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‘Most dads are the same. They can’t quite believe it,’ the radiographer said with a smile. ‘I take it you’d both like pictures?’
‘Lots and lots and lots,’ Theo said. ‘Because I know some grandparents, aunties and uncles who are going to insist on having their own copies.’
He called his parents that evening to tell them the news and emailed them the scan pictures while he was on the phone. In response, they flew over at the weekend to meet Maddie. And any fears she might’ve had that they wouldn’t like her vanished within the first ten seconds of meeting them: Georgios had brought her the most enormous bouquet of roses she’d ever seen, and Eleni gave her a huge, tight hug. ‘I’m so pleased my boy has finally found someone. Even if he has kept you incredibly quiet.’
‘Well, I had to do something to stop you throwing heiresses at me,’ Theo declared.
She cuffed his arm. ‘We did nothing of the kind. We just wanted you to settle down and have a family and be as happy as we are.’ She beamed. ‘And now we’ve met you, Maddie, I know for sure he will.’
It didn’t get any better than this, Madison thought. Especially when Theo started to relax and plan a nursery with her. He was the one who booked their antenatal classes and found out all the information about gentle antenatal water exercise classes for her. He even surprised her by coming home late one evening and admitting that he’d spent an hour with Iris, their senior midwife, and she’d taught him how to massage a pregnant woman and which oils were safe to use.
Life was perfect.
Until the end of September, when Madison was on a day off and her midwife rang. ‘Maddie? I just wondered if I could pop round and see you, love.’
She froze. Community midwives were incredibly busy. They didn’t just offer to pop round and see you for a cup of tea—not unless there was something they needed to discuss. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Just something I want to discuss with you.’
Just as she’d feared. And she knew exactly what it was likely to be, too. ‘Oh, hell. It’s the triple test results, isn’t it?’ The test that showed the possibility of the baby having a condition such as spina bifida or Down’s syndrome.
The midwife sighed. ‘That’s the thing about having a maternity specialist as a client—you know as much as I do. Yes, love, I’m afraid it is. Your results are borderline.’
‘How borderline?’
‘One in ninety.’
That wasn’t borderline. Especially for her age. A one in ninety chance of a medical condition…
Madison knew that the only way she was going to get through this was to pretend it was happening to someone else. To one of her mums-to-be instead of to herself. So she switched into professional mode. ‘I’ll talk to my partner and call you back to let you know if we want an amniocentesis.’ A further test, which would tell them for certain whether their baby had either condition. But it was an invasive test, one with a risk of miscarriage. Given that Theo had been worried about her pregnancy to start with, this was going to make him worry even more.
‘I’d feel a lot better about this if I came round for a chat,’ the midwife said.
‘No need. I know what the options are.’ Madison made her voice sound as bright as possible. ‘I’m absolutely fine. Really.’
It took all her skill to persuade her midwife that everything was fine. When she finally put the phone down, what she really wanted to do was go straight to the hospital and see Theo. But that wouldn’t be fair. He had a list of people waiting to see him. She’d just take it easy and wait for him to come home.
She managed to last out until mid-afternoon. And then she called his office.
‘Theo Petrakis,’ he said absently, as if he’d answered the phone in the middle of writing a report. Which, knowing Theo, he probably had.
‘It’s Maddie.’
‘Is everything all right, matia mou?’
‘We got the triple test results back this morning.’
‘And?’
‘One in ninety.’
Madison thought she’d sounded calm and collected, but clearly she hadn’t, because Theo said immediately, ‘I’m on my way.’
He was home much quicker than she’d expected; the door banged closed, and then he was there, holding her.
‘I’m here, agapi mou,’ he said softly. ‘It’s going to be OK. Everything’s fine.’
‘One in ninety. Theo, that’s scary.’
‘I’ve seen much scarier odds than that—and so have you, I’m sure—and everything was fine. I had a mum with a one in thirty result once, and she had the most beautiful little boy—a little boy with no medical conditions whatsoever. So try not to worry.’
