Page 34 of Prognosis Bad Timing

Dana giggled at Charlie and warmth flushed through Carrie’s body at how naturally her daughter responded to him. She only hoped Dana felt the same way after Charlie had injected local anaesthetic into her wound site.

‘Hi, Charlie,’ Dana chirped.

‘Hello, Sleeping Beauty. What have you been doing to yourself?’

‘I felled over. Susie says I never look where I’m going.’

Carrie’s laugh was joined by Charlie’s warm chuckle. ‘Grown-ups are such spoilsports. Not looking where you’re going is so much more fun.’

Dana giggled again. She looked so small sitting on the big bench, her legs dangling over the edge, her white sandals with red butterflies swinging back and forth. Her blonde hair was pulled up into two bunches sitting high on her head, a yellow ribbon around each one.

She looked at Charlie - at the world - with such trust in those big blue eyes and Carrie felt irrational mother’s guilt rear its ugly head.

If she’d been there maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

‘OK, now, I need to have a look at your chin. Do you want Mummy or me to pull the plaster off?’

Dana looked solemnly from one to the other. ‘Mummy,’ she announced.

Carrie smiled and kissed Dana on the head. ‘Fast or slow, baby?’

‘Fast,’ Dana replied.

Carrie peeled up a corner of the plaster. ‘OK, ready...steady...’

‘Go!’ Dana pronounced.

Carrie ripped it off quickly without a peep from Dana. She’d always been a stoic little thing. ‘Ugh,’ she said, looking at the gaping hole beneath. ‘That definitely needs fixing.’

Dana nodded. ‘Naughty pot plant.’

Charlie chuckled and sat on a roller stool in front of Carrie’s daughter and snapped some gloves on. ‘Can I have a look, Sleeping Beauty?’

Dana stuck out her chin. ‘You can fix it, can’t you, Charlie?’

Charlie’s heart melted at Dana’s four-year-old innocence. Her big blue eyes were irresistibly gorgeous. So this was how it would be to have your own child, your own flesh and blood, looking at you like you were Superman.

Could he fix it? Right now he would have slain a dragon if she’d asked.

He examined the damage. The cut wasn’t very deep and only about a centimetre long, but gaped in the middle. It had stopped bleeding. ‘I reckon I can fix that as good as new.’ The wound edges were straight, which would make for a neat scar.

‘Susie says that you sew it up just like Grandma does when she sews my buttons back on.’

‘Susie is very smart,’ Charlie confirmed. ‘Open your mouth, sweetie.’ Charlie smiled as Dana obeyed instantly, opening it as wide as it could go. Her neat white teeth all appeared to be intact. ‘Now, bite down, like this.’ Charlie demonstrated. ‘Like you’re eating a great big steak.’

Dana followed suit. Her bite seemed even enough. He felt along her jaw up to the angle both sides. ‘I don’t think you did any more damage.’

He glanced up at Carrie to assure her but she was looking at him with such an intense stare that he momentarily forgot about Dana. Hell, he momentarily forgot to breathe as his belly pulled tight.

‘Charlie?’

He could hear Dana’s high voice but Carrie’s stare was distracting in the extreme.

‘Charlie!’ Dana tugged at his sleeve.

‘Sorry, sweetie.’ He broke eye contact with Carrie. ‘Let’s get you sewn up.’

Standing, he walked to the tray of instruments he’d prepared earlier, thankful for an opportunity to put some space between him and Carrie. He took some cleansing breaths.

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