Where Memories Are Made (16 page)

Pulling out a chair from under the kitchen table, Trevor eased his large bulk down on it and began to pull off his boots while he carried on talking. ‘Thank God I've got a long weekend to look forward to with my darling wife. I thought we could go to the pub and have dinner, save you from cooking tonight.' He stopped talking to look pointedly at the stove when it struck him there was no sizzling pan on it and no smell of cooking sausages and bacon assailing his nostrils. ‘I take it you've had a busy night and just come in yourself too, love? Let me finish taking my boots off then I'll help you with breakfast.'

She told him, ‘Eating at the pub tonight sounds good but I'm afraid we won't be able to. You see, we have a visitor.'

‘Eh!' His face fell, voice lowering to a whisper as he said, ‘Don't tell me your mother has descended on us? I could cope with anyone else but not her.'

‘Oh, that's fine then. You'll be able to cope with a baby.'

Trevor sat speechless for a moment. Then, his face paling, he ventured, ‘You did say a baby?'

She nodded and proceeded to tell him just how they had ended up looking after one.

By the time she had finished, Trevor was looking perturbed. ‘Oh, goodness me, what a turn up for the books. As hard work as she is, I'd sooner you had told me it was your mother we had stopping. I don't know about this, love. You ran a mile if your sisters so much as hinted about you holding one of their babies when they were little. All I know about them is that it's a continuous job, filling them up at one end and cleaning them up at the other.'

‘Well, that's all you need to know because at this little one's age that's all that needs doing.'

‘But what about our weekend? We were so looking forward to …'

Beryl snapped, ‘Don't you think I'm as upset as you are about having our weekend disrupted? Whether we like it or not, we're lumbered with this baby for the next couple of days unless the mother or her family turn up to claim her meantime. We have no choice but to get on with it. In the meantime, I suggest we'd better get some sleep while the baby is. We're going to need it.'

Beryl woke with a start, eyes darting to the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was three-thirty. She made to turn over and go back to sleep. She'd be up in just over three hours to get ready for work. Then suddenly panic struck as she remembered the baby. She had been due a feed at two but hadn't woken for it. Beryl hoped that meant she had slept through, not that something was wrong with her and neither Beryl nor Trevor had heard her cries. Diving out of bed, she grabbed her robe, pulling it on as she hurried over to the spare bedroom where the baby was sleeping in the drawer on the bed.

A shaft of light beaming down from a crescent moon was bathing the makeshift cot in a soft glow, casting everything else around it into eerie darkness. Padding quietly over to the bed, Beryl leaned over and placed one hand gently on the baby's chest, mortally relieved to feel it rising and lowering. The child was fine, just peacefully sleeping. She made to return to bed when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, all her senses telling her that she and the child were not the only ones in the room. ‘Who's there?' she whispered.

It was Trevor who whispered back, ‘It's only me, love.'

Peering hard, she just made out the outline of him, lying on the bed to the other side of the drawer, one arm bent, head resting in his hand. She tutted. ‘Oh, you daft lummox, you gave me such a scare! I was so worried when I realised she hadn't woken for her feed at two, I didn't notice you weren't in bed beside me. Just what are you doing here?' Beryl quizzed.

‘Actually, the baby did wake at just after two. I was on my way back from a visit to the toilet when I heard her. I was awake already and it seemed a shame to wake you, so I fed her myself.'

‘
You
fed her!' exclaimed Beryl, astonished.

Trevor gave a small laugh. ‘Don't sound so shocked. Men are as capable of feeding babies as women. I've watched you do it enough times over the weekend to know what to do. I made sure she was well winded and changed her nappy too. And before you ask, no, it didn't fall off when I picked her up. She went straight to sleep when I put her back down.' He looked tenderly into the cot and stroked one finger gently down the side of the baby's face. ‘She really is a good little thing, isn't she? Hardly cried all weekend.'

Beryl was astounded by this turn of events. In all the time she had known Trevor he had broken out in a sweat if anyone asked him to hold their baby for so much as a couple of minutes while they saw to something. So for him voluntarily to feed one and change its nappy, and to speak about it so affectionately, was just incredible to her. All she could think of by way of response was, ‘No, she hasn't been much trouble.' Then she asked, ‘You must have finished dealing with her a while ago. Why haven't you come back to bed?'

There was silence for a moment before Trevor awkwardly responded, ‘Well, I was just … er …'

His voice trailed off. Knowing her husband as well as she did, Beryl realised he was finding it difficult to tell her the reason, which was upsetting for her as they told each other everything. Perching on the side of the bed, she coaxed him, ‘Tell me, Trevor. You were just what?'

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before answering, ‘I was just watching the baby, love.'

‘Why? Were you worried something wasn't right with her? You should have fetched me to check on her.'

‘No, no, I wasn't worried.' He took another deep breath before he continued. ‘I was just watching her, that's all. I can't explain it, love, but I've got used to having her here. I've found myself feeling very protective towards her, which is natural enough, but when I was holding her in my arms feeding her tonight that feeling … well, it overwhelmed me and I started worrying about what was going to happen to her when you hand her over to Social Services later today. We've had no telephone call from April so the family obviously have abandoned her, haven't they? I'm worried about what sort of people will adopt her. Will they love her like she was their own and take care of her properly?' He gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘Tell me I'm an old fool, Beryl. I've never felt remotely like this about any kiddy before so I must be having a mid-life crisis or going doo-lally in my old age.'

Beryl was looking at him thoughtfully. The emotions he was describing were familiar to her as well. She had fought hard to shut them out, but there was something about this baby that had purely and simply captured her heart. Beryl desperately wanted to care for her and protect her. Now it seemed that Trevor felt the same.

He was looking back at her hopefully. ‘You're not telling me I'm an old fool, Beryl?'

She sighed. ‘No, love, I'm not. Because if you are, then so am I.'

He said in astonishment, ‘You mean, you feel the same about the little mite as I do?'

‘Yes, I do. I've tried not to … God, how I've tried … because I like my life the way it is, just you and me, doing what we want, when we want. But since this little girl arrived in our lives, I just can't picture our future without her being part of it. The thought of handing her over in a few hours, walking away from her, leaving her whole life in the lap of the gods … well, it fills me with dread. I don't think … no, I know … I'll never sleep soundly again, worrying what's become of her.'

‘No, I don't think I will either.'

They looked at each other for several long moments more before Trevor took the lead. ‘So … what are we going to do, love?'

Beryl sighed. ‘If we both feel like this then there's only one thing we can do, isn't there.'

He nodded.

‘Taking on this child is going to change our lives out of all recognition. I'm going to have to give up work so money will be tight. Holidays will be a thing of the past; so will lying in bed on Sunday mornings reading the papers until we feel like rising. We can expect to be mercilessly ribbed by families and friends over this turn of events, considering we've always been adamant children are not for us. So are you sure about this, Trevor, because once we set the ball rolling there'll be no going back?'

He replied without any hesitation, ‘I don't think I've ever been surer about anything … oh, except about marrying you, of course.'

Beryl chucked. ‘Well, that settles it then. We're going to become parents. I never thought I'd ever hear myself say that.'

Trevor was frowning. ‘But it's not just a case of us deciding we're going to keep the baby, is it? What if Social Services won't let us keep her, for some reason? I mean, we're no spring chickens. They might say we're too old.'

Beryl said matter-of-factly, ‘There's no reason for them to become involved. The mother and family aside, there's only you, me and April who actually know of the baby's existence. April will keep our secret if it means the baby is going to have a good home and future. So, as far as anyone else is concerned, the baby is our natural child.'

‘But I'm a copper, Beryl. If I get caught out in such a whopper of a lie, my time in the force will be over and my reputation as a pillar of the community will be in tatters.'

‘The only way anyone will find out is if you tell them. I know some people would see this as telling lies, but I prefer to think of us as being a little sparing with the truth. Surely we can be forgiven that if it's for the sake of a baby?'

‘Mmm, when you put it like that, it's the right thing we're doing.' Trevor paused for a moment then asked, ‘Think me a bit thick, love, but won't people ask questions when you suddenly produce a baby … like, how can you have one without being pregnant?'

‘During my time as a nurse I've delivered at least fifty babies, and five of them were to mothers who had no idea they were pregnant. I'll say I didn't have any idea whatsoever I was pregnant until the baby suddenly arrived, not long after I'd got home from work on Saturday morning, and you helped to deliver her. The reason we haven't told our families or anyone yet is because we have both been in too much shock at suddenly having an addition to our family.'

‘Well, it seems you've thought of everything, love, apart from one thing. What if the mother changes her mind?'

Beryl looked thoughtful. ‘Well, from what I know of her, I feel that's a very remote possibility. She's probably pushed all this to the back of her mind and is getting on with her life. There's no worry about the father as he was just a lad she met at the fair. I doubt she even knew his name. As I told you, she's what my mother would've termed “tuppence short of a shilling”. And if she does turn up in the future … well, for the sake of the little one, we'd stick to our story. It would be her word against ours and she'd have no proof that the child is hers. Don't think I won't feel bad for her because I will and I know you will too but, surely, putting the child's well-being first justifies our behaviour.'

Trevor said with conviction, ‘Yes, it does. All that remains is for us to think of a nice name for her.' He thought for a moment and offered, ‘What about Rosie? It's a very pretty name and she looks like a little rosebud, doesn't she?'

Beryl smiled. ‘Yes, I like that. Rosie it is then.'

Trevor looked down at the sleeping child and said tenderly, ‘Well, little Rosie, I hope you like your new mum and dad because it seems you're stuck with us.'

L
ater that morning Jackie was staring at April Stephens in utter astoundment. ‘Sister Pendle has had a baby, a little girl, and she had no idea she was pregnant? My goodness, I'm in shock myself just hearing this, so I can't imagine how she and Mr Pendle are feeling. She was only telling me on Thursday evening that she wasn't the motherly type.'

April smiled. ‘Well, she's going to have to be now, isn't she? You can appreciate, though, why she can't serve any notice.'

‘Yes, of course. We'll have to see about another nurse to work alongside you, Sister, and to start as soon as possible.' Jackie thought about it. Harold Rose wasn't going to be able to push this on her like he'd done all the other matters he should have dealt with as temporary boss. Hiring a chalet maid Jackie could handle, but a qualified nurse was an entirely different matter.

‘I appreciate that,' April was saying. ‘I've spoken to Sister Blundell who comes in when we need cover like she did this weekend, and she's willing to do Sister Pendle's shifts meantime.'

‘Oh, that's good of her. I'll organise a collection around the staff for a leaving present for Sister Pendle. We'd best get her something for the baby as she'll have nothing for it, will she? I'm sure the staff will give as much as they can afford. Nurse Pendle was well liked.'

April got up to leave and Jackie was about to inform Harold Rose of this new development when the outer door to the office swung open and Pamela Randall, a junior Stripey, charged in and immediately approached Jackie. ‘There's a problem at one of the shower blocks. Terry Jones wants you to come over urgently.'

April signalled she was taking her leave. Jackie responded jocularly, ‘I can turn my hand to lots of things, Pam, but plumber I'm not. I'll get someone from maintenance to pop over. Which shower block is it?'

Picking up the switchboard handset, Al piped up, ‘I'll put a call through to maintenance now.'

Pam said, ‘It's not that kind of problem. I don't know the ins and outs but a woman has locked herself in, she won't talk to none of the Stripeys, so Terry was hoping you could persuade her to come out. There's going to be a mutiny soon if she doesn't as there's a queue building of people wanting to use the toilets and showers, and they're not too happy about not being able to.'

Jackie sighed. She really hadn't time to deal with this. She was behind with holiday enquiries for later this season; she'd several urgent orders to place with suppliers; and she must speak to Harold Rose about several matters she needed his approval on, including a replacement nurse for Sister Pendle. It looked like another late night for her tonight. Asking Al to hold the fort, something he was getting used to doing, she told Pam, ‘Lead the way.'