Читать книгу Interrupted Lullaby - Valerie Parv - Страница 9

When the baby’s lusty cry tore the air in the small private hospital, the new mother burst into tears of relief and joy. Seeing the midwife rush the newborn baby into the resuscitation room, the mother had been frantic with fear. Now, hearing her baby’s healthy cries as the midwife placed him into her arms, the mother knew everything would be all right.

It had been a difficult night. The doctor was to have been here long ago, but had stopped to help at a horrendous accident between two crowded buses at a major intersection in the city. According to the midwife, staff had been borrowed from all over the hospital to help deal with the victims pouring into the emergency room, a scene being repeated at hospitals throughout the city.

Admiring the new baby, Rosemary Fine felt triumphant. As a midwife she was accustomed to coping without a doctor most of the time, but when a baby needed resuscitating, she normally called for backup. This time she couldn’t call anyone because the mother, Jenny Fine, was her sister-in-law, and it was against hospital rules to deliver a relative’s baby. With everyone too busy to ask questions, Rosemary had decided to go ahead on her own. She had nearly regretted it when the baby was born, but everything was all right now. Rosemary had seen to it.

Jenny quickly counted tiny fingers and toes. “I suppose everybody does that,” she said, her voice sounding thin.

Rosemary mustered a smile. “Probably. He looks pretty good to me. Vaughan, isn’t that the name you chose for him?”

“Sylvia for a girl and Vaughan for a boy.” Jenny brushed damp hair out of her eyes with her free hand, her gaze blurring. “Did I hear Ross tell you that the nice woman in the next room lost her baby?”

The midwife hesitated. “You weren’t supposed to hear that. Her baby’s cord prolapsed, causing oxygen starvation. There was nothing Ross or anyone could do.”

Jenny’s arm automatically tightened around her baby. “How terrible. She told me her name is Tara, and she’s so beautiful. A model, I think. We checked in almost at the same time. Her partner couldn’t be with her, either, so I hope he gets here soon. She’ll need him to comfort her. After I lost Josh, they told me it was crib death and nobody’s fault, but I kept asking myself how I could have made a difference. Tara’s probably doing the same right now.”

Rosemary brushed her sister-in-law’s hair out of her eyes. “You mustn’t distress yourself about it.”

Jenny sighed. “You’re right. But I couldn’t face Ross if anything went wrong this time. He wants a son so much. How much longer is he going to be tied up? Except for a few minutes here and there, I’ve hardly seen him since I arrived.”

“You’ve been married to a midwife long enough to know that nothing ever goes to plan. He’ll stop in as soon as he can, but like me, he’s had to extend his shift until more staff can get here,” Rosemary said. “Apparently half the city’s still at a standstill. They’re swamped in emergency.”

The new mother peeled back the cover swaddling the baby. “Hi, Vaughan. Your daddy’s going to be so proud of you.” She lifted her head, her eyes bright. “I’ll have a word with poor Tara later. She must feel devastated.”

Rosemary shook her head. “It’s not a good idea. She’s best left to deal with her grief in her own way. We’ll see she gets professional help when she’s ready.”

Jenny looked uncertain. “If you think so.”

“Trust me, I do. Ross is arranging to move her to a ward away from the other mothers and babies, so you’re unlikely to meet her again. You concentrate on getting your strength back and taking Vaughan home. Let Ross and me look after Tara. There’s nothing for you to concern yourself about, nothing at all.”