She walked home quickly and was surprised to see a small crowd gathered around her gate. She was about to push her way through when her ex-friend Jennifer Crane stepped over to her. Carrie hadn’t seen her in almost a year and she wasn’t that keen on renewing the acquaintance now. She looked down and noticed that Jennifer held a notebook in her hand and that she was smiling over sweetly.
“Hey Carrie! It’s been a while. Finished your exams?” She followed Carrie’s gaze and then carried on without waiting for a response. “I’m working for the Harrow Gazette now and I wondered if you would like to comment on your friend Daniel Lewis’s new contract with the Atlanta Raiders. Ten million Dollars in the first year! You must have something to say.”
Carrie stared at Jennifer and tried to walk round her. Jennifer skipped sideways and blocked her path.
“No, I’ve nothing to say.” Head down, Carrie gritted her teeth as the young woman refused to move out of her way. Jennifer smiled even more widely.
“Oh! I see. You’re clearly jealous of his success.” Jennifer scribbled something on the notepad. “Well, I can understand that, it must be galling to be famous before him, but still only pull in peanuts by comparison. But then dancing has never been a very lucrative career. Can you tell us about your relationship with him? I understood that you were pretty close at one time. Last summer, the neighbours round here tell me you spent a lot of time together. Can you give me an angle on that? What does it feel like to be jilted for the high life and the fabulous women in America? He’s bound to be swamped by admirers and won’t be interested in the poor little dancer back in Harrow any longer.”
Carrie gawped at the horrible woman in front of her, about to give her piece of her mind, but then she noticed the notebook with pencil still poised.
“I’m not famous Jen! And I don’t want to be, not if it means having you staking out my home. And no, I don’t have anything else to say about my relationship with my friend Daniel either. Can I get to my house Jen? I’ve had my last exam today and I’m shattered. You made it plain how you felt about me last year and I really don’t want to talk to you now.” She shoved past the persistent woman and Jennifer staggered backwards, winking at her cameraman as she made a big thing of being pushed out onto the grass.
Jennifer gave a sly smile.
“There’s no need to be such a prima donna, Carrie Denton. You changed so much after being handed that dancing contract. The high life has really gone to your head. Maybe it’ll do you good to be brought down a peg or two. It might teach you some manners.” Jennifer shouted at Carrie’s retreating back.
Carrie ignored her and opened the front door. Her mother called out as she did every day.
“That you Carrie?”
“Yes mum. What are all those people doing at the gate and why is the local paper suddenly so interested in Daniel?” She thumped her bag down in the hall and walked through to the kitchen.
Helen poured a glass of freshly made lemonade. She popped in a slice of lemon and handed it to Carrie before taking a sip from her own glass.
“Stupid old bag has been out there half the day. There was a big headline on the lunchtime news because Daniel scored the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the American football finals. Paul had passed him the ball from way back up the pitch. He was through the defence like they didn’t exist and off like a rocket. There was no way anyone was going to catch him. I saw the replay on this morning’s news and even I have to admit that it was quite exciting. You know, English men winning for the Americans and all that. He and Paul were pictured being carried off the pitch on the team members’ shoulders. The crowd went completely mad! Apparently they’ve been offered a huge contract on the back of it. I was looking at it the press conference at lunch time.”
Carrie finished the lemonade and rinsed the glass in the sink.
“Paul shouldn’t be playing. Lisa is about to have his baby, he should be with her.” Her tone was indignant.
Helen laughed.
“I don’t think what I was watching was live and in any case I don’t suppose he’s left her unattended Carrie. She probably has the best care money can buy. It really won’t matter if he’s there or not and this was a really important game. You can hardly blame him.”
“That’s not the point.” Carrie retorted as she slipped off her jacket. “A husband should want to be with his wife at a time like this. It’s really important for the mother and the baby. If he’s going to go gallivanting about with this football lark, why did he ask her to go over there? He won’t have time to help look after the baby.”
Helen gave a derisive snort.
“You must be living in cloud-cuckoo-land if you think anyone is going to give up the chance of ten million dollars. I know I wouldn’t. They’ll work it out Carrie, after all he married her as soon as she arrived over there. He didn’t have to do that. It’s just how Paul is. Now if it had been Daniel with the very expectant wife, well, I think he might even have turned down the contract. He seems to be a little old fashioned. I’m surprised your dad didn’t like him more.”
Carrie rolled her eyes.
“Don’t talk to me about dad. He keeps on going on about this summer season tour and how important it is. I’m completely knackered mum. I’m seventeen and done in. I’ve worked constantly since last April and I haven’t a thing to show for it except sore muscles and a bank balance that I can’t touch until I’m eighteen. I need a holiday.” She slumped down into a chair and laid her head on the kitchen table.
Helen sat down with her.
“Come on Carrie love, it’s not like you to be down. Why don’t you go and have a chat to Lisa? If she’s not in hospital that is. She normally makes you feel better.”
Carrie blinked into her folded arms.
“That’s only because she tells me what Dan’s been up to. Oh God! Ten million dollars! I bet dad goes completely the other way about Dan now. He’ll probably want to be his best friend and I bet he moans about me not going out with him after all.” She dragged herself out of the chair.
Her mum laughed.
“Well it serves him right that you’re not with Daniel. It’ll teach Jim not to be so judgmental. Now go on, go and see if Lisa has any news about the baby.”
Carrie trudged up the stairs. She looked out of the landing window as she heard the honking of a horn. Her father was trying to manoeuvre past the crowd outside the gate. His expression was livid as Jennifer tried to shove a microphone through the car window. Carrie slid into her bedroom and shut the door firmly. She dumped her bag on her desk and fired up the computer.
Lisa was already on line even though it must have been late in the evening.
“Hey Carrie, it’s good to see you. I guessed you would be home about now. I’m so bored stuck here. Paul wouldn’t let me go to the finals. He’s still out after the game and he’s organized the most military midwife you could imagine. I’m calling her Attila. She tells me what to do all the time. She has a list of things that have to be done exactly on time every day or she’s getting the doctor out to me. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to poo to order?” She was obviously exasperated.
Carrie laughed out loud, feeling instantly happier.
“No, can’t say that I have ever been asked to ‘poo’ on demand. Sounds terrible. I did my last exam thismorning. I can’t believe it’s a whole year since I dislocated my shoulder. Things have moved on so fast.”
Lisa nodded in agreement.
“You’re telling me. I could never have imagined being in this state this time last year. I must have been mad!”
Carrie could see Lisa wincing as she rubbed her huge stomach.
“Are you very uncomfortable? You look ready to pop.”
Lisa pulled a pained face.
“I think it’s because it’s so close. I feel as tight as a drum, and it hurts like hell every so often, but I’m not saying anything to Attila because she’ll have her hand up my skirt in an instant. She’s already moaning bec
ause I’m a few days late and she thinks the baby is too big for me, but it was fine on the last scan. She keeps on wanting to have a look “up there” and see if I’m dilating.”
Carrie was horrified.
“Is the baby too big for you? Paul is huge, so it could be, I suppose…Lisa!” She shouted as her friend suddenly cried out and doubled over. “Lisa, get Attila now.” Carrie yelled and jumped up from her chair as she heard Lisa gasping into the webcam. After a few moments her head came up again. Carrie could see a film of sweat on her friend’s upper lip.
Lisa moaned into the camera.
“God! That was a bad one. The contractions are becoming harder to bear, but I can’t call Attila. I told her to go home after she made me shower for the third time today. Something about a warm water stimulus. I couldn’t stand all the fuss and told her to go away as I felt fine then. She’s forgotten her phone, it’s here on the desk.” Lisa was gasping again as another contraction gripped her.
Carrie ran to the door and called her mother.
“Mum! Lisa is on line and I think she’s having her baby. Right now. She’s on her own mum, the midwife has gone home.” Her voice was panicked.
Helen stood for a moment, her head poking out of the lounge door as she stared up at Carrie and then she pounded up the stairs. She took one look at Lisa’s image on the screen and sat down in front of the computer. She spoke quickly.
“Call nine one one honey. Stay on line here and talk to us until they arrive okay.” Helen made herself comfortable in Carrie’s chair and watched while Lisa gave breathless instructions to the operator. “While you’re waiting we can do some breathing exercises to help with the pain.” Helen encouraged. “…If I can remember any of them that is.” She added a little doubtfully.
Carrie leaned over her mother’s shoulder and spoke into the webcam.
“How about doing those exercises that Daniel showed me? You must have seen him practicing some of them and you don’t even have to get out of the chair to do them Lisa. They were very relaxing and I can’t see how they would hurt. I’ll do them with you. You can copy me while I talk you through it all.”
Lisa took a couple of breaths and nodded into the camera. Helen angled the viewfinder towards Carrie. She sat on the floor and raised her hands above her head.
“Now breathe deeply, let your arms fall to your sides and then raise them gently again. Lift your ribcage and then breathe out slowly. Control your breath...And breathe out and relax.” Carrie’s voice was calm, even Helen copied her and felt a deep sense of release come over her whole body. Carrie kept on with the instructions, only stopping when the pain was obviously too great for Lisa to concentrate, and then she talked to her through the contraction, starting the instructions again as soon as Lisa was able to unclamp her teeth.
It was only as Helen looked at her watch for the fifth time that Carrie realized that more than a few minutes had passed. It was nearer half an hour.
Carrie picked up on the worried look on her mother’s face. She spoke to Lisa again.
“I think you need to stand if you can Lisa. Are you able to get to the window and see if the medics are coming? They seem to have been a long while.”
Lisa moved slowly and groaned as she hung onto the curtains.
“Nothing,” she managed to gasp after looking out of the window. It was obviously dark outside. “I should be able to see them from miles away. We’re a bit remote out here. We moved because of all the attention Paul and Dan were attracting. It was getting scary with all the fans hanging around all day. We’ve kept this place hushed up, and we don’t have any nosey neighbours either.” She dropped the curtain again.
Helen moved swiftly out of the chair. She grabbed up Carrie’s mobile and rang nine, nine, nine. She explained the situation rapidly to the operator and gave Lisa’s address in Atlanta, then she put the phone down again as Carrie continued with the exercises. Lisa’s breathing was becoming deeper and she suddenly let out a huge groan.
“Oh God! I think my water’s just broke, they’ve gone everywhere, what do I do now?” Lisa was beginning to panic.
Carrie was almost frantic. She was so glad her mother was with her.
Helen took over.
“You need to lay down Lisa love. If your waters have gone all at once, the cord may slip around your baby’s neck. Are you near a bed?”
Lisa shook her head as the sweat dripped from her brow.
“Office, the computer’s in the office.” she panted and gritted her teeth again, then when the pain was over she pulled the camera off the desk and slipped to the floor. She groaned as another contraction caught her and then she was crying out in agony.
Helen shouted over her cries.
“Don’t push too hard Lisa, let the baby come down slowly, can you reach down and see if you can feel its head yet?”
Carrie stared at the web-cam, horrified as Lisa somehow managed to pull herself forwards. She wriggled around for a moment as she removed her underwear, then she lifted her skirt and put her hand between her legs. She nodded and gasped out.
“I can feel the top, but it’s not right out.” She flopped back onto the floor panting breathlessly.
Helen spoke slowly and clearly.
“Okay, now on the next contraction, try and pant not push. We have to wait for the baby’s head to come through gently. Push as little as possible. The baby’s head needs to come out slowly or you’ll tear. And you need to check the cord straight away. If it’s around his neck, un-loop it immediately, okay honey? I know it’s hard but you have to do this. Do you understand?” Carrie saw Lisa nod once before her face scrunched up and she began pushing hard.
“No!” Carrie shouted at once. “Mum said gently. Breathe with me Lisa and push down slowly.” They could see Lisa trying to calm herself and then she let out a great scream just as a door burst open behind her.
Paul came charging through into the office. He took one look into the webcam, then immediately knelt down between Lisa’s spread legs and caught the baby in his huge hands just as it slipped out of his wife’s body.
The next few minutes were pandemonium. Helen was shouting for Paul to check that the cord was free and that the baby was breathing. There was an anxious moment until Paul tapped his tiny son on his back. The baby gave a great shuddering gasp, then began to yell lustily.
Lisa was crying, Paul was crying, Helen and Carrie were crying. Paul was on still his knees with his wife and new baby son, holding the tiny squalling thing to his chest and kissing Lisa madly, then he bent forwards and kissed the webcam, not caring that his tears were streaming onto the lens.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. Carrie, Helen, I don’t know what to say,” He stammered wildly, barely in control of himself.
Helen and Carrie were wiping their eyes as Helen managed to splutter.
“It’s not over yet Paul. You need to keep the baby warm, can you wrap him in something, and the placenta needs to be delivered too. Lisa’s going to have another contraction in about ten minutes and you’ll have to pull on the cord to help it out.”
Paul nodded as he immediately ripped off his huge t-shirt and wrapped his baby snugly in it.
“I don’t think I’ll have to worry. I can hear the ambulance. Thank God I came home instead of staying out celebrating our win. I can’t thank you two enough. We were going to ask Carrie anyway, but Helen, you have to be a godmother too now. I don’t know what Lisa would have done without both of you.” His happiness was obvious.
He placed the baby in Lisa’s arms and wiped the tear stained webcam before continuing.
“I’m going to let the medics in. Stay on line and talk to Lisa while I do some phoning round. I must let Dan know he’s a Godfather. He’s gonna be so excited.”
Carrie suddenly leaned forwards and asked.
“Is Daniel with you now? I’d love to have a word if he’s about.”
Paul looked into the screen. He was suddenly serious.
“I’m sorry Carrie. I�
��ve asked him loads of times before to talk to you, but he just won’t. He even leaves the house if Lisa is on the line to you. He says that you know why he can’t and he won’t break his word. I can’t force him…Oh, the door-bell just went, talk to Lisa for a moment while I get it.”
He was gone, but Carrie couldn’t speak to Lisa. She moved to the side of the camera and let her mother gush as Lisa held up her new baby for them to look at. The little lad’s cheeks were red and blotchy but he looked a good size. Then it was all bustle again as paramedics came crowding into the room surrounding Lisa and her baby, before the screen became fuzzy and the webcam was suddenly shut off.
Carrie sat down on the end of her bed, completely stunned by Paul’s words, as her mother swivelled the chair towards her.
“My Goodness that was a close one. What a relief Paul came in just in time. Poor Lisa must have been frantic.” She stopped and looked over at Carrie. “So what pact did you make with Daniel that he can’t break and come and speak to you? Especially at a special moment like this. You’re both going to be Godparents after all.”
Carrie shook her head in confusion.
“I have absolutely no idea. I didn’t agree anything with him. The last time I saw him he just stuffed his face with food like it was going out of fashion and then after some coffee, he left. He didn’t really say anything.” She wasn’t going to give her mother the details of her sleeping on his lap on the hotel terrace, especially as her father was now standing at her bedroom door. He was shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot. He had heard all of the last part of the conversation.
He coughed noisily before he spoke.
“That sounded awful, are you sure she was alright?”
Helen looked at Jim suspiciously for a moment and then answered.
“Yes, I think everything is fine and she has all the right medical care now. I’m pretty sure they won’t even take her to hospital. Once the baby is born and he looked pretty healthy, there’s not much anyone else can do. Thank goodness you mailed her right then Carrie. It would have been horrendous if she had been on her own. Those exercises of Daniel’s were fantastic. He ought to set up places teaching them. Talk about a stress buster.” She gave a relieved sigh.
Silent Treatment Page 10