LITMIR.BIZ

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feeling opened up inside her, spreading an icy chill through her like cold fingers reaching deep into places she thought she’d sealed off.

      She tried to shrug off the feeling. What was wrong with her? ‘Happy families’ wasn’t something she connected with herself. Relationships and her made a toxic combination. She’d never experienced anything good in a relationship.

       What about Tom?

      She pushed the thought out of her mind. Tom was a friend. Friendship was completely different.

      She quickly stepped back into the daylight, leaving the temple and the couple behind her, and followed the neatly raked path toward the main house.

      She rounded the corner and found another couple. Except this time the heavily pregnant woman was leaning over a bench, moaning.

      A blond-haired man clutched the woman’s arm. ‘Sweetheart, you have to walk to the car.’

      The unexpected English words sounded completely out of place in the garden. Bec ran over. ‘Can I help? I’m a midwife.’

      The Asian woman’s hand curved around Bec’s wrist, gripping hard and her large almond-shaped eyes implored her to help. ‘Can’t … get … to … hospital.’ Her words shook with fright.

      Confusion swamped Bec. The woman looked Vietnamese but sounded Australian. She glanced between husband and wife.

      The man caught Bec’s gaze. ‘Oh, thank goodness, you’re Australian!’ The husband’s voice trembled. ‘She insisted on coming to this temple, even though I didn’t want her to. It’s our third baby and now …’

      The woman moaned again, her fingernails cutting into Bec’s arm.

      ‘I’m Bec Monahan and I think we need to get your wife onto a bed so I can examine her.’

      ‘I’m Mark and my wife is Melissa, and the baby isn’t due for another three weeks.’ His voice rose with worry. ‘I’m working for Glaston International and we’re living in Ho Chi Minh City. We’ve arranged for the delivery to be in the French hospital there, not up here in the middle of nowhere.’ He spoke like a CEO. A man used to being in charge, having his orders obeyed and sticking to a plan. He seemed completely bewildered by the deviation.

      Two young nuns ran up on hearing the noise and showed the way to a room. Mark swung Melissa into his arms and carried her there, gently lowering her onto the bed.

      Bec spoke to the nuns. ‘Bác s. Doctor.’ She raised her hands to indicate a tall man. ‘Bác s.’

      They nodded and ran off to find Tom. Bec hauled out a pair of gloves from her bag. When she’d packed them she’d been thinking they’d be used for doing first aid or the washing-up, not delivering a baby. ‘Melissa, I just want to see how far away you are from having this baby.’

      She sucked in her lips and sent up a quick prayer that Melissa was just scared and overreacting to some early contractions. But the fact that this was her third pregnancy, combined with a lot of groaning, had Bec worried.

      ‘At least in this heat my hands are warm,’ Bec quipped, trying to lighten the tension. Using her hands, she examined the lie of the baby by palpating Melissa’s abdomen. Limbs seemed to be everywhere. She pressed down on top of the uterus, feeling for the baby’s bottom. It felt unusually hard.

      She felt again, her fingers transmitting the unwanted information. ‘Melissa, has your doctor mentioned anything about the baby’s position?’

      The woman shook her head and grunted.

      Grunting wasn’t good. ‘I’m going to do an internal examination now.’ Bec gently inserted two fingers, feeling for the cervix, but she could only detect a lip and bulging forewaters. She couldn’t feel past the bulge to the presenting part. Damn. A fully dilated cervix ruled out getting back to Hué hospital to have the baby.

      Not to worry. Babies basically delivered themselves. Melissa and Mark would have a surprise to take home to the family from their outing to the temple.

      Melissa grunted as a strong contraction gripped her. Liquid gushed from her vagina.

      Bec immediately removed her hand. A black substance stuck to the end of her gloved fingers. Meconium.

      Bec’s heart beat faster. ‘I’m sorry, Melissa, I just have to go back one more time to feel the baby’s position.’ Her brain already knew but she needed to feel the presenting part to kick her disbelief out the door.

      As her fingers reached she prayed to feel the hard, bony skull of the baby. Her fingers made contact. Soft.

      Bec took in a deep breath and felt again. Soft and yielding.

      No. She sent up a prayer of help to whoever was out there and listening. They were facing an obstetric emergency and about to deliver a breech baby with no equipment.

      ‘What’s happening?’ Tom’s cheerful voice reverberated around the room.

      Bec glanced around over her shoulder. ‘We’re about to deliver a breech. Ask the nuns to boil water and bring towels.’

      Tom stood perfectly still for a moment, his eyes glued to her face. His expression reflected all her emotions—fear, professionalism and relief they could back each other up.

      ‘Breech! But isn’t that bottom first?’ Mark’s anxiety morphed into terror.

      Tom put his hand on the other man’s shoulders. ‘It is. But in an unlucky situation you have the fortune to have a midwife and a doctor here today. I’m Tom and I’m a doctor. You go and hold your wife’s hand and leave the rest to Bec and me.’

      Bec was certain his words indicated more control than either of them felt.

      Tom hauled open his medical kit, passed a pair of scissors to one of the nuns and asked for them to be boiled. He asked the other nuns to stay. Then he stepped up to Bec, standing very close, his breath stroking her cheek. He spoke softly so only she could hear. ‘How long since you delivered a breech?’

      ‘About a year ago. You?’

      He shook his head. ‘Not since I was a student. You lead, I’ll follow.’

      He squeezed her shoulder, his confidence trailing through her, reducing her misgivings.

      ‘Melissa.’ She touched the woman’s shoulder and fixed her gaze on the woman’s fear-dilated eyes. ‘I need you to listen really carefully. Your baby is coming and it’s bottom first. Together we can deliver this impatient imp but you must do what I say, when I say. We’re going to need patience and co-operation.’

      Melissa nodded, her eyes huge. ‘I can do that.’

      ‘Great. First we’re going to swing you around so you’re lying across the bed. Mark and Tom will have to hold one of your legs each.’

      They helped position Melissa so her bottom was on the edge of the bed. One of the nuns sat behind Melissa, cradling her head and supporting her during contractions.

      Mark held Melissa’s hand, his face pale and dripping with sweat.

      ‘I … want … to … push.’ Melissa grunted.

      ‘Go for it.’ Bec watched, fingers crossed, hoping the buttocks would deliver with the back uppermost. A swollen scrotum announced the birth of a boy.

      It was too early to celebrate.

      She gently put her fingers into the vagina. ‘His legs are flexed.’ Bec spoke out loud, keeping Tom in the picture.

      ‘Pressure behind the knees.’

      Tom’s quietly spoken words mirrored her thoughts. She gently applied pressure and splinted a leg with her fingers,

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