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‘You haven’t got time to change. It’s coming. It will probably be on the kitchen floor by now. You have to hurry.’
‘What will? Who will?’ What was he talking about? ‘What baby?’
He looked at her as though she were stupid. ‘Louisa’s baby! It’s coming out of her tummy and Josh is looking really weird. He’s got that face I use when you make me eat broccoli! And you need to come now!’
‘Oh, my God…’ Suddenly understanding what he was trying to tell her, Kat slipped her feet into her trainers and raced after him, wondering how he knew that Louisa’s baby was coming.
She ran into Josh’s house and found him crouched on the floor next to Louisa, who was sobbing and fighting for breath.
‘It’s OK, sweetheart.’ Josh had his arm round Louisa’s shoulders and was desperately trying to reassure her, but there was no missing the relief on his face when he saw Kat. ‘She thinks she’s having the baby.’
‘I don’t think, you great idiot,’ Louisa yelled, thumping him hard with both her fists. ‘I know. Do you think I’m stupid or something? Do you think I don’t know when I’m having a baby?’
Josh flinched and Kat tried not to smile. Josh was such a talented doctor that she’d never imagined a situation where he’d be out of his depth, but clearly this was one of them.
‘Have you examined her?’
He looked at her in horror. ‘She’s my sister-in-law,’ he muttered, and Kat gave a sigh.
‘She’s a woman in labour, Josh, and judging from the way she’s cursing and thumping you I’d say she was in transition. We need to examine her. She mustn’t push before she’s fully dilated or she could damage her cervix.’
The look on Josh’s face was so comical that Kat couldn’t help laughing. ‘Calm down, Josh. Childbirth is a normal part of life. It isn’t an illness.’
‘I think I prefer illness.’
She walked into the room and crouched down next to Louisa, her voice calm. ‘Louisa, you’re going to be fine, sweetheart. There is absolutely nothing for you to worry about. My guess is you’re in transition and this is the worse bit. Just carry on swearing and thumping Josh and in a minute it will pass.’
‘But whether I’ll be alive at the end of it is another matter entirely,’ Josh muttered darkly, wincing as Louisa’s fingers dug deeper into his flesh. He eased himself away. I’ll put the kettle on. Don’t you need hot water? In the movies they always have loads of hot water at the ready. I’ll get you hot water.’
Kat let out a sigh and wondered what had happened to his usually razor-sharp brain. Then she caught the look in his eyes and realised what was the matter. He was worried about Louisa. ‘Putting the kettle on sounds like a great idea. Once it’s boiled you can make me a nice, strong cup of coffee,’ she said calmly, ‘because I’ve just woken up and I need some help. And pretty soon Louisa will want a cup of tea. Do you have any medical equipment at all in this house?’
‘I can run to gloves. Nothing else. I called an ambulance. And Mac is on his way.’
‘Well, I have a feeling this baby might not be prepared to wait. Get me the gloves, Josh.’ They were better than nothing. ‘And I need some help to move Louisa to your sofa. She’ll be more comfortable there.’
Louisa screwed her face up and held onto Kat’s hand. ‘All that backache I’ve been having—I must have been in labour and I never knew.’ She gave a tiny mew of panic. ‘I’m scared, Kat—I should be in hospital.’
‘Nonsense. I can’t think of a better place to have a baby than at home with people who love you.’ Kat crouched down and took her hand. ‘You’ve just got yourself all in a panic and you’ve forgotten about your breathing. With the next contraction I want you to breathe with me—remember everything they taught you in those hideously boring classes.’ She slid a hand onto the top of Louisa’s abdomen and felt it begin to tighten. ‘Right, now, breathe—that’s it. Good…fabulous.’ She coached Louisa through the breathing, waited for the contraction to pass and then gestured for Josh to help her move Louisa onto the sofa.
Then she quickly washed her hands and slipped on the gloves. ‘We need to check that your cervix is fully dilated and effaced before you begin pushing, Louisa,’ she explained, ‘so I’m just going to examine you.’
‘I’ll go out and check on Archie and see if there are any signs of an ambulance,’ Josh muttered, backing away so fast he almost fell over.
Kat was concentrating on Louisa. ‘This might be a bit uncomfortable.’ She felt what she needed to feel and decided that it was a good thing that her last job had been in obstetrics. ‘Well, you’re completely right, of course. This baby is coming any minute,’ she said calmly, then looked up to see Josh standing there, a strange expression on his handsome face.
‘It’s coming? Really?’
Kat smiled. ‘Yes, it’s coming. And everything seems fine. Relax.’
Something flickered in his blue eyes. ‘I’m going to be an uncle…’ Stunned, he blinked for a few moments and then seemed to suddenly stir himself. ‘What do you want me to do?’
Finally he sounded like the Josh she knew and Kat breathed a sigh of relief, k
nowing that, if things didn’t go according to plan, she might well need his help.
‘Get some towels or blankets or something because your wooden floor isn’t the best landing mat for a baby. And then calm down and enjoy it. It’s not every day you see your own niece or nephew born.’
Louisa screwed her face up. ‘I want to push.’
