The Sister's Gift

by Barbara Hannay

  ‘Oh.’ A gasp of relief. ‘That’s fantastic.’

  ‘Yeah. The surgeon came and spoke to me. He said the kidney’s in place and everything’s working and Pearl was making urine on the table.’

  ‘Oh, Dad, that’s wonderful.’ She sent Dan a thumbs up signal. ‘You must be so relieved.’

  ‘Yeah. We’ve got a lot to be grateful for.’

  ‘We certainly have.’

  ‘And how are you, love?’

  ‘Oh, I’m fine, thanks. I’ve been thinking of you all day.’ She didn’t like to admit that she’d also been enjoying herself, despite the worry. ‘Give my love to Mum, won’t you?’

  ‘I will, love. You’ll probably be able to ring her tomorrow.’

  ‘Oh, I will, definitely.’

  They said their goodbyes and Billie let out another breath of pure relief. For a moment, the view ahead of her went misty, but she couldn’t think why on earth she would cry when everything had turned out so well. Sniffing, she wiped at her eyes with the backs of her hands and joined Dan and Molly, who were waiting to cross the road.

  ‘All good,’ she told Dan, and he took her hand in his while Molly held his other hand and together they crossed to the beach. Here they were met by a welcome stiff breeze, sand and seagulls and the smell of salt in the air. Billie could see across the bay to the island and there was also a view down the beach that stretched in a long curve to Townsville’s Kissing Point and then on to Cape Cleveland south of the port. Billie stood, taking it in, enjoying the overarching sky, the murmur of the sea, the pale sand backed by tea trees and palms, and Castle Hill standing like a sentinel guarding the city.

  ‘Why would you need to come over to the island when you have this lovely beach almost on your doorstep?’ she asked Dan.

  He looked at her and she saw the leap of light in his eyes as he smiled. ‘Can’t you guess?’ he said.

  And then she knew.

  CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

  On the day Billie went into labour, she rang her mother. Or at least she tried to, although Pearl wasn’t aware of this at the time. Freya was spending most of her time with Seb these days, but on this particular afternoon she was helping Pearl with the bistro’s bookwork, a task she had continued with during Pearl’s recovery. Meanwhile, Billie had gone for a walk.

  ‘Don’t go too far,’ Pearl had warned her. ‘There’s a storm on the way.’ But Billie had just shaken her head and laughed at such fussing, saying she still had three weeks till her due date and she’d go stir crazy if she had to sit around the house all afternoon.

  ‘I’ll keep an eye on the weather,’ she’d promised, and the sisters, who had been tiptoeing slowly, cautiously, towards a new kind of closeness, returned their attention to Pearl’s laptop and the piles of bills and receipts.

  It was only when this work was completed and Freya suggested a cuppa that they lifted their heads and became aware of the dark, menacing clouds outside, and the wind whipping the sea into choppy waves.

  Rising stiffly from her chair, Pearl went to the window to peer out at the cliffs and the track Billie had taken. She sighed. ‘She should be back by now.’

  ‘Yes,’ agreed Freya.

  ‘I suppose she’s all right.’

  ‘Well, yes, she’ll be fine. She knows that track like the back of her hand and she’s taken her phone.’

  ‘But there are spots all over that track where the network drops out.’

  ‘Oh?’ Freya felt a flurry of concern now. She decided they should at least try to phone Billie, but when she did so, she could only get Billie’s voice message. ‘Perhaps I should go and just make sure she’s all right?’

  Pearl’s tense shoulders lifted in a shrug. ‘She hates us fussing.’

  ‘I know.’

  Pearl turned from the window with her arms tightly crossed as if she was hugging herself. Her forehead was deeply wrinkled with worry. ‘Of course this would have to happen as soon as Troy started back at work.’

  Freya shrugged. ‘Sod’s law.’ She was trying to stay calm, but Billie had been gone rather a long time. Now from outside came a roll of thunder followed by a lightning flash and, almost immediately, rain began to fall.

  ‘Oh, God.’ Pearl was hugging herself even more tightly now and her eyes were huge with worry.

  That settled it. ‘I’ll go and check on her,’ Freya said. ‘At least I can take her a raincoat.’

  ‘Yes, that’s a good idea. Thanks, Freya.’

  In a matter of moments she was ready and armed with a spare raincoat. It was too windy outside to bother with an umbrella, so she tied a scarf around her head. It wouldn’t hold off the rain, but at least it would keep her hair out of her face.

  Poor Won Ton had been cowering behind the sofa ever since the first thunderclap, but now she whined in protest at being abandoned. ‘Sorry, sweetheart.’

  ‘Come here, Won Ton.’ Pearl, with a remarkable show of sympathy, scooped up the little dog and actually cuddled her close, making soothing noises and promising her a treat.

  Astonished, Freya slipped out the door, marvelling at her sister’s change of heart, but as rain needled her face, her focus was on finding Billie.

  Hunched in the rain and hugging her swollen belly, Billie couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. She’d taken such care of herself throughout her entire pregnancy. She’d been a bloody martyr going all those months with no alcohol or coffee, and now, on this most crucial of days, when her baby was choosing to be born, she’d walked way too far and had found herself caught in a storm. Terrified and in pain.

  Horrible, horrible pain.

  Over the past few weeks, she’d experienced plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions, but the midwife had assured her they were merely signs that her body was getting ready, so today, when she’d felt the first few pangs, she’d never dreamed they were the start of actual labour. She still had three weeks to go, for fuck’s sake, and she’d been warned that first babies were often late.

  It wasn’t until she was quite some distance from home and on a clifftop perched above dark, angry seas that she’d realised the pains were getting closer and stronger.

  I’m so sorry, little Pickle. This wasn’t what I’d planned for you at all.

  Of course Billie had turned back as soon as she’d realised her mistake, but walking on the uneven track was suddenly much more uncomfortable than it had been before. The baby seemed to have slipped lower in her pelvis and the pain – oh, dear God, the pain – was like nothing Billie had ever known or imagined. Huge and cruel, gripping her with a vice-like force. And the deep, slow breathing exercises that she’d practised at the antenatal classes were no help at all.

  Nobody had warned her that it would be this bad. And, damn it, the rain was getting heavier.

  Her clothes and her hair were soaked through. Worse, she’d seen no sign of anyone else on the track, probably because no one else would be stupid enough to set out on this path when a storm was on the way.

  Billie thought about ringing home, but what was the point? Her mum and Freya would freak if they knew her situation, and even if they rushed out here to help her, what could they do? They weren’t midwives. Billie knew with sickening certainty that her only option was to keeping walking between the contractions. But, oh, God, what a marathon it was going to be. Could she make it?

  Another pain cut in – deeper, harder, lower. Billie groaned aloud. Bloody hell! She’d wanted independence, but not like this. Perhaps she’d better ring her mum after all. But when she tried to use her phone, a message informed her she was out of the network’s reach. Shit. As she faced this inescapable reality, she was drenched by very real fear. What if she ended up having the baby out here? All alone in the rain?

  ‘Oh, Pickle,’ she whispered, close to tears. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  Ahead of her, the track was turning soft in the sheeting rain, but she had no choice but to struggle on.

  It was some minutes later, as she was rounding a huge boulder, that she heard a voi
ce. ‘Billie!’

  Peering, she could just make out a figure in a raincoat hurrying towards her. ‘Freya?’ she whispered.

  ‘Oh, dear God,’ cried her aunt. ‘I’m so glad I found you. But what’s happened? Are you okay?’

  Before Billie could answer, another contraction gripped her, then consumed her, driving every other thought from her head. It was only when it finally stopped that she realised Freya’s arms were about her and that she’d probably been moaning.

  ‘Darling, you poor thing,’ murmured Freya as she lifted wet strands of Billie’s hair from her face. ‘When did this start?’

  ‘I’m not sure,’ Billie whimpered. ‘It feels like ages. I tried to ring Mum, but there was no reception.’

  ‘But your waters haven’t broken?’

  ‘No, thank God. I’ve been trying to get back home.’

  ‘And you will get back.’ Freya sounded quite confident as she said this, or perhaps she was merely determined. Either way, they were the words Billie needed to hear in this moment. ‘Here,’ Freya said. ‘You may as well put on this raincoat, even though you’re already soaked. Lean on me, and we’ll walk whenever we can, between your contractions.’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to do, but they’re getting closer.’

  ‘How close?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Pretty close.’

  ‘You don’t want to push, do you?’

  ‘No, not yet.’

  ‘That’s good. That’s great.’ Freya was frowning, though. ‘Maybe I should ring Pearl and tell her to call the ambulance.’

  ‘I think we’re still out of the service range.’

  ‘I’ll keep trying.’

  ‘Mum will panic. She’ll imagine the worst.’

  ‘You’re right. She will, won’t she?’ Freya compressed her lips as she considered this. ‘Okay, I’ll wait till we’re closer, but don’t worry, Billie, you’re almost there and you’re going to be okay.’

  Their progress was necessarily slow. Luckily, the sandy soil on the track wasn’t too boggy, but the normally familiar and friendly scrub and boulders seemed to close in on Billie today. She felt so much stronger, though, now that she had Freya to lean on. Even so, she couldn’t help thinking about how this was supposed to happen – in a lovely, orderly maternity ward, with clean sheets and nice nurses supporting and encouraging her. Dan had even suggested she could stay at his place when she got close to the due date, so she didn’t have to worry about the ferry trip from the island.

  Instead . . . she’d landed herself in this mess, all because she’d been stubborn.

  They continued on. Every so often Billie had to stop and cling to Freya as she breathed and huffed through another contraction, but at least she wasn’t quite so terrified now and she knew they were making better progress.

  ‘Look,’ said Freya. ‘We’re at the last bend in the track.’

  Freya had never been so relieved to see Pearl’s house and she sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Pearl must have been watching out for them, as the front door immediately swung open and Pearl came rushing out of the house, heedless of the rain.

  ‘Oh, my God,’ she cried as she reached them. ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘Everything’s all right,’ Freya told her in her calmest voice. ‘But the baby’s on its way.’

  Predictably, Pearl shrieked and clapped her hands to the sides of her face.

  ‘Mum, don’t panic,’ pleaded Billie.

  ‘Perhaps if you could ring the ambulance?’ suggested Freya.

  Pearl gaped at her, her eyes glazed with shock, but then she seemed to blink as the message registered. ‘The ambulance? Yes, of course. I’ll ring them straight away.’

  With that she turned and fled back into the house and Freya helped Billie along the final few metres and up the steps.

  So good to finally make it. Freya breathed a huge sigh of relief. If Billie had to give birth in this house with an ambulance guy assisting instead of a midwife, so be it. At least she was no longer out in the rain on top of a cliff. She would be dry and safe and there’d be medical expertise on hand.

  ‘How about a nice warm shower?’ she said to Billie.

  ‘I’d love that,’ Billie said. ‘But do you think it’s okay?’

  ‘Sure. Then we can get you dry and into a nightie ready for the ambo.’

  Billie nodded, clearly not in any mood to argue, and Freya helped her to the bathroom, but Billie was no sooner undressed and enjoying the streaming warm water than Pearl came hurrying down the hallway, her expression clearly agitated.

  ‘What is it?’ Freya asked, stepping out into the hallway.

  ‘Bob, the ambulance officer, is busy dealing with a heart attack over at Horseshoe Bay.’

  ‘But surely there’s more than one ambulance on this island?’

  Pearl shook her head and her face crumpled. ‘No,’ she wailed. ‘Just the one vehicle. Diane Jones is rostered on call, though, so they’re ringing her instead.’

  ‘Bloody hell.’ Freya might have expressed her frustration more forcefully if Pearl hadn’t looked so distressed. She had no idea how long it would take this second officer to wake up, or drop whatever she was doing and get ready for work. She wondered if she should call Seb. She could do with his steadying presence right now, but adding a man with zilch midwifery skills to this mix wasn’t going to help Billie. ‘I’m assuming this Bob guy will come as soon as he possibly can?’ she asked Pearl.

  Her sister nodded.

  ‘What about Troy?’ Freya asked. He might not be a midwife, but he was an emergency nurse.

  ‘I tried to ring him, but he didn’t answer. His shift should be over by now, though, so I left a message, but he still has to catch the ferry, so he won’t get back here in a hurry.’

  ‘You’re right.’ Freya straightened her shoulders, and somehow pinned on a smile. ‘There’s no need to panic. This baby will probably take hours to arrive. We just need to keep Billie comfortable and by then we’ll have your ambulance people and possibly Troy both here.’

  ‘I – I guess.’

  Freya took her sister by the shoulders and gave her another encouraging smile. ‘We can do this, Pearl. Babies are born at home every day.’

  ‘But what if something —’

  Freya touched a warning finger to her sister’s lips. ‘We’re going to be positive, okay? Just the way we were for you and Seb.’

  Pearl nodded. ‘Okay. But —’

  ‘No buts,’ Freya told her. ‘Go and check the mattress protector on Billie’s bed.’

  ‘It’s new and I know for a fact that it’s waterproof.’

  ‘Good. Get towels then and extra pillows. Maybe some blankets. We want to make sure Billie’s totally comfortable.’

  Billie felt much better after her shower, despite a massive contraction that had almost brought her to her knees.

  Freya fetched her a clean nightie and rubbed her hair dry with a towel.

  ‘Where’s the ambulance?’ Billie asked her.

  ‘He – he’ll be here as soon as he can.’ Looking almost guilty, Freya quickly added, ‘I can blow-dry your hair if you like.’

  ‘I think I need to get onto the bed first.’ But Billie had no sooner said this than she felt a brand-new sensation, as if the bottom half of her was being wrenched away from her with massive force. She only just had time to grab at Freya for support before her knees gave way. ‘Oh, God!’

  In the next breath she was seized by an overwhelming urge to bear down. ‘I think the baby’s coming,’ she moaned.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  The baby couldn’t be coming already. For a moment Freya was so busy panicking she couldn’t think. Good grief, she was in no way qualified to actually supervise a birth.

  ‘Bring Billie down to my room.’ Pearl, who had no idea of this latest development, called down the hallway, ‘I have it all ready.’

  Luckily, the sound of Pearl’s voice snapped Freya out of her terrified daze. Her sister would probably
panic for both of them. Someone needed to remain clear-headed.

  ‘Are you okay to walk?’ she asked Billie as she linked arms with her, gripping her firmly.

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘We’ll take it carefully. Sing out if you need to stop.’ And then she remembered something from her own labour all those years ago. ‘If you feel another urge to push, you should pant.’

  Billie nodded.

  Halfway down the hall, Pearl met them with her arms full of towels.

  ‘Ring the ambulance again, or try triple zero,’ Freya told her. ‘We’re going to need instructions.’

  Pearl’s eyes widened with horror. ‘She’s not – it’s not —’

  ‘The baby’s coming,’ Freya told her as Billie sagged against the wall, holding her belly and panting fiercely.

  ‘Oh, God.’ Pearl looked ready to burst into tears.

  ‘Ring Emergency,’ Freya reminded her sternly. ‘They’ll tell us exactly what to do.’

  Pearl hurried away to do this, thank heavens, and Freya guided Billie the short distance to the bed.

  Billie could never have imagined any sensation so intense. In a matter of moments, she’d been overtaken by an incredible force that every cell in her body urged her to give in to. She was only dimly aware that Freya was spreading towels on the bed and her mum was talking to someone on the telephone.

  She tried to pant, to hold back, but it wasn’t working any more. There was nothing she could do but push.

  And push. And pu-u-u-sh.

  ‘You’re doing brilliantly,’ Freya told her.

  Billie groaned. ‘What’s happening down there?’

  ‘I can see your baby’s head,’ Freya said with a warm smile.

  ‘And it has dark hair,’ cried her mum, who was back in the bedroom and looked almost euphoric.

  Gosh. Her little Pickle was almost here. A real little person. With a head. And dark hair. Despite her exhaustion, Billie experienced an unexpected spurt of excitement.

  Her mum and Freya were looking excited, too. But then Billie’s excitement was superseded by another violent urge to push.