The pain started to build in her back again. She opened the door of her car and slid onto the seat. With her feet still on the ground she curved her back and breathed slowly. She hadn’t been keeping time but these pains were getting stronger and coming closer together. The shed door slammed against the cement again. She didn’t know how she would keep it open or even if she had the strength to wrestle with it.

Both dogs started barking and ran to the side gate. Over the noise of the rattling shed door, she thought she heard a vehicle.

“Tom,” she whispered, still concentrating on easing her pain. Tom had called in each day that Dan had been away. She heard voices coming from the house yard. Paula grabbed the sides of the car and pulled herself up.

“Paula?”

“Oh no.” Her despair was partly due to hearing Rowena’s voice and partly due to the wet trickle running down her legs.

Chapter 42

CHAPTER

42

“I’m not going to argue with you, Jill.” Paula could hear the grit in Rowena’s voice from down the corridor. “Call the doctor now.”

They’d made the distance between the farm and the town in record time. Rowena had taken one look at Paula in the car shed and insisted they head for the hospital. Austin had been relegated to the passenger seat of his own car and Paula had shared the back with the dogs.

Wind buffeted the vehicle all the way and once they reached the bitumen several fire trucks had roared past them in the direction of the fire. Paula was torn between the fear of losing her baby and fear of the fire. It had been a tortuous ride. When they’d finally pulled up at the hospital, Rowena had rushed ahead to get some assistance.

“Doctor is in the hospital but he’s in theatre. We have some casualties from the fire.” The nurse peered around Rowena as Paula arrived on Austin’s arm. “Hello, you must be the one who’s not feeling well?”

“She’s not sick,” Rowena snapped. “She’s in labour.”

“You should have taken her to Wallaston hospital then.”

“That’s too far.”

Jill ignored Rowena. “Is that where you’re booked in?”

Paula nodded. Perspiration broke out across her forehead and nausea swept over her. “I’m not due for another five weeks.”

“Oh, you’re probably not in labour then. Has anything else happened?”

“I had a bit of an upset tummy yesterday.”

“It could be just a stomach bug.”

Paula clutched Austin’s arm tightly as another pain built and spread across her back.

Jill looked at her closely. “Where is the pain?”