The Baby Emergency
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Carol Marinelli
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CHAPTER ONE
‘SORRY, darling.’ Marlene put down her basket on the hall floor and haphazardly deposited a kiss on Shelly’s cheek. ‘The match went on for ever.’
Shelly gave her mother an easy smile to show there was no harm done. ‘I’ve got plenty of time before my shift starts. Is Dad still there?’
‘Of course,’ Marlene replied crisply, with a slight edge to her voice. ‘This twilight tennis competition is supposed to be a combined effort for the two of us to get fit, yet your father undoes all of the hard work in one fell swoop. He’s in the clubhouse guzzling beers and eating lamingtons as I speak. Goodness, Shelly,’ Marlene said, finally looking at her daughter properly for the first time since she’d arrived. ‘You look nice—very nice, in fact! What have you done to your hair?’
‘I just put a bit of mousse in it in when I washed it,’ Shelly answered vaguely as Marlene gave her a rather sceptical look.
‘I’ll have to try some. Where’s Matthew?’
‘Asleep.’ Shelly rolled her eyes. ‘At long last. But I think this new routine is finally starting to work. I gave him his bath at seven, read his blessed book five times and now he’s out like a light.’
‘Oh, really?’ Marlene’s face broke into a wide grin and she gestured behind Shelly. ‘So who’s this, then?’
‘Matthew,’ Shelly wailed. ‘You’re supposed to be asleep.’
Holding up his dog-eared book, Matthew’s podgy little face broke into a wide and very engaging smile, instantly dousing Shelly’s irritation. ‘Wun, wun,’ he begged.
‘No more run, run,’ Shelly corrected, smiling despite herself. ‘The little gingerbread man is fast asleep now and so should you be.’
‘Wun, wun.’ Matthew insisted, his grin widening as he saw Marlene. ‘Nanny.’
‘Yes, darling.’ Marlene scooped her grandson into her arms. ‘Nanny’s looking after you tonight while Mummy goes to work.’ Marlene pulled Matthew closer, whispering loudly in his ear so that Shelly could hear. ‘Or at least that’s where she says she’s going, but I’ve never seen Mummy looking quite so stunning for a shift on the children’s ward!’
‘Mum,’ Shelly moaned. ‘Don’t talk like that—you’ll confuse him.’
‘I’m just teasing,’ Marlene soothed, turning her attention back to Matthew. ‘Now, give Mummy a big kiss goodnight and we’ll wave goodbye to her, then how about we go and see if there’s any nice biscuits in the cupboard?’
‘Mum.’ Shelly’s voice had a warning note to it which Marlene dismissed with a wave of her hand.
‘The biscuits are for me, darling. Why should your father be the only one ruining his waistline? I’m going to have a nice cuppa then I’ll read Matthew his story. You go off to work. Don’t worry about us two, we’ll be fine.’
‘I know,’ Shelly admitted, giving Marlene a quick kiss before lingering a while longer with Matthew’s. ‘Love you, Matthew.’ He smelt of baby soap and lotion and as she kissed him gently Shelly wondered, not for the first time, how she could bear to go to work and leave him. Reluctantly Shelly picked up her bag and, turning in the doorway, she forced a cheerful wave. ‘If one of those biscuits does happen to find its way to Matthew…’
‘I know,’ Marlene sighed. ‘Make sure I brush his teeth.’ Holding up one of Matthew’s hands, she guided him into a wave as Shelly opened the car door, the tempting scent of a neighbour’s barbeque wafting over the fence. Even though it was nudging eight-thirty, it was still so light Shelly wouldn’t even need to put on her headlights, and it would have been so tempting not to go, to curl up on the sofa with Matthew and read him his beloved book.
Not that Matthew would thank her for it, Shelly mused as she turned onto the freeway and headed towards the hospital, Matthew would be having the time of his little life right now, gorging on biscuits and dancing around the lounge with his eccentric grandmother, who would end in one night the routine Shelly had been so painfully attempting to implement.
‘Who are you trying to kid?’ Shelly mumbled, rallying slightly as she caught sight of herself in the rearview mirror, her pale eyelashes gone for ever, or at least the next couple of months, thanks to this afternoon’s tint. As tempting as a cuddle on the sofa with Matthew might be, tonight, for the first time in ages, she couldn’t wait to get to work. Putting her foot down slightly, Shelly felt a tremble of excitement somewhere in the pit of her stomach as the signs for the hospital loomed ever closer, the brightly lit building coming into view, the hub of staff outside Emergency indicating something serious was on its way in. A security guard indicated for Shelly to clear the entrance road. Pulling over, she sat in her car patiently waiting as an ambulance flew past, its flashing blue lights adding to the theatre of it all, watching as the emergency staff leapt forward to greet it. Shelly felt the bubble of excitement in her stomach rapidly expand.
Chisholm Hospital had never looked so exciting!
‘Thank goodness you’re on tonight, Shelly.’ Melissa patted the seat beside her at the nurses’ station. ‘I’ve had agency staff with me every night this week—it will be nice to have someone who actually knows the place.’
‘You smell nice.’ Turning, she smiled at Shelly who sat blushing as red as her hair. ‘You look lovely too—been to the hairdressers?’
‘No,’ Shelly lied. ‘You’re just used to seeing me coming on an early shift at seven in the morning.’
‘Hmm.’ Melissa looked at her knowingly but didn’t push further. ‘So, how many nights are you down for?’
‘You’re stuck with me for a month.’ Shelly rolled her eyes. ‘I’ve been avoiding it for ages so it had to catch up with me sooner or later. Tania rang me at home this morning and told me you were tearing your hair out.’
‘I was and I know it’s probably the last thing you need right now, but I for one am glad you said yes to a stint on nights.’
‘I really didn’t have any choice.’ Shelly shrugged. ‘There’s been a big fat zero beside my name where night shifts have been concerned recently. Bring back the old days, I can’t stand internal rotation.’
‘Sounds painful!’
Shelly let out a gurgle of laughter and stood up delightedly. ‘Ross!’
‘The one and only.’
‘Only you could find a sexual connotation with the nursing roster! So how are you finding it? Back in civilisation after all this time?’
‘I’ve had a very civilised couple of years, thank you very much,’ Ross corrected, wagging his finger playfully. ‘There’s a bit more to the outback than tents and billy tea but, yes, it’s good to be back, I think.’
‘You think?’ Shelly questioned with a grin. ‘I would have thought they’d be treating you gently on your first day back.’ She was blushing to her toenails now, shamefully aware that the perfume, the hairdresser’s, even the shaved legs and smooth bikini line had been done entirely for the benefit of this quick delicious moment at handover, to show Ross somehow that she hadn’t completely let herself go just because she’d had a baby. There was nothing like an old friend reappearing after a prolonged absence to force a critical look in the mirror, and now that the vague chance she’d catch Ross on his way off duty had materialised, Shelly was taken back by the rush of emotion that had engulfed her.
Ross Bodey was back in town, and he looked absolutely divine, his blond hair practically white now, courtesy of the hot Australian sun, and his face brown and smooth, accentuating the impossibly blue eyes.
‘I’ve only just set foot in the place.’ Ross grimaced. ‘Luke Martin is off sick so they rang me at the crack of dawn this morning to tell me I’m going to be stuck on nights for the next week, so there goes my social life. How about you?’
For a second Shelly’s eyes flickered to Melissa who sat innocently staring at the whiteboard, jotting down the names of the children and babies under the care of the ward that night. ‘I don’t have a social life, Ross. I’ve got a son to think of now. Wine bars and night-clubs are but a distant memory these days.’
‘I meant what shift are you on?’
‘Nights.’ Shelly had to forcibly remove the grin from her face and remember she was supposed to be disgruntled about the fact.
‘So we’re stuck with each other?’ Ross wasn’t even pretending to look disgruntled. He was grinning from ear to ear, teasing her with his smile.
‘It looks that way.’
‘So you don’t have a social life.’ Smiling, he tutted a few times. ‘Haven’t you heard of babysitters?’
‘Not with the tantrums my son’s been throwing lately. I wouldn’t inflict that temper on anyone just yet.’
Ross just laughed. ‘So Matthew’s hitting the terrible twos with a vengeance?’
‘That’s an understatement.’ Shelly’s voice stayed light, her grin stayed put, but her mind was whirring as the beginning of a frown puckered her forehead. ‘How did you know his name?’
Ross shrugged. ‘Melissa told me. So who’s looking after him tonight?’
Her frown deepened. Melissa had obviously told Ross a bit more than Matthew’s name. ‘My parents are, they’ve been really good. You know about Neil and me, then?’
Ross nodded. Moving away from the desk slightly, they found their own private space in the corridor, slipping so easily back into their ways of old. ‘It can’t have been easy for you.’
Shelly gave a slightly brittle laugh. ‘That’s an understatement.’
Ross didn’t comment at first, the silence around them building as Shelly stood there wondering how much to tell, scuffing the highly polished floor with her rubber soles and leaving little black marks that would have the cleaners in hysterics in the morning.
‘Neil told me he was leaving us the day I was due to be discharged from hospital, the day I was supposed to bring Matthew home.’ Her voice was shaky and she couldn’t even look up as she recounted her story, sure the inevitable pity she was so tired of seeing in people’s eyes would send her into floods of tears. ‘He said he couldn’t cope with a handicapped child, that it just wasn’t what he was cut out for.’
‘Then you’re better off without him.’
Shelly looked up with a start. There was no pity in his voice or in his gorgeous blue eyes, just the cool sound of reason.
‘So everyone keeps telling me,’ Shelly sighed. ‘And they’re all probably right. But is it better for Matthew? Surely he needs a father?’
‘Not that sort,’ Ross said quickly, his voice strangely flip, a defiant jut to his chin. Suddenly he looked older than twenty-seven. He certainly didn’t look like the carefree backpacker she’d built in her mind. He looked every bit the man he was. ‘Children need to feel loved, safe and wanted, which are the three things Neil can’t give him, so if you ask me, Matthew’s better off without him. You, too, so I’m not going to make small-talk, passing on my condolences about the demise of your marriage when your divorce obviously agrees with you. You look the happiest I’ve seen you in a long time.’
‘I am,’ Shelly said slowly, the words a revelation even to herself. The divorce had hurt, but her grief had been expended long ago. The tears she cried now when she thought about the end of her marriage weren’t for herself and what she’d lost but for her little boy, a two-year-old child whose father simply didn’t want to know. Yet for all the angst, for all the struggle, both financially and emotionally, for all the responsibility of being a single parent, for the first time in over two years Shelly actually realised just how much she had moved on.
That she was finally making it.
Not happy exactly, but definitely getting there.
As Melissa stood up Shelly picked up her notepad. ‘I’d better go and get the handover. I’ll catch up with you later.’
‘No doubt about that.’
Her cheeks were burning as she took handover, her mind flitting as she desperately tried to concentrate, tried to ask intelligent questions and make sure she had all the drip rates and drugs due diligently written down in her usual neat handwriting as Annie, the sister in charge of the late shift, told the night staff about the patients on the ward. But there was no chance of that. Her mind was saturated with Ross, going over and over their brief but long-awaited exchange. Still, when Annie gave the details of the latest admission, Shelly’s ears pricked up and all thought of Ross flew out of the window, momentarily at least.
‘We’ve got a new patient direct from Theatre—Angus Marshall, twenty months old with a spiral fracture of the femur.’
Shelly’s eyes shot up as Annie continued. A spiral fracture in a child was an injury that sounded alarm bells and Shelly’s were ringing, but Annie quickly shook her head to dispel any worries.
‘The staff in Emergency are happy with the story—they don’t think it’s a non-accidental injury. Apparently he’s just started walking so the injury could have happened when he fell.’
‘Could have?’ Shelly questioned, knowing that injuries like that were sometimes caused by an abusive parent.
‘They’re not sure how it happened, there’s a big sister and a new baby at home so it’s obviously a busy house. Apparently Angus was very grouchy and reluctant to weight-bear and his mum noticed the swelling so she took him to their GP who sent them over to us. They’re nice people, the child’s beautifully looked after.’
‘That doesn’t mean anything.’ Melissa’s stern voice matched Shelly’s thoughts exactly.
‘I’m going on what I’ve been told. They’ve been interviewed extensively by Dr Khan down in Emergency and he’s satisfied that it was a simple accident, so it’s not up to us to go jumping to conclusions.’
‘Nobody’s jumping,’ Shelly said in a calm voice, trying to diffuse the undercurrents. ‘But with an injury like that, child abuse has to be considered.’
‘Which it has been,’ Annie answered stiffly. ‘And it’s been discounted.’
‘So, how many beds does that leave us with?’ Shelly asked when she realised the discussion was going nowhere.
‘One bed and two cots,’ Annie said, closing the folder she was reading from. ‘But Emergency just rang and they’re probably going to be sending up a three-month-old boy with bronchiolitis, which will leave you with just the one cot.’
‘Probably?’ Shelly checked.
‘He’s quite sick, they’re still deciding whether or not to transfer him to the Children’s Hospital in case he needs an ICU cot as our intensive-care beds are all taken. Ross is just heading off down there to see him.’
‘Well, I hope Ross takes into account there’s only three night staff on and Nicola’s only a grad,’ Melissa said with a warning note to her voice that had Annie again ducking for cover. Melissa was a straight talker and didn’t care who got hurt along the way. Feelings didn’t come in to it when she was dealing with her beloved babies. ‘It’s not like on days where staff are falling over themselves. One critical baby is bad enough but there’s a couple more here that could go downhill quickly.’
‘Ross knows all that,’ Annie said defensively. ‘But this baby has been down in Emergency for eighteen hours now, and there’s hardly a paediatric intensive care cot left in Melbourne, so someone’s going to have to take him. Anyway, Emergency just had a big multi-trauma come in and they need to start moving some of the patients.’
‘Well, maybe you should have thought of that earlier,’ Melissa carried on, without even blinking. ‘You know as well as I do that we’re going to get this baby. He should have been admitted and settled by now while there were enough staff to do it comfortably, not left till Emergency’s bursting at the seams and there’s no choice but to move him.’ And without another word she headed out onto the ward, leaving the rest of the staff chewing their lips and rolling their eyes.
‘Good luck with her tonight,’ Annie said with a grimace. ‘She’s in a right old mood.’
‘I don’t blame her,’ Shelly said quickly, and to the other staff’s obvious surprise. ‘That baby should have been admitted ages ago, not just left for the night staff.’
Minor bickers like this were uncomfortable but commonplace on a busy ward. Even though Shelly hadn’t done a stint on nights for ages she knew how busy it was, and also knew that as much fun as Annie was to work with she was also very good at putting things off for the next shift to deal with. Melissa had been right to say something and Shelly was only too happy in this instance to defend her. As the day staff departed Shelly gave a comforting smile to a nervous-looking Nicola.
‘When Melissa said you were “only a grad” she wasn’t aiming it at you personally, just pointing out the staff levels,’ Shelly said, moving straight to the point.
‘I know that. It’s just that she seems so fierce. I know I haven’t worked with Melissa but I’ve seen her in handover and it’s enough to put anyone off. I’ve been dreading coming on nights.’
‘You haven’t worked with Melissa yet,’ Shelly pointed out. ‘You’ve only seen her in here. She’s nothing like that out there.’ Shelly gestured to the ward and gave Shelly a reassuring smile. ‘Any bad feeling stays in the handover room, that’s an important rule on the children’s ward. The patients pick up on bad vibes otherwise. Anyway Melissa’s as soft as butter really. Once the day staff are gone you’ll see that for yourself. As fierce as she can be, Melissa’s also the best nurse here, you can learn a lot from her. There’s nothing about sick children Melissa doesn’t know. She’s been doing this job for more than thirty years now, so if there’s anything you’re worried about don’t sit on it, just tell her, OK?’
‘OK.’ Nicola nodded but Shelly could see the poor girl was still terrified.
‘It will be fine, you’ll see.’
It was fine. The obs and drug round went smoothly. Even the raucous older children, some bored from weeks in traction, seemed fairly settled, exhausted from too many visitors and computer games and a day spent good-naturedly teasing the nurses.
Melissa was in charge so she worked both sides, overseeing all the patients and keeping a watchful eye on Nicola as she settled the children and did the late round. Shelly took the cots, which consisted of eight airy rooms all surrounded by glass, which meant at any given time she had an uninterrupted view of her patients but they were all effectively isolated so as not to spread any infections. Six were occupied and Shelly checked each child carefully, smiling to herself as she did so, taking in the little bottoms sticking up in the air, thumbs tucked into mouths, the babies sleeping on blissfully as Shelly watched over them. A couple of the cheekier babies had extensions on their cots to stop them climbing out, but for now they all looked like cute little angels.
Angus was sleeping and Shelly roused him gently, carefully checking his observations and the little toes sticking out of the damp plaster, making sure the circulation to his foot was adequate. Annie was right, Shelly thought as she flicked on the cot light and checked him more closely, Angus was beautifully kept—his little nails short and clean, his hair soft and shiny, no rashes or bruises, nothing to indicate he was anything other than loved and cherished.
‘Is he all right?’ Mrs Marshall’s anxious face appeared at the end of the cot. ‘I was just getting a coffee.’
‘He’s fine,’ Shelly reassured her. ‘He’ll probably sleep soundly for the next couple of hours. He was given a strong painkiller so he’s quite comfortable. Would you like me to get you a camp bed? We can set it up beside the cot.’
Mrs Marshall shook her head. ‘Thanks, but no. The day nurse, Annie I think her name was, already offered, but I’m going to go home. I’ve got the other two to sort out and it’s been an exhausting day.’
‘I’m sure it has. We can always ring you if there are any problems, if he gets too distressed,’ Shelly said.
‘Of course.’ Mrs Marshall gave a tired smile. ‘But he normally sleeps right through.’ The mobile telephone ringing in her bag made them both jump and Shelly waited patiently as Mrs Marshall took the call.
‘That was my husband, Doug. He’s come to pick me up.’ Walking over to her son, she gave him a tender kiss and stroked his little lock of hair. Shelly knew she should mention that mobiles were supposed to be turned off on the ward, given her little lecture about the interference they could cause with the equipment, but she didn’t. Trying to put herself in Mrs Marshall’s place for a moment, she figured it could wait for the morning.
Shelly had always been a quick worker and was grateful for the chance to make up a few bottles for when the babies inevitably awoke and to prepare some jugs of boiled water and change the sterilising solutions. Happy she was on top of things, Shelly set up an oxygen tent for the inevitable new admission and prepared the sterilising equipment and nurses’ gowns along with some literature on bronchiolitis for the undoubtedly anxious parents.
‘How’s it going?’ Melissa popped her head in the darkened room and smiled as she saw Shelly setting up the room. ‘Finally, someone who doesn’t have to be told! How are they all?’
‘Settled. I’ve put the new admission in here so it’s nearer the nurses’ station, but cot six needs an eye kept on—she’s still a bit wheezy even after her nebuliser. Cots two and four are due for a feed at eleven so I’ve left their obs till then. Their mums aren’t staying, so if they wake up at the same time I might need you or Nicola to feed one of them—their bottles are all ready.’
‘Good.’
‘How’s Angus?’
‘Fine.’
‘And the mother?’
‘She’s fine too, she’s gone home.’
Melissa shot her a shrewd look. ‘So what’s the problem?’
‘I don’t know,’ Shelly admitted. ‘I know lots of mums go home, that it doesn’t mean anything at all…’
‘Just that you wouldn’t?’
‘I’ve only got one child.’ Shelly flicked her eyes down to her handover notes. ‘Mrs Marshall’s got three and one of them is a young baby. She might be breast-feeding so it’s totally understandable that she had to go home.’
‘So why aren’t you convinced?’
Shelly shrugged. ‘Her husband rang her from the ambulance bay. Surely he’d want to pop up and see Angus and say goodnight?’
‘Maybe he’s got the other two asleep in the back of the car,’ Melissa pointed out. ‘Imagine if Security found two children unattended in the car park. The social workers would have a field day!’
Melissa was right, of course. There was a perfectly reasonable explanation and Shelly gave her head a small shake, determined to concentrate on the facts. But she’d misjudged Melissa, the conversation wasn’t over yet.
‘Just keep your eyes and ears open. I’m not entirely happy myself.’ For a moment their gazes lingered on the sleeping toddler, both women deep in their own thoughts for a moment. ‘Come and have a cuppa before they wake up,’ Melissa said finally with forced cheerfulness. ‘I’ll go and put the kettle on.’
‘Sounds marvellous.’
‘Wait till you taste the cake I’ve made. Ross is already champing at the bit.’
‘Melissa?’ Shelly called as Melissa made her way out of the ward. ‘Just what did you say to Ross exactly?’
‘That I’d baked a cake!’ Melissa gave Shelly a quizzical look as if she’d gone completely mad!
‘I’m not talking about the cake, Melissa.’ Shelly took a deep breath. She didn’t want to ruffle any feathers but the fact Melissa had taken it on herself to tell Ross so much about Shelly’s personal life needed addressing—the very last thing she needed was Melissa playing Cupid. Ross Bodey had enough women after him without thinking he had Shelly on his list of swooning fans. ‘Ross knows Matthew’s name, he seems to know all about the divorce, I just wondered how.’
‘I might have said something…’ Melissa shrugged.
‘You mean you gave him a life update on me the second he entered the ward. Why?’
‘I didn’t,’ Melissa said quickly. ‘I hadn’t laid eyes on Ross until I saw him when I was with you, honestly,’ she insisted as Shelly gave her a disbelieving look. ‘Believe it or not, as riveting as your life might seem to you, it’s not my favourite topic of conversation. Ross and I have kept in touch while he’s been away, I probably said a few things then in passing.’
‘Oh.’ Thankfully the room was in semi-darkness and Melissa couldn’t see the blush flaming on her cheeks, but with the heat it was radiating Shelly was sure she must be able to feel it winging its way across the quiet room.
‘He’s rung a few times at night when he’s needed something looked up or wanted a bit of advice on a patient. He’s a good doctor is Ross, not too up himself to ask a nurse for advice, and when he rang we’d have a chat. He’d ask what the gossip was, who was seeing who, who was pregnant, who was leaving, that type of thing. We didn’t just talk about you, Shelly.’
Suitably chastised, Shelly wished the ground would swallow her up whole.
‘I’m sorry,’ she mumbled. ‘I was just taken back that he knew so much about everything.’
‘That’s Ross for you.’ Melissa shrugged. ‘You know he loves all the gossip.’
‘Sure.’ Fiddling with the oxygen tubes, Shelly kept her voice even. ‘Go on, then, get the kettle on, I’ll finish up in here.’
Once alone, Shelly sank onto the camp bed she had made up for the baby’s mother. Sitting perched on the end, she buried her burning cheeks in her hand, trying for the life of her to fathom why Ross keeping in touch with Melissa had upset her. Why was she feeling like a jealous schoolgirl all of a sudden?
‘Blast,’ she muttered, then flicked her eyes open to check the coast was still clear. As if Ross would be that interested in her marriage problems. As if Melissa was going to rush to fill him in on the latest saga.
She really wasn’t that important.
It had just been a casual chat, a snippet of gossip Melissa had imparted to a bored doctor stuck in the middle of nowhere, eager for a chat, happy to while away the lonely hours on call with an old friend. She should have been relieved, relieved that Melissa hadn’t embarrassed her, that she hadn’t bent his ear about the divorce with a nudge and a wink and a load of innuendo.
But…
The green-eyed monster was rearing its ugly head again.
Why hadn’t Ross rung her? Why had he kept in touch with Melissa over the last few years?
And why did it matter so much?
‘Damn,’ Shelly said more strongly, the words whistling through her gritted teeth as she forced herself to take a deep steadying breath as realisation finally hit.
The hairdresser’s, the perfume, the long overdue meeting with her razor hadn’t been a coincidence. Hadn’t even been a vague attempt to show an old friend she hadn’t completely let herself go.
Of all the stupid things to go and do…
Of all the ridiculous, ludicrous things she had done in her time, this one certainly took the biscuit.
Developing a king-size crush on a certain Ross Bodey was the last thing Shelly needed to deal with. Her cheeks scorched with embarrassment at the thought of him finding out, that the dependable, organised Shelly, his on-duty friend and confidante, had succumbed like legions of others to his blue-eyed charm.
He was miles out of her league, young free and single, not just a world away but an entire galaxy from Shelly’s routine existence, and it would serve her well to remember the fact.
Ross Bodey was way out of bounds.
