“Thank you.” He looked up from his hands and his eyes met hers for a moment then he went back to washing his hands. “You’ll be fine. This is not difficult. And it won’t be long either. I think an hour, maybe two at most, if all goes well.” He rubbed his fingertips against his soapy palm. “But I don’t want her tearing if delivery is too fast, so I have to control the pushing.” He washed his wrists and all the way up to his elbows. “This means holding the head to slow down the passage. But I can’t touch the baby with my own hands, no matter how I wash them it’ll introduce infection. We need clean gloves.”
Laura had noticed new unopened packet of Marigold gloves on the kitchen counter. “What about household gloves.?
“They will have to do, but see if you can find any hand sanitizer to rub on them.”
“I have a small alcohol gel squeeze-bottle in my handbag. Will that do?”
“Perfect.” He held his hands up and nodded towards the glass door of a small cabinet which had clean towels on a shelf.
Laura opened the door for him and he took a towel and dried his hands. “What else?” she asked.
He thought for a second. “I need you to find me something to tie the cord with. Anything that is strong enough and not stretchy. Silk is best if you have any of your samples on you.”
She didn’t, but there was no point in worrying him. “I’ll find something.”
“Tear the silk into strips and boil in salt water for 20 minutes.” They went back towards the bedroom. “Boil the kitchen scissors too. We’ll need warm towels to wrap the baby. And finally, keep the tea coming. I need her hydrated.”
As soon as he went back into the bedroom, he became the picture of cheerful calm. “Okay, how are you?”
Tirana shook her head then moaned loudly.
“It’s alright, I’m here, I’m here.” He went to sit on the edge of the bed beside her.
“Now, I don’t want you to worry. I was hoping to get Doctor Wright to send us an assistant but it turns out Laura here is very capable. Can you believe it, she’s not just a pretty face.”
It took Laura a second to see what he was trying to do. She played along. “I didn’t know you thought me a pretty face.”
“What do you think, Tirana, is she pretty?” He beamed. “I think you both are gorgeous.”
Tirana responded with a happy smile which quickly twisted into pain.
“That’s alright, Tirana.” His voice was warm and soothing. “Pant, don’t scream, just breathe with the contraction.”
The girl tried; a long loud sigh that rose into a cry of anguish.
“Like this.” He panted to show her. “Short pants. Imagine you’re running and out of breath.”
She panted and slowly the contraction passed.
“Good girl.” He told her. “You’re going to be just fine.”
Laura went back to the kitchen to carry out Adam’s instructions. A moment later, Rovena followed. She found hand sanitiser for Laura, and she also had silk from the factory, dark blue cushion covers all folded neatly in the wardrobe.
Laura, kitchen scissors in hand, hesitated. “Do you mind if I cut them?”
“Do whatever you like.”
She cut several long strips and then put them and the scissors into a large saucepan with boiling water and a lot of salt.
Gloves, next. They were new and Laura squirted lots of alcohol gel all over them before taking them – carefully laid on a clean plate – to Adam.
She tried to be useful, sitting with Tirana, searching for lighthearted things to say, anything to keep the girl’s mind off the pain.
Then she went back to check on the boiling scissors. After that was taken care of and delivered to the bedroom, she made more tea for everyone. As far as she could tell, Adam hadn’t drunk any, because his cup was now cold. She took it away and washed it, then made him a fresh cup.
He didn’t drink that either because when she took it to the bedroom, she found him kneeling between Tirana’s legs.
“Ok I can see the head. Stop pushing.” He spoke gently but confidently. Even Laura felt more confident listening to his voice.
