LUCY was on lates the following week, so she went into work at lunchtime on the Monday to find the maternity unit a hive of activity. With just two weeks left before Christmas, the staff had decided to put up some decorations and everywhere looked very festive. She smiled as she stopped to admire the nativity scene that had been arranged on the end of the reception desk.
‘This is gorgeous. Where did you get it?’
‘The husband of one of our mums made it for us,’ Margaret told her. ‘He’s a carpenter by trade and he makes these in his spare time.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ Lucy said, picking up one of the figures so she could admire the intricate carving.
‘Apparently, he has a stall at the Christmas market,’ Margaret explained, unravelling a shiny foil paper chain. ‘I think I’ll see if he has any left when I go into town tomorrow night. My grandchildren would love one.’
‘I’m sure they would,’ Lucy agreed, placing the figure back in its place. ‘I’ll just put my coat away and give you a hand if you like. I’m supposed to be showing some new mums around the unit today but they aren’t due to arrive until two, which gives me plenty of time.’
‘That would be great,’ Margaret said gratefully. ‘There’s another box of decorations in the storeroom if you could fetch it on your way back.’
‘Will do.’
Lucy put her coat in her locker then went to the storeroom and switched on the light. The box was on the top shelf and she had to stand on tiptoe to reach it. Hooking her finger under the edge of the carton, she eased it forward then gasped when it suddenly tumbled off the shelf.
‘Careful!’ All of a sudden Max was there. He deftly caught the box and placed it on the floor, shaking his head as he straightened up. ‘Good job it didn’t fall on top of you. It’s really heavy.’
‘I didn’t realise that,’ Lucy said shakily. She cleared her throat when she heard how strained she sounded but seeing Max so unexpectedly had thrown her. Even though she knew it hadn’t anything to do with her, she couldn’t help wondering if he had spent the weekend with that nurse he’d taken out on Saturday night.
‘It’s only supposed to be full of Christmas decorations,’ she said hastily, not wanting to go down that route again. Far too often over the weekend she’d found herself thinking about what Max might be doing and she had to stop. ‘I didn’t think it would weigh so much.’
Max grimaced. ‘It’s heavy enough to give you a nasty bruise if it landed on you. I wonder what’s in it.’ Crouching down, he peeled off the sticky tape and opened the box. ‘Ahah, there he is. I was wondering where good old Freddie had got to.’
He held up a garishly-coloured plastic reindeer. It had an eye missing and one antler was bent at a very odd angle. Lucy frowned when she saw it.
‘Why on earth have the staff kept that thing? It’s hideous!’
‘Shh, mind what you say. You’ll hurt poor Freddie’s feelings,’ Max admonished her. ‘I’ll have you know that Freddie is the unit’s lucky mascot. So long as he’s on duty then it’s guaranteed that a baby will be born here over Christmas.’
Lucy burst out laughing. ‘Bearing in mind how many of our mums are due to give birth in the next couple of weeks, I doubt if Freddie’s services will be needed!’
‘Take no notice of her, Freddie,’ Max said firmly. He held up the reindeer and looked straight into its one good eye. ‘She doesn’t mean to be rude. She just doesn’t understand your magical powers.’
‘No, I don’t,’ Lucy agreed, smiling. The fact that Max was happy to play the fool showed her yet another side to his character and one that she found very appealing too. Richard had tended to stand very much on his dignity, but obviously Max didn’t care a jot about that.
It was worrying to know that once again she had found things to admire about him and she hurried on. ‘So how did Freddie acquire these magical powers?’
‘I’m not sure how it happened. Maybe Santa had something to do with it,’ he replied, completely deadpan. ‘But ever since Freddie appeared on the scene, we’ve had a baby born in the unit on Christmas Day.’
‘That’s some record. I mean, from the look of him he must have been around for a very long time. I certainly can’t remember seeing anything like him in the shops,’ she added wryly.
‘I don’t expect you have,’ Max agreed, grinning at her. ‘Freddie is definitely a one-off.’
‘You’re not kidding! Why is he called Freddie, though? I thought Rudolph was the only name for a reindeer.’
‘Apparently, the staff named him after the head of the obstetrics department at the time.’ He turned the reindeer around and pointed to its nose. ‘Plus he doesn’t have the requisite red nose to be called Rudolph.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Lucy chuckled. ‘Right, so now that I know all about our illustrious Freddie, I’d better take him to Margaret. No doubt she has a special place all lined up for him,’ she said, bending down to pick up the box.
‘I’ll carry that.’
Max gently moved her aside and Lucy sucked in her breath when she felt his hands gripping her arms. It was only the lightest of touches yet she was deeply aware of his fingers pressing into her flesh.
‘I can manage,’ she said, quickly straightening up.
‘I’m sure you can but why struggle when you don’t need to?’
Max lifted the box off the floor and she felt her heart give a tiny jolt when she saw the awareness in his eyes. Had he felt it too, she wondered giddily, felt that immediate heightening of the senses that always seemed to happen whenever they touched?
She knew it was true and it was scary to know that once again Max felt exactly the same as she did. As she followed him out of the storeroom she couldn’t help wondering why it kept happening. What was it about him that made her feel this way? What was it about her that made him respond?
She had no idea what the answer was but she knew that she needed to be extra-vigilant. It would be only too easy to give in to this attraction they felt but it would be a mistake to do so. She’d had her heart broken once and she didn’t intend to have it broken a second time. Max may be attracted to her but she had to remember that was all it was. He wasn’t interested in having a real relationship with her or any other woman.
Max carried the carton to the desk then made his apologies and left. He was meeting Diane later to go over her assessment and he wanted to run through a couple of points he needed to cover. He sighed as he let himself into the consultants’ lounge because he knew it was just an excuse. He already knew what he wanted to say, but it had seemed wiser to put some distance between himself and Lucy.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down, determined that he was going to master these feelings that kept running riot inside him whenever he was near her. He had enjoyed that brief conversation they’d had more than he had enjoyed the whole of Saturday night and it was worrying to realise the hold she was gaining over him. If it had been anyone except Lucy, he would have suggested they have an affair because it was obvious that she was attracted to him too. However, he was wary of doing that when he knew there could be repercussions.
Although he had no idea what had happened in her past, it was obvious that she had been hurt and he wouldn’t risk it happening again. He also didn’t intend to make the mistake of getting hurt himself. It made him see that the tentative plans he’d made about finding a consultant’s post would need to be put into operation as soon as possible. If he had another job lined up when Anna returned from maternity leave, it would make life much simpler. He could move away from Dalverston and right away from temptation.
* * *
‘We’ll start with the delivery rooms first.’
Lucy opened the door to one of the suites and ushered her charges inside. Five mums had turned up for the tour and she smiled when she heard them gasp in surprise.
‘It’s much nicer than I thought it would be!’ Rachel Green exclaimed. ‘I was born at Dalverston General and my mum said the delivery room she was in was really horrible—all dark and dingy.’
‘The maternity unit was rebuilt a few years ago,’ Lucy explained. ‘I wasn’t here then, but I’ve seen photos of the old unit and this is much nicer.’ She led the way to the en suite bathroom and switched on the light. ‘Apparently, the facilities in the old unit had to be shared, but the new rooms are all en suite, so you have your own bath and a separate shower, plus loo.’
‘I wish we had an en suite at home,’ one of the other mums declared. ‘I’m fed up with having to trail along the landing every time I need to go to the loo during the night. I must have got up at least a dozen times last night and I’m worn out!’
Everyone laughed at that. Lucy smiled when she heard them swapping stories about their own experiences. It was good for them to know that they weren’t alone in suffering these minor discomforts.
‘Is there a separate suite for water births?’ Rachel Green asked once everyone had settled down. ‘I’ve been wondering about a water birth but I wasn’t sure if it was possible to have one here at Dalverston.’
‘It is,’ Lucy assured her. She crossed the room and pulled back a folding screen so they could see the birthing pool. ‘Two of the suites are equipped with birthing pools, so it isn’t a problem.’
‘Oh, I’m not sure if I fancy a water birth,’ one of the others said, grimacing.
‘It’s not for everyone,’ Lucy agreed. ‘Some women don’t like the idea and others do. It’s a matter of personal choice.’
‘My mother-in-law is really against it,’ Rachel told her, sighing. ‘She keeps trying to persuade me to change my mind but I’ve read so many good reports about water births that I really fancy giving it a try.’
‘A lot of women find that giving birth in water is less stressful. The buoyancy of the water helps to support them and makes it easier for them to relax. And that can make the whole process of giving birth far less painful.’
‘What about the baby, though?’ another mum asked. ‘Isn’t there a risk that it could drown?’
Lucy shook her head. ‘No. The baby is still receiving oxygen via the umbilical cord when it’s born, so being submerged under the water for a short time won’t harm it. Once it’s lifted out of the water then it will start to use its lungs to breathe.’
‘What if there’s a problem during the birth?’ someone else piped up.
‘Then we would ask the mum to get out of the pool,’ Lucy explained. ‘We carry out all the usual checks during the birth, so we would pick up on any problems if they occurred. And it goes without saying that if there was any indication beforehand that a water birth wasn’t the right choice then we would advise against it.’
Everyone seemed happy with her answers, she was pleased to see. She was a firm believer in the benefits of a water birth and could only hope that it might encourage some of the other women to consider the idea. It obviously hadn’t put Rachel off because she smiled happily.
‘I’m going to tell David’s mum all that the next time she starts going on about me having a proper birth. It might stop her nagging me to death!’
‘But remember, Rachel, it’s your choice, and you need to make that clear to her,’ Lucy said firmly. ‘Actually, I think we’ve got some leaflets about water births in the office. I’ll give you one to take home. Maybe that will help to convince her.’
She made a note to fetch the leaflets after they’d finished their tour and carried on. They visited one of the wards next and once again everyone was impressed by the bright and airy facilities. After that, they went to the nursery and then the special care baby unit, where any sick babies were treated. Although they could have missed it out, Lucy knew that a lot of mums found it reassuring to learn that such facilities were available if necessary.
The women were a little subdued as they made their way back to the meeting room afterwards, but they soon brightened up after they’d had a cup of tea. Lucy left them to chat while she went to the office for the leaflets. Max was there, talking to Amanda, but he merely nodded when she went in and she didn’t know whether to feel pleased or sorry.
She sighed as she headed back to the meeting room, wishing that she didn’t feel so ambivalent. One minute she had decided to avoid him and the next she was disappointed because he hadn’t spoken to her, and it was all very confusing. She knew that she needed to sort out her feelings, although what that would achieve was anyone’s guess. It certainly wouldn’t change the fact that Max’s attitude to life was very different from her own.
Once the tour was over, it was time for Lucy to go for her break. There were just her and Cathy on duty that evening and she was hoping it wouldn’t be too busy. She had just got back when Anita Walsh, one of the community midwives, phoned to say that she was sending a patient in to them. Anita was on her way back from visiting another of her mums and was stuck in traffic. She promised to get there as soon as she could, but in the meantime she would be grateful if someone would look after her patient for her.
Lucy assured her that she would sort everything out. She made her way to Reception and a few minutes later Emma Baker and her husband arrived. She booked Emma in then showed the couple to the delivery suite they’d be using. It was Emma’s third child and she was very matter-of-fact about the birth. She was only due to stay in the unit for six hours following the birth and would be sent home after that so long as everything went smoothly.
Lucy did Emma’s obs then set up the foetal monitor to check the baby’s progress. She was a little concerned when she discovered that its heartbeat was much slower than it should have been. It was a sign that the baby could be in distress due to a lack of oxygen and needed monitoring.
She decided to wait a couple of minutes and do another foetal heart tracing as it could turn out to be a temporary blip. Emma’s contractions were strong and the tightening of her uterus could have reduced the supply of oxygen reaching the baby via the placenta. She got everything ready then did another tracing of the baby’s heartbeat, along with a recording of the uterine contractions. Checking it back, she was in no doubt that the baby was becoming increasingly distressed.
‘Is something wrong?’ Emma asked after she’d finished.
‘I’m not happy about the baby’s heart rate,’ Lucy explained gently. ‘It’s slower than it should be, which means your baby is starting to show signs of distress.’
‘But this didn’t happen with the other two,’ Emma protested. She turned to her husband. ‘Did it, Peter?’
‘No, it didn’t,’ he stated emphatically. ‘Are you sure that machine is working properly?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with the equipment,’ Lucy assured him. She could tell they weren’t happy with her findings but there was little she could do about it. The baby was her first concern and she knew that she needed a doctor to take a look at it.
Lucy explained all this to Emma, then went to the phone and asked the switchboard to page Diane. The registrar phoned her back almost immediately to say that she was with a patient who was threatening to miscarry and didn’t know how long she would be. She suggested that Lucy page Max if it was urgent.
Lucy sighed as she contacted the switchboard again. Although she would have liked a little more breathing space before she saw Max again, obviously it wasn’t to be. She would just have to play it cool and not allow herself to get carried away. Max may be an extremely attractive man but she wasn’t about to embark on another disastrous relationship. She had learned her lesson the hard way and she wasn’t going to repeat her mistakes.
Max was on his way out of the hospital when his pager beeped. He groaned as he turned round and headed back inside. So much for hoping he might get an early finish for once, he thought ruefully as he made his way to the lift. Lucy met him in the corridor and he had to make a determined effort not to react when he saw her standing there. However, he couldn’t deny that his heart seemed to be kicking up a storm and it was annoying after he had resolved to behave sensibly from now on.
‘Did you want me?’ he asked, adopting a deliberately neutral tone.
‘Yes. I need you to take a look at a patient for me, please.’ She led the way to the delivery room and paused outside the door to hand him the printout from the foetal monitor. ‘As you can see from this, the baby is showing signs of distress. It’s the mother’s third child and she’s roughly six centimetres dilated, but I wasn’t happy about waiting.’
‘It could be a while yet before the baby is born,’ Max agreed, glancing at the tracing. He reached past her to open the door, feeling his senses spin when he realised all of a sudden just how petite she was. Her head barely came up to his shoulder yet for some reason he had never noticed it before. It was difficult to concentrate as he followed her into the room when at every turn he seemed to discover something new and fascinating about her.
‘Dr Curtis would like to take a look at you, Emma,’ Lucy explained as she led him over to the bed.
Max dredged up a smile, determined that he was going to get a grip on himself. ‘Lucy tells me that your baby appears to be a little distressed, Emma. I’d just like to examine you and see what’s happening, if you don’t mind.’
Emma didn’t look too happy as he gently examined her, feeling her tummy first so that he could check the position of the baby in case that was the cause of the problem. Everything was exactly as it should be; the baby was lying with its head well down, in a perfect position to be born.
‘That’s fine,’ Max said moving to the bottom of the bed. ‘Baby’s in a good position so that isn’t the problem.’
‘We never had anything like this happen with the other two,’ Emma’s husband said curtly. ‘Are you sure there really is a problem?’
‘I’m afraid so. I know it must be hard to accept after you’ve had two trouble-free births, but trust me when I say that we all want the same thing. We want to make sure that your baby is safe and well.’
He carried on with his examination when the couple didn’t raise any further objections, frowning when he spotted a loop of the umbilical cord protruding down through the mother’s cervix. ‘Take a look at this,’ he said softly to Lucy.
She bent down to look and nodded. ‘I see what you mean, although it wasn’t there before.’
‘It’s probably slipped further down as the baby’s moved down the birth canal.’
Max straightened up, knowing that there was no time to delay. ‘A loop of the umbilical cord is protruding down through your cervix, Emma. It means there’s a very real danger that your baby could be deprived of oxygen. The safest way to avoid that happening is to perform a section.’
‘A section!’ Emma exclaimed in dismay. ‘You mean you want to operate?’
‘Yes. If you were fully dilated, I might have recommended a forceps delivery but we can’t afford to wait. A section will be quicker and safer.’
‘I don’t know… I mean, I never imagined anything would go wrong.’ Emma bit her lip. It was obvious that she was upset at the thought of having her baby delivered by Caesarean section when she’d expected to have a normal birth.
‘Dr Curtis wouldn’t suggest a section unless he was absolutely sure it was the best thing to do,’ Lucy said quietly.
Max felt his heart lift when he heard the conviction in her voice. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she meant what she said and the fact that she so obviously trusted his judgement filled him with joy. He cleared his throat, not wanting her to suspect how moved he felt by her vote of confidence.
‘Lucy’s right. I am not an advocate for stepping in unnecessarily, believe me. However, there are occasions when it would be foolish not to do so. Your baby could suffer permanent brain damage if he’s deprived of oxygen and that is a risk I’m sure none of us wishes to take.’
‘No, of course not,’ Emma agreed shakily. ‘I’d never forgive myself if that happened. If you think a section is necessary then that’s what we’ll do. Isn’t that right, Peter?’
‘I…um…yes, of course,’ her husband muttered, looking a little shocked.
Max wasted no more time as he went to the phone and informed Theatre that he would be operating. In a very short time, Emma was on her way. He followed the convoy out of the room, pausing briefly to have a last word with Lucy. ‘The baby should be fine and so will Emma. She’ll be back with you in no time at all.’
‘Thank you. I know they’re in safe hands.’
Max felt that little tug on his emotions again. Why did her opinion matter so much? he wondered. He knew he was good at his job and didn’t need anyone to tell him that, yet it meant something really special to know that she believed in him.
He shrugged, trying not to get too hung up on the idea. ‘As I’ve said before, we make a good team, Lucy. I doubt if Emma would have agreed to this op so readily without your input. She was obviously swayed by the reference you gave me.’
She gave a little grimace but he saw the colour that tinted her cheeks. ‘I only told her the truth.’
‘Then thank you.’ His voice dropped and he could hear the emotion it held even if she couldn’t. ‘It’s good to know that you have such faith in me, Lucy.’
He turned away, knowing that he was in danger of saying too much. It would be a mistake to do that, a huge mistake to let himself get carried away. He sighed as he headed for the lift. A few kind words and he was like putty in her hands!