I phoned Jade"s mobile; she didn"t answer. I hadn"t really expected her to. I left a message on her voicemail: "Jade, it"s Cathy. I need to know where you are. Please phone me."
Jade didn"t return my call, so I phoned again at six o"clock and left another message: "Jade, it"s Cathy. I want you home by nine o"clock at the latest. Do you understand?"
I hid my concern from Adrian and Paula and continued with the evening as best I could. I told them only that Jade was out with her friends and would be home later probably after they were in bed. They accepted this, although Paula said she would have liked Jade to be at home more often so that she could play with her; Adrian said she was probably with Ty. I hoped she was but I doubted it.
Then shortly before seven o"clock the doorbell rang and, leaving Adrian and Paula in the sitting room, I went down the hall and checked the security spyhole before answering the door. To my surprise I saw Jade standing in the porch.
"h.e.l.lo, love," I said, opening the door. "Good to see you. Did you forget your key?"
"I"m ill," she said, coming in and leaning against the wall for support.
My delight at her early return quickly disappeared. I a.s.sumed she"d been drinking again, as she heaved herself off the wall and without taking off her coat lumbered to the foot of the staircase. I went over, ready to help her up the stairs and into bed. I was anxious and annoyed that she was in this state again and this time Adrian and Paula would see her. However, instead of climbing the stairs Jade sat on the bottom step, bent forward, and with her arms looped around her knees, groaned loudly.
"I"m ill," she said again.
"How much have you had to drink, Jade?" I asked.
"Nothing," she said. "Only water."
I wasn"t convinced, although I gave her the benefit of the doubt.
"Perhaps it"s indigestion," I suggested, patting her shoulder rea.s.suringly. "What have you had to eat?"
"Just chips for lunch," she said, still bent forward.
"Where exactly is the pain?"
"Here," she groaned, pointing to her b.u.mp.
"It could be Braxton Hicks contractions," I said. "Do you remember I talked to you about those?"
"Na," Jade said and groaned again.
"They are little contractions that go on throughout pregnancy. They"re nothing to worry about and you can usually feel them if you put your hand on your stomach."
"Yeah, I can feel them," she said, clutching her stomach. "Here, you feel."
I gently placed the palm of my hand on the outside of her jumper. At first all I could feel was the warmth of her body coming through her taut jumper, but after a moment I felt her stomach wall tighten hard. Jade groaned with the pain.
"Is that a branston hiccup?" she asked, misp.r.o.nouncing the word.
"I think so," I said, although the only experience I"d had was when I was expecting Adrian and Paula. "How long have you been having them?" I asked.
"It started this afternoon," she groaned. "Even before I ate the chips. Do you think I"m going to have my baby?"
"I don"t think so," I said, my calm manner belying my racing heart. "You"ve still got quite a few weeks to go yet, but I think we"ll get you checked by a doctor, just to be safe. I"ll help you into my car and take you up to the hospital."
"Na. I want to go in an ambulance like you see on television," Jade said.
"I don"t think that"s necessary," I said. "How did you get here?"
"On the bus, but the pain"s worse now. Supposing I have my baby in your car?" And to prove her point Jade doubled over and groaned loudly.
It"s very difficult to judge another person"s pain; our thresholds are all different, and I didn"t know if or how much Jade was exaggerating. If she"d been my daughter, whom I obviously knew very well, I would have helped her into the car and driven her to the hospital to be checked over, but I couldn"t take the risk with a foster child, especially as Jade was asking for an ambulance. If I refused and something went wrong I"d be responsible and I"d never forgive myself.
"I"ll phone for an ambulance," I said.
Jade uncurled and stopped groaning.
As I went to the phone on the hall table Adrian and Paula appeared from the sitting room; they stood at the end of the hall, looking very worried.
"It"s all right," I said. "Jade"s not feeling so well so I am going to phone for an ambulance."
I lifted the receiver and keyed in 999 for the emergency services. The control answered immediately and asked which emergency service I wanted. "Ambulance," I said.
"And the number you are calling from?"
I gave my landline number.
"I"m putting you through now."
"I"m a foster carer," I began as soon as I was connected to the ambulance service. "I"m fostering a seventeen-year-old girl who is seven months pregnant. She appears to be having regular contractions."
A calm male voice on the end of the phone asked for my name and address, which I gave.
"And you want the ambulance to this address?" he confirmed.
"Yes please."
"An ambulance is on its way," he said. "Stay on the line, please, while I take a few more details. What"s the full name and date of birth of the young person?"
I told him.
"Have her waters broken?"
"I don"t think so," I said. "I"ll ask her."
I looked at Jade, who had stopped moaning and seemed to be revelling in the drama.
"Jade, have your waters broken?" I asked her.
"Dunno," she said. It should have been obvious to her if they had, and her leggings were dry.
"I"m sure they haven"t," I said to ambulance control.
"All right. Stay with her and rea.s.sure her. The ambulance will be with you soon."
"Thank you."
I replaced the receiver and smiled rea.s.suringly at Jade, although she was pain free at present. "It"s OK," I said to Adrian and Paula, who were looking serious and watching me intently from the other end of the hall. My thoughts were racing. I needed to phone Homefinders, who would notify the social services they always had to be informed if a child or young person went into hospital as an emergency. I should also phone Jackie and tell her what was happening, and I would need someone to stay with Adrian and Paula while I went in the ambulance with Jade.
"I"m just going to phone Sue, next door, and ask her to look after you both," I said to Adrian and Paula. "Then I can go with Jade in the ambulance."
"Na. I want me mum to come," Jade said, grasping her knees again and moaning loudly.
"Yes, I"m going to phone your mother," I said. "But there won"t be enough time for her to come here before the ambulance arrives. I"ll tell her to go straight to the hospital." Clearly I didn"t know if Jackie was available to go to the hospital with such little notice but I appreciated Jade wanted her mother with her and I dialled Jackie"s mobile first.
Jackie answered after a couple of rings and when she heard my voice she immediately a.s.sumed Jade was missing again, as she had been the last time I"d phoned her. "She"s not here," she said straightaway.
"No, I know. Jade"s with me," I said. "Look, don"t worry, Jackie, this might be a false alarm, but I"ve called an ambulance as Jade is experiencing some contractions."
"I told her she needed to check her dates!" Jackie exclaimed. "I always thought she was further gone than she said."
This was news to me. I didn"t know on what Jackie had based her a.s.sumption, but now wasn"t the time to ask. "She wants you to be with her," I said, as Jade groaned loudly in the background so that her mother could hear. "Are you able to go to the hospital?"
"Yes. I"ll get Margaret from next door to sit with my kids," Jackie said. "Tell Jade I"ll see her in A&E."
"I will. Thank you."
I relayed what Jackie had said to Jade, and throwing her, Adrian and Paula another rea.s.suring smile, I telephoned Homefinders. To my delight Jill answered; it was her turn on out-of-hours duty. I explained what was happening: that Jade appeared to be having contractions and I wasn"t taking any chances, so had called for an ambulance. I also said I"d phoned Jackie and that she was on her way to the hospital, where she"d meet us in the Accident and Emergency department.
"Good. Well done," Jill said. "I"ll inform the duty social worker at the social services. Take your mobile with you and keep me updated; I"m on duty all night. If Jade has gone into labour and has her baby early, it will probably go into an incubator. But first thing in the morning I"ll make sure Rachel has a mother-and-baby placement ready. I suppose it could be a false alarm?"
"Yes, it could be," I agreed. "But I didn"t want to take any chances, and Jackie says Jade might have her dates wrong."
"You"ve done right," Jill said.
I ended the call to Jill and again rea.s.sured Jade: "The ambulance won"t be long."
I saw Paula was now looking very anxious with all Jade"s groaning and moaning, so I asked Adrian to take Paula into the sitting room, which he did while I keyed in the number for my neighbour. Sue was a good friend and neighbour and knew I fostered; we"d helped each other out before.
"Everything all right?" she asked as soon as she heard my voice, for I didn"t normally phone her in the evening. I quickly explained what had happened and before I"d finished she"d said, "You"ll need someone to look after Adrian and Paula. I"ll come round now."
"Thank you so much," I said. And I thought: Thank goodness for good neighbours!
I replaced the receiver and as I did Jade cried: "Phone Ty! He needs to come too."
"I will, but I don"t have his number."
"It"s in me phone," Jade said. "I"ll do it." Delving into her pocket, she took out her mobile and pressed Tyler"s number. It took him a while to answer, so that Jade wasn"t in the best mood when he did. "You need to get your a.r.s.e up to the hospital now!" she cried down the phone. "I"m having our baby. Yes. Now!" she bellowed in response to something he"d said. I guessed Tyler had been playing pool with his friends, for Jade now exclaimed: "If you finish that game and put pool before me, you"ve had it! Do you hear?" Poor Tyler, I thought.
I stayed with Jade in the hall, lightly rubbing her back and rea.s.suring her while we waited for the ambulance. I suggested to her that she might be more comfortable in a chair rather than sitting on the bottom step but she didn"t want to move. Adrian stayed with Paula in the sitting room until Sue arrived five minutes later.
"How are you doing, love?" Sue asked Jade as she came into the hall.
Jade groaned loudly.
Adrian and Paula, having heard Sue"s voice, came out of the sitting room. "Hi kids," she said. "Don"t look so worried."
"Is Jade having her baby?" Paula asked, while Adrian smirked, embarra.s.sed.
"I"m not sure," I said.
Then we heard an ambulance siren come along the high road and turn into the top of the street. Sue went to stand with Adrian and Paula at the end of the hall while I waited with Jade. As soon as the ambulance pulled up outside the house I opened the front door, ready. Two paramedics one male and one female climbed out of the front of the ambulance.
"This is Jade," I said to them as they came into the house. "She"s seventeen and I"m her foster carer."
"Hi, I"m Dave and this is Lyn," the male paramedic said.
They went over to where Jade was sitting on the bottom step and Dave knelt down so that he was at eye level.
"How are you doing, Jade?" he asked.
Jade groaned loudly in response. Dave asked Jade some questions: When was her baby due? When did the contractions start? How often were they coming? Lyn then checked her pulse and blood pressure while Sue, the children and I waited anxiously.
"Are you coming in the ambulance?" Dave asked me.
"Yes please. Her mother is meeting us at the hospital."
Dave then asked Jade if she could stand and they would help her walk to the ambulance.
"I want to go on a stretcher like you see on the telly," Jade said.
Dave laughed but he went out to the ambulance and returned, not with a stretcher but with a collapsible wheelchair. "I bet you"ve seen these on the telly too, Jade," he said. "Much better than a stretcher."
Standing unaided, Jade sat in the wheelchair while I went down the hall to say a quick goodbye to Sue, Adrian and Paula. "I"ve no idea what time I"ll be back," I said.
"Don"t worry," Sue said. "I"ll put the kids to bed if necessary." Then to Adrian and Paula: "We"ll be fine, won"t we?"
They nodded, and I knew they would be fine. They liked Sue and when she"d babysat for me before they had been allowed to stay up past their normal bedtime and play for longer.
I kissed Adrian and Paula goodbye, thanked Sue, and returned down the hall to where Dave was wheeling Jade over the doorstep. Remembering to take my handbag, I followed them out and closed the front door behind me. Lyn had gone ahead and was already in the back of the ambulance with the doors wide open. As we went down the front path Jade"s mobile rang. It was Tyler and he must have told her he was on his way to the hospital, for Jade said: "Good. See you soon, Ty. Hey! Guess what? I"m leaving Cathy"s in a wheelchair, and there"s an ambulance waiting with flashing lights, just like you see on the telly!"
Having got Jade settled on to the couch in the rear of the ambulance, Dave closed the back doors and went round to the driver"s seat, while Lyn stayed with Jade and me in the rear of the ambulance. Lyn had a kind and gentle manner and seemed used to talking to teenage girls; she easily established a rapport with Jade. As she checked Jade"s pulse and blood pressure she talked to her in a rea.s.suring manner and told her that while her blood pressure was up a little that was quite normal. Then she asked Jade if she was looking forward to having her baby.
"Will it hurt?" Jade asked, as she had previously asked me.
"A bit," Lyn said. "But you"ll be able to have an epidural if you want. And before you know it, it"ll all be over and you"ll have a bouncing baby. Do you know the s.e.x of your baby?"
Jade shook her head.
"Jade was due to have a scan on Wednesday," I explained as the ambulance turned a corner and the siren wailed. "She missed an earlier appointment."
From the way Lyn was talking it sounded as though she thought Jade was definitely in labour and about to have her baby, although neither she nor Dave had said so. "Jade"s not due for at least another month yet," I said. "Do you think she is in labour?"
"Could you be out on your dates?" Lyn asked Jade.