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Gail hesitated and then gave a reluctant nod. ‘All right. I suppose I’ll stay. For now. But I don’t want a stream of staff through here, staring at me or practising on me.’
‘There won’t be a stream of staff. Just me. I’m going to be staying with you,’ Miranda assured her, and Gail gave a wan smile.
‘I’ve heard that before. We both know that if my labour happens to run past the end of your shift I’ll get someone else,’ she said bitterly. ‘I had three midwives in total last time I had the misfortune to deliver in hospital.’
‘Well, that isn’t going to happen this time,’ Miranda said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. ‘I can promise you that, whatever happens, I will stay until you’ve had this baby.’
Gail looked at her and gave a disbelieving laugh. ‘It’s Boxing Day. You’re pregnant yourself and you’ve got a family waiting for you. I should think it’s bad enough working, let alone running into overtime.’
Miranda’s gaze didn’t flicker. ‘I’m staying until you’ve had the baby. Now, if it’s all right with you, I want to put you on the monitor and see what’s happening.’
Something in the stiff set of her slim shoulders drew Jake’s gaze but there was nothing in her face to reveal what she was thinking. Who was her family? Where was the father of her baby? Suddenly he wished Gail had chosen to be more direct in her questioning. He might have received answers to some of the questions buzzing around his head.
‘I’ll be on the unit if you need me.’ He stood up and went back to his office to catch up on some paperwork, but every time he thought he was making headway he was interrupted.
He saw another patient for Ruth and then called the ward to check on Lucy.
When he looked up Miranda was standing in the doorway. Her gaze was wary and it was obvious that she would have preferred not to seek his help. ‘Gail’s progressing slowly. I presume you don’t want to accelerate labour with oxytocin?’
Jake shook his head. ‘There’s some evidence that it increases the risk of rupture. How’s the foetal heart?’
‘Showing variable decelerations.’ Miranda handed him a trace. ‘Gail’s complaining of pains, which might just be normal labour pain, of course, but I have a bad feeling about her.’
Never one to dismiss the instincts of a midwife, Jake looked at her. ‘She had a lower transverse incision, which makes a uterine rupture less likely. And she’s only had one previous Caesarean section.’
Miranda nodded. ‘That’s all true, I know, but her labour is slowing down and the baby’s heart rate isn’t as I would like it to be. And there’s something about this pain she’s complaining of that worries me. It just doesn’t sound like labour pain.’
Jake dragged his eyes away from the smooth skin of her cheeks and concentrated his attention on the trace. Instantly he saw the problem. ‘I’ll take another look at her but it certainly isn’t going to be easy to persuade her to allow us to intervene in any shape or form. Is she still as defensive as ever?’
‘I don’t think she means to be defensive. She’s just very frightened.’
‘There’s often more to a person than meets the eye, isn’t that right, Miranda?’
She had the grace to blush. ‘Perhaps.’
‘You and I are going to talk,’ he said softly, and she straightened her shoulders.
‘There’s nothing to talk about.’
‘There’s plenty to talk about, but it will keep for now. We need to see to Gail.’
CHAPTER FOUR
WHY was it, Miranda wondered as they walked through the labour ward towards Gail’s room, that every time she lowered her guard, it backfired?
When she’d made the impulsive decision to go back to Jake’s house the day before, it hadn’t occurred to her for even a moment that she’d ever see him again, let alone find herself working side by side with him.
And now he’d seen that she was pregnant and had jumped to all the wrong conclusions.
She gave a sigh as she pushed open the door to Gail’s room. Well, she could hardly blame him for that, could she? He didn’t know anything about her circumstances because she hadn’t shared them with him. And she had no intention of sharing them with him.
It had been a mistake to go back to his house with him the day before. A luxury she should never have allowed herself. She’d been naive to think that she could just enjoy the moment and walk away.
She pulled herself back to the present and concentrated on supporting Gail, who was listening to Jake.
‘I’m not happy with what I’m seeing,’ he said gently. ‘The baby’s heart rate is slow and I’m worried about your scar.’
Gail stared at him defensively, a sheen of sweat on her brow and her eyes blank with pain. ‘The scar will be fine. I’ve read enough to know that the chances of a uterine rupture are minimal and I’m not having anothe
