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But I redouble my efforts to keep everything strictly professional between us. I choke down the too-sweet coffee she brings me because I still haven’t had the heart to tell her I fucking hate it.
I answer her questions and watch her grow in confidence by the day, but I steer clear of anything personal. I sure as hell steer clear of touching her, no matter how much my fingers itch to twine through her chestnut hair and taste her lips again.
“We’re here.”
Grace’s voice pulls me from my thoughts as we pull up outside the house. We grab our gear and head up the path to the front door.
Katie answers the door at our knock but doesn’t invite us in, telling us that the pain has passed and she's fine. “My husband will be back any minute. I’m so sorry for wasting your time, but I’m okay, really. I’m still ten days off my delivery date, so it’s probably Braxton Hicks, like before.”
Her answers don't quite ring true, but as I think this, Katie doubles over with a contraction. Grace and I usher her inside, taking in our surroundings. Alarm bells sound in my head, and I share a look with Grace. Her expression is grim. Things have either gone downhill since we were last here, or Katie was careful to clean up before our last visit.
The place is a mess.
The kitchen looks like a bomb’s hit it, and the shards of a broken plate litter the linoleum floor. The living area is no better. It stinks of rubbish and stale cigarette smoke. Newspapers, empty beer cans, and takeaway containers with mouldy food remnants litter the shelves and coffee table.
Katie winces and moans with another contraction. She cries out as water trickles down her legs, swaying on her feet. Grace grabs her arm to steady her, and Katie hisses with pain. Grace gently rolls up her sleeve to reveal bruising in the shape of fingerprints on her upper arm.
We exchange another look, and Grace’s throat bobs as she swallows hard.
“Do you have any towels?” Grace asks.
Katie nods. “In … In the airing cupboard on the landing upstairs.”
Grace nods and hurries from the room.
“How about we get you comfortable and check you over,” I say softly, helping Katie to sit on the sofa. “Where is your husband?”
“H-He ran out of beer, so he w-went to the pub.” She sniffs as a tear trickles down her cheek, and I hand her a tissue from my jacket.
“I’m just going to check your vitals, okay?” I tell her gently.
Katie nods, and I place the pulse oximeter on her index finger before wrapping the blood pressure cuff around her non-bruised arm.
Before I can do anything further, Katie groans and hunches over with another contraction. That’s less than two minutes since the last one. I encourage her through it, giving her my hand to squeeze until it’s passed.
“I think this baby is coming sooner rather than later, Katie,” I say calmly, glancing up as Grace returns holding towels. “We need to get you to the hospital.”
“No, please! I-I need to stay here, or Carl will be angry if I’m gone when he gets back,” Katie says breathlessly, her expression stricken. She lifts her eyes to Grace. “Please don’t make me go.”
Grace remains cool but firm. “How about you lie down for a minute, and I can take a look to see what’s happening with your baby?”
Katie agrees, and Grace spreads one of the towels over the sofa, making her as comfortable as possible. She covers Katie’s lower half with another towel and helps her remove her leggings and underwear.
“Do you know if it’s a girl or a boy?” Grace asks as she positions herself at the end of the sofa between Katie’s legs.
“A girl. Tasmin,” she says with a trembling smile.
“Beautiful name,” Grace says with a reassuring smile.
I continue monitoring Katie's vitals while Grace performs a few checks. Her mouth tightens, and she gives me a pointed look before her attention returns to our patient. “You’re fully dilated, Katie, and the baby’s head is crowning. This baby won’t wait until we get you to the hospital.”
I immediately call dispatch to send a second ambulance in case we need extra support for Katie or the baby. As she’s hit with a third contraction in ten minutes, I smile reassuringly and say, “Let’s meet your daughter.”
* * *
It’s a quick birth,considering it’s Katie’s first baby. More bruises are revealed on Katie’s thighs and hips as I coach Grace through what to do. I know she’s previously assisted in a planned birth in a calm hospital environment, but this scenario is different. Still, I let her take the lead since Katie is clearly more comfortable with her, proud of how she keeps calm despite the tremor of her hands.
As Grace cuts the cord, Craig and his partner, Sean, arrive in the second ambulance. They check Katie and her daughter over while Grace delivers the afterbirth and cleans her up.
