Emily breathed deeply. She would love to believe that. She squeezed her friend’s shoulder. ‘Thanks. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t bring my worries to work.’
Lily shook her head emphatically. ‘And where else do you go to unload? I’m glad to be here for you. Which reminds me, we should have coffee this week, and Evie wants to come.’
‘And that’s another thing.’ Emily brushed her hair out of her eyes. ‘Annie wants a baby shower.’
‘Stop beating yourself up. You do a great job. It’s been a hard year with your gran and now Annie’s pregnancy.’
They both looked up at the sound of an approaching wheel chair. ‘I’ll try. Looks like our patient is here.’
The woman in the chair looked even younger than Annie and both women shared a sympathetic glance.
‘Hello, there, June, is it?’ Emily smiled down at the scared young woman. ‘I hear you’re having twins?’
June nodded. ‘That’s what the doctor said. Now I don’t feel so bad I look like the side of a house.’ Her smile dropped a little as her bravado faltered. ‘My babies are going to be all right. Aren’t they?’
‘We’ll be doing everything we can to stop your contractions and as my friend here is fond of saying, babies are tough little creatures.’
The porter wheeled her into the prepared room. June moved carefully, and her large abdomen became more obvious when she moved. She stopped for a moment and breathed through the next contraction and Emily rested her hand on June’s belly to feel the muscles harden. ‘The tightenings seemed strong. You’re managing well with them.’
June breathed out a big sigh when the contraction had passed. ‘I did one of those calming birth weekends. My friend’s mum teaches them and it really does help.’
‘I’ve heard they’re excellent. Must get the number from you for my daughter later.’ Emily helped June balance on the scales. ‘With luck we’ll weigh you and get you into bed and sitting up high before the next one.’
June swayed on the scales and she whistled at the numbers. ‘I never knew babies were so heavy.’
Emily wrote down the weight with a smile. ‘A lot of your tummy is fluid, not just babies.’
June glanced across at Emily. ‘The ultrasound said one baby is bigger than the other.’
Not a good thing with twins, Emily agreed silently. ‘That’s why the new doctor is coming to see you. We’ll get you settled and sorted before he arrives.’
June glanced at the clock on the wall. ‘Is he coming tonight? It’s after midnight.’
‘Doctors work long hours. And this one is a specialist who’s very experienced with twins that are different sized.’
‘Oh.’ June settled back in the bed and forced herself to breathe calmly through the next contraction.
‘I’ve a tablet here for you that should help the contractions ease off while we wait. It’s also used as a blood-pressure tablet so I need to check that before I give it to you.’
Emily wrapped the blood-pressure cuff around June’s arm and pumped it up to check. Normal. Good. ‘I’ll check again in thirty minutes and if you’re still having contractions we’ll give you another then.’
June was well settled before the sound of voices drifted to her room. Emily completed her paperwork and put the chart in the tray at the end of the bed. ‘Ah. Here’s your doctor.’ Lily brought Dr D’Arvello into June’s room.
Lily winked from behind his shoulder and Emily chewed her lip to keep back the smile.
‘Hello, there.’ His eyebrows rose when he recognised Emily. He glanced at her badge. ‘Sister Cooper?’
‘Doctor.’ He looked less immaculate than he had earlier today, with a subtle darkness of new growth over his strong chin and his hair unruly across his forehead as if he’d repeatedly pushed it back. Unfortunately he looked even more wickedly attractive.
‘Ah.’ She saw him file that away before he turned to their patient with a smile that had June relax back into the bed. Nearly as good as calming breaths, Emily thought, with a tinge of sardonic amusement.
‘And this is June, who is expecting twins?’ He shook June’s hand. ‘I am Marco D’Arvello. Congratulations.’ He pulled the chair across and sat down as if it wasn’t really midnight and he hadn’t been at work all day.
Like he had all the time in the world to talk to June. Emily liked that. Not what she needed—to find something else she liked about this guy—but she was pleased for June.
June breathed through another contraction, though this one lasted less than twenty seconds. Marco frowned. ‘She still threatens labour?’
‘That one was shorter after just one dose of the Nifedipine.’
‘Good.’ He smiled at June. ‘Your babies are better off inside at their age so we hope the contractions stop. I’ve looked at your ultrasounds, June, and your twins have a problem that I think I can help you with.’
June squared her shoulders. ‘What sort of problem.’
He smiled. ‘I like a woman who gets straight to the point.’ Emily tried not to file that away.
‘Because your babies share the one placenta, even though they use their own part of the placenta, it seems there’s an extra blood vessel connecting their blood supply that shouldn’t be there. The problem with that is one twin often gets the lion’s share of oxygen and nutrients while the other can be quite disadvantaged.’
‘Is it dangerous?’ June was nothing if not focussed. Emily felt like hugging the girl.
‘For the less fortunate foetus, it certainly can be.’
June turned to look at Emily and then back at Marco. ‘You said you can help?’
He nodded. ‘I offer you the option of an operation with a small instrument that enters your uterus through the abdomen and seals off the unwanted blood vessel between the twins. We use a tiny laser.’
June’s eyes widened with distress? ‘A laser? Near my babies? And you’ve done this before?’
‘Dozens of times.’ He smiled and Emily felt soothed just watching him. ‘Believe me …’ he smiled again ‘… I would do it very carefully but the risks are greater if I do not attempt this closure of the extra vessel.’
He was skilled with reassurance, too, Emily thought, but she could see June’s apprehension so she tried to help with the little she knew. ‘It sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it?’
She gestured to Marco. ‘Dr D’Arvello is consulting here on a secondment. Intrauterine surgery is his specialty and he’s here to help our obstetric and paediatric surgeons increase their skills.’
June narrowed her gaze. ‘So you’re the expert?’
‘Si.’ Marco nodded.
‘So you don’t deliver babies, then?’ June frowned. ‘Just laser them?’
White teeth flashed as he grinned, and Emily could feel her own mouth curve because he just made her want to smile. ‘But no. I am present for many births. Thankfully, only few babies need what I offer and a normal birth is always a joy.’ He glanced at Emily. ‘You would agree, Sister Cooper?’
‘Of course.’ Emily wondered if he did see many normal births. Nowadays, at Sydney Harbour Hospital anyway, obstetricians were usually only called when complications occurred. Or for hands-on service for their private patients, but perhaps it was different in Italy.
June had thought it through