The Midwife's Christmas Miracle (Dalverston General Hospital)

by Jennifer Taylor

  Max had brought a portable foetal monitor with him and as soon as Helen was comfortably settled, he checked the baby’s heart rate and was relieved to find that it appeared perfectly normal. Although he knew they were doing everything possible to ensure both the mother’s and the child’s safety, he would feel a lot happier once they got Helen to hospital.

  He excused himself and went into the hall to phone the ambulance control centre for an update. It wasn’t good news and it was hard to hide his concern when he went back to the sitting room. Lucy obviously realised something was amiss because she came hurrying over to him.

  ‘What’s happened?’ she said quietly so Helen and Martin couldn’t hear her.

  ‘Apparently, an ambulance was dispatched half an hour ago. Ambulance Control has just received a message to say that it’s stuck in the snow and the crew don’t think they’ll be able to go any further. They’ve been told to return to base once they’ve dug themselves out.’

  ‘So what’s going to happen now?’

  ‘I’ve asked them to get onto the air ambulance service and see if they can help. If we can get a helicopter out here, that will solve our problems.’

  ‘Will it be able to fly in these conditions, though?’

  ‘I really don’t know. All we can do is cross our fingers and hope we get a break. Anyway, how’s Helen doing?’ he asked, refusing to dwell on what they would do if the helicopter failed to reach them.

  ‘Her contractions are speeding up.’ Lucy took her cue from him. Her voice held no trace of the anxiety he knew she must be feeling. Max couldn’t help feeling proud of the way she was responding to the challenge but deemed it wiser not to say anything. He couldn’t afford to let his emotions get in the way of him doing his job.

  ‘Is she fully dilated?’

  ‘Not yet. She’s about eight centimetres so we’ve a bit of time yet. Is there anything in particular that I need to look out for when the baby is born?’

  ‘We’ll start with the usual assessment and carry on from there. There’s been no indication that Helen’s baby is suffering from congenital heart problems, but obviously we need to be aware of that,’ Max explained. ‘Hypoglycaemia can be an issue, so a blood glucose test will need to be done two to four hours after the birth, which is another reason why we need to get the baby to hospital as soon as possible. Other tests will be carried out if there are any clinical signs to indicate that there’s a problem.’

  ‘It’s better if the baby feeds as soon as possible, isn’t it?’ Lucy clarified.

  ‘Yes. Within thirty minutes of the birth is recommended, then every two to three hours after that until feeding maintains pre-feed blood glucose levels at a minimum of 2.0 mmol/litre.’

  ‘And if it drops below that level?’

  ‘If it happens on two consecutive readings, the baby will need to be fed by tube or given intravenous dextrose. However, I’m hoping neither of those will be necessary and definitely not while we’re here.’

  ‘Amen to that,’ Lucy agreed fervently.

  ‘It’s going to be fine,’ Max assured her. ‘All we have to do is hold the fort until the air ambulance gets here.’

  ‘As simple as that, eh?’ she said, rolling her eyes. ‘We sit tight until the cavalry arrives.’

  Max laughed. ‘That’s it. Easy-peasy, as my niece Emily would say.’

  Lucy looked at him curiously. ‘I didn’t have you down as a doting uncle.’

  ‘No?’ He shrugged. ‘My brothers have five children between them, so I’ve well earned my stripes.’

  ‘You like children, then?’

  ‘Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?’

  ‘Oh, no reason.’

  She gave him a quick smile and moved away. Max sighed as he watched her go over to Helen. Lucy obviously thought that his bachelor status was a sign that he wasn’t keen on children and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just for a second he longed to explain the situation to her before he realised how pointless it was. Lucy wasn’t going to play any part in his future, so it wouldn’t make a scrap of difference to her if he couldn’t have kids.

  Lucy made a note of Helen’s blood pressure then glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed since Max had spoken to the ambulance control centre. Was the helicopter on its way, or had the crew decided that the weather conditions were too bad for them to risk flying? She had no idea what they were going to do if it failed to arrive. All they could do was sit tight and hope that help would arrive eventually.

  She frowned as she unfastened the cuff from around Helen’s arm because that thought had reminded her of what Max had told her. In her experience, men like him, who enjoyed such a hedonistic lifestyle, weren’t usually interested in other people’s children. However, there’d been genuine affection in his voice when he had spoken about his niece and it was yet another factor that didn’t add up.

  ‘I’ll get onto Ambulance Control again and see what’s happening.’

  Lucy glanced round when Max suddenly appeared at her side. ‘Good idea. We need to know if that helicopter is on its way,’ she agreed, hoping he couldn’t hear the uncertainty in her voice. She’d made one massive error of judgement with Richard and she would be a fool to make another one now. She should accept the situation for what it was and stop trying to justify Max’s behaviour all the time.

  ‘Fingers crossed,’ he murmured, heading for the door.

  Lucy put the sphygmomanometer back in its case then checked the drip. Although Helen’s contractions were strong, she still wasn’t fully dilated. It would be a while yet before the baby was born, which meant there was still time to get her to hospital if the helicopter arrived soon.

  ‘No sign of that helicopter yet?’ Martin asked anxiously.

  ‘Max is phoning ambulance control for an update,’ Lucy explained as calmly as she could because it wouldn’t help if she appeared worried as well.

  ‘I should have insisted that you went to stay at your mother’s,’ Martin said, turning to glare at his wife. ‘There wouldn’t have been a problem if you’d been in town.’

  ‘And how would you have managed here on your own, with your leg in plaster?’ Helen retorted.

  ‘I’d have coped well enough,’ Martin said gruffly. ‘Anyway, Bert would have given me a hand if I’d needed it.’

  Helen rolled her eyes as she turned to Lucy. ‘Bert’s our stockman and the most curmudgeonly old devil you can imagine. I don’t think he’s said more than a dozen words to either of us since Martin took over the farm after his father retired. Somehow, I can’t picture Bert playing nursemaid!’

  She broke off when another contraction began. Lucy smiled to herself when she saw Martin lean over and rub Helen’s back. Despite their disagreement, it was obvious how they felt about each other. They had the kind of close and loving relationship she had always dreamed about, a relationship that grew stronger with time. With a sudden flash of insight she realised that her relationship with Richard would never have been like that, even if it had survived. It took selflessness to put the other person first, to find happiness by making them happy, and Richard wasn’t capable of that. He always put his needs before everyone else’s and was only truly happy if he was getting what he wanted.

  In her heart, Lucy had known that but she had chosen to ignore her doubts. She had been as much at fault as Richard had in a way because she had deliberately deceived herself, and that was something she must never do again. She looked up when the door opened as Max came back, and felt her pulse begin to race. If she was to be truthful about her feelings from now on then she couldn’t lie about the way she felt about Max. It would be only too easy to fall in love with him, even if it would be a mistake.

  ‘The helicopter’s on its way. It was ferrying another casualty to Penrith, which is why there’s been a delay, but it should be here in roughly ten minutes’ time.’ Max frowned when the information was met with silence. ‘Did you hear what I said, Lucy? The helicopter’s on its way.’

  �
�I…um…yes. That’s brilliant news.’

  She gave him a bright smile but he could tell how forced it was. If he hadn’t needed to prepare for the helicopter’s arrival, he would have demanded to know what was wrong, but he simply didn’t have the time to spare.

  ‘We need to find a place where it can land,’ he explained, turning to Martin. ‘Obviously, it has to be flat and well away from any trees or overhead cables that could snag the rotors.’

  ‘The field behind the house is the best place,’ Martin said immediately.

  ‘Great. Can you show me where it is…? Oh, and have you got any torches or anything similar which we can use to guide them in?’

  ‘Sure. I’ve a stack of lanterns in the barn, we can use them.’

  Martin grabbed his crutches and hurriedly left the room. Max followed him, leaving it to Lucy to get Helen ready for the transfer. He sighed as he followed Martin across the farmyard. Maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t tried to find out what was troubling her. He was already in far deeper than he should have been and he needed to keep his distance, even if it was proving extremely difficult to do so. He just had to remember that he was doing this for her sake as well as his and hope that it would help.

  * * *

  The flight to the hospital was extremely bumpy. A strong wind had sprung up, threatening to blow them off course at one point. Lucy heaved a sigh of relief when the helicopter touched down safely on the landing pad on the hospital’s roof. As soon as the blades stopped spinning, Helen was lifted onto a trolley and rushed inside. Lucy hurried along beside her. Max had stopped to thank the crew but he soon caught up with them.

  ‘I want you to check her blood glucose levels as soon as we get her into the delivery room. The stress could have had an adverse effect.’

  ‘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.

  Chapter Eleven

  HELEN’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 ar
ranged 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!’