Title: Shining Light
Fandom: Call the Midwife
Rating: G
Length: 1,030
Summary: While most of the midwives are in South Africa, work doesn't stop for those who were left in Poplar.

“You’ve got to come, nurse .. sister ..  nurse, my Glenda’s in agony.”  The man standing in the doorway was practically dragging Nurse Mary Cynthia out of Nonnatus House as he spoke.

“Of course, I’ll come,” she replied, “but you should have called an ambulance.”

“I did, but there’s been an accident on the Mile End Road, and they’ve all been called out to that.  They’ll send one when they can, but they don’t know how soon that will be.  I’d take her to hospital myself, but I couldn’t get her into the cab.”  He indicated the fruit and veg van parked by the steps.

“Right, let me get my bag,” Sister Mary Cynthia said, “and I’ll come.”

She ran to get her medical bag and paused to write a note to Patsy to let her know where she had gone, asking her to come if she could.  By the time she had returned to the front door Sister Monica Joan was waiting there.

“I’m sorry, sister,” she said, “You’ll have to stay here on your own for a little while.  Nurse Busby will be back soon.”

“I am still able to help,” Sister Monica Joan said.

Sister Mary Cynthia was about to object when the greengrocer said, “She can come too.  She can keep my mother company.”

“I’ll let the others know.”  Sister Mary Cynthia jotted down a quick note, ‘Sister Monica Joan with me.’

The greengrocer opened the cab door and the two nuns climbed in.  They drove down a number of roads, before stopping at a small terraced house.

“This way,” he called, leading them inside.

Sister Mary Cynthia saw an elderly blind lady sitting in the front room, with a little girl sitting on the floor nearby.  Both looked like they’d been crying.

The little girl said, “Mummy’s stopped screaming.  Do you think she’s dead?”

Sister Mary Cynthia exchanged a look with the girl’s father, before asking him to boil some water.  She ran up the stairs.

Meanwhile Sister Monica Joan sat down in the chair next to the blind woman and took her hand.  “And what’s your name?” she asked the little girl.

Sister Mary Cynthia examined the pregnant mother.  She wasn’t happy with what she found.  “Have you been told you were expecting twins?”

“No, no, you must be mistaken,” she answered.  She stifled a cry.  “It wasn’t like this when I had Meggy.”

“I shall need to examine you.”

“I understand.”  With Sister Mary Cynthia’s help she positioned herself on the bed.

At that moment there was a knock at the door and Sister Mary Cynthia heard the welcome sound of Patsy’s voice, followed a few seconds later by Patsy’s footsteps as she came up the stairs.

“I wasn’t expecting you here this quickly,” Sister Mary Cynthia said.

“Delia read the messages you’d left and came to find me.  It saved a lot of time, because I was halfway here already.”

Sister Mary Cynthia explained her suspicions.  Patsy examined the mother and agreed.

The mother gave a cry, “I want to push!”

Patsy said, “That’s okay.  We’re with you now.”  She ran to the top of the stairs.  “Delia, can you come up?”

Delia hurriedly joined them.  “What do you want me to do?  I was planning on taking Sister Monica Joan home, but she and the grandmother seem happy together.”

“Good,” Patsy replied.  “This lady is expecting twins, so we really could do with a third pair of hands.”

The mother gave another cry, and the midwives concentrated on the imminent birth.  Shortly afterwards a tiny baby was born.  She was breathing, but as Patsy and Sister Mary Cynthia exchanged glances, both saw the same lack of hope in their eyes.

There was no time for anything more to be done, because the mother yelled, “It hasn’t stopped.  I need to push.  Oh God, it is twins.”

“You’re doing very well,” Sister Mary Cynthia said.  “You have a daughter, and now her sibling is on his or her way.”

Patsy passed the tiny baby to Delia, saying, “Keep her warm” and turned back to help.

As the second baby was born they heard a voice at the door.

“I’ve got me ambulance, but I’m on me own.  If you’ve got a midwife, she can come with me though and it’ll be okay.  Can you give me a hand with the stretcher?”

The greengrocer and the ambulance driver came into the bedroom.  The ambulance driver surveyed the scene.

“Bloody hell,” he said.  “Twins.  You’d better all come; one with the mother and one with each of the babies.”

“Sister Monica Joan!” Sister Mary Cynthia said.  “I can’t leave her.”

“I can drop her off somewhere,” the greengrocer replied.  “Is there someone she could stay with?”

“Violet Buckle, who owns the haberdasher’s shop.”

The greengrocer called downstairs, “Meg, get your and your nan’s coats.  Once the ambulance has gone we’re taking the nice sister to visit a friend of hers.”

“Thank you.  That’s very kind of you,” Sister Mary Cynthia said.

“It’s the least I can do.”

Once in the ambulance the mother said, “How are they?”

Patsy hesitated.

The mother bit her lip.  “Are they going to die?”

“This one,” Patsy indicated the bundle she was holding, “is doing well.  Her sister will need extra care.”

“Have you thought of names?” Sister Mary Cynthia asked tentatively.  “Only you may wish to have them baptised when they arrive at the hospital.”

The mother nodded and licked her lips, a tear rolling down her cheek.  “Abigail for a girl, and Alan for a boy.”  She paused.  “So maybe Abigail and Helen.”

“Helen means Shining Light,” Delia said.

The mother gave a half smile.  “I think that’s perfect.”

Once they had handed mother and babies over to the hospital midwives Patsy, Delia and Sister Mary Cynthia walked outside to find a greengrocer’s van waiting for them.

The greengrocer waved.  “I thought you could do with a lift back.  If you squeeze up you’ll all fit in.  Mrs Buckle said she’d keep an eye on the others while I came.”

“Thank you.”

They climbed up into the cab and the greengrocer drove them back to Nonnatus House.