The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (11 page)

‘Right.’ Lucy hurried on ahead, automatically checking the board behind the desk to see which rooms were vacant. She was surprised to discover that two suites were occupied.

‘It looks as though it’s been busier than we expected,’ she said, elbowing open the door to suite number three. ‘Tina must have been run off her feet.’

‘I’ll check everything’s OK once we’ve got Helen settled,’ Max told her. He helped the porters line up the trolley beside the bed so that Helen could slide across, then attached her to the foetal monitor. He smiled when the baby’s heartbeat echoed around the room. ‘Well, this little fellow seems happy enough. He obviously enjoyed his first ride in a helicopter.’

‘I just wish Martin had been able to come with us,’ Helen said, her voice catching. There’d been no room for Martin in the helicopter so they’d had to leave him behind. ‘He desperately wanted to be at the birth and now he’s going to miss it.’

‘There’s still time for him to get here,’ Lucy assured her, mentally crossing her fingers. ‘It could be a while
yet before your baby is born, so if he can get someone to drive him here he might make it in time.’

She knew it was a long shot, but if it stopped Helen fretting that was the main thing. Max gave her a quick smile as she set about checking Helen’s glucose levels and her heart lifted. Even though she knew how dangerous it was, it felt good to know that she had earned his approval.

H
ELEN’S
baby was born at four fifty-five on Christmas morning. True to his word, Martin was there for the birth. A neighbour had driven him to the hospital on his quad bike and he was covered in snow when he arrived. Lucy laughed when Trish ushered him into the room.

‘You look like the abominable snowman!’

‘I feel like it,’ Martin declared, stripping off his jacket. He dumped it on the floor in the corner then hobbled over to the bed and smiled at his wife. ‘I told you I’d be here, didn’t I?’

‘You did.’ Helen smiled as she took hold of his hand and held it tightly. ‘Although if you’d left it any later you’d have missed the main event!’

Everyone laughed before they concentrated on what needed doing. The baby’s head had crowned and a few seconds later it emerged. After another few contractions, first one shoulder and then the other were delivered before the rest of the body slid out. Lucy quickly wiped away the mucus from the baby’s mouth and held him so that his head was lower than his body. He hadn’t breathed yet so she blew hard on his chest then tapped the soles of his feet when he still didn’t respond. Max was tying and cutting the cord and as soon as he’d
finished, she carried the baby over to the table, using a length of narrow tubing to clear any remaining mucus from his airway then massaged his chest and back with a towel. However, he still didn’t make any attempt to breathe.

‘What’s wrong?’ Helen demanded. ‘Why isn’t he crying?’

Lucy was too busy to answer and left it to Max to explain that they needed to start artificial respiration. Using a small-sized bag, she puffed air into the baby’s lungs, watching as the tiny chest rose. Max came to join her and she saw the worry on his face when he checked for a pulse.

‘Heart’s stopped beating.’

Lucy nodded, not needing him to explain what they had to do next. She puffed some more air into the baby’s lungs then watched as Max used the tip of his index finger to gently press on the baby’s chest and massage his heart. The method for resuscitating a baby was basically the same as that used to resuscitate an adult. The difference was that one needed to be extremely gentle.

They repeated the process several times before Max held up his hand. ‘Wait a moment…Yes! His heart’s beating. Come on, little fellow, how about a nice big breath for your uncle Max?’

As though he had understood, the baby suddenly took his first breath. Lucy smiled in delight when he let out a loud wail. ‘That’s it. Have a good scream and let everyone know that you’re not happy about being poked and prodded.’

Max chuckled as he watched the baby’s face change from a waxy white to an angry red colour. ‘I think he’s
taking you at your word. There’s definitely nothing wrong with his lungs, from the sound of it.’

‘There certainly isn’t,’ Lucy agreed. She wrapped the baby in a warm blanket and carried him over to his anxious parents. ‘Here you go. One very grumpy little boy who needs some TLC from his mum and dad.’

‘Thank you so much.’ Tears were streaming down Helen’s cheeks as she cradled her son in her arms. ‘I was so scared when he didn’t cry…’

She broke off, overcome with emotion. Lucy patted her hand, understanding how terrifying it must have been for her. ‘He’s fine now and that’s the main thing.’

‘Was it because of Helen’s diabetes?’ Martin asked in a choked voice. ‘Was that why he couldn’t breathe on his own at first?’

‘Not at all. Some babies just need a little encouragement before they take their first breath,’ Max assured him, playing down the drama of what had happened.

‘But his heart wasn’t beating either,’ Helen put in. She bit her lip. ‘Does it mean there’s something wrong with him—with his heart, I mean?’

‘Obviously, we can’t rule it out until we’ve done some tests. All I can say is that none of the scans you had indicated that there’s a problem.’ His tone was gentle. ‘I know it’s difficult, Helen, but try not to worry. You won’t do yourself any good if you get worked up.’

‘I’ll try,’ Helen assured him. She dropped a kiss on her son’s head then smiled at her husband. ‘He’s beautiful, isn’t he?’

Lucy moved away from the bed as the couple set about the age-old ritual of counting their child’s fingers and toes. They were such lovely people and she only hoped that nothing would show up in the tests to spoil
their delight at becoming parents. She gave them a few minutes on their own then went back and explained that the baby needed to be fed. She knew that Helen was keen to breastfeed so she helped her get comfortable and showed her how to hold her son so that he was in the best position. They all laughed when he immediately began suckling greedily.

By the time she went off duty, Lucy was much more hopeful that everything would be fine. Max had arranged for an echocardiograph to be done as well as a range of other tests, but with a bit of luck nothing untoward would show up. As she went to fetch her coat, she couldn’t help thinking how well everything had turned out after such a traumatic start. Diane was in the staff-room when Lucy went in and she grinned at her.

‘I bet you’re ready for home after the night you’ve had.’

‘It was a bit hairy at times,’ she agreed. ‘How did you get on? I was surprised when I saw that there’d been two more admissions.’

‘One of them has gone home,’ Diane told her. ‘Turned out it was a false alarm so she decided not to stay. The other is still in the delivery room. It could be a while yet before the baby arrives so it looks as though you’ve won this year’s competition.’

‘What competition?’ Lucy asked in surprise.

‘The midwife who delivers the first Christmas Day baby wins a bottle of champagne,’ Diane explained.

‘Really?’

‘Yes. I don’t know who started it but it’s become a bit of a tradition around here. The consultant pays for it so it looks as though Max will have to cough up this year. Make sure you remind him.’

‘Oh, right. Yes, of course,’ Lucy agreed, knowing full well that she had no intention of doing so. Although it was a nice gesture, she would feel extremely uncomfortable about demanding that Max should buy her a bottle of champagne and even more uneasy at the thought of them sharing it!

Heat rose to her face and she hurriedly closed her locker. She didn’t intend to go down that route, certainly didn’t want to picture them clinking glasses and staring into one another’s eyes. ‘I’ll get off, then. Are you working tonight?’

‘Yes, unfortunately.’ Diane grimaced as she wound her scarf around her neck. ‘My boyfriend’s not at all happy about it either. He’s done nothing but grumble ever since I told him I had to work over Christmas. I wouldn’t mind, but it’s not as though we actually do anything. Christmas is usually spent vegging out in front of the television!’

‘You’re not alone,’ Lucy laughed. ‘That’s what most folk do.’

‘I suppose so.’ Diane laughed. ‘I know I shouldn’t complain. At least it proves that he misses me when I’m at work…or I
think
it does.’

Lucy was still laughing as they left the staffroom. They waved goodbye to the day staff and headed to the lifts. The night shift was going off duty and they had to wait a couple of minutes for the lift to arrive. Lucy felt her heart jolt when the doors opened and Max stepped out. He smiled when he saw her.

‘I’m glad I caught you. I just wanted to let you know that everything is looking very positive for Helen’s baby. The echocardiograph is clear and his blood glucose levels are stable.’

‘That’s wonderful news. Have you told Helen and Martin yet?’

‘No. I’m on way to do it now. Anyway, I won’t keep you. I’m sure you’re looking forward to getting home.’

He started to turn away but just then Diane piped up. ‘Don’t forget that you owe Lucy a bottle of champagne, Max.’

‘Do I?’ He glanced back, a frown drawing his brows together. Lucy could feel the colour rushing to her cheeks again as the images she had tried to dispel earlier came flooding back. Max’s eyes would be so deep and intent as they stared into hers…

She took a quick breath to chase away the pictures, wishing with all her heart that Diane hadn’t said anything. However, it seemed the registrar was determined that Lucy should receive her prize.

‘Yes. The midwife who delivers the first baby born on Christmas Day wins a bottle of champagne, Max. You must know that.’

‘Of course. Sorry, I’d forgotten all about it.’ He turned to Lucy and shrugged. ‘I’ll sort it out as soon as I can if that’s OK with you.’

‘It’s fine. Really. Don’t worry about it,’ she said, quickly stepping into the lift. The doors glided shut and she breathed a sigh of relief. With a bit of luck Max would forget all about it.

It was almost eight a.m. by the time Max arrived home that morning. Having left his car at the farm, he’d had to beg a lift and that had delayed him. As he let himself into his flat, he could feel weariness washing over him. He had been on the go for almost twenty-four hours and
what he needed now was a long, hot shower followed by several hours of uninterrupted sleep.

The shower was soon accomplished; however, by the time he got into bed, he discovered that he no longer felt sleepy. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, but sleep eluded him. He kept thinking about what had happened the night before. It was as though everything he and Lucy had done was imprinted in his mind and he kept going over and over it, remembering what she’d said and how she’d looked until he thought he would go crazy. He knew that he couldn’t allow himself to get so hung up on her, yet he couldn’t seem to stop it.

In the end he got up and dressed rather than lie there any longer, torturing himself. He made himself a pot of coffee then phoned his brother Simon and told him that he wouldn’t be able to make it for Christmas dinner seeing as he didn’t have any transport. Simon immediately offered to drive over to collect him but Max refused. Apart from not wanting to ruin his brother’s day, he didn’t feel like socialising.

He finished his coffee then wandered around the flat, wondering what to do with himself. What he needed was a distraction, something to take his mind off Lucy and this situation he was in. In the end, he decided to go for a walk. Although it was bitterly cold outside, at least the icy air should help to clear his head.

Max followed the roads without any particular destination in mind. It wasn’t until he found himself outside Lucy’s flat that he realised he’d been heading in that direction all along. Even though he knew it was madness he needed to see her, talk to her, just
be
with her. It was like an addiction and he couldn’t fight it any longer.

Taking a deep breath, he rang the bell.

Lucy had just stepped out of the shower when the doorbell rang. She frowned as she fastened the belt on her robe, because she certainly wasn’t expecting any visitors. She was tempted to ignore it until it occurred to her that maybe the caller was here to see one of the other tenants and had rung her bell by mistake.

She ran downstairs and opened the front door, feeling the blood drain from her head when she found Max standing on the step. He gave her a crooked grin as he took stock of what she was wearing.

‘Happy Christmas. I hope I didn’t wake you up.’

‘No. I’d just got out of the shower when you rang the bell.’ She took a quick breath, struggling to contain the rush of emotions that were flooding through her. Although she had no idea what he wanted, she couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t pleased to see him.

‘Has something happened?’ she said, hurriedly clamping down on that thought. ‘It’s not Helen, is it? Nothing’s happened to her or the baby?’

‘No, they’re both fine.’ He shrugged. ‘I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk. I was just passing and thought I’d check that you were all right after last night’s escapade.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Lucy nodded, although she had no idea why he’d felt it necessary to check on her. ‘I’m fine, as you can see, so there’s no need to worry about me.’

‘Good.’ He gave another shrug and she felt a ripple of surprise run through her when she realised how on edge he looked. It was obvious that there was something troubling him and she knew she wouldn’t rest until she found out what it was.

‘I was about to make some coffee. Would you like a cup?’ she offered.

‘I don’t want to intrude…’ he began, but she didn’t let him finish. If something was worrying him then she wanted to help, if she could.

‘You aren’t.’

‘In that case, then, thank you. A cup of coffee would be great.’

He stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him. Lucy led the way up the stairs, wondering if she was mad to have suggested it. Getting involved with Max would be a mistake and she knew it, so why was she deliberately courting trouble? She bit her lip as she led him into the flat because ever since she’d met Max she’d been behaving strangely.

‘This is…er…cosy.’

Lucy looked round when he spoke, an unwilling smile curling her mouth when she saw him glance around the room. ‘That’s how the letting agent described it, funnily enough. If you ask me, I think poky sums it up far better.’

Max laughed out loud. ‘Now I’m in a real quandary. I don’t know whether to agree with you, or be polite and deny it!’

‘There’s no need to be polite. This place is the pits and anyone can see that. Anyone who’s not an estate agent, that is.’

‘If it’s any consolation it would be classed as spacious in London. Even a broom cupboard down there sends the average estate agent into paroxysms of delight.’

‘You lived in London before you moved here?’ Lucy asked, making her way to the alcove that served as her kitchen.

‘Yes. I went to university in London and ended up staying after I qualified. I lived there for over twelve years, in fact.’

‘So why did you decide to leave?’ she asked, filling the kettle with water.

‘I decided that I wanted a complete change of scene after my divorce.’

‘Divorce?’ Water slopped onto the work top as she put the kettle down with a thud. ‘I had no idea that you’d been married!’

‘It’s not something I talk about.’

‘I understand.’ She frowned. ‘Although I do find it strange to learn that you were married when you told me quite emphatically that you aren’t interested in commitment.’