"I'm a Dad!" Cal thought over and over again, his mind buzzing with the news. He leant against the wall and sank to the ground resting his head in his hands.
The day was off to a pleasant start. Cal had successfully treated a plethora of patients and was now on his break, coffee cup in hand slouched across the sofa in the staffroom. The door swung open, revealing a tense looking Rita. "Dr Knight, we need you, we have an incoming patient." No rest for the wicked. Cal drained his coffee and followed the nurse out to the ambulance bay. "You've been requested!" Lofty said raising his eyebrows. The ambulance pulled up and Dixie and Iain hopped out, dragging the trolley out the back. "Ok, we have a Jane Doe, pregnant early thirties, been involved in an RTC." Iain relayed. "Cal?" The voice came from the trolley. "What but how?" He exclaimed as the patient cried out in pain.
"Taylor?" Cal raised his voice in shock. The paramedics continued to RESUS as Cal looked up and met his brothers equally astonished gaze. He ran into RESUS. "Taylor, what the hell is going on?" He asked with gritted teeth. "I'm pregnant." She said sarcastically. "No really?" He said with equal sarcasm. "Ow!" She screamed. "We need an urgent ultrasound, chest X-ray, and we need to get her off this spinal board." Cal ordered as his team set about the room. The chest X-rays were clear and Cal quickly ruled out any spine or neck injuries. Rita quickly did an ultrasound. "Um, Cal!" She called. "What's up?" He asked. "She's in labour!" Rita explained. Taylor screamed from the bed. "Ok, darling. Can we get her some pain relief?" She ordered Lofty. Lofty obliged handing over the gas and air. "How far along are you?" He demanded. "8...months" she responded her breaths snatched. "Ok, we'll need to check you over." He said curtly. The girl had broken his heart and it seemed as though every time he tried to move on, she reappeared in his life and crushed his heart again. He pulled on a pair of gloves and checked her over. "Ok, you're 8 centimetres, it's too late to move you." He said resting a hand on her knee. "I'm sorry Cal. I should never have let our relationship go that far." She grimaced. "It's a bit late for that!" He said referring to the amount of money she conned out of him and her burgeoning baby bump.
"Cal...it hurts!" She screamed a few hours later. "I'll check you over again!" He said dully. "Ok, you're at ten centimetres on your next contraction, push as hard as you can." Taylor didn't argue with the registrar, she did as she was told and a few moments later her baby's cries filled the room. "It's a girl!" Cal announced. He went to hand the bundle to her mother. Taylor's gaze was fixed ahead, her eyes glazed over. Cal put the baby in the plastic cot as Taylor began fitting. He injected her with lorazepam but to no avail. The monitors sounded as she crashed. Rita came over and relayed what the monitors were showing, as Cal began CPR. Lofty placed pads on her chest as Rita began giving her oxygen. "Oxygen. Clear?" Cal boomed. "Clear!" Lofty confirmed. The button was pressed and Taylor's body lurched on the bed. "No output." Lofty said shaking his head. Cal continued chest compressions. 35 minutes passed with no change. "Are we all agreed?" Rita said quietly. "Yes." Lofty agreed. "Cal?" Rita looked over at the young registrar. "Ok." He reluctantly agreed, knowing that all actions would be futile. "Time of death 13:07." He confirmed with a tear in his eye. The baby across the room gurgled. "We need to contact social services, and find out who the father is." Rita said putting a hand on Cal's arm. He nodded and walked out of RESUS.
Ethan was waiting for news. "She's dead." Cal said embracing Ethan. "We need to contact social services. Her daughter was born a few moments ago." Cal said into Ethan's hug. "I'll do that for you, go and take a break, you need it." Ethan said steering him to the staffroom. Social services appeared a few moments later. Ethan searched through Taylor's file with the social worker and they found something surprising. "I have here her records from her midwife, the forms have a name for the father." The social worker informed Ethan. "We'll need a DNA test to confirm!" The social worker nodded. Ethan stared at the name in shock. He walked into the staffroom and pulled his brothers hairbrush out of his bag, he took it to the social worker and a test was conducted privately. The social worker reappeared a few moments later with startling news.
Cal was sat in the staffroom staring at his coffee. Ethan knocked on the door and shuffled into the room, followed by a severe looking older woman, that Cal had never before met. "Hello, you must be Dr Knight, I'm Mrs Braithewaite, social worker." She introduced herself. "I've been informed that you were the doctor in-charge of Miss Ashbie's care." She explained. "Cal, we've found the father of her daughter." Ethan butted in. "Well, has he been informed?" Cal asked grumpily. "Well, we're trying to do that now." Ethan said scrunching up his face, bracing himself for his brothers reaction. "No, you're not, you're here talking to me! God, mum was right, if you want something done properly do it yourself. Tell me who he is, I'll contact him myself." Cal retorted. "Dr Knight. We are telling the father right now! You are the father!" The social worker said firmly. "Wait, what!" Cal shouted. "Cal, you're her Dad." Ethan said quietly putting his hand on Cal's shoulder. Cal shrugged it off and ran from the room. He sat in the small RESUS with the baby. He pulled the blinds and shut the door. Lofty wandered in with a blanket in his hand. "So who's is she?" He asked quietly tucking the blanket around her. "Mine, apparently." Cal mumbled. "Cal, congratulations, that's wonderful news." Lofty said clapping him on the shoulder. "Please, don't tell anyone. I'm not ready for this." Cal said rubbing his eyes. Lofty left the room having promised to keep it under his hat. Ethan shuffled into the room. "Hi Cal." He mumbled. "I'm sorry Nibbles. It's just...it's been a difficult day." Cal whispered. "So has she got a name? Have you held her yet?" Ethan probed. "No. I can't face up to it. I'm not ready to be a Dad. Let alone a single one." He muttered. "Cal, you have to face it. You are all she has." Ethan had a point. "You name her." Cal said suddenly. "What? Me?" Ethan stuttered. "Yes, I want the most important person in my life to name her." Cal decided. "Ok, well...let's see...Sophia Rose?" Ethan suggested. "Sophia Rose...sounds good to me, it's suits her." Cal said with a faint smile that grew and grew until his face lit up. "My little Sophia Rose Knight." Cal smiled tickling the baby's tummy. "Well, say hello then!" Ethan encouraged. "I don't know how!" Cal said worried. "Here take her in your arms and support her head." Ethan said helping him adjust his hold on his daughter. "There. You look good with her. Let's get a photo!" He smiled taking out his phone and snapping the pair. The baby started convulsing in his arms. Cal out her back on the bed. "Can we get some help in here!" Ethan shouted as Cal took his stethoscope from around his collar. "What have we got?" Rita asked. "It's Sophia, she's fitting!" Cal exclaimed. Ethan injected her with lorazepam and the fitting subsided. "What were you boys doing in her were anyway?" Rita asked. "Long story!" Ethan raised his eyebrows. "Well, I'm on a break." Rita said looking at the clock with a sly smile.
"Basically, the hospital records had Cal down as the father, Taylor must have mentioned it to her midwife. The social worker and I used some hair from Cal's hairbrush for a DNA test to confirm. So in short, Cal is the father." Ethan explained. "What's her name?" Rita smiled at the gurgling baby Cal held protectively in his arms. "Her name is Sophia Rose Knight." Cal said. "Well, have you told anyone she's yours yet?" Rita wondered. "No, not yet." He admitted. "Just do it soon yeah, it's better if they hear it from you instead of some idle gossip!" Rita advised tickling Sophia's tummy. "I think this little lady is just hungry and dehydrated. According to her notes she hasn't been fed yet." Rita informed the brothers. Ethan dashed out of the room and reappeared a few moments later with a bottle in hand. "Right, test it against the inside of your wrist to check the temperature and then support her head and feed her." Rita explained helping Cal adjust the baby's position in his arms. He held the bottle as Sophia sucked ferociously at the bottle. Once she'd finished, Rita gave Cal the next set of instructions. "Now hold the baby against your shoulder and pat her back, you might need to do it a bit forcefully, not too hard." She smiled. Cal did has he was told and chuckled when Sophia burped softly and gurgled. "She's definitely her fathers daughter." Ethan remarked. "We need to tell them." He said. "Best sooner rather than later." Cal agreed as Sophia began to fall asleep in his arms as he rocked her gently. She hand her fingers wrapped around his thumb. Rita called everyone's attention and do they all stood around the reception desk. "Ok, everybody, Dr. Knight has an announcement." She told them. "Thanks Rita. So everyone probably knows that we had a young lady involved in an RTC earlier today. Miss Taylor Ashbie gave birth to this beautiful baby girl before she arrested and died. As you are all probably unaware, Taylor was my ex-girlfriend. This precious little girl is my daughter. Her name is Sophia Rose. Knight." He announced softly so as not to disturb and wake up his baby girl.
A buzz of shock passed through the crowd before the gathering dispersed. Robyn, along with a few other colleagues came to congratulate the brothers and admire the baby. "Well, I think it's Uncle Ethan's turn to hold Sophia." Ethan smiled. He took the baby in his arms and immediately the baby girl opened her eyes wide and yawned. "Hello gorgeous." He cooed. She reached up and hit him and giggled. "Haha, hilarious!" He rolled his eyes. "You are just like your daddy, missy" he chuckled. She shifted in his arms and fell asleep, her soft snores making Cal and Ethan smile.