Page 70 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘It’s all right. You’re bound to be a bit more susceptible to that sort of thing right now. I wish I could tell you something useful, but I can’t. Except…’
Zoe paused. Perhaps she could share with Ottilie what she knew. Perhaps Ottilie would have more useful insights than Alex, and given that Magnus and Geoff knew some of it, it wasprobably only a matter of time before everyone knew anyway. But before she could frame her next sentence, Emilia’s voice was behind her.
‘Good morning, Zoe,’ she said briskly.
Zoe spun round, trying not to show her mortification at the notion of what she might have heard had she got there only a minute later.
‘I’m glad I’ve caught you both at the same time – it will save me a trip. We’re being audited in the new year. I’d be grateful if all your notes could be complete and up to date by then.’
‘They’re always complete and up to date,’ Ottilie said, slightly defensively.
‘Yes, but it doesn’t hurt to mention it,’ Emilia said crisply. ‘People sometimes get lax at this time of the year.’
‘Not me,’ Ottilie replied primly. ‘Especially now, as I’m getting closer to my maternity leave.’
‘Yes,’ Emilia said, ‘of course. Which reminds me, we’ll soon have the additional headache of your cover to deal with.’
And then she swept out again, leaving Zoe and Ottilie alone once more.
‘I’m sorry to have been such a nuisance,’ Ottilie said through gritted teeth. ‘God forbid I should have a life outside this surgery.’
Zoe gave her a pained smile, and Ottilie tried to return it. ‘It’s you I feel bad for.’
Zoe frowned. ‘Why?’
‘Because I persuaded you to come here and take this job and told you how lovely the surgery is – and now look at us. It’s not what I promised at all.’
‘No,’ Zoe said, ‘maybe not right now, but I can hardly complain about coming here. I got Alex, for a start. And you, and all the other friends I’ve made here. I don’t think you need to feel bad about that. Things are a bit fraught right now, but I’m sure itwill all settle soon. Maybe a bit of time off over Christmas is just what we all need. It might be that we’re all tired and at the end of our tethers, and we need a few days to recharge.’
‘Ever the optimist,’ Ottilie said. ‘You always were the sunnier one.’
‘I don’t know about that. I’d better get on…See you at lunch?’
‘Yes, as long as we haven’t all been fired by then. Zoe…’
Zoe turned back. ‘Yes?’
‘I think I might set my mat leave date today. I might not come back after the Christmas break. I know that’s going to piss Emilia and Simon off because it will be short notice, and I wanted to hang on until the end, really, so I could have more time with the baby after the birth, but…with the atmosphere around here at the moment…’
‘I don’t blame you,’ Zoe said. ‘It’s not good for anyone, especially you. It’sreallyshort notice, though. Christmas is more or less on top of us.’
‘Do you think I ought to hang on then?’
‘If you’re finding it stressful at work, then no, I don’t. I’ll do my best to square things with them if it comes to it. I can tell them it’s under my advice. Then they can take it out on me if they’re going to get annoyed at anyone.’
‘I couldn’t ask you to do that.’
‘But it might make life easier.’
Ottilie gave a small smile. ‘I can’t deny that it would. I’ll talk to you about it when we’ve got time, if that’s all right.’
‘Let’s do that.’
Zoe left Ottilie’s room. She passed Simon’s and wondered whether to try and air her concerns before surgery began, but she didn’t even know where she’d start. Would he think she was speaking out of turn? Uncertain how he’d view it, she decided not to. For now, perhaps the best thing she could do was keepher counsel and see how things went. Then again, perhaps there was one thing she could do.
As she switched on her computer, she decided to speak to Georgia as soon as she could and, for once, to insist on a straight answer. If there was trouble, for many reasons, not just because they were friends, Zoe needed to know. But she’d have to do it away from the house, and as she was here now with a private room, space on her clinic list and the perfect excuse as her midwife to get Georgia in, she decided to take the bull by the horns and phone her before she did anything else.
An hour later, Georgia was in the office with her. Zoe had immediately worried about her decision, fearful of what Emilia might say once she found out, because she’d likely know there was no real reason to get Georgia in for an appointment, or demanding to be told about it if she thought there was.
