Escape for Christmas

Chapter Twenty-One

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

‘Come in,’ Brody said as Sophie stumbled inside Felltop on wobbly legs, clearly shaken by what was happening. She’d run to the farm – as much as anyone could run through deep snow – slipping several times and actually falling into a drift at one point.

Brody put his hand on her shoulder. ‘Take a breath,’ he said calmly. ‘And tell me exactly what’s happened.’

‘It’s not happened. It’s happening right now! A family was stuck in the snow, so I took them in. The woman’s thirty-eight weeks pregnant and now she’s in labour. We’ve tried calling for an ambulance, but they say they can’t get through.’

Maybe coming here to ask for help was a mistake, but Sophie felt like it was her only option. Suddenly she realised that all the lights were on in the farmhouse

‘What about the coastguard helicopter?’ he asked. ‘The emergency services should ask them.’

‘They say they’ll try to get someone to us, but it could be hours. And I don’t think Anna’s baby is going to wait that long. Can you do anything?’

‘I …’ For a horrible moment, Sophie thought Brody was going to say it was nothing to do with him. Then he nodded firmly. ‘Of course, I’ll do my very best to help.’

‘There’s something else,’ she said. ‘There’s a power cut at Sunnyside. I thought it was everyone in the area, but how come all your normal lights are on?’

‘A power cut at Sunnyside?’ He grimaced and Sophie realised he was more worried than he was letting on. ‘I’ve got a diesel generator as back-up. It comes on automatically if there’s a power cut. I noticed the lights flicker, but didn’t think anything because I was – busy,’ he said. ‘Are you sure the power’s completely off and it isn’t the fuses?’

‘I’ve checked,’ Sophie replied tersely.

‘OK,’ he soothed. ‘I only wanted to make sure, because we’re going to need all the light we can get. In the circumstances,’ he added.

‘Don’t I know it!’ Sophie yelled, then said, ‘Sorry, this is – a bit overwhelming. We do have low-level emergency lighting that kicked in after the power went off. But it’s only meant to help guide guests out of the building, in case they need to be evacuated. And it only stays on for three hours.’

‘I’m sure the emergency services will be here before then,’ Brody said.

Sophie wished she shared his confidence. ‘I hope so, but … what if the baby’s born and something goes wrong?’

‘I doubt it will come to that. You said Anna was part of a family, so I’m assuming she has other children?’

‘Two,’ Sophie confirmed.

‘And do you know if she’s had any complications with the previous births?’

‘Not as far as I know. In fact her husband, Pete, said the others had arrived pretty quickly.’

Brody let out a short breath. ‘That’s something, but I can also see the urgency. Let me fetch my kit and I’ll walk back with you.’ He stopped, asking her, ‘I don’t suppose the family had a birth pack with them?’

‘Yes. Yes, Anna mentioned it. They were sent one by the midwives because she was planning a home birth. It’s in their car.’

Sophie was pleased to see him look slightly less concerned. ‘That’s good too and if she was planning a home birth, they must be expecting everything to be straightforward. Wait here a sec. At least I can be with her to reassure her, but hopefully the baby will hang on for the professionals.’

Relief flooded through Sophie and she realised she was shaking. ‘Thanks. I don’t know what I was going to do if you’d said no.’

‘I would never have done that,’ he said and put his arm around her. ‘We’ll manage somehow. And, Sophie, breathe …’

She nodded.

Tegan hurried downstairs then, pulling her fluffy robe tightly around her, aghast at the sight of Sophie dripping melted snow over the hall tiles. ‘What’s happened?’

‘There’s a medical emergency at the guest house next door,’ Brody explained. ‘I’m going to lend a hand.’

Tegan gasped. ‘But, but you’re only a vet . What can you possibly do?’

‘One of my guests has gone into premature labour,’ Sophie explained.

Tegan’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Wow! Haven’t you called an ambulance?’

‘Of course,’ Sophie replied, unable to disguise her irritation at Brody’s fiancée’s patronising tone. ‘But even a helicopter may not get here in time. I didn’t know who else to call.’

Tegan clutched his elbow. ‘Be careful, Brody. Don’t get sued!’

‘Thank you, Tegan,’ Brody growled. ‘I will be careful and I may only be a vet, but I’m going to do my best to help.’

Not long after, Sophie ushered Brody through the front door of Sunnyside into an unnerving scene. Although the low-level lights gave enough illumination to make out a path down the stairs and into the hall, their shadows cast eerie patterns on the walls.

‘Anna’s in my flat,’ she said. ‘And the lights aren’t on in there at all. We’re relying on torches and mobile phones, plus a couple of lanterns in there.’

The guests appeared in the doorway from the lounge. Nico, Una, Hugo, Suzanne and – amazingly – Amber were all waiting for news. There was no sign of Agatha. Sophie hoped she hadn’t fallen over in the dark and added to the casualty list. ‘Pete brought the children into the lounge with us,’ Una told Sophie. ‘He thought they’d be happier in here.’

Ignoring everyone, Sophie ushered Brody through to her flat. Anna let out a wail. Pete was waiting in the sitting room.

‘Thank God!’ he said with a huge sigh of relief. ‘Is this the doctor?’

‘Not quite,’ Sophie replied. ‘He’s the local vet.’

Agatha emerged from the bedroom. ‘A vet ?’

‘I’m here to help,’ Brody retorted sharply. ‘So if we could just see the mother, there’s no time to waste.’

Agatha nodded. ‘I’m sorry. Thanks for coming and, between us, we should manage. I’m Agatha, and I’m a nurse. Retired nurse actually, but I have assisted at many births. I’m afraid I’ve also had several cocktails, though frankly I’m sobering up rapidly now. I’ve been helping to look after Anna, keep her calm and do her breathing exercises. I’ve timed the contractions. They’re three minutes apart.’

‘That doesn’t sound very far apart …’ Sophie murmured.

‘It isn’t,’ said Agatha. ‘You look quite pale, my dear.’

‘I’m – er – don’t worry about me.

‘Thanks, Agatha,’ Brody cut in firmly. ‘With both of us, I’m sure we can help deliver a baby. If we have to,’ he added hastily. ‘Which I’m sure we won’t.’

Pete let out a groan.

Suddenly Amber popped her head around the door of Sophie’s sitting room. ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Can I help?’

Sophie nodded. ‘Yes, please! Would you mind finding as many torches or sources of light as you can. There are more battery tea lights in the store cupboard in the kitchen. Can you please bring them here?’

‘No problem.’

‘How are Baxter and Maria?’ Sophie asked.

‘They’re fine. I made them banana smoothies and we told them they’re going to have a sleepover until the baby arrives.’

‘Thanks. I do hope Anna hangs on until the emergency services arrive,’ Sophie replied. Beam me up, she pleaded silently; please let me wake up, because this cannot be happening. I cannot be trapped in a snowdrift in the dark with a woman in labour in my bed and only a retired nurse, who’s been on the cocktails all night, and a vet to help.

Anna cried out again and swore ripely when Sophie and Brody went back inside with Agatha, while Pete went to the lounge to reassure the children. Sophie closed the door behind her.

‘Is this the doctor?’ Anna asked hopefully, lying back on the bed between contractions.

Brody sat down. ‘I’m afraid not. I’m a vet,’ he said.

Anna gasped. ‘This is meant to be Call the Midwife , not All Creatures Great and Bloody Small ! Arghhh!’

‘I can help you until the ambulance arrives,’ Brody said calmly.

‘Great! Shame I’m not having bloody kittens!’ Anna shouted. ‘Sorry, but a vet?’

‘Brody’s very experienced,’ Sophie assured her, thinking it was the best she could do and that Anna was lucky he lived so close by.

‘With cows!’

‘Yeah, with cows, puppies, kittens … I delivered a foal last week,’ Brody said.

‘Oh my God!’

‘But if I can ask you a few questions, it will help me update the emergency services. They’ll get a medic on the phone to advise us too,’ he said, taking charge of the situation.

‘Just do whatever you need to, if it’ll help the baby,’ Anna pleaded.

‘I think it’s a good idea, my dear,’ Agatha soothed, patting Anna’s hand.

‘Would it be OK if I examined your – er – bump?’ Brody said awkwardly. ‘To see what position he or she’s in? ‘

‘She,’ Anna grunted. ‘And yes, it’s fine. Anything that will help is fi-i-i-ne!’

‘Shall we leave?’ Sophie asked.

‘No! I think at least one of you should stay, if Anna agrees,’ Brody said. ‘It won’t take me long.’

‘I’ll stay,’ Agatha offered.

‘Thank you. Oh God, another one …’ Anna grasped Agatha’s hand as a powerful contraction bore down on her.

‘I might need to use the landline phone,’ Brody called back to Sophie. ‘I don’t think the mobile signal’s working.’

‘OK. I’ll bring the cordless in here.’

After returning to the bedroom with the cordless phone, Sophie decided to check how everyone was doing in the guest lounge. To her relief, Suzanne was showing Maria a Peppa Pig video on her mobile, while Baxter bashed Nico and Hugo with the inflatable flamingo. Una was soothing Pete.

Amber walked in. ‘I found some battery tealights in a kitchen cupboard,’ she said, handing a box to Sophie.

‘Thanks, that’s a big help,’ Sophie said before asking Pete. ‘Do you want to come to see how Anna’s getting on?’

He nodded and turned to the children.

‘I’ll be back in a little while. Just going to look after Mummy,’ he said, though the kids were too engrossed to worry. Once out of earshot, his brave face crumbled. ‘How’s Anna?’ he asked on the way back to the bedroom.

‘Doing well,’ Sophie replied, more hopefully than anything. ‘Brody’s checking on her now. If you want to go in?’

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.’