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There was a true carnival atmosphere. A Ferris wheel dominated the end of the park and, along with a massive merry-go-round, was bound to keep the kids happy all day. Children’s music blared from the loudspeakers. Clown doctors were set to wander around, entertaining the kids with jokes and balloon animals.
Stalls with various carnival games were dotted around and she could see the petting zoo was already popular. It felt good looking out on it all, knowing that she had been part of it.
Hailey spent most of the day helping out at one stall or another. On her travels she bumped into a lot of old patients and she stopped to chat with the kids and their families. It was great to see them again and catch up on what had happened after discharge.
A lot of them didn’t recognise her thanks to the brilliant face-painting artists they’d employed for the day. Hailey had been done up to look like a cat, a stripy marmalade one, and even Beth had walked straight past her.
At two o’clock, with three hours to go, her father sought her out. ‘There you are, darling. Beth said to look for the cat that looks like she’s swallowed the cream. You’ve done a fabulous job,’ John Winters commented, kissing his daughter carefully on her blackened nose.
Hailey laughed. ‘Well, I didn’t do it all by myself, Dad.’
‘C’mon, its time for the dunking booth to open. Your mother thought you wouldn’t want to miss it.’
‘Miss my father and two brothers-in-law getting wet for a good cause? It’s going to be the highlight of my day.’
The old adage that it wasn’t what you knew but who you knew certainly played out when it came to charity. There was nothing like having the Brisbane General’s medical director, a world-renowned surgeon who had separated three sets of conjoined twins, and the emergency department director all lining up for a good dunking. Hailey had known people would pay a high price to see all or any of them dunked and luckily they’d all been good-natured enough to agree.
A crowd had gathered and there was much excitement as John, resplendent in polka-dot boardies and a bright yellow sun shirt, took the first turn. He looked like a canary or, at the very least, a sitting duck.
‘There she is, Daddy.’
Hailey knew it was Tom’s high little voice even before she homed in on his location. ‘Tom,’ she said, as the little boy, orchie in tow, launched his body at her legs rugby-tackle style. She absorbed the impact and looked down at him, ruffling his hair.
‘I told Daddy you’d be here.’
She smiled down at him and ruffled his hair again. How on earth he could tell it was her when her own sister hadn’t recognised her, she didn’t know.
‘What’s new, pussycat?’
The sun was behind Callum as she squinted up at him, making him appear even more dazzling than usual. He was in baggy denim shorts and a T-shirt that had a tropical sunset decorating his chest. She’d never seen him looking this devastatingly casual. She’d seen him in jeans a few times but never in shorts that revealed the tanned muscularity of his legs covered in light brown hair.
‘I haven’t heard that one yet today,’ she said derisively.
Callum laughed. ‘Meow!’
‘Is that your dad?’ Tom interrupted, pointing at John, who had so far managed to stay on the tiny seat perched over the tank of water, despite several attempts to dethrone him.
‘It sure is.’ Hailey nodded. ‘You want a go?’
Tom nodded his head excitedly and Hailey took his hand.
‘OK, folks,’ she announced to the crowd, who were booing and taunting John good-naturedly, threatening him with an imminent dunking. ‘Tom’s turn.’
She handed Tom a ball but it was clear that to be given any chance of success he needed some height.
‘Here, Tommy,’ Callum said, striding forward and lifting his son onto his hip. ‘How’s that?’
‘I think we could probably make allowances for the boy and have him come a little closer to the target, too,’ John said. ‘He’s only six.’
‘Ah, but he’s got a good eye, John,’ Callum warned with a smile on his face. Hadn’t he managed to spot Hailey underneath all that face paint? ‘Are you sure you want to risk it?’
John gave a hoot. ‘I think I’m pretty safe.’
‘Three turns, Tom.’ Hailey grinned and nodded at him to go.
The first one fell shy of the target by a good metre.
‘Bad luck, Tom,’ John called.
Tom looked disappointed but the crowd clapped and cheered and urged him to try again. His second shot sailed too far to the right.
‘Come on, Tom,’ John shouted over the top of the crowd. ‘You can do better than that.’
