The Single Mums' Secrets - Janet Hoggarth Page 0,120

studiously perused pregnancy web sites. He and Christa had agreed not to attend NCT classes because they were routinely stuffed full of married couples or partners, highlighting their singularity. Gary had offered some pearls of wisdom instead.

‘Don’t ever let on you’re tired when she’s in labour, even if you’ve been awake for two days supporting her, or she will bring that up for the rest of your life. If you think you’re going to pass out at the sight of the blood, stay up near her head. I mean, you’re not with her, so accidentally seeing the goal end won’t affect you, but just to be safe, avoid the area like the plague. It’s like watching someone burn down your house with all your worldly goods inside.’

‘Can’t you give me anything positive?’

Gary had crumpled his brow. ‘Yes, there’s lots of positive, but those two things are the best advice anyone will give you as a man. Obviously make sure you give her space if she doesn’t want you near her, but equally, if she wants to crush your hand until the bones have dissolved into jelly, suck it up. And no matter how odd Valentine looks when he comes out, say he’s beautiful. All babies are beautiful.’

‘Gaz, they’re not.’

‘I know, but we have to say they are. Kya looked like one of those hairless cats when she arrived but I couldn’t let on. Angie was besotted. A face only a mother could love and all that…’

Prior to the event itself, Christa had discussed a thing called a birth plan with him.

‘I don’t want a C-section if it can be avoided,’ she’d said Wednesday evening two weeks earlier when he’d popped round for a catch-up and a cup of tea after work. ‘So remind me of that when I’m screaming for one, unless it’s an emergency of course. It makes my recovery so much slower and that’s no good if you’re not around.’

‘I can be around, Christa. I can stay permanently in one of the kids’ rooms until the six weeks is over.’ She’d looked doubtful but hadn’t discounted his offer. She would if she really knew about the secret he’d been dragging around with him since the beginning of November.

*

They’d already been in the delivery suite for an hour. Jade, the fierce-looking midwife was in charge. She was actually quite brilliant and Carl warmed to her immediately. Jade, with the support of a doctor, had determined that the bleeding was coming from Christa who was hooked up to a bulky machine monitoring Valentine’s heartbeat.

‘Have you split up with Lara?’ Christa asked as soon as the dust had settled in the room.

‘Haven’t you got more important things to be focusing on?’ Carl answered wearily, not quite believing her line of enquiry.

‘You and Louise have both been acting really odd lately, especially whenever Lara is mentioned. Jo was just as bad earlier… Why didn’t you just tell me?’

Louise had sneaked over to the other side of the suite to sit in the creaky plastic green armchair. Carl took in a long breath and blew it out through his lips. What timing…

‘You must know why,’ he said calmly. ‘Right now isn’t the place.’ He emphatically motioned with his head towards Jade who was checking all the vitals on the screen.

Christa looked like she was going to protest but Jade butted in. ‘The baby is doing well,’ she confirmed, ‘but we still don’t know why you’re bleeding so much. I think we need to speed things up.’

All talk of Lara was swiftly wiped off the table, much to Carl’s relief. With Christa’s consent they broke her waters and, at Louise’s suggestion, Carl scooted up by Christa’s shoulders while Jade brandished a deadly looking knitting needle.

‘It’s an amnihook,’ Louise helpfully informed him when she caught him staring at it in alarm.

‘This isn’t progressing as quickly as I’d like,’ Jade said when the knitting needle trick hadn’t kick-started the expected storm of contractions. ‘Baby is fine, but the blood isn’t halting, so I reckon we go for a drip.’

Christa and Louise agreed.

‘Christa’s going to have Syntocinon into a vein and hopefully that will induce a strong labour.’

Carl nodded. His palms were sweating and his heart rate picked up. He hated needles and he hated hospitals and couldn’t believe he was actually here voluntarily. The need for a fag increased tenfold. Maybe this would be the start of him giving up, going cold turkey?

*

Christa yelled throatily, her body juddering as the contraction clawed at her core. Louise