Alison Roberts - Midwives On-Call

He hesitated for a moment before continuing. ‘A lot of my babies will leave the unit and require a lot of extra care just to do normal things. Many, too, leave healthy. My job, my goal, is to hand the baby to its carer, whoever that may be, in the best possible health. That is my goal every day when I go into work. You ask if I care as much. I care about every one of my patients. Some need more care than others and I see that they get it.’

She couldn’t not tell him about the pregnancy. Isla had long known that but it was confirmed then.

She was keeping her baby and so the decisions that would be made for its care would involve Alessi also.

She looked at his wide, lovely smile as he even managed to get a small laugh from Ruby, and Isla imagined his expression when she told him they were bound for ever—that the cool and together ‘I’ve got this covered’ Isla hadn’t even been on the Pill.

She deserved his reaction, she expected the row, and she’d prefer that than Alessi choosing to do the right thing, to marry her, stick together …

‘Now, I’m going to have to leave.’ Alessi broke into her introspection. ‘I have some time for some questions but it is my parents’ fortieth anniversary tonight and I am already in trouble for being late.’

He didn’t rush them through the questions, though. Ruby had no more but she took a generous helping of sandwiches with her and left, while a couple of girls hung around to speak with Alessi. ‘I’ll return this,’ Isla offered, unplugging the incubator, knowing that Alessi had other places he needed to be.

She wheeled the incubator back up to NICU and chatted with the nurses there for a while.

‘How’s Elijah?’ Isla asked.

‘Well, it’s still early days,’ the senior nurse said. ‘He gave us all a terrible time last week but he seems to be holding his own at the moment. Donna will be coming in soon to bring in some breast milk. She generally comes in at this time if you want to hang around.’

‘Not tonight,’ Isla said.

Tonight she needed to get her head around her decision—somehow she would tell Alessi, but away from here, Isla thought as she walked back down to MMU.

‘Oh!’ As Isla pushed open the door, there was Alessi.

Alone.

‘I thought you had to get to your parents’ …’

‘They can wait,’ Alessi said. ‘This can’t. I want to know what happened, Isla. I want to know what’s going on.’

Isla took a deep breath.

‘Any time now, Isla,’ he said. His phone was ringing and he saw that it was Allegra, no doubt demanding to know where he was.

‘I’ll be there as soon as I can!’ Alessi had to keep himself from shouting and Isla screwed her eyes shut as he switched to Greek.

When he ended the call she met his eyes and it was time for the truth. ‘I’m pregnant, Alessi.’

His reaction was nothing like she had expected. His face had already been pale, Isla realised, but it paled a little further and then he gave her a very small smile.

‘Can you hold that thought?’

‘Sorry?’ Isla blinked.

‘Allegra is at the party and doesn’t want to make a fuss but she thinks she might be in labour.’

‘Oh!’

‘She sounds as if she’s in labour.’

‘Meaning?’

‘One conversation, two contractions.’

‘She needs to get here.’

‘Try telling her that,’ Alessi said, and handed her his phone. ‘While we get there. ’

IT WAS THE strangest car ride.

Isla’s news hung between them while both were grateful for the pause.

Alessi wanted some time with his thoughts rather than say something he might later regret. Is it mine? was, for Alessi, the obvious question.

In turn, Isla was relieved that her secret was out and that the world was still turning.

‘I think I’ve left it too late to get to hospital …’ Allegra, from the echo Isla could hear, was in the bathroom.

‘That’s fine.’ Isla’s voice was calm. ‘We’re a couple of minutes away. I’m going to call for backup. Are you in the bathroom?’

‘Yes.’

‘Where’s Steve?’

‘Can I hang up on you and text him?’ Allegra asked. ‘I don’t want the whole family piling in.’

‘Give me his number,’ Isla said. ‘I’ll text him from my phone, you just keep talking to me.’

‘My waters just broke.’

‘Okay,’ Isla said. ‘What colour is the fluid?’ She heard Alessi let out a tense breath as it became obvious from the conversation that things were moving along rather rapidly.

‘Clear.’

‘Have a feel,’ Isla instructed. ‘There’s no cord?’

‘No. Isla, I want to push.’

‘Try not push,’ Isla said. ‘We’re at the traffic lights on the corner. Alessi’s swearing because they’re red.’

‘I don’t want my brother delivering me.’

‘I know you don’t want your brother to deliver you,’ Isla said, and she caught a glimpse of Alessi’s rigid profile. ‘But luckily you’ve got me. I’m going to ring off and I’ll see you in a moment.’ She turned to Alessi. ‘I’m jumping out when we get to the next lights.’

Their eyes met and there was so much unsaid. ‘We’re talking this out tonight, Isla,’ Alessi said.

‘I’m sorry, Alessi.’ She told him the truth as the car moved the next five hundred meters. ‘I wasn’t on the Pill.’ She felt his eyes on her briefly. ‘I know I let you think I was … I meant to take care of it the next morning, get the morning-after pill, but I didn’t …’ Tears were threatening and she choked them down.

‘Are you considering an abortion?’ Alessi asked, and Isla shook her head.

‘Then never apologise for your pregnancy again.’

She arrived at Geo’s and walked in as calmly as she could, grateful she had been there before and that the staff let her straight upstairs as soon as she explained that Alessi was parking.

The speeches were going on as Isla made her way through the crowd and Alessi’s father was speaking.

‘Tonight I celebrate forty years with the love of my life. We have been together through good times and bad …’ There was a long pause before he continued. ‘We were blessed with three children, Geo, Alessandro and Allegra, tonight we sit in Geo’s as a family, always.’

Alessi must have ditched the car because he was right behind her as she headed to the bathroom.

‘Watch the door,’ Isla said, and took a deep breath and stepped inside.

She’d delivered many women on the bathroom floor but she’d only deeply loved one of them.

Make that two, Isla thought as she stepped in and saw Allegra’s red face and damp curls. Steve was there beside her and he blew out a breath of relief as Isla came over. ‘Talk about timing,’ Steve said.

‘Perfect timing.’ Isla smiled, dropping to her knees, knowing what to do.

‘It’s coming.’

Oh, it was.

‘Get behind Allegra, Steve,’ Isla said. ‘Help pull her legs back.’

‘Where’s Alessi?’ Steve asked.

‘Gnawing on the door with his teeth.’ Isla smiled.

‘He must trust you,’ Allegra said.

Alessi did.

But with no equipment, no help to hand, it tested Alessi on so many levels and it was a Herculean effort to stand outside.

Last time, with Niko, Allegra had nearly died.

It wasn’t like last time, Alessi told himself.

Isla was there.

Isla was pregnant.

It was then that he properly acknowledged it. He looked at his parents, who were scanning the gathered crowd, waiting for their children to start speaking. A crowd was starting to gather where Alessi was playing doorman and a paramedic was climbing the stairs, wearing a crash helmet, which was possibly a giveaway.