* * *
Hannah was still limping slightly as she hurried across the grass towards Sophie and Sam, but her knee was clearly less painful than it had been. Matt watched as she hugged Sam, and they did their victory dance. He wanted her so much he could hardly breathe.
Hannah was in conversation with Sam, and it seemed to be about something important. Sam was nodding, and Hannah hugged him, and then stood up as Sophie took his hand to walk towards the ice-cream van that was parked in the car park behind them. Then Hannah began to walk along the line of spectators, looking for someone.
He knew what she was about to do, just as surely as if she’d shouted her intentions over her shoulder at him. Hannah walked along the line of kids who had been brought down from the wards to watch, and Matt jogged across the grass towards her. He wanted to see this.
She knelt down opposite Mia, who was talking excitedly. Then Hannah took off her medal, hanging it carefully around Mia’s neck.
‘Hannah, are you sure...?’ Mia’s mother spoke up.
‘Of course. Mia deserves this.’ She grinned down at Mia, who was clutching the medal to her chest, just in case her mother decided to try and take it away from her. ‘What you’re doing now is hard, Mia. But if you can do all that Dr Matt and the physiotherapist tell you, then you can do anything.’
Matt wanted to hug her again. He wanted to feel her body against his, and this time it wasn’t just a heat of the moment thing. He’d thought about it and he needed to hug her. Instead he smiled at Mia’s mother.
‘What about a photograph?’
‘Oh, yes, of course.’ Mia’s mother began to rummage in her handbag, and Mia produced her own phone from her pocket. ‘Give it to me, darling, and we can take one with Hannah and Dr Matt.’
The photos were taken, and then Matt saw one of the nurses beckoning him over. ‘Will Sam mind if we stay a minute for some more photos?’
‘No, Sophie’s promised him an ice cream and from the looks of the queue they’ll be a little while.’ She smiled. ‘I asked him if he’d mind me giving my medal to a girl who was sick and had been very brave, and he told me that was the right thing to do.’
Matt chuckled. ‘That was kind of him.’
‘He has his moments. He surprises me all the time, though, he’s starting to think about things. I found him tipping the contents of the bin out on the kitchen floor the other day. They’d given them all a talk about recycling at school, and he told me that Grandma wasn’t doing it properly.’
‘Good for him. It’s his future.’ Matt felt a lump form in his throat. Sam didn’t just know what was right, Hannah had taught him. He knew only love, and he understood that other kids weren’t as lucky as he was.
‘Let’s take some photos, then...’ She smiled up at him, striding across to a little boy who was waving to them, telling the child next to him to be patient and he’d get a photo too. Matt joined her, kneeling down next to the boy’s wheelchair and smiling for the camera.
The other teams had seen what they were doing and had joined in, posing for photographs with the children. Hannah was chatting to the last little girl when Matt saw Sophie walking towards them, balancing two ice-cream cones in one hand. Sam was dawdling along next to her, intent on demolishing his own ice cream as quickly as possible before it melted.
‘Hi, Matt. You and Hannah did a great job today. Four points ahead on the leader board.’
‘Thanks. It was mainly Hannah...’ He might have helped things along, but it was Hannah who had inspired him. Who’d made him want to win more than anything.
‘Well, you deserve an ice cream at least.’ Sophie proffered one of the cones she was carrying and when he hesitated she gave an impatient nod. ‘Take it. I’ll share with Hannah.’
The ice cream was cool in his mouth and welcome on a hot summer’s day like today. Matt bent down, squatting on his heels in front of Sam.
‘Hey, little man. I have something for you.’ He took the medal from around his neck, and put it around Sam’s. The little boy regarded it steadily.
‘Look at that! I think Matt deserves a thank-you, don’t you, Sam?’ Sophie nudged Sam’s shoulder.
‘Thank you.’ Sam took Matt by surprise, suddenly flinging his arms around his neck, depositing the last of the ice cream from his cone on the back of Matt’s T-shirt. Then he ran over to Hannah, showing her the medal, and she turned, her eyes bright. Matt would have given anything to receive that one look.
She mouthed a thank-you, and Matt nodded.
‘I think that warrants a photograph.’ Sophie gave the last ice-cream cone to Hannah and took her phone from her pocket. Hannah came to stand next to him, her shoulder touching his, and Sam stood in front, leaning against Matt’s legs. They could almost have been a happy family. Matt longed to put his arm around Hannah.
The moment was captured, but didn’t last long enough. He’d watched Hannah and Sam together, and seen her ice-queen mask slip when she was with her son. And now, for just a little while, he was a part of it all. Matt had told himself that it was impossible to miss what you’d never had, and for the most part he believed it. Right now, the ache of knowing that they were just posing for the camera was almost unbearable.
‘Are we ready to go?’ Hannah bent down towards Sam. ‘It’s burgers tonight, your favourite. Aunt Sophie and Matt are coming with us as well.’
‘Hooray!’ Sam careened around in a circle, and Hannah smiled.
‘Right, then. Hungry mouths to feed...’
* * *
Matt followed Sophie’s car to one of the small villages that bordered Hamblewell. The house was set a little way back from the road and surrounded by a neat garden, the russet-coloured bricks blending in with the flowers and climbing plants around the doorway.
There were already two cars parked in the driveway, but Sophie manoeuvred in beside them with only inches to spare, leaving the space outside in the road clear for Matt to park. He saw Hannah lean back, undoing Sam’s seat belt, and he tumbled out of the car, running towards the front door.
‘Grandma... Grandma!’ He shouted through the letter box. ‘Mum and Matt won! They’re ahead of everyone else!’
Hannah’s mother opened the door, and Sam tumbled inside. She greeted Matt, and hugged Hannah, obviously enjoying the sudden influx of noise and laughter. Hannah showed Matt through a large, comfortable sitting room to a shaded patio at the back of the house.
‘Sit down. I’ll go and get some drinks.’ Hannah disappeared through the open door of the kitchen, and the sound of voices erupted. She backed out of the kitchen, holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender, and Matt heard Sam’s voice.
‘Go away, Mum. We’re cooking!’
‘Okay, sweetheart. I’ll leave you to it. I love you,’ Hannah called in through the open door, and turned back towards Matt. ‘Apparently drinks will be brought out to us. The kitchen’s out of bounds.’
Matt sank into the cushions of the wooden patio chairs. ‘That’s nice. I could do with a rest.’
‘Me too.’ Hannah grinned, sitting down and unlacing her boots. She stripped off her socks, wiggling her toes as she stretched her legs out in front of her.
Sophie appeared with two glasses and a jug of iced lemonade, setting them down beside Hannah on the table and producing an ice pack from under her arm. ‘Which one of you needs this?’
‘Me. Thanks.’ Hannah reached up, taking the ice pack and applying it to her knee. ‘It’s okay.’
‘You’re sure? I’ve heard your version of okay before.’
‘Matt took a look at it. Grade One MCL injury.’ Hannah pulled her trouser leg up, unwrapping the knee support. ‘See I’ve even got this...’
Sophie nodded her approval, pulling one of the other chairs around so that Hannah could prop her leg up on it. ‘Don’t let her move, Matt.’
‘Right you are.’ Matt grinned as
Sophie disappeared back into the kitchen. This was nice. The rough and tumble of a loving family home.
Hannah leaned forward, pouring the lemonade and handing Matt a glass. She took a couple of mouthfuls of her own drink and then settled back into her seat, obviously tired out.
‘Have you always lived here?’ The sitting room had the quiet air of an established home.
Hannah shook her head. ‘No, my parents lived right out in the sticks. I’d moved into a flat in town to be closer to the hospital while I was training, and then I took a year out to travel. When my dad died, my mum decided that she wanted to move into town so that she was less isolated. I was pregnant, and we decided to get this place together. It suited us both.’
‘It must be great for Sam. To have his grandmother so close.’
‘It’s great for me, too. Sophie and I work the early shift, so Mum gets Sam up and takes him to school and then I’m there to pick him up.’ She smiled lazily. ‘Mum’s joined a book club and the local women’s guild. She’s a busy women these days.’
‘Not so much at first, then? After your father died?’
‘No. My dad was her whole world. It took a while before she was able to pick herself up again when he died.’
Supporting her mother through her grief, and looking after a child on her own. It can’t have been easy for Hannah. Maybe her fierce determination had been forged in that fire. ‘It must have been difficult for you, too.’
Her finger started to tap on the side of her glass, the rhythm suggesting stress. ‘I made my mistakes. Not being there when my dad died. Getting pregnant with someone who didn’t want to know.’
‘You were just...living your life, weren’t you?’
Hannah gave a dry laugh. ‘I’d feel better about it if I had been. I’m not sure that I actually was living my life, my ambitions were always to go into medicine. I was just blindly following someone who turned out to be the wrong guy.’
Matt knew he was the wrong guy, too. He had a lot in common with Sam’s father, he couldn’t stay in one place for too long, and he didn’t know how to take on the responsibility of being a father. A concerned and dedicated doctor was about as much commitment as he could manage.
He had no answer for Hannah. But she smiled suddenly, providing her own.
‘We live and learn, though. I know that I belong here.’
‘It’s a good place to belong.’ A great place. Hannah had attained her ambitions work-wise and she was raising a happy little boy who wasn’t afraid of the world.
Sam ran out of the kitchen, wearing a super-hero apron. He flung himself across Hannah’s legs, dislodging the ice-pack which slithered onto the decking.
‘Aunt Sophie says I’ve got to come and see if you’re moving.’
‘Well, you can tell her I’m staying absolutely still.’ Hannah smiled, stroking her son’s hair.
‘I mixed the burgers.’ Sam decided that he should report on his own progress.
‘Did you? I can’t wait to taste them.’
Sam nodded sagely. ‘Aunt Sophie’s got to cook them first or they’ll make you ill. You’ll have to wait.’
‘Yes, I dare say I will. Did you wash your hands?’
‘Yes.’ Sam held out his hands, and Hannah went through the motions of inspecting them. Then he scooted back into the kitchen, clearly not wanting to miss anything that was going on in there.
‘So... Are we good for next week?’ Sam had broken the train of thought that had been carrying Matt to the inevitable conclusion that he would never be able to touch Hannah in the way he wanted to. That was just as well, it was better not to even consider the prospect.
‘We’re good.’ She flashed him a mischievous smile. ‘Since I’m not supposed to move, I can’t pick that ice-pack up, can I?’
Matt went to stand, then leaned back in his seat, realising that Hannah was teasing him. ‘It’s a therapeutic measure. I’ll give you a special dispensation.’
She snorted with laughter, leaning forward and grabbing the ice-pack from the ground, gesturing towards him with it as if she were about to lay it on his skin, and Matt chuckled. Hannah was enchanting, and he couldn’t help wanting to know her better. Wanting to feel her again, hugging him as they won another victory together. If he had to wait another week for that, then patience was his new best friend.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THERE WAS A subtle difference in the way that Hannah greeted him the following Saturday. Something had changed.
They were both still nervously anticipating what the day might hold. But they were a team now. Ready to push each other to the limit, instead of just pushing themselves. The competitors were sent to separate rooms on the ground floor of the yellow team’s hospital, and after a few minutes a production assistant entered.
‘One of you is to come with me.’
Which one? Before Matt could volunteer to go, Hannah spoke.
‘I’ll go.’
He swallowed down the questions about whether her knee was all right now, and if he shouldn’t be the one to pave the way. Hannah was fearless, and she wanted to be first.
‘Okay.’ He smiled at her. ‘Good luck with it. Whatever it is.’
He felt a sinking feeling as he watched her walk out of the room, and the door closed behind her. Up till now, he’d wanted to face the odds and succeed. Today he wanted to face the odds with Hannah at his side. Matt sat down, leaning forward to plant his elbows on his knees and staring at the floor. Waiting, keeping his focus, was a part of his job. He knew how to do that.
Ten minutes later the door opened again, and he jumped to his feet. Hannah appeared, and he scanned her quickly for any signs of what she’d been doing. She was holding two safety helmets in her hand.
‘It’s an obstacle course. We have to do it together.’
‘Okay.’ They’d both done an obstacle course before, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
‘Only I have to guide you.’ She gave him one of the helmets and Matt inspected it. There was an earpiece, which he assumed was linked to the microphone on Hannah’s helmet. And his also incorporated a pair of black-out goggles, which would render him completely sightless. Matt swallowed hard.
‘All right. Anything you want to say to me while I can still see you?’ Perhaps they could quickly work out some kind of code—anything that might help them.
She smiled suddenly. ‘Good luck, Robin. I’ll be there with you every step of the way.’
Matt decided that the best thing he could take with him was Hannah’s smile. He took one last, long look, and put the goggles over his eyes, rendering himself completely blind. He felt Hannah carefully checking that everything was in place, and then her fingers brushed his cheek.
‘I can’t touch you either. Not after we get out of this room. We both have to get across six obstacles.’
‘Both of us?’ That meant that Hannah was going to have to do the course, and guide him as well.
‘Yes. It’s going to be tricky. If I tell you to freeze, just stay where you are. I’ll be working out our next move. But I’ll be there, all the time.’
‘I know...’ He suddenly felt helpless, totally reliant on Hannah. It was both terrifying and exciting.
‘Let’s give it a go. Can you hear me okay through the earpiece?’
‘Yep.’
‘Good. Turn thirty degrees right, and then take three paces. The door will be right in front of you.’
Even that small obstacle was difficult, and he took two goes to get it right. Hannah was quiet and patient, and he began to rely on her voice. The soft scent of her body became suddenly more prominent, and he tried to resist it. But sinking into it, allowing it to reassure him, gave him confidence. As she guided him carefully around the room he began to move more steadily.
The sound of the door opening, followed by a woman’s voice. ‘Ready...?�
�
‘Yes, we’re ready.’ He felt Hannah’s fingers curling around his in one last touch that was overwhelming in its intensity. ‘Stick with me, eh?’
‘Like glue.’ Someone checked his helmet and then took his arm and led him slowly out of the building. He felt the caress of a breeze on his cheek and grass under his feet, and heard a cheer from the red team’s supporters. Then a loudspeaker called for silence, and he was turned around a couple of times, leaving him dizzy and disorientated. Then Hannah’s voice. The only thing he had to cling onto.
‘Ready to go?’
‘Give me a minute.’ Matt took a deep breath, steadying himself. He imagined Hannah’s smile in front of him, and the world began to stop its frantic whirl. ‘I’m ready.’
* * *
An almost eerie silence had fallen across the supporters, as four teams started to make their way towards the four identical sets of obstacles that faced them. Matt needed all of her attention and all of her concentration.
‘There are six obstacles. The first is stepping stones. Six paces ahead of us...’
He followed her instructions. Hannah put her foot on the first stepping stone, feeling it spring slightly. ‘There’s a bit of movement in the stones. When you put your weight on it, it sinks down.’
That was bound to disorient him. But Matt was letting her guide him, and they cleared the stones without any mishaps. When she glanced across at the blue team, she saw that one of them had fallen, and they were back at the start again.
‘How are the others doing?’ Matt muttered quietly to her.
‘Forget about them. It’s just us...’ Just them and a couple of hundred other people, all standing silently so that the teams could hear each other. But Matt had to concentrate, and she had to be his only reality at the moment. The thought elicited a quiver, deep in her stomach.
She saw his lips curve and he nodded. ‘How many steps to the next one?’
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