The Midwife's One-Night Fling

It was only just after seven. And Freya understood now why he hadn’t shaved.

‘Now...’ He looked over to his patient as he tied on a plastic apron. ‘Would you prefer me to call you Mrs Hudson or Kathy?’

‘Kathy.’

‘Well, Kathy, we’ll have you feeling a lot more comfortable soon.’

He was very meticulous. As Freya helped Kathy to sit on the edge of the bed for the procedure Richard Lewis went through all that had been set up. He made no small talk as he checked and rechecked everything.

‘Right,’ he said, as if to himself, and then he addressed Kathy. ‘You’re going to feel a sting from the local anaesthetic and then a bit of pressure. I’ll need you to stay as still as you can—do you understand that?’

‘I do—but what if I get a contraction.’

‘It’s fine. I’m used to them. I’ll work around it.’

He went through everything that she could expect to feel, and as the next contraction came he put on gloves, waiting for the pain to diminish before the procedure commenced.

‘I’m sorry,’ Ben said suddenly.

‘It’s fine,’ Richard responded. ‘It’s awful to see someone you love in pain. However, by all accounts your partner has been doing marvellously. Let’s try and make this last bit a whole lot easier for her, shall we?’

Whoa! Freya thought as she held on to Kathy. He had somehow accepted the apology while reminding the husband just who this day was about.

‘Why don’t you come this side?’ Freya suggested to Ben. She knew he was really just terribly anxious. ‘You can hold Kathy’s hand.’

This time he didn’t shake his head and came and took his wife’s hand.

Richard worked quietly and soon the epidural was in. Kathy lay back on the delivery bed.

‘You’ll need to stay in bed now,’ Richard reminded her as he disposed of his sharps and then removed his gloves. ‘Thank you, Freya. Can I leave my mess to you? I believe I’m wanted in D3.’

‘Sure.’

Freya checked Kathy’s obs, and those of the baby, and by the time she had tidied up Kathy was indeed starting to feel the benefits of the epidural.

‘You should try and get a little rest now,’ Freya suggested. ‘I’ll be in and out, and there’s the call bell if you have any concerns at all.’

‘Freya!’

Her name was called the second she stepped out of the room. ‘Can you go and take the baby in D7?’

Freya nodded and headed to delivery suite number seven. ‘Taking’ a baby was wonderful indeed. It combined all the joy with barely a hint of the pain.

Stepping in to the delivery suite, she found the atmosphere was lovely and peaceful. Kelly, one of the other midwives was there, along with the soon-to-be father, who had his arms wrapped around his wife’s shoulders.

In fact Kelly was so calm that even when she told Freya that Dr Mina and the anaesthetist had been paged she did it in such an open way that there was no jolt of alarm from the mother.

‘The baby is small for the dates and the head is smaller than expected,’ she said, and Freya checked all the equipment was ready.

Despite the unexpectedly small head, everything seemed to be under control.

‘Try not to push, Sita,’ Kelly said. ‘Just pant.’

‘Okay,’ Sita said, and fought against the urge.

‘Good girl,’ said Kelly. Her focus was totally on the delivery, and she didn’t look over when the door opened.

‘Hello, there,’ Richard said quietly, and Kelly calmly told him the reason for him being paged.

‘Thirty-seven weeks and small for dates,’ Kelly explained.

The room was getting crowded. Stella had come in after Richard, followed by Dr Mina just as the head was delivered. And now there was Guy Masters, the paediatrician on call, whom Freya had already met.

‘Well done, Sita,’ Dr Mina said. ‘Just breathe and do as Kelly says. Dr Masters is a paediatrician and he’s here to check your baby.’

The head really was tiny, and Freya found she was holding her breath as the body slithered out. But even as she accepted him he started to cry. His huge eyes were blinking at the light and his little face was wrinkled.

He was utterly gorgeous, Freya thought as she held this tiny piece of the future in her hands. Tiny, but perfect. And as she rubbed him down Guy was already examining him.

‘One that is better out than in,’ Guy said.

The baby had clearly not been getting sufficient nutrition in-utero, but he was angry and defiant and utterly perfect.

‘I don’t think we need you, Richard,’ he said as loud cries pierced the room and the baby pinked up beautifully.

‘Not with those lungs,’ Richard agreed. And it was just as well he wasn’t needed because his pager was going off.

He left unnoticed by all, Freya thought. All except her.

‘I think he’s ready to meet his mum,’ Guy said, and Freya popped a little hat on the baby to keep him warm, wrapped him, then carried him over to his waiting parents.

She smiled as she watched a family being born. Freya loved delivering babies, but taking them was special too. They always tried to deliver them straight to the mother, but sometimes, as with this unexpected small size, the baby needed a proper examination. Apart from his size this one was doing just fine. Another perfect new life.

* * *

The day seemed to be running away from her. Busy, a bit crazy, and after her hectic morning she could only take a coffee break on the run at the desk.

There, Dr Mina was speaking with Richard and Kelly was chatting with Stella about a film they were going to see at the weekend.

‘It’s supposed to be really good,’ Freya commented, subtly fishing to be asked to go with them, but Kelly just nodded her head.

Freya took her lunch in the staff room, and just as she returned she was told that Kathy was ready to push.

When she got to the delivery room Ben was white with fear and Freya gave him a smile.

‘I thought you’d gone home,’ Ben said.

‘And miss out on this?’ Freya asked.

Ben proved to be a champion when it came to coaxing Kathy to push. It was clearly an excellent epidural, because she could feel the sensation and some pressure but had no pain.

‘Another big push,’ Freya encouraged. ‘Come on—a really big one, right down into your bottom.’

This time it was Kelly who arrived to take the baby and soon Freya delivered a chunky baby boy. He was gorgeous, and there were tears from both Ben and Kathy as he lay on her stomach, blinking at the world.

‘Are you going to cut the cord, Dad?’ Kelly asked, and Ben came over with tears in his eyes to have that special moment with his son.

Baby Hudson didn’t have a name yet, but by the time Freya was ready for home he’d had his first feed and Kathy had had a well-earned cup of tea.

It hadn’t been a particularly busy day, or so Freya had been told, and yet she was exhausted.

The high of Baby Hudson’s birth lasted right through the Tube journey, but faded as she began the walk for home.

Freya had never been surrounded by more people, and yet she had never felt more alone.

There was a social club at the hospital, but she was hardly going to walk in on her own, and making friends was proving a lot more difficult than she had anticipated.

However, later, rather than sit alone with her noodles, Freya reminded herself that she did indeed have friends and called Alison.

‘How are things?’ Alison asked.

‘Busy,’ Freya said. ‘Well, work is—the social life, not so much.’

‘But you’re in London!’ Alison said.

‘I know...’ Freya sighed, because Alison’s observation just made it worse. ‘I am trying,’ she admitted. ‘I sort of hinted to a couple of girls at work that there was a film I’d like to see, but I felt like a bent coin in a vending machine.’

‘Rejected?’ Alison laughed.

‘Exactly.’

‘Keep at it. Just say yes to anything you’re invited to.’

‘I’ll have to be invited somewhere first.’

‘You will be.’

‘How are you?’ Freya asked. She felt her throat clamp tight, but she swallowed and pushed through, trying to keep her voice casual and light. ‘How’s the baby.’

‘All good. I’m fifteen weeks now, and I swear I’ve got a bump, although Callum says it’s too early.’

Freya hesitated, because women sometimes showed more quickly with a second pregnancy, but she couldn’t gauge whether or not that was the right thing to say to Alison now.

Freya dealt with pregnant woman every working day, and she dealt with loss too. And, what was more, she prided herself on dealing with it well. Yet when it came to her friend she felt like an absolute novice, and simply didn’t know how to be around the subject of Alison’s pregnancy.

Freya was terrified she might break down, and Alison didn’t need that. Of course they had both cried together in the days following Andrew’s birth, and then his death, but right now Freya was sure it was time to be strong.

‘When’s your ultrasound?’ Freya asked.

‘In two weeks’ time. I’ll believe it’s really happening once I’ve heard its little heart.’

Alison’s voice broke then, and Freya closed her eyes when she heard it. ‘It will be okay,’ she offered.

‘You don’t know that, Freya,’ Alison snapped.

‘I know, but...’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Sorry,’ Alison said.

‘Don’t be.’

And then Freya turned on her midwife voice and said all the right things, just as she would to a patient.

But Alison was her best friend. It was awkward and it was difficult and things were different between them.

There was no escaping that.

CHAPTER THREE

RICHARD LEWIS REALLY was stunning.

Even asleep he managed to bring a little skip to Freya’s heart when she walked in and saw him, lying across several chairs in the staff room.

Pat and Kelly were deep in conversation there, and didn’t seem bothered in the least by the sight of Richard sprawled out.

It bothered Freya—or rather it bothered her senses. She tried not to peek as she stirred her soup, but she didn’t try very hard because her eyes kept wandering over.

He hadn’t shaved again, and Freya knew he must have been working all night. It was now late morning.

She had been at the Primary for a month now, and he was no less intriguing and no less gorgeous.

During the course of her working week Freya saw him regularly. He had a new registrar, who wasn’t yet able to do epidurals unsupervised, so Richard was in L&D quite often to oversee his work. And he was always called if there was a difficulty with a delivery or a Caesarean.

There was rarely time for conversation, though.

Freya considered the Maternity Unit here extremely busy, but his workload was incredible. He rushed to emergencies all over the hospital—and that was aside from Theatre and patients in the ICU.

Of course there were many anaesthetists in such a busy hospital, but Freya, despite her warnings to herself, was only interested in one!

Her instincts had been right. He was a heartbreaker, indeed. She had found that out from the other midwives. Not that they’d actually confided in her! No—she was still struggling to fit in. But she had overheard a couple of conversations, and apparently he’d just ended a brief fling with a nurse in Casualty. And Von, one of the other midwives, was still hoping that she and Richard might get back together.

She looked over at him. He needed a shave and a haircut. Or rather he might think that if he looked in the mirror, but to Freya he looked just fine.

Better than fine!

He was like a bear, Freya thought. Not a fat bear, more like a bear just out of hibernation, all slender and restless and hungry.

And then she smiled at her mad thoughts.

Pat was chatting to Kelly about the film that Freya still hadn’t seen. ‘I was thinking I might go this weekend,’ Pat said.

‘You have to,’ said Kelly. ‘It’s amazing.’

Freya again tried to be brave. ‘I’m dying to see it,’ she admitted.

‘You should.’ Kelly looked over and nodded, and then she stood. ‘Come on, Pat. We’d better get back.’

Once they’d gone Freya let out a sigh. Over and over she’d been mentioning that she’d love to go and see the film, but there had been no takers. How much more of a hint was she supposed to give?

She sat staring at the television and took a sip of her revolting packet soup. And then a voice—one she had really come to like—chimed deep and low.

‘I’ll take you to the bloody film.’

She looked over.

‘I can take a hint.’

‘Sorry?’

‘You keep suggesting it every time I’m near. All you have to do ask.’

‘I wasn’t hinting for you to take me!’ Freya said, and actually found herself going red. ‘I was waiting for one of them to ask me along.’

‘You’re too subtle,’ he said, and lay there smiling at her. ‘Poor Freya-no-Friends.’

‘Don’t!’ she said, but she was smiling.

‘You have to invite yourself—or just go along with them.’

‘What? Just turn up? Like a stalker?’

‘Well, maybe not.’

‘I’ve always had friends,’ Freya said, for she had been giving it some considerable thought. ‘But I’ve realised that’s because we all grew up together. I’ve never actually had to make any.’

‘Rubbish,’ he scoffed. ‘You’re saying that because you grew up in a village you all get along?’

‘It’s not a village.’

‘Well, town or whatever,’ he said. ‘But I’m sure there are people you don’t like there. You’re not automatically friends with everyone you grew up with. God, I loathed Derek next door, and we had to play together all the time.’

‘Why?’

‘That’s for another time.’

He stretched and yawned and sat up, more bear-like than ever as he gave himself a sort of shake.

‘I’m starving,’ he said.

‘I’ve got some soup.’

‘No, thanks.’ Richard pulled a face. ‘I’m going to head down to the canteen. What time do you finish?’

She’d thought he must have been joking about going out. ‘Not until nine.’

‘Well, I’m covering for Simon until eight, so I doubt I’ll get away much before then. I’ll meet you at the entrance to Casualty.’

‘I don’t even know if the film’s on,’ Freya said. ‘Or the session time.’

‘Times,’ he corrected. ‘It’s on everywhere. You’re not in Cromayr Bay now, where they have to come and change the reels...’

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.