his attention back to the child’s mother as the infant was whisked away. Karen had lost an awful lot of blood and the sooner he got this sorted out the happier he’d be.
He swore under his breath as he carefully removed the placenta and placed it in a dish. Two thirds of the placenta had become detached from the wall of the womb and it was a miracle that Karen and her baby had survived the resulting blood loss and shock. Although placental abruption was fairly rare in the UK, it cost a lot of lives in developing countries where there was a lack of decent antenatal care. The condition was often linked to high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia, although there’d been no indication of either of those in this instance. He’d read Karen Johnson’s case notes and there’d been no indication of anything wrong at her last check-up, two days previously.
Nick was suddenly filled with self-disgust when it struck him how close they’d come to a tragedy and all because he’d not wanted to tell anyone who he was. He’d put his own desire for some peace and quiet above the welfare of their patients and it was a salutary reminder of how an action could have far-reaching consequences. If he hadn’t been so damned set on doing what he’d wanted to do all those years ago then his brother might never have died!
‘Four pounds three ounces, with an Apgar score of six.’
Nick glanced around when Katie came over to tell him how the baby was faring. Thinking about Michael’s accident always upset him so it was a relief to focus on something else instead. ‘Not too bad a weight considering he’s a month early. His score could be a lot worse, too. Are you going to take him down to SCBU now?’
‘If you no longer need me.’ She glanced at the patient and sighed. ‘Poor Karen. She’s had a really rough time. It must be even more of a shock for her because she had such an easy pregnancy. She didn’t even suffer the odd bout of morning sickness like most of our mums do.’
‘It’s how it goes sometimes,’ Nick replied flatly because he felt so bad about what had happened. If Karen had been sent to a hospital further away, her chances of surviving would have been greatly reduced. Time was of the essence in a situation like this so it was hard to keep the guilt out of his voice when he asked the anaesthetist for a BP reading. He saw Katie glance at him, as though she’d picked up on it.
A wash of heat ran up his face and he bent over the operating table because he really didn’t want her asking him any questions and, after a moment, she moved away. Nick concentrated on the task of suturing as she left Theatre with the baby, stitching each layer of tissue with a skill and speed that came from long practice. Larry, his anaesthetist, whistled as he watched Nick put the last suture in place.
‘I thought Niall was good but you’re a real whiz with the old needle and thread. Good job my wife doesn’t work here any longer or she’d be asking for your phone number. She’s been on at me about having some new curtains made for our sitting-room.’
Nick laughed, appreciating both the joke and the moment of camaraderie. ‘I’ll have to send her an estimate for my services, although I have to warn you that I’m not cheap.’
‘I’ll bet you’re not!’ Larry chuckled. ‘It must be a nice little sideline for you.’
They finished off soon afterwards and Nick thanked the rest of the team who’d assisted him. Although he’d been the major player, he couldn’t have managed without Larry and the scrub nurse, not to mention Katie, of course. A buzz of heat sprang up in the pit of his stomach at the thought of Katie but he tamped it down as he went to get changed. Katie was a wonderful nurse and he must focus on that fact rather than any other of her assets from now on.
Clive Johnson was pacing the waiting room when Nick went back to the maternity unit so he didn’t drag it out and add to the poor man’s agony. He told him simply that Karen and the baby had come through the operation and there was a very good chance they would both recover from their ordeal. Naturally, Clive wanted to know what had happened so Nick explained how the placenta had detached itself from the wall of the womb and it had been that which had caused the massive bleeding.
He didn’t expound on the seriousness of the situation because Clive wasn’t up to it right then. However, he guessed there might be more questions later so he gave the man his phone number and told him to call him if he wanted to chat and left it at that. Abbey was in the corridor so he asked her to take Clive to SCBU to see his baby son.
Once that was done then, by rights, Nick knew he was free to leave but he was loath to take himself off in case anything else happened. Maybe he didn’t have to stay but it would make him feel better so he went into the office and switched on the light. There was a kettle on top of the filing cabinet and it struck him all of a sudden how thirsty he was. He’d not had a drink since he’d arrived and a cup of coffee might just put a bit of fizz back into his veins and see him through the night.
He flicked the switch on the kettle then spooned coffee granules into a mug, added whitener and sugar—three large spoonfuls—and sank down onto the nearest chair. It had been quite a day, one way and another, and he was already bone tired from the long hours he’d been working recently. The kettle soon came to the boil and switched itself off but Nick never even noticed because he was fast asleep by then, his dreams full of babies crying and women with swollen bellies begging him for help…
Something green suddenly appeared just beyond his field of vision and his eyelids twitched. He could just make out a cap with a pompom, some pointy-toed boots and freckles—lots and lots of red and green freckles…
He sighed wistfully when a familiar little elfin figure suddenly materialised right in the middle of his dream. His life would be so much better if he had someone like Katie to share it with.
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