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‘You got the needle in first time—that impressed me. And anyway…’ she pulled a sticker from a sheet in the notes and stuck it onto the form for the blood test, ‘…you don’t need praise from me. You already have quite a fan club going, Dr Hot. I gather fourteen nurses have asked you to the Christmas ball so far. Is that all the bloods?’
This would have been the perfect moment to ask what he wanted to ask, but the situation was too tense to contemplate having a personal discussion. Later, he promised himself. Later, when they weren’t working, he was going to remind her that she owed him a date. And no doubt she would fight him all the way.
In the eight months he’d worked at the hospital he’d noticed that Meg didn’t really socialise. She worked and then she went home to her son. On the few occasions she joined the rest of the mountain rescue team for a drink, it was either early, in which case she took Jamie with her, or it was late and she popped in quickly while her mother was babysitting. At first he’d wondered if her attitude was driven by financial concerns, but as he’d got to know her better he’d realised that there was a great deal more to Meg’s hermit-like existence than an urge for thrift.
Someone had hurt her. Presumably Jamie’s father.
Relationships, he thought. Complex and difficult.
He watched as she moved around the room, calm, quiet and efficient. When it came to work, she never failed to impress him. What surprised him was the difference between her confidence levels in a work or rescue situation and her confidence levels in a social situation.
Abby’s mother arrived back in the room at the same time as the paediatric team and Dino pushed aside thoughts of Meg, briefing his colleagues as they transferred the sick baby to PICU. He was walking back to Resus when Meg grabbed him and dragged him into an empty cubicle.
‘About this date,’ she whispered fiercely, her gaze flickering to the door to check no one was passing, ‘there is somewhere I really want to go and I’d really like you to take me.’
Astonished that it had proved that easy, Dino smiled. ‘Molto bene,’ he purred. ‘Of course. Anything. Romantic dinner? Or something less public perhaps. I could cook for you. My place.’
Instead of reacting the way he expected, she chewed her lower lip nervously for a few seconds. ‘I want you to come to my house at eight-thirty on Thursday morning.’
Dino watched her carefully. He could see the pulse beating in her throat. Feel her nerves. ‘I’m all for injecting variety into the dating scene, belissima, but isn’t eight-thirty in the morning a slightly unusual time to eat dinner? Unless you’re suggesting breakfast?’
‘Don’t get any ideas. We won’t be eating anything.’ She pushed her hair out of her eyes and he noticed that her hand was shaking. ‘Look, I know you won’t want to do this, but—’ She sucked in a deep breath, like someone summoning up courage to do something they
found terrifying. ‘—Thursday is Dad’s Day at school and Jamie doesn’t have anyone to take. I know you’re not his dad but that doesn’t matter because it just has to be an important man in his life, and I know you’re not exactly important, but—’
Dino covered her lips with his fingers. ‘Meg, take a breath.’
‘Sorry. Look, I’m sorry I asked—just forget it.’
‘I’m glad you asked. And the answer is yes. Of course I’ll go to Dad’s Day with Jamie. I’d be honoured.’
‘You would?’ She stared up at him, her breathing rapid against his fingers. ‘You’ll go? Seriously?’
‘Yes. Of course. I think he’s a great kid.’ It took a huge effort of will to remove his fingers from her soft lips. An even bigger effort not to replace them with his mouth. ‘Just tell me what’s expected of me.’
‘I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that you have to be incredibly impressive,’ she blurted out, ‘so that Freddie stops telling him he’s a loser because his dad doesn’t want to see him.’
Dino felt anger flash. ‘Some kid is calling him a loser?’ Was that the reason for the tears he’d seen in her eyes earlier? ‘Someone is bullying Jamie?’
‘I don’t think so. Not really. Hard to tell. The line between bullying and boy behaviour can be blurred.’ She rubbed her fingers with her forehead, her eyes tired. ‘I’m trying to stay calm and rational about it. But I’ve discovered that rational thinking goes out of the window when it’s your child. Kids are really mean. And I know I have to get my head round it and in the end Jamie has to find his own way of dealing with it, but…’ Her voice was thickened as she struggled not to break down. ‘He’s so little, and when it’s your child it feels horrible, you have no idea. I just want to go and find Freddie and yell at him, but I can’t do that.’
‘Describe him to me,’ Dino said coldly. ‘I’ll do it for you.’
‘No.’ With a tiny smile, she shook her head. ‘What I want you to do is make Freddie and his dad look as small and insignificant as possible, while making yourself look like a cross between Mr Incredible and Batman.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Does that mean I have to wear a tight red Lycra suit and a black cloak?’
She gave a choked laugh. ‘You’d be arrested. I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I don’t really want to make Freddie and his dad look small, and I hate myself for having to ask you to go so that Jamie can be like the other kids. I’ve always taught him that he doesn’t have to be like everyone else—that people are allowed to be individuals—and here I am playing some silly game of impressing people.’
‘Well, that’s a great theory,’ Dino drawled, ‘but I guess sometimes it’s just nice not to have to fight the world on everything.’ And that was what she did. He was sure of it. She was standing between the world and her child. ‘I’ll do it, Meg. No problem. I can’t promise red Lycra, but I do promise to help Jamie. Will you be there?’
‘No. Mums aren’t allowed. I’ll be outside, biting my nails.’
He took her hand in his and lifted it—and had a brief glimpse of bitten nails before she snatched her hand away, her cheeks pink.
‘I thought you could pick him up from home…’ She thrust her hands behind her back. ‘…in your Batmobile. That should attract some serious attention at the school gates.’
‘Particularly if it carries on snowing. The Lamborghini is a nightmare in the snow. I’m likely to crash right through the school gates if the conditions don’t improve and that isn’t exactly superhero behaviour, but I’ll see what I can do. You really do want to give them the full treatment, don’t you? In return,’ Dino drawled, ‘you’ll do something for me.’
