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Marion pressed her lips together. ‘That must be a private clinic. We don’t have any insurance...’
‘It won’t cost anything. We have an arrangement with them.’
‘Are you sure?’ Marion looked uncertainly at Alex.
‘If that’s okay with Leo, then I think that would be better for Andrew.’ It was a good offer, and Marion should take it.
‘I really appreciate it. Thank you, doctor.’
‘Call me Leo.’ He cut through Marion’s flustered gratitude and turned to Andrew. ‘Right then. Here’s the deal...’
She wanted desperately to go with them, just to be there for Andrew and Marion whether they needed her or not. But it appeared that Leo was the only person that either Andrew or his mother needed.
Alex climbed out of the car, walking back to where she’d dropped her sports bag. The training session had already started and, although she’d organised this evening so that she’d be free to show Leo around, she might as well go along anyway. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with having to watch the Leo effect.
* * *
Leo had reckoned that Marion would like some time to talk alone with Andrew and he’d left them in his car together. Alex had got out of the car without so much as a word to say where she was going.
This evening she was different. She’d done all the right things, said all the right things, but the change was as marked as if the sun had suddenly gone behind a cloud. He wanted to know why. He didn’t have time right now to examine why he wanted to know; he just did.
‘Aren’t you coming with us?’ He caught her up at the door of the sports hall.
‘You don’t need me.’
He was tempted to tell her that he did need her, quite desperately. That worked with most people, without any need to elaborate on exactly why. But Alex was different from most people and he wouldn’t get away with it.
‘Don’t you want to come?’
She turned, and he caught a glimpse of scorn in her eyes. Not quite the emotion he wanted, but then any emotion was generally better than none.
‘Of course I do. But I should stay here and help with the training...’
She still had a bit to learn about being in charge. ‘You’re the Chief Executive of the charity, right?’
‘I wouldn’t put it quite like that. Sounds a bit stuffy...’
‘You’re the one who makes things happen, which makes you a Chief Executive, whether you like it or not. Which makes you responsible for leading the way, showing what your core values are.’
She stared at him for a moment and then the penny dropped. ‘And one of our core values is that we never leave anyone behind...’ Suddenly she thrust her bag into his arms and pushed open the door of the sports hall. ‘Wait for me. I’m just going to tell everyone that Andrew’s okay but that I’m going with him for his X-ray.’
* * *
As they walked behind Leo into the smart
reception area Marion caught Alex’s arm, whispering to her, ‘This place looks very posh... We don’t have health insurance—are you sure it’s free?’
‘Don’t worry. It’s okay.’ It didn’t look free to Alex either. But this was the part of Leo that she could trust.
He was carrying Andrew upright, rather than cradled like a sack of potatoes. Probably not quite as comfortable for the boy’s ankle, but it was protected by the splint and it changed the dynamic. Andrew wasn’t helpless in his arms; he could lean across the reception desk and see what was going on, and the receptionist responded by smiling and talking to him.
She filled out a form and held it out for Andrew to take. He grabbed it and Leo nodded to her, smiling. ‘I can take him straight through?’
‘Yes, room nine.’ The woman gave Leo a brilliant smile, which was over and above the requirements of her job, and undoubtedly just for him.
There was a brief interlude when Leo pretended to lose his way in the quiet, carpeted corridor, but Andrew put him right, pointing to the correct door. Inside, he waved Marion and Alex towards a couple of chairs and sat Andrew down on the examination couch, keeping the curtains that surrounded it open so that he could see his mother.
A woman in a brightly coloured top came in with a cup of tea for Marion and she took it awkwardly, still obviously worried about the cost of all this. Leo grinned at her. ‘My surgery’s just next door. We have an arrangement to use the clinic’s facilities.’
