Her Christmas Eve Diamond

by Scarlet Wilson

  For a second Brad felt something twisting around his heart. He wished more than anything that Melody could be here with him now. He’d never experienced Christmas in a cold climate, and he’d love it if his daughter could see this with him. He’d even seen an ad posted on the hospital notice-board the other day about a Santa’s grotto with real, live reindeer down on the Ayrshire coast. If only he could take Melody to see something like that. The thought instantly clouded his head with difficult memories and yearnings.

  He watched as a father lifted his daughter up onto one of the huge white horses with red reins on the merry-go-round. As the music started and the ride slowly began to move, he could see the father standing next to the horse, holding his daughter safely in place as her face glowed with excitement.

  ‘Brad?’

  He turned abruptly. Cassidy was watching him with her all-seeing, all-knowing brown eyes. She gave his arm a little tug. ‘Are you okay?’

  She followed his eyes to the merry-go-round, the question hesitating on her lips.

  This wasn’t the time to be melancholy. This was the time to be positive and thankful that he could create new memories with someone who tugged at his heartstrings. He reached out and grabbed her leather-gloved hand. ‘Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight in your grandmother’s coat? That red suits you perfectly.’

  He pulled her forward for a kiss, ducking underneath the black furred hat that was currently containing her wayward curls. ‘Do you remember those little girls who used to be on top of the chocolate boxes at Christmas? That’s just what you look like.’

  ‘Welcome, everyone.’ The compère’s voice echoed around the square and they turned to face him.

  ‘Who is he?’ Brad whispered.

  ‘Some reality TV star,’ she whispered back, ‘but I’ve no idea which one.’

  The guy was swamped in the biggest coat Brad had even seen. He obviously wasn’t from around these parts. ‘We’re here in Glasgow tonight to light up our Christmas tree.’

  There was a cheer around about them.

  ‘Can anyone guess what colour the tree lights will be this year?’

  He waited as the crowd shouted out around him. ‘Let’s count down and see. Altogether now, ten, nine, eight...’

  Cassidy started to join in, shouting down the numbers with rest of the crowd. ‘Come on, you.’ She nudged him.

  Brad smiled and started chanting with people around them. ‘Five, four, three, two, one!’

  There was a gasp as the tree lit up instantly with a whole host of red lights, like winter berries on the tree. A few seconds later they were joined by some tiny silver twinkling stars. A round of applause went up then, and only a few seconds later, Brad noticed Cassidy blink as a cheer erupted all around them. People were holding their hands out and laughing as the first smattering of snow appeared in tiny flakes around them. It only took a few seconds for some to land in the curls of her hair and on her cheeks. She gave a big smile, looking upwards to the dark sky. ‘Nothing like a little dusting of snow for the occasion.’

  Brad pulled his hand out of his thermal glove and held it out like the people around them. ‘First time I’ve been snowed on,’ he said, watching as the tiny flakes melted instantly as they touched his hand. ‘This is fabulous.’

  Cassidy sighed. ‘Wait until the morning. If the snow lies on the roads and streets, it will be even more treacherous than before. In my experience snow generally means we’ll be more busy at work.’

  Brad grabbed her waist again. ‘Work? Let’s not talk about work. Let’s go and have some fun.’

  They walked around some of the nearby market stalls. Cassidy sampled some sautéed potatoes with onions and bacon then moved on to the next stall to try their vast array of chocolates. ‘What’s your favourite?’ Brad asked. ‘I’ll buy you some.’

  Cassidy’s nose wrinkled and she glanced over her shoulder. ‘Actually, I’m a tat collector. I’d prefer another ornament for my Christmas tree.’

  He gave her a surprised look. ‘A tree ornament instead of chocolate? I would never have guessed. Well, let’s see what they’ve got.’

  She was like a child in the proverbial sweetie shop as she oohed and aahed over tiny green sequin trees, little white angels and traditional wooden crafted Santa Claus ornaments. A few moments later Cassidy had selected a Russian doll for her tree with red and gold zigzags adorning its tiny wooden frame. ‘This is perfect,’ she said. ‘I’ve never seen anything like this before.’

  Brad smiled and handed over some money, but not before picking up a second one for Melody. She would have loved this stall, too.

  They walked over to the nearby booth to collect their skates and spent a few minutes sitting at the side, lacing them up. Cassidy stood up, wobbling around as she tried to gain her balance. Brad appeared at her side, equally unsteady. ‘Are we ready for this?’ He held out his hand towards her.

  They stepped onto the ice together. It was busy, families skating and wobbling with interlinked hands as they tried to find their way around the ice. Brad took a few moments to get his balance—he’d only ever skated a few times in his life but had always managed to stay upright. Cassidy, however, took him completely by surprise.

  She let go of his hand and within seconds was gliding over the ice as if it was something she did every day. Her paces were long and even as she bobbed and weaved through the crowd of people on the ice. She spun round, her red coat swinging out around her. Brad held on to the side rail for a few more seconds.

  ‘Come on, Dr Donovan, show us what you’re made of!’ she shouted from the middle of the rink.

  She looked gorgeous. Her cheeks were flushed with colour, and the red coat with its nipped-in waist highlighted her figure perfectly. The perfect Christmas picture.

  Her words were like a challenge. And no matter how unsteady he was on the ice, Brad wasn’t one to ignore a challenge. He pushed himself off as best he could towards her, nearly taking out a few children in the process. He reached her in a few seconds with only a few unsteady steps and wrapped his arms around her in the middle of the rink. ‘You’re a scammer, Cassidy Rae. You didn’t say you knew how to ice skate.’

  ‘You didn’t ask.’ Her eyes were twinkling as she pushed off and spun around him again, skating backwards for a few seconds before ending in an Olympic-style twirl.

  ‘Show-off,’ he growled. ‘Where on earth did you learn how to do that?’

  She started skating backwards around him. ‘In Australia you surf—in Scotland you skate!’ She reversed into him, allowing him to collapse his arms around her waist. ‘That’s not strictly true,’ she said. ‘I skated for around five years but, to be honest, as a young girl I was a bit flighty. I tried ballet, majorettes, country dancing and horse riding before I started skating.’

  His head rested on her shoulder, his nose touching her pink flushed cheek. ‘I like the sound of a flighty Cassidy Rae. She sounds like fun.’

  Cassidy pushed off and turned to face him again, tilting her head to one side. ‘Are you trying to say I’m not fun now, Dr Donovan?’

  ‘Oh, you’re lots of fun, Ms Rae.’ He tried to take a grab at her, but his unsteady gait sent him wobbling across the ice. ‘Help!’

  She skated alongside him and slotted her hand into his. ‘Let’s just take things easy. We’ll just skate around in a simple circle like the rest of the people are doing.’ She pointed at some kids teetering past them. ‘See? Anyone can do it.’

  Brad groaned and tried to push more firmly on the ice. It was easier while Cassidy was gripping his hand, and he gained confidence as they circled round and round the rink. By the time the old-fashioned klaxon sounded, signalling the end of their session, Brad felt as though he could finally stand upright with some confidence.

  ‘Is that an hour already? I can’t believe it. I was finally starting to get
the hang of this.’

  ‘We can come back again,’ said Cassidy with a smile as she skated around him again. The rink was starting to empty as people crowded toward the small exit. He watched for a few seconds as Cassidy took advantage of the now-empty ice and did a few twirls. A squeal stopped her in her tracks.

  Brad pushed through the throng, reaching a little girl who was being pulled up by her father and clutching her hand to her chest. Her face was pale and Brad could see a few drips of crimson blood on the ice at her feet.

  ‘Let me have a look at her,’ he said, lifting her up in his strong arms. ‘I’m a doctor.’ He turned his head towards Cassidy, who had appeared at his back. ‘Can you ask the booth if they have a first-aid kit?’

  The crowd parted easily, concerned by the cries of a child, and he walked unsteadily to the adjacent wooden bench at the side of the rink. He positioned the child underneath the nearest light and held her hand tightly for a few seconds.

  ‘What’s your name?’ he asked the pale-faced, trembling little girl.

  ‘Victoria,’ she whispered. Brad smiled. It was clear she was trying very hard not to cry. Her father had his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

  ‘She just fell over as we were waiting to get off the ice. Someone must have caught her hand with their skate.’

  Cassidy appeared with the first-aid kit and opened it quickly, pulling out some gloves, antiseptic wipes, sterile dressings and elastic bandages.

  Brad got off the bench and lowered himself near the ground, his face parallel with Victoria’s. ‘I’m just going to have a little look at your hand—just for a second. Is that okay?’

  She nodded but clutched her hand even closer to her chest.

  He pulled off his gloves and held his hand at the side of her face. ‘Can you feel how cold my fingers are?’ He touched her cheek and she flinched a little, before smiling and nodding.

  He picked up the gloves. ‘I’m going to put these really funky blue gloves on before I have a little look. I might want to put a special bandage on your hand—is that okay?’

  Victoria nodded, still looking tearful, but held her hand out tremulously to Brad.

  Brad worked swiftly. He cleared her hand from her anorak sleeve and had a quick glance at the cut before stemming the flow of blood with a sterile pad. ‘I’m going to give this a quick clean and bandage it up for you.’ He nodded at Cassidy as she ripped open the antiseptic wipes for him.

  ‘Ouch!’ squealed Victoria, as the wipe lightly touched her skin.

  ‘All done,’ said Brad almost simultaneously. He took one more look now that the blood was clear, then applied another sterile non-adherent pad and elastic bandage to put a little pressure on the wound. He looked at Cassidy. ‘Which hospital is nearest to here?’

  ‘The Royal Infirmary,’ she answered. ‘Less than five minutes in a taxi.’

  Brad gave the anxious father a smile. ‘I’m afraid she’s going to need some stitches and the wound cleaned properly. The pad shouldn’t stick to her skin and the elastic bandage gives a little pressure to stem the flow of blood before you get to the hospital. But it’s not a long-term solution. Are you able to take her up to the A and E unit?’

  The father nodded. He pulled a phone from his pocket and started pressing buttons. ‘I have a friend who’s a taxi driver in the city centre. He’ll come and get us.’

  Brad leaned forward and whispered in Victoria’s ear. ‘You’re a very brave girl. And do you know what brave girls get?’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out his little Russian doll. It was almost identical to the one he’d just bought for Cassidy, but this one had silver and pink zigzags and a long silver string to hang it from the tree.

  ‘This is a special Christmas-tree decoration—just for you.’

  Victoria’s eyes lit up, his distraction technique working like a charm. Cassidy’s felt a lump at the back of her throat that she tried to swallow. He must have bought an extra ornament when he’d paid for hers earlier. And it didn’t take much imagination to know who he’d bought it for.

  There it was.

  Right in front of her, glowing like a beacon. All the reasons why Brad shouldn’t be without his daughter. She gathered up the remnants of the first-aid kit, stuffing them back inside, and disappeared back to the booth.

  She couldn’t watch that. She couldn’t watch him interact with a child in such an easy and relaxed manner. It showed what she already knew deep down but hadn’t wanted to admit.

  Brad was good with kids. No, Brad was great with kids. He knew just when to act and what to say. He deserved to have kids. He deserved to be with his daughter. He deserved to know where she was and play a part in her life.

  And even though he hadn’t said much around her over the last few days, it was clear that Melody was in the forefront of his mind.

  She felt ashamed. Ashamed of the words she’d uttered and the thoughts she’d had while she’d been talking to Lucy. Thoughts that he might be willing to forget about his daughter and just have a life with her. What kind of person was she?

  She’d seen the haunted look in his eyes earlier when he’d been watching the father and daughter on the merry-go-round. But she hadn’t been able to say the words—to ask him if he was hurting and what she could do to help.

  She looked over at him now, and he gave her a wave as he walked with Victoria and her father to a black cab parked at the side of the square. Her hand lifted automatically in response, but it was the expression on his face that was killing her.

  She’d never seen Brad look so comfortable and so at ease.

  She knew what he needed more than anything. He needed to find his daughter.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  29 November

  ‘HI, Cassidy, nice to see you.’

  ‘Hi, Grace, how’s Gran today?’

  The nurse walked around the desk and joined Cassidy. ‘She’s in here today,’ she said as she walked into a large sitting room looking out over well-tended gardens. ‘She’s been really confused these last few days, but unusually quiet, too.’

  ‘Is she eating okay?’

  Grace nodded. ‘She’s eating well. She seems quite focused when she gets her meals. But as soon as she’s finished, she’s off wandering.’ She walked over and touched Cassidy’s gran on her shoulder. ‘Tillie, your granddaughter is here to see you again.’

  Cassidy’s heart fell as her gran barely even looked up, her eyes still fixed on the garden. She gave Grace a half-hearted smile. ‘Thank you, Grace.’

  ‘No problem. Give me a shout if you need anything.’

  Cassidy sat down in the chair opposite her gran. Her heart was fluttering in her chest. She was wearing her gran’s red wool coat and she wondered if she would notice. She pulled off her leather gloves and reached over and took her gran’s hand.

  ‘Hi, Gran.’ She brushed a kiss on her cheek.

  Tillie looked at her only for a second, her confusion immediately evident. She didn’t recognise Cassidy.

  Cassidy took a deep breath. It had been like this for the last few months. The little spells of recognition and memory were becoming fewer and fewer. She’d had some episodes where she’d mistaken Cassidy for her mother, but it had been over a year since she’d recognised Cassidy for herself.

  This was the part that broke her heart. Her gran had always been her confidante, her go-to person. The person who gave her the best advice in the world—something she badly needed right now.

  She opened her bag and stared at the pile of envelopes inside. They’d revealed more than she wanted to know. But it was the photograph that haunted her most. Her gran had always been warm and caring towards her. But she couldn’t remember ever seeing her gran like she was in that photograph—her eyes filled with adoration for the man standing by her side. Her whole face glowing with happiness. Had
she really known her gran at all?

  ‘I’ve been at the house, Gran. Everything’s fine.’ Her fingers caught the edge of the collar of her coat and she bit her lip nervously. ‘I found this beautiful coat in the one of the cupboards. It was wrapped up with some letters.’ She pulled the bundle from her bag, But Tillie’s eyes were still fixed on the garden. Cassidy swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.

  The garden was covered in frost and a light dusting of snow, but the beds in front of the window brimmed with life. They were filled with evergreen bushes with red berries, coloured heather plants and deep pink pernettya plants. The planters around the edges had an eruption of coloured cyclamen and white heathers. It was beautiful.

  Cassidy looked out over the horizon. Everything about this spelled Christmas to her. She wondered what plants they had in Australia at this time of year. Would there be anything as nice as this? How could anyone feel festive in a baking-hot climate?

  She’d thought about that often over the last few days, the thoughts just drifting into her mind when she least expected them. She’d had numerous friends who’d emigrated and they all raved about it, saying it had been the best move of their lives. They sent her pictures of spending Christmas Day on the beach, cooking on the barbeque or having dinner in the sunshine next to the pool.

  But Christmas always meant cold weather, frost and snow to Cassidy. She just couldn’t imagine it any other way. Could she really feel festive in a bikini?

  ‘Hello, dear. Who are you?’

  Cassidy flinched and pushed the thoughts from her mind as her gran spoke to her, her eyes suddenly bright with life.

  ‘I’m Cassidy, your granddaughter. I’ve come for a visit, Gran.’

  ‘How lovely. Do you have any tea?’

  Cassidy smiled. Her gran was a true tea genie and could drink twenty cups a day. She slid her hand into her gran’s. ‘I’ve come to tell you that I’ve met a nice man, Gran. One who’s making me think about a lot of things.’