for the birth? I take it that you’re booked into the maternity unit with it being your first child.’
‘That’s right.’ Beth made an obvious effort to calm herself. ‘I wanted to have the baby at home but Polly talked me out of it. She said it would be safer if I had it in the hospital seeing as I’m a first-time mum and that bit older too.’
‘And who’s Polly?’ Ellie asked, needing to be clear about the details.
‘She’s the local midwife—Polly Davies,’ Beth explained. ‘I’ve been seeing her for my antenatal check-ups. In fact, I saw her only last Friday.’
‘And what did she say?’ Ellie asked.
‘Oh, that everything was fine—blood pressure, baby’s heartbeat, et cetera.’ Beth frowned. ‘She did say that the baby seemed to be quite low down, now I think about it.’
‘Probably getting ready to make his exit,’ Ellie said, laughing.
‘Probably. The little rip!’
Beth laughed as well and Ellie was relieved to see that she appeared far less anxious. Good. The last thing she wanted was for Beth to be uptight if they had to deliver the baby here. The thought helped her focus on what needed to be done and she squeezed Beth’s hand. ‘I’ll go and phone the hospital and let them know what’s happening. I’ll also get hold of Polly. With a bit of luck, she’ll be able to lend a hand here. I’ll be as quick as I can. OK?’
Beth nodded, her face screwing up as another contraction began. Ellie hurried from the room and made straight to Reception, knowing that Marie would have all the phone numbers. She was dealing with a patient and Ellie waited until she had finished. Lowering her voice so it wouldn’t carry across the waiting room, she quickly explained what was going on.
‘Really!’ Marie’s mouth dropped open. ‘But she’s another three weeks to go. Are you sure it isn’t a false alarm?’
‘Quite sure,’ Ellie said firmly. ‘This baby is definitely on its way and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Can you phone the hospital and let them know? We’ll need an ambulance, although I doubt if it will get here before the big event.’
‘Of course.’ Marie picked up the phone, although she still appeared slightly stunned.
‘Oh, and can you get hold of Polly too? Apparently, she’s been responsible for Beth’s antenatal care. It would be a huge help if she could give me a hand.’
‘I’ll phone her first,’ Marie promised. ‘She lives in town so she can be here in no time.’
‘That’s great. Thanks.’ Ellie started to turn away then paused. ‘Daniel needs to know what’s going on. Which is his room again?’
‘First door on the right,’ Marie explained, then turned her attention to the phone. ‘Polly, it’s Marie. You won’t believe what’s happened...’
Ellie left the receptionist to make the calls and hurried back to Beth, pausing en route to tap on Daniel’s door. She popped her head into the room when he bade her to enter. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you,’ she said, smiling apologetically at the young woman holding a fractious toddler on her knee. ‘But can I have a quick word?’
‘Of course.’ Daniel excused himself and stepped out into the corridor. He frowned. ‘There’s nothing wrong, I hope. I thought Beth was showing you around.’
‘She was but we’ve hit a snag.’ Ellie felt decidedly awkward about interrupting him during a consultation but there was really nothing else she could have done in the circumstances.
‘A snag?’ he echoed in a voice that hinted at displeasure. ‘What are you talking about?’
Ellie’s mouth compressed, not enjoying the fact that he obviously thought she was being a nuisance. She prided herself on her self-sufficiency and it stung to realise that he thought she was the type of person who needed constant support.
‘Beth’s baby is coming,’ she explained coldly. She raised her hand when he went to speak. ‘No, there’s no doubt about her being in labour. Marie is arranging for an ambulance and phoning Polly to see if she can come and help. I thought you should know, although I apologise for disturbing you.’
With that she turned away, making herself walk steadily along the corridor even though in truth she felt like running off and hiding. She bit her lip when she felt the far too ready tears spring to her eyes. Maybe it hurt to have Daniel speak to her so sharply but she could live with it. After all, he was her boss, nothing more. It didn’t matter how he spoke to her so long as he wasn’t rude.
It all sounded so sensible in theory but as she opened the door, Ellie realised that it did matter, that it mattered a great deal. For some reason she wanted Daniel to speak to her with warmth and make her feel that she was valued. How pathetic was that!
DANIEL COULD HAVE bitten off his tongue for speaking so sharply to Eleanor. If it weren’t for the fact that he had a patient waiting, he would have gone after her and apologised. Taking a deep breath, he went back into the room and sat down.
‘I apologise for the interruption, Mrs Walsh,’ he said to the woman seated in the chair. ‘You were about to explain how you hurt your arm.’
‘I...I tripped, Dr Saunders. Over...ahem...one of Alice’s toys.’
The young woman ran a trembling hand over her daughter’s wispy blonde hair. Although both mother and child were neatly dressed in expensive outfits, there was something not quite right about their appearance. The little girl’s hair looked as if it hadn’t been brushed and yet Madeleine Walsh had taken the time to apply a heavy layer of make-up. Daniel leant across the desk, using the excuse of reaching for Mrs Walsh’s file while he examined her face more closely. Was that a bruise he could see on her cheek? And another on her neck?
‘I see,’ he said, sitting back in his seat. He smiled at her, although he had a bad feeling about this. It wasn’t the first time that Madeleine Walsh had come to see him after a supposed fall; this was her third visit in the last six months. Although he hadn’t noticed any sign of bruising then, it could be because he hadn’t been looking for it. He needed to get to the bottom of this situation and soon. ‘Did you hurt yourself anywhere else apart from your arm? Your face looks bruised to me—did you bang it?’
‘Oh...erm...yes, I must have done.’ The woman put her hand to her cheek and Daniel could see the fear in her eyes. ‘I’m ever so clumsy,’ she muttered. ‘Always tripping up and banging into things.’
‘Easily done,’ Daniel said evenly. ‘As long as you’re sure that it was an accident. Anything you tell me won’t go any further, Mrs Walsh, I assure you.’
‘Of course it was an accident!’ the woman declared, flushing. ‘I tripped over one of Alice’s toys—one of her dolls, actually—and fell down the stairs. I...I must have put out my hand to save myself and that’s how I hurt my arm.’
‘Let me take a look.’ Daniel got up and came around the desk. Crouching down, he went to examine her arm, stopping when little Alice shrank away from him. ‘It’s all right, poppet,’ he said softly. ‘I just want to look at Mummy’s arm so I can make it better.’
‘She’s not good with strangers,’ Madeleine Walsh said hurriedly, cuddling the trembling child to her.
‘Does she attend the nursery school?’ Daniel asked levelly, although the bad feeling he had was growing worse by the second. Alice was four years old and in his experience most children her age had got over their shyness and were happy to socialise with people outside the family unit.
‘No. I decided not to send her.’ Madeleine Walsh bit her lip then rushed on. ‘She’s very shy and it didn’t seem right to send her to a place where I know