A Summer Wedding For the Cornish Midwife

by Jo Bartlett

  ‘No thanks, Mum.’ Ella warmed her hands on the mug, but the cold seemed to have got into her bones, even as the fire continued to roar in the grate.

  ‘What about you, Anna? You look as white as a sheet, have you eaten at all today?’ Ruth Mehenick’s voice was filled with concern.

  ‘I felt too nauseous to eat this morning before we went to try and find a dress. I think it must have been nerves. It seems ridiculous now, so unimportant.’ Anna sniffed, trying and failing to hold back the tears that kept rolling silently down her cheeks.

  ‘It’ll be okay, I promise.’ Ella crossed her fingers behind her back. She was powerless to keep the promise, but if she believed it enough that had to help Anna get through the wait, which might just help her get through it too.

  ‘Your father’s walked down to the lifeboat station to see if there’s anything he can do to help.’ Ruth raised her eyebrows. Jago Mehenick was renowned for his strong opinions and all Ella could do was hope that her father’s interference didn’t end up hindering the rescue efforts. She knew him well enough to realise he wouldn’t just be able to sit around and wait; it was killing her and Anna as it was.

  ‘That’s your mobile!’ Anna’s shout almost drowned out the ringtone as Ella snatched up the phone.

  ‘Oh Ella, thank God. It’s Toni.’ It wasn’t the voice Ella had so desperately wanted to hear, although judging by her tone, Brae and Dan’s disappearance wasn’t the only Port Agnes emergency in progress. Toni was another of the midwives at the unit and she was usually pretty unflappable, but there was more than a hint of panic in her voice.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Ella looked at Anna and shook her head, sending a message that the call wasn’t about the boys.

  ‘I got a call out to Beth Jenson, who thought she might be in the early stages of labour.’ Toni’s voice was tight. ‘It turns out she’s a lot further on than she thought and the baby must have turned into the breech position since her last examination. I’ve called an ambulance, but with the storm and a pile-up on the A39, they don’t know how long it’ll be before they get here. Even when they do, the paramedics aren’t going to be able to help if the baby decides to put in an appearance before they can get Beth to the hospital for a C-section. Her husband’s out on call with the lifeboat crew and I can’t get hold of any of the other midwives. I know you’re not on call but—’

  ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can. What’s Beth’s address?’ Ella wasn’t sure whether agreeing to help out with the delivery was a good idea, but Toni needed her and so did Beth. It was also clear that Toni had no idea who it was the lifeboat crew were searching for, so at least the news hadn’t spread that far yet. For a few minutes Ella could pretend to herself that it wasn’t happening too. There was nothing she could do to help Dan; he had experts out looking for him, and just waiting around was unbearable. Beth’s husband was one of the people out trying to save Dan and Brae, so the least she could do was support his wife. It was a tiny way of paying back an immeasurable debt.

  ‘Thanks. It’s Blackthorn Lodge on Miller’s Lane, straight down past Miller’s Farm and it’s the second property on the left.’

  ‘Do you need me to bring anything?’ Ella would fill Anna in as soon as the call ended and give her the option of coming along too. She wasn’t sure if Anna would be up to it and she wouldn’t judge either way. They had to do what was best for Beth. It was the only thing in their power.

  ‘Just bring yourself, and please be as quick as you can!’ Toni disconnected the call before Ella could answer, and she looked across at Anna.

  ‘Toni’s with Beth Jenson, out at Miller’s Lane. She’s in advanced labour and the baby’s breech. Toni’s called an ambulance but they can’t guarantee when they will get there. She needs my help.’ Ella unhooked her dad’s car keys from the spot where he’d always hung them by the back door, for as long as she could remember.

  ‘I’m coming too. I’ve got to do something; I can’t stand just waiting.’ Anna was already up on her feet and it was pointless arguing with her. She was the most capable midwife Ella had ever worked with and, despite the turmoil they were both going through, she was certain Anna wouldn’t let Beth down. Somehow they’d have to push away the thoughts of the lives that might be hanging in the balance out in the storm, and help bring a new one into the world.

  If Anna had thought about it, she might have questioned how she was functioning at all, let alone taking charge of Beth Jenson’s delivery. It was as if being a midwife was imprinted on her soul and, even if she couldn’t keep thoughts of Brae being missing out of her head, muscle memory seemed to have taken over.

  ‘What type of breech do you think we’re dealing with?’ Anna asked the question as soon as Toni answered the door to Beth’s house, her face flooding with relief at the sight of Anna and Ella standing on the doorstep.

  ‘Judging by the position of the heartbeat and what I can tell by examining Beth, I’d say we’re dealing with a frank breech.’ Toni stepped back to let them into the house.

  ‘Well that’s some good news.’ Anna caught Ella’s eye. They’d agreed on the way over not to mention Brae and Dan’s disappearance to either Beth or Toni. It would be better for all of them if they concentrated on the delivery. A frank breech meant the baby was bottom first with its legs bent upwards towards its head. It was the next best thing to being head down, and far less dangerous than if the baby’s feet or knees emerged first. Anna just hoped Toni was right.

  ‘How’s Beth doing?’ Ella shrugged off her coat and took Anna’s from her. The rain hadn’t eased off and just the short run to and from the car at either end of the journey had been like stepping into a shower on full jet mode.

  ‘She’s okay. At the moment she seems more worried that Andy isn’t going to make it back in time for the birth than she is about the baby being breech.’ Toni pulled a face. ‘And she seems pretty stoical through the contractions. She was already in the kneeling position they advised at her antenatal classes when I got here, and she said that was helping a lot.’

  ‘Is she close to the second stage?’ Anna followed Toni down the corridor to the kitchen, so they could scrub up for a delivery that didn’t sound as if it was going to wait for the ambulance to arrive, or for the storm to pass.

  ‘She went from six centimetres to eight in less than half an hour, so by my reckoning we’ve got twenty minutes at the most.’ Toni looked from Anna to Ella and back again. ‘I’m so glad the two of you are here. I was terrified you weren’t going to make it, or that the electricity would go off again and I’d be left here alone, in the dark, in both senses of the word. I’ve never done a home breech birth before, let alone solo.’

  ‘It’ll be fine.’ The words sounded robotic, even to Anna’s own ears. It was what Susie and Janis had said in the shop, after she’d taken the call from the lifeboat crew, and what Ella and Ruth had repeated over and over back at the Mehenicks’ place. She needed to convince Beth that it would be fine, though, just as much as she needed to believe what everyone else was saying about Brae and Dan would turn out to be true, and not just a meaningless platitude. ‘Let’s go and take a look at Beth then, shall we, and see if we can get this baby to put in an appearance?’

  Toni nodded and the three of them trooped up the stairs, pausing halfway up as the lights flickered off again for a split second, before lighting up the way again, thank God. This was difficult enough as it was.

  ‘Hi Beth. I’m Anna Jones, one of the midwives from the unit. I don’t know if you remember me or Ella from any of your check-ups, but I think you’ve met us both, haven’t you?’ Anna crouched down by the end of the bed where Beth was positioned with her elbows pressed into the mattress and her bottom sticking up in the air, like a sort of downward dog yoga move. Beth turned her head to one side and nodded.

  ‘Uh-huh, I’ve met most of the midwives I think but frankly I couldn’t care less right now who delivers this baby, just as long as he gets here safely.’ Beth grimaced, grabbing a fistful of
the fitted sheet as another contraction took hold.

  ‘So we’ve got a little boy on the way then?’

  ‘Yes, Andy was desperate for a boy and he got his wish. I’m sure you’ll think it’s an old wives’ tale, but he had me down at the fishmongers twice a week while we were trying for the baby. And he’s convinced it’s down to the sardines and oysters that we’re having a little boy, although I’d much rather have stuck to the cod and chips from Penrose Plaice. Even in the middle of labour I wouldn’t say no.’ Beth spoke through gritted teeth and Anna forced herself to focus back on the delivery, even as thoughts of Brae threatened to overwhelm her. Everyone seemed to know him and loads of people would be devastated if anything happened to him, but Anna would be broken beyond repair. It scared the hell out of her that she loved him so much because there was so much to lose, but it was way too late to change that now.

  ‘I think you’ll have earned a fish supper at the very least after this.’ Anna fought to keep her tone light. ‘Are you okay for me to examine you?’

  ‘Go for it. Like I said, I don’t care who does what, as long as I can get the baby out, and I’m past trying to hang on for Andy’s sake. I just want it over now.’

  ‘You’re doing brilliantly, sweetheart. Ella, can you take Beth’s blood pressure please, while I examine her? Toni, if you can get everything we might need, we’ll be ready to go as soon as the baby decides it’s time.’ There was a good chance Anna might have to intervene to help the baby out if he got stuck in the second stage of labour for too long, but she’d cross that bridge if they came to it. Right now, there was a bit more good news to share. ‘You’re very nearly at ten centimetres, Beth, and you should feel the urge to start pushing before much longer.’

  ‘Am I going to be able to get him out the wrong way round? My sister said it was like passing a bowling ball when she gave birth to my niece, and she was the right way up.’ For the first time Beth sounded panicked and Anna nodded at Ella who moved to the side of the bed, crouching down to speak to their patient.

  ‘You can do this. Lots of women give birth naturally with the baby in the breech position and midwives like us have the privilege of seeing just how amazing women in labour can be. We’re right here with you.’

  ‘Toni said she’d never delivered a breech baby at home before.’ Beth groaned as another contraction took hold and Anna couldn’t stop her eyebrows from shooting up. Sometimes Toni was too honest with the patients for her own good. It was strange when she guarded her personal life with the same level of secrecy as James Bond on a mission for MI5. Anna was going to have to redress the balance to put Beth’s mind at rest.

  ‘Ella specialised in difficult deliveries when she was working in London. Lots of women with a breech presentation chose to give birth naturally, didn’t they?’

  ‘That’s right and Anna has delivered a few breech babies at home, haven’t you?’

  ‘Absolutely and they were all fine.’ Now wasn’t the time to mention the baby who’d had to be resuscitated and another who was hospitalised with hip problems. The truth was that everything had turned out well in the end, and running through a list of things that could go wrong wasn’t going to help anyone. It wasn’t like they had a choice. The baby was coming and he was coming in the breech position, whether they liked it or not.

  ‘That’s good, I didn’t fancy being your first too. Ohhhhh!’ Beth groaned again and her whole body seemed to go rigid for a moment or two before relaxing again. ‘That was a strong one and I can still feel a lot of pressure down below.’

  ‘That’s just your body getting ready to push.’ Anna examined Beth again. ‘You’re fully dilated and as soon as that pressure builds up again, you need to go with it.’ With the baby in the position he was, there was more chance of the cord being compressed and depriving the baby of blood flow and oxygen as a result. Once Beth started pushing, the countdown on the second stage of labour would begin. They only had an hour to get the baby out before the risk of oxygen deprivation could lead to his blood becoming dangerously acidic, which could prove fatal. So they had to give Beth the best chance of delivering as quickly as she could.

  ‘Can’t I start pushing now?’ She sounded exhausted, but if she started pushing too early, she was just going to use up energy she didn’t have.

  ‘You can, but if you wait until you feel the urge it’ll be a lot more effective and the breaks in between will give you a little rest.’ Anna had barely got the words out before Beth hauled herself up onto all fours again.

  ‘So much for a rest! I can feel the urge to push already.’

  ‘Being on all fours is absolutely the best position, just go with it.’ Ella’s tone was positive and Beth started to push.

  ‘Your waters have gone and I can see the baby. He’s definitely coming bottom first.’ Anna let go of the breath she’d been holding. Seeing a foot or knee emerging first would have been much more dangerous for Beth and the baby. Even Anna hadn’t delivered a baby like that at home before and she hoped she’d never have to.

  ‘I want Andy!’ Beth screamed as another contraction took hold and as she fell silent again, Anna heard a door crashing open and footsteps running along the corridor below and up the stairs. If Andy was back, that meant they had to have found Brae and Dan…

  ‘Oh thank God, I’m not too late.’ Andy flung his coat onto a chair in the corner of the room, rain dripping off his hair, as Beth turned her head to look at her husband.

  ‘They said you were out on a shout and they couldn’t get hold of you.’

  ‘Have you found the missing fisherman?’ Anna couldn’t stop herself asking, before Andy even had a chance to answer his wife. Her heart seemed to physically contract when Andy shook his head.

  ‘They managed to get a message through on the radio that Beth was in labour and they brought me back to the lifeboat station. The rest of the team have gone back out to keep searching and they’ve met up with a crew from Port Kara too. If they don’t find those lads soon, they won’t be coming home.’

  ‘Oh God.’ The words slipped out before Anna could stop them and she dug her fingernails into the palms of her hand, not daring to look up at Ella, who was clearing her throat. She’d thought for a moment that Ella was going to tell the others it was Brae and Dan who were missing, but she didn’t. It was as if an unspoken agreement had passed between them; if either of them acknowledged Dan and Brae’s disappearance out loud, it would make it all the more real and they might have to admit Andy was right. Brae and Dan wouldn’t be home for the wedding. They wouldn’t be coming home at all.

  ‘I know it’s horrific, isn’t it? It’s one of the worst storms I’ve ever been out in.’ Andy moved next to Beth, at the head of the bed. ‘But I’m guessing you’ve had it even worse, haven’t you, angel? The message said the baby was breech.’

  ‘He is and I’m really frightened.’ Beth pressed her head up against her husband’s and he stroked her hair.

  ‘I know, darling, but I’m here now, and if anyone can do this it’s you.’

  ‘Beth’s doing brilliantly, isn’t she?’ Toni looked at Anna, who was still struggling to pull herself together, but eventually she managed to nod.

  ‘Absolutely and if a baby’s going to be breech, yours is in the best position for a safe delivery. You’re just in time to see your son make his entrance into the world.’ Anna forced a smile, fighting the urge to ask Andy if Brae and Dan had any chance of surviving out at sea in this weather if they weren’t found. She had to focus on the baby, for her own sake, as much as Beth’s and her unborn son’s.

  ‘I’ve got another contraction coming, give me your hand!’ Beth reached out and grabbed Andy’s hand, pushing it into the mattress under her own. Judging by the grimace on his face, she was applying a lot of downward pressure.

  ‘Okay, just go with it. Once we’ve got the baby’s bottom out, the rest of him should follow relatively easily.’ Anna wasn’t sure she’d have done anywhere near as well in Beth’s position, but so
metimes too much knowledge wasn’t a good thing. ‘Are you sure you don’t want some gas and air?’

  ‘I’ve come this far without it, I’m not giving in now.’

  ‘She’s the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met and she won’t back down once she decides to do something. She was determined to give birth without pain relief, even when everyone was telling her she’d change her mind once labour started.’ Andy grinned, obviously proud of his wife’s determination, even if it was presenting a risk that he’d get a bone-crush injury as a result.

  ‘That was before you realised the baby was going to be breech.’ Ella paused. ‘No one would have any right to judge you if you changed your mind now. In fact, no one should judge anyone for the decisions they make in labour.’

  ‘Some of the women in my antenatal group would.’ Beth grimaced again, as another contraction took hold.

  ‘That’s it, one more good push like that and I think we’ll get his bottom out.’ Anna checked her watch. They were ten minutes into the second stage now and there was still plenty of time to get the baby out safely, but there was no doubting how tiring this was for Beth and they needed to keep monitoring her too.

  ‘I can’t believe how preachy some woman are when they’re supposed to be in a support group like that.’ Toni tutted. ‘Although, when I ran my first ever antenatal group as a newly qualified midwife working in the community, one of the women admitted she didn’t want to breastfeed and I thought the rest of them were going to lynch her. We had to sit through a half-hour lecture from one of the other women about how breasts weren’t just playthings. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, but I’ve toughened up at lot since then and I wouldn’t stand for it now. I might even be tempted to get out my tassels.’

  Poor Andy’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at the thought of Toni demonstrating just how versatile her breasts could be, and even Anna couldn’t help laughing. It was a fragment of normality in the midst of all the drama. And Toni wouldn’t be Toni if she wasn’t saying something on the edge of inappropriateness.