The Model Wife

by Tricia Stringer

  “Mum and Dad really do have an impressive music collection,” Bree said. “It’s a pity they hardly ever play them any more.”

  “It’s such a pain to swap CDs.” Laura waved her phone. “I could put my playlist on through my speaker.”

  “Let’s leave it for a while,” Bree said.

  Laura tucked her phone back in her pocket. They’d been having such a great afternoon she didn’t want to spoil it with an argument over music preferences.

  “Surely these nails are dry now.” Bree lifted her feet in the air.

  Laura leaned in again, tested Bree’s small toe and sat back. “Give them another minute. You don’t want them to smudge.”

  Bree groaned.

  “Are you hungry?” Laura looked from Bree to Kate but her question was really for Kate who hadn’t eaten much but half a bag of chips and a bowl of strawberries and ice cream.

  “One of those little pasties would be good,” Kate said.

  “You two stay here while I put the food in the oven.” Laura looked pointedly at Bree. “By then your toenails should be ready.” She put the bag of Paul’s DVDs between them. “You can decide what we’re going to watch first.”

  They were into the second movie when Kate felt something was wrong. Bree and Laura were laughing hysterically at the TV. They’d decided to watch Crazy Rich Asians. It was funny but Kate could barely manage a smile. She shifted in the recliner rocker and lowered the footrest. She’d felt a bit achy on and off yesterday but it had eased. Now she was uncomfortable with a period-like pain, had been since their dinner of party pies and pasties, and it was making her anxious.

  She eased from the chair and Laura glanced her way. Both her sisters had been attentive today but Laura was watching her especially closely.

  “Just going to the bathroom.”

  Laura nodded and turned back to the TV.

  The air in the passage was freezing and Kate shuddered as it sucked the warmth from her body. She wrapped her arms around her middle and walked faster, closing the bathroom door behind her.

  Five minutes later she sat on the edge of the bath, dread pulsing through her veins. The cramps had stopped again but there’d been blood. She pressed a hand to her stomach and rocked gently back and forth. She hadn’t wanted to be pregnant and now it was possible she wouldn’t be and she was racked with guilt and fear. She wished she’d told Sean but she couldn’t ring and say she was pregnant but maybe not any more. If only her mum was home. She’d know what to do.

  Natalie sat in a cafe at Perth airport. Her current book was open in front of her but she was making slow progress. Her flight to Adelaide had been delayed and she kept looking at her watch as if it had the power to fix whatever was holding them up. Now that she was on her way home she just wanted to be there.

  Her phone rang. She plucked it from the table beside her and saw Laura’s photo. She pressed the phone to her ear.

  “Mum, I’m sorry but I had to call.” Laura’s voice was full of panic. “This will be a surprise but Kate’s pregnant.”

  Natalie pushed the phone harder against her ear. “What?”

  “Or at least she was—”

  “What’s happened?”

  “She’s had some cramps…and, well Bree and I are taking her to the hospital in town.”

  “That’s good.” Natalie paced the small area by the table with one eye on her bag and tried to picture the three of them in the car. “Is Bree driving?”

  “Yes.”

  Natalie let out a breath. That was best. Bree was more level-headed than Laura in a crisis.

  “Can I talk to Kate?”

  There was a rustling sound.

  “Hello, Mum?”

  Natalie halted as she heard the fear in her daughter’s voice. “Hello, darling, you’ve had a lot going on.”

  “I didn’t know…I…it’s all such a mess.”

  “How many weeks are you?”

  “Fourteen.”

  Natalie would have hoped that meant she was past the miscarriage stage but babies could be lost at any time.

  “Tell me what’s happening now. Have you been bleeding much?”

  “No. Not really. Only spotting but it gave me a fright. It’s the cramping feeling that’s been the worst.”

  “How long have you been having cramps?”

  “The last few days, on and off.”

  Natalie paused, turned and began to pace again. “Darling, you’re doing the right thing. Your body might simply need rest. The doctor will know what’s happening.” Natalie wasn’t sure if any of that was true but she couldn’t hold her daughter’s hand so it was the best she could do.

  “We’re nearly in town now,” Kate said.

  “Good. Can you pass the phone back to Laura?”

  There was a pause then Laura spoke. “Mum?”

  “Get Bree to drive right to the emergency door and make Kate wait until you bring out a wheelchair.”

  “Okay.” Laura’s voice sounded small.

  “I’m sure everything will be fine.” Natalie pressed a finger to her lips. She’d used that blasted word again.

  “Okay.”

  “Ring me back as soon as you’ve seen the doctor.”

  “Okay.” Laura sniffed. “Mum, do you think you’ll be home soon?”

  “I’m in Perth now.” Tears pricked at her eyes. “But my flight’s been delayed. I might not get to Adelaide tonight but I’ll do my best to get there.” In the broil of thoughts she pictured Milt. “Where’s your dad?”

  “Oh…I forgot. He was coming to surprise you.”

  “Where? When?”

  There were muffled voices then Laura was back. “He’s still in Adelaide. We think his flight to Perth leaves in the morning.”

  Natalie had never imagined Milt would do such a thing. “Don’t worry. I’ll ring him. You take care of Kate.”

  “Okay.”

  Still clutching the phone tightly, Natalie let her arm drop to her side and said a silent prayer for her daughter. Then she selected Milt’s number. It rang and went to voicemail. She ended the call and tried again.

  “Natalie?” Background noise competed with his voice.

  “Where are you?”

  “In Adelaide. Just leaving the footy. It was a close game. North Adelaide and Norwood.”

  “Did you know Kate was pregnant?”

  There was a pause. “Yes. She didn’t want me to tell you.”

  Pain stabbed at Natalie’s chest. Why wouldn’t Kate want to tell her she was pregnant?

  “What’s going on?” Milt asked.

  “Kate might be losing the baby…” The voice that she’d kept steady for the girls wavered now.

  “How? She was fine when I left. Off-colour but fine.”

  Natalie curled her fingers and her nails dug into her palms. “She’s had some cramping and some spotting.”

  “Hell.”

  “It doesn’t mean she’s losing the baby.” She said it as much to reassure herself as Milt. “You should go home to be with the girls.”

  “I can’t, Nat. Not yet anyway…I’ve had a few drinks.”

  On the departures sign above her a word began to flash beside her flight number. Cancelled. Natalie pressed her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes.

  Laura hated hospitals at night, with their wide echoing corridors and darkened rooms, or those with a dim light on and hushed voices, staff who walked on silent feet and suddenly appeared, like the woman who’d just come out the door Kate had been taken through. Helen was her name. Laura didn’t know her but Bree seemed to think she was a midwife. The only available doctor had been called to the nursing home and Laura hoped Helen knew what she was doing when she’d wheeled Kate away.

  Now Laura gripped Bree’s arm and they both rose to their feet as Helen approached. She was about their mum’s age, wore a thick blue cardigan over her uniform and looked like she hadn’t slept in a week.

  “Your sister and baby are okay.”

  Laura let out th
e breath she’d been holding.

  “The baby’s heartbeat is strong but I’ve had a quick chat with Dr Strauss and she wants her to have an ultrasound.”

  “Can she have it here?” Bree eased her arm from Laura’s grip.

  “I’m afraid not. Your best bet is the Women’s and Children’s in Adelaide.”

  “Adelaide!” Bree’s surprise echoed Laura’s.

  “It’s the weekend. We don’t have the staff or the equipment here.”

  The large clock on the wall behind Helen ticked over to midnight.

  “Okay.” Bree glanced at Laura then back to Helen. “How soon does she need to have it?”

  “Doctor wants her to spend the night here. Can you take her tomorrow?”

  “I can be here first thing.”

  “Excellent. I can let them know you’re coming.”

  “Can we see her?” Laura asked.

  “Of course, but don’t stay long. She needs sleep and so do you if you’re going to drive her in the morning.” Helen’s face lifted in a kind smile. Behind her a buzzer rang. She sighed and set off down the corridor and disappeared into the room where a red light glowed. The cavernous corridor fell silent. Laura shivered and reached for Bree’s hand.

  Bree frowned at her but continued to hold her hand. “Let’s say good night to Kate.”

  Natalie had just settled in her hotel room near the airport when her phone began to ring again. She snatched it up from the bedside table, took a breath when she saw Laura’s photo and pressed the green accept button.

  “Mum, she’s okay.” Laura spoke before Natalie had a chance. “The baby has a strong heartbeat.”

  “Oh, that’s good news.”

  “She couldn’t see a doctor—”

  “Why not?”

  “She was already on another call-out but there was a midwife there.”

  “Helen?”

  “Yes, Helen.”

  Natalie felt a small wave of reassurance. Helen Bond had years of experience and was well regarded as the local guru for all things to do with pregnant mums and babies.

  “Helen rang the doctor and she wants Kate to have an ultrasound in Adelaide tomorrow to see if they can work out what’s going on. Bree’s going to drive her.”

  “Where’s Kate now?”

  “In the hospital. Helen said she’d keep an eye on her.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Mum…Kate said before we left to tell you not to come back…it’s such a long way…” Laura’s voice was sounding small and uncertain again.

  “I was already on my way,” Natalie said firmly. “My flight was cancelled, engine trouble. But I’ll be back as soon as I can tomorrow.”

  “It’ll be great to see you.” There was relief in Laura’s voice. “We’ve missed you.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Natalie glanced at her watch and did the calculation. It was almost one am at home. “You girls get some rest and I’ll ring in the morning once I know when I’ll get back to Adelaide.”

  “Okay, night then. Love you, Mum.”

  “Love you too, darling, and love to Bree.”

  Natalie glanced around the minimalist hotel room and gave a brief thought to the cabin that had been her home for almost two weeks. She’d enjoyed the guilty pleasure of total indulgence and time to herself and now…She picked up her phone and rang Milt.

  He answered straight away.

  “Bree’s driving Kate to Adelaide tomorrow for an ultrasound but everything’s okay for now,” she said. “I’ve been delayed in Perth.”

  “I can meet them.”

  “I wish I was home.”

  “You being home wouldn’t have changed anything, not about Kate and the baby anyway.” He paused. “It’ll be good to have you back, Nat. Let me know when you have an arrival time. I’ll pick you up.”

  Thirty-Three

  Laura shoved one hand in her coat pocket and waved with the other as Bree drove away. The sun was still a dull glow beyond the horizon and the early-morning air was freezing. Her breaths puffed out in little clouds in front of her. The cat wove between her legs. She bent down and picked him up, pressed her face to his soft warmth.

  “Thank goodness you’re here, Bubbles.” The thought of staying alone in the big empty house behind her filled her with dread. This morning she’d suggested she drive Kate but Bree had been adamant she would. Then Laura had thought she could go too but they didn’t know how long Kate would be in Adelaide and someone had to stay home to feed the animals and keep an eye on things.

  Laura took Bubbles and went back inside. The house felt brooding instead of the happy place she’d grown up in. She never liked being here alone but today she was extra uneasy.

  Nothing had been quite right since she’d come home. Her mum had been distant then left, there’d been the money trouble with Granny and now Kate could lose the baby and Laura was all alone. She would have gone to town for a while to see Paul but he’d had a full day of schoolwork planned. There was always her grandmother to visit but it was way too early and she’d seen her only yesterday.

  She locked the back door behind her and went into the kitchen where at least there was some warmth from the fire Bree had brought back to life before she left. Bubbles immediately jumped from her arms and settled himself on the mat in front of it. Laura took off her coat and hung it over a chair. She turned on the radio, found her favourite station, increased the volume then looked around. Everything was tidy except for the two cups and plates she and Bree had used for breakfast. She stacked them in the dishwasher then turned and leaned against the bench. What was she going to do to keep busy?

  Her gaze drifted to the cookbooks on the top shelf above the desk. It had been a while since she’d done any baking other than the pudding they’d eaten when Paul had come for dinner. The supplies in the freezer were getting low and cooking would keep her busy and her mind off the empty house.

  She’d just put her first batch of choc-chip biscuits in the oven when her phone rang. It was her dad checking in. Laura cleaned up – she’d learned to do that as she went, especially seeing there was no-one to help her – and had moved on to mixing a batch of little cakes. She was about to pour the mix into the patty pans when her phone rang again. This time it was Bree to say they’d arrived at the hospital in Adelaide and were waiting for Kate to be seen. The cakes were in the oven and she was considering making some slice when her phone rang next. It was Spritzi and they talked so long Laura nearly had a disaster with the cakes but she managed to get them out of the oven before they were ruined.

  Talking to Spritzi had left her exhausted for a moment and made the house seem even more deserted. Laura threw herself into making slices and had two in the oven before she decided she’d done enough, just as her phone rang again. It was Bree to tell her both Kate and baby were fine but Kate had something called cervical insufficiency, which put simply meant the baby could be in danger of falling out too early. They would be staying in Adelaide overnight while the staff assessed her further and decided what to do.

  Laura looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was only just past midday and now she had the whole afternoon, the night and possibly another day to get through before anyone came home. The time stretched out before her like a long empty road. She set the fire going in the den and made herself some lunch. Then she saw the plate of scraps she’d meant to feed the dogs. Outside the day had barely got any warmer and the sun was well hidden behind a bank of grey cloud. She fed the dogs, left their kennels open and hurried back across the yard. Inside she locked the back door again and took her lunch into the den. Bubbles followed her and made himself comfortable in front of the open fire.

  “Oh, to be a cat,” Laura said then flinched at the sound of her own voice loud in the room.

  She chose one of the DVDs they hadn’t watched yesterday, snuggled into her dad’s recliner rocker and took a bite of her lonely sandwich.

  Natalie strode up the ramp into the arrivals area at Adel
aide airport and tried to gather some strength for what lay ahead. It had been almost two days since she’d left the remote community on the Dampier Peninsula and she was exhausted with lack of sleep and worry for Kate. She’d slept poorly at the motel and not at all on the flight from Perth, and with the time difference between states it was nearly midday already. Back on the beach she’d been feeling smug about her decision to return home. She’d thought she’d put the jumbled pieces of her life back together but now that she was almost home the doubts returned.

  “Nat.”

  Milt raised a hand in a brief wave from the back of the crowd of mingling passengers and those greeting them. She wove between the people and stopped in front of him. The sounds of happy reunions drifted around them but she felt like she was made of wood.

  “Welcome home,” he said and wrapped an arm around her.

  She had a bag in each hand and fell against his chest but there was no solace for her there. Instead it felt as if everything was unravelling all over again.

  His lips brushed her cheek. “I’ve missed you,” he said.

  She pulled back. “How’s Kate?”

  He took one of her bags and they started walking. “She’s okay.”

  “The baby?”

  “Is okay too.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  “Bree and I spent a couple of hours with her this morning. I don’t fully understand the condition she has but the doctors reckon it can be managed.”

  “I want to see her.”

  “I’ll take you straight there.”

  Natalie found her case and Milt took it and her to the four-wheel drive. They were out of the carpark and on the road to the city before he broke the silence between them.

  “You are all right, aren’t you, Nat?”

  The question surprised her. “What do you mean?”

  “Physically. It’s just that the girls were worried we…well…they thought perhaps you were hiding something to do with the tests and, to be honest, they got me a bit edgy. I thought you would tell me if there was but after you left I began to wonder too.”

  “I am perfectly f…well. I’ve done a lot of walking and swimming and I feel so much fitter. I’m tired now from the travel but I’m okay.” She felt a pang of guilt. “The girls weren’t too worried about me, were they?”