They had almost reached the café door when the first pain struck Jia Li. It was so unexpected and sharp that it took her breath away and she doubled over.
Panicking now, Jimmy sprinted ahead. ‘Come quick,’ he gasped as he flung the café door open.
Colleen was just serving a customer and looked up in surprise.
‘It’s Jia Li,’ he told her, his face ashen. ‘I think she’s havin’ the baby.’
His words echoed through to the kitchen and seconds later, Hattie, Flora and Colleen were all racing outside. Jia Li and Sam were almost at the door by then and Hattie took control of the situation immediately.
‘Get her straight upstairs,’ she barked at Jimmy. ‘And you, Colleen – go and put some water on to boil. We’ll need lots of it and towels.’
Then her voice gentled as she helped Jia Li inside, saying, ‘Now, don’t worry, dearie, everything will be fine.’
‘Shall I run for a doctor?’ Jimmy asked, as nervous as a father-to-be.
‘Let me have a look at her and see how far on she is first,’ Hattie answered. ‘First babies usually take their time so she’ll probably be hours yet.’
All the time she was talking she was leading Jia Li amongst the tables where customers were staring curiously.
‘I’m going to close the café as soon as the last customer has gone then I’ll be up to help you,’ Flora promised. ‘Meanwhile, Colleen will make sure you have everything you need.’
Jimmy and Sam hung about in case they were needed and Sam told Colleen what had happened. ‘We found her trapped in an alley with a Chinese chap shoving her about. She seemed terrified and lord knows what he might have done to her if we hadn’t happened by. I reckon it must be the shock of that that started the baby coming.’ He was nervously puffing away on a cigarette as he spoke and Colleen’s temper flared.
‘I wouldn’t mind betting it was Huan, the chap that raped her and got her into this situation,’ she ground out as she placed a large kettle of water on the range to boil.
‘Raped her?’ Both Jimmy and Sam looked horrified.
Colleen nodded. ‘Yes, he was the son of the owner of the laundry where we all worked at the time. He was always harassing one or other of the girls but his mother could see no wrong in him. After he’d raped Jia Li his mother sacked her so me and Flora left too and then we all came here. It would have been useless complaining to his mother, she would never have believed he was capable of doing any wrong.’
Jimmy and Sam exchanged a sly glance. ‘Tell us where this laundry is. I reckon it’s time we had a nice little chat with this guy. He needs teaching a lesson or two,’ Sam said quietly.
‘Oh please, don’t go doing anything that will get you into trouble,’ Colleen beseeched.
Sam winked at her. ‘Don’t worry about us, just tell us where we might find him.’
Colleen reluctantly gave them directions and after a brief low-voiced exchange, the two men hurried out of the door, leaving her staring anxiously after them. But for now, she needed to concentrate on helping Jia Li.
‘How is she?’ she asked Hattie as she carried the first bowl of hot water into the bedroom.
Hattie frowned. ‘Let’s just say this baby is impatient to put in an appearance.’
‘But it’s far too early,’ Colleen fretted. ‘Should I run for the doctor?’
‘There won’t be no time for that,’ Hattie said gravely as she rolled her sleeves up and washed her hands in the water. Poor Jia Li was lying on the bed chewing on her lip in a valiant attempt to stop herself from screaming. ‘Thankfully, I’ve delivered dozens of babies in me time so hopefully all will be well.’
Colleen let out a breath of relief. She dreaded to think what would have happened if Hattie hadn’t been there.
Flora came scurrying in then having seen the last of the customers out of the café. Colleen quickly told her what had brought on the premature birth and Flora scowled. But then she and Colleen placed themselves at either side of the bed and let Jia Li cling to their hands as the contractions wracked her small frame.
‘That’s it,’ Hattie encouraged as she wiped the sweat from the girl’s brow. ‘Just pant now then breathe through the next pain. Good girl … that’s it, you’re bein’ so brave!’
At some point Colleen went back downstairs to fetch more hot water and when she came back she saw at a glance that things had rapidly moved on. Jia Li’s chin was on her chest now and she was pushing with all her might.
‘That’s it, have a rest now,’ Hattie soothed as the pain passed. ‘And when the next pain comes don’t push until I tell you.’
Tears of despair were rolling down Jia Li’s face now as she panted and prayed for death to come and claim her. She felt as if she was being rent in two and didn’t know how much more she could bear. She was also feeling unbearably guilty for hadn’t she prayed every single day that she would lose this child? There was every chance she would do just that now. It was far too soon for it to be born and if it died it would be all her fault. She had never wanted it yet now that she knew it might die she finally realised that it wasn’t the baby’s fault. The poor little soul had never asked to be born, all the fault lay with its father but she had no chance to dwell on these thoughts for as another contraction built, Jia Li could hold back the screams no longer and her anguished cries echoed around the little bedroom.
Flora was openly crying as she watched her friend’s agony but all she could do was whisper soothing words of encouragement as Jia Li’s face turned purple with effort as she struggled to push the child into the world.
‘That’s it, easy now,’ Hattie told her as the pain subsided again. ‘Do exactly as I tell you on the next one. I think I can see the baby’s head.’
Flora quickly sponged Jia Li’s forehead with cool water and smoothed the luxuriant, damp black hair from her brow but then another pain hit her and Jia Li’s back arched from the bed.
‘Come on now … push … harder … you can do it!’ Hattie told her and with what little strength she had left, Jia Li gave one last tremendous effort and Hattie crowed triumphantly.
‘That’s it … I can see it … come on now, you’re so close.’
From her place at Jia Li’s side Flora watched a tiny head covered in thick black hair appear between Jia Li’s legs and seconds later the rest of the child was delivered with a whoosh.
‘It’s a little girl,’ Hattie shouted with delight but Jia Li was beyond hearing. She had fainted right away.
The baby was so tiny and beautiful that she took Flora’s breath away but her delight turned to fear when she realised that she wasn’t crying.
Hattie quickly cut the umbilical cord then lifting the infant she smacked its backside soundly as Flora anxiously looked on, secretly glad that Jia Li was unaware of what was going on. Still the child remained silent so now Hattie laid her on the end of the bed and after pinching the baby’s nostrils together began to gently blow into her mouth. She seemed to go on forever as Flora held her breath but finally, with tears in her eyes, Hattie rose and shook her head. She could do no more.
‘Stillborn,’ she said softly.
Tears sprang to Flora’s eyes as she stared at the little form. She looked so perfect. Perhaps she had been too perfect to live?
‘What shall we tell Jia Li?’ Flora whimpered as Hattie turned to deal with the girl.
Hattie shrugged. ‘The truth. It was just too soon for the baby to be born, the poor little mite.’ She frowned as she noticed the bloodstains on the sheets.
‘You’d best get Colleen to run for the doctor,’ she ordered as she pressed a towel between Jia Li’s legs to try and stop the flow of blood. ‘Tell him the mother is haemorrhaging and to get here as fast as he knows how!’
Flora was gone like a shot just as Colleen came back into the room. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw what was going on but after taking a deep breath she said calmly, ‘Oh sweet Holy Mother! What can I do to help?’
‘Pray,’ Hattie muttered. ‘For there’s only Him that can help her now!’
It was late that evening when Jia Li finally opened her eyes and the doctor declared that the worst was over.
‘Oh, t’anks be to God!’ Colleen muttered as she crossed herself. ‘I t’ought we were goin’ lose her for sure back there.’
Jia Li blinked and asked groggily, ‘Have I had the baby?’
‘Yes, love.’ Flora squeezed her hand as tears sprang to her eyes. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell Jia Li that the baby had not survived.
‘Wh-what is it … a boy or a girl?’
Hattie stepped forward and told her gently, ‘You had a little girl, but sadly she was born too soon and didn’t survive. I’m so sorry, dearie. The poor little mite never even drew breath but at least she’s in a better place now and she didn’t suffer.’
Tears began to spill down the girl’s face and soak into the pillow as she croaked, ‘Where is she? I want to see her.’
Hattie crossed to the drawer where the baby lay, washed and dressed in the tiny clothes Flora had bought for her.
‘She’s right here,’ Hattie said as she carried the babe to her mother and placed her in her arms. ‘I wouldn’t let the undertaker take her away until you’d seen her.’
Jia Li stared down into the face of her tiny daughter as a pain far worse than any she had endured during the birth stabbed at her like a knife.
‘I’m so sorry, leetle one,’ she said brokenly. ‘I never wanted you and so this is my punishment.’
‘Now that’s quite enough o’ that sort o’ talk, miss,’ Hattie scolded. ‘If anyone’s to blame it’s the bloke that accosted you in the alley an’ brought the birth on too soon.’
‘It was Huan,’ Jia Li said dully and Colleen and Flora glanced anxiously at each other. They hadn’t had time to think of anything but Jia Li all afternoon but now they worried what might have happened if Jimmy and Sam had managed to find him.
‘Right, now me an’ the girls are goin’ to go down an’ make a nice cuppa while you say goodbye to your little one,’ Hattie informed her and she ushered them all from the room. Both Colleen and Flora were softly crying and in that moment, Hattie realised just how very close the three girls were.
Once downstairs the doctor gave them a tired smile. ‘She’ll need lots of rest,’ he told them, ‘and good, nourishing food, as much as you can get down her, chicken soup and that sort of thing.’
‘I’ll see she gets it,’ Hattie informed him. ‘Thank you, doctor.’
He left then but soon after the undertaker arrived and Hattie went upstairs to fetch the tiny baby down to him. Gently prising her from her mother’s arms was one of the worst things she had ever had to do and Hattie knew she would never forget the moan of agony that escaped from Jia Li’s lips for the rest of her days.