Rapid Response

‘Charity Adams.’

‘So, Charity, Nicky tells me that your waters have broken. Is that right?’

‘Yes. I’m only seven months pregnant, too, so the baby shouldn’t be born for ages…’ Charity stopped talking and groaned. ‘Oh, that hurts!’

Holly grimaced. ‘It sounds as though you’re in labour but I’ll need to take a look at you before I can be sure.’

She stood up and quickly explained to the firemen that she needed to examine the girl. They turned off the torch and tactfully moved aside while she removed the protective blanket that had been placed over Charity and helped her out of her underwear. Her heart sank when she saw that the woman’s cervix was fully dilated because it meant the birth was imminent.

‘How long will it take to free her?’ Holly asked one of the firemen.

‘Just a couple more minutes.’

‘Then let’s get on with it. We need to get her out of here as fast as we can.’

Holly looked round when Ben came to join her. She drew him aside so that Charity couldn’t hear what she was saying. ‘The baby’s on its way. I’m hoping we have time to get her out of here before it arrives but it’s going to be a close call from the look of her. She’s fully dilated.’

‘I’ll tell the ambulance to stand by. I’m just going to organise a stretcher, ready for when they cut the driver free. We don’t want any more hold-ups.’

‘Good idea,’ Holly agreed. She frowned as he moved away because she couldn’t help noticing how grim he looked. Obviously, the situation with the driver in particular was extremely worrying but she had a feeling it wasn’t that which was bothering Ben most of all. Had it been that reference to her and Josh perhaps?

Charity gave another loud groan and Holly put that foolish thought out of her head. Ben had had his chance so why should he care if there was a legion of men interested in her?

The girl was in a great deal of pain but it was far too risky to administer pain relief at this stage when the baby was so premature. The normal analgesics used during childbirth could cause respiratory problems in pre-term babies. Whilst it might be acceptable to use them in the safety of a well-equipped maternity unit, they didn’t have that luxury here. She would have to rely on talking Charity through the birth.

‘Try to work with the pain and don’t fight it,’ she advised, taking hold of the girl’s hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. ‘I want you to try and breathe nice and slowly—big deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth…That’s it. You’re doing great.’

Holly looked up when the fireman tapped her on the shoulder and told her they were ready to remove the seat. Ben came back just then and between them they managed to help Charity out of the gap. They had to stop when another contraction began but as soon as it was over, they set about getting her out of the coach. A ladder had been set up through one of the windows but Charity stopped dead and refused to carry on when she realised that she was going to have to climb up it.

‘I can’t get up there!’ she wailed. ‘What if the baby comes?’

‘Holly will be right behind you.’ Ben put a comforting arm around her shoulders. ‘She won’t let you fall and she certainly won’t let anything happen to your baby.’

‘But it’s almost here. I can tell!’ The girl clung grimly to the metal rungs, shaking her head when Ben tried once more to urge her up the ladder. ‘No! I can’t do it and you can’t make me!’

‘Maybe we can deliver the baby here,’ Holly began, but Ben didn’t let her finish.

‘That isn’t an option.’

He took hold of Charity’s hands, ignoring Holly as he set about persuading the girl to do what he wanted. Holly didn’t say anything but she was seething with anger at his high-handed attitude. Ben seemed to think that he could boss her around but he was mistaken if he thought she was going to meekly do his bidding. As she’d told him once already that day, he was no longer her boss.

A frown puckered her brow as that thought sank in. Ben had been two years ahead of her when they’d met—he’d already been a registrar when she’d been a lowly houseman. He had been extremely good at his job and had had a promising future ahead of him, too. That being the case, what was he doing at Dalverston? He should have been a consultant by now, not a specialist registrar, and been on his way towards a post as head of department. So what had gone wrong? Why had his career apparently come to a standstill in the last two years? And why did she have a feeling that the answers to those questions were important?

‘Are you ready, Holly? We need to get a move on.’

Holly blinked when Ben spoke to her. He’d somehow managed to convince Charity that she must climb the ladder because the girl had her foot on the first rung. Even though Holly was desperate to find out more about his career, it really wasn’t the right time to ask questions. She went to join them, shaking her head when Charity had another change of heart and stepped down.

‘You can do this, Charity. There’s just a dozen rungs to climb then you and your baby will be safe.’

Charity took a shuddering breath and placed her foot back on the rung. ‘I can do this,’ she muttered. ‘I can climb up this ladder.’

‘Be careful, won’t you?’

Ben touched her on the arm and Holly felt her heart leap when she saw the concern in his eyes. How many times had she seen him looking at her that very same way? she thought wonderingly.

‘Josh is up top and I’m sure he’s only too eager to give you a helping hand but don’t rush. We don’t need any more problems to contend with at the moment.’

The acerbic note in his voice when he mentioned the paramedic might have gone unnoticed by most people but not by her. No way. Holly bristled with resentment. ‘And what’s that supposed to mean? Do you have a problem with me and Josh?’

‘Not at all.’ His smile made a mockery of what she’d been thinking earlier. She didn’t need to hear the indifference in his voice to know that she’d been mad to imagine Ben still cared about her. He never really had cared, if the truth be told, and the proof of that was the way he had dumped her so callously. It was an effort to hide her hurt when he continued.

‘As you pointed out, Holly, it’s not my place to comment on what you do.’

‘No, it isn’t. I’m glad you realise that.’

She didn’t say anything else because there wasn’t time. Charity had moved up another rung and Holly quickly followed. They had to stop when another contraction began but it wasn’t long before they were able to carry on. However, it was a relief when they reached the top of the ladder where there were people waiting to help the young mother the rest of the way.

Josh grabbed hold of Holly’s arm when she scrambled out onto the side of the coach and stood there, blinking. It seemed so bright outside after the gloom inside the coach that she couldn’t focus for a moment.

‘Are you OK, Holly?’

The concern in the handsome young paramedic’s voice was wonderfully soothing after her recent spat with Ben and she smiled warmly. ‘I’m fine now, thank you very much.’

‘Good!’ Josh gave her a quick hug then went to supervise as Charity was helped down to the ground. A plastic chute had been set up against the coach and Charity was able to slide down it without too much difficulty.

Holly sighed as she watched Josh helping the girl to a waiting ambulance. Had her response had been a bit too warm just now? She didn’t want to give Josh the wrong idea, especially not when it might upset Ben…

‘Damn, damn, damn!’

The curses sprang from her lips when she realised what she was doing again. Even after everything that had happened, she was still considering Ben’s feelings! She swung round when she heard someone laugh and saw Nicky climbing out of the coach.

‘Tut, tut, is that really the kind of language a well brought-up young lady should use?’ Nicky grinned at her. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had man trouble, Holly Daniels.’

‘Not a chance,’ Holly retorted. ‘I’ve too much sense to let any man cause me grief.’

Nicky whistled in admiration. ‘I wish I had your attitude. I keep telling myself that I need to toughen up but I’m such a marshmallow when it comes to affairs of the heart. I envy you, Hol, really I do, although I hope poor Josh realises what he’s letting himself in for.’

‘I wouldn’t dream of deliberately hurting Josh, or anyone else for that matter,’ Holly denied in dismay.

‘Oh, I know that! And I didn’t mean to imply that you would. It’s just that you have your life all worked out and refuse to be messed about.’ Nicky smiled placatingly. ‘I’m hoping to learn a lot from you while we’re flat-sharing. If I can get my act together like you’ve done, Holly, then I’ll be a happy bunny!’

Holly sighed as Nicky disappeared down the chute. Nicky seemed to think that her life was perfect but it was a long way away from being that. She may have achieved a certain stability recently but that could change now Ben was back on the scene. She might claim to be over him but if that was true, why did she feel so on edge? Was it possible that she still felt something for him?

She glanced round as another paramedic appeared with a stretcher that would be used to move the driver, suddenly glad that she didn’t have the time to answer that question right then. She quickly made her way back inside the coach and discovered that the fire crew had finally freed the driver. Between them they managed to shift him onto the stretcher. However, getting him out of the coach proved to be a major task. The stretcher had to be hauled out through the window with the aid of ropes and it was a worrying time for everyone concerned.

Ben heaved a sigh of relief as they watched the ambulance roar away with its sirens wailing. He looked almost as exhausted as she felt but there was a gleam in his eyes that she’d seen many times before, a light that sprang from satisfaction at a job well done. Her heart knocked against her ribs because she didn’t want to think about the past right then.

‘That seems to be it, then. Everyone accounted for so it’s back to base now, I think.’