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‘Susie says that you sew it up just like Grandma does when she sews my buttons back on.’
‘Susie is very smart,’ Charlie confirmed. ‘Open your mouth, sweetie.’ Charlie smiled as Dana obeyed instantly, opening it as wide as it could go. Her neat white teeth all appeared to be intact. ‘Now, bite down, like this.’ Charlie demonstrated. ‘Like you’re eating a great big steak.’
Dana followed suit. Her bite seemed even enough. He felt along her jaw up to the angle both sides. ‘Well, I don’t think you did any more damage.’
He glanced at up at Carrie to confirm it. She was looking at him with such an intense stare that he momentarily forgot about Dana sitting in front of him. He momentarily forgot to breathe.
‘Charlie.’
Charlie could hear Dana’s high voice but Carrie’s stare was distracting in the extreme.
‘Charlie!’ Dana tugged at his sleeve.
‘Sorry, sweetie,’ he said, breaking eye contact with Carrie. ‘Let’s get you sewn up.’ He stood up and walked over to the tray of instruments he’d prepared earlier, taking deep cleansing breaths. What the hell had that look been about? He didn’t know what it meant but he did know that he hadn’t been able to look away.
When he’d turned around again, Carrie had helped Dana lie back, her head right at the end of the table, and was fussing around, getting her in position.
‘OK, Dana,’ he said, rolling a trolley towards the bed and dragging the stool around to the head, ‘what’s your favourite thing in the whole world?’ He snapped the light on above her head. It was attached to the wall via a long angled arm.
Dana giggled. ‘That’s easy. It’s my mummy.’
Good choice, kid. ‘What else?’
Dana looked at her mother for an answer. Carrie smiled and shrugged. ‘Hmm…I think…oh, ding rolls.’
Charlie raised an eyebrow at Carrie.
‘Spring rolls. She loves Chinese takeaway.’
‘Ah.’ He nodded. ‘My favourite, too. What do you want to be when you grow up?’
‘A ballerina.’
‘Ah.’ Charlie winked at Carrie. ‘So you like to dance?’
Dana nodded vigorously and sighed. ‘I love it.’
Charlie double-gloved and Carrie raised a quizzical eyebrow. ‘Second nature around here,’ he said dismissively.
Carrie nodded. She supposed it would be in a place where drug addicts with who knew what needed regular resuscitation.
‘Now.’ He returned his attention to Dana. ‘I’ll do you a deal,’ he said, flicking the bubbles out of the syringe full of local anaesthetic. ‘If you can lie nice and still for me while I fix your chin, I’ll let you dance to my jukebox.’
‘What’s a dukebox?’ Dana asked.
‘Jukebox. Like in Happy Days,’ Carrie explained.
Dana’s eyes lit up. ‘You have your very own dukebox, Charlie? Really?’
Charlie smiled. ‘Really.’
‘I promise I’ll keep very still, Charlie, really I will.’
Carrie laughed at her daughter’s wide-eyed exuberance. ‘Charlie’s going to put some stuff into your cut to make it go all numb so you can’t feel it when he sews it up. It’ll sting a bit.’
‘Like what the dentist put in Emmett’s mouth?’
Charlie raised an eyebrow at Carrie and then looked back down at his patient. ‘Who’s Emmett? Is he your boyfriend?’
Dana giggled again. ‘No, silly. He’s my cousin. He’s twelve and he had to have a filling ’cos he doesn’t floss.’
Charlie smiled at Carrie again. ‘Oh, dear. Do you floss?’
Dana nodded solemnly. ‘Every night. Mummy makes me.’
Charlie laughed, totally charmed by Dana. ‘That’s what mummies are for.’ He glanced at Carrie again and felt warm all over at the love and pleasure he saw in her eyes.
Carrie swallowed hard. Charlie was being so good with Dana. Their rapport had been instant from the night of the accident. She didn’t need this man in her life. Making her crazy. Making her daughter laugh. Kissing her.
‘OK, now, enough chatter. Hold my hand, Dana, and shut your eyes. Remember to stay very, very still. Squeeze Mummy’s hand when it starts to sting. Squeeze it really hard. It’ll be over soon and then you can go and have a dance.’
‘OK, Mummy,’ Dana said, shutting her eyes and screwing up her face.
Charlie smiled as he adjusted the position of Dana’s chin. He nodded at Carrie. ‘Ready?’ he mouthed. Carrie nodded back and he could tell from the way she was holding Dana that she was ready to use her body to keep Dana still if she bucked.
