Page 9 of The Midwife By the Sea

‘Although working in a holiday destination like Port Agnes, you’ll probably get your fair share of delivering babies for people you’ve never met before too.’ Jess shot a smile in Hope’s direction. ‘I helped deliver twins at St Piran’s yesterday for a lady whose husband had brought her away for a babymoon, when her waters broke all over the kitchen floor of their Airbnb. She was only thirty-two weeks, but thankfully mother and sons are all doing well.’

‘Never a dull moment around these parts, that’s for sure, and I still think it’s the best place I’ve ever worked,’ Ella added, and Hope found herself nodding in agreement. It was early days yet, but whatever happened when it came to Joe Carter, she was glad she’d taken the job here. The majority of the team at the Port Agnes Midwifery Unit also worked at the hospital, although the same wasn’t true in reverse, because the hospital team was much bigger. Both teams had been very welcoming, but there was something about the midwifery unit that felt extra special, almost like she was part of a family, which made her miss Tenby and her own family a little bit less than she would have done otherwise.

‘That must be why you want to spend your birthday hanging out with us lot then, Ella.’ Toni raised her eyebrows. ‘What else are you doing to celebrate?’

‘Mum has insisted on throwing a little tea party after I finish here, like she did when I was little. She can’t seem to let go of the tradition even now I’m married with children of my own.’ Ella rolled her eyes, but she was smiling all the same. Her parents ran Mehenick’s Bakery on the harbour in Port Agnes, which was famous for miles around. It was one of the first places recommended to Hope by her new colleagues at the hospital, but she’d already heard about it from Laura. She’d told Hope that on one of the dates they’d had during that fateful holiday in Port Agnes, Joe had bought them both sausage rolls and iced buns from Mehenick’s, and they’d gone for a picnic on the beach. She’d said it had tasted like the best meal she’d ever eaten, back then. So, of course, Hope had wanted to check the bakery out as soon as she could, visiting straight after her interview with Jess and Anna, which had taken place at St Piran’s, treating herself to an iced bun and thinking about all the things Laura had told her. She’d been sure then that it would only be a matter of time before she wanted to find the final missing piece of the puzzle. The day of her interview had been less than three months ago, but it felt far longer than that now.

‘It’s so lovely that your mum still wants to do that for you.’ Hope looked towards Ella as she spoke.

‘I think it’s an only child thing.’ Ella was still smiling. ‘But you’re right, it is lovely, and Mum does the same thing for all of us – me, Dad, the children and even my husband, Dan. The only time I take over and organise a family celebration is on Mum’s birthday, but we’re all off to Center Parcs at Longleat next weekend. Even Dad is taking three days off from the bakery. Unheard of! That’s one upside of me being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I suppose; we’ve all learned the importance of seizing the day and doing what we can, while we can, because no one knows what tomorrow will bring, do they?’

‘No, they don’t.’ Anna put an arm around her friend’s shoulders. ‘But you’re doing brilliantly.’

‘I feel incredibly lucky that things are so stable and that I still get to work here.’ Ella rested her head against Anna’s for a moment. ‘Sometimes I feel a bit sad that I can’t take on a role at the hospital too, or help out with things like the infertility support group any more, but I’m so grateful every day that I can still help women bring new lives into the world. There’s no better job.’

‘There really isn’t,’ Anna replied. ‘But I don’t want you to ever worry about not doing enough, because this place would be nothing without you. We’re so glad we’ve still got you here and that’s reason enough to celebrate with another doughnut, isn’t it?’

‘Definitely, I’ll raise a cheers to that.’ Jess took a second doughnut from the box and pressed it against the one Hope was holding, as though they were clinking glasses. ‘And we’ve got Hope now too, who is going to help me out at the infertility group when Anna starts her course, which is yet more proof what a great addition she makes to the team.’

‘I’ll toast to that too, although maybe a third doughnut will be one too many…’ Ella wrinkled her nose.

‘I will if you will,’ Toni said. ‘It’s the birthday girl’s wish after all, so that virtually makes it the law and I’m the sort of friend who’s willing to make that kind of sacrifice.’ She reached past Jess and took another doughnut from the box, making the others laugh, and a sense of belonging washed over Hope again. She hadn’t realised how important it would be to feel like she belonged somewhere else, when she uprooted herself so far away from home and she was incredibly grateful she’d found it. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to indulge in another celebratory doughnut, she didn’t know what was.

6

Hope had been nervous about attending the first infertility support group ever since she’d agreed to help out. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to do it, she just had no experience of anything to do with infertility, and she didn’t know anyone who had, either. The closest she’d come to understanding how much the longing for a child could affect someone had been hiding in that toilet cubicle at St Piran’s, listening to Esther as she reacted to the news of another negative pregnancy test. That didn’t remotely qualify her to offer any advice. It was different for Jess and Anna; they’d been through it on a personal level and could empathise and share their experiences. When Jess had suggested they go to the meeting together, Hope had been glad she’d have moral support when she first walked through the door.

Jess had called for Hope at the flat she was renting above one of the gift shops in Port Agnes, just a couple of miles from the hospital, which was in neighbouring Port Kara. The flat was cosy in every sense of the word, small and welcoming, and Hope had done everything she could to make it feel like home. She’d lined up photographs of her family all along the windowsill that looked out on to the narrow and steeply winding road, which led down to the harbour. The flat had already been furnished and she loved sitting in the forest-green velvet armchair – almost the size of a two-seater sofa – positioned to look directly out of the window, watching the world go by in her new home, while feeling as though her family were there with her too. It always gave her comfort after a tough day to look at the faces of her parents and sisters, and know they were only ever a phone call away. There might be some tough things she had to face alone in this new life of hers, but she was thankful the walk to the infertility support group wasn’t one of them. If it had been, she wasn’t entirely sure she’d have gone through with it once the nerves really kicked in and she started to feel like a total imposter. As it turned out, it didn’t take Jess long to spot Hope’s apprehension.

‘You don’t need to be an expert in any of this, you know.’ Jess turned and smiled at her, as they walked down the road towards The Cookie Jar café.

‘I’m just worried someone will ask me a question I can’t answer, and they’ll wonder what I think I’m doing being there at all.’

‘They’re all just glad of the mutual support the group provides and the chance to talk about what they’re going through. Lots of information gets shared and there are specialist forms of support we can refer them to for more information.’ Jess briefly laid a hand on her arm. ‘We’re not here to be experts on any of it, or to teach the group members about infertility, they will always know more than we do. All we have to do is facilitate the group and make sure everyone has the chance to speak if they want to and that no one else takes over, or becomes the self-appointed expert, telling others what to do, rather than just sharing their own experiences. The fact that you don’t feel as if you know anything is probably a benefit in that respect, because you won’t even be tempted to take charge.’

‘I definitely won’t.’ Hope smiled, her shoulders relaxing for the first time as they continued to walk. ‘Thank you for being so lovely.’

‘Thank you for embracing the work of the team in the way you have, even the bits that aren’t part of our paid role. It feels like you were made to fit in with us all, like you’ve been with us for years instead of weeks.’

‘It has felt a bit like coming home, rather than starting somewhere completely new and I feel very lucky.’

‘We’re the lucky ones.’ Jess smiled again, as they reached the door of the café. ‘Right, shall we go in?’

‘Let’s do it.’

There was a sign on the door stating that the café closed at 6p.m. and Jess had already explained that, as the group had grown, they had taken to meeting after it was closed to other customers. It gave them the privacy they needed too, in case anyone got upset or wanted to talk about the kind of very personal investigations that often went hand in hand with infertility treatment.

‘Most of the group are already here, Jess.’ A woman inside the café smiled as she ushered them towards a large table made up of six four-seater tables pushed together. ‘Once everyone else has arrived, I’ll lock the door, so we don’t get any unexpected guests.’

‘Thank you, Monika, that’s really kind of you. We’ve got a couple of new people coming along tonight, but I’ve told everyone they need to arrive by seven.’ Jess turned slightly. ‘This is Hope, a new member of the team and she’s going to help out with the group while Anna is doing her course.’

‘Great to meet you, Hope. I’ll be over to take everyone’s orders in a bit, but I just wanted to give you the heads-up that I’ve made pistachio cake and it’s absolutely delicious, even if I do say so myself.’

‘It certainly sounds it,’ Jess said before leading the way to where some of the group were already seated. There was a quick round of introductions to Hope, but Jess suggested that they all give a bit more detail when the rest of the group arrived, so that the new members would know where everyone was in their infertility journey. A few minutes after Jess and Hope arrived, two more women joined the group, whom everyone else already seemed to know.

‘It’s two minutes past seven, so I’m not sure if the new group members are going to come after all.’ Jess picked up her phone and glanced at the time. ‘We’ll wait until five past, but then Monika will need to lock the door, otherwise someone random is bound to come in wanting coffee and cake!’

Almost as soon as she spoke the door burst open, making the bell jangle vigorously.