Saturday 4th April 2020
At four months old, Ella was getting bigger every day and she was playfully batting about at a toy hanging from the top of her pushchair as her parents, her four and a half year old brother and Shadow, Alex and Panda went for a relaxing walk along the river. They had even taken the effort to drive out of Holby by a couple of miles so that they were somewhere quiet and peaceful where fresh air was in abundance. Daniel was riding his bike along the path as Tom pushed the pushchair and Sam occasionally threw a stick for the dogs.
"Shall we have a sit down here and Daniel can feed the ducks?" Tom suggested as he paused by a bench where there were a couple of ducks in the water.
"Yeah, okay." Sam nodded as she sat down on the bench and Tom pushed the pushchair over to her. "Oh my god." Sam gasped.
"What?" Tom asked worriedly as he bent down to see that Ella had bright red blood dripping down her white sleepsuit.
"What's wrong with her?" Daniel asked as he put his bike on the ground.
"It's just a nosebleed by the looks of it, it's okay. Come on, mummy can clear clear her up while you feed the ducks." Tom said to keep Daniel occupied as he took the bag of stale bread out of the bottom of the pushchair and handed it to his son. He made sure he didn't go too near to the edge before he assisted Sam who had already lifted her daughter onto her lap.
"I don't understand. She was asleep, why is this happening?" Sam asked worriedly as she wiped her daughter's face with tissues and then held a screwed up tissue at the base of her nose as the blood oozed out.
"It's alright, nosebleeds are common in children, even at this early age." Tom said reassuringly. "Just sit her forward slightly and I know she isn't going to like it but I'm just going to pinch the bridge of your nose." Tom said softly as he did so on his daughter who squirmed. "Calm down, look breath through your mouth and poke your tongue out." Tom smiled as he poked his tongue out to amuse his daughter and she smiled before she poked her tiny tongue out too whilst Tom kept a hold of her nose. Sam kept on wiping away the dribble of blood trickling out of her child's nose for several minutes until it finally stopped but Ella's white sleepsuit was stained red and that was distressing Sam because she didn't like seeing her child suffer.
"I ran out of bread." Daniel said sadly as he came back over.
"That's alright, I'm sure the ducks are all filled up now. Come on, how about we head home?" Tom suggested.
"I'll carry her." Sam stated as she stood up with her daughter against her chest and a blanket wrapped around her to keep her warm. She wanted to be able to keep an eye on her daughter in case the bleed occurred again.
"Alright, if that's what you want to do." Tom nodded and so the Kent Family slowly headed home.
Monday 6th April 2020, 10am
"Hello?" Tom answered the phone to his wife in the staffroom as he wondered why she was phoning him.
"Tom, I'm bringing Ella in. Her gums are bleeding again." Sam stated.
"Sam, I've told you. It's perfectly normal." Tom sighed.
"I know but, I just need to do this, I want to get her checked out just in case." Sam pleaded.
"Alright. Do you want me to see if I can get some time off quickly and meet you on paediatrics?" Tom asked.
"No, I'll tell you everything they tell me. I might come and see you after the appointment, it's at 10:30am." Sam stated.
"Okay. I'll see you later then."
Sam pressed the hands free button to disconnect the call whilst she continued on her journey to the hospital with both of her children in their car seats in the back.
"But, if Daddy says she's okay, why do we need to see another doctor?" Daniel asked confusedly.
"You won't understand this until you have children of your own Daniel, but I love you two so much that I worry over even the smallest of things. And there's no harm in getting Ella checked over just to make sure that she's okay." Sam explained.
"Ella Kent?" A doctor asked and Sam stood up with Ella in her arms and Daniel got up out of the waiting room chairs too. "Hello there, I'm Dr Davis, but you can call me Harry." A man smiled as the trip followed him into a consult room with bright colours and a small box of toys in the corner because it was a children's ward. "What can I do for you today?"
"Well I'm a bit concerned about Ella. She's four months old, and she had a nose bleed last week. Also, I've noticed that, because she's teething, she likes to chew on things, and she was chewing on her white blanket when I saw that there's a bit of blood on it." Sam explained.
"Alright, is there any family history of blood clotting disorders?" Harry asked.
"Not that I know of, no."
"And have you noticed if Ella bruises easily?"
"Well she's wrapped in blankets all day and she's not interested in walking yet so she doesn't bruise at all." Sam replied.
"Well, could I just have a look at her mouth? It's alright, she can stay on your lap." Harry smiled as he wheeled his office chair over and Sam nodded so he gently opened the infant's mouth after pulling a pair of gloves on.
"Sorry, she's dribbling a lot at the moment." Sam smiled as he wiped his gloves on a tissue.
"No worries, it's perfectly natural." Harry smiled as he pulled his gloves off, binned them and then wheeled his chair back to his desk. "I'm happy to say that Ella is a perfectly healthy young baby and you are just a perfectly normal worried mother." Harry said sympathetically. "Nose bleeds, can be scary to both the parent and the child but they're actually quite common. And bleeding gums during teething isn't anything to worry about as long as it's only a little bit and it doesn't cause her too much pain."
"See, Daddy was right." Daniel stated. "Daddy's a doctor." Daniel said proudly.
"Really?"
"Yeah, Dr Kent? He's a paediatric specialist down in the ED." Sam admitted and now that she said it, she felt a little stupid that she hadn't trusted her husband in the first place.
"Oh yeah, Tom? I know him, he comes up her with referrals sometime." Harry nodded. "But trust me, I've had parents come in here worrying about their babies being bald because they've got such fine hair or that they're baby is in really bad pain when all it takes is a frozen flannel or something cold for them to chew on." Harry said reassuringly.
"Sorry for wasting your time." Sam apologised as she got up.
"Oh don't be, I'm a lot happier to tell parents that their child is fine rather than they've got a condition or what not." Harry stated as he opened the door to show them out. Sam then carried Ella with Daniel walking behind her towards the lift and she headed down to the ED to find Tom.
"Sam?" She heard and she turned around to see her husband walking towards them as they made their way into the staffroom to get somewhere quiet rather than the busy reception. "What did they say?"
"That I am a 'perfectly normal worried mother'." Sam quoted.
"So Ella's in the clear yeah?"
"I'm sorry I didn't just trust you in the first place." Sam apologised.
"Don't be sorry, it's natural that you're worried." Tom said reassuringly as he stroked Ella's cheek gently with his thumb. "Besides, if you weren't worried before, then Daniel's ASD wouldn't have been diagnosed as early as it was and it could've gotten worse."
"I suppose."
"Mummy? Can I stay here with Daddy this afternoon and be a doctor?" Daniel asked.
"Um, it's up to your dad." Sam stated.
"Sure you can. We can get lunch from the cafe in a bit." Tom smiled. "Why don't you go home, cuddle up with Ella and get some sleep? Don't take it in the wrong way but you look tired."
"D'ya know what? I think I might just go and do that." Sam admitted.
"Don't worry about cooking dinner either. I'll get a takeaway on the way home; we haven't had one in ages. Is there anything in particular that you fancy? Chinese, Indian, pizza..."
"Curry would be nice." Sam admitted.
"Alright. I'll get it on the way home." Tom nodded.
"Tom, can you come and take a look at- oh Sam, what're you doing here?" Fletch asked confusedly.
"Ella had an appointment but it's nothing to worry about, I was being over cautious." Sam explained.
"Uncle Fletch, you'll be pleased to know that Daniel is joining us for the rest of today." Tom announced.
"Oh brilliant. You can help me change the bed sheets again." Fletch smirked.
"Er, if I remember rightly, last time that resulted in a very big pillow fight and Zoe told you off." Sam stated.
"Yeah and we leant our lesson; never let Zoe find out you're having a pillow fight - you can still have them just don't get caught." Fletch joked.
"Right, well I'd better get going. Please don't let him get into too much trouble." Sam said to Tom before she kissed him on the cheek and headed out to her car.
5pm
Tom brought Daniel home put the bag of Indian food in the kitchen whilst Daniel ran into the living room and got his box of toys out. Tom then went upstairs to check on Sam because he wondered if she was still asleep as he had managed to get away from work a little bit earlier than usual.
"Sam?" Tom asked and as he came up the bathroom, he found it empty.
"In here." Sam said and Tom located the noise to have come from the ensuite bathroom where the door wasn't fully closed and Tom could see that the bath was filled up. He opened the door and went in to find Sam laying in the bath of warm, clear water with Ella lying on her bare chest and at just four and a half months after giving birth, Sam was looking as beautiful as ever. "You're home early." Sam stated.
"Yeah, Zoe let me go." Tom stated. "I've got the food downstairs. Do you want me to put it in the oven for a while?" Tom asked.
"No, we've been in here long enough." Sam replied as she slowly sat up with Ella held against her chest and she pulled out the plug. "Her towel is there if you want to lift her out." Sam stated and Tom grabbed the pink hooded towel off of the carrier that they usually laid Ella in whilst they ran the bath.
"Hello baby." Tom smiled as he lifted Ella and cuddled her against his chest whilst he gently rubbed the towel on her back and head to dry her very thin brown hair. "Did you get any rest?" Tom asked curiously as he handed Sam her towel.
"Yeah, we slept right through lunch then after I'd fed her, we had a bath so I am starving." Sam stated.
Tuesday 7th April 2020, 7:30am
Sam had gone for an early morning run so that she could run along the river whilst it was quiet, but it was also so that Tom was at home in case Ella woke and that Sam would be home in time for Tom to leave for work. Usually, she would come home to Tom coming out of the shower and Daniel and Ella still fast asleep but instead as Sam opened the door that morning, she was greeted with giggling coming from the kitchen. Sam was still catching her breath back but she took her earphones out and walked through to find Tom dressed for work, and he was cradling Ella against his chest whilst he messed about making Daniel, who as already dressed, laugh as he ate a bowl of cereals.
"Have a nice run?" Tom asked.
"Er, yeah." Sam replied confusedly. "What're you two doing up so early?" Sam asked as she tickled Ella's cheek.
"I thought it'd save you a job having to wash and dress both of them." Tom admitted. "Plus, they're both early risers rather than night owls so I thought maybe we should start the day a little earlier and then put them to bed a little bit earlier so that I can spend some time with them in the mornings where they're most awake." Tom explained.
"Daddy was pulling faces at Ella and she smiled." Daniel giggled.
"You were pulling faces at her?" Sam smirked.
"Yeah, she loves it. She even sticks her tongue out if you do, look. She tries to copy you." Tom stated as he poked his tongue out and Ella did too because she always received praise when she did so. "Good girl." Tom smiled. "Oh god look at the time, I said I'd give Zoe my paper on reducing costs in the PICU by eight o'clock, I'd better get going." Tom said as he carefully handed Ella over to Sam and then grabbed his portfolio. "I shall see you later, and you, and of course, you two too." Tom said as he went around and kissed Sam, Ella and Daniel on the cheek before he rushed out the door to get to work.
"Right, what do you want to do today?" Sam asked.
"Can we go swimming please? Because we haven't been swimming for ages." Daniel asked. And Sam had to think about it. Daniel couldn't go in the water by himself, just in case something happened and she couldn't leave Ella alone unless she left her in the crèche at the leisure centre, but she didn't fancy doing that because Sam had never left Ella there before, only Daniel. But then she supposed she could take Ella into the water and sit her in an inflatable ring.
"If we go, Ella will have to come in with us, and we'll have to stop at tescos on the way there to get her somethings." Sam warned.
"Okay!" Daniel nodded eagerly.
After stopping at tescos for a swimming costume, an inflatable baby ring with a built in seat and back rest and some swimming nappies Sam, Daniel and Ella arrived at the leisure centre. They paid and then went straight through to the family changing rooms because Daniel hated having to go into the females, where Sam laid Ella on top of a towel on the changing table on the wall and she locked the three in a large cubicle.
"Make sure you don't jump in near Ella because it'll be her first time in the pool and we might not be able to stay for ages because is don't know if it'll be too cold for her okay?" Sam warned.
"Okay." Daniel nodded. Sam got changed into her plain black swimming costume - she wasn't yet comfortable with wearing a bikini - and after Daniel was changed into his shorts and Ella was in her water nappy and costume, Sam got out the small yellow inflatable ring.
"Right, the faster you blow that up, the faster we can go and get in the pool." Sam said as she gave it to Daniel and so Daniel quickly blew it up and they went out to the pool. "Stay close." Sam warned as she carefully got into the water with Ella and Daniel handed her the yellow inflatable ring. "There we go, how do you like that?" Sam asked as Ella floated in her little ring. She smiled as he daughter kicked her legs a little and then reached her hands out so Sam held them for reassurance.
"Can I teach her to swim?" Daniel asked.
"She's too young to learn." Sam replied. "But when she's old enough, I'm sure you and daddy together can teach her to swim. Do you remember how you learnt to swim?" Sam asked.
"No."
"Daddy taught you. Last year in the summer, we had a pool in the garden and he taught you how to swim and in the swimming pool when we went on holiday to Spain, he taught you then as well." Sam explained.
Coming up: Ella takes a tumble as she begins to learn to walk, but it has unexpected consequences and a diagnosis is given, that potentially affects the whole family.
Thanks for reading and sorry about the abrupt ending but I didn't have much time to write today :) Please review :)