try the pediatricians?’ the nurse co-ordinator asked. ‘They could probably send down the reg.’
‘Why?’ Iosef frowned and Jackie’s nod to the nurse co-ordinator died. ‘She’s not critical. What’s the pediatrician going to do that we’re not? Best that we just watch her now, let her recover from the trauma of birth. Perhaps a warm feed in half an hour if she’s still stable and then the pediatricians can assess her when they are ready.’ He stared down at the little girl again, his finger still by her cheek, and even if new babies couldn’t focus, Annie could have sworn this little lady’s eyes were attempting it with Iosef. If a tiny being less than a few hours old could warm to another human, then she was.
‘Do we have a pacifier?’ As Annie frowned he elaborated. ‘A dummy, a nipple.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Helplessly she shook her head. ‘I can ring Maternity, but I doubt they—’
‘We endorse breastfeeding here,’ the nurse co-ordinator chimed in, but rapidly halted as he Iosef gave her the most ironic of smiles.
‘Either you provide me with a lactating woman in the next five minutes or you find me a pacifier.’ Then he turned to the baby. ‘You’ll be OK little one... ’ His voice was as brusque as it was with anyone he came into contact with, only the babe didn’t seem to care a jot. Her little face turned, her eyes closed as she relaxed to his touch, the IV satisfying her hunger for now. And for the first time in her little life her body was warm, all needs attended to sufficiently for her to relax.
‘We’ll need to talk to the press,’ the nursing co-ordinator said.
‘Why?’
‘Well—they’re outside.’
‘So?’
‘We need to find the mother. To let her know—’
‘I’m sure she knows she’s given birth,’ Iosef retorted. ‘And I’m sure the press has already let everyone know what hospital the baby’s in.’
‘The usual practice is—’
‘I do not want this baby paraded on the evening news tonight.’ Iosef completely overrode her. ‘I do not want her paraded for everyone to see under the guise of bringing the mother forward. Am I making myself clear?’
‘Perfectly!’ the nurse co-ordinator answered tightly.
‘Both this baby and her mother deserve better than that,’ Iosef said, before stalking out.
‘Does he deliberately set out to upset everyone?’ the nurse co-ordinator asked Jackie as Annie checked the baby’s obs. And if it seemed the sort of conversation that usually took place behind closed doors, it didn’t because it was Emergency, and strong personalities clashing was a frequent occurrence. ‘I’ve just had a very upset nurse from the medical ward on the phone.’
‘Has the bed been made for the patient yet?’ Jackie asked tartly.
‘We’re two domestics short. We can’t just drop everything because a senior registrar demands it. His patients aren’t the only ones in the hospital.’
‘They’re his only ones,’ Jackie flared, and Annie knew that even if she’d address the issue with Iosef, she certainly wasn’t going to let the nursing co-ordinator know that. One of the many things Annie admired about Jackie was that she defended her team to the hilt. ‘Don’t grumble to me about a member of my team without very good reason. He happens to be the best doctor we’ve had in this place in a long time—I know I’ve certainly learnt a lot from him. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got patients to see. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to ring down when Mrs Lucas’s bed is finally ready.’
It was the nursing co-ordinator’s turn to stalk out now. ‘Bloody Iosef,’ Jackie sighed, because to Annie she could say that.
‘Are you going to talk to him?’
‘And say what—that he’s got to stop walking around insisting he knows best?’ She gave a small eye roll. ‘You know what his answer would be, don’t you?’
‘That he does!’
‘He actually does!’ Jackie managed a wry smile. ‘Not that I’ll tell him that. OK, I’m off to pull rank. Wish me luck.’
‘Good luck!’
Even with the baby moved safely to the maternity ward, the department was still kept on its toes dealing with the incident, fielding calls from reporters, even a couple of women claiming to be the mother—and even if it was a blatant hoax, each call had to be handled professionally and bounced to the appropriate authorities. But it wasn’t just the vile shift, the baby and her missing mother or the thirty-nine-year-old who in the end never actually made it up to the ward that occupied Annie’s mind.
They’d promised to never bring their relationship