Kate Hardy - One Night With The Italian Doc

Louise came out with the bedpan and urine sample, which would be sent to the lab.

‘Can you check for protein?’ Anton asked.

Louise rolled her eyes at Hugh. ‘He thinks that because I’m blonde I’m thick,’ she said to a very blond Hugh, who smiled back. ‘Of course I’m going to check for protein!’

‘He’s blondist,’ Hugh joked, but then breathed out in relief when Louise called from the pan room.

‘No protein, no blood, no glucose—all normal, just some ketones.’

‘She hasn’t eaten since last night,’ Hugh said, which explained the ketones.

‘I’ve put dextrose up but right now the best thing she can do is to rest.’

It was a very long afternoon and evening.

Louise stayed close by Emily, while Anton delivered two babies but in between checked in on Emily.

At eight, Louise sat and wrote up her notes. It felt strange to be writing about Emily and her baby. She peeled off the latest CTG recording and headed out.

‘Can you buddy this?’ Louise asked Siobhan, a nurse on labour and delivery this evening.

‘Sure.’

They went through the tracing thoroughly, both taking their time and offering opinions before the two midwives signed off.

‘It’s looking a lot better than before,’ Siobhan said. ‘Let’s hope she keeps improving.’

Around nine-thirty p.m. Anton walked into the womb-like atmosphere Louise had created. The curtains were closed and the room was in darkness and there was just the noise of the baby’s heartbeat from the CTG. Emily was asleep and so too was Hugh. Louise sat in a rocking chair, her feet up on a stool, reading a magazine with a clip-on light attached to it that she carried in her pocket for such times, while holding Emily’s hand. She let go of the magazine to give a thumb’s-up to Anton, and then she put her finger to her lips and shushed him as he walked over to look at the monitors—Louise loathed noisy doctors.

All looked good.

Anton nudged his head towards the corridor and Louise stepped outside and they went into the small kitchenette where all the flower vases were stored and spoke for a while.

‘She’s still got back pain,’ Louise said, and Anton nodded.

‘We’ll keep her in Delivery tonight but, hopefully, if things continue to improve we can get her onto the ward tomorrow morning.’

‘Good.’

‘You were right,’ Anton said. ‘There was something going on with her last night.’ He saw the sparkle of tears in Louise’s eyes because, despite positive appearances, Anton knew she was very worried for her friend.

‘I’d love to have been wrong.’

‘I know.’

‘Anton …’ Louise spilled what was on her mind. ‘I bought a crib for the baby a few days ago.’

‘Okay.’

‘It was in a sale and I couldn’t resist it. I didn’t tell Emily in case she thought it bad luck …’

‘Louise!’ Anton’s firm use of her name told her to let that thought go.

She took a breath.

‘Louise,’ he said again, and she met his eye. ‘That’s crazy. I’ve got Mrs Adams in room two, who’s forty-one weeks. She’s done everything, the nursery is ready …’

‘I know, I know.’

‘Just put that out of your mind.’

Louise did. She blew it away then but a tear did sneak out because Louise cared so much about Emily and she was also pretty exhausted. ‘Why did it have to be now?’ she asked.

‘I would love to know that answer,’ Anton said, and Louise gave a small smile as he continued. ‘It would save me many sleepless nights.’

‘I wasn’t asking a medical question.’

‘I know you weren’t.’

Anton stood in the small annexe and looked at Louise. Today she had been amazing, though it wasn’t just because she was Emily’s friend. Every mother got Louise’s full attention. It was wrong of him to compare her to Dahnya, Anton realised. It was futile to keep going back to that terrible day.

Louise was too worried about Emily to notice his silence and she rattled on with her fears.

‘I know twenty-eight weeks isn’t tiny tiny but …’

‘It is far too soon,’ Anton agreed. ‘She’s just into her third trimester but we’ll do all we can to prolong it. It looks like we’ve just bought her another day and those steroids are in. The night staff have arrived, Evie is on and she is very good.’

Louise nodded. ‘I know she is but I’m going to sleep here tonight.’

‘Go home,’ Anton said, because Louise really did look pale, but she shook her head at his suggestion. ‘Louise, you have been here since six.’

‘And so have you,’ Louise pointed out. ‘I didn’t think you were on call tonight, Anton, so what’s your excuse for being here?’

‘I’ll be a lot happier by morning. I just want to be close if something occurs.’

‘Well, I’m the same. If something happens tonight then I want to be here with Emily.’

‘I get that but—Louise, I never thought I’d say this to you, but you look awful.’

It was a rather backhanded compliment but it did make her smile. ‘I’ll go and lie down soon,’ Louise said, and looked over as Hugh came out.

‘Is she awake?’

‘Yes, they’re just doing her obs. Thanks for today,’ Hugh said to them both. ‘I’m going to text and ring five thousand people now. Emily told her mum and, honestly, it’s spread like wildfire …’

‘I get it,’ Louise said, because she knew about Emily’s very complex family and the last thing she needed now was the hordes arriving. ‘I’ve put her down as no visitors.’

‘Thanks for that,’ Hugh said. ‘I’m going to ring for pizza—do you want some?’

‘No, thanks.’ Louise shook her head and yawned. ‘I’m going to go and sleep.’

‘Anton?’

‘Sounds good.’

Louise handed over to Evie, the night nurse who would be taking care of Emily. ‘Promise, promise, promise that you’ll come and get me if anything happens.’

‘Promise.’

‘I’m going to take a pager,’ Louise said, ‘just in case you’re too busy, so if you page him … she nodded to Anton ‘… page me too.’

Louise went to the hotbox and took out one of the warm blankets that they covered newly delivered mums in. Brenda would freak if she knew the damage that Louise singlehandedly did to the laundry budget but she was too cold and tired to care about that right now.

‘I’ll be in the store cupboard if anything happens.’

‘Store cupboard?’ Anton said.

‘Where all the night nurses sleep.’ Louise nodded to the end of the corridor. ‘‘Night, guys. ‘Night, Hugh. I’ll just go and say night to Emily if she’s awake.’

She popped in and there was Emily half-awake as Evie fiddled with her IV.

‘You’ve done so well today.’ Louise smiled, standing wrapped in her blanket. ‘I’m just going to get some shut-eye but I’m just down the hall, though I have a feeling I shan’t be needed.’

‘Thanks so much for staying,’ Emily said.

‘Please.’ Louise gave her a kiss goodnight on her forehead. ‘Hopefully we’ll move you to a room tomorrow. I’m going to have a jiggle with the beds in the morning and give you one of the nice ones.’ She spoke then in a loud whisper. ‘One of the private ones!’

‘You’re such a bad girl.’ Evie smiled.

‘I know.’ Louise grinned. ‘Sleep!’ Louise said to Emily and then stroked her stomach. ‘And you, little one, stay in there.’

‘Do you know what I’m having?’ Emily asked, and Louise just smiled as Emily spoke on. ‘Hugh knows and when I said that I didn’t want to find out, he said that he wouldn’t tell me even if I begged him.’

‘Do you want to know?’ Louise asked.

‘No, yes, no,’ Emily admitted. ‘But I want to know if you know.’