like this is better coming from someone who’s not so involved. Once they know about the baby and have calmed down, they can come in and speak with you.’
‘They’ll never calm down.’
‘Let’s just see,’ Marnie said. ‘For now you just worry about staying calm. The last thing we want is you stressing yourself and raising your blood pressure and things.’
‘Why am I bleeding?’
‘It looks as if your placenta is lying rather low,’ Harry said, running the ultrasound probe over Emily’s stomach, and Marnie watched Emily’s face as she stared unblinking at the screen and saw her baby for the first time. ‘The heartbeat is a good rate and strong,’ Harry said, pointing to the screen.
‘Can you tell if it’s a boy or girl?’
‘The one time I tried I got it wrong.’ Harry smiled. ‘I’m going to get the obstetricians down and they’ll examine you but for now I’ll let your family know what’s going on, if that’s okay with you?’ Emily gave a wary nod and then Harry asked about Reece and got a bit of history before they left to tell her parents. Marnie gave Emily’s hand a little squeeze before she left.
George and Lucia really were a rather formidable pair—the air was thick with tension as Marnie and Harry came in and sat down.
‘It’s ridiculous the length of time that we’ve been kept waiting,’ George said by way of introduction.
‘Well, we’ve been with your daughter,’ Harry calmly responded. ‘I just wanted to have a chat before you went in.’
‘We’d like to see her,’ Lucia said, instead of asking what was wrong with her daughter.
‘I’d like to speak with you before you do.’
‘I really just want to see her,’ Lucia insisted. ‘If you could just let us know what cubicle she’s in.’
They knew, Marnie realised, they simply didn’t want to hear it, and thankfully Harry wasted no time getting to the point.
‘Emily is pregnant,’ Harry said to the two rigid faces. ‘We estimate that she’s about twenty-four weeks, though when she sees the obstetrician she’ll have a more detailed ultrasound to confirm dates.’ They all sat in silence for a moment, Harry and Marnie waiting for questions as the parents awaited the doctor’s solution. ‘This must come as a bit of a shock,’ Harry offered.
‘She’s in her final year at school,’ George said, as if that might change things, then he turned to his wife. ‘I told you that she shouldn’t be seeing him. I knew this would happen.’ His fists balled as he gritted his teeth. ‘She’s got school to think of,’ George said, and then turned back to Harry. ‘She can’t have it.’
‘Emily wants to have the baby,’ Harry said, ‘and, as I’ve said, she’s about twenty-four weeks’ gestation and bleeding quite heavily. She’s terribly worried for her baby and frankly so am I…’
‘Baby!’ George simply would not accept it and Marnie was pleased this conversation was taking place well away from Emily. ‘How is she supposed to take care of a baby? She’s still at school herself and doing very well. She’s completely messed up her life.’ He started to stand and his wife went to grab his arm.
‘George, please.’
‘Please what?’ George demanded as he started pacing. ‘How the hell is she supposed to support it?’
‘Sit down,’ Harry said. ‘The last thing Emily needs now is to be upset.’
‘Well, she should have thought of that. Maybe she should think of that…’ George started heading for the door but then, realising he didn’t know what cubicle Emily was in, he turned to Marnie. ‘You’ll take me to my daughter now.’
‘Emily’s not allowed visitors at the moment,’ Marnie responded. ‘At the moment she needs calm.’
‘Don’t you tell me what my daughter needs.’
‘I really think,’ Marnie continued, ‘that it might help if you go for a walk before you visit Emily, or go to the canteen, or even just sit here and get used to the idea for a little while.’
‘What would you know?’ George shouted, and Harry was about to step in, perhaps even get Security, because there was no way he wanted Emily being subjected to her father’s anger. But Marnie didn’t need his help.
‘I know plenty,’ Marnie said. ‘I can remember every word my parents said when I was eighteen and I told them I was pregnant.’ She looked at Lucia. ‘My son died when he was two weeks old and, given what had been said, I wouldn’t let my mother comfort me. I still can’t. I can guarantee that your next conversation with your daughter will be replayed in her mind for the rest of her life.’ It was Marnie who stood then. ‘She’s in cubicle seven but, again, I suggest that before you go in there you take some time and really think about the kind of parents you want to be during this difficult time for your daughter.’
Yes, she loathed bringing her private life to work but she’d loathe even more Emily’s parents speaking in haste.
Marnie walked into the cubicle, glad that it appeared George wasn’t following. Emily was being seen by the obstetrician but she looked over anxiously as Marnie stepped in.
‘How are they?’ she asked, and Marnie hoped it would soon be the other way around—with her parents asking how Emily and the baby were.
‘They’re just taking it all in,’ she said. ‘You just focus on yourself for now.’
Her parents must have been doing some thinking because it was a good half-hour later, when Emily was about to be wheeled up to Maternity, that they came in.
‘You could have told me,’ were her mother’s first words.
‘I tried,’ Emily said, and now Marnie said nothing as she escorted them up to Maternity and saw Emily settled in. Steroids had been started to mature the baby’s lungs in case it needed to be delivered, but for now the bleeding had slowed down and things seemed a whole lot calmer.
‘Thanks, Marnie,’ Emily said, once Marnie had handed over to the midwife taking over Emily’s care and had popped in to say goodbye.
‘I’ll pop back and see you when I…’ Her voice trailed off as a very pale and clearly terrified young man came into the ward.
‘I told you not to come yet,’ Emily said tearfully.
‘I couldn’t just stay at work.’
Marnie watched as, instead of anger, George somehow found it in himself to go over and shake Reece’s hand, and as Marnie headed back down to the department she knew that of all the things that had moved her about today, Reece had moved her very much. A young man who, instead of letting Emily deal with it alone, had been brave enough to leave work and come and face the music.
She could still remember the feel of Craig trembling beside her as they’d told her parents. She hadn’t wanted him there but had been so proud that he had insisted on it.
Was it any wonder
