A Very Special Child

by Jennifer Taylor

  ‘Did you drive over here?’ Sean asked, coming back with an extra plate.

  ‘No, I walked.’ Mark accepted the slice of pie with a smile of thanks.

  ‘Walked? But it’s an awful long way from where you live to here,’ Laura observed in surprise before she could think better of it.

  Mark turned to her and once again she could see that same strange expression in his eyes when he looked at her. ‘I needed to clear my head so I hardly noticed how far it was.’ He took a deep breath and it seemed as though a weight suddenly lifted from his shoulders even as she watched. ‘And I’m certainly glad I came now!’

  Sean laughed. ‘I told you Claire’s pie was something special, didn’t I?’

  Everyone laughed, Laura included, yet she knew in her heart that Mark hadn’t been referring to her friend’s skill at baking. Her hand shook as she lifted a small piece of pie to her mouth but she barely tasted the warm tangy apple, richly spiced with cinnamon. Mark had meant that it had been worth the long walk in the cold to see her, but why should he feel like that after what had happened earlier?

  It was a puzzle that eluded her attempts to solve it as they ate their dessert then had coffee. When Mark pushed back his chair with a groan she was still no closer to understanding.

  ‘That was great. Thanks, Claire. I wouldn’t mind, but I’d eaten before I set out so I’m absolutely stuffed now!’

  ‘What you need, my friend, is a little exercise to work off all that food.’ Sean shot a glance out of the window at the two children, who were still happily building their snowman. ‘How about we challenge that pair to a snowball fight? Are you game?’

  ‘On one condition. That the girls come as well.’ Mark grimaced. ‘Of course, they won’t be much use because women are such lousy shots, but at least they can make the snowballs for us.’

  ‘Why, you chauvinist, Mark Dawson!’ Claire declared, glaring at him. She turned to Laura with a grin. ‘Shall we show them just who’s the best shot around here?’

  ‘Why not?’ Suddenly Laura could think of nothing more fun than taking part in the childish challenge. She winked at her friend. ‘It’s going to be a nightmare, you realise that, don’t you? Men are such babies when they lose.…’

  She ducked as Mark aimed a playful cuff at her ear. His grey eyes were alight with laughter as he caught hold of her hand to haul her to her feet. ‘We’ll soon see who cries for mercy first, young lady!’

  ‘Oh, thank you for the young, kind sir!’ She grinned up at him, her heart rolling over as he treated her to one of his wonderfully warm smiles. She quickly looked away as Claire announced that she was going to fetch her coat, but she couldn’t deny that it felt good to know they were friends once more.

  Laura went with her, gratefully accepting the woolly hat and scarf her friend offered her. She was glad she had when they stepped out into the garden because the night was bitterly cold. The sky was like a huge sheet of black velvet dotted with silver star spangles, the curl of a new moon hazy with frost. Laura drank in a deep lungful of crisp night air, simply enjoying the sheer beauty all around her, then spluttered as a massive snowball exploded against her neck.

  She swung round, trying not to laugh as she saw Mark pick up Robbie and try to hide behind him. ‘Coward!’ she teased. ‘Hide behind a poor defenceless child, would you?’

  She scooped up a handful of snow and started towards them then gasped as Robbie let loose a shot that caught her squarely in the face. He was giggling like mad, obviously revelling in the fun.

  ‘Defenceless? I don’t think so!’ Mark set the little boy on his feet and crouched down beside him. ‘OK, partner. Let ’em have it!’

  It was all the excuse everyone needed. Snowballs whizzed across the garden from every direction. Laura wasn’t sure who was on which team so simply bombarded anyone and everyone who happened to come into her line of fire. She caught Ben squarely in the back as the child bent to gather up more snow then shrieked as he promptly retaliated. Both boys were having a great time, squealing with excitement every time they scored a hit.

  Mark was helping Robbie, very much to his own detriment, she realised, seeing the amount of snow caked on his clothing. Maybe it was unfair to take advantage but she did so anyway, seeing that he couldn’t defend himself as well as he might normally have done. She let loose at least a dozen snowballs, one after the other, until he held up his hands in defeat.

  ‘Pax! I submit. If I had a white flag I’d wave it,’ he declared.

  ‘So long as you admit that you were beaten fairly and squarely,’ she declared loftily.

  He grinned that lazy grin which always turned her insides to water as he shook the snow out of his tousled hair. ‘I don’t know about fairly.…’

  He backed away, trying his best to look suitably scared and failing miserably as she promptly scooped up another handful of snow. ‘I take it back. You and Claire are the superior shots, Laura. Sean and I shall accept defeat gracefully.’

  He turned to the others then frowned as he caught sight of the expression on Claire’s face. ‘Hey, are you all right?’

  ‘Just a bit of a twinge—Oh!’ Claire gasped and clutched Sean’s arm.

  ‘That looks like more than a twinge.’ Mark declared, hurrying towards her. He helped Sean get Claire back inside the house, where they took her straight into the sitting-room, but she refused to sit down.

  ‘I don’t think I can. My back is aching so much—’ She broke off, turning fearful eyes on her husband. ‘It’s the Blimp! I…I think I might be in labour!’

  ‘Well, I don’t think you need worry too much. With two doctors and a fully qualified midwife, you couldn’t be in better hands,’ Mark declared, obviously trying to reassure her. However, Laura could see the concern in his eyes when he turned to her.

  ‘Why don’t you check her over while I call an ambulance, Laura? Best to err on the side of caution, wouldn’t you say?’

  ‘I most certainly would.’ She helped Claire off with her coat then urged her to lie down on the sofa as Mark hurried away to make the call. Sean sat beside his wife, his face white with strain, although Claire didn’t seem to be in any real discomfort after those first few twinges.

  Placing a hand on her friend’s abdomen, Laura checked the baby’s position, which was what she would have expected at thirty-four weeks. ‘Everything seems to be fine from what I can tell. How do you feel now?’

  ‘Fine. There was just that sharp twinge and now I can’t feel anything.’ Claire smiled ruefully. ‘I bet it was a Braxton-Hicks’ contraction and my back is aching from bending over making snowballs!’

  ‘Could very well be.’ Laura looked round as Mark reappeared. ‘We think it could have been a false alarm. Claire is fine now and I can’t feel anything going on. The baby’s head doesn’t feel as though it’s engaged—it’s far too active!’

  Sean laughed, looking relieved. ‘I think he’s going to be another footballer like his big brother.’ He looked round. ‘Where are the kids, by the way?’

  ‘In the kitchen,’ Mark informed him. ‘Ben is making them both some hot chocolate.’ He smiled at Claire. ‘He’s going to be very disappointed if it was a false alarm. He was almost beside himself with excitement at the thought that his new brother or sister was about to make its appearance.’

  Claire smiled lovingly as she took Sean’s hand. ‘Ben has been thrilled about this baby from the moment we told him. I was a bit worried at first that he might be jealous, but there’s been no sign of it.’

  ‘He’s a great kid. You and Sean are very lucky.’ Mark turned to Laura and smiled warmly. ‘And so are you. It makes me feel a bit left out being the only one here who doesn’t have a child of his own.’

  ‘Oh, your time will come, Mark.’ There was a twinkle in Claire’s eyes as she looked pointedly at Laura.

  Laura cleared her throat but she could feel the heat warming her cheeks. Claire was matchmaking again, and it wasn’t very subtle either! ‘So, what about the ambulance—did
you ring for one?’

  ‘I did. But there’s a backlog of calls at the moment because of the appalling road conditions. They’re doing their best but they aren’t miracle-workers and they’re having to prioritise. If you don’t think that it really is an emergency, maybe I should phone back and cancel.’

  Sean glanced at his wife. ‘What do you think, darling? Was it a false alarm?’

  Claire shrugged. ‘I think so…’ She suddenly laughed. ‘If I, a fully qualified nurse, can’t decide if it was or wasn’t a real contraction then what hope do our poor patients have?’

  ‘I think it’s entirely different when you’re dealing with a situation like this,’ Mark assured her, laughing. ‘The tendency for medical personnel is to play things down. However, I wouldn’t like to think that we’re being too relaxed about this.’

  ‘Neither would I.’ Sean stood up. ‘I know it’s six weeks until the Blimp is due but I’m not taking any chances. If you could cancel that ambulance, Mark, I’ll drive Claire to hospital myself just to be on the safe side.’

  ‘And he says he isn’t going to be a fussing new father.…’ Claire sighed as she accepted Sean’s hand and let him haul her to her feet.

  ‘It isn’t fussing at all. It’s just being sensible,’ Laura assured her. She followed the couple from the room. ‘I’ll stay here and look after Ben so you don’t need to worry about him.’

  ‘Would you? Thanks, Laura.’ Claire hugged her then turned resignedly towards the door. She was still mumbling about it being an awful lot of fuss about nothing as the two men helped her to the car.

  Laura watched Sean back carefully out of the drive and set off down the road at a snail’s pace as Mark came hurrying back inside, rubbing his cold hands together to warm them.

  ‘I hope they’ll be all right,’ she said quietly as she closed the door. ‘The roads are so bad tonight.’

  ‘Sean will take care. And the main road should be clear by now.’ Mark gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he went to the phone. ‘I’ll just make that call to the ambulance station and tell them what’s happened.’

  ‘And could you give Maternity a ring to let them know that Claire’s on her way?’ Laura smiled as he glanced round. ‘Nothing like being prepared, and if I remember anything at all about working in the unit it’s that babies just love to choose the most difficult night of the year to make their appearance. I bet the place is snowed under with deliveries…if you’ll excuse the pun!’

  Mark groaned exaggeratedly. ‘I don’t believe anyone would come out with something like that!’ He shook his head as he picked up the receiver. ‘I see that you do have some faults after all, Laura Grady! You aren’t quite as perfect as I imagined you to be.’

  She didn’t say anything, mainly because she couldn’t think of anything suitable. But that didn’t stop her pulse racing. Did Mark think she was perfect, then?

  She pushed that ridiculous notion to the back of her mind as she went to tell Ben where his parents had gone. The boy seemed disappointed when she explained that she didn’t think the baby would be born that night. However, he cheered up when he discovered that Robbie was going to spend another night with him. Considering the age difference between them, with Ben being almost eight and Robbie approaching five, they got on extremely well. Ben was a naturally thoughtful child, who made allowances for Robbie’s handicap, and Robbie obviously hero-worshipped Ben, trailing after him as the older boy led the way upstairs.

  Laura watched them go, thinking how wonderful it would be if Robbie had a brother to play with, someone like Ben who would accept him as he was and love him unconditionally. She and Ian had spoken about having another child, but at the back of her mind had been the lingering fear that something might go wrong again. It was another reason she could never get involved in another relationship. It simply wouldn’t be fair to any man to deny him a family and yet she couldn’t take the risk of having another handicapped child.

  ‘Why so sad?’

  Mark had come up behind her and Laura deliberately tried to shake off the feeling of melancholy which had beset her before she turned. There was no chance of her ever finding herself in the position of having another child, so there was no point worrying about it! Even so, she couldn’t deny the ache that filled one small corner of her heart as she wondered about the woman who would one day give Mark the children he obviously longed for.

  Would she be young and pretty, full of fun or serious? Maybe he’d met her already and those clothes she’d seen in his wardrobe belonged to her.

  ‘Laura?’ His tone was gentle as he prompted her to answer so she couldn’t blame that for the way she jumped. Colour flooded her face as she realised where her thoughts had been wandering. She swiftly walked to the kettle and picked it up.

  ‘I was miles away. Sorry. How about another cup of coffee to warm us up?’ she suggested with an over-bright smile.

  ‘Sounds good to me. But let me make it.’ His brows rose when she held on tightly to the kettle as he tried to take it from her. ‘Don’t you want to take off your coat?’ he asked, almost too blandly.

  ‘Oh!’ She gasped as she realised that she was still wearing her coat, as well as the hat and scarf Claire had lent her. ‘Well, yes, of course. How silly of me. I didn’t realise I still had them on.’

  ‘No wonder, with all the excitement that’s been going on around here.’

  He offered her the perfect excuse yet she could see something in his eyes as he took the kettle from her which told her that he understood. How much, though? Had Mark managed to lock into her thoughts just now? Had he somehow worked out what she’d been thinking—about him and the unknown woman who had left her clothes in his flat?

  The thought made her feel hot and bothered, angry and yet ashamed of feeling like that, because it really wasn’t anything to do with her. The truth was that Mark Dawson could have a string of lovers a mile long and it would be none of her business!

  She swung round on her heel before her wayward thoughts got the better of her common sense. ‘I’ll just go and hang up my coat. Oh, and I may as well settle the boys down as it’s getting late.’

  ‘Fine. Take your time. I’ll make us a pot of proper coffee, not instant, as a treat.’

  Mark’s tone was warm and held a nuance that did little to settle her nerves. Her legs felt like two wooden sticks as she marched stiffly down the hall. Crazy though it sounded, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had guessed what she’d been thinking…

  She sighed as she hung her coat on a peg and put her damp scarf to dry on the radiator. Mark Dawson might be many things but he wasn’t a mind-reader. Thank heavens!

  It took a good half-hour before Robbie and Ben settled down for the night. Robbie always had a story before he went to sleep, but he wanted Ben to read it to him. Laura’s heart filled with tenderness as she watched the two of them snuggled up beneath the duvet in one of the twin beds in Ben’s brightly painted bedroom.

  Ben was patience itself as Robbie interrupted him to ask questions all the time, wanting to know what the characters in the story were eating for their tea and where their mummies were, points the author had chosen not to include! When they came to the last page, Robbie gave a deep sigh.

  ‘Nice story, Mummy.’

  ‘It was. And Ben read it beautifully. Say thank you to him.’

  ‘Thank ’ou, Ben,’ Robbie said dutifully, then planted a huge kiss on his friend’s cheek.

  ‘’S’ OK.’ Ben mumbled, looking both embarrassed and pleased by the show of affection. He went and got into his own bed, snuggling down beneath the quilt while Laura kissed Robbie and tucked him in. However, there was a trace of concern on Ben’s face when she went to turn off his bedside lamp.

  ‘Mum will be all right, won’t she?’ he asked quietly.

  ‘Of course she will. Don’t you worry about her, love. I expect she’ll be back before too long,’ Laura said encouragingly. The boy smiled in relief and closed his eyes as she switched off
the lamp. She turned to leave then stopped as she found Mark lounging against the doorjamb.

  He backed out onto the landing so that she could pass, waiting while she pulled the door to. ‘I was wondering what was taking you so long,’ he explained softly, so as not to disturb the children.

  ‘Robbie wanted a story and he wanted Ben to read it to him,’ she explained equally quietly, although her heart was making enough racket to deafen her.

  Did it really have to behave so shamelessly? she wondered. So what if Mark did look particularly attractive in the dim light, his light brown hair glistening like a new penny, his grey eyes as smooth and sensuous as silk—was that really an excuse?

  She firmed her lips and tried to do the same to her resolve, but it wasn’t easy when all her senses seemed to be suddenly hyperactive. Why had she never noticed just how delicious the spicy scent of his aftershave was? Or how warm his skin felt when he put a guiding hand on her back as they walked towards the stairs? Little bands of heat seemed to be imprinting themselves onto her spine where each of his fingers touched, and she shivered delicately.

  ‘Are you cold?’ Mark sounded concerned as he felt the tremor that passed through her. ‘Here, let’s go into the sitting-room again. The fire is lit so it will be lovely and warm in there.’

  He opened the door and Laura gulped as she looked inside the room which was lit only by a single lamp and the flickering glow from the fire. She’d been completely unaware of her surroundings while she’d been concentrating on Claire, but now she couldn’t help thinking that it looked like the perfect setting for a seduction! Suddenly she wasn’t sure she would be able to resist if that was what Mark had in mind.

  ‘Sugar?’

  ‘Er…pardon?’

  She looked around helplessly, defeated by that simplest of questions. Mark smiled at her, a slow, sexy smile that made those separate bands of heat melt together to form a red-hot current which flowed right down her spine and ended up at the tips of her toes.