The Midwife's New Year Wish

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘I’m sorry to drag you away from your patient, Katie. However, I’m afraid there’s been some very serious allegations made about this department.’ Niall’s tone was clipped and Katie could tell that he was furiously angry.

  ‘Have they anything to do with Jodie Carmichael?’ she queried, glancing from him to Nick, who looked equally angry.

  ‘Yes. You probably haven’t seen the paper this morning because you’re on the early shift.’

  Niall handed her a newspaper and her heart sank when she saw the photograph of Jodie that was plastered across the front page. The girl was lying in bed, asleep, and what made it worse was the fact that the picture could only have been taken inside the maternity unit. Katie recognised the bed linen so there was no doubt in her mind about the location.

  ‘How on earth did the press get hold of a picture like this?’ she exclaimed.

  ‘That’s what we’d like to know, too,’ Martin Hopkins said curtly. ‘It could only have been taken by a member of staff because nobody else had access to the girl’s room. I’ve spoken to Jodie’s mother and she told me that she’d spent the day here with her. However, she also pointed out that she’d popped out a couple of times for coffee or a snack so the photograph must have been taken while she was out of the room. Obviously, somebody was keeping track of her movements.’

  ‘Maybe that’s why Gary Hutchins had arranged to meet that reporter last night,’ Katie said slowly. She turned to Nick, hoping that he couldn’t tell how hard it was for her to behave as though nothing had happened between them the previous night. ‘Did you notice if he had any photographs with him?’

  Nick shook his head. ‘I didn’t see any sign of them but that doesn’t mean he isn’t responsible for taking this photo. It would be just the sort of thing he’d do, in my opinion.’

  ‘My client denies all responsibility for the photograph and whatever else has been printed in the newspapers recently.’

  Katie glanced round when the other man suddenly interrupted their conversation. As she watched, he took a typewritten sheet out of his briefcase and handed it to Martin Hopkins.

  ‘As you can see from this, Dr Hutchins has made a statement to the effect that the sole reason he agreed to meet that reporter last night was because he was so concerned about what has been happening recently. He was hoping that he might be able to persuade him not to publish anything else.’

  ‘And you really expect us to believe that?’ Katie demanded, not even bothering to hide her disdain.

  ‘I think it would be very unwise of you to cast doubts on its veracity, Miss Denning.’ The man looked coldly at her. ‘My client is extremely anxious to protect his good name and he won’t hesitate to seek recompense from anyone who slanders him.’ He turned to Martin Hopkins again. ‘I don’t imagine the board of trustees would appreciate being involved in an expensive law suit either.’

  ‘Certainly not,’ said Martin Hopkins. ‘The board will, naturally, take a very firm stance on this matter and it will be fully investigated. Meanwhile, any member of staff who is found to be spreading malicious rumours will face disciplinary action.’

  The two men left a short time later. Niall’s face was grim as he tossed the newspaper into the bin. ‘It looks as though Hutchins is going to get away with it, doesn’t it? The last thing I want is anyone from this department getting entangled in a messy law suit. What’s happened is bad enough. The reputation of this whole department is hanging in the balance after recent events.’

  ‘It makes me sick to think of Hutchins getting off scot-free after the trouble he’s caused,’ Nick said harshly. ‘I can’t believe that anyone would sink so low as to take a photograph of that poor kid while she was in here!’

  ‘But when did he manage to take it?’ Katie asked worriedly. ‘I know Mrs Carmichael wasn’t in the room with Jodie all day long but surely we’d have noticed if Hutchins had tried to sneak in there.’

  ‘Maybe he did it when you were dealing with that reporter,’ Niall suggested. ‘They could have worked it together so that one created a diversion while the other took the pictures.’

  ‘I doubt if they’d have needed to go to those lengths,’ Nick pointed out. ‘After all, nobody would have thought it strange to see a member of staff from another department up here. Staff have free run of the place so Hutchins could have slipped in at any point during the day.’

  ‘He could,’ Katie conceded. ‘I can always ask if anyone saw him, I suppose, but it won’t make much difference even if they did. It’s not proof that he took the photograph and he’s bound to dispute it was him. Hutchins seems to have covered all the angles, doesn’t he?’

  ‘He might think he has but he’ll slip up at some point and we’ll be ready for him when he does,’ Niall said grimly, picking up the phone. ‘I’ll have a word with Mark Dawson, the head of Paediatrics, and tell him what’s happened. Maybe he can keep an eye on young Dr Hutchins.’

  ‘Actually, I was meaning to ask you to speak to Mark about him,’ Katie said, quickly relaying what Mel had told her about Hutchins. ‘He’s a really nasty piece of work, isn’t he?’ she concluded.

  ‘He is indeed. Unfortunately, unless Mel is prepared to make a formal complaint about his actions there isn’t anything we can do about it. But he’ll get his comeuppance at some point, you can be sure of that,’ Niall said firmly.

  Katie could only hope he was right because it didn’t seem fair that Hutchins should get away with what he’d done. She left the office, glancing round when she realised that Nick had followed her out. ‘Let’s just hope that Niall can do something,’ she said as they walked along the corridor together. She summoned a smile, because she was determined not to make things difficult when they had to work together. ‘It wouldn’t be fair if the bad guy won, would it?’

  ‘No, it wouldn’t, but life isn’t fair, I’m afraid. It certainly isn’t fair on poor Jodie to have her photo splashed across the front of the newspaper like that.’

  ‘Hopefully, she won’t see it,’ Katie said soothingly because she could tell how angry he was. ‘We managed to keep the papers away from her when the news first broke so we’ll just have to do the same thing this time.’

  ‘She’s going to find out at some point,’ Nick stated bluntly. ‘Things like this have a nasty habit of coming out and I doubt if her mother will be able to shield her from it for ever.’

  ‘Then maybe it would be better if she was told what’s been going on,’ Katie suggested. ‘That way it will be less of a shock for her when she leaves here. I mean, someone is bound to mention it when she goes home.’

  ‘You could be right.’ Nick frowned as he considered the idea. ‘Even if her friends don’t mention it, the press aren’t just going to let the story drop. They’re probably still camped outside the Carmichaels’ home so Jodie is bound to find out what’s been going on when she’s discharged from here. It might be easier for her and her family if she was warned in advance.’

  ‘You could have a word with her mother and see how she feels about the idea.’

  ‘I think I will. Mind you, I’m not sure if Mrs Carmichael will listen to anything I have to say after this latest episode.’ His voice grated. ‘Her faith in this department and the staff who work here must have hit rock-bottom by now. And the worst thing is that the person responsible isn’t the one who’s going to have to carry the can.’

  Katie sighed as they parted company. Nick had every right to be angry because it wasn’t fair that Hutchins’s actions should have such a detrimental effect on the reputation of the department. They all worked extremely hard to maintain high standards of care, but their patients’ trust was vital if they were to work successfully together. She guessed that a lot of their mums would be unsettled by what had happened so all they could do was to reassure them that nothing like it would happen in the future. It wasn’t going to be easy, though, because once people lost faith it was difficult to make them trust you again.

  Did Nick trust her? she suddenly wonde
red. He’d told her a little about what had happened in his past but she knew there was a lot more that he’d held back. However, the fact that he’d been let down could explain why he was so wary of getting involved with anyone.

  She sighed because even if they couldn’t be anything more than friends, she would like to think that Nick trusted her, but maybe even that was hoping for too much.

  ‘Try to work with the next contraction, Jessica. When you feel it starting then you can push…Good. That’s great.’

  Katie smiled at the exhausted young woman on the bed but she couldn’t help feeling worried when she checked the time on the clock. Jessica Morris had been making very slow progress since she’d been admitted that morning. Although labour had started spontaneously, it hadn’t continued so Jessica was being given intravenous synthetic oxytocin—a uterine stimulant—to help strengthen her contractions, but even that hadn’t achieved very much. Katie was becoming increasingly concerned because Jessica had a history of high blood pressure throughout her pregnancy. Although labour could continue for much longer than this in normal circumstances, she didn’t want to take any risks in this particular case. She checked the monitor and frowned when she saw that Jessica’s blood pressure had risen slightly.

  ‘How much longer is it going to take?’ Jessica whispered weakly.

  ‘I’m not sure but you’re getting very tired, aren’t you?’ Katie asked, bending over her.

  ‘I knew it was going to take a while but I didn’t realise just how hard it was going to be. I just wish my husband was here but he’s stuck in Paris because his flight’s been cancelled.’ She broke off as another contraction began.

  Katie talked her through it, all the time checking to see how things were progressing. She sighed when she realised that the baby’s head still wasn’t crowning and turned to Abbey, who was assisting her. ‘I’m going to page Niall and ask him to take a look at her. I’m not happy with her blood pressure.’

  ‘Me neither,’ Abbey agreed, checking the monitor. ‘I don’t think it’s safe to leave her much longer, do you?’

  ‘No. I don’t.’

  Katie hurried to the phone and dialled Niall’s office but there was no answer. She got straight onto the switchboard next and asked the operator to page him. She’d barely got back to the bed when the door opened and Nick appeared.

  ‘Niall’s been called into a meeting with Martin Hopkins and some members of the board so his calls are being transferred to me,’ he explained as he came over to her.

  ‘No need to ask what’s going on,’ Katie said. ‘The sooner this is all sorted out the better. Maybe then we can concentrate on what we’re here for.’

  ‘Amen to that,’ he agreed, then turned to Jessica and smiled. ‘Hi, I’m Nick Lawson, the new registrar on the unit. How are you doing?’

  ‘I’ve had better days,’ Jessica murmured drolly.

  ‘I bet you have!’ Nick laughed before he drew Katie aside so they could talk in private. ‘What’s the story here?’

  ‘Jessica’s been in labour for seven hours but she doesn’t seem to be making much progress, I’m afraid. Her labour started spontaneously before she was admitted and when everything slowed down, we put her on oxytocin. Normally, I’d suggest that we wait a bit longer then use the ventouse to help things along. Some babies just need that extra bit of encouragement when Mum’s getting tired and the suction method is so safe that normally I’m happy to use it. However, Jessica has had high blood pressure throughout her pregnancy and I’m not happy about the fact that her BP has risen in the last few minutes.’

  ‘Is she still having good, strong contractions?’ Nick asked, frowning as he considered what she’d told him so far.

  ‘Yes. As you know, oxytocin strengthens the contractions so that isn’t the problem. Basically, she’s just too exhausted now to push and I’m worried about letting her carry on when her BP is playing up.’

  ‘In that case I think the safest thing is to whiz her off to Theatre for a section,’ Nick decided. ‘If you’re not happy with her that’s good enough for me.’

  Katie grinned, feeling her heart lift all of a sudden. ‘So you trust my judgement, do you?’

  ‘I most certainly do.’

  He smiled at her and Katie bit her lip when she saw the warmth in his eyes. It was only a smile, she told herself sternly, and it would be foolish to start reading anything into it after last night. However, not even those sensible words could dampen her spirits.

  ‘I’ll just check her over then give Theatre a call and let them know we’re on our way.’ Nick glanced at the clock. ‘You’re supposed to be off duty, aren’t you, so maybe Abbey could assist me? There’s no point you hanging around and it would be good experience for her.’

  ‘I…um…no, of course not. I’ll let her know what’s happening,’ Katie agreed, hoping he couldn’t hear the despondency in her voice.

  She quickly informed a delighted Abbey that Nick wanted her to assist him in Theatre then waited while he examined Jessica and explained that they’d decided a Caesarean section would be safer for her and the baby. The young mother readily agreed and looked relieved as she signed the consent form giving them permission to go ahead. Five minutes later, Nick and Abbey were wheeling her out of the delivery room and that was that: Katie was free to leave. However, as the door closed, she couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t hurt by the fact that Nick hadn’t wanted her to assist him that day. Had it been a deliberate decision on his part to keep her at a distance after what had happened last night?

  She sensed it was so and what made the situation so much worse was that there wasn’t a thing she could do about it.

  The baby was a little girl, six pounds two ounces and perfectly healthy. Nick handed her to Abbey, trying not to think about how much he’d missed not having Katie working alongside him. He knew that he’d done the right thing by sending her home but it didn’t help very much. He wanted to be with her both in and out of work and it made him see how difficult life was going to be in the coming months when he felt like this. Maybe the best solution would be to hand in his notice, only he hated the thought of letting everyone down. Niall had told him that he’d had problems finding anyone suitable to join the team, and it didn’t seem fair to create havoc by leaving before his contract ended. Talk about finding himself between the devil and the deep blue sea!

  Jessica’s husband, Simon, had arrived by the time Nick got back to the maternity unit so Nick took him into the office and explained what had happened. The poor man was obviously upset about missing the birth of his daughter but Nick assured him that he wouldn’t have been able to stay with his wife during the operation and that seemed to cheer him up. Nick took him to the ward then went to see if Niall had come back from his meeting yet. He was in his office so Nick tapped on the door and went in.

  ‘How did it go?’

  ‘More or less how you’d imagine.’ Niall sighed wearily. ‘The only thing the board of trustees seems to care about is that the hospital shouldn’t be involved in any litigation. They kept banging on about how much it could cost the trust if Jodie Carmichael’s father and Hutchins decide to sue. They don’t seem to give a damn about the fact that this department’s reputation is on the line.’

  ‘Money is usually the driving force behind most decisions,’ Nick observed flatly. He shrugged when Niall looked at him because he didn’t want to have to explain that remark. Money had had a huge bearing on the events surrounding his brother’s accident but he wasn’t there to talk about his experiences. ‘Everything is brought down to columns of figures nowadays and people don’t seem to matter all that much.’

  ‘That’s very true, but it’s not the way we operate here,’ Niall said firmly, standing up. ‘Maintaining the reputation of this department is vital and the last thing we want is our patients thinking that they can’t trust us. Hutchins has caused a lot of damage by what he’s done and there’s bound to be repercussions, which is why I don’t want anything else to go wrong. We
need to ensure that this department is running perfectly from now on.’

  ‘I’m sure the staff will agree with you about that,’ Nick concurred. ‘From what I’ve seen so far, everyone who works here is highly motivated.’

  ‘It’s a good team,’ Niall agreed, walking to the filing cabinet and opening the top drawer. ‘Our biggest problem at the moment is that we’re carrying a couple of vacancies. I’ve told Martin Hopkins that I want them advertised, a.s.a.p.’

  ‘Which posts still need filling?’ Nick asked, frowning.

  ‘We need another junior reg, preferably one with a bit of experience rather than an absolute beginner, plus an experienced midwife.’ Niall took a file out of the drawer. ‘I’m hoping to tempt back some of the staff who used to work here and maybe offer the midwife’s post as a job share…Now, there’s a thought! I wonder if Sarah would fancy it?’

  ‘Sarah?’ Nick queried.

  ‘My wife.’ Niall laughed. ‘She was a midwife on this very unit until she left to have our son, Jack. That’s how we met, in fact, when I came to work here. Like you, I’d been working overseas for long periods of time and I was determined to get the department running exactly how I wanted it to. Sarah soon set me straight! She made me see that I needed to be less rigid in my thinking and it’s mainly thanks to her that the department has earned such a good reputation, in fact. Anyway, Jack started school last September so it could be the perfect time for Sarah to come back to work on a part-time basis.’

  ‘Sounds like a good idea,’ Nick agreed, trying not to let his feelings show. They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Nick left. He still needed to speak to Margaret Carmichael so he went straight back to the maternity unit. However, as he made his way up the stairs, he couldn’t hold his feelings at bay any longer. Maybe it was crazy, but he’d actually felt envious when he’d heard Niall speaking so lovingly about his wife just now. He would have given ten years of his life to be able to enjoy that kind of closeness with Katie but it would never happen…