Drumroll please: we have here Chapter 29! Which is very close to chapter 30 – but crucially isn't!
This was quite a good fun one to write – I haven't written a bit set in the maternity dept for a while so I thought it was high time that made a return, and I feel like I've kind of abandoned the guys in the hospital of late – so they will make a return next chapter( I promise!).
Thanks for all your ace reviews, I really do love them, and all of you for taking the time to review my little story, because I'm just pleased you're all still with me – so please do carry on!
This chapter's song is:
Scissor sisters – Any Which Way
Enjoy!
"What's that film love?"
"Which one?"
"That one with that woman in … you know the one!"
"I'll be honest Patrick – you're probably going to need to give me few more clues!"
"The one with the girl and she's working for the fashion magazine thing … and they're all bitches to her!"
"Oh, umm – the Devil wears Prada?"
"Yes! Right – that man in that – the man in it, the one who does graphics or something? What's his name?"
"Oh I know the one you mean … bald with glasses … uh … oh God what is he called? Anyway – what about him?"
"Nothing – I was just trying to remember his name … I forget why now to be honest."
"That's senility that is."
"Cheeky cow! Go on – bugger off now or you'll be late for work."
"Yeah – you didn't have to wake up with me you know."
"No no I know, but I needed to get up anyway – make sure Tim gets off on this camping trip! He'd sleep through me bulldozing down the stairs."
"It's the disease of teenage boys. I'd best be off – babies to be born!"
"Alright love – see you tonight, do you fancy a Chinese?"
"What to celebrate palming the boy off onto the Welsh? Yeah go on then."
"Lovely, see you later."
"Love you – bye."
"I love you too … TIM! TIM! … YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS TO GET YOUR ARSE DOWNSTAIRS BEFORE I TAKE A CHAINSAW TO YOUR PS3!"
*Stanley Tucci! Px *
Shelagh grinned broadly and pocketed her mobile into her tunic and walked in to the side room, there was a sweaty woman lying in the bed with long brown hair pulled back messily, her face a picture of exhaustion while the broad man beside her looked only stressed and panicked. Shelagh smiled as warmly as she could at the couple and held out a hand.
"Good Afternoon, I'm Shelagh Turner, one of the senior midwives."
"Hi, I'm Carla."
"Chris."
"Hi, right – so Cynthia's asked me in because we're going to need a bit of help to get the baby out, how much do you two know?"
"Not much … I know the baby's in the wrong position."
"Exactly! You're baby's lying in what's called a transverse position instead of the head down position, which is what we need."
"But why – why me?"
"It is nothing to do with you Carla, I promise. Sometimes it's just chance and bad luck, or it could be down to having a smaller pelvis or a lower lying placenta … I would imagine that in your case it's due to a weakened abdominal wall – as a result of your previous pregnancies."
"So … what does that mean?"
"It means that because your tummy muscles have stretched and contracted a few times your baby has managed to lie sideways. Now, because you've already had three c-secions so we want to avoid as far as possible to put you through another."
"I just want what's best for Carla and the baby."
"I know you do Chris, and so do we – if Carla has another C-section she's at a higher risk of complications and she's going to have a much longer recovery time. So what me and Cynthia are going to try and do is to turn the baby around so that we can deliver safely. Ok?"
"Turn it how? – what are you going to do?"
"You are going to get plenty of painkillers and then I'm going to press on your bump to try and turn your baby so that we can do a normal vaginal delivery."
"Right … OK -" Said Carla, slowly nodding,
"No – hang on," began Chris. "surely she should have a C-section! Get the baby out quickly."
"Chris, the baby isn't in distress at the moment. What's important right now is doing the right thing for Carla and the baby – which in this case is a safe, natural delivery." Chris stood up quickly and walked towards Shelagh, she took a step back aware of the father's size and the look on his face. As if on cue Patrick walked into the room, closing the door quietly he approached the tall broad man, smiling politely and buttoning up his jacket over his jumper.
"Good afternoon Mr and Mrs Peters, I'm Patrick on of the doctors – I understand we have a tricky little one on our hands?"
"Thank God a doctor!"
"Chris – calm down!" Said Carla over her husband,
"This nurse won't let my wife have a C-section, she wants to try and crush the baby and turn it!"
"Well … I'm inclined to agree with our midwifery team, Shelagh is a very experienced midwife and I trust her judgment. And even if I didn't – I would still suggest trying to turn the baby manually because in your wife's case a caesarean would be highly risky."
"This is ridiculous – NHS cutback this is! I want a second opinion, what was your name?!" He shouted again despite his wife's protestations, and grabbing Dr Turner's ID badge from where it hung on his belt loop.
"I'm Dr Patrick Turner, and -"
"You're married to her! What a con, of course you agree with her!"
"- AND … you are more that welcome to get a second opinion, however they will tell you exactly the same as I have. But if you insist, I will of course have a doctor bleeped, where they will leave whatever critical work they are doing with their patient and come and deal with you. Or you take my advice and that of my two highly experienced midwives, and allow us to try and turn the baby manually to give your wife the best chance of a safe delivery. I would say that it's your choice, but I'll be honest Mr Peters … It's not your choice, it's your wife's … it's her right to make that decision. And if you try and make it for her or continue to behave in a threatening manner then I will not hesitate in have security called. So – Mrs Peters, what'll it be?"
"Please, if it's safer … then do the turning thing – I just want the baby to be safe." With a gentle nod, Shelagh looked at the trio,
"I'll go and sort some analgesia and get Cynthia, won't be a tick!" slipping out of the room, she left behind the now slightly embarrassed looking father to be with Patrick and Carla.
"And I promise – between me, Shelagh and Cynthia we could get a … a Wookie in quicksand to deliver safely … sorry – that really did sound far better in my head. My son's been watching Star Wars with me and I've got in on the brain!"
"Oh you two have a son, how old?"
"Uh – we … he's 13 now, going on 30!."
"They grow so fast!"
"Mmm – quite!"
Any which way, any which way. You better take me, any which way you can. You don't need reservations, no identification to give me your relations. Sting me like a bee. I want you to funk me
your battle ship has sunk me. Dip me and you dunk me set my body free
Patrick slowed down at the T-junction beside a small red car with an angry looking teenage boy in it, his windows were rolled down and a thundering deep bass beat was pouring out and into Patrick's car. He tried to ignore it, turning up his own radio and pushing his head back against the head rest he pulled a cigarette out of the packet with his teeth. Blowing out a plume of smoke he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and thought about Shelagh, there was a façade of happiness around the house. They were both trying desperately hard to be really positive and entirely nonchalant about the fact that after four months of trying for a baby there was still no success. They were both trying desperately to maintain the idea that they really weren't bothered either way about whether or not they managed to conceive, whereas in reality there was a massive burden on both of them that they were each trying hide from the other.
Patrick wasn't much of a primal person he considered as he pulled out and turned left towards the house, but if there was one primal element to his character it was how he felt about Shelagh. He loved her and the longer and longer the carried on pretending that they weren't trying to have a baby the more and more obvious it was every time they had sex they both really really wanted a baby.
Rolling down the window he threw the filter out of the window and pulled up outside of the house, with a sigh he silenced the radio and pulled his key from the ignition. Grabbing his bag off the passenger seat he let himself out of the car and up into the house. The hallway and kitchen were empty, Shelagh's bike was leant up against the wall and her ruc-sack was laid at the foot of the stairs. Cautiously he put his own bag against the bike and Patrick wandered through the ground floor,
"Shelagh?" he called.
"Yeah … I'm upstairs."
"Oh right, tea?"
"No thanks."
"I'm making one for myself …"
"No really I'm fine."
"Right." Pulling off his jacket and hanging it over the back of the banister and walking into the kitchen he flicked through the post as the kettle boiled, "What take-away do you fancy love?"
"Uh – don't mind."
"Chinese?"
"Yeah … are you coming up?"
"Why? What are you doing up there?"
"Nothing … but are you coming up?"
"Uh … Ok. Where are you?"
"Bedroom." throwing the post back onto the kitchen counter her made his way upstairs, and doubling back on himself he walked towards the bedroom. The door was half way shut and there was no noise coming out of the gap,
"Love?"
"Yeah … come in."
"What's going on?"
"I've been shopping."
"Oh God – are we over run with shoes?"
"No – it's shopping that you'll like!" pushing the door open it took him a moment to see Shelagh, stood against the drawn curtains. "I said that it was shopping you'd like …"
"Blimey, you look … what's the occasion?"
"Do we need an occasion? I thought … I thought maybe that … well I thought you might be going off me a bit. You know because lately you've been a bit … quiet. And so I thought you could use a bit of cheering up."
"Love I havn't gone off you! Quite the opposite … you're gorgeous! I'm just … very aware of what we're trying to do."
"Why, what are we trying to do? What's the point of us having a baby if we're not happy together? Because … I don't know about you – but I love you and lately I feel like we're just going through the motions and pretending that we're not. So I did a bit of shopping because I wanted to show you that you're not just my baby daddy … you're my husband … and I quite like you."
"You're not so bad yourself! Go on then – come here." Holding out a hand Patrick pulled his wife towards him and kissed the side of her neck, wrapping his arms around her bare torso he ran his hand over her exposed spine and down to the lace at the top of her knickers.
"So – just to clarify," Said Shelagh, reaching up to pull Patrick's tie off, "you approve of the silk underwear?"
"I think I can categorically say – that this is the best thing you've ever bought since that lovely pasta sauce from M&S."
"Mmm – that was good pasta sauce wasn't it."