He finished his chicken wrap without tasting a bite, his mind fully distracted by the image of Jess rushing down the corridor. She’d been in casual clothes, not scrubs, so perhaps she was visiting a friend. Even more reason not to go chasing after her. She didn’t need him bothering her when she was trying to enjoy some time with a friend and her new baby.
The scenario was easy to picture—Jess and a new mother, chatting happily, and then him interrupting and being faced with awkward silence.
Ah, hi, Jess. Remember me? What do I want? Yes, good question. Never mind. Carry on as you were.
No. It was too humiliating.
Nate returned to his office and checked his notes for the afternoon’s patients. Several high-risk pregnancies: older mothers, two patients with diabetes, and a woman who’d experienced three preterm labours. There was also a woman with infertility issues he’d seen before and a new patient with epilepsy who was planning for pregnancy.
Working in a hospital again, but without all the intense stress of London, was a dream come true. This job gave him another chance at the life he wanted. Except this time, he’d get the balance right. No more neglecting his relationships. He could see now what he’d done wrong before and was determined to do better.
The pager buzzed in his pocket. He checked the number and phoned the birthing suite.
“Sorry, Doctor Mitchell,” the nurse on the other end of the line said. “Looks like we need an emergency c-section.”
“I’ll be right there.” Nate mentally shifted gears from his afternoon’s patient load. That was one thing about small hospitals. There was a fair amount of juggling to do.
DRESSED AND FED,Jess returned to check on her patient, who had rung the bell.
“Is this normal?” Maddie asked. “Cara says she can feel something weird.”
Jess pulled on a pair of gloves and checked between Cara’s legs, temporarily ignoring Maddie’s question. She could feel the umbilical cord in the birth canal and from the print-out of the heart monitor, the baby had been in fetal distress for a few minutes.
She quickly pressed the emergency button for a Category One, alerting the team.
“Cara, we’re going to have to do an emergency c-section. The umbilical cord has slipped down and your baby needs to come now, okay?”
Cara nodded silently, panic on her face.
“It’s okay. You’re doing fine,” Jess encouraged, easing the mother onto her side. She wished she could offer more comfort, but there wasn’t time for that now.
“When I say three, lift your hips for me. Maddie, stand here and help her,” Jess instructed. She counted, sliding a pillow under Cara’s left hip on three, using gravity to stop the cord from slipping further.
The room filled with staff, two nurses lifting the sides of the hospital bed while Jess sat on the end, carefully holding the cord in place to prevent compression.
“Umbilical cord prolapse,” Jess explained to the room, rattling off her patients’ vital signs and details. “Decision made at 12:40. Let’s go.”
The nurses unlocked the wheels to the bed and, with Maddie following at the side, pushed Cara and Jess out of the room and down the corridor, some of the staff running ahead to the operating theatre.
“Can I come in with her?” Maddie pleaded as they raced toward the operating theatre.
Jess felt bad for Maddie, but the baby’s safety was first priority. They’d need to use a general anaesthetic for a faster delivery. That meant no partners in the room. “No. I’m sorry.”
Maddie and Cara made silent eye contact. Jess focused on the delicate cord in her hands and the doors at the end of the hallway. They were only meters away. The most important thing was to get this baby out safely as quickly as possible. The picture of that happy moment when she could finally place the baby in his parents’ arms steadied her.
Entering the theatre through the double doors, Jess was relieved to see a team already there. The room buzzed with motion. Surgical nurses placed equipment. Two prepared the warmer for the baby. Others helped lift Cara onto the operating table, taking over from Jess so she could step down from the bed and comfort her patient.
“You’re doing well, Cara. Doctor Robinson will put you to sleep now. Are you ready?”
Cara nodded. Nurses placed drapes around her, prepping her for surgery, and Jess stepped back to make room for theanaesthetist. Doctor Robinson placed a mask over Cara’s face, pushing medications into the cannula she’d only recently placed on the back of her hand.
“Count to 10,” the anaesthetist instructed. By the count of six, Cara was out and the obstetrician entered the room. He positioned himself at the base of the operating table. Her patient now asleep, Jess turned to greet him, her breath catching in her throat as she recognised the deep forest brown eyes above the mask.
“Hello, Jess,” said Nate.
23
“AH, HELLO Doctor Mitchell.”
