Page 34 of Be More Capybara

‘They’ll be back in a couple of hours.’

‘That’s not soon enough.’ She sniffed again. ‘Nige, I’m losing the baby.’

‘Shit! I’ll call an ambulance.’

‘No, don’t. I’m not bleeding enough for that, but I want Mark to take me to hospital.’

‘We can’t wait. He’s an hour away, even if you could get through to him.’

‘But I can’t drive in this state.’

‘No, but I can.’

‘I can’t ask you to do that.’

‘Why on earth not? Come on. Let’s get in the car.’

‘It won’t make any difference. It didn’t before.’

‘This has happened before?’

‘Years ago.’

Poor Lucy. He was going to have to take charge. ‘You don’t know that. We’re going now. Get you checked out. It might be nothing. Madison had a couple of false alarms.’

He found the keys to his mother’s Triumph in the bowl, took a couple of towels from the wash basket to put on the passenger seat and grabbed Lucy’s coat and trainers from the boot room.

‘Put these on.’

She did as she was told.

‘Where’s your bag?’ he asked.

‘I’ll just take my phone.’

‘Pregnancy notes?’

‘They’re all online.’

Of course they’d be online now. ‘Let’s go then.’

Two minutes later, they set off up the drive with a crunch of gears. The clutch, Nigel! How long had it been since he’d driven a stick? He was going to have to concentrate. Lucy sank back into the seat. He noticed her clutching her stomach.

‘Is it getting worse?’

‘I think it’s just nerves. You don’t drive like your mother, do you?’ Lucy asked.

‘God no. Only Lewis Hamilton drives like her. Though I might have to channel my inner Nancy to get you there.’

‘Please don’t.’

‘I’ll take it steady.’

He decided not to mention that the last time he’d driven this car, he’d dented the front chrome bumper, much to his mother’s annoyance. She’d banned him from ever using it again. But that was 30 years ago. Under the circumstances, surely she’d turn a blind eye today.

He managed to drive without incident through the narrow lanes to the A-road to Barnstaple.

Lucy was quietly groaning. They needed to get a move on. The main road was empty and straight. Nigel put his foot down.