A Family Worth Waiting For. Josie Metcalfe

no pressure. Just always being there until she couldn’t recall what life had been like without him. Until she said those three little words.

      * * *

      ‘Good morning, Shirley,’ Claire greeted the new mother as she entered the room.

      ‘Hello, Claire. Goodness, what have you been up to? You’re glowing!’

      Claire blushed. She felt like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

      ‘You should talk.’ She grinned at her client. ‘I could see your I’ve-just-had-a-baby glow from the car park.’

      Shirley laughed and Claire breathed a sigh of relief that she’d successfully turned the conversation back to Shirley.

      ‘Davy get you up much?’

      ‘A few times,’ Shirley confirmed.

      ‘Is he feeding well?’ Claire sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the sleeping baby’s head.

      ‘Seems to be. He’s attached much better than the other three ever did. Maybe I’ve finally got the hang of it.’ She laughed.

      ‘Where’s Graham? Didn’t he stay?’

      ‘No, he went home with the kids early last night. He’ll be back to pick me up around lunchtime. That should be OK, shouldn’t it?’

      ‘Don’t see why not.’ Claire smiled. ‘Why don’t you put him down and I’ll check how you’re doing?’

      Shirley placed the sleeping baby in his clear plastic crib and lay down on the bed. Claire took her temperature, pulse and blood pressure and then gently palpated Shirley’s abdomen.

      ‘Tummy’s going down nicely,’ Claire confirmed. ‘How’s your loss?’

      ‘Still heavy,’ said Shirley, used to such personal questions.

      ‘Any afterpains?’

      ‘Initially, yes! But Graham got me a hot pack, which helped. They’re a bloody nuisance. After all you go through with labour, you’d think that’d be it but, oh, no!’

      Claire smiled and agreed with Shirley. Some women, more commonly those who were on their second or subsequent babies, found these pains, caused by the contracting uterus, even worse than labour. Most found them uncomfortable, like heavy period pains, but a few even needed pain relief when they occurred.

      ‘Well, I’ll have whoever’s on call for Paediatrics come and check little Davy over, and then you should be able to go.’

      ‘What about his day-three heel prick? Will they do that at the clinic?’

      ‘You can, but the hospital has a community midwife service that can do that for you. I’ll call them on Monday and they’ll come out to your home and do the heel prick there. You’ll also be able to talk to them about any concerns.’

      Claire left Shirley to shower and pack. She wandered into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea, her mind completely preoccupied with the events of last night. She took the tea into her office and sat down at her desk, staring absently out the window.

      She worried her bottom lip as snippets of their conversation and flashes of their love-making came to her unbidden. It had been a wonderful evening. Perfect in every way. Except for the fact that it should never have happened.

      Goodness only knew what Campbell was thinking about it all. Would he assume there was more to come? Would he expect that? She could hardly blame him if he did. What if he thought they were now a couple?

      Claire took a sip of her lukewarm tea. Had she really been staring into space that long? She put her cup down and firmly pushed her thoughts aside. She had a lot to do to organise Shirley’s and Davy’s discharge.

      She made a note in her diary for Monday to organise with the community midwifery service a home visit to Shirley. Next, she paged the paediatric registrar covering for the weekend. He answered promptly and agreed to come straight away. Claire collected the paperwork together, writing her own notes and filling in the discharge form.

      ‘Hi, Claire.’

      She’d been so preoccupied with her work she hadn’t heard the swing doors open. ‘Hi, William. I was so pleased when it was you who answered the page.’

      Dr William Casey and Claire had known each other for many years. They had a good relationship, which had flourished, despite her rejection of his advances when they’d first met. He was very easygoing and had taken it in his stride.

      ‘Only one more year of this awful shift work and then private practice here I come.’

      Claire laughed. William had wanted to be a paediatrician for ever and had been steadily working towards that goal.

      ‘You’re not selling out, are you?’ she mocked.

      ‘Claire, Claire, Claire,’ he tsked. ‘You really have problems with the establishment, don’t you?’

      ‘Nah. Getting too old for that now.’ She laughed.

      William stood up straighter in the doorway, his eyes narrowing, speculation causing them to gleam.

      ‘Something’s not right,’ he mused. ‘You look … different.’

      ‘Different?’ she enquired, trying not to blush. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

      ‘Yes, you look like you’ve just been … Oh, my God! He did it, didn’t he? He won. He wore you down. Campbell, the old dog! Well, well, well.’

      ‘Don’t be ridiculous, William,’ Claire blustered, trying to look affronted.

      ‘Oh, I see. Not going to kiss and tell, huh? Don’t worry, Claire, your secret is safe with me.’

      ‘William,’ Claire sighed. ‘You’re the biggest gossip this hospital has ever known.’

      ‘Yeah, you’re right. Guess that’s bad luck for you.’ He laughed at her unimpressed face. ‘Got a baby for me?’

      Claire was grateful for the change of subject and led him in to Shirley before she succumbed to the urge to throttle him.

      A gossip he might be, but a more thorough doctor was hard to find. ‘Sorry to disturb you, little mate,’ he whispered to the baby as he picked him up out of his cot and unwrapped him.

      Davy opened sleep-bleary eyes but didn’t look too cranky at the intrusion. Even when William flashed a torch in his eyes, checking for the red reflex of the cornea, he didn’t object. William assessed all five reflexes that newborns should have, and then flipped him on his tummy. He visually inspected, as well as physically checked, by running his finger down, Davy’s spine to make sure it was complete.

      Davy did object when William performed the test for clicky hips. He howled and went a very impressive shade of red as William applied pressure through his little bent knees down into the hip joint.

      ‘Sorry, little mate,’ he soothed, rubbing the newborn’s tummy as he checked that both testicles were descended.

      ‘Good time for a feed,’ said Shirley. ‘If you’ve finished?’ she asked.

      ‘Sure,’ William agreed. ‘Nothing like a full stomach after such a harrowing experience, hey, little man?’ William crooned as he handed Davy to his mother.

      ‘Has he passed urine yet?’

      ‘Several times,’ Shirley confirmed.

      ‘Any meconium yet?’

      ‘Oh, yes!’ Shirley laughed. ‘I’ve saved it for you if you want to check.’ She laughed again. Having done this for the fourth time, Shirley knew that black, tarry bowel motions were best left alone.

      Mercifully William didn’t stay on after he passed little Davy for discharge. He left straight away but did manage a lewd wink at Claire