Heart Of Courage

Cooper turned into the supermarket parking building. ‘You might have to go back to Chile for that. From things you’ve said, it sounds as though you’ve done a lot of travelling. You got a thing against staying at home?’

More like a thing about staying still. ‘My travelling days are on hold for a few years.’

‘I suppose they are. But that’s not what I asked.’

As a diversion she’d missed the gate. ‘Travel’s exciting and opens your eyes to so much more than we’ve grown up with here.’ And it had kept her from spending time wondering if she’d ever be able to settle down in one place for long. Every time she thought about finding a place of her own she’d think about how uncomfortable her parents’ home had been and known she’d had no idea how to make hers any different. Except that had bitten her on the backside this year. Settling down was her current goal.

As they walked inside Cooper mused, ‘I haven’t seen much of the world. Only the out-of-the-way and often inhospitable places the army sent me to.’

Sophie shivered. ‘I’m over those. Not going back to dangerous areas again.’

‘Cuts out quite a lot of the world at the moment. Hideous.’ Cooper swung a shopping basket between them.

‘There are definitely places to stay away from. I can’t believe some of the things going on at the moment.’ She paused, listening hard. Had she heard a cry? But nothing untoward reached her. Must’ve been imagining it. Snapping off a plastic bag, she began selecting tomatoes. ‘Need some mushrooms too.’

‘I’ll get them.’

There it was again. A low cry, almost a groan. ‘Something’s not right.’ Dropping the tomatoes in the basket, she headed for the next aisle.

‘What have you heard?’ Cooper was right with her, the empty mushroom bag still in his hand.

‘Like someone’s in pain.’ She stared down the next aisle. Nothing out of the ordinary. Was her imagination overacting? No. There it was again. ‘Hear that?’ She headed for the next aisle and raced down it. Sitting the floor was a heavily pregnant girl, her face contorted with pain. Sophie reached for her hand. ‘Hi. My name’s Sophie. I’m a doctor. What’s happening?’

‘I think my baby’s coming.’ The young face scrunched up tight as a contraction gripped her.

The cry of pain that accompanied it cut through Sophie. ‘Breathe deep, go with the pain, don’t fight it.’ She tried to remember everything she’d heard in antenatal classes in Darwin.

‘Easy for you to say,’ grunted the girl.

Cooper knelt on the other side of the distressed girl. ‘Has anyone called an ambulance?’ he asked the gathering onlookers.

‘Yes,’ replied an older woman dressed in the store’s uniform. ‘Just now.’

‘Good. What’s your name?’ he asked the girl, adding, ‘I’m Cooper, another doctor.’

‘Melanie. It’s coming,’ she cried as another contraction caught her.

She might be right, Sophie conceded. Those contractions were very close. ‘We need to examine her,’ she said quietly so only Cooper heard. ‘But it’s hardly ideal here.’

‘Not a lot of choice.’ He stood up. ‘Can you all give us a bit of privacy? Carry on with your shopping and leave us to help this girl.’

‘I want some tinned corn for my fritters,’ a woman said. ‘If you can just step out of my way.’

Cooper sounded calm, too calm. ‘Do you have to have it today?’

‘It’s my son’s favourite dinner.’

‘Make him something else,’ Cooper snapped, no long holding onto his temper. ‘This young lady’s situation is more important.’

Sophie held onto a smile and concentrated on talking to Melanie. ‘How far along are you?’

‘Thirty-six weeks.’

Too early. Thirty-seven was considered safe. ‘Cooper, we might need the paediatric ambulance.’

‘Onto it.’

Sophie turned back to Melanie. ‘Has your pregnancy been normal so far?’

She nodded. ‘Blood pressure fine. No diabetes. Not even Braxton Hicks pains.’

Better than me, then.

‘Have you called your...’ Sophie paused to glance at Melanie’s left hand ‘...partner?’

‘He’s busy.’

Really? Too busy to be here for Melanie and his baby? ‘Want Cooper to talk to him?’

Melanie’s face shut down. ‘No.’

Something was definitely off key here, but it wasn’t her place to ask questions that were obviously awkward. Not wanting to upset the younger woman any more, Sophie changed the subject slightly. ‘Can I examine you?’

‘Not with those people gawping at me.’

‘Fair enough. Cooper?’

‘Onto it.’ Striding up to the nearest person still standing watching the fun, he said in a very firm tone, ‘Move, sunshine. Out of this aisle. Now. And the rest of you. Where is the store manager?’

‘Coming,’ called a young man, scurrying towards them.

‘Clear this lot out of here right now.’ Did he just add under his breath, ‘The guy’s still wet behind the ears’?

Sophie felt her smile widen. Almost immediately they had the aisle to themselves. Cooper on the rampage was something to admire. His tone brooked no argument, like he was on the parade ground again.

‘How’s that?’ she asked Melanie. ‘We’re alone.’

A contraction rippled through the girl and she didn’t, or couldn’t, hold back a scream.

Sophie reached for her nearest hand and held on. ‘Breathe, in one, two, three, out one, two, three. And before you say anything, I’m pregnant too.’

Melanie’s eyes popped open. ‘So you know what this is like.’

Ah. Caught. ‘No. My first time.’ She squeezed Melanie’s hand. ‘Sorry. I’ll shut up with the advice.’

‘Do you want your baby?’

‘Absolutely. Don’t you?’

‘No. Yes. I’m not ready.’ Tears oozed slowly from the corners of Melanie’s eyes. ‘It’s not fair.’

Sophie knew all about that, but it seemed she’d come to terms with her deal better than this young woman. ‘I’d like to check what’s going on. We’re on our own now.’ Where was that ambulance?

Cooper placed himself between them and the end of the aisle while Sophie took a discreet look. Melanie wasn’t wrong. ‘Your baby’s very nearly here.’

‘So I’m going to have him in the supermarket.’ Her expression was wry. ‘Guess that goes with everything else that’s gone wrong.’

The rising and falling sound of an approaching siren reached them. ‘You might get lucky and have the baby in the ambulance.’

Even before she’d finished saying that Melanie bent over her stomach, snatching for Sophie’s hand as pain hit her.

Sophie used her free hand to rub Melanie’s back. ‘You’re doing great.’

‘So are you,’ Cooper said from behind her. ‘Like the pro you are.’

Warmth stole through her. ‘Thanks.’ Then she shook her head. ‘Watch this space. It’ll be very different when it’s my turn.’

‘I’ll be there to rub your back. And hold your hand.’

She nodded. ‘Yeah, you will be.’ Decision made. She wouldn’t go back on it. She’d need someone there and while a girlfriend had volunteered she knew it had to be Cooper with her. For the baby. And for him. He needed to be a part of the birth. It was his daughter she’d be bringing into the world and she wanted to be able to tell their child that Daddy had been there when she’d arrived.

A paramedic squatted down beside them. ‘Hi, there. I’ve been told there’s a baby in a hurry to make an appearance.’

‘A big hurry,’ Sophie told him. ‘The baby’s nearly here.’

‘You’re a doctor?’

She nodded. ‘We’ve got minutes, so I don’t know if you want to remove Melanie to the privacy of your ambulance or carry on here.’ She had to hand over. It was how the system worked. But she could stick with Melanie. ‘You want to try and make it out to the ambulance? There’s a stretcher ready.’

‘Ambulance,’ Melanie grunted as she sucked in a breath and squeezed Sophie’s hand. ‘If there’s time.’

There wasn’t. Melanie’s baby rushed into the world seconds later. The paramedic was instantly busy clearing the wee boy’s air passage and checking his reflexes.

When the baby cried Melanie smiled and held her arms out. ‘Can I hold him?’

Sophie let go the breath she’d been holding. This girl did want her baby. Whatever the situation she was facing, her baby was welcome despite her earlier denial. ‘The paramedics need to take care of him for now. Let’s get you onto that stretcher and shifted to the ambulance. You both need to go to hospital.’

‘Will you come with me?’ Melanie locked her eyes on Sophie. ‘Please,’ she begged. ‘I don’t want to be on my own.’

‘Is there anyone I can call?’

The girl’s head moved slowly from side to side. ‘No. My parents have disowned me, and the baby’s father doesn’t want a bar of him.’

‘Of course I’ll come with you.’ How could she not? Raising her eyes to Cooper, she was relieved to see his approval beaming out at her. When did she need Cooper’s approval for anything? Worse, why did it feel so good? Just something else to worry about in the middle of the night.

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