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Kristie stopped smiling at the little guy and turned her attention to the mum. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked as if she might burst into tears. Kristie’s first reaction was to open her mouth and move into counselling mode but before she could, Ellen gave an almost imperceptible nod of her head towards Kristie and Gerry, and they backed out of the room.
Kristie stood against the wall for a few minutes and just breathed. She had no idea what was going on with that woman, but her own thoughts immediately raced back to her sister. The last few volunteer shifts on the helpline had been quiet. She’d almost willed the phone to ring, then had felt guilty for thinking that. In the end, she’d used the time in an unexpected way.
She’d started writing. She wasn’t sure what it was at first, but it had started to take shape into a piece of fiction—a novel, based on her experience with her sister and how suicide affected everyone. Her sister’s death had impacted on every part of her life. She’d watched the life drain from her mother and father and their health deteriorate quickly, with them eventually dying within a few months of each other.
Burying three family members in a short period of time had messed with her head so much she found it hard to form new relationships. Hard to find hope to invest in a future that might get snatched away from her. Of course, thoughts like those were irrational. She knew that. But she also knew that the last few men she’d met she’d kept at arm’s length. Whether she’d wanted to or not.
She sighed as the door opened again and Ellen crossed the hall to Rhuaridh’s room with a slip of paper in her hand.
Kristie’s mouth dried as the health visitor took charge of the children, then let the mother go and see Rhuaridh on her own.
She couldn’t help herself but follow Ellen to where she was bouncing the baby on her knee and entertaining the toddler, who’d now decided to draw pictures.
‘Is she okay?’
Ellen looked up. ‘It’s likely she has postnatal depression. We screen all new mums twice in the first year. I’ve visited Jackie at home a lot. She’s had two very colicky babies. Lack of sleep is tough.’
Kristie rubbed her hands up and down her arms, instantly cold. That piece of paper. That assessment that they do on all new mums—why hadn’t there been something like that for her sister? Would it have worked? Would it have picked anything up?
Maybe she was putting hope in something that didn’t exist. But just the thought—that there was a simple screening tool that would have picked up something...
‘Do you use it for other people?’
Ellen looked up. She’d started building a pile of bricks on the floor with the toddler. ‘The postnatal depression scale? No, it’s designed specifically for women who’ve just had a baby. We’ve used it for years, though, and I think it’s very effective. Even if it just starts a conversation between me and the mum.’
‘But you took her through to see Rhuaridh?’
Ellen looked over Kristie’s shoulder. ‘This is very personal. I have to ask that you don’t film anything about this case.’
Kristie nodded. ‘Of course not.’
‘In that case, the final question in the tool—it’s about self-harm. It asks if the mum has ever felt that way. If she answers anything other than no, I always need to have a conversation with the GP.’
Kristie felt her voice shake. ‘So, what do you do for mums who feel like that?’
Ellen gave her a thoughtful look. ‘It all depends on the mum. Some I visit more, every day if I have to. Some I get some other support—like a few hours at nursery for one, or both of their kids. Some Rhuaridh will see. He might decide to start them on some medication, or to refer them to the community mental health nurse, or even to a consultant. Whatever will help the mum most.’
Kristie leaned back against the wall, taking in everything that was being said. The mum was in with Rhuaridh for a while. By the time she came out, she was wiping her eyes but seemed a bit better. It was as if a little spark had appeared in her eyes again. Maybe she finally felt as if someone was listening.
Kristie waited until the clinic was finished then found Rhuaridh while he was writing up some notes.
