The Midwife's Christmas Baby. Kate Hardy

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      ‘Mummy, look, it’s Santa!’ The little boy tugged at his mum’s hand and pointed to the room on the other side of the floor, and Ella couldn’t help smiling at the excitement on his face.

      ‘Santa’—often one of the consultants in a borrowed suit—paid a brief visit to Teddy’s every Wednesday afternoon in December, to see the siblings of all the new babies on the ward. The Friends of the Hospital group had raised money for gifts appropriate for different ages—a soft toy, colouring pencils and a pad, or a reading book—and it helped to make the older siblings feel that they were still special despite the new arrival in the family.

      So who was it today? Oliver? Max?

      Definitely not Oliver, because a couple of minutes later he came striding along the corridor. He paused in the doorway when he saw Ella, and smiled. ‘OK?’

      Ella nodded, and glanced back at the mum she’d been checking over. She was busy with the baby and talking to her toddler, so Ella stepped out for a second. ‘You?’

      ‘Yeah.’

      ‘I wondered if you were, um, helping our friend in the red suit.’

      He smiled. ‘That would be next week.’ For a moment, he took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Next year, our baby will see Santa.’

      His voice was low enough so that nobody else would’ve heard. And that touch, combined with the expression in his eyes and what he’d just said, sent a thrill right through her. Especially when he added, ‘And I can’t wait. I know five months is still a bit young, but...’

      Did that mean he wanted to take the baby to see Santa on his own? Or did he mean the three of them as a family? Not that she could ask. Yesterday, he’d kissed her; but then he’d said it was a mistake. Right now they seemed to be taking one step forward and two steps back.

      Or maybe this was her chance to sound him out a little more. ‘The year after will be better,’ she said. ‘Because by then the baby will be talking and know what’s going on.’

      ‘We’re so getting a train set for the second Christmas,’ he said. ‘Whether we have a girl or a boy. Wooden trains are the best fun.’

      And she could just see him kneeling on the floor with their baby, helping their little one put the train tracks together. Her heart constricted. But would she be there with him?

      ‘You’re going to be an amazing mum,’ he said. ‘Singing nursery rhymes and telling stories with all the voices.’

      He’d been thinking about the future, then? Just the baby, or about them too? She let herself get carried away with the fantasy that it was all of them. ‘And you’re going to be the dad who does all the scary stuff—the highest slide in the park, pushing the swings as fast as they’ll go.’

      ‘That sounds good to me,’ he said. ‘But not that scary. I’ll always keep my own safe.’

      Right at that second she wasn’t sure whether he was talking about the baby or her. And she so wanted it to be both of them.

      ‘Ella—can I borrow you for a second?’ Jennie, their trainee midwife, asked.

      Oh, help. Ella really hoped that Jennie hadn’t overheard any of that conversation.

      ‘Sure,’ she said, keeping her fingers crossed that she didn’t sound flustered. ‘I’ll just let my mum know I’ll be with you for a little while before I finish writing up her notes. I think they’re next for Santa, so they won’t miss me. Catch you later, Oliver.’

      ‘Later,’ he agreed with a smile.

      It was just a work pleasantry, that was all, she reminded herself. She might not even see him again before the end of her shift. But at least they hadn’t been fighting. That had to be a start.