Rating: T

Triggers: premature birth and some implied violence

Preview: Chummy is on secondment to a Special Care Baby Unit. There she is given care of an unwanted premature baby from strange and dramatic circumstances. My first fan fiction so be kind ;-)

Chapter 1

It is the 18th August, 1961, 2.27am. An ambulance races from the streets of Poplar towards the London Hospital, headlights cutting through thick smog as its bells ring. Inside a girl screams with pain as Sister Evangelina supports her. The girl lying down is visibly pregnant, but not hugely so, and as the Sister lifts her shabby green dress, the girl's legs are exposed and are covered in bruising. Sister Evangelina has already noticed her swollen eye and cheek, and checks her arms which are also bruised. Lifting her dress further to expose her bump, she sees severe bruising on her abdomen. She looks up at the attending doctor. This is not anything new. It is something they have seen many times on girls in Poplar.

"Lillian is 30 weeks pregnant, says she fell down the stairs and is having regular contractions," Sister Evangelina. "I arrived with her 2 hours ago, after her husband called Nunnatus House. Flying obstetric team indeed, never got here. Now I am stuck with you."

The girl yelps as the Sister performs an internal.

"She is currently 5cm dilated. This baby is coming, Lillian. We can't stop things, I don't know how long it will take, but I think we have time to get to the hospital."

Lillian cries out again with another contraction. When it eases she gasps "that one was the worst, I can't do this, I don't want to."

"I am here," the Sister reassures.

"Why can't you stop this? It's too early. I don't want my baby now."

"Lillian, you are losing your baby. There is nothing we can do but try and get to the hospital on time."

"He will die, it's too soon. Will I die? I feel like I could die, we could die together."

"You are safe, Lillian, but I can make no promises for your baby. It will be 10 weeks early. That is very early."

The doctor then speaks.

"We have a baby unit at the hospital with incubators. It all depends on whether your baby is developed enough to breathe yet."

Lillian weeps, and then gasps at another contraction. Sister Evangelina listens to her stomach through a pinard for a while as the contraction intensifies and then releases its agonising grip.

"The baby is not in any distress at this stage," she says to the doctor.

"He will live?" Lillian asks, eyes concerned.

"'I can't tell you that, Lillian. This is a very bad situation, my dear. God tries us in difficult ways, but we will do everything we can to save your baby. We may not succeed, I am very sorry."

Another contraction grips the girl and at its height she cries out,

'Oh let us both die! Please God just let us both die now."

"Now, now." Sister Evangelina chastises, "There is no need for that much drama, Lillian."

The smog slows the journey though and it takes over an hour to reach the London Hospital. As they pull into the grounds, Lillian is pushing.

"Are we there yet?" Sister Evangelina shouts furiously at the driver. "This baby can't wait any longer. It is crowning."

"The pain!" Lillian screams.

Sister Evangelina's voice softens.

"I know my dear, breathe through the pain, your baby's head is about to be born and I am right here."

The girls screams in agony, soaked in sweat and tears, exhausted with suffering and the Sister places a damp cloth on her brow.

"There now child, it will soon be over, the pain will soon be gone."

"He can't leave my body yet!"

"But he is, my dear. His head is almost born, you need to give a little push."

"No! No!" She cries, in spite of the pain, but her body pushes anyway and the girl screams long and loud as a tiny infant shoots from her body, caught by the Sister.

"Oh no, no, no," Lillian whimpers through the resulting silence, seeing a tiny arm, like a twig, dangle over the Sister's arm. The sister is breathing into the baby's mouth and finally, there is a splutter and a weak cry.

"She is breathing!" Sister Evangelina announces with a visible tear welling in her eye. "And you have a little girl, Lillian. She looks as early as we thought she would be so there is a battle ahead for her."

The ambulance pulls into the bay and the doors swing open to urgent voices. Lillian lays in a trance, looking at the tiny bundle of blankets being hurriedly taken from the Sister's arms by a doctor who runs with it from sight.

"Everyone will do their best for your daughter," Evangelina reassures but Lillian only wants to close her eyes and shut out the whole world. She hears the world 'shock' as a distant sound. She only wants to drift away into oblivion.