‘Seven. Mum’s a mess. She doesn’t even want him back in the bed!’
‘I got the impression they weren’t seeing eye to eye.’
‘Nick, they’ve progressed to the silent treatment. My mother, who has advocated my entire life for “open communication”, is not only ignoring my dad, she isn’t even cooking for him since his risotto went cold or some stupid reason.’
I think to myself there’s no danger of David starving to death but I get her point.
‘Listen, Caitlin, I understand you’re concerned, but I have another six patients to see today. Is there anything else you need?’
‘This is an emergency. I’ve called Ryan.’
‘Right, and you need me to pick him up from the airport? When does he arrive?’
Caitlin gives me a look that says, Why would you get that impression? ‘No, he can get an Uber. A couple of weeks. He can’t get here any sooner, which means I’m going to have to hold the fort in the meantime.’ She groans.
I sit back. The only thing to do is wait for her to run out of steam.
‘What I’m trying to say is you need to do something. Paige won’t listen to Dad, she won’t listen to me, and whatever approach you’re taking, she’s obviously not listening to you either. This is a hospital – you must know some husbands that have lost their wives that can talk to her. Make her see some sense?’
I let out a sigh. If this is the best suggestion Caitlin has got, we’re all in trouble.
‘This is a children’s hospital. No dead mothers here.’
‘Nick, I know my sister. There is every chance she is going to make a decision and stick to it. We can’t let her, we just can’t.’ She pauses. ‘I even offered to help. I’m serious. I’ll be a surrogate for you both if that’s what it comes to.’
‘Thank you,’ I say, trying not to sound blindsided, which is exactly how I feel. ‘That’s… uh… that’s very generous.’
‘So what’s your plan?’ Yep, this is Caitlin, straight to the point.
‘I’m trying. She might need a bit more time to come around. We’ve got an appointment with the cardiologist – maybe that will help her reconsider things.’
‘I know my sister. It won’t. So you’re going to have to find another way because this is the last resort.’
I nod, knowing that what Caitlin is telling me is right. And I feel sick at the thought of what it means.
I’m outside, hosing down the driveway, when Hope turns up. ‘Hey, is Paige home from Windsor Lakes yet?’ She stops in her tracks and takes in the sight of me. ‘God, Nick, how are you doing? You look like you haven’t slept in days.’
Never mind what I look like. I feel like I haven’t slept in days. ‘She should be home soon. Want a coffee?’
She follows me inside and deposits the foil-wrapped tray she’s carrying on the bench. ‘I brought over some food for you both.’
‘You shouldn’t have.’
‘Oh, it’s nothing special.’ She winks. ‘Just some lasagne I picked up from Romano’s on the way. Don’t tell Paul, he thinks I make it from scratch.’
‘No, he doesn’t,’ I say, smirking.
‘Yes, he does,’ she insists.
I waggle my eyebrows. ‘Why don’t you go home and ask him?’
‘I knew there was a reason I loved that man,’ she says, chuckling. She claps her hands together. ‘So, she’s leaning towards keeping the baby. You don’t think she should. Are you okay or is that the dumbest question I could ask you?’
Hope makes her way to the oven, turns it on and slides the tray of lasagne in. ‘Yes? No? Getting there? Do I need to arrange a weekend away for you and Paul?’
I give her a half-hearted smile. ‘Not at the moment. But thanks for the offer.’
‘Okay, Bellbrae. Talk to me. Or Paul. We’re here for you.’
I rub the stubble on my face. ‘There’s nothing much to talk about. I can’t let her do it and I don’t think she’s going to change her mind.’
‘Exactly. So we’re all going to need to accept the decision she makes and support her. Aren’t we?’
I clear my throat. ‘Maybe not.’
Hope shuts the oven door and gives me a piercing look. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘Actually, I was planning to call you. I wanted to talk to you about something – as a friend.’ I steel myself, not quite knowing how she’s going to react. ‘A legal matter.’
Hope’s brow wrinkles as Paige steps through the door and into the kitchen. Her timing couldn’t have been better if she’d planned it.
‘Hey! Is that lasagne I can smell?’
Victoria’s waiting room smells like lemon essential oil and fresh paint. Two men are working in the far-right corner, laying paint-splattered cotton sheets on the floor, while another stirs the contents of a tin with a stick. All the artwork has been removed from the walls, aside from a small poster affixed to the reception counter that says: Heart failure. Recognise the signs! Paige switches seats so she doesn’t have to look at it.
Paige and I sit next to each other, flicking through old magazines and calendar appointments on our phones until Victoria finally calls us in.
‘Take a seat. Wherever you like,’ she says, motioning to the grey fabric sofa. Her receptionist, Fiona, shuffles towards the small round table in front of us with a jug of water before leaving the room. I claim the seat closest to the window, next to Paige. She sits on her hands, something she always does when she’s nervous.
‘Hi, Paige. Nick, good to see you,’ says Victoria, taking a seat opposite us.
‘Likewise,’ I reply.
‘Work treating you well?’
I glance in Paige’s direction. She seems terrified. ‘Yeah, it’s great.’
Victoria nods before turning her attention to Paige. She gives a tight but warm smile and says, ‘Paige, how are you feeling about everything?’
‘A little nauseated,’ she replies quickly, and then she blushes, realising this isn’t what Victoria means. She slips her hands out from underneath her and starts fiddling with them.
‘Did you manage to have the date scan?’
I reach across and clasp my hand over Paige’s.
‘Yes. I’m seven weeks.’ She hands Victoria the envelope with the ultrasound results and her expected due date.
Victoria accepts it and jots down some notes. ‘Okay, so it’s early. And how are you going with the new meds? Any issues?’
‘So far so good.’
‘Any general changes with how you’re feeling?’
She shakes her head.
‘No symptoms?’
‘Nope.’
‘That’s good. I’d like you to come in right away if you experience any symptoms at all from the checklist I gave you. Any sort of difficulty breathing while lying on your back, shortness of breath, especially on exertion, palpitations, swelling. If you feel out of sorts in any way, best to get checked out, okay?’
‘Yes. Of course.’
‘Good. So I took a look at the blood test results, where we checked your plasma BNP levels again. High levels of this hormone in your blood essentially tells us whether you’re experiencing heart failure. If you do continue with this pregnancy, we would be looking to monitor you very closely with regular echoes as well. I’d be looking to repeat these tests in four weeks.’