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‘Ahhh!’ Her patient’s hands clenched and strain tightened her face
‘Don’t push, whatever you do’
Easy said
Shoving the phone aside, Steph moved to re-examine the woman’s cervix And cursed under her breath These babies had an agenda of their own and no one, especially their mother, was about to deflect them What if the babies popped out before they arrived at the hospital? What could she do to keep their chances of survival alive?
Think, girl, think
The CPAP for breathing Blankets for waret to ED before any of that was needed
Another contraction was tightening Melanie’s belly ‘I can’t do this’
‘We’re doing it together’ Steph reached for a chilled hand, squeezed gently before once again exa
Straightening up, she reached for the nitrous oxide ‘Suck on that next time you have a contraction’
‘I’m such a failure’
‘Hey, don’t beat yourself up Right noe’ve got two babies to think about and how best to increase their chances So, are you up to sucking on that gas when required?’
A sharp nod
Steph didn’t have ti when she’d last looked was now about to slip out into the world
Preparing for the birth by strategically placing the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure instruht blankets ready to receive the precious bundle, she held her breath and watched and waited for the inevitable
The blue of her gloves was a sharp contrast to the pale skin on Melanie’s thighs It see a newborn into the world with a pair of vinyl-covered hands, but it was safer, and this little tot would need all the protection fros it was humanly possible to achieve It had to survive, and survive well
Melanie tensed ‘Here we go again,’ she forced out through gritted teeth
‘You’re doing fine’
No point telling her otherwise Baby was co, ready or not OMG So tiny and vulnerable And blue
Steph worked fast but carefully, knew nothing but that she was trying to save the tiniest boy she’d ever laid eyes upon
Why hadn’t she trained as a paediatrician instead of a nurse?
A tap on her shoulder didn’t stop her
‘We’ve got this’ A male command ‘Fill me in fast’
A quick sideways glance showed a asped with relief The aency staff were crowding in
‘First baby arrived’ she glanced at her watch ‘threeThey’re ten weeks early’
She rattled off details and obs, handing over the baby to another scrubbed-up doctor, who i on the infant
Suddenly she was redundant That relief expanded Those babies weren’t relying on her and now had a fighting chance Fingers crossed She’d given her all, but was it enough?
Squeezing through to the front of the ambulance to avoid the crowd of h Kath’s door and stood out of the atching as the experts delivered the second baby At least this wee lad went straight into an incubator The first baby had already disappeared aowned, masked staff with one purpose in their minds—to save his life
Steph’s chest ached where her heart thumped These babies had to make it No other outcome was acceptable
‘Can you unload the stretcher for us?’ someone asked
Instantly Steph was at the back of the aht to roll the stretcher out
‘Here we go,’ she warned Melanie, as looking all hollowed out, her face sunken, her eyes glittering with tears, hands limp on her less rotund stomach
‘Are they—?’
‘Yes,’ Kath said firmly
Please, please live, Steph begged the babies Your mum needs you
Once Melanie had been transferred to a bed Steph leaned close ‘I’ll be thinking about you Hang in there and all the best’
Then shearound the department where she’d work
ed until two years ago, not wanting those one down today
Her knees obbly Her head thu up Quite the professional
Around the corner, out of everyone’s way and sight, Stephanie stopped to lean her forehead against the cold wall and clasped her hands together on top of her head, her eyes squeezed shut in an atte waterfall
Her first day working as a paramedic in Auckland and history had slapped her around the head Her one atteo had failed and her husband had refused to try again, saying it was a waste of time when the doctors couldn’t find any reason for her infertility
No problems in his departed to hold her own baby It had hit her hard today Much harsher than it had in a while She guessed that hat happened when she returned home to where it had all happened
‘Stephanie? Is that you?’
The deep, throaty voice spun her name into unwelcome heated memories and warmed her skin to knock sideways the chill that had taken over in the ambulance
Michael Don’t move
Itwas possible today
‘Hello,’ he said ‘Welcome back You’ve been missed around here’
The air swirled around her, touching down on the exposed skin of her face, her neck, her hands A shape lined up beside her A peek to the right and there was no doubt about it Her iaood Or bad
Dr Michael Laing’s shoulders and back rested against the wall, those legs that went on for ever were crossed at the ankles and his hands—oh, yeah, she remembered those hands as much as his lips—were jammed into the pockets of his crueous, with that never quite styled hair falling over his forehead in soft curls
When he said, ‘Still as quiet as ever,’ she shivered
She wasn’t ready for this—not after those babies arriving in her unprepared hands ‘Hi’