Page 64 of Escape for Christmas
In the sitting room, two pairs of yellow eyes watched them from the window seat, as if the unfolding drama was part of a normal day at Sunnyside. Sophie had never wished she was a cat as much as she did at this moment.
Brody emerged from the bedroom.
‘How is she?’ Sophie and Pete asked, almost in unison.
‘The good news is that, from what I can tell, the baby is in the right position. It isn’t breech or anything tricky like that. Agatha agrees with me. I’ve also been able to check its heartbeat with my stethoscope and that seems normal. For a human baby,’ he added.
‘Thank goodness for that. Any idea when it might arrive?’
‘I can’t tell that … it could be a couple of hours, though.’ He heaved a sigh. ‘You know it would have been much better if we could have moved Anna to the farm, where it’s light and warmer.’
‘Do you think it’s still possible?’ Sophie said. ‘Though it would mean going out in the snow and cold.’
‘I don’t think it’s an option anymore. She needs to stay here for now. I’m going to phone again to check where the emergency services are and, hopefully, they’ll make it in time.’
Sophie suppressed a shudder of fear. Brody spoke to the call handler before relaying the message to Sophie.
‘OK, they have tasked a helicopter, but they can’t give an ETA yet. They are also attending a serious road traffic accident in Keswick.’
‘Is there nothing else we can do?’
‘They’ve already alerted the mountain-rescue team, who should be walking up here from the Bannerdale base right now. They have a doctor on the team and should be with us within an hour or so.’
‘What a relief,’ Sophie sighed. ‘Not that I don’t trust you to deliver the baby – I know you’d be brilliant.’
‘I don’t want to be brilliant,’ Brody said. ‘I just want Anna and her baby to be safe.’
‘I know she will be, with you here,’ Sophie replied gratefully. ‘Thanks for not abandoning us.’
‘Like I said, I’d never do that.’ He took her hand. ‘Sophie, there’s something I ought to tell you. Not now, but when … this is all over. About Tegan. I hope you’ll hear me out.’
‘You’re right. Not now,’ Sophie shook her head. ‘Or ever. I simply want to forget what happened between us and move on.’ She was grateful Brody was here to help, but it didn’t change anything between them.
‘You mean as friends?’ he said, with a sharp edge that took her aback. He was the one who’d tried it on while he was engaged.
‘I don’t think we can go back to being friends,’ Sophie replied. ‘But that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for this – for your help now. Come on, you go back to Anna while I make sure my guests and the children are OK.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
An hour later Sophie had forgotten that anything bad – or good – had ever passed between her and Brody. The only thing she cared about was Anna, and her baby, who had decided not to wait for the professionals to arrive after all. The little one was ready to make her entrance imminently.
Sophie had propped the phone up on the bedside table and put it on speaker. Every tea light in the house had been deployed in the ‘delivery room’, and the floor and bed were covered in bin bags.
The kids were sleeping in the guest lounge, after finally nodding off to stories read to them by Amber and Suzanne by the light of a torch. Nico and the Hartley-Brewers had gone to find clean towels.
Pete was holding Anna’s hand and mopping her brow.
All dignity had gone out of the window, because Brody and Agatha now had no choice but to deliver the baby. Thank goodness the birth pack had been to hand, so Brody at least had the right equipment to make it easier.
‘Right, I need a hand,’ he said.
‘Me?’ Sophie squeaked.
‘Yup. You and Agatha. Baby’s on the way. There’s asterile gown in the pack. Someone needs to tie me into it. And get plenty of towels in here, please!’
After a moment of feeling frozen with fear, Sophie got to work, helping Brody into the gown and slipping the sterile sheets from the pack underneath Anna, who was panting and grunting. More towels had arrived. She had to look away while Brody declared to the emergency operator that the baby’s head was emerging, suddenly feeling a little faint herself.
Anna was grunting and squeezing Pete’s hand tightly.
