treatment but it didn’t work, and in the end the constant pressure of hoping that this time we’d get lucky proved too much.’ Beth bit her lip. ‘Callum told me that he couldn’t handle it any more and that he wanted a divorce.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Ellie said sincerely. ‘It must have been awful for you both, although surely it made a difference when you found out you were pregnant?’
‘I was thrilled, thrilled and shocked that it should have happened right out of the blue like that. As for Callum, well, I’ve no idea how he feels, although I can guess.’ She laughed harshly. ‘I wrote to tell him I was pregnant, you see, but he’s never bothered to reply. I think that says it all, doesn’t it? No, this baby’s my responsibility and no one else’s.’
She broke off as another contraction began. Ellie frowned, wondering how she would have reacted in similar circumstances. She sighed because the likelihood of her having found herself in the same position was zero. Michael had been fanatical about making sure she didn’t get pregnant. At the time, Ellie had thought it was because he had wanted to do the right thing, make sure they were married before they embarked on parenthood. Now she wasn’t so certain any more. Had Michael been desperate to avoid her getting pregnant so that it wouldn’t impact on him?
It was something Ellie knew she needed to think about but not right now. Now she needed to focus on Beth and the baby. She waited until the contraction had passed then examined Beth again. ‘You’re already about six centimetres dilated so your baby’s definitely going to make his appearance very soon.’
‘Oh, no!’ Tears filled Beth’s eyes. ‘It’s too early! I couldn’t bear it if something went wrong now. I’ve waited so long for this child.’
‘Nothing is going to go wrong,’ Ellie assured her, mentally crossing her fingers that she wasn’t tempting fate. Delivering Beth’s baby wouldn’t have posed a problem if they’d been in a fully equipped maternity unit. However, after what she had learned about the nearest hospital being an hour’s drive away, she couldn’t help feeling anxious. She summoned a smile, determined not to let Beth know that she was worried. ‘Now can you tell me what arrangements you’ve made for the birth? I take it that you’re booked into the maternity unit with it being your first child.’
‘That’s right.’ Beth made an obvious effort to calm herself. ‘I wanted to have the baby at home but Polly talked me out of it. She said it would be safer if I had it in the hospital seeing as I’m a first-time mum and that bit older too.’
‘And who’s Polly?’ Ellie asked, needing to be clear about the details.
‘She’s the local midwife—Polly Davies,’ Beth explained. ‘I’ve been seeing her for my antenatal check-ups. In fact, I saw her only last Friday.’
‘And what did she say?’ Ellie asked.
‘Oh, that everything was fine—blood pressure, baby’s heartbeat, et cetera.’ Beth frowned. ‘She did say that the baby seemed to be quite low down, now I think about it.’
‘Probably getting ready to make his exit,’ Ellie said, laughing.
‘Probably. The little rip!’
Beth laughed as well and Ellie was relieved to see that she appeared far less anxious. Good. The last thing she wanted was for Beth to be uptight if they had to deliver the baby here. The thought helped her focus on what needed to be done and she squeezed Beth’s hand. ‘I’ll go and phone the hospital and let them know what’s happening. I’ll also get hold of Polly. With a bit of luck, she’ll be able to lend a hand here. I’ll be as quick as I can. OK?’
Beth nodded, her face screwing up as another contraction began. Ellie hurried from the room and made straight to Reception, knowing that Marie would have all the phone numbers. She was dealing with a patient and Ellie waited until she had finished. Lowering her voice so it wouldn’t carry across the waiting room, she quickly explained what was going on.
‘Really!’ Marie’s mouth dropped open. ‘But she’s another three weeks to go. Are you sure it isn’t a false alarm?’
‘Quite sure,’ Ellie said firmly. ‘This baby is definitely on its way and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Can you phone the hospital and let them know? We’ll need an ambulance, although I doubt if it will get here before the big event.’
‘Of course.’ Marie picked up the phone, although she still appeared slightly stunned.
‘Oh, and can you get hold of Polly too? Apparently, she’s been responsible for Beth’s antenatal care. It would be a huge help if she could give me a hand.’
‘I’ll phone her first,’ Marie promised. ‘She lives in town so she can be here in no time.’
‘That’s great. Thanks.’ Ellie started to turn away then paused. ‘Daniel needs to know what’s going on. Which is his room again?’
‘First door on the right,’ Marie explained, then turned her attention to the phone. ‘Polly, it’s Marie. You won’t believe what’s happened...’
Ellie left the receptionist to make the calls and hurried back to Beth, pausing en route to tap on Daniel’s door. She popped her head into the room when he bade her to enter. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you,’ she said, smiling apologetically at the young woman holding a fractious toddler on her knee. ‘But can I have a quick word?’
‘Of course.’ Daniel excused himself and stepped out into the corridor. He frowned. ‘There’s nothing wrong, I hope. I thought Beth was showing you around.’
‘She was but we’ve hit a snag.’ Ellie felt decidedly awkward about interrupting him during a consultation but there was really nothing else she could have done in the circumstances.
‘A snag?’ he echoed in a voice that hinted at displeasure. ‘What are you talking about?’
Ellie’s mouth compressed, not enjoying the fact that he obviously thought she was being a nuisance. She prided herself on her self-sufficiency and it stung to realise that he thought she was the type of person who needed constant support.
‘Beth’s baby is coming,’ she explained coldly. She raised her hand when he went to speak. ‘No, there’s no doubt about her being in labour. Marie is arranging for an ambulance and phoning Polly to see if she can come and help. I thought you should know, although I apologise for disturbing you.’
With that she turned away, making herself walk steadily along the corridor even though in truth she felt like running off and hiding. She bit her lip when she felt the far too ready tears spring to her eyes. Maybe it hurt to have Daniel speak to her so sharply but she could live with it. After all, he was her boss, nothing more. It didn’t matter how he spoke to her so long as he wasn’t rude.
It all sounded so sensible in theory but as she opened the door, Ellie realised that it did matter, that it mattered a great deal. For some reason she wanted Daniel to speak to her with warmth and make her feel that she was valued. How pathetic was that!
DANIEL COULD HAVE bitten off his tongue for speaking so sharply to Eleanor. If it weren’t for the fact that he had a patient waiting, he would have gone after her and apologised.
