Just One Night?

by Carol Marinelli

‘None of this happened because of your argument with your mum,’ Isla said, when Jessica revealed her guilt. ‘I promise you that. One of the twins is very small and we’d have picked up on that today at her appointment and she would have been admitted.’

  ‘It’s too soon for them to be born, isn’t it?’ Jessica asked.

  ‘They’re very premature,’ Isla explained. ‘But as I said, there’s a problem with one of the twins and your mum was always going to have to deliver the twins early. Do you understand that you didn’t cause this?’

  ‘I think so,’ Jessica said. ‘I’m scared for my brothers.’

  ‘I know that you are, but we’re going to do all we can for them and for your mum. I’ve spoken with your aunt and she’s on her way in and you’re going to be staying with her tonight. Your mum’s rung your dad and he’s on his way back from Dubai.’

  ‘It’s serious, then.’

  ‘It is,’ Isla said. There was no point telling Jessica that everything was going to be fine. It would be a lie and even with the best possible outcome, her mum and brothers were going to be at the Victoria for a very long time. ‘But your mum is in the best place. Darcie, the doctor who is looking after her, is very used to dealing with difficult pregnancies. In fact, she’s just come over from England and we’re thrilled to have her expertise, and Alessi, the doctor who will be in charge of your brothers’ care, is one of the best in his field. He’ll give them every chance.’

  She let the news sink in for a moment. It was a hard conversation, but Isla knew that it might be easier on Donna if she prepared Jessica and ultimately easier on Jessica to be carefully told the truth. ‘Why don’t we get Mum a drink and take it up to her now?’

  Jessica nodded and they headed back up to the ward. Isla was pleased to see Jessica and Donna have a cuddle and Donna reiterate to Jessica that none of this was her fault.

  It was a long day and it didn’t end there because just as Isla was about to head for her home she got an alert on her computer that it was her fortnightly TMTB group tonight.

  ‘I completely forgot,’ Isla groaned to Emily. ‘I honestly thought it was next week.’

  ‘Do you want me to take it?’ Emily offered. ‘I can go home for an hour and then come back.’

  ‘That’s lovely of you but, no, it’s fine.’ Isla smiled. She knew how stretched Emily was and it was incredibly generous of her to offer to stay back.

  Isla did some paperwork to fill in the time and then headed over to the room they used for TMTB. She turned on the urn and put out a couple of plates of biscuits and set up. Usually there were five to ten young mums, all at various stages of pregnancy.

  As Isla was setting up a young girl put her head around the door. She was clearly nervous and Isla gave her a warm smile.

  ‘Are you looking for Teenage Mums-To-Be?’ Isla asked, and the girl gave a tentative nod.

  ‘Then you’re in the right place. I’m Isla.’

  ‘Ruby.’

  ‘I’m just setting up but come in and help yourself to a drink. The rest of the group should start arriving any time now.’

  Isla watched as the young girl came in. She was incredibly slim and, Isla guessed, around sixteen years old. She was wearing shorts and a large T-shirt and if she hadn’t been here, Isla wouldn’t have guessed that she was pregnant. It was good that she was here so early in her pregnancy, Isla thought, but when she looked over to where Ruby was making a drink her heart sank as she saw the young girl slipping a few biscuits into her pocket and then a few more.

  She was hungry, Isla realised.

  Pregnant and hungry.

  ‘I’ll be back in a moment, Ruby,’ Isla said, and headed back to the ward. In her office Isla rang down to Catering and asked for sandwiches and a fruit platter and some jugs of juice to be sent up. There were some perks to being a manager because her request went through unquestioned and Isla only wished that she had thought of this long ago. Still, TMTB was a relatively new project and they were all still feeling their way.

  Gradually the other girls started to arrive and at seven the group started and introductions were made. Harriet was nineteen and this was her first pregnancy. She had already been told that her baby was going to have significant issues.

  ‘He’s going to have to have an operation as soon as he’s born,’ Harriet said. ‘I don’t really understand what is happening, but Mum said that she’ll come to my next appointment with me.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Isla said. ‘It’s really helpful to have someone with you at these appointments because sometimes you can forget to ask a question or later not remember what was said.’

  Then it was Alison’s turn. She was about four weeks away from her delivery date and very excited. ‘I didn’t even want to be pregnant,’ Alison admitted, ‘and now I can’t wait.’

  Isla smiled. This was one of the reasons that she loved this group so much. It was very helpful for others to realise that the conflicting emotions they might be feeling weren’t reserved for them. Here the girls got to share in each other’s journeys and Isla had seen that Ruby was listening intently, though she was guarded when it was her turn to speak.

  ‘I’m Ruby,’ she said. ‘I’m fourteen weeks pregnant.’

  ‘How old are you, Ruby?’ Isla asked, and suspicious eyes looked back at her before she answered the question.

  ‘Seventeen.’ She was immediately defensive. ‘My mum wanted me to have an abortion but I’m not getting rid of it.’

  ‘How are things with you and Mum at the moment?’ Isla gently pushed, and Ruby shrugged.

  ‘I haven’t really seen much of her. I’m staying with friends at the moment.’ Isla made a mental note to look at Ruby’s file and see if there was anything more that she could do to support her during this difficult time. She would talk to her away from the group, Isla decided, but for now she moved on.

  Alison had some questions about delivery and pain control and said that she didn’t want to stay in bed.

  ‘You don’t have to,’ Isla said. ‘We usually encourage mothers to move around during labour—walking around is wonderful.’

  There were always a lot of questions. Isla loved the enthusiasm of the teenage mums and more often than not both the questions and answers were interspersed with a lot of laughter.

  It was that sound of laughter that alerted Alessi as he walked out of Maternity, having just checked in again on Donna.

  He hadn’t stopped all day and seeing a huge trolley laden with food being delivered to the room, he assumed that there was an administration meeting going on.

  He was starving and, completely shameless, he followed the trolley into the room, to be greeted by a sight that he wasn’t expecting!

  Isla felt awkward around Alessi and possibly she had every reason to now as he put his head around the door just in time to capture her in a deep squat on the floor as she showed the girls how that position opened up the pelvis nicely!

  Here, though, was not the place to be awkward and so, instead of hurriedly standing, as was her instinct, she remained in a rather embarrassing position and gave him a very bright smile as the girls turned round to see who had interrupted the group.

  ‘Did you smell the food, Alessi?’ Isla asked.

  ‘I did.’ Alessi grinned. ‘Sorry to disturb you. I thought it might be a work meeting and I could steal a few sandwiches. I’ll let you guys get on.’

  ‘Shall we feed him?’ Isla said to the girls, and they all agreed that they should. Well, of course they did—Alessi was seriously gorgeous. He went over to the trolley and as he selected some sandwiches and fruit Isla introduced him.

  ‘Alessi is one of our neonatologists. Some of you may have quite a bit to do with him once your baby is here.’

  He gave a small wave but instead of taking his food and walking off he turned to the group. ‘For feeding me you can ask any questions that you want.’

  Isla was more than pleasantly surprised and, yes, the girls, especially Harriet, did have questions that t
hey wanted to ask, and Isla knew she had lost her audience.

  ‘Why don’t we all get something to eat?’ Isla suggested, and before she’d even finished the sentence chairs were scraping as the girls headed over for supper and to talk to the gorgeous doctor who had joined them.

  She was going to provide food each time, Isla decided, watching as Ruby and another young mum really did fill up their plates. They were hungry, seriously hungry, Isla realised, kicking herself that she hadn’t thought to do this before.

  Well, that would change now.

  ‘We’ll have pizza next time,’ Isla said, and she saw Ruby’s ears prick up. Anything that brought these young mums back to the group was more than worth it. Not only did their questions get answered but through meeting regularly friendships were forged, and it also meant that Isla could keep an extra eye on these vulnerable young girls.

  Alessi was really fantastic with them, answering Harriet’s questions easily. ‘Do you want me to come again?’ Alessi asked Isla. ‘I could prepare a talk if you like.’

  ‘That would be great,’ Isla said. ‘We meet each fortnight.’

  Alessi pulled out his phone and checked his calendar. ‘I already have a meeting scheduled for the next one and the fortnight after that is my parents’ wedding anniversary …’ He thought for a moment. ‘What time does it finish?’

  ‘About eight thirty or nine,’ Isla said.

  ‘That’s fine, then,’ Alessi said, then turned to the group. ‘Think up some questions for me.’ He smiled at Harriet and then said goodbye to them and left. There were a few wolf whistles as he went and Isla laughed, glad to see the lift to the group that Alessi had given.

  And also terribly aware of the lift in her.

  After she finished up, instead of heading straight for home Isla went up to the ward.

  She guessed he’d be there and she was right.

  ‘Aren’t you finished?’ Isla asked.

  ‘I’m staying tonight,’ Alessi said.

  ‘You’re not on call.’

  ‘Tell that to the twins.’

  ‘Thanks for offering to come and speak. It will be good.’

  ‘No problem,’ Alessi said. ‘They seem a nice group. Truth be told, I admire them.’

  ‘I do, too,’ Isla said, and turned to go.

  ‘Isla?’

  ‘Yes?’

  This time he didn’t tell her that whatever he had to say would keep. ‘Are you ready for Saturday?’ Alessi asked.

  ‘Saturday?’ Isla frowned. ‘Oh, yes, the ball. I’d forgotten.’

  ‘You attend so many things, I’m not surprised that it slipped your mind.’

  It hadn’t slipped her mind. It was just that she had been so focused on Donna that for a little while she had managed to push aside the fact it was the ball on Saturday.

  She had seen the seating plans and would be sitting between her father and Alessi. Both were there to represent the maternity and neonatal units. She was excited, nervous and never more so than when she looked into his eyes, and Alessi touched on a necessary topic if things were going to proceed.

  ‘I promise I’ll behave this time if Rupert is there.’ Even saying his name, even thinking of being there with Isla and him made Alessi’s skin crawl, but he did his best not to show it as he broached the sensitive subject.

  ‘Rupert’s not going.’

  ‘Oh,’ Alessi said. ‘Is he back in the States?’

  ‘I think so.’

  ‘Think so?’

  Jump, Isla told herself, but her legs were shaking and she wanted to turn and run, not that Alessi could tell. As coolly as she would face the guests on Saturday, as easily as she delivered a speech, even if she was shaking inside, Isla somehow met his gaze as she took that dangerous leap.

  ‘We broke up.’

  ‘Oh.’ Alessi had to concentrate on not letting out a sigh of relief. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, just as Isla had said to him on the night they had met.

  ‘I’m not,’ Isla said, just as Alessi had once said to her.

  She watched as his lips stretched into a smile, and either every baby on the delivery ward simultaneously stopped crying and every conversation had suddenly halted, or the world simply stopped for a moment. Whichever it was, it was irrelevant to them as silence invaded and realisation dawned on them both—Saturday night was theirs to look forward to.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ISLA HAD TRIED to speak with Ruby at the end of the TMTB meeting but she hadn’t been able to get very far. Ruby had merely shrugged in answer to Isla’s questions and given her a look that only teenagers could, a look that said, what would you know?

  After the group there had been loads of sandwiches left over and a couple of the girls, Ruby included, had taken up Isla’s suggestion to help themselves as it would only be thrown out, but when Isla had tried to speak with her Ruby had said that she had to go.

  Isla didn’t mind being snubbed. She was just very glad that Ruby had turned up and hoped that the promise of pizza might lure her back, if nothing else, and she dropped in on handover the following morning to tell her team the same.

  ‘If I’m not there and one of you is taking the TMTB group, either ring down to Catering or get some pizza delivered,’ Isla said.

  ‘Can we bring in a cake?’ Emily asked, and Isla smiled. Trust Emily to want to do more.

  ‘No, Emily, you’ve already got more than enough on your plate without feeding hungry teenagers.’ Isla shook her head. ‘There’s room in the TMTB budget to ring for pizza or to order from Catering. I do want to have a think about it, though. I can’t stand the idea that these girls might be hungry …’

  A bell buzzed and Isla gave her staff a smile. ‘I’ll get it. You carry on with handover.’ But as she walked out of the staffroom the bell buzzed again and Isla quickly crossed the ward, her heart galloping when she saw that it was coming from Donna and that it must be urgent because she wasn’t taking her finger off the bell.

  Flick, one of the midwifery students, was, in fact, the one who was pressing the bell.

  ‘Well done,’ Isla said, because as soon as Isla appeared Flick moved to open a delivery pack.

  ‘They’re coming …’ Donna sobbed.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Isla said, pulling on gloves and giving instructions to Emily, who on hearing the urgency of the buzzer had followed Isla in. ‘Fast-page Darcie and the neonatal crash team.’

  ‘I wanted Tom to be here …’ Donna sobbed.

  ‘His flight gets in this morning, doesn’t it?’ Isla asked, and Donna went to answer but nature got in first.

  ‘Something’s coming …’ Donna said, and Isla recognised the fear in Donna’s voice, not just professionally but personally, too, and, just as she had that night with Isabel, she stayed calm.

  At least now she knew what to do professionally.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Isla said. ‘We’re ready for them.’

  They were ready, almost. Staff were busy plugging in two Resuscitaires in the side room that Donna had been allocated. Isla could hear footsteps running along the corridor and was grateful for the sound for indeed a baby was coming.

  ‘Don’t push, Donna,’ Isla said as she felt the baby’s little head. ‘I know that you want to, but let’s just try and slow this down a little.’

  Isla wanted to slow things down, not just to minimise any trauma to the tiny baby’s brain but also to ensure there were plenty of staff and equipment ready when this baby made its rapid entrance into the world. Isla met Donna’s gaze. ‘Just breathe,’ Isla said, and a petrified Donna nodded, using all her power to give her baby a few more vital seconds inside her.

  Alessi came in then. He was a bit out of breath from running and his hair was soaking and his scrubs were damp—clearly he had been in the shower when his pager had gone off. He stood, watching, but even with Donna doing her best not to push, the next contraction saw the baby delivered into Isla’s hands.

  He was tiny but vigorous and very red. He let out a small cry as Alessi q
uickly cut the cord, took the tiny bundle from Isla and carried him over to the resuscitation table.

  ‘Twin A,’ Isla said to Darcie, who was running in. ‘Born at seven forty-eight.’

  ‘So we’re waiting on twin B,’ Darcie said to Donna, who lay back on her pillow and started to cry. Isla glanced over to the Resuscitaire where Alessi was concentrating hard, and so, too, were the rest of the team.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Donna asked. There was a huge crowd around the cot but it was all very calm and controlled.

  ‘Looking beautiful!’ came Alessi’s strong voice. ‘He is moving and fighting me, Donna, but I have put down a tube to give him some medicine to his lungs, that’s why you can’t hear him crying. Do you have a name?’

  ‘Elijah.’

  There was a flurry of activity and Isla looked over as the staff started to prepare to move the baby over to NICU. Then Alessi came over and spoke with Donna. ‘He’s doing as well as can be expected,’ Alessi said. ‘We are going to get Elijah over to NICU now, where they are ready for him.’

  ‘Can I see him?’

  ‘Briefly,’ Alessi said. ‘Later you will have more time with Elijah but we want him over there now.’

  The incubator was wheeled over but Donna’s brief time with her son was soon thwarted as she first folded over and then lay back on the bed. The second twin was coming and Alessi nodded to his team to take the baby up to NICU as Darcie took over the second delivery.

  ‘Cord’s around the neck,’ Darcie said. ‘Very friable …’ The umbilical cord was so thin and weak that it tore as Darcie tried to loop it over the baby’s head but already the tiny baby was slipping out.

  When Isla saw him delivered she was holding her breath, even as she clamped the severed cord. She never made comparisons—in fact Isla did everything she could not to think of that awful night with Isabel whenever a baby was born.

  She couldn’t help but compare this morning, though.

  He was so tiny and his arms and legs were spindly and his little eyes were fused closed. The difference was that this little one started to put up a fight. Even as Darcie lifted him and handed him straight to a neonatal nurse his arms were flailing and he let out a tiny mewing cry as the nurse took him over to Alessi.