Jenny glanced at him. ‘What about the baby?’

His eyes lifted to hers and she read the tension there. ‘We’ll keep the abdominal and pelvic X-rays to a minimum and she can wear lead abdominal shields for the rest. Not ideal, I know, but I have to find out what’s going on. ‘Where the hell is the obs team? Did you call them, Tina?’

‘They were in Theatre but they’re coming as fast as they can.’

‘Well, it’s not fast enough,’ Alex growled. ‘Phone the ward and get a midwife down here with a CTG machine. I want the baby monitored. And someone get a Caesarean section pack ready. Just in case.’

Jenny exchanged stunned glances with Tina. Was he really contemplating doing a Caesarean section in A and E?

Despite the tension, everyone worked quickly and calmly and Alex was examining the first set of X-rays when the special registrar sucked in a breath.

‘She’s arrested,’ he said, and Alex was back by her side in an instant.

‘I need to intubate her.’

Jenny calmly handed him the laryngoscope and adjusted the light above his head.

‘ET tube,’ he snapped, but it was in his hand before he’d finished his brief order and Jenny found herself holding her breath as he attempted to intubate the patient.

She knew that inserting a tube into a patient’s lungs was even harder when she was pregnant but fortunately Alex completed the procedure with no apparent difficulty and proceeded to ventilate the patient while the SR performed cardiac massage.

‘Tom…’ He turned to the SHO who’d inserted both the lines. ‘I need you to take over here.’

The more junior doctor did as he was instructed and Alex strode over to the sink and started scrubbing. ‘Open that Caesarean section pack and someone bleep the obstetricians again.’

Tina gaped at him. ‘You’re doing a Caesarean in here?’

‘The baby is now in a hypoxic environment,’ Alex reminded her roughly, lifting his forearms so that the soapy water ran down into the sink. ‘We need to get it out of there if there’s to be any hope that it’ll survive. And getting the baby out will take the pressure off her inferior vena cava and improve the mother’s blood supply so it might help her as well. Is anyone with her?’

Tina nodded. ‘Her partner’s in the relatives’ room. He’s really worried.’

‘With good reason.’ Alex’s mouth was set in a grim line and he glanced up as one of the A and E consultants walked in. ‘Mark! I need to do an emergency section—can you go and talk to the husband?’

They had a brief conversation, during which Alex slipped his arms into the gown that Jenny had carefully opened and snapped on a pair of sterile gloves.

In the meantime, one of the midwives from the obstetric unit had appeared and scrubbed up, ready to assist.

‘Whatever you do, don’t stop CPR,’ Alex ordered, nodding with relief as the anaesthetist hurried into the room. ‘Great. You can take over at the head end. Hurry up. I want to start. What’s the foetal heart rate?’