Doctor at the Chatsfield Read online

  ‘I’m giving her a reassuring smile. Oh no…’

  ‘What.’

  ‘She’s squatting, that’s not good is it.’

  ‘That’s very good and very normal,’ Joshua reassured, ‘what are you doing?’

  ‘I’m squatting too,’ Natasha said, ‘in sympathy! Hold on, now she’s sitting on the floor.’

  ‘You’re going to help her to rest her back against the sofa for support and get her underwear off now.’ Joshua said. ‘Have you got gloves on?’

  ‘I am so not going to be needing gloves,’ Natasha said from the depths of denial.

  ‘Go and get some gloves.’

  ‘Should I put the kettle on, boil some string,’ Natasha said as she went under the cupboard and found the cleaner’s packet of gloves. ‘Ok, I have gloves on.’ Natasha approached Maya. ‘Hi, Maya I’m just going to …. Oh!’

  ‘What?’ Joshua asked, assuming from the surprise in Natasha’s voice that the head must be out. ‘What can you see?’

  ‘She hasn’t got any knickers on.’

  ‘Good,’ Joshua said, ‘saves you a job.’

  ‘How could you walk around London at night with no knickers on?’

  ‘Natasha, we’re going to address your issues just a little later,’ somehow he made her smile through her terror, ‘but right now I want you to pull her knees back and then tell me what you see.’

  ‘What if I faint?’ Natasha said, raising one of Maya’s knees as Maya took care of the other one.

  ‘Come on Natasha.’

  ‘Ok, I can see hair.’ Natasha actually felt a bit dizzy. ‘I mean, I can see the baby’s hair, as well as Maya’s…’ Maya was really grunting… ‘Ok the hair’s receding,’ Natasha said. ‘How far away are you?’

  ‘About ten minutes,’ Joshua said. ‘Give or take.’

  ‘Please hurry.’

  ‘Get some towels, some more gloves, a blanket…’

  Natasha put her head out of the door to give her orders to James but the super-efficient concierge was already there with a trolley with everything on it.

  ‘Would you like to come in?’ Natasha said.

  ‘I’d rather not,’ James smiled and Natasha closed the door and walked back to the scariest encounter of her life.

  ‘You can do this Natasha…’

  ‘Please, Joshua,’ Natasha said smiling at Maya and trying to keep the terror from her voice, ‘can you get here…’

  ‘Think how scared Maya is right now’

  ‘She’s not scared,’ Natasha said as Maya grabbed at her hands as if they were a lifeline, ‘I think she thinks that I’ve got this…’

  ‘You do.’

  ‘I might see if there are any guests that are doctors…’

  ‘At two in the morning,’ Joshua checked. ‘Any doctor staying at the Chatsfield will be nursing his cognac. You’re going to be fine…’ he said reassuringly.

  ‘I know I sound selfish and shallow,’ Natasha said to the phone, as Maya grabbed her hand and placed it on her lower back, ‘but my concern isn’t for me, I’d rather you said, the baby is going to fine.’

  ‘I’m sure the baby will be fine,’ Joshua said. ‘What are you doing now?’

  ‘Rubbing her back.’

  ‘That’s good.’

  There was a small pause in proceedings as Natasha rubbed Maya’s back and she met her eyes.

  ‘See if you can find out how many children she’s had,’ Joshua suggested.

  ‘Number One?’ Natasha asked, pointing to Maya’s pregnant belly and holding up a finger, and Maya shook her head and held up four fingers.

  ‘I think this is her fourth,’ Natasha said, ‘at least one of us knows what we’re doing. Have you delivered lots of babies?’ she asked Joshua.

  ‘Lots,’ Joshua said.

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘Not really,’ Joshua smiled, ‘though I have to admit I’m enjoying this one.’

  ‘Masochist.’

  ‘You mean sadist,’ Joshua said, ‘and I’m not one of those either.’ Then he stopped joking. ‘You can do this Natasha, babies that come this quickly usually don’t need much help, they just need to be born.’

  ‘Ok.’ Natasha’s strained her ears but there were no sirens, no paramedics crashing in to take over and now when Maya bore down the head didn’t go back and so she snapped herself to calm and gave Maya another smile.

  ‘The head’s there…’

  ‘Where?’ Joshua askes, ‘is it out.’

  ‘No, it’s just there.’ Natasha said.

  ‘Just put your hand there,’ Joshua said, ‘and feel…’

  ‘It’s out.’ Natasha said, ‘oh it’s turning around…’

  ‘That’s good, feel around the neck, is there the cord?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Natasha could not believe what she was witnessing. ‘The baby’s eyes are opening. It’s looking around and it isn’t even born yet…’

  ‘Tell Maya to slow down if you can…’

  Natasha looked to Maya and put her hand up telling her to stop and just hoping she’d get that gesture, which she seemed to, because the shouting and groaning hushed and everything seemed to go quiet and, best of all, Maya seemed to know what to do, even if Natasha didn’t, because Maya’s hands were reaching down for her baby.

  ‘The shoulders are out,’ Natasha breathed, ‘Mum’s lifting the baby out with me…’

  ‘Perfect,’ Joshua said. ‘Cover the baby and try and keep it warm, give its back a little rub…’

  ‘Maya is…’ Natasha watched in awe as the baby took a great shuddering breath and went from white to pink as it started to cry.

  ‘It’s a girl,’ Natasha said, ‘oh my, she’s so tiny.’

  ‘How tiny?’ Joshua checked, worried the baby might be premature then remembering he was speaking to someone who didn’t have a clue and he smiled at her response.

  ‘New baby tiny,’ Natasha said. ‘Oh, mum’s feeding her, is that ok.’

  ‘Just make sure the cord’s long enough without stretching it.’

  ‘Do I tie it off?’

  ‘With what?’ Joshua smiled.

  ‘Good point.’

  ‘So what now?’

  ‘Just keep them warm and covered and hopefully the ambulance will be there soon…’

  ‘It’s here,’ Natasha said, because she could hear them coming in through the foyer and she actually forgot about Joshua as the paramedics came in and took over.

  ‘You don’t need us at all,’ one smiled and teased a very visibly shaken Natasha. She was happy, elated, anxious, just this jumble of feelings as Maya and her baby were loaded onto the stretcher and she walked out into the night with them.

  ‘Congratulations,’ Natasha smiled to Maya who took her hand and they had a brief hug.

  ‘You did a great job,’ the paramedic said and Natasha stood on the cool London street and watched as Maya was loaded into the ambulance and then the doors closed on her.

  Chapter Two

  ‘Are you ok?’ Ben asked as Natasha made her way back into the hotel.

  ‘I’m fine,’ Natasha gave a brisk smile but inside she was churning. All the adrenaline that had coursed through her since Maya’s waters had broken hadn’t left her body and she kept imagining if things hadn’t gone well, how appalling it would have been if it had all gone wrong, if Joshua hadn’t been on the other end of the phone.

  ‘Thanks, James,’ Natasha said as she returned. ‘I’ll just go and clean things up in the lounge and then I’ll get changed.’

  ‘Take your time,’ James said, noting how pale the usually unruffled Natasha was. ‘Why don’t you have your break now?’

  Natasha nodded and walked back into the lounge and closed the door behind her, and then, from nowhere and completely unexpectedly tears came.

  Major tears.

  It was like the stopper had come out of a bottle as the night caught up with her. Not just the night, but the weeks, the months, the break up, the promotion she didn’t want, a
ll just poured out of her and Natasha sobbed like she never had.

  Joshua drove through the night, listening to her tears.

  He had been waiting for her to come back to the phone so that he could congratulate her. He actually wanted to stop by the hotel and meet with Natasha but, now that Maya was safe, he had turned the car around and was heading back to the train crash to see if there was anything he could do to help.

  Hearing her tears, Joshua wondered if he should just turn the phone off, because the brusque Natasha would surely loathe that he could hear this, yet, he simply couldn’t switch off.

  He heard her reach the gulping stage, and was about to enquire if she was ok when he heard her let out a rather rude curse as she must have realised that the phone was still on.

  ‘I’m guessing you heard all that,’ Natasha sniffed, her face burning from both tears and embarrassment at being overheard crying.

  ‘I did,’ Joshua said. ‘Are you ok?’

  ‘Do I sound ok?’ came her terse response.

  ‘It can be pretty emotional, birth…’

  ‘Don’t give me that,’ Natasha said, ‘I’m crying because of all the mess I’ve now got to clear up…’

  He smiled at her attempt to cover her embarrassment with a joke.

  ‘I think I’m just a bit overwhelmed…’ Natasha sat on the sofa and just stared at the phone which gave her his voice. ‘I would never have thought I could do that…’

  ‘But you did.’

  ‘No, no, you don’t get it,’ Natasha was really just musing out loud. ‘I make very sure that I only do the things I know that I can do and do well…’ she glanced at the clock. ‘How far away are you?’

  ‘Miles, Joshua said, ‘I’m on my way back to the train crash.’

  ‘Oh.’ Stupid of her to think he’d be coming now that the baby was born.

  ‘You can keep me company as I drive,’ Joshua said.

  ‘I’m fine now.’

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Just a bit shaken. Honestly, I know babies being born are ten a penny but I swear, I have never been so scared in my life. Thank you,’ she added. ‘I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t talked me through it.’

  ‘You’d have coped,’ Joshua said.

  ‘I doubt it.’

  ‘Of course you would have,’ Joshua said and Natasha frowned because he sounded like he meant it. ‘It’s a shock when something like that happens.’

  ‘We deal with all sorts here,’ Natasha admitted, ‘or rather we get the appropriate person to deal with all sorts…’ she could have ended the call then but he was so nice to talk to that she told him a little of what was on her mind. ‘I’m thinking of a career change,’ Natasha admitted to the phone.

  ‘Midwife?’

  ‘God, no,’ Natasha said. ‘Or maybe, I don’t know, I’m just ….’

  ‘Tell me.’

  ‘I honestly don’t know. I just know I haven’t been particularly happy at work of late, not unhappy, just…’

  ‘Maybe you could go to a careers advisor or something.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Natasha said. ‘Though I’d be mad to give up a well-paid job to go off and study barnacles or something…’

  ‘Barnacles?’

  ‘I don’t know!’ Natasha smiled. ‘I was just letting you glimpse the utterly unchartered territory of my dream job. I just know it’s out there.’

  ‘Then I’d say you be mad to stay in a well-paid job when you know your dreams out there waiting.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Natasha said.

  ‘Have we met?’ Joshua asked, more than a little curious about the voice on the end of the line. ‘When I’ve been on call?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Natasha thought for a moment - she’d certainly remember that voice. ‘Do you have glasses and a moustache?’

  ‘No,’ Joshua laughed, ‘That’s Doctor Hamilton.’

  ‘I don’t think so, then.’

  ‘What do you look like?’ Joshua asked and Natasha sat there for a moment, before answering. She was so tired of men judging her on her looks and figure, and wondered if that slight caress to his voice might disappear when she lied.

  ‘Dark hair, a bit overweight,’ she lied, ‘actually I’m quite a bit overweight.’

  ‘Curvy,’ Joshua corrected, ‘describe yourself as curvy.’

  ‘I shall!’ Natasha laughed. ‘What do you look like?’

  ‘Hot,’ Joshua said.

  ‘You can’t say that,’ Natasha smiled. ‘You’re supposed to be modest.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because, you just are,’ Natasha said. ‘How hot are you?’

  ‘There’s a very wrong answer there,’ Joshua said because he had been about to say “very hot for you,”

  And Natasha knew it.

  Her cheeks were pink and there was a smile playing on her mouth and this flurry in her stomach which had been absent for the longest time. In fact, it had never been present just due to a voice.

  ‘You’d better go, doctor, or we’re going to be having phone sex.’ Natasha actually winced when she’d said it. ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I just said that. That was so inappropriate…’

  ‘I thought it was funny and, as much as I’d love to, sirens are wailing, lights are flashing,’ Joshua said and she listened, as he must have opened his window and told someone he was a doctor and she heard a voice telling him to go through.

  ‘Here’s where I leave you,’ Joshua said.

  ‘Good luck!’

  ‘And you,’ Joshua said. ‘With that dream job of yours.’

  She was still smiling when she’d tidied the room and changed into a fresh outfit.

  God, was he really as sexy as his voice?

  Natasha put on the news again in the lounge room but it felt different now, watching the rescue efforts and knowing that Joshua was there in the thick of it. She kept straining to glimpse the faces of the men in red jackets with ‘Doctor’ written on the back, wondering if one of them was him.

  Stop it, Natasha told herself. He was just being nice.

  But it had been such a long time since someone had been so nice, for no reason other than being nice. He had been so encouraging, so sure, that Natasha was now more sure about her future too.

  She would go and see a careers advisor Natasha decided, and yes, she would go chasing that dream job, whatever it might be.

  Chapter Three

  The night passed quickly, Natasha rang Mr Chatsfield and let him know that the roads were now all open and the traffic was moving nicely.

  ‘I already spoke with James,’ Mr Chatsfield said. ‘I hear you had an eventful night!’

  ‘I did,’ Natasha smiled. ‘I don’t think any of the guests were troubled by it though.’

  ‘Very well done,’ he said, which was nice to hear from someone so important.

  By seven as the shift handover came on, Natasha was cold, tired and hungry but her smile stayed put.

  ‘Busy night?’ Mark asked.

  ‘How did you guess?’

  ‘Because you’re not wearing your name-badge!’ Mark noted. ‘Tut, tut, tut, Natasha….’

  ‘I had to change because I delivered a baby last night,’ Natasha smiled.

  ‘Seriously!’

  ‘Yep, in the little lounge room.’

  ‘Oh my!’ Mark visibly paled. ‘Didn’t the ambulance get here?’

  ‘No, they were stuck with the train crash….’

  ‘What about the hotel doctor?’

  ‘He was on his way to the train crash.’

  ‘Oh Natasha,’ Mark said, clutching his throat. ‘I’d have died.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I’m not jealous of you anymore,’ Mark smiled and so too did Natasha, she was so glad that they were back to being friends again, though they stopped talking as two guests approached. Mark got on with checking them in as Natasha finished up on the computer, adding a few details from her shift.

  ‘I was wondering…’

  Natasha lo
oked up at the sound of a male voice and looked straight into the green eyes of a seriously delicious, rather disheveled man carrying flowers. His grey suit was torn and dusty and his black hair was all messed up and there was a small cut above his left eye and, unusually, Natasha blushed just at the sight of him. There were good-looking men galore in the Chatsfield but this man actually had her toes curling in her shoes, especially when he spoke again. ‘Could I speak with Natasha please?’

  ‘Natasha?’

  ‘The receptionist…’

  Oh my, this man carrying flowers was him!

  ‘I’m Natasha.’

  ‘I’m looking for another Natasha,’ he smiled. ‘She’s got dark hair….’ He frowned then as he recognised her voice but then he started to smile as the realisation hit that she’d lied. ‘What happened to your curves?’

  ‘It was such a busy night,’ Natasha responded, ‘that the weight just feel off me.’

  ‘And you hit the peroxide too.’

  He didn’t ask why she’d lied, instead he handed her a bunch of flowers. ‘I thought you’d earned them.’

  ‘Thank you!’ she glanced at the other bunch that he held in his hand, curious as to who they were far. ‘Do you generally walk around giving out flowers?’

  ‘No, no, these are for Maya, I thought we could go and visit her… I wouldn’t mind seeing for myself that baby that gave us a scare.’

  ‘It scared you?’

  ‘A bit,’ Joshua admitted. ‘At first. But then I knew that you’d do fine. Do you want to visit them?’

  ‘That would be lovely,’ Natasha said, ‘I was going to ring the hospital and see if they’d found out any more details, if she has family...’

  ‘We can find out at the hospital,’ Joshua said, ‘but preferably after breakfast. I’m starving.’

  ‘You’re not as starving as me,’ Natasha said and then relented, seeing the scratches on his face…

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘It got a bit rocky during a rescue. ‘

  ‘Ok, maybe you are as hungry as I am.’

  ‘Do you want to get breakfast here?’ Joshua offered. ‘Though I might not get in.’

  ‘Hey, you’ve been sorting out a train crash, there’d be an outcry if you didn’t get served breakfast.’

  ‘I’ll go and clean up,’ Joshua said.