Free All I Want For Christmas by Julie Coffin Page A

door to find a couple of men in overalls loading the contents of the store room on to a trolley.
    â€˜What’s happening?’
    â€˜Clearing it.’
    â€˜And then what?’
    The man shrugged. ‘Just told to clear it, that’s all.’
    Progress at last,
Lauren thought happily, until an email arrived later that morning. It sent her, fuming, straight back to the hospital manager’s office. He smiled at the sight of her. ‘Thought you’d be pleased.’
    â€˜Pleased?’ she stormed. ‘I’ve just been told to close down the crèche for a week!’ ‘That’s correct. We’re extending the room, just as you requested yesterday, Ms Mallory.’
    â€˜But I can’t close it. What about the children? The parents? We’ve only just returned after the Christmas break. That caused problems for some of them who were on duty. Why can’t it be done at the weekend?’
    â€˜Look, Ms Mallory, you’ve been agitating for an extension to your room. Well, now you’re getting one.’
    â€˜But from today . . . ’
    â€˜Ms Mallory, consider yourself very lucky to have this extension at all, in the present economic climate.’
    Lauren took a deep breath. ‘I know. Thank you. But parents just can’t arrange for their children to be taken care of elsewhere without any warning. Isn’t there somewhere else we could use in the meantime?’
    â€˜No, Ms Mallory.’
    Her back stiffened. ‘And if your nursing staff, auxiliaries, receptionists and doctors just down tools and stop work for a week without any warning, to stay at home and look after their offspring, what will you do?’
    His eyes bulged. ‘They wouldn’t do that.’
    â€˜No, I dare say they wouldn’t, but some of them are going to be very hard pressed to cope.’
    Returning to the crèche she broke the news to the rest of her staff. Their reaction was exactly the same as her own.
    â€˜They can’t just spring it on us like this!’ Sarah protested, peeling off a baby’s nappy.
    â€˜Well, they have,’ Lauren replied, handing her a clean one. ‘And we’ll have to clear this room before the workmen arrive in any case.’
    â€˜Why can’t they do it at the weekend?’ Emma asked, sponging paint from three toddler’s faces and hands while she spoke.
    â€˜That would mean overtime,’ Lauren explained. ‘It’ll be a long job, knocking out part of that wall, and rebuilding it into an arch. They’ll have to redecorate the whole room afterwards.’
    â€˜A week’s seems an awfully long time. My dad did our through-lounge in one day,’ Emma retorted. ‘Will we get paid while we’re off work?’ She seized a towel and dried the tots’ small faces and hands. ‘They won’t make us take it as holiday, will they?’
    â€˜Take what?’ Helen asked, bringing another baby for changing.
    â€˜Haven’t you heard?’ Emma said. ‘We’re closing for a week while they extend this room.’
    Helen glared at Lauren. ‘Why didn’t you warn us earlier?’
    â€˜I didn’t know myself until half an hour ago, Helen. And if you’ve any suggestions as to how we can cope, I’ll be pleased to hear them.’
    â€˜Can’t we use somewhere else?’ Emma asked.
    â€˜Where?’ the others chorused.
    â€˜The student nurses’ lecture room?’ asked Emma. ‘It’s on this floor.’
    â€˜What about their lectures?’ Lauren reasoned.
    â€˜There aren’t any until after the Christmas and New Year breaks. My sister’s a student nurse.’
    â€˜Oh, Emma! You’re brilliant!’ Lauren cried. ‘I’ll go and see what I can do.’ Fifteen minutes later she was back. ‘Anyone prepared to stay on late this evening to move some of the stuff in here down the corridor?’
    â€˜You