the baby; however, the NICU team was arriving and setting up, preparing their equipment for this very tiny baby, so Bridgette concentrated on the parents. Frank, the husband, wanted to film the birth, and Bridgette helped him to work out where to stand so that he wouldn’t get in the way. She understood his need to document every minute of this little baby’s life.
‘It’s all happening so fast…’ Carla, though groggy, was clearly terrified, because now that the decision had been made, things were moving along with haste.
‘We’re just making sure we’ve got everything ready for your baby,’ Bridgette explained as Dr Hudson came in. The anaesthetist had topped up the epidural and the operation would soon be starting.
‘We’re just waiting on…’ Kelly, one of NICU team called out, when asked if they were ready, and then her voice trailed off. ‘No problem. Dr Mansfield is here.’
Bridgette looked up and straight into those familiar black eyes, eyes that she stared at each day on her computer, except they didn’t smile back at her now. She tore her gaze away from him and back to her patient. She completely halted her thoughts, gave all her attention to her patient, because the operation had started, the incision made at seven-eighteen, and just a few moments later a tiny baby was delivered.
‘She’s beautiful,’ Bridgette told Carla. ‘She’s moving.’ She was, her red, spindly limbs flailing with indignation at her premature entry to the world.
‘She’s not crying,’ Jenny said.
‘She is.’ There was a very feeble cry and her face was grimacing. Frank was standing back, filming their tiny daughter. Bridgette watched the activity and for the first time she took a proper look at Dominic.
He needed to shave, his face was grim with concentration and he looked exhausted. Bridgette remembered Rita saying that it had been a very busy weekend, and this emergency had come right at the tail end of his on-call shift.
‘Can I see her?’ Carla asked, but already the team was moving the baby and she was whisked past. Carla got only a very brief glimpse.
‘They’re taking her into another area,’ Bridgette explained, as the team moved away, ‘and then she’ll be taken up to the NICU.’
‘Can I go with her?’ Frank asked. ‘Can I watch? I won’t get in the way. I just want to see what they’re doing.’
‘I’ll go and find out.’
Bridgette walked into the resuscitation area, where the baby would be stabilised as much as possible before being moved to NICU. Even though she had seen premature babies, now and for evermore the sight of something so small and so fragile and so completely tiny took her breath away. Bridgette loved big, fat babies, little scrawny ones too, but a scrap like this made her heart flutter in silent panic.
‘She’s a little fighter.’ Kelly came over. ‘We’re going to move her up in a couple of minutes.’
‘Dad wants to know if he can come and watch. He’s promised not to get in the way. He just wants to see what’s happening.’
‘Not yet,’ Dominic called over. ‘I’ll talk to him as soon as I can.’
‘Tell him to stay with his wife for now,’ Kelly suggested. ‘I’ll come and fetch him when Dominic is ready to talk to him.’
Kelly was as good as her word, and by the time Carla had been moved to Recovery, Kelly appeared, holding some new photos of their tiny daughter, which she handed to Mum and explained a little of what was going on. ‘The doctors are still with her, but Dominic said if I bring Frank up he’ll try to come out to speak with him. He’ll come down and talk to you a bit later.’
It was a busy morning. Carla spent a long time in Recovery before being transferred back to the maternity unit, but even there she still required very close observation as her vital signs would take a while to stabilise after the birth. Carla was still very sick and of course wanted more information about her baby, whom they’d named Francesca. Frank had seen her very briefly and was now back with his wife and clearly a little impatient about the lack of news.
‘Mary from daycare is on the phone for you.’ Nandita, the ward clerk, popped a head around the door and handed Bridgette the phone.
‘Nothing to worry about at all’ came Mary’s reassuring voice as Bridgette stepped out into the corridor. ‘I’m just about to head off for lunch and I thought I’d let you know how well he’s gone today. He’s found a stack of bricks, which amused him for most of the morning.’
‘Thanks so much for letting me know.’
‘He’s heading for an afternoon nap now. Anyway, you can get on with your day without fretting about him.’ Bridgette felt a wave of guilt when she realised she hadn’t even had time to worry about Harry and how he was doing on his first day at crèche and a wave of sadness too when she found out that, no, neither had Courtney rung to find out.
‘Hi, Carla.’ She gave the phone to Nandita, and as she walked back into her patient’s room she heard Dominic’s voice. If he had looked tired that morning then he looked exhausted now. ‘Hi, Frank.’ He shook the other man’s hand. ‘Sorry that it’s taken so long to come and speak with you. I’ve been very busy with your daughter and another child who was delivered yesterday. I wanted to take the time to have a proper talk with you both.’ He sat down next to the bed. ‘Carla, you’ll remember I spoke with you yesterday.’ He didn’t bog them down with too much detail. Apparently yesterday he had explained the risks of such a premature delivery and he didn’t terrify them all over again. He told them their daughter’s condition was extremely serious, but there was some good news. ‘She seems a little further on than first estimated. I’d put her well into twenty-five weeks, which, though it’s just a few days’ difference, actually increases the survival rates quite dramatically. She’s got size on her side too,’ Dominic explained. ‘Even though she’s tiny, she is a little bit bigger than we would expect at twenty-five weeks, and she’s had the benefit of the steroids we gave yesterday. She’s a vigorous little thing, and she’s doing absolutely as well as can be expected.’
‘When can I see her?’ Carla asked.
‘I spoke to Dr Hudson before I came down, and as much as we know you want to see your daughter, you’re not well enough at the moment.’
‘What if…?’ Poor Carla didn’t even want to voice it, so Dominic did.
‘If her condition deteriorates, we’ll sort something out and do our best to get you up there.’ He glanced over at Bridgette and so too did Carla.
‘Of course we will,’ she said.
‘But right now the best you can do for your baby is to rest and get well yourself.’ He answered a few more questions and then turned to Frank. ‘You should be able to see her for a little while now. I’ve told them to expect you.’
‘I’ll get Nandita to walk you up,’ Bridgette offered.
‘Lunch?’ Rita suggested as Bridgette walked over to speak with Nandita. ‘Emma will take over from you.’
It was a late lunch, and as Bridgette hadn’t had a coffee break, it was a sheer relief to slip off her shoes and just relax for a few moments. Well, at least it was until Dominic came in and sat on the couch opposite and unwrapped a roll. He gave
