Page 33 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

‘Will you have to do that? If I’m here when the baby is born, that’s that, isn’t it?’

‘No, you’ll still have visits for a little while to check baby is thriving and you’re recovering properly.’

‘Oh, well…in that case, you might be doing that too.’

‘Might?’

‘I don’t know. It all depends.’

Zoe sat back and studied her. ‘I’m sorry, Georgia, but I’m worried about you.

I feel as if things are going on that you’re not being honest about.

At home, I mean. And that they might have an impact on you and the baby.

Ordinarily, it would be none of my business – or rather, sometimes it would be, but that’s another story – but you’re my friend, Emilia is my colleague and I want to do right by you both.

She asked me to care for you, and I want to do that, but I can’t do it properly unless you’re frank with me. ’

There was a blankness in Georgia’s expression. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

‘Georgia, please…You’re my friend, and if nothing else, that should be enough. I’m not saying I can help or do anything to change your situation, but at least I’ll understand.’

‘You know most of it.’

‘Do I?’

‘Brett and I ran a business together. It went under, we lost everything and now we’re here.’

‘But why? Emilia said you were staying with her.’

‘You know we are.’

‘Permanently?’ Zoe asked. ‘Because Emilia asked me to take on your care, but she couldn’t say how long you’d be here and what the situation was with your previous midwife, whether you’d be going home or when. And then there’s Brett…’

‘He’s struggling,’ Georgia said.

‘I know – that much is obvious. I’m afraid that it might be obvious to lots of people in the village too.

He came to the shop when Alex and I were visiting yesterday.

Geoff told him they were closed, but he wouldn’t leave until he’d been able to buy a bottle of vodka – and Geoff said he buys a lot of alcohol. ’

Georgia’s shoulders slumped. ‘I didn’t know that. I mean, I know he’s been getting through a lot of booze, but I didn’t know he’d gone out after it yesterday. I’ll talk to him.’

‘That’s not really what I’m asking of you.

Come on now, Georgia – this is me you’re talking to, and we’re past pussyfooting around.

Is this affecting you to the point where it might be a problem for your baby?

For your future as a family? I’m never going to judge anyone because it’s not helpful, but I don’t want to see anyone’s baby – especially yours – grow up in a house with that much tension.

If it’s this unmanageable now, when you do finally go home and it’s just you and Brett, what then?

Will it be worse? You have Emilia there now to mitigate, but?—’

‘I don’t know! All right? I don’t know! Maybe we’ll never go home…We don’t even have one of our own right now! We lost everything, and all we have is a few pounds to our name. There…is that what you wanted to hear?’ Georgia’s eyes filled with tears.

Zoe felt awful for forcing the admission, but she stood by her belief that at least now she knew she could think of ways to support her friend, she could be better and more effective than she’d been so far.

‘We’re staying with Emilia because we don’t have anywhere else to go.

At first it seemed like the perfect solution.

She was lonely after her divorce, and she’d just moved to this new place where she didn’t have anyone, and we needed somewhere to live until we got back on our feet.

Brett wasn’t happy, but he could see the sense in it.

And we didn’t think it would be for long.

Brett would get a job, and we’d find somewhere to rent, and we’d be on our way again.

We’d be bruised and battered, but we’d recover, and things would get better and life would go on.

The baby was the one bright spot on the horizon too, a reason for us to try so much harder to get back on track.

But Brett hasn’t been able to get a job, and his mood has sunk lower and lower.

He feels like a failure, living with his sister-in-law, no money to support us.

I wanted to get a little job somewhere to tide us over – anything would have done – but he was dead against it.

Not that it would have been easy – who’s going to employ a massively pregnant woman?

I’d hoped I could get some casual work, something I could do from home, but Brett wasn’t even happy about that.

I suppose it made him feel even worse, being supported by both me and Em and not being able to contribute anything. ’

‘Is he drinking a lot?’

‘Enough,’ Georgia admitted. ‘Enough to worry me and annoy Emilia. She’s being as patient as she can be, but she’s got her own stuff going on too, so it’s hard. I think she’d like to put us both in a bag and shake us. That or throw us out.’

‘It doesn’t seem like she wants to do that. She’d have done it already, wouldn’t she?’

‘Doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to. We all know Em’s conscience is better than that – better than mine would be. I’d have thrown us out, if I was her.’

‘I’m glad you’re not. I’m glad you’ve told me. I meant what I said: it comes from a place of friendship first, but it does also help me to care for you as your midwife. I need to be aware of anything that might affect your pregnancy or life after the baby is born.’

‘So you can call social services to come and visit?’ Georgia asked, and Zoe was stung by the sudden accusation in her tone.

‘I’d never do that to you.’

‘Wouldn’t you? You’re telling me that if you thought Brett’s drinking was becoming destructive, you wouldn’t get the authorities involved? Isn’t that your professional code? What you’re meant to do? Why would it be any different for us than anyone else?’

‘Has it got that bad?’

‘I don’t know. How bad is that bad?’

‘He hasn’t…he hasn’t got overly angry? Made you fearful?’

‘You mean has he hit me? No, he’d never do that. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I know that much. Brett’s a gentle, respectful man, whatever else he is. You don’t need to worry whether I’m safe with him.’

Zoe nodded slowly. It was reassuring to hear, but she wished she could share Georgia’s utter faith in her husband.

She was no expert, but she’d visited families where there were addiction problems of all sorts, and the one thing she’d found in every case was that nothing was as simple and predicable as Georgia wanted to believe.

A loving, caring parent or spouse could do shocking and uncharacteristic things under the influence.

‘Georgia…’ she said after a long pause. ‘Do you think he’s an alcoholic? ’

‘I’d have thought that you of all people wouldn’t use that term for it.’

‘But do you think he’s dependent on it?’

‘No,’ Georgia said firmly. ‘I think it’s helping to numb things – that’s why he’s turning to it, but I think he could quit. Right now he just needs a reason to.’

‘And you don’t think your baby is a reason?’

‘The baby’s not here yet. It’s hard to imagine what life will be like when it is. He’ll come round then.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘He wants this baby more than anything – we both do. I’m sure. In the meantime, whatever he needs to cope, he can have.’

‘Sounds like burying your head in the sand to me. He might be able to quit drinking when the time comes, but the more he does it to excess, the bigger danger there is he’ll cross the line to a place where he can’t quit.’

Georgia held her in a frank gaze. ‘Seems like you know everything. So you’re an expert on addiction now?’

‘Don’t…I’m not trying to patronise; I want to help. Surely Emilia’s said the same to you?’

‘Like I said, Em’s got her own things going on. I’m sure if she could click her fingers and have us out of her life, she would.’

Zoe shook her head as she glanced at the clock.

Regardless of whether she felt their conversation had achieved anything, she’d have to cut it short if she was going to get around to seeing the rest of her list. ‘Thanks for coming,’ she said.

‘I’m sorry I got you here on false pretences. You understand why, don’t you?’

‘Yes. I might have done the same. Has it helped?’

‘Helped me? I suppose so, but that wasn’t the point. Has it helped you?’

‘Well, nothing has changed. I still have no money, no house, a room with my sister, a big pregnant belly and a husband who spends his time hating the world. So I don’t really know if it’s helped.’

‘At least you can talk to me now if you need to.’

‘Super,’ Georgia said wryly as she got her coat on. ‘I can talk to you. So that’s everything fixed then, isn’t it?’