‘Perfect,’ Zac said, and hovered nearby without touching, and marvelled at the jiggling of the baby’s legs as it wriggled its way out. Umbilicus, nipples, one arm, second arm and the baby sat, head still inside, and all the time Zac felt as though a calm voice were describing what would happen next. Zac took the warmed towel the nurse offered, still not touching the baby.

Behind him, he ignored the sounds of others arriving, as the baby descended further. He waited, his hands still, ready for the tiny chin to drop and the face to fall into sight, allowing gravity to do the tricky traction of a breech birth all by itself.

Across from him three nurses watched open-mouthed. Hana gasped, Jock swayed, and the baby’s head freed and dropped. Zac caught the little face as it fell into his hands. He closed his eyes for a second, holding the weight of the baby as a medley of images of another breech birth passed through his mind.

Just like this. The world swirled, and he rested the baby on the bed until the kaleidoscope stopped. One still photograph in his mind gelled. Ava, in another time, in another place, and two baby boys.

On automatic pilot, he handed the baby to the paediatrician, who checked Hana’s baby as the midwife, one so suddenly, so dearly familiar, hurried into the room.

Concentrate on what you’re doing! his mind yelled. He turned towards Hana to find Ava had helped her flip onto her back, with her baby on the way to her arms. Suddenly she gasped again, and looked up to catch Zac’s gaze, her eyes widening in question.

He saw the gush of blood. ‘Placenta,’ he said simply.

She sighed and relaxed. ‘I didn’t think it was twins.’

Zac delivered the placenta into an awaiting dish and stepped away. ‘Done.’

The paed, who’d paused for the third stage to be completed, passed the baby to Hana. Her little girl. Zac watched the tiny bundle be drawn safely into her mother’s arms and blew out a long breath.

Finally Zac’s eyes met Ava’s.

‘Congratulations,’ she said, but she looked straight through him as she turned towards Hana and Jock. Was that to them or to him? Did it matter? All he knew was that he felt bereft and he’d thrown away the best thing he’d ever found.

Zac saw that Ava had turned her shoulder to assist Hana to position the baby safely. The bed rails were pulled up. Sweet memories were crowding in his brain. He could just hear Ava’s murmuring voice as the pictures in his mind twisted again in the vivid kaleidoscope. ‘She’s so beautiful,’ Ava said as she bent to catch the tiny baby’s waving hand, and he wished he’d taken an extra glance at the newborn, but his mind had been whirling.