Page 2 of The Village Midwife
They rushed with a quiet, controlled sense of urgency down a set of corridors into a sterile space, and Zoe hurried to start the playlist Molly had wanted on when the baby was born. It was likely Molly wouldn’t know if her request had been granted either way because she was far too woozy at this point, but Zoe had always felt it important that she did her best to fulfil the patient’s wishes anyway.
It was Taylor Swift. Zoe only recognised the more famous songs, but she hummed along to those under her breath as the consultant directed her and she did her best to assist.
A short half hour later it was all over. There was a second of heavy silence, filled only by the sounds of Molly’s birth tape playing at a low volume, and then a loud cry split the air.
Zoe went over to Molly and smiled. ‘A girl. I’ll weigh her and do a few quick checks, and then you can hold her while they fix you back up.’
Zoe took the baby gently to the scales. Naked, crying out and red raw, they always seemed so vulnerable at this point – as vulnerable as they’d ever be in their lives. They weren’t cute and bonny, as they would become in a few days, but there was a fierce, primal sort of beauty that couldn’t exactly be considered conventional. Some were instantly prettier than others, but as Zoe’s colleague Helen always said, they needed time to cook before they had the sort of face a mother could love. It was such a funny way of putting it, it always made Zoe laugh, but she could see Helen’s point, especially now as she laid Molly’s newborn down to weigh her.
‘Eight pounds on the nose,’ she called over as she did a quick examination for any immediately obvious problems before taking her back over and laying her onto Molly’s chest. ‘There you go. Do you have a name yet?’
‘Tarryn,’ Molly said.
‘That’s lovely. We don’t get many of those.’
‘Can I have my phone?’ Molly asked. ‘I want to phone my boyfriend to tell him.’
‘I’ll be able to get it for you when we’re back on the ward. Where is it he’s working again?’
‘Dubai. He has a flight home booked for next week. We thought that would be enough time for him to be here when I went into labour.’
‘But baby Tarryn had other ideas, eh? That’s how it goes. Will he be able to bring it forward?’
‘Not sure, but my mum is coming to stay so I’ll have help. It’s just that I wanted him to be here.’
Zoe gave her a smile full of sympathy. More often than anyone realised, expectant mums didn’t get what they wantedfor their births, but most forgot all that sooner than they’d imagine.
‘All done here.’ The consultant smiled briskly at Molly. ‘You can go and get some rest now. Congratulations.’
Zoe made Molly and her baby warm and comfortable for the trip back to the ward.
‘Thank you so much,’ Molly said. ‘You’re the best.’
Zoe beamed. ‘I don’t know about that. Just doing my job. The porters will take you down, and I’ll be along shortly. Do you want a cup of tea? Something to eat, maybe? I can get the kitchens to do you some toast.’
‘I’d love that, thanks.’
Zoe busied herself tying up loose ends and completing her notes while Molly was taken to the ward to rest.
‘That was a sticky one,’ the consultant said as she did the same. ‘Good call to come and get me.’
‘Thanks for coming down so fast.’
The consultant went on her way, and a few minutes later Zoe was done too. She’d come in early for Molly’s sake, but her official shift wasn’t due to finish for another hour. She knew she wouldn’t leave on time, even then. Her husband complained about that all the time, but she’d got so used to it, she shrugged it off now. She’d arrive home and climb into bed, and Ritchie would wake and moan about how cold she was, but then he’d grab her feet and warm them before they both went to sleep.
She smiled and ran a hand over her belly as she walked down the corridor towards the ward to check on Molly. What kind of dad would Ritchie be? One of those silly ones, she always thought, that had no practical common sense to offer but would be great at taking their kid to the park and watching cartoons on the sofa with them. He’d be the fun parent and she’d be the caregiver, but she didn’t mind that. As long as it worked and theygave their child the best start they could, that was all she could ask for.
2
As a row of distant hills rose up ahead, sunlight like a halo cresting the ridge, Zoe paused mid-sentence and stared. Lining either side of the narrow road were trees heavy with late summer greenery. A low mist swirled in the hollows of a distant field, sparkling in the morning light.
‘It’s quite a sight, isn’t it?’
She turned to see a quiet smile on the face of her old friend, Ottilie, who was feeding the steering wheel through her hands as she navigated the tight turns of the road they were travelling.
‘It’s gorgeous!’ Zoe breathed.
‘I don’t think I could ever get tired of a view like this. Whenever I have to leave Thimblebury and then I come back, the minute I see these hills, I know I’m home. And I don’t just mean home as in this is where my house is. Oh no, it goes way deeper than that.’ Ottilie threw the briefest glance Zoe’s way before turning her attention back to the road. ‘Want to know a secret?’
