Midwife...to Mum!. Sue MacKay

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СКАЧАТЬ placed a hand over Chrissie’s and squeezed gently. ‘You’re getting way ahead of yourself. Let’s do those tests and find out how far along you are. After I’ve taken your blood I’ll explain a few things about early-stage pregnancy if you like.’

      ‘Yes, please. I think.’ Fat tears oozed out of Chrissie’s eyes and slid down her cheeks to drip onto her jersey. ‘Mum’s going to kill me.’

      ‘No, she won’t,’ Flynn said. About to leave the room, he turned back to hunker down in front of Chrissie and said emphatically, ‘Angela will be very supportive of you. You’re her daughter. That’s what mothers do.’

      Yeah, right, you don’t know a thing, buster, if that’s what you believe. Did you grow up in la-la land? Ally clamped her lips shut for fear of spilling the truth. Some mothers couldn’t care two drops of nothing about their daughters. Some dump their babies on strangers’ door-steps.

      But when she glanced at Flynn, he shook his head and mouthed, ‘It’s true of Angela.’

      Had he known what she’d been thinking? The tension that had been tightening her shoulders left off as she conceded silently that if he was right then Chrissie was luckier than some. A big positive in what must feel like a very negative morning for the girl. ‘Good,’ she acknowledged with a nod at Flynn. As for his mind-reading, did that mean he’d known exactly what she’d been thinking about him back there in the staffroom?

      ‘Have you had a blood test before?’ she asked Chrissie. She’d wasted enough time thinking about Dr Reynolds.

      Flynn disappeared quietly, closing the door behind him.

      ‘Yeah, three times. I hate them. I fainted every time.’

      ‘You can lie on the bed, then. No way do I want to be picking you off the floor, now, do I?’

      She was rewarded with a glimmer of a smile. ‘I don’t weigh too much. You’d manage.’

      It was the first time anyone had suggested she looked tough and strong. ‘I might manage, but me and weightlifting don’t get along. How heavy are you anyway?’

      ‘Forty-eight k. I’m lucky, I can eat and eat and I stay thin. My mum’s jealous.’ At the mention of her mum her face fell and her mouth puckered. ‘I can’t tell her. She’ll be really angry. She had me when she was seventeen. All my life she’s told me not to play around with boys. She wants me to go to university and be educated, unlike her. She missed out because she had me.’

      Handing Chrissie a cup of cold water and a box of tissues, Ally sat down to talk. Her first booked appointment would have to wait. ‘I won’t deny your mother’s going to be disappointed, even upset, but she’ll come round because she loves you.’ Flynn had better have got that right because she didn’t believe in giving false hope. It just hurt more in the long run.

      ‘You think? You don’t even know her.’

      ‘True. But I see a young woman who someone’s been making sure had everything that’s important in life. You look healthy, which means she’s fed you well and kept you warm and clothed. Your uniform’s in good condition, not an op-shop one. You’re obviously up to speed with your education.’ She daren’t ask about her father. It didn’t sound like he factored into Chrissie’s current situation so maybe he didn’t exist, or wasn’t close enough for it to matter. ‘I’m new here. Where do you live?’

      ‘Round in San Remo. It’s nice there. Granddad was a fisherman and had a house so Mum and I stayed with him. He’s gone now and there’s just us. I miss him. He always had a hug and a smile for me.’

      ‘Then you’ve been very lucky. Not everyone gets those as they’re growing up.’ She sure as heck hadn’t. ‘Let’s get those blood samples done.’

      Chrissie paled but climbed onto the bed and tugged one arm free of her jersey and shirt. Lying down, she found a small scared smile. ‘Be nice to me.’

      Ally smiled. ‘If I have to.’ She could get to really like this girl. Pointless when she’d be gone in a month. Despite Chrissie’s fear of what the future had in store for her, she managed to be friendly and not sulky, as most teens she’d met in this situation had been.

      Ally found the needle and tubes for the blood in the top drawer of the cabinet beside the bed. ‘Do you play any sport at school?’ She swabbed the skin where she would insert the needle.

      ‘I’m in the school rep basketball team and play soccer at the club. I get knocked about a bit in basketball because I’m so light, but my elbows are sharp.’ The needle slid in and the tube began to fill. ‘I’m fast on my feet. Learnt how to get out of the way when I was a kid and played rough games with the boys next door.’

      Ally swapped the full tube for another one, this time for haematology tests. Flynn was checking Chrissie’s haemoglobin in case she had anaemia. ‘I see one of the beaches is popular for surfing. You ever given that a try?’ All done.

      ‘Everyone surfs around here. Sort of, anyway. Like belly-surfing and stuff.’

      ‘You can sit up now.’ Ally began labelling the tubes.

      ‘What? Have you finished? I didn’t feel a thing.’

      ‘Of course you didn’t.’ She smiled at the girl, stopped when she saw the moment Chrissie’s thoughts returned to why she was there, saw the tears building up again. ‘You’re doing fine.’

      ‘I’m not going to play sport for a while, am I?’

      ‘Maybe not competitively, but keeping fit is good for you and your baby.’

      Chrissie blew hard into a handful of tissues. ‘You haven’t told me I’m stupid for getting caught out. Or asked who the father is, or anything like that.’

      ‘That’s irrelevant. I’m more concerned about making sure you do the right things to stay healthy and have an easy pregnancy. Have you got any questions for me?’

      Chrissie swung her legs over the side of the bed and stared at the floor. ‘Lots, but not yet. But can I come see you later? After school? You’ll have the tests back by then, right?’

      ‘The important one, anyway. But won’t you want to see Dr Reynolds about that?’ She was more than happy to tell Chrissie the result, but she had no idea how Flynn might feel if she did.

      ‘He’s going to phone me, but I might need to see someone and I don’t want to talk to a man. It would be embarrassing. I’d prefer it’s you.’

      ‘That’s okay.’ Ally scribbled her cell number on a scrap of paper. ‘Here, call me. Leave a message if I don’t answer and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m free. Okay?’

      ‘Thanks.’ Sniff. ‘I didn’t sleep all night, hoping Dr Reynolds would tell me I’d got it wrong, that I wasn’t having a baby. But I used up all my pocket money on testing kits and every one of them gave me the same answer so I was just being dumb.’

      ‘Chrissie, listen to me. You are not dumb. Many women I’ve been midwife to have told me the same thing. Some of them because they couldn’t believe their luck, others because, just like you, they were crossing their fingers and toes they’d got it wrong.’ Ally drew СКАЧАТЬ