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

The front door was opened by one of the older Kovalenko children. Yana Kovalenko had five, and from the groans echoing down the hallway, number six was almost ready to make an appearance.

‘Hello… um…’

‘Alik,’ the boy said. ‘She’s in the other room with Dad. He’s just put up the pool. Olena is playing in it.’

Zoe paled. ‘What?’

‘Dad tried to get her out, but then Maria started to cry, and when he went to see what she wanted, Olena snuck back in again.’

‘You’re the oldest, right?’ Zoe asked as he allowed her to come in and close the front door.

Alik nodded, in that sullen way that only teenage boys knew how to.

‘I’m going to need a right-hand man until the baby’s arrived, and it sounds as if your dad has his hands full. Do you think you could help me?’

‘What do I have to do?’

‘Boss your siblings around. Think you can manage that?’

‘They don’t listen to me.’

‘Try…please. With a bit of luck it won’t be for long.’

He nodded again and then showed Zoe into a dining room that had been cleared to allow space for a large blow-up pool. Yana’s husband and the second-oldest son were filling it with buckets of warm water, while their four-year-old, Olena, splashed around laughing.

‘Hello, Denys,’ Zoe said. ‘Coping?’

‘I know she’s not meant to be in there,’ he replied, angling his head wearily at his daughter, ‘but I’m trying to get this filled as quick as I can.’

‘Where’s your youngest?’ Zoe asked, giving Alik a brief nod to galvanise him into action.

‘I’ve got her in the playpen,’ Denys said. ‘Kateryna was watching her, but she had to go to her mum. I think the baby will come soon.’

‘Hopefully,’ Zoe said, noting how overwhelmed poor Denys looked amidst the absolute chaos of a home life that was not only dominated by five lively children, but had a sixth currently on the way, and his wife’s fervent wish for a home water birth, which wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to set up.

‘You look like you could do with a cup of tea.’

‘Make that vodka,’ Denys said, ‘and you’re on.’

Any further niceties were drowned out by the protesting squeals of Olena as her brother tried to fish her out of the pool, and Yana yelling in Ukrainian from another room. Denys shouted something back and then turned a resigned look to Zoe.

‘She wants to know if you are here and this is ready.’

‘I’m coming!’ Zoe shouted, following the sound of the reply.

She found Yana doubled over, pacing the living room, their third oldest child, Kateryna, rubbing her mum’s back.

‘How are we doing?’ Zoe asked.

‘Four minutes,’ Yana said.

Yana had done this many times before, and she knew exactly how it worked.

It was one of the reasons Zoe was happy to draw up a birth plan with her that she would definitely be more nervous about with a less experienced mother.

For some, contractions four minutes apart might mean they still weren’t that close to birth, though labour would have begun.

But in Yana’s case, Zoe was sure her instincts were reliable and that she’d been right to call.

‘Can I get into the water?’ Yana asked.

‘As soon as it’s ready. Denys is working like a trouper out there. Fingers crossed it won’t take long.’

Yana blew out a heavy breath and then nodded, grimacing as she did.

‘Another one?’ Zoe asked.

‘Yes,’ Yana panted. ‘My little Zoriana wants to come out now.’

‘If she can be patient for just a bit longer’ – Zoe opened her bag – ‘that would be very helpful. Right, while we’re waiting for your pool to be ready, let’s have a quick look at you to make sure everything is well.’

An hour later, Yana was wrapped in warm, dry clothes, with baby Zoriana in her arms and the rest of her children gathered around, gazing at the newborn, clearly all besotted – even the oldest teens, who pretended to be so cool and above it all.

Denys was making his wife, who hadn’t eaten for over twelve hours, some food.

Zoe watched them all, a warmth swelling in her own breast. It was a bittersweet feeling – it always was.

As much as she loved these moments, as much as they were the perfect eventuality that made her job so rewarding, she was always reminded of the fact that her own moment of holding a newborn son or daughter close had been robbed from her.

Some days she found it easier than others to bear, but the love radiating from this family as they sat close together was so affecting, the emotions today had caught Zoe quite by surprise.

Yana looked up and smiled at Zoe. ‘Thank you.’

‘I didn’t do much in the end,’ Zoe said. She began to pack her equipment away. ‘You had it all figured out by the time I arrived.’

‘I’m still glad you were here,’ Yana said. ‘Perhaps I didn’t need you so much, but I felt safer because you were here.’

‘Well…’ Zoe drew in a breath and tried to exhale her troublesome emotions away. ‘I’m glad. It’s what I’m here for. I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow.’

‘I hope the snow is gone for you by then,’ Denys said, standing at the doorway with a bowl of soup on a tray. ‘It’s not easy to get around at the moment.’

‘You should see the hill I live on too,’ Zoe said cheerily. ‘I’m thinking of hiring Rudolph to get me up and down there.’

‘Rudolph?’ Denys asked.

‘You know, Santa’s reindeer. One of them, at least.’

‘Yes, sorry,’ Denys said. ‘I forgot.’

‘I’m sure you must be tired – it’s been a long day for you all,’ Zoe replied.

‘A happy one,’ Denys said as he took the baby from Yana while Alik handed his mum the tray with her soup on. ‘But,’ he added, turning to his wife, ‘perhaps this can be the last time?’

‘It can be the last time if you stop making me pregnant,’ Yana said, and the look of horror on the faces of their oldest children made Zoe burst into laughter.

‘At this point,’ she said, ‘I think I’d better leave you to it.’