Page 169 of The Sun Sister

‘Oh, Alice, thank goodness,’ Katherine said, breathing hard. ‘Dr Boyle wants Cecily in the hospital in Nairobi as soon as possible and we don’t have transport. Is your DeSoto at home?’

‘It is, and I’ll send Arap, my driver, over immediately. Anything else I can do, just give me a call.’

‘Thank you, Alice.’

‘The poor lamb. Send her my love.’

‘I will.’

Katherine headed back into the bedroom where she could hear Cecily’s erratic breathing. Opening the shutter so she could at least see her, Katherine tiptoed towards the bed and saw that Cecily’s eyes were closed. Tentatively peeling back what felt like a soaking sheet, Katherine took another look at Cecily’s ankles. Without a doubt, they were hugely swollen. Swallowing hard to try and stem her panic, Katherine went to the wardrobe in the corner of the room to collect one of Cecily’s cotton maternity shifts and a pair of shoes, then moved towards the chest of drawers to find some clean underwear.

The top drawer was full of tiny knitted hats, matinee jackets and booties, all wrapped in tissue paper. And all made by Cecily. The sight of them brought a lump to Katherine’s throat as she collected undergarments from the drawer below and looked across at her friend, who was restlessly shifting on her pillow.

‘Dear Lord,’ Katherine whispered as she dragged Cecily’s overnight case from beneath the bed, ‘please let her and the baby be all right.’

‘I’m afraid her condition is very serious,’ said Dr Boyle, coming to find Katherine in the waiting room at the Native Civil Hospital a long three hours later. ‘Shall we go and talk elsewhere?’

Dr Boyle led Katherine down a narrow corridor. The heat was stifling and she was relieved when he opened the door to an office, where a fan was blowing cool air full blast.

‘Oh Lord,’ Katherine said, tears bubbling in her eyes. Not that the doctor’s words were a surprise; Cecily had screamed in pain when Katherine had tried to move her from her bed to get her dressed and then into the DeSoto. In the end, she’d had the driver lift Cecily out of bed as she was and fold her as carefully as he could into the back seat, where Katherine had laid a blanket and a pillow.

‘My eyes, my eyes...the light is so bright...’ Cecily had moaned as she’d rested her forearm limply over them. ‘Where are we? What’s happening? Where is Bill?’ she had asked as the car began to bump down the track to the road that would eventually take them to Nairobi.

Katherine had never been so grateful to arrive anywhere in her life. Cecily had groaned in agony most of the way, telling Katherine that her head was about to explode, that she couldn’t see properly and that the pains in her stomach were unbearable.

‘What’s wrong with her?’ she asked.

‘We believe she has a condition known as pre-eclampsia. Have you tried to contact Bill?’ Dr Boyle asked her.

‘I rang Muthaiga Club and the British army HQ before I left, but both of them said they hadn’t seen him today. He could be anywhere out on the plains, Dr Boyle. He may not be back for days.’

‘I see. Then I’m afraid it’s down to you to make a decision for your friend. In order to save Cecily, we must operate immediately to remove the baby. As you know,’ he said, lowering his voice, ‘Cecily has almost eight weeks left of her pregnancy, so it is a huge risk to the child’s life to remove it so early. However, if we don’t, then...’

‘I understand what you’re saying.’ Katherine put her head in her hands, feeling as though the Sword of Damocles was hanging over it. ‘If you didn’t operate to remove the baby, what are the chances of its survival?’

‘Both mother and baby will most certainly die. At least this way, there’s a chance to save one of them. But there are no guarantees and it’s important you know the risks.’

‘Then...of course you must operate.’

Katherine looked up as another man entered the office, attired in the green that indicated a surgeon.

‘Good. Now, this is Dr Stevens, who only recently arrived from Guy’s Hospital in London and is well versed in this particular procedure.’

‘Delighted to make your acquaintance,’ Dr Stevens said, stepping forward and shaking Katherine’s hand. ‘I’ll do my best for both of them.’

‘Thank you.’

‘Now, I must set to work.’ He gave her a short smile, and walked back out of the room.

‘Oh Lord.’ Katherine shook her head. ‘What a choice to have to make.’

‘I know, my dear. Time to trust in that God your father is so keen on. I’d try to contact Bobby if I were you. It might be some time until there’s further news.’

And indeed it was. Katherine paced the claustrophobic room up and down, side to side and diagonally a few hundred times before Bobby finally arrived.

‘Oh my God!’ she said, running to him and feeling his arms go about her. ‘I’m so glad you’re here.’

‘There, there. I came as soon as I got word. How is she?’