It had been a long, busy, and stiflingly hot day in the Receiving Room. Ada and Ethel, like the rest of their staff, had been rushed off their feet from the moment that the doors had opened. The last of the day's patients had been sent through to Dr Culpin and they had begun to clear away. Dr Ingrams was leaning on the front desk, his dark, tired-looking, eyes barely focusing on the notes he was making to send up to the ward with his final patient of the day.
"You know what I would kill for right now?" Ethel mused, tucking a wayward strand of mousy-brown hair back underneath her cap.
"What?" Ada replied, her piercing eyes scanning her younger colleague suspiciously.
"A trip to the coast, a cold lemonade, an ice cream cone, a dip in the sea, the wind in my hair and the sun on my face." Her voice trailed off, her bright eyes glazing over, deep in pleasurable thoughts.
"Unfortunately, Nurse Bennett," Ada began, attempting to maintain some degree of professionalism, "regardless of how many people you polish off, the closest you'll get to any of those things this evening is positioning yourself in order to catch the swish of Matron's skirts as she breezes past on her rounds"
The two nurses caught each other's eyes and burst into giggles. Noticing, but not a party to the conversation, Harry Ingrams asked, "Is all well Sister Russell?"
"Yes, of course, Dr Ingrams," Ada replied.
"I've got you in trouble now Sister," Ethel teased.
Ada shot Ethel a fierce glare before allowing her eyes to dart in the direction of the still-present doctor before admitting, "a change of scene would be pleasant, I agree, or just the opportunity to do something different. I have been Receiving Room Sister for over a year now and I've hardly seen the rest of the hospital, never mind the outside world."
"Apart from your covert trips to the slums," Ethel reminded her.
"That's work!" Ada insisted, "though I do admit, Anna's children are wonderful little things."
"Getting broody are we?" Ethel teased, "you should have married Dr Walton when you had the chance."
"Stop it!" Ada snapped, "that's neither kind nor fair."
"Sorry," Ethel apologised, her eyes turning downcast guiltily at upsetting her friend.
The two nurses carried on their work in a slightly awkward silence until Millais Culpin's Australian twang came ringing across the Receiving Room, "Drink Ingrams?"
"Absolutely!" Harry replied, abandoning his paperwork in an instant and following Millais towards the door, "Goodnight ladies," he added as he filed past Ada and Ethel. Millais at least had the grace to doff his hat above his red wavy hair to Ada and Ethel, flashing the latter his usual, charming smile as he did so, before departing.
"Drink Russell," Ethel mimicked, pretending to quaff a pint of ale as she did so.
Ada had hardly had time to look disapproving when they were disturbed by a commotion outside the Receiving Room.
"Change of plan I'm afraid," Millais called as he and Harry re-entered the Receiving Room, "she had collapsed outside the entrance."
Ada and Ethel looked on, momentarily helpless, as Millais and Harry arrived carrying a young woman between them. The woman was clearly in pain and barely able to stand. It was only when the two doctors, unable to stagger under her weight any longer, had placed her upon the Receiving Room floor, that Ada and Ethel noticed that she was in an advanced stage of pregnancy.
"Hot water, sheets, towels, anything like that you can find, now," Millais barked with an uncharacteristic urgency and ferocity at the two nurses.
"Yes Dr Culpin," Ethel chirped, disappearing off to the nearest examination room as she did so.
"Second stage of labour if I'm not mistaken, waters have definitely gone," Millais announced nonchalantly to anyone who was listening, "though I will need to examine her to make sure. Bolt the doors, we need some privacy," he added to Harry.
As Harry, who had been looking decidedly uncomfortable during the whole scene, disappeared off to bolt the doors, Ada pulled Millais aside and hissed at him, "do you have any idea what you are doing?"
"I've delivered a few lambs in my time," Millais replied, "have either of you had any midwifery experience, Sister?"
"No," Ada admitted, "I've only ever managed miscarriages, and well." She paused, memories of nursing Anna, and countless other desperate women before her, suddenly flooding back to her. "Nurse Bennett has none either," she added.
Before Millais could finish swearing under his breath, the latest contraction began to whip through the woman's body. Ada rushed to her side and allowed her to grip her hand against the pain. Once the contraction had passed Ada asked, "what is your name?"
"Rosalyn," the woman replied. Rosalyn's bright blue eyes met Ada's deep brown. There was a child-like fear within them. Ada wondered how old Rosalyn was. Seventeen, eighteen at most she reckoned. She glanced at Rosalyn's left hand. No ring.
"Is this your first baby Rosalyn?" Ada asked, kindly.
"Yes," Rosalyn replied, "I'm scared, I didn't know what to do."
"You're safe with us," Ada replied, stroking her back gently.
"Hot water and all the towels I could muster," Ethel announced, returning to the scene. She set them down beside Millais, who was now crouching down in front of Rosalyn, and retreated awaiting further instructions, though, she noted, not as far away as Harry had done.
"I need to examine you Rosalyn, to see how you're doing and how the baby is, will you remove your drawers and lift your skirts up for me?" Millais asked.
"No!" Rosalyn protested, "no," she repeated.
"It's very important that the doctor knows what's going on," Harry piped up from his safe, distant, vantage point.
"Would you let me do it?" Ada offered, ignoring Dr Ingrams.
With an albeit obvious reluctance, Rosalyn nodded in agreement. Ada shooed Millais over to where Harry was sitting and motioned to Ethel to take her place at Rosalyn's side. She helped Rosalyn to undress and slowly and gently began to examine her. She looked to Millais for reassurance.
"Can you feel the rim of her cervix Sister?" Millais asked.
"No, I think she's reached full dilation Dr Culpin," Ada replied.
"Can you feel what the presenting part is?" Millais continued.
Ada explored further, trying to ascertain the position of the baby. She felt something. To her horror, what was beneath her fingertips did not feel like the expected smoothness of a neonate's head. Millais read her expression instantly.
"I believe the baby is breech," Ada breathed as calmly as she could.
Millais once again swore under his breath and then motioned to Harry saying, "come on Ingrams, make yourself useful."
"What!" Harry replied.
"What's happening?" Rosalyn pleaded, her eyes darting between the four people surrounding her, "ahhh," she began to scream as the latest contraction began to course through her.
"Rosalyn, your baby is not facing the right way," Millais advised. Turning to Harry he continued, "there's still time to turn the baby, I need you."
Harry apprehensively moved closer to Rosalyn and stopped at her side where Millais indicated.
"Sister Russell, Nurse Bennett, I need you to hold Rosalyn still," Millais announced, "Rosalyn, Dr Ingrams and I are going to try and turn your baby round the right way, it may be uncomfortable, but it will make delivery much easier, alright."
Without much choice in the matter, Rosalyn nervously agreed. Ada and Ethel sat either side of Rosalyn, each holding one of her hands, allowing her to lead her weight back against them.
"On three, I want to exert pressure on your side and help me guide this baby round, right?" Millais said to Harry.
"Yes Dr Culpin," Harry replied nervously.
"One, two, three, now!"
With all their might, the two doctors pushed upon Rosalyn's abdomen. Rosalyn kicked and squealed in pain, and Ada and Ethel had a great job to hold her still enough for the doctors to work.
"Rosalyn, I need to see what's going on," Millais informed her, "you must let me examine you."
This time Rosalyn made no protest but merely slumped further into Ethel and Ada's open arms. Millais undertook the necessary examination and, to his great relief, could see and feel the baby's head beginning to crown.
"On your next pain Rosalyn, I want you to push as hard as you can, your baby is very nearly here," Millais told her.
Rosalyn did not have to wait for long in order to comply with Millais' wishes. At the faintest ripple of the next pain, she screwed up her face in concentration, gripped Ethel and Ada's hands tightly, and pushed down with all of her strength.
"That's it," Ethel encouraged.
"You're doing so well," Ada added.
"The head has crowned," Millais announced triumphantly, "one more push and this baby will be born."
"I can't," Rosalyn wailed.
"Yes, you can," came four voices in response.
Spurred on by a combination of encouragement from the assembled party, adrenaline, and primordial instinct, Rosalyn took a deep breath as soon as she felt the the next wave of pain beginning to engulf her. After an almighty effort, the baby slid out into Millais' outstretched hands.
"You have a daughter Rosalyn," Millais announced, "congratulations," he added.
He wrapped the baby in a towel and the steady whimper that she had been making turned into a lusty cry.
"That's more like it," Millais remarked, "now, Ingrams, cut the cord, then Nurse Bennett, a bowl to receive the afterbirth if you please," he insisted to his colleagues. He then passed the little girl over to Ada, who then placed her in her mother's arms before adding, "alert the wards, they will both need to be admitted and monitored. She'll need at least ten days of bed rest. Could you also find some baby clothes and napkins, and plenty of sanitary towels for her?"
Ada's cheeks flushed slightly at Dr Culpin's unashamed mentioning of such a delicate subject in mixed company, but she complied with his wishes. Once the afterbirth had been delivered and checked for completeness and a porter had taken Rosalyn and her daughter, whom she had named Milly after the man who had brought her into the world, up to the ward, Millais called to Harry and said, "are you still up for that drink?"
"Not half!" Harry replied.
"Well goodnight again ladies," Millais called, "good show this evening."
"Yes, stirling work," Harry added, and the two of them disappeared out the door once again.
Once the two doctors were firmly out of earshot, and having surveyed the mess of blood-stained towels and unwashed instruments that they had left upon the Receiving Room floor, Ethel looked despairingly at Ada and said, "we'd better get to work then."