Page 12 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

‘I’m sleeping, but I’m still tired,’ Maisie admitted. ‘Does that matter? Will they want to postpone my scan? You said you wanted to talk?—’

‘I was being a bit sneaky, actually. I wanted to speak to you without your mum there. Can I be plain, Maisie? You look thin. Are you eating properly?’

‘Yes.’

‘Maisie…’

‘I’m not dieting!’

Zoe let out a sigh. Maisie’s denial told her instantly everything she needed to know.

They’d had conversations before around the food Maisie was eating and that time the young woman had expressed worries about putting on weight during her pregnancy.

It seemed the issue hadn’t been resolved in her mind, despite telling Zoe at the time that it was.

‘Do you mind if I take some measurements? Because I think you look smaller than you should, and I do think you’re thinner than you were last time I saw you.

If you’re not cutting down on your food, then it might mean there’s a problem with your baby and I will have to refer you for more specialist care. ’

Maisie shrugged awkwardly. ‘I might have been on a bit of a diet.’

‘Oh, Maisie, why?’

‘I was trying to eat all the food you told me to, but I was still getting too fat.’

‘Who told you that?’

‘Nobody.’

‘I thought,’ Zoe continued, ‘we’d sorted all that out. You need to eat well, and now is absolutely not the time to be on a diet. Tell me what you’re eating and don’t try to cover anything up.’

‘I don’t know. I eat different things every day. Mum says 800 calories is how much you need to eat if you want to lose weight.’

‘People thought that in 1970 maybe! Nobody gives that advice now, not even to a woman who isn’t pregnant!’

‘But—’

Zoe shook her head. She always tried hard not to patronise the expectant mums in her care, and for the most part none of them needed it, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

She could see she was going to have to spell it out for Maisie.

‘You do realise you’re putting yourself and your baby in danger?

You’ll be lacking in critical vitamins and minerals, and it has consequences.

No wonder you’re so tired; your body is fighting to keep you and another person alive – you need to nourish it, not deprive it… ’

Zoe pulled a box of tissues from the far side of the desk and handed one to Maisie. ‘I’m not trying to make you cry; I’m trying to look out for you. It’s my job, but I’d want to anyway because you’re one of my favourite clients.’

‘I don’t mean to keep messing up.’ Maisie blew into the tissue.

‘You’re not messing up, but I wish you’d spoken to me before you’d started this diet business.

’ Zoe was thoughtful for a moment. ‘I think,’ she continued finally, ‘that you and I ought to have more contact, so I’m going to ask you to see me a little more often.

Not because you’re messing up, but to put my mind and yours at rest. Could you come to clinic a bit more often?

Failing that, perhaps we could have phone consultations? ’

‘I suppose.’ Maisie dried her eyes. ‘Do you still need to check me now? Only Mum will be waiting.’

‘Could you come tomorrow?’ Zoe asked, fairly certain she had a free slot but deciding she’d make time to see Maisie regardless.

‘We’ll take your measurements and chat a bit more about this diet.

I understand you don’t want to put on weight, but we need to have a frank conversation about how you can keep control in a way that is safe for you and baby. Would that be OK?’

‘What time should I come?’

‘Two?’

Maisie got out her phone and made a note. ‘Two, got it. Should I tell Mum?’

‘That’s up to you. I obviously can’t stop you from bringing her along either, but it might be better if you don’t. I don’t want her to be offended by anything we say, and?—’

‘She might kick off again, like she did before. I get it. I’ll try to keep it a secret.’

‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘I do. If I tell her I’m coming, she’ll want to know why.’

‘Is your mum…’ Zoe paused, and then decided that they’d started out speaking plainly and they might as well continue. ‘Is she encouraging you to cut calories? Was the diet your idea or hers?’

‘Mine,’ Maisie said emphatically, though Zoe wasn’t convinced.

Even if the idea had been Maisie’s, there was a strong possibility that Bridget had somehow influenced it.

Zoe and Maisie had been involved in a conversation like this once before, in the early days of the pregnancy, where Maisie had confided that her mum had been unhappy about how quickly Maisie was gaining weight and beginning to look obviously pregnant.

‘Thanks for popping in,’ Zoe said, choosing to leave things as they were for now. ‘And for being so straight with me. Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow at two.’

Just before she headed to the kitchen for lunch, Zoe took a minute to message Alex. But rather than him texting back, her phone lit up with a call from him.

‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I know nobody phones nowadays – or so Billie loves to tell me.’

‘What do they do then?’ Zoe asked with a light laugh.

‘You message or you’re a weirdo…So call me a weirdo, but I wanted to hear your voice.’

‘You did?’

‘It does things to me, you see.’

Zoe giggled. ‘In that case, hello. You sound happy. I take it that means Grizzle is on the mend.’

‘He’s almost back to normal. Whatever Victor gave him is miraculous. In fact, I’m sort of missing when Griz was ill already. The house was quieter. And tidier.’

‘Aww, but he looked so sorry for himself it must be nice to see him all bouncy again.’

‘Yeah, it is. I’m sorry we had to cut our date short.’

‘That’s all right. We’re neither of us footloose or fancy free really, are we? People and dogs and all sorts of other things will want our attention sometimes, and I’m just grateful for any time we get together.’

‘I couldn’t have put it better myself. I’m the luckiest man ever for any spare minutes with you.’

‘You say the nicest things, you silver-tongued charmer. Be careful, I might start to believe them.’

‘How about we try again tonight?’

‘I wish I could say yes, but I’ve made other plans.’

‘Oh? That was fast…’

‘I know, sorry. I’d say I’ll try to undo them, but I don’t think I can.

Remember I told you my old school friend Georgia was coming to stay in Thimblebury over Christmas?

Well, I bumped into her yesterday and promised I’d go to see her tonight to catch up.

I don’t know why, but I get the feeling she really needs someone to talk to right now, and I don’t want to let her down. ’

‘She really needs someone to talk to, and why aren’t I surprised that you think it has to be you?’ he asked with wry humour in his tone. ‘I’m disappointed, but how can I be mad about that?’

‘You’re sure? It’s all right to say if you’re a bit miffed. I’ll make it up to you?—’

‘How can I be miffed? I’m sad I won’t get to stare into those beautiful eyes, but I understand I can’t have you all the time, even if I might want to.’

‘Thanks for understanding. How about Wednesday? I’m busy tomorrow.’

‘That’ll work.’

‘Perfect. You’ll text me then?’

‘I will, but if your date tonight stands you up for any reason, I want first refusal.’

‘I’ll remember that,’ Zoe said, laughing. ‘But I don’t think for a minute she will.’

Zoe wandered down to the kitchen early for lunch, having a shorter morning clinic than normal, with the intentions of getting it set up for everyone else. She got there to find Simon sitting at the table with one of their regular pharmaceutical reps.

‘Oh, hello!’ The rep got up. ‘I don’t think we’ve met, have we? I’m Barry.’

‘No, but I’ve seen you pop in,’ Zoe said with a smile. ‘I doubt you’d need to see me really; I’m the midwife.’

‘Oh, yes, I’ve heard all about you from Lavender. Good things, mind. Very complimentary.’

‘You’d have to say that,’ Zoe replied, her smile growing.

‘I would, but I can assure you it’s all true.’

‘What is?’ Lavender’s voice came from the doorway. ‘All right there, Barry? Have you had a cup of tea?’

‘Yes, Simon’s looked after me. I’ve got something for you, actually.’

Lavender clapped her hands together. ‘It had better be my calendar! I’ve got dates to mark for next year already and no calendar!’

‘Sorry, we had new printers on it and they’ve been a bit slow. Just goes to show, cheaper isn’t always better… Here we are!’ He produced a large envelope and handed it to her.

Lavender took it and opened it up, and then stared at it before gaping at him. ‘What on earth is it?’

She turned the calendar so that the entire room could see. On the front cover was a mass of green blobs and what could only be described as tentacles.

‘Yes, well…’ Barry cleared his throat. ‘I didn’t design it. It’s had…shall we say mixed reactions.’

‘What’s wrong with nice photos of birds? Or hills or Portugal or squirrels or something? What even is this?’

Simon peered at the photograph. ‘Influenza, I’d say. Magnified a few times. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?’

‘It’s gross!’ Lavender said. She opened up to the first page and then showed them another image, this time of red and purple tubes with what looked like hair all over them, floating in a sea of blackness.

It looked like a weird alien landscape from an old sci-fi movie.

‘Don’t you have a calendar without photos of things that might kill me? ’

‘Sorry.’ Barry gave an apologetic shrug.

Ottilie came in just as Lavender was displaying the page for March. She stared at it.

‘What is that?’

‘Norovirus, apparently,’ Zoe said.

‘Well, that’s something to be reminded of as we sit down to lunch. I was hungry…’ She went to the fridge and got out a large tub, then tipped it into a pan before taking it to the stove and setting it down to heat.

‘That’s done it!’ Lavender said to Barry, giving him the calendar and pretending to haul him from his chair. ‘You can sling your hook, and take your calendar with you!’

Barry chuckled. ‘Next time I’ll bring a tin of biscuits then.’