Page 38 of Prognosis So Done

tray and grouping them neatly. Her side was really starting to

ache now.

‘How’s the little one going?’ she asked.

Gill rolled his eyes. ‘Fine.’

‘Katya and I were talking and we decided we should give her

a name.’

Harriet turned at the suggestion. Yes. That’s exactly what

they should do. ‘Oh, yes!’ she exclaimed. ‘What a great idea.’

Gill looked from one to the other. ‘Ah...I think it’s traditional for the mother to name the child.’

‘Don’t be obtuse,’ Siobhan rebuffed him good-naturedly in her gorgeous accent. ‘How many times in these situations do

you get to see such a positive side to life? We see too much death and dying. It’s nice to see new life for a change. How many C-sections have you done with MedSurg?’

‘Counting this one? One.’

‘Precisely. We need to celebrate life. Don’t you think so, Harry?’

‘Yes,’ she said, her chin rising as she looked him square in the face, ‘we do.’

‘Well, great, we’ll all drink too much champagne on the flight home tomorrow. Naming the child isn’t necessary. For a

start it’ll have its own name and secondly we’ll never see her again. What’s the point?’

‘The point?’ asked Harriet, as another cramping pain gnawed

at her side. ‘The point is that names are important. I know

you surgeons have difficulty remembering that, but they’re what humanise us. It’s how we’re identified. And each one tells a story about the person and the origin of their birth.’

Harriet shoved her hands on her hips. ‘Take your name, for example. Your Australian mother wanted a French name to remind you of your heritage but your French dad wanted you to fit in so he wanted an English name. They compromised, christening you with the French version of William but settling on calling you Gill for short. Your grandfather is the only one who calls you by your proper name.’

Drying her hands, Harriet continued. ‘A name’s not just what someone calls you to get your attention. It says so much about your family and your history. That’s important. And so was this birth, and I think Siobhan is right. When we talk about this night in years to come, we’ll be able to talk about the baby by name. It’ll make it that much more special.’

Gill and Siobhan stared at her wordlessly for a few moments. ‘Yep,’ said Siobhan, ‘what she said.’

‘Are you OK?’ Gill asked.

Harriet frowned at him. She’d been so deep in concentration she hadn’t realised she’d had her hand on her hip and was absently massaging her abdomen.

‘Fine,’ she dismissed briskly, dropping her hand.

Gill frowned but let it drop as he glanced at Siobhan. ‘OK, let’s name the baby. Any suggestions?’

‘Kat,’ said Katya as she joined the conversation, and everyone laughed.

‘What about Caesar, after the way she was bought into the

world?’ said Siobhan.

‘Too masculine,’ said Gill.

---