Chapter Thirty One

I t was raining so hard that Lydia could barely see, let alone properly follow the directions that Cordelia had so hastily given her. It was only when Max started turning the front light on and off like a lighthouse that she finally stumbled into the right garden.

The door was already opening and she entered dripping like she’d waded through the river to get there.

“She’s in the living room,” Max said. “I didn’t move her.”

“You did right,” said Lydia. “Where’s Toby?”

“I’ve got him upstairs in his mum and dad’s bedroom with the telly on.”

“Great. Well, I’m going to need you to help me get Sharla stabilized. That’s the priority here.”

She took a deep breath before walking into the living room, keeping herself calm would keep the patient calm. But as soon as she saw the woman’s face she knew that she was in a great deal of pain.

“Well, well, what have we got here then? Been in the wars?” she asked cheerfully as she got down beside Sharla.

“Fell over one of Tobe’s toys,” groaned Sharla.

Lydia nodded. “Alright, I’m just going to feel that leg a bit. It’s going to hurt, but once it’s done I’ve got some nice drugs I can give you to take the edge off, alright?”

Sharla nodded, face pale and clammy. “Can’t hurt any worse than it already does.”

Lydia did what she had to do, establishing that the hip was definitely broken. Then she quickly and efficiently drew up a morphine shot, sticking it in Sharla before she knew what was happening.

“Now, has Max kept you clued in?” she asked.

Sharla nodded. “No chance of an ambulance any time soon.”

“But it’s not going to be a problem. You’re in no immediate danger, you’ve got us to look after you. I need to stabilize that hip though. So in a minute, once the meds have taken hold, Max and I are going to tie your legs together and then splint the broken one as much as possible. Once that’s done we’ll move you to a more comfortable position, alright?”

Sharla bit her lip but nodded.

“In the meantime, I’ve got another patient and I need to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”

She went out in the hallway before calling Cordelia.

“It’s me, how is she?”

In the background, Lydia could hear cursing. “Yeah, she’s not comfortable,” Cordelia said. “But she’s fine as far as I can tell. Um, she says it’s alright to walk around, is it? I don’t want the baby falling out or anything.”

Lydia laughed. “The baby won’t fall out. She can walk around if she wants to, as long as she’s not actively pushing. She’s not, is she?”

“No, mostly she’s just actively swearing.”

“Good, keep her calm. I should be there in a half hour or so.”

“Right, good.”

“And Cordelia?”

“Mmm?”

Lydia didn’t even think about the words, they just came out. “I’m glad you’re doing this with me. Thank you.”

She hung up before she could say any more and went back to the living room. She and Max managed to splint Sharla’s leg using materials they found in the garage, and to move her enough that she was sitting on a cushion, sitting up slightly against the couch. Lydia didn’t want to risk moving her up onto the couch itself.

“Alright,” she said to Max. “Grab Toby and run him over to your house. Mila can take care of him. Then I need you to come straight back. Fast, right? I need to get over to Magda.”

“Magda’s ill?” he said, looking alarmed.

“Magda’s going into labor by all accounts.”

“Right, I’ll be as fast as I can.”

He went off and Lydia settled down next to Sharla. “You’re doing fine.”

“Aye, worse things have happened, I’m sure. I’m glad you had those painkillers though,” said Sharla, looking a lot happier. “Mind you, I’d be happier if Nat came home to look after her son.”

“Where do you think she might be?” Lydia asked, to keep Sharla awake and alert as much as anything.

Sharla sighed. “Who knows? She’s a child herself really. She was barely twenty when she had Toby. I should have been down here more, should have helped more, I suppose. But I thought she’d made her bed and she should lie in it, you know? Wasn’t thinking enough about Toby.” She sniffed. “It’s not a mistake I’ll be making again.”

“He’s a good boy.”

“He is. Wasn’t planned, of course. But now he’s here, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Though I’m a bit old to keep up with him now. He deserves his mum back.”

“Max is still looking for her,” said Lydia, taking Sharla’s pulse.

Speaking of which, the front door banged open and then closed. When Max came in he was red in the face and dripping wet. “Reporting for duty,” he said with a grin.

“That was fast,” said Lydia.

She gave him instructions on how to care for Sharla and strict instructions on calling her every half hour or if Sharla needed something.

“I’ll only be down the road,” she said. “I can be back here in just a couple of minutes. But with Magda and the baby I think I need to be more on site.”

“Understood,” Max said.

Lydia turned to Sharla to apologize, but the woman waved her off. “I’m fine here in my little dreamland. You just come back before I need more of that morphine.”

And then Lydia was flinging herself back out into the darkness and the wind and the howling rain, battling to get the front gate open. Sharla seemed like she was in good shape, she just hoped the same was true for Magda.

She tried not to think about the baby. The ultrasound had been done, there was probably no real risk of things going badly. But even the hospital had planned to have extra staff just in case the baby’s condition warranted it. Lydia had nothing.

No. Lydia had Cordelia.

Somehow the thought of her there warmed her, calmed her a little.

The front door was open and Lydia let herself in.

“Thank god,” Cordelia and Magda said in unison.

“Let me wash my hands and I’ll be right there with you.” She went to the kitchen sink. “How far apart are the contractions.”

“Four minutes,” said Cordelia.

“You counted that in elephants,” Magda shouted over. “You’ve not even got a watch on.”

“I counted carefully,” said Cordelia. “And I don’t think you should be walking around anymore.”

“It’s common practice,” said Lydia.

“It’s terrifying, she should lie down,” said Cordelia.

“Oy, I’m the one having the fucking baby, how about you get back over here?” shouted Magda.

“Calm, calm,” Lydia said, making her way over. “Low blood pressure, please.”

“It’s alright for you to say. You aren’t about to push a bowling ball out of your hoo-ha,” said Magda, teeth gritted against the pain. “You have done this before, haven’t you?”

Lydia found both Cordelia and Magda were looking at her with wide eyes. “Ten times,” she said truthfully.

They looked relieved and Lydia didn’t have the heart to tell them that ten deliveries was the absolute bare minimum needed to pass obstetrics and therefore become a doctor.

“Let’s have a look at how things are going,” she said.

She did what she needed to do and could feel the shock showing on her face as she did so.

“What?” Cordelia asked quickly.

“Nothing,” said Lydia, arranging cushions on the floor. “Just… things may be proceeding just a wee bit faster than we might have liked.”

“Thank god,” groaned Magda. “I’m very ready to get this over with.”

“Where’s your husband?” Lydia asked, as she helped Magda maneuver herself onto the floor cushions.

“Business trip,” Cordelia said from Magda’s other side.

“Alright, well let’s give him a call, shall we? A video call if you can.” Cordelia looked at her and Lydia shrugged. “Now,” she mouthed.

“It’s not supposed to be this fast,” said Magda, her voice getting higher and panicky.

“Well, baby wants out, she’s anxious to meet you,” smiled Lydia as Cordelia got Oliver on the phone. “And you’re in very good hands.”

Hands that had delivered precisely the minimum of ten babies. Christ. Even Lydia’s heart was beating hard in her chest.

“Here’s Oliver,” Cordelia said, passing the phone over to Magda.

“Alright, we’re going to sit you up a little,” Lydia said. “And we’re going to need you to do your breathing exercises. Oliver can help with that, can’t you?” she asked into the phone.

“I’ll do anything,” said Oliver’s face. He was clearly in his car, parked along a dark road, attempting to reach his wife.

“And when I tell you to, you’re going to start pushing,” instructed Lydia. “But not until I say.” A wave of contractions passed and there was a moment of quiet. Lydia gestured at Cordelia to move away. “Give them a moment of privacy,” she said.

“Is she going to be alright?” asked Cordelia.

Lydia swallowed. “I can’t say that. I can say she’s in good hands. I’m not making promises, no doctor would.”

Cordelia paled, but nodded.

Magda’s face grimaced.

“Alright, we’re ready,” said Lydia.

Cordelia went to Magda’s side, Lydia between her legs. And Magda growled with pain. “We didn’t plan things like this,” she said, half to herself, half to her husband.

And who could plan something like this? Lydia realized. Actually, who could plan anything at all really. Because it wasn’t the plans that were important, was it? It was the outcomes. Plans fell by the wayside every single day, and life went on just as it intended.

Life in little villages where actually, things weren’t quite as boring as they might have been.

Little villages where a doctor could be dealing with broken hips and full on labor within minutes.

Lydia looked up and Cordelia was watching her and just in that instant, just as Magda started to bellow, she realized something very, very important.

There was no one else in the whole world that she’d rather be doing this with.