‘Hm,’ Nurse Bennett said thoughtfully as she straightened after listening to the baby’s heartbeat through her pinard.

Sunday’s heart started to beat faster with panic as she saw the frown on the woman’s face. ‘Is there something wrong?’

‘Not that I know of, dearie,’ the woman answered calmly and turning her attention back to Kathy she told her, ‘I’m going to examine you now and see how far on you are. Just lie as still as you can, there’s a good girl.’

It proved to be easier said than done for Kathy, for the pains were coming thick and fast now but she grit her teeth and did the best she could, while Livvy escaped to wait downstairs with John.

‘Ugh, I’m never going to have a baby,’ she declared as she hurried into the kitchen. Normally she didn’t even wish John good day if she could help it, but tonight she was too concerned about her sister to care about anything else.

‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll feel differently when you meet the right young man and settle down,’ he told her, with a sparkle in his eye, but she was too busy pacing the room with her eyes fixed fearfully on the ceiling to even take in what he said.

The time ticked away, each minute feeling like an hour to those waiting and as the night progressed John and Livvy could hear Kathy’s anguished cries getting louder.

‘There must be something wrong. Surely it shouldn’t take this long?’ Livvy fretted. And then just before dawn, as the sky became a kaleidoscope of pinks, purples and oranges, a piercing scream rent the air and Livvy gripped the edge of the table as her eyes stretched wide. The scream was followed by a moment of uncanny silence followed by the indignant squawk of a newborn wail.

‘Oh my goodness, I think she’s had the baby.’ Livvy was almost limp with relief as she and John strained to hear what was going on.

Upstairs Nurse Bennett handed a tiny little bloody bundle into Sunday’s waiting arms.

‘It’s just as I thought,’ the woman said as she bent to the new mother again. ‘He’s only a little scrap of a thing. Far too small for her to be the size she was. I reckon there’s another one in here.’

And sure enough, ten minutes later another baby, slightly larger than the first born, was delivered. This time it was a girl and Sunday unashamedly cried tears of joy as she stared down into their little puckered faces.

‘Well, they might be a little on the small side, but their lungs certainly seem to be functioning properly,’ she laughed as the midwife checked them over.

‘They’ll do,’ Nurse Bennett said with a satisfied smile and taking them from Sunday she placed them into their mother’s waiting arms.