Runaway Sister by Ann Jennings Read Free Book Online

goodness you’re here,” she said to Samantha. “I don’t know what to do. She’s not even having a contraction, at least I don’t think so.”
    Samantha looked at the pregnant girl sitting in the bed. She was very young, very pretty and obviously hysterical. Taking a calculated risk, Samantha slapped her sharply but not too hard across the face, saying at the same time, “Stop this noise at once! There are other women here having babies besides you, and this noise upsets them.”
    The girl stopped immediately and hiccuped. “I don’t want to have a baby,” she wailed like a spoilt child. “I don’t want anything to do with it!”
    â€œBit too late to think that now,” retorted Samantha. “You should have thought of that earlier.”
    â€œOh, it’s all right for you to be high and mighty,” said the girl in a petulant voice, “you’re old and you’re probably a spinster!”
    Samantha resisted an almost uncontrollable urge to slap that pretty petulant face again and said in a calm voice, “I’m merely being practical—you are pregnant. The baby has started to come, it’s going to be born whether you like it or not. You can either make it very hard for yourself and your baby, or you can make it much easier if you do as I tell you. Now lie back and let me examine you.”
    Silently the girl lay back on the pillows and turned her face away towards the wall. Samantha could see the tears trickling silently down her cheek. Compassionately she laid her hand on the girl’s shoulder. She was only a child herself, and here she was having a baby.
    â€œAre you afraid?” she asked gently.
    â€œYes,” the girl whispered back in a barely audible voice. “I’ve never had a baby before.”
    Samantha smiled. “For every woman there’s a first time,” she said, “and it’s only natural to be a little apprehensive, but remember, women have been producing babies since the human race began, for thousands and thousands of years.”
    She started to examine the girl’s abdomen gently, then she listened to the fetal heart, which was good and strong. After taking her pulse, temperature and blood pressure Samantha was satisfied that all was well.
    â€œHow long ago did you have your last contraction?” she asked.
    The girl, whose name Samantha had ascertained from her notes was Diana, turned restlessly over onto her other side. “I don’t know how long ago it was,” she muttered. “It was when I screamed.”
    Samantha looked at her notes again. “I see you attended antenatal classes,” she remarked. “What happened to the deep breathing you’ve been practicing?”
    â€œI forgot,” admitted Diana, looking a little shamefaced now.
    Samantha pulled up a chair and sat beside her and taking hold of her hand said, “I’m going to wait here with you until the next one comes, and when it does, if you do as I tell you, I promise it won’t be so bad.”
    Diana gripped hold of her hand tightly; it was patently obvious she was very frightened. “My mum told me it was terrible, having a baby. She said it would teach me not to have another one.”
    â€œPerhaps your mother was one of the unlucky ones,” replied Samantha, “but if you think about it sensibly, it can’t be that terrible, because lots of people have lots of babies.” She smiled at her encouragingly. “Besides, if you find it too painful you can always have an epidural injection and then you won’t feel any pain at all. That’s something that wouldn’t have been available for your mother.”
    â€œYes,” replied Diana, visibly brightening. “They told us about those when we went to classes, but the needle looks awfully big. Does it hurt?”
    â€œThere’ll be a little discomfort when it’s inserted,” said