has she been?’ Lucy asked, walking around the desk. She bent down so she could see the screen, feeling her nostrils tingle as she inhaled the citrus-fresh tang of the shampoo he’d used. She couldn’t help comparing it to the rather cloying scent of the one Richard had preferred.
‘Extremely well so far. We run a pre-pregnancy clinic at Dalverston for women with established diabetes. It’s a joint venture between us and the diabetes care team and our main aim is to ensure that blood glucose levels are under control before and at the time of conception.’
‘There’s a slightly increased risk of the baby being malformed if the blood glucose level isn’t right, isn’t there?’ Lucy questioned, straightening up. She moved back to the other side of the desk, unsure why it troubled her to make the comparison. What difference did it make if she preferred the smell of Max’s shampoo?
‘There is, which is why a woman with diabetes should seek advice before she gets pregnant. As I expect you know, there are increased risks for the mother as well as for the baby. Retinopathy can be a problem for anyone who has diabetes, as can high blood pressure, but there’s more chance of them becoming an issue when a woman is pregnant. And of course there’s a greater risk of mum suffering from pre-eclampsia, too.’
‘It must be daunting for a woman to be faced with all that,’ Lucy said quickly, determined to nip such foolishness in the bud by focusing on their patient.
Max shrugged. ‘It must be. Thankfully, Helen is a very level-headed sort of person. She’s a farmer’s wife and has a very practical approach to life. She understood the risks from the outset and has coped extremely well. We’ve been working closely with the diabetes care team and she’s undergone all the recommended tests and assessments.’
‘How about the baby?’ Lucy asked. ‘Is it much larger than normal?’
‘Slightly larger than would be expected at this stage but not worryingly so.’
‘Controlling the blood glucose level is key, isn’t it? If the level isn’t strictly controlled, there may be an increase in the amount of glucose that reaches the baby so that it grows faster than normal.’
‘Either that or its growth may be stunted,’ Max explained. ‘I’ve seen several cases like that and there were complications each time following the births.’
‘How many weeks is she?’ Lucy asked.
‘Thirty-two,’ he replied promptly, not needing to refer to his notes.
It was clear from that how interested he was in the case and she couldn’t help admiring the fact that it was obviously more than just a job to him. She’d noticed that yesterday, too, when he’d examined Sophie. His patience and refusal to rush were indications of a genuine concern for his patients. She’d worked with a lot of doctors and, sadly, some had treated the mums-to-be in a very cavalier fashion. It was good to know that Max wasn’t of that ilk.
‘As you know, it’s even more important to control blood glucose levels towards the end of the pregnancy.’ He picked up a slip of paper and handed it to her. ‘Helen has been attending the diabetes clinic on a weekly basis recently. She was there yesterday and the registrar was concerned because her glucose levels have started fluctuating. That’s why we’re seeing her today. We may need to arrange for her to have another ultrasound to check the amniotic fluid volume as well as the baby’s growth.’
Lucy quickly read the note. She sighed as she handed it back to him. ‘What a shame that it should happen now after she’s been doing so well.’
‘Isn’t it?’ He grimaced. ‘Knowing Helen, she will blame herself for this and that’s where you can help, Lucy. I want you to make her understand that it isn’t anything she’s done wrong. The last thing we want is her getting stressed. It won’t help her or the baby.’
‘Of course. I’ll do anything I can,’ she assured him.
‘Thanks.’
He gave her a quick smile and she felt a trickle of warmth flow through her when she saw the approval it held. Once again, she felt her spirits lift and it was such an odd feeling when her mood had been so downbeat recently. She wasn’t sure why Max had this effect on her and didn’t have a chance to work it out as he continued.
‘Right, now that’s sorted out we’d better make a start or we’ll still be here at midnight.’
Lucy went to the door and called in their first patient. She’d always enjoyed meeting the mums and being involved in their care and she realised that she was looking forward to it more than ever that day. Knowing that she was part of a team that really cared about these women and their babies made the job so worthwhile.
All of a sudden she was glad that she had made the move to Dalverston, and not just because she’d escaped from a difficult situation either. She would learn a lot from working here, learn a lot from working with Max, too. For the first time in ages, it felt as though she had something to look forward to.
Chapter Three
‘LUCY will have a word with you on your next visit, Rachel. You’ll be able to decide what you want to do then. Isn’t that right, Lucy?’
Max sat back in his seat while Lucy took over. They made a good team, he thought, listening as she explained how they would work out a birth plan the next time Rachel came to the clinic, before she escorted her out to Reception. Although her predecessor had been an excellent midwife, she’d been a little brusque at times. He knew that some of the younger women in particular had found her intimidating, but that definitely wasn’t the case with Lucy. She had a gently reassuring manner that put even the most nervous mums at their ease. He couldn’t remember when he’d last enjoyed a clinic so much, in fact.
He was in the process of absorbing that thought when she came back into the room. His brows lifted when he saw the frown on her face. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘I’m not sure. Apparently, Helen Roberts hasn’t turned up. From what you told me, it seems rather strange that she would miss an appointment, doesn’t it?’
‘It’s not like Helen,’ he agreed. He brought up Helen’s file on the computer and checked her phone number. ‘I’ll give her a call and see what’s happened to her.’
He picked up the phone then stopped when his pager suddenly bleeped. It was the code for the maternity unit, so he dialled their number first. ‘It’s Max. You paged me.’ His heart sank when Amanda informed him that Helen Roberts had just been admitted. ‘I’ll be right there.’
‘Problems?’ Lucy asked as he hastily stood up.
‘Helen Roberts has been rushed in by ambulance. It appears she collapsed on the bus on her way here.’
‘That explains why she didn’t keep her appointment!’ Lucy exclaimed. ‘Are you going up to Maternity to see her?’
‘Yes.’ Max picked up his jacket off the back of the chair and shrugged it on. ‘The diabetes care team will need to know what’s happened. Can you give them a call for me, please? I’ve been liaising with Adam Sanders, their registrar, so can you see if he’s available? I’d really like his input.’
‘Of course.’
Lucy reached for the receiver at
