MALENA: I can be bribed. There are ways of doing this, Pappa.
PAPPA: Heavy negotiation then.
MALENA: Yup. What are you offering.
PAPPA: There might be trainers involved.
MALENA: SHUT UP. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.
PAPPA: Guilt money.
MALENA: No guilt, Pappsen. I will help.
PAPPA: You are the best, you know that.
MALENA: Of course. I know I am.
PAPPA: Serious Q. Sorry if it upsets you.
MALENA: Shoot.
PAPPA: What shall we do with Mamma’s things? Do you think it’s time we moved some of them? I don’t know what to do.
MALENA: I hate the idea of moving them.
PAPPA: I know.
MALENA: Can I have a few of Mamma’s things? Can I put them in my room?
PAPPA: You don’t even have to ask. She is your Mamma. Your things. Whatever you want.
MALENA: We could maybe make a box for Marthe with some things too, since she won’t remember Mamma. Maybe that jumper she wore. Her watch. Marthe always played with her watch.
PAPPA: You are making me cry. Brilliant idea. Can you buy the box? A nice pretty one. You know that shop with the stationery near the Central Station, could you get a big one from there? I will pay.
MALENA: Love that shop. Shall I get 4 boxes? One for each of us. Or 5? Do you want to make a Mamma box too?
PAPPA: Now I am crying. Damn you. Get 5. Do you know that I love you Lena?
MALENA: Shut it Pappa. I’m in class.
PAPPA. 5 boxes. (heart emoji)
MALENA: I’m not going to ask why that bloke was still in our flat this morning. Do I need to repeat the house rules, Pappa? I’m not even sure that I want to know. Don’t tell me. Don’t know why I asked.,
MALENA: Where the hell did he sleep? I hope you didn’t make him sleep on the sofa.
MALENA: That sofa is rank. Can we talk about a new sofa at some point? One that hasn’t got metal bits sticking out of the fabric.
Delivery ward 2, Oslo University Hospital, Ris, Oslo Friday Evening
Axel is all flustered. Axel can’t sit still. And Axel has a shitload of paperwork to get through and he is only three hours into his shift.
He has already delivered one baby, and has three more on the go, and needs to sort out a few things with the schedule for next week, and here is Magnus. The consultant with the worst bedside manner in the history of consultants with non-existent bedside manners.
“So, Mags, who have you upset now? I hope you haven’t made the lady in Room Three cry. She is terrified. First baby. Loads of complications. Please tell me you haven’t upset her? It took me forty minutes to get her to let me examine her. Forty minutes!” Axel is pleading here. Hoping.
“No? What? I don’t know. I don’t think she was crying? What did I do now?” Magnus is clueless. It doesn’t help that he is actually one of the nicest people on the planet and that Axel loves him to bits, but he just hates working with him. Magnus just doesn’t get subtle. He doesn’t get wrapping his ladies up in cotton wool. And he doesn’t get Axel’s voice.
The voice Axel does when he talks to his Mums-to-be, because the voice kind of works, however much Magnus takes the piss out of him. Axel does his soft calming voice and has the lady in Three back to her half-calm self in just under fifteen minutes. Damn Magnus.
“Is Ismail on the way? She needs that epidural Mags. Please don’t deny it to her. I know you are the boss, but come on. She can have it. Please let her.”
“She will have that baby out before breakfast if she doesn’t. She is doing well. I’m just being realistic. I know it’s her choice. I just told her not to expect the ‘TV reality show’ birth.” Magnus does little quotation marks with his fingers as he rolls his eyes. “They all come in here thinking they will lie there in full make up and I will swan in and the baby will pop out. I have seen those shows Axel . It pisses me off.”
“Not your choice Mags, and you know it.”
“I know, I’m just fucking grumpy. Is there any chocolate back here? Why does nobody bake anymore? We always had cake on the nightshift when that Ingrid worked here. Shame she transferred. Can you employ another midwife who can bake? Can we advertise? Must bring baked goods for the consultants if working nightshift. Can that be a thing?”
“I’m in agreement with that.” Ismail says, swinging his trolley past Axel. “I’m doing Room Two, then I must do that emergency section downstairs. I can’t do more until that is done. So, your girl in Three will have to hang on, Axel.”
“Thanks Ismail.” Axel knows it’s ridiculous. They are short-staffed as always. Three midwives, one consultant and one seriously stressed out caffeine-deprived anaesthetist who won’t even get a break until morning. It’s always like this at night, never quiet. Never boring. Never enough staff or sugar. They need sugar. “Step by my office here after Room Two, Ismail and I’ll have a coffee ready for you. Cooled down so you can just knock it back before heading down.”
“And that, my friend, is why I work with you lovely people.” Ismail shouts down the corridor as he disappears into Room Two with his trolley and a cheery, “Hello Mummy! Let’s get that epidural on the way! Yay!” that echoes all the way down to where Magnus shakes his head and walks off, and Axel moves his chair back, so Paulina can place the baby she is carrying on Axel’s chest.
She knows him well. She knows that Axel lives for this. This is why Axel ordered baby slings for the maternity ward, so he can carry babies around when he’s not busy. He loves cuddling them. He loves the warmth and the smell of the little ones. He loves that they crave the human contact, just like he always craves that feeling of being loved. It’s a little bit like a drug. And Paulina knows it.
He knows the mother of this one. She is desperately ill. He hopes she will make it through surgery. He hopes that she will come out the other side and meet this little bundle of wonder that is snuggled up against his chest.
“Have you got time to feed her Axel? I need to go back to Room Seven before the woman in there screams the house down. I think we are talking minutes until she is ready to push. I really need to go.”
Axel takes the bottle from her. Shouts, “Does this one have a name?” after Paulina as she jogs down the corridor. She doesn’t answer.
“Hi, little one with no name. How are you? I’m Axel. I’m your own personal feeding assistant this evening… until Mummy is better… How is that? It’s called formula milk… Yummy… There… See? Told you it was good.”
Axel is ridiculous. But he loves it. And it’s just him at the desk now. Him and this little one. He doesn’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl, dressed in a white Babygro and a yellow blanket. He glances at the tag around her wrist. Girl. Cool.
“So, baby girl. Let me tell you what I did this afternoon… I met up with the love of my life. Yes… I did indeed. He is called Jens and he is just… wow. He is so handsome… and sexy and lovely… and he has these eyes that crinkle when he laughs, and this big smile… and I kissed him last night. Did I tell you? Yup, yours truly… got kissed… A lot.”
Baby girl is staring up at him. Sucking on the bottle. Making little content noises.