Chapter 14

Louisa was jolted awake, gasping, as a sudden sharp pain radiated through her body. She suppressed the groan that rose in her throat and she braced herself against the surprising strength of the contraction. Soon enough her muscles relaxed and she looked at the clock, 3:45. Was her labour beginning or was this just another one of the Braxton-Hicks contractions that had become more frequent in the past week? She would know soon enough.

She turned her head to gaze at her husband who was sleeping soundly on his back as was his habit, and she felt a surge of love come over her. She examined the planes of his face, the strength of his nose, his full lips, oh how she loved those lips, his close-cropped hair and even his extraordinary ears. How lucky she was to have found him. She reached out to touch his arm lightly,not to wake him, but to feel the life force in him, and she saw a faint smile cross his face. His was never an effusive smile or grin, rarely more than an upward curve of his lips, but what made it so special was the expression in his eyes. His eyes radiated such love it warmed her through, and she could imagine it now, the smile that she loved, the smile he gave James at night after story time, the smile he gave her when he greeted her at the end of the day, and the smile she expected to see when he first held this child about to enter the world.

Another contraction overcame her and she pulled back her hand to hold her side in an effort to contain it; the clock read 3:52. Seven minutes from the last one; yes, her time had come. She looked down at her swollen belly and whispered, "Soon my little one, soon you will be in my arms, in your daddy's arms and we will love you just as we love James." She turned over to her side and continued to gaze at Martin. There was no need to wake him yet. He needed his sleep; they would have a full day ahead of them.

They really were fortunate to have found each other. If not for Holly's accident that day, Martin would never have seen her in A&E, he never would have had that dream, he never would have asked her out to dinner and they never would have created either James or this new baby. Yes, the stars were aligned in their favor that day.

The life they had created together was amazing and she reflected on it as she waited for her labour to progress. They had each sacrificed to be together. He had cut back on the hours he devoted to his work to spend time with her and their child, and he sacrificed his peaceful orderly bachelor life for the chaos their family frequently generated.

There were those that would say she had given up much more to be with him. She had left her beloved village in the most beautiful place in the country and sacrificed her career, giving up her position as head teacher to take a part-time maths instructor position in a small London girls' school. They would say she could influence so many more lives had she continued to manage a village school; perhaps she would have gone on to administer all Cornish state schools. Her potential was limitless. On the other hand, she would tell them that she gained so much more, the husband who adored her and the family she had always wanted. In addition, she still had influence over the girls she saw in her classes each term; and more importantly, she had her own children to raise to be responsible members of society.

The smile that had crossed Martin's face was still there, softening the lines of his face so that the kind gentle man that she knew shone through. If only he would let the rest of the world see him for who he truly was. Even her own mother harboured reservations about his nature; how could she have asked whether he was abusive to her or James. Louisa thought back to their visit less than two months ago in Portugal, and how she had to defend Martin to her mother. Even now, she wasn't entirely certain that her mother was convinced.

Another contraction hit and she pulled in her breath at the strength of it. 3:59 am …. still early times; no need to wake Martin just yet. That was one of the things she had learned about him in the years they had been together. He needed a good night's sleep; without it, he could be as irritable and fractious as a young child in need of a nap. She had learned how to deal with this side of him with a simple look to let him know when he had crossed the line, but she knew that she wouldn't be up to managing his impatience today. No, today she would need to focus her energy elsewhere; perhaps she should remind him before they left for hospital how she needed him to be her husband today, not her medical consultant. Best to let him sleep as long as possible.

He was infamous for his temper in hospital, intolerant of even the slightest failure to provide the best care for patients. Of course, his perfectionism and attention to detail were part of the reason he had been selected to lead his department. His blunt tongue was one of the reasons he was so successful, and one of the reasons that the surgeons he trained were in such high demand at hospitals across the country. He never hesitated to point out why the misdiagnosis of an "idiot" or an "imbecile" would result in the death of a patient. Registrars knew they had to study long and hard if they wished to avoid his wrath. Would any of them understand that his tendency to "tell it like it is", to never sugar coat his opinion was one of the reasons she loved him. She knew he never tried to deceive her; she always knew where he stood when they had a disagreement, and she had learned to be just as forthright as he. It helped to find a compromise when they both put all their cards on the table, so to speak.

She rolled onto her back as another wave hit and she tried to relax and control her breathing. That contraction seemed to be stronger than the ones before it. 4:05, only six minutes since the last one. There was still time. She was glad that Margery, their current nanny, had agreed to spend nights in their guest bedroom a week ago so that she could care for James if they had to leave for hospital in the middle of the night. They just might have to slip out in an hour or two – well before the time they usually started the day.

Her thoughts wandered as she lay there, trying to find a comfortable position whilst waiting for her body to do its work. She thought back to their trip to Portugal just a month or so ago. That trip, along with other trips they had taken over the years, was one of the perks of her marriage to Martin. His medical conferences were sometimes in holiday locations, and she would join him if they coincided with a term break or a holiday weekend. True the resort in Portugal wasn't all that exotic to her since she visited her mother nearby every winter, but her mother's small home in the foot hills was quite Spartan compared to the posh accommodations at the resort. And because Martin was a featured speaker at the conference, they had a deluxe suite with plenty of space for James. She had enjoyed herself tremendously.

Martin would be reluctant to admit it, but she was certain that he was proud to have her and James with him to broadcast to the world that he had been able to win and keep a beautiful wife, a wife who was pregnant with their second child. She had made an effort to look her best, and he had noticed, telling her more than once how beautiful she looked. He still had difficulty expressing his love out loud. She knew he loved her from the look in his eyes every evening when he returned home and by the way he cared for her. So, to hear him express his admiration several days in a row was truly remarkable. She smiled to herself as she remembered.

Another contraction … 4:11 … six minutes from the last one. She may have to wake Martin if the next one comes soon. She remembered back to her labour with James, how bellicose Martin had been with the midwife and the floor sister when he came and found her alone in the room. She had seen him rude upon occasion in their personal life, but had never seen him at his tyrannical worst in hospital. Again, she hoped he would not repeat that behaviour today. She loved him dearly and found his blunt way with the truth admirable, but this aspect of his personality could still trouble her. His behaviour in hospital was really none of her business, and if it didn't bother the hospital trustees, then it was of no consequence to her. He only wanted the best for his patients and tyranny was how he made sure that the hospital staff gave his patients their best.

It was when she observed his rude or dismissive behaviour towards others when they were out and about that she cringed. Early on in their marriage, she would give him "the look", the one that told him his behaviour was unacceptable. But when she tried to explain the problem, he usually dismissed her concerns, and she had stopped trying to reform him. She had learned to look the other way, but it still upset her. She thought about the doctor that wanted to ask him a question while the three of them were at lunch one day at the conference. Did he really have to say "go away"? He didn't need to be so gruff.

And the day they spent with her mother. They only had one day with her and Martin could barely be civil, never once breaking his scowl and frequently rolling his eyes at one of her mother's irreverent remarks. He had embarrassed her at Miguel and Caterina's tasca, refusing to enter their café until she gave him "the look". She had to take him aside and assure him firstly, that they were her friends and secondly, that they maintained the highest hygiene standards despite the outward appearance of the building. When they agreed to take him into the kitchen to show how they stored and prepared the food, he had relaxed and was even able to complement them on the meal they had prepared, telling them that it was "quite satisfactory". In hindsight she realised that she should have prepared him for their tasca and explained that it was quite hygienic despite the outward appearance. But why should she have to do that? Couldn't he just trust her judgement, that she wouldn't expose them to pathogens?

No wonder her mum had questioned his behaviour. Didn't she tell her mother that he had many other redeeming qualities? She sighed knowing that this morning was not the time to be dwelling on his flaws. And he did have many, many redeeming qualities. She rolled back over to face him and rubbed his shoulder with her cheek, inhaling his scent. Yes, she did love him, warts and all.

With the next contraction at 4:16, she decided it was time to prepare to leave. With only five minutes between contractions, labour could drag on for several more hours or it could progress quickly. Best to leave for hospital soon. She brushed his cheek gently with her fingers. He sighed but didn't open his eyes. "Martin," she murmured and tugged gently on his ear.

He sighed again but responded to her touch with a smile, "Mmm…"

"Martin. It's time".

He rolled over to face her and lightly stroked her arm, "What?" He was still groggy.

"Martin, it's time to go."

He opened his eyes wide now, fully awake with the realization of what she was trying to tell him. "Now?"

"Yes, now."

"Right." He threw the duvet back and slid out of the bed and headed to the toilet, then turned right back around. "Have your waters broken? How far apart are the contractions? Do we need to leave immediately?"

"No, but they could break at any time now. Five minutes between contractions. Oo-oo-oo." She stopped talking in order to concentrate while another wave rose, peaked and then eased.

Martin stood next to her and went into doctor mode, placing his palm against her belly to try to assess the strength of her contraction, his eyes on the minute hand of his watch. When it had stopped, he said, "We need to hurry if we want to arrive at hospital before you deliver."

Louisa rolled over and tried to shift her legs over the edge of the bed, "I think I have time to dress. I'd like to change out of my pyjamas. My bag is packed and ready to go. And we need to let Margery know we are leaving."

"Let me help you up." He leaned over and gently lifted her up to a sitting position. "What can I do to help?" He stood back, tilting his head downward, looking her over and asked, "Do you really need to change? No one is about at this time of the morning to see you, and you will be put in a medical gown as soon as we arrive."

She ran her fingers through her hair, "I don't know Martin. Maybe you are right."

"Of course I am."

"I'll need my coat." She braced herself on the edge of the bed and shooed him away, rattling off a series of instructions as he walked the short distance to their bathroom, "Why don't you go use the toilet and get dressed. Then come and help me change … or get into my coat. I'd like to brush my teeth as well. I suppose we should call a taxi. I really think it will be a few hours yet."

A few weeks ago, they had argued about whether she should use an ambulance or not and she had convinced him that a taxi would be sufficient to their needs. If the labour progressed quickly, she might need an ambulance, but she felt it would be another several hours before she would actually deliver.

He had nearly reached the lavatory when she remembered, "And don't forget to tell Margery that we are leaving."

He turned around with a confused look on his face, "Margery?"

"James' nanny? Remember? She is in the guest room?"

"Right."

Within less than 15 minutes they were in the taxi on their way. It was a short five-minute ride this early in the morning with little traffic about, but riding in the taxi to hospital was extremely uncomfortable as it was nearly impossible to focus her relaxation techniques while the cab bounced over the road. Martin bellowing at the driver to avoid potholes and take the corners more slowly didn't help her composure, but they finally arrived, where the staff hustled her into a private labour room. Robert was born at 8:36 at 21 inches and 8lbs 6 oz., a perfect healthy baby boy with all his fingers and toes and a shock of blond hair. Martin took a few pictures on his phone, and by 11:30, he had sent messages conveying the happy news along with a few pictures to Joan, Ruth and Miriam.