"Mum the new Sisters will be joining us soon, do we know we we are expecting?" Mia asked walking into her mum's office.
"What have I told you about knocking on closed doors instead of just walking in?" Sister Julienne asked looking up from her work. Mia looked sheepish but continues to look at her mother expectantly. "We are expecting Sister Hilda and the new Sister Frances. I thought you might like to work with Sister Hilda?"
Mia squealed and rushed out of the office to find the other Sisters.
"Young lady stop running!" Sister Evangelina reprimanded. Mia immediately slowed down. "You know that running is not allowed unless it is an emergency so would you like to enlighten me as to what the emergency was?"
"I just wanted to tell everyone we are getting Sister Hilda and the new Sister- Sister Frances!" Mia exclaimed smiling giddily.
"Not really an emergency but I can see why you are excited. Now you may go inform everyone of this news but I want you to walk to your destination not run like a giddy child!" Sister Evangelina replied. Mia nodded and hurriedly walked down to the clinical room.
That night Mia sat in the Turner house helping Tim with his college work.
"Story time!" Patrick called and two little girls went barrelling towards him. Mia laughed.
"You may read them one page of statistics and then we're to go on to ' A child's garden of verses',"Shelagh told her husband.
"In 1963 there were no cases of paralytic poliomyelitis, and only 3 babies got ophthalmia neonatorum, and only 3 grown ups got erysipelas. But 23 people got Zymotic enteritis and 63 caught dysentery, yuck!" Patrick exclaimed making the girls laugh.
"The old jokes are always the best!" Tim added.
"It always feels like more than to hide statistics when you have to treat the poor people with the diseases," Mia said shaking her head. "I swear more people caught dysentery than that!"
The next morning it was Mia who greater the new midwife's at the door. She ushered them in and took them straight to Sister Julienne. Having learnt her lesson Mia knocked on the door before entering on her mother's permission.
"Welcome Sister Hilda, Sister Frances!" Sister Julienne exclaimed. "Fred is oiling your bikes, let's go!"
Mia led them all out to the bike shed.
Mia pulled out her bike from the shed and climbed on with ease and watched as Sister Hilda mounted her new bike.
"This is actually superior to the mode I was assigned for house calls in Chichester , I will think of it as Mi steed!" Sister Hilda exclaimed as she began to pedal. Mia bade her mum a farewell before cycling to catch up with Sister Hilda.
"Your with me today just so you can get used to the East End. Mum doesn't doubt your ability it's just we do this with all the nurses at are new to the team!" Mia told Sister Hilda who merely smiled and continued to cycle.
"Apologies, apologies Sister Julienne and of course ladies!" Sister Hilda exclaimed walking into the dining room just the phone rang. Mi walked in less than a minute later.
"I apologise for our lateness mum!" Mia apologised sitting down beside Sister Hilda.
"Did you get lost on the way back from clinic ladies?" Trixie asked.
"I did decided to take in some of my favourite sights in the East End during the Blitz," Sister Hilda exclaimed. "Quite a lot of the landmarks seem to have vanished!"
"I decided to join her and I wasn't aware of how much time had passed. I forgot my watch this morning Mia added. "Shall we say grace. Nurse Anderson would you like to lead us?"
"Sorry to interrupt has anyone seen Sister Monica Joan. I've just taken her a plate of luncheon meat and some Eccles cake, but she wasn't there!" Sister Frances informed everyone.
Mia's eyes widened and she looked at her mum. Everyone knew how vulnerable the older woman was especially when she was in a state of illness as she could go quite delirious.
Mia stood up and walked towards her mum. Sister Evangelina also joined them.
"You know what happened last time. We need to find her bad quickly!" Mia muttered grabbing her long coat.
Mia made a silent prayer that they would find the older Sister before it was too late.
"Nurse Franklin go to the maternity home, and book in Mrs Lombardi. Nurse Dyer, Nurse Anderson, agree between yourselves which route you wish to take. Myself and Sister Evangelina will scout around. And keep in mind the police may need to be alerted if we do not find her soon!" Mia instructed.
"I should have seen this coming. She was in one of her fanciful moods this morning, getting all morbid over the holdalls!"Fred said.
"Her mental state has always been vulnerable, to infection and high fever. I will phone the authorities!" Sister Julienne told her daughter who nodded and continued to listen to Fred.
"And when I came back after fetching my dinner, the last holdall was gone," Fred said. Mia looked at Valerie who seems to have connected the evidence.
"If Sister Monica Joan took the last bag and went off with it, do you suppose she thought she was off to work?" Valerie asked Mia. Mia nodded.
"It is a very likely option. When I'll she is easily confused between the present and the past!" Mia said sadly.
"Go look down by the church and in the church yard, Fred you fetch your van and go up and down commercial road, and I'm going to follow my instincts!" Valerie said nodding towards Mia who understood where her fellow nurse was going.
Night fell and the Sisters were growing more concerned. Mia was exhausted she had been out at two deliveries as well as looking for Sister Monica Joan and now she was pacing up and down with a glass of sherry in her hand. Mia didn't drink but when nerves were this high she could not think of anything else to calm her nerves.
Her arms were red raw. Mia had the tendency to scratch her arms when she was upset and nervous. Her arms were on the verge of bleeding. On Mia's 40th lap of the kitchen Sister Hilda grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her into a chair.
Sister Hilda held out Mia's arms so she could have a proper look at them. Sister Hilda dabbed a warm cloth on Mia's arms then gently coated them in Vaseline and ointment that smelled foul. Sister Hilda gently bandaged Mia's arms so she could no longer scratch at them.
"They've found her!" Sister Evangelina shouted from the phone room. Mia spun around on the chair she was in. "It's alright Mia, they've found her!"
Sister Hilda pulled Mia into her arms and Mia sobbed. She was crying in despair and in relief.
Soon enough they heard a car pull up and all the Sister's dashed down the stairs to Nonnatus house to receive Sister Monica Joan.
Less than hour later there was a pounding at the door. Mi ran down the stairs nearly running into Valerie in the process. Mia opened the door to see two young women. One of them was Lucille's patient the other the patient's sister.
"She's having a miscarriage!" Lesley told the midwives. "And it hasn't come on naturally!"
Mia held out her hand to the woman who was clearly in pain. This wasn't a time for judgment or harsh words.
"Come on chick we need you on the lav!" Valerie said as Mia and her helped the crying woman to the toilet.
Mia stood back up and walked over to Frances who was stood against the back wall looking nervous.
"Go get my mum now!" Mia told the other Sistrr who nodded and rushed off. Mia knelt back beside Cath. "Daring it's going to be over soon, I promise!"
By the time there was a knock on the door Cath was on the floor in her sister's arms. Mia was against the back wall. She pulled open the door let Sister Frances and her mum and closed it quickly.
"It looks like the foetus has been dead a few days, I think products have been retained and she's showing signs of a nasty infection Mia told her mum.
Sister Julienne scheduled the girls pulse and her head for a fever. Cath was Barry conscious by this point.
"I'm going to telephone for an ambulance!"
"Did we do the right thing? Bringing her in?" Valerie asked as she helped Sister Julienne and her daughter put on there respective coats.
"The word midwife means with woman, a woman in that situation needs somebody by her side,whatever mistakes or choices brought her to our door. I will go to the hospital with her and stay as long as I am permitted. Go upstairs and do what is necessary! Sister Frances will clean the floor!"
"Oh Tim it was so horrible, the woman was clearly terrified, why do women have to make this choice it isn't right nor is it fair," Mia cried into Tim's shoulder.
"I've brought you both a cuppa, I thought you'd appreciate the caffeine after the day you've had!" Shelagh said settling herself next to Tim. She strolled the back of Mia's hand. "Was that your first miscarriage?"
"No . But it was the first time I had seen the result of a back street abortion, I've never seen so much damage, that isn't right, as soon as the abortion law is changed the better!"