Emergency: Mother Wanted

At least the department was busy, which helped take her mind off him for some of the time.

She was seeing a woman with an injured wrist when she heard screaming from Resus.

Now what?

Even as she was wondering what was happening one of the student nurses appeared at her elbow.

'Can you come quickly, Dr Thompson?'

Immediately Keely excused herself and hurried into Resus.

'What's the problem?'

'Help!' A young woman was sobbing and yelling, her white-faced husband clutching her hand as she writhed on the trolley.

'How are you at delivering babies?' Nicky asked grimly, wrenching open a delivery pack and addressing the student nurse. 'Call the labour ward now, please—get them down here urgently. Zach's on his way.'

Delivering babies?

Keely felt a twinge of panic. She hadn't done obstetrics yet and although she'd seen a baby delivered as a medical student, she was hardly an expert.

'When's the baby due?'

The woman groaned but her husband glanced up, his face strained. 'Not for another week.'

'And is this your first baby?'

He nodded. 'Yes. I thought first labours were supposed to last a long time.'

'Not always,' Keely murmured, giving them a reassuring smi

le. 'But don't worry. Everything will be fine. OK.' She took a deep breath. 'Can I have some size-six gloves, please, Nicky, and let's listen to the foetal heart.'

She was washing her hands when Zach arrived, his eyes focusing straight on Keely.

'What's the story?'

'Precipitate labour,' Keely said quickly, relief flooding through her. At least the responsibility wasn't all hers now. Would Zach know what to do?

He did, of course, dragging on a pair of sterile gloves and examining the labouring woman, talking quietly to her all the time.

His voice seemed to calm her and the woman stopped screaming, instead tightening her grip on her husband's hand and fastening her eyes on Zach with a trusting expression on her face.

'It's coming, isn't it?'

'It certainly is.' Zach gave a lopsided grin and then glanced at the notes to check the woman's name. 'Try and remember your breathing, Tina. That's it—good.' He looked at Nicky. 'Let's give her some Entonox, please. Keely? Do you want to...?'

He was asking her if she wanted to deliver the baby and she shook her head vigorously. She didn't have the confidence to deliver a baby.

'No—no, you do it.'

He gave a slight smile and stood on the right of the patient. 'OK, Tina, just keep breathing, that's it...'

'I've rung the labour ward,' Nicky said in an undertone, 'and someone is coming down to help.'

'Well, they're not going to be much help unless they're here in the next two minutes,' Zach said calmly, 'because this baby isn't going to wait. All right, Tina, you're doing well. I can see the baby's head. Let's see if we can get you a bit more upright.'

They helped Tina wriggle into a better position and Zach waited until her next contraction.