A Very Special Child

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Good.’ He came back with the basin and knelt in front of her. Lifting her foot onto his bent knee, he carefully examined the cut. Laura bit her lip, trying not to think about how it felt to have his cool fingers skating so gently over her warm flesh, but it was impossible not to be aware of the sensations they aroused. Flashes of heat and cold raced under her skin, making her alternately shiver and burn as if with fever. When he looked up it was an effort to feign indifference as she saw the concern in his eyes.

  ‘It really hurts, doesn’t it? Damn!’

  He seemed to blame himself for her injury, which was so unfair that she hastened to reassure him. ‘It isn’t too bad. And it was my own fault for being so clumsy. I’m not usually so careless, Mark. I’m sorry.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter…honestly!’ He shook his head to emphasise the point so that a swathe of light brown hair fell across his forehead. Laura was instantly transported back to that morning when they’d met. In a flash she recalled how he had looked dressed in those shorts and vest, his skin gleaming with health and vitality over those perfectly toned muscles.

  Her breath caught so that she had to make a conscious effort to exhale, and missed what he said. Why was she so aware of him? she wondered sickly. Why did he arouse feelings in her which no man apart from Ian had been able to do?

  ‘Laura?’

  He touched her lightly on the hand and she flinched. He’d obviously noticed her abstraction but he made no mention of it as he quietly repeated the question. ‘Are you allergic to adhesive dressings?’

  She shook her head so that the red-brown curls danced around her face. ‘I…I don’t think so,’ she muttered, barely able to think straight in her confusion.

  ‘Hmm, a very professional answer, Nurse Grady.’ His mocking tone was the best antidote in the world and she tried harder to concentrate.

  ‘Then, no, I’m not allergic to adhesive dressings or anything else, apart from strawberries,’ she declared firmly.

  ‘Strawberries, eh? I shall have to bear that in mind.’ He took a square of adhesive dressing out of the box and peeled off the backing then pressed it over the wound.

  Laura bit her lip, refusing to let the question slip out. Asking why Mark should need to remember her allergy was a definite step in the wrong direction! After all, what difference could it make to him what she could and couldn’t eat?

  She curbed that thought, climbing down from the stool as fast as she could after he’d finished. ‘Thank you,’ she said stiffly, fixing a polite smile to her lips.

  ‘My pleasure…if that’s really the right way to phrase it in the circumstances.’

  His rueful expression made her laugh, and suddenly it was easier to shuffle her thoughts into some sort of logical sequence again. Maybe she was reading too much into the way she’d responded to his nearness just now. It was a well-known fact that certain stimuli produced predictable physical responses. It had been less a question of her reacting to Mark as a person than the natural response of her body.

  It was an explanation that made far more sense than any other so that she was able to relax as Mark made coffee and suggested they drink it in the sitting-room. Laura led the way, opting for one of the floor cushions in front of the fireplace rather than the sofa. Mark had lit the fire while she’d been tucking Robbie up in bed, and it gave off a welcoming heat. Although the flat had central heating, the room was so lofty that the air still felt chilly and she held her hands out appreciatively to the blaze.

  ‘Here you go.’ Mark put one of the cups on the floor beside her then curled his long legs beneath him, Indian fashion, as he sank onto a cushion. He took a tentative sip of his coffee then set the cup aside when he found it was too hot to drink. The glow from the fire lit his face as he bent forward, lending the very masculine lines an unaccustomed softness.

  Laura looked away, uncomfortably aware that her heart was beating faster than normal. Suddenly, the explanation for her odd behaviour seemed less than watertight. It was a relief when Mark spoke in a purely practical tone and she could focus on something other than her own whirling thoughts.

  ‘Right, I suppose we’d better get organised now that we’re fed and watered. You’re due in work at nine, I know, but what time do you need to drop Robbie off at school?’

  ‘Eight-thirty. But I have to pick up Ben on the way. I offered to take both boys to school, seeing as Claire is collecting them. Much to Robbie’s delight.’

  She smiled, finding it easier once she was concentrating on her son. ‘Robbie adores Ben—it’s a real case of hero-worship. Mind you, he’s crazy about Claire and Sean and just about everyone else he regards as a friend!’

  ‘He’s a very outgoing child from what I’ve seen, which is a real bonus.’ Mark smiled back. ‘It’s thanks to you that he has such confidence, Laura. You’re doing a great job with him.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she replied, deeply touched. She shrugged, not wanting him to guess how much it had meant to hear him say that. ‘But I can’t take all the credit. Robbie is naturally gregarious, it’s part of his nature.’

  ‘So many Down’s children are like that, you find. They have this wonderfully accepting attitude towards other people and seem to blossom with the right kind of attention.’ He frowned thoughtfully. ‘I take it from what you just said that Robbie goes to the local infants school?’

  ‘Yes. They’ve been marvellous with him. Ian and I were worried about what would happen with his schooling. We went to see the headmaster and explained the situation to him, and he immediately offered Robbie a place.’ She smiled with real pleasure. ‘Mr Brook, the headmaster, says that the other children are learning a lot by having Robbie in the school.’

  ‘That’s great! You don’t often get that kind of enlightened thinking, even today. Far too often schools focus on the problems of teaching a handicapped child alongside his peers.’ Mark reached over and squeezed her hand, his delight obvious in the warm smile he gave her.

  ‘With this kind of support, Robbie is going to have the best start possible in life, isn’t he, Laura?’

  ‘Except that he no longer has a father.’ The words came out before she could stop them and she saw Mark’s eyes darken with pain.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ he said contritely. ‘That was incredibly crass of me. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Laura.’

  His hand briefly tightened around hers before he abruptly stood up. Walking to the window, he pushed back the velvet curtains and stared out into the night. It was obvious from the slump of his shoulders that he was berating himself for the remark, and Laura knew that she had to say something.

  ‘I know you didn’t, Mark. Please, don’t go blaming yourself when there’s no need,’ she said quietly.

  He turned to look at her. ‘Are you sure about that?’ He shrugged when he saw her puzzlement. ‘It’s obvious that you aren’t over your husband’s death yet.’

  It was said very flatly and without inflection, yet she felt there was more to the statement than first appeared. However, before she could decide if it was wise to question him further the phone rang.

  Mark grimaced as he strode towards the hall. ‘I hope that isn’t what I think it is!’

  He came back a few minutes later, shrugging on his coat. ‘It was the hospital. There’s been an accident on the outskirts of town. A minibus ferrying a dozen kids home from a trip to the theatre has skidded and overturned.’

  ‘How dreadful! Are any of them badly hurt?’ she asked in concern, immediately getting up.

  ‘Nobody seems to know for sure as the ambulances haven’t got to the scene yet.’ Mark’s tone was grim. ‘God knows what they’re going to find in conditions like these.’

  Laura shivered. ‘It’s such a dreadful night. I take it you’re needed?’

  ‘Yes.’ Mark grimaced. ‘Second night on the run, too. I got dragged out of bed in the early hours of this morning as well. With Simon being away, we’re a bit pushed at present. Still, I managed to snatch an hour’s sleep in the doctors
’ lounge, before going out for a run to get rid of the cobwebs, so I can’t complain.’

  An hour’s sleep didn’t seem very much, bearing in mind that he’d been on the go all day long as well, Laura thought. She followed him out to the hall, waiting while he collected his keys and mobile phone from the table. He paused before opening the door, his grey eyes concerned all of a sudden.

  ‘You will be all right here by yourself? I hate to leave you like this in a strange place.…’

  ‘But you don’t have any choice.’ She smiled, appreciating his consideration when he must have more pressing things on his mind than her and Robbie. ‘We’ll be fine, Mark. Why shouldn’t we be? We have everything we need after all.’

  ‘Have you?’ There was a strange note in his voice all of a sudden, an intensity to the look he gave her which made a tremor run down her spine. Laura stared back at him, her greeny-blue eyes the colour of a stormy sea.

  He gave her a gentle smile before he suddenly bent and brushed her cheek with a kiss. ‘Don’t wait up,’ he said softly, and then he was gone.

  ‘Take care…’ The words floated after him but she wasn’t sure if he’d heard them as he disappeared at a run down the stairs. Laura closed the door then made her way to the sitting-room window in time to watch him driving away. The snow was still falling, a thick curtain of white that veiled the countryside and made it look strangely unfamiliar. Maybe that was why she felt disorientated all of a sudden, as though she’d stepped out her own safe little world into another.

  She let the curtain fall into place, shivering as she went back to the fire. The flames were blazing up the chimney and sending out a comforting heat, but she couldn’t seem to get warm. She didn’t want her world to change in any way! She had Robbie and her memories and now a job that she knew she was going to love. She should be content…No, she was content!

  Laura turned away from the fire in sudden impatience and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror over the mantelpiece. For a moment she didn’t recognise herself. Was that wild-eyed stranger really her?

  She closed her eyes then immediately knew that had been a mistake as an image began to form in her mind’s eye. Giving a murmur of dismay, she struggled to erase it, but it refused to go. Suddenly, she could see in perfect detail the expression on Mark’s face as he’d bent to kiss her just now.…

  She opened her eyes abruptly, refusing to let her mind go any further. Switching off the lights, she made her way to the bedroom. Robbie was fast asleep, his small form no more than a bump in the huge bed. Laura stared down at him, letting all the love she felt for this very special child fill each and every corner of her heart. So long as she had that to fill the emptiness then she had more than enough. Mark had been wrong. There was nothing she needed—or wanted—to make her life complete!

  CHAPTER FOUR

  THE sound of the phone ringing woke Laura the next morning. She glanced at her watch as she scrambled out of bed and was surprised to discover that it had gone seven. She hadn’t expected to sleep so well in a strange bed but she’d dropped off the moment her head had touched the pillow.

  She hurried into the hall, shivering as she picked up the receiver. Although the central heating was switched on, there was a chilly draft flowing around her bare legs.

  ‘Hello?’ she answered, tugging the hem of the T-shirt down as far as it would go. She’d had no choice but to help herself to one of Mark’s T-shirts to sleep in, and hoped he wouldn’t mind. She made a note to take it home with her to wash before it hit her that she might not be going home that day if her house was in such a bad state. The thought of what she and Robbie would do if it turned out to be uninhabitable filled her with panic. Accepting Mark’s hospitality for one night, that was all well and good, but she really couldn’t put upon him for any longer!

  ‘Laura, it’s me. Are you all right?’ Mark’s voice brought her back to the present with a rush and she took a steadying breath. Once she had time to think things through she would come up with a solution, she told herself firmly.

  ‘Fine, thanks. How are things at the hospital?’

  ‘Pretty grim. It’s been a rough night, as you can imagine. We’ve got three of the children in Intensive Care and four others on the ward. The rest were able to be taken home by their parents.’

  ‘But no fatalities?’ she queried hopefully.

  ‘The teacher who was driving the minibus, I’m afraid. She didn’t make it.’ Mark’s tone was filled with regret. ‘It was Rachel Hart’s sister, too.’

  ‘No! Oh, poor Rachel. How awful for her. Is she there at the hospital?’ Laura exclaimed in dismay.

  ‘We finally persuaded her to go home about an hour ago. Tom Hartley, the surgical reg, took her.’ Mark sighed heavily. ‘Her niece, Bethany, is one of the injured children. She’s had the lower part of her right leg amputated.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say.’ Laura felt her eyes fill with tears at the thought of what her colleague must be going through. It put her own problems very much into perspective. ‘Poor Rachel. She’s going to find it very hard to come to terms with what’s happened.’

  ‘She is. The fact that Rachel’s sister was divorced and has had no contact with her ex-husband for several years means that Rachel is going to have to find the strength to help Bethany through all this as well. It isn’t going to be easy either.’

  Mark paused reflectively, before getting down to the reason he was phoning. ‘Look, I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to get back to drive you into work. One of the kids is still causing us some concern and I need to be here.’

  ‘That’s all right,’ Laura hurriedly assured him, although she couldn’t help wondering how she was going to get Robbie to school and herself to the hospital. Not for the first time she wished she had a car, but the cost of running one was just too much for her limited budget.

  ‘We can catch the bus if you tell me where it stops—’ she began, but Mark interrupted.

  ‘There’s no need. I’ve booked a taxi to pick you up at a quarter to eight. You’ll probably need to collect some stuff from your house so just tell the driver where to take you. He can drop you off at the hospital after you’ve taken Robbie and Ben to school.’

  Laura’s heart quailed at the thought of how much it would cost to make such a lengthy trip by taxi. However, before she could tell Mark that she preferred to go by public transport someone called him.

  ‘I have to go,’ he said quickly. ‘I’ll see you later.’

  The line went dead. Laura slowly replaced the receiver, trying not to think how the pounds were going to add up as the taxi’s meter ticked away. It had been kind of Mark to think about ordering her a cab, especially as he must have been rushed off his feet all night long. She couldn’t ignore the warm feeling it gave her to know that he’d been thinking about her…

  She made her way swiftly back to the bedroom, refusing to let that thought take root. Robbie was awake and happily bouncing up and down on the bed as though it were a trampoline. He gave a cry of delight as he saw Laura and hurled himself towards her.

  ‘Me jump, Mummy!’

  She kissed his sleep-flushed cheek. ‘I can see that! But I don’t think Mark would appreciate you bouncing all over his bed, young man. Come on, down you get.’

  She swung him down onto the floor, taking hold of his hand as he went to scramble back on the bed. ‘No, Robbie. That’s enough,’ she said firmly. ‘We are guests in Mark’s house and we have to treat his things carefully.’

  Robbie eyed her consideringly, obviously trying to decide how far he could push her, but in the end he accepted that she was serious and nodded gravely. ‘Carefully,’ he parroted.

  ‘That’s right. So come along, let’s go and have some breakfast then we can get ready for school.’ She led the child out of the room and soon had him happily settled with a bowl of cereal. The cat came in as she was putting the milk away in the fridge and began curling hopefully around her ankles, making odd little mewing noises.

/>   ‘Do you want some milk, too, Lucy?’ she asked, then grinned at her own foolishness. However, it was obvious that the cat had a very good idea what was being offered. She ran to where her dish and water bowl were kept and waited patiently while Laura poured a little milk into the dish. Robbie crowed with delight as he watched the cat lapping up the milk.

  ‘Clever pussy-cat,’ he declared, scrambling down from the stool to go to her. Laura just managed to stop him as he reached out to stroke the animal.

  ‘Remember what Mark told you last night? You must make sure that Lucy can see you before you stroke her. If you scare her she might scratch you,’ she warned.

  ‘Uh-huh.’ Robbie crouched down, waiting patiently until the cat looked up and saw him. Only then did he gently run his hand over her fur, earning himself another odd little murmur, which was what obviously passed for a purr.

  Leaving them playing together, Laura went and had a quick shower, wishing that she could spend longer under the powerful jets. Mark’s bathroom was a vast improvement on her own. She and Ian hadn’t got round to updating the antiquated fitments before his death, and since then she hadn’t had the money to spend on any improvements.

  She sighed as she turned off the water and picked up a towel. It seemed unlikely that she would be able to afford them now in view of the damage the burst pipe had caused!

  By a quarter to nine that morning, Laura was in the staffroom, taking off her coat. The taxi had arrived promptly and had ferried her around, making what would otherwise have been a very stressful journey relatively straightforward. The snow was several inches thick in most areas of the town, and buses were running only along selected routes.

  Laura had no idea how she would have managed if Mark hadn’t ordered the taxi for her, and was grateful for his thoughtfulness. However, the fact that he’d apparently paid for it himself in advance was something she intended to sort out with him. She didn’t want to be in his debt any more than she already was!