Emergency Baby

by Alison Roberts

  ‘You’re crazy, Sam. You know that, don’t you?’ he said as they passed the small bank and post office in the foyer.

  ‘That has been said,’ Sam agreed. She grinned at her partner. ‘Usually in conjunction with the kind of work I do with you rather than wanting to be a mother, though.’

  ‘But why do you want to be a mother? Kids!’ Alex gave a theatrical shudder. ‘Ugh!’

  ‘Maybe it’s got something to do with not being able to remember my own mother,’ Sam told him quietly. ‘I really don’t know why, Alex. I just know that I want a baby. I really want a baby.’

  That stopped him again. In front of the snack dispenser. He ran stiff fingers through his dark hair. Waves that had been flattened by the flight helmet took shape again.

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘I don’t expect you to. It’s probably biological as much as anything.’

  ‘No, I don’t mean about you wanting a baby. That’s normal enough, I guess. I mean about using a sperm bank. Why don’t you just wait until you meet someone you like?’

  ‘Good grief, I don’t want to get married, Alex. Any more than you do.’

  ‘Fine. You don’t have to like him, then. But get someone you know, at least. God knows who fronts up to donate sperm. It’s dodgy. They could have all sorts of things wrong with them.’

  ‘I’m sure they screen them perfectly well. And they’re probably great people. You thought about it.’

  ‘For about ten seconds,’ Alex admitted. ‘But even I wouldn’t confess about mad old Aunty Mary who thought she was married to a pair of gumboots.’

  ‘You’ve got a mad aunt?’ The disappointment was crushing. Alex wasn’t the perfect candidate after all.

  ‘No.’

  Sam glared at him. ‘Then why did you say you had?’

  ‘To illustrate my point. You’d have no idea what genetic tics might be hidden in some stranger’s family history. You need to find someone you can at least trust to tell the truth. Hopefully someone with a few good attributes as well.’

  ‘Like being intelligent?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘And kind, maybe?’

  ‘Sure. And healthy,’ Alex nodded. ‘And being reasonably good-looking would be an advantage, I would have thought.’

  ‘I couldn’t agree more, Alex. In fact, I’ve been thinking along exactly the same lines myself.’

  ‘Good.’ Alex’s nod was satisfied. ‘Now that we’ve sorted that, let’s get on with chasing Dimitri up, shall we? Before we get another call?’

  ‘Sure.’

  Sam kept pace with Alex and did her best not to exhibit any funny kind of smiling. His line of thought was leading him perfectly in the direction she wanted him to go. Given a bit more time, he might well suggest himself as a candidate and Sam was quite prepared to give him plenty of time.

  Or she would have been if he hadn’t stopped just inside the emergency department and fired his totally unexpected and startlingly fierce questions at her.

  ‘So,’ he demanded as the doors swung shut behind them, ‘you’ve got someone in mind already, haven’t you? Who is it?’

  The smile had been bottled up too long. Given the chance to escape, it rushed onto Sam’s face in what could only be described as a beam.

  ‘You, of course, Alex. Who else?’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE SURGERY was fascinating.

  It would have been far more fascinating if Alex could have concentrated properly on what he was seeing and hearing. A team of orthopaedic and plastic surgeons were assessing and undertaking the preliminary steps to try and save Dimitri’s lower leg, and while Alex had missed the clean-up and initial assessment under anaesthesia, it would be hours before this first operation was complete.

  Sam had taken pity on Alex down there in Emergency as he’d stood just inside the swing doors with what had to have been the expression of an electrocuted trout. She had taken charge. Very nicely, in fact. Alex’s arm had been patted and Sam had smilingly reassured him that she had, of course, been joking.

  ‘Don’t worry, Alex. I’ll make sure your name never hits the short list. Forget everything I said.’

  Ha!

  A passing nurse had peered anxiously at Alex a couple of minutes later when Sam had gone to log onto a departmental computer to find out which Theatre Dimitri had been taken to.

  ‘Are you all right, Alex?’ the nurse had asked.

  Alex had nodded brightly. He had even managed a faint smile that reappeared when Sam had bustled back to tell him that he was allowed to go and gown up to observe in Theatre 3.

  ‘I’ve had a word with the operations supervisor as well. I’m going to take the truck back to headquarters and you can stay here. We’re overdue for a break, anyway, and by the time we’ve had it, our shift will be practically over. So you can stay as long as you like. If another job comes up, we’ll find someone to cover for you.’

  Normally, Alex would not have contemplated skiving off his shift under any circumstances. He was far more likely to put in voluntary overtime. Right now, however, escape had seemed the only sensible option. How could he have any hope at all of forgetting that disturbing little conversation when he was in the company of the woman who’d instigated it? Watching some intricate, limb-saving surgical techniques was precisely what Alex needed.

  Except that part of his mind kept rebelling. Maybe the area associated with children had never grown up and that was why it was coming up with perfectly ridiculous notions—like asking Ross, the plastic surgeon, whether he knew of any procedures to excise a woman’s biological clock?

  ‘See what we’ve done here, Alex?’ Scott motioned for Alex to step a little closer. ‘We’ve wired the bone fragments and will put a plate in here to keep them in line.’

  ‘There’s a big gap. Will bone putty be enough to fill it?’

  ‘No. We’re going to take a graft from the iliac crest.’

  The drapes had already been shifted to expose part of Dimitri’s hip and a nurse used a swab held in forceps to clean the skin with antiseptic solution.

  ‘The bone plug will act as a scaffold for ingrowth of new bone from the adjacent intact bone bed, ‘ Scott told Alex.

  ‘Any particular reason to use the hip?’

  ‘It’s cancellous bone. It includes stem cells and growth factors like morphogenic proteins that stimulate osteoblasts.’

  ‘I guess he’s going to need nerve and tendon grafts as well?’

  ‘If the swelling’s not too bad, I’ll try and insert a silicon rod that’ll give us a nice smooth tunnel for a later tendon graft.’ Scott looked up as another gowned figure entered the theatre. ‘Right. I think we’ll postpone our bone graft for a bit. More important to get that artery repaired now that our vascular surgeon has joined the party.’

  The dorsalis pedis artery needed an interposition graft to bridge the defect caused by the fractures. It was painstaking and time-consuming surgery but unless an adequate blood flow could be re-established within four to six hours of the acute injury, there would be permanent muscle damage and, while the limb could be saved, it might remain useless.

  For a while Alex was totally absorbed but with the number of staff involved in this case it was impossible to see as much as he would have liked. Having to step further back as the plastic surgeon began work alongside the vascular surgeon made it far more difficult not to let his concentration waver again.

  Sam was nuts. Why would anyone choose to become a solo parent? Enough of their colleagues in the ambulance service had young families for her to know as well as Alex did the kind of stress their presence created. And kids, especially babies, took over your life. Even if you carried on working, they exerted their influence and sapped your focus.

  What would happen if it got sick? Kids were always getting sick. If it wasn’t measles or chickenpox or bronchiolitis, it was snotty noses. They spent fifty per cent of their lives with snotty noses. Even if Sam wasn’t worried enough to take a day off w
ork to look after a sick child, she would be worrying about it. Thinking about something other than her job.

  SERT members couldn’t afford to lose their edge. Angus had known that. He’d been prepared to lose his relationship rather than give it up. He knew he couldn’t have functioned knowing that the interests of someone else would be affecting his judgement of how much danger it was acceptable to risk. That was simply a case of an adult being emotionally dependent on keeping yourself safe. Having a small child totally dependent on you for everything would magnify the effect a thousand times.

  Yes. Unless Sam could shake herself out of this ridiculous notion, Alex stood to lose the best partner he’d ever had. One who was prepared to push boundaries to the absolute limit as much as he was in order to save lives.

  It had started already, hadn’t it? Alex had felt that momentary hesitation that morning when the winch-to-ship job in difficult conditions had been put in front of them. And Sam was only thinking about getting pregnant at the moment. How much worse would it be when she had a kid? She’d probably be trying to stop Alex taking any real risks so she wouldn’t feel so guilty about pulling back herself. It was the beginning of a slippery slope towards mediocrity as far as Alex was concerned, and the prospect was appalling.

  At least Alex was better prepared than most people to deal with appalling scenarios. He knew not to panic. When faced with something so awful you couldn’t think of what to do instantly, the answer was to make time. To take a few deep breaths and then do what you could. One step at a time.

  He could make time by doing precisely what Sam had told him to do. Forgetting the conversation. One point definitely in his favour was how fussy his partner was. Sam was a perfectionist in everything she did and she was quite likely to be just as fussy in finding a suitable candidate to father a child. It could take a long time.

  Alex smiled inwardly. Finding someone with all the requirements to live up to Sam’s standards could take for ever. She would either get over it or she would get old enough to retire from SERT duties, in which case she could go off and have triplets with Alex’s blessing because it wouldn’t affect him.

  Personnel numbers in Theatre reduced as each stage of the surgery was completed as much as possible for now. By the time Scott was ready to harvest and implant the bone graft, Alex was more than ready to give the procedure his full attention. He was feeling much happier.

  Sam and her weird plan were firmly filed into the ‘best forgotten’ basket and Alex was quite determined to leave them there as long as possible.

  The plan worked fine until 6:45 a.m. the following day when Alex arrived at Headquarters to find Sam, in a corner of the huge garage, talking earnestly to Angus, who was nodding as though he was agreeing with everything she was saying.

  Dumping his knapsack in the locker room could wait, Alex decided. If the subject matter of his partner’s conversation with their colleague was what he suspected, then the sooner it was interrupted, the better.

  And why would Angus be on a short list when he wasn’t, anyway? For a crazy second Alex actually felt jealous.

  Ridiculous!

  It was the idea of Sam having a child that was so incredibly disturbing, not the idea that she would become so closely involved with a colleague.

  Wasn’t it?

  ‘Morning.’

  He hadn’t intended it to come out as such a bark. His greeting clearly startled both Sam and Angus who stopped their conversation abruptly and eyed him warily.

  ‘Something wrong, mate?’Angus queried.

  ‘Not that I know of.’ Alex smiled but eyed them back just as warily. They’d obviously been discussing something rather personal. Angus was looking vaguely embarrassed. Alex pinned him with a very direct glance. ‘How’s it going?’

  ‘All good.’Angus nodded. ‘Be glad to get home, though. It’s been a long night.’

  ‘Nothing exciting happened, then?’ Alex watched his friend’s face closely. Surely being asked to father someone’s child would rate as being a little out of the ordinary? Sure enough, Angus flicked Sam a glance and she smiled reassuringly. Their secret conversation was apparently safe.

  ‘Nah.’ Angus yawned. ‘You guys should have a cruisy day, too. You’ve got that PR thing this morning, haven’t you?’

  ‘Oh, yeah.’Alex couldn’t sound enthused, ‘So we have.’

  A local primary school had attracted media attention for its fundraising efforts to help victims of an earthquake in South America. The emergency services had come on board and today it was the SERT’s turn to show their support. If their morning was not disrupted by a genuine call, they would be landing their rescue helicopter in the middle of the school’s rugby field and would then attend a school assembly to talk to the children about their potential role in a major disaster.

  Sam looked perfectly happy at the prospect. ‘It’ll be fun,’ she assured Alex. ‘And great public relations for the ambulance service.’

  ‘Nobody could call being surrounded by three hundred kids “fun”,’ Alex responded gloomily. ‘Could actually be one of my worst nightmares, in fact. Think I’d rather go to the dentist for root-canal work.’

  Sam snorted. ‘And there I was only yesterday thinking what a nice cheerful person you were in the mornings.’

  Alex shrugged. ‘Maybe I’ve got toothache coming on.’

  It was high time he got into his uniform so Alex turned away to head for the locker room. Sam had been taking notes on his personality, had she? That might explain that curious feeling of being watched he’d had lately. And he hadn’t measured up, had he? What did Angus McBride have that he was lacking?

  It was hardly fair. He was normally cheerful in the mornings. And at most other times of the day. It was just that he was a little disturbed right now. It was Sam’s fault, too, and then she’d the nerve to accuse him of being grumpy!

  Alex stripped down to his boxer shorts and then stepped into the navy-blue SERT boiler-suit-type overalls. It was a warm spring morning and he’d cook if he kept his ordinary ambulance uniform on under the overalls. Especially if he got hemmed in by three hundred noisy, excited and vertically challenged people.

  His mood slipped another notch and Alex decided he’d better address the situation before it got any worse. He waited only long enough for Sam to start the engine on the ambulance as they prepared to head for their airport base.

  ‘Did he say yes, then?’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Angus.’

  ‘Did he say yes to what?’

  ‘What you were talking to him about in the garage.’

  ‘Oh…that.’ Sam waited for the roller door to come up and allow them to exit the garage. ‘Yes, I think so.’ She turned to give Alex a curious glance. ‘How do you know what I was talking to Angus about? Did he talk to you, too?’

  ‘Not exactly, but it’s not hard to put two and two together.’

  ‘I s’pose not.’ Sam drove in silence for a minute and then sighed. ‘I wonder whether he will.’

  ‘Why not?’ Alex muttered. ‘He’s not exactly averse to the idea of having kids, is he?’

  ‘He’d love a family,’ Sam agreed. And he’d make a great dad, too, don’t you think?’

  Good grief! Did Sam expect Alex to assist in finding her suitable sperm donor? So much for being able to forget about it all!

  ‘I wouldn’t know,’ he said tersely. ‘Strikes me that he might want too much involvement, though. A birthday party or two wouldn’t be enough. He’d want to be taking them to soccer on Saturday mornings or teaching them to swim and stuff.’

  He could just imagine Angus with a son or three. Bringing them out to Base on a day off perhaps, and watching them glow with excitement at being up close and personal with a real helicopter. That unpleasant, and unfamiliar, jealous sensation was trying to sneak up on him again.

  Sam gave him a strange look. ‘I’d certainly hope so,’ she said dryly. ‘The marriage wouldn’t last very long if he didn’t have that kind of commitm
ent.’

  Marriage! Alex could feel at least part of his available blood supply draining from his cheeks. Sam was planning to marry Angus? But hadn’t she said only yesterday that she didn’t want a husband? Why hadn’t he had any warning that Sam had a screw or two coming loose?

  ‘Are you…um…feeling all right, Sam?’

  ‘I was just about to ask you the same thing. I’m fine. You look a bit pale, though.’

  ‘It’s a bit of a shock.’

  ‘What is?’

  ‘You—planning to marry Angus.’

  The car in front slowed suddenly to give way to another vehicle. Sam only just missed crashing into its rear bumper. She jammed on the brakes and they both lurched forward against their seat belts. Sam made no apology for her slow reactions.

  ‘What are you talking about, Alex?’

  ‘You…and Angus.’

  The car in front was gone now but Sam didn’t notice until a trucker leaned on his horn behind them.

  ‘There is no “me and Angus”. Where on earth did you get an idea like that?’

  ‘I thought that’s what you were talking to him about this morning. Having kids. Or one kid, anyway.’

  ‘With me?’ Sam shook her head in amazement. ‘Hardly. I don’t think it would the best way to help him and Fliss get back together, do you?’

  ‘No…I guess not.’ Alex stared out the window. He hadn’t noticed how many daffodils were in bloom already. With the sun shining on them, they were really rather attractive.

  ‘Angus was looking miserable when I arrived,’ Sam said. ‘We had a chat and I said he had to do something about it. Either get over it and get on with his life, or find a way to get Fliss back. And he agreed—but I’m not sure which way he’s going to jump.’

  ‘Hasn’t she chucked in her hospital job and gone off to be a GP?’

  ‘Yeah. She’s the sole doctor for some rural town on the west coast, I think.’