Fiona McArthur - Baby for the Midwife

‘You’re welcome, Del.’ He gave the young girl one of his special smiles and Del smiled mistily back.

Max stood up and examined the CTG tracing. ‘Your contractions have slowed a little to fiveminutely so the first dose of drug is working. Georgia will give you another tablet now.’

He looked up at Georgia. ‘I’ll be in the office on the phone if you need me.’

In the next twenty minutes Del’s contractions slowed to ten-minutely but they didn’t stop. Flo had been outside to see if the fog had lifted but the mountain still lay shrouded.

Georgia sought Max out as he finished the admission letter for whichever hospital would finally take her.

‘Del’s contractions are strong and very regular, sitting at ten minutes apart.’

He spread his hands. ‘There’s a chance one of the outlying Sydney hospitals may take her, otherwise she may have to go on to Canberra.’

‘If they don’t decide soon, she’ll get her wish and deliver here.’ Max seemed very calm considering they might have premature twins on their hands. ‘We’ll send her out by road ambulance to the base hospital until the fixed-wing aircraft can land.’

Georgia frowned. She’d tried that. ‘They refused her.’

‘With the airfields shut, they’ve OK’d it now. They said they’d even send the escort. But if she’s in strong labour they won’t take her on the plane either so she’ll have to go somewhere.’

Georgia smiled. Max had really done some ringing around. ‘You wanted the joys of rural obstetrics.’

He grinned at her. ‘Aren’t you having fun?’

‘The more the merrier.’

Max looked at her. ‘You may have spoken too soon.’ The screech of tyres could be heard coming hard round the bend into the hospital and they looked at each other as another screech heralded the arrival of someone in a great hurry.

A tall, bearded man rushed in, his eyes panicky with emotion. ‘Help us. My wife, Susie, is in the car, and she’s having the baby right now.’

Georgia tapped Max’s arm. ‘You go. I’ll get the emergency kit and a warm blanket and meet you there.’ Max nodded and jogged after the man.

Georgia hurried to collect the small tray, a warm blanket and infant rug from the hot box and a wheelchair in case they could move the woman to a more comfortable place for delivery.

By the time Georgia arrived they needed the warm blanket for the baby and the cord clamp and scissors.

The husband was calmer now that he wasn’t alone to cope and it was a very relieved family that moved into the ward to ensure all was well.

Susie clutched her baby to her as if she didn’t know where he’d come from.

‘It’s all a shock but you did beautifully,’ Max said with a smile. ‘Your son didn’t mind in the least being born in the car. He’ll probably grow up to be a rally driver.’

Flo stuck her head into the room. ‘There’s a phone call for you, Doctor.’ Max nodded to indicate he was returning to the other room, and Georgia had to smile at his mode of communication. Very appropriate for Del.

Susie shuddered. ‘Not if he drives like his father did on the way here. The fog made it a nightmare.’

‘Susie’s blood pressure is up,’ Gerry said mournfully.

‘Mine would be, too,’ Georgia said with a smile. ‘Perhaps you could just check it again in fifteen minutes, please. I’ll go back to Del if you settle everyone and maybe offer a cup of tea in here.’

‘Sure.’ Gerry was happy to have something to do with all the excitement. ‘Flo’s had all the fun this morning,’ she said.

Fifteen minutes later the ambulance arrived to take Del to the base hospital until the fog lifted, and Georgia only just finished all the transfer papers in time.

Max put the phone down. ‘They don’t want the steroids given or any more nifedipine.’

‘Do they want us to check her cervical dilatation before she leaves?’ Usually patients were assessed to ensure delivery wasn’t imminent or likely to occur during the transport period.

‘None of those things,’ Max said with a frown. ‘I queried it but the consultant was adamant.’

‘Things change all the time. Must be a new study out that I haven’t heard of,’ Georgia said, but it did seem strange to her as well.

Georgia signed and printed her name and packaged her letter and Max’s letter to the consultant stating what they’d done to go with Del.

A midwife from the base hospital had arrived as escort, which meant Georgia didn’t have to call anyone in to cover for her.

Suddenly the ward was quiet. All they had to do was clean up and prepare for the next person to come in.

After all the excitement it was a bit of an anticlimax and she wished Max could stay and have a coffee with her but she didn’t ask because it felt needy.

He waved and left and instead Flo and Gerry helped Georgia restock the trays.

‘This tray thing works pretty well.’ Flo repacked with satisfaction.

‘I wonder which one we get to use next,’ Gerry said gloomily, and Georgia laughed.

When Max walked in after work that night, Georgia had Elsa on a rug on the floor in the lounge. Elsa was stretched out on her tummy, kicking her legs with her nappy off as if trying to swim.

For Max, seeing mother and daughter so relaxed in his home, squeezed his heart so hard it was almost chest pain.

He despaired of ever being a part of their closeness. He should just enjoy this now because since the other night Georgia had created a distance between them he could feel growing every day.

At this moment she was laughing at the fierce expression on Elsa’s face as she tried to propel herself forward.

Georgia glanced up at him with her face alight as if to say, Will you look at her? This was what he wanted. She looked pleased to see him. It shouldn’t be this hard—they were legally married. It had to be a start.

He threw his briefcase on the lounge and gave in to the impulse to casually drop a kiss on the top of Georgia’s head as he passed.

‘What was that for?’ Georgia laughed up at him and he swore then he would fight for the right to be a part of their lives.

‘That is the new order of things. I’m home and I want to play, too.’ Then he knelt down in front of Elsa and tickled her. ‘Hey, young lady. Who said you could learn to crawl?’

He may have spoken to Elsa, who grimaced at him ferociously, but he listened for a response from Georgia to see how she had taken his welcome salute.

‘Right, then,’ she said. ‘You get to stay with the naked-bottomed one and I will change, because time has slipped away, and then you can shower after me.’

Georgia rose gracefully to her feet. She grinned at him and passed the disposable nappy she’d tucked under her arm before she sailed from the room.

Not too bad. At least she hadn’t banned him from head kisses. ‘Mummy thinks she can boss me around. What do you think of that?’ He bounced Elsa on his hip. ‘Though it is no hardship being left with you, young lady.’

That morning Max had shared his breakfast again with Elsa after her mother had gone to work. They’d had a fine old time and if Georgia worked the next few weeks, he planned on sharing his breakfast with his stepdaughter every day. ‘Let’s get this nappy on and we’ll have a walk out in the garden with the puppy.’

He carried a glaring Elsa out onto the veranda and the big dog moaned with pleasure when Max bounced the baby’s toes on his back for a moment. Elsa’s frown fell away and she chortled at the feel of rough doggy hair on her feet and then Max swooped her away to walk around the garden.

‘See the birdies? Birdies.’ On cue, the rainbow lorikeets screamed between themselves as they fought over the flowering bottlebrush bush, ripping the fine needles of flowers as they sought the nectar.