definitely had never used the word ass before, not that she could remember. Completely out of her depth right now Joan giggled at Laelia and didn’t know exactly why.

Laelia shot her eyes up and looked Joan square in the eyes and started giggling as well, what the hell was wrong with her, she never got rankled it wasn’t in her nature.

It was all that man’s fault, that stupidly attractive man that had rubbed her up the wrong way, why had he made her so angry she couldn’t quite understand, she wasn’t a person to show emotion so easily and she definitely wasn’t the type to swear and want to physically hurt people, but that man was someone she definitely either wanted to kiss hard or bite. Wait... Had I just thought about kissing him? No! why would I be, he is horrible, yes he is horribly attractive with his blue piercing eyes and his sensual mouth, what the hell was wrong with her she thought, it must be the hormones yes the hormones that’s why she was behaving and thinking completely out of character.

Sitting and watching the play of emotion across Laelia’s face, Joan was amused to see that her sweet goddaughter had a faraway look the one moment and an angry look the next just to go back to the dreamy look again. Joan had a pretty good idea what her goddaughter was thinking about, the super yummy Dr Papadopoulos, the one and only person to have gotten a reaction so explosive out of Laelia that Joan had a growing suspicion that sparks would fly. Even if she had to help them along.