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‘Will it be all right like this?’ Felicity made a noise somewhere between a moan and a giggle. ‘I don’t want it to bang its head when it’s born.’
Ally laughed. ‘I’ve got my fishing net ready. It’ll be fine.’
She glanced up and caught Sean watching her, an odd expression on his face. With a soft smile she handed him the suction tube.
‘Can you clear the baby’s mouth and nose?’
He nodded and watched while she applied gentle pressure on the perineum with one hand, while placing her other hand on the head of the infant to control the rate of delivery.
The head slid out neatly, and emotion clogged her throat. It was so amazing, the birth of a baby. And she was going to have one of her own. She was going to have Sean’s baby. She blinked rapidly. But he’d never know. He didn’t want to know.
Sean cleared the baby’s airways and while they waited for the next contraction Ally rested her eyes on his hard, male features, memorising every line and angle of his handsome face. He glanced up to reassure Felicity and frowned as he caught her looking at him, his eyes suddenly questioning as he read the obvious yearning in her eyes.
Instantly she looked away, swallowing hard to subdue her feelings. Oh, help! Had she given it all away?
Felicity groaned. ‘I’ve got another one coming…’
‘OK, pant for me. That’s it.’ With gentle skill Ally delivered the anterior shoulder, aware of Sean giving the injection which would make the uterus contract. The rest of the baby followed, the cord was cut, and she lifted the infant gently into Felicity’s arms.
‘Oh, Hugh! Oh— I…’ Felicity burst into tears and Ally blinked rapidly to clear her own eyes.
‘Congratulations.’ Her voice was husky. ‘A little girl.’
‘Oh, Mummy loves you, darling.’ Felicity cuddled the bawling bundle close and sobbed quietly, while the tears streamed down Hugh’s cheeks.
Ally glanced up at Sean, but his face was like a mask, his expression totally unreadable as he cleared up some of the equipment they’d used.
Didn’t he feel anything? How could anyone see a baby born and not be moved?
Lost in her own thoughts, she applied traction to the placenta, which was delivered easily, and then checked that it was complete.
By the time they’d cleaned Felicity up and settled her in bed to feed her new daughter, the midwife arrived with wet feet and frozen hands.
‘Gosh, it’s lovely and warm in here.’ She stood in front of the extra fire Hugh had thought to put in the room for the birth of the baby. ‘You look great!’
Felicity gave her a euphoric smile. ‘I am. It was incredible. Nothing like either of my previous deliveries. I enjoyed it. I really did.’
Ally laughed and cleared up the last of her mess. ‘Thank goodness! I wouldn’t have fancied using forceps or the ventouse at home!’ She carefully wrote down all the details of the delivery, handed them over to the midwife and promised to call on Felicity again the next day.
‘There’s no point at all in you struggling into hospital in this weather when you’re both so fit. If you’ve got any worries at all just give me a ring.’ As an afterthought she scribbled down her home number. ‘Call me at home if you need to.’
Felicity looked at her gratefully, her eyes misty. ‘I don’t know what to say, how to thank you…’
‘No need.’ Ally’s voice was gruff as she picked up her bag. ‘Well, we’ll leave you in peace now.’
She picked her way through the snow back to the Range Rover and shivered while Sean unlocked the door.
‘You were great.’ He slammed the door and turned the key in the ignition, his breath clouding the freezing air. ‘I wouldn’t have been able to do that without you.’
Ally glanced at him in surprise and then huddled deeper into her coat. ‘Of course you could. You’ve delivered babies before.’
He gave a grim smile, his hands holding the wheel steady as the vehicle lurched through the snow.
‘It’s not the technical bit that’s a problem, it’s all the emotional stuff.’
‘Like what?’
He stared straight ahead, his jaw tense. ‘I don’t know. One minute she’s panicking, then she’s screaming in agony, then she’s laughing. However she was reacting, you were one step ahead of her—I just couldn’t do that.’
