Page 33 of Prognosis Bad Timing

Freaking hell.

Rising, she took the receiver from him. Instantly she could hear Dana screaming in the background. ‘Susie?’

‘Carrie, I’m sorry to ring you at work, I tried your mobile but it kept going to your messages. Dana’s fallen and cracked her chin on the pot plant and I think it’s going to need stitching.’

For a crazy second Carrie’s heart stopped. She could hear her daughter’s distress and her maternal instinct roared into overdrive. Nothing had ever happened to Dana other than the odd bruise. ‘Is she OK? Did she hit her head? Was she knocked unconscious?’

‘No,’ Susie said reassuringly. ‘She’s fine. She’s just worked herself up because of the blood. I’m afraid this is one situation where nanny kisses aren’t going to cut it.’

‘Is it bleeding a lot?’ Carrie tried not to let Dana’s crying or the image of her blood oozing out everywhere affect her decision making.

Charlie quirked an eyebrow, moving closer to her, concern in his grey gaze. Absurdly she wanted to huddle into his chest and draw strength from his tall, lean frame. She wished she was at home. What the hell was she doing here with books that were a mess and a man who had turned her on then fled.

A man who had rejected her?

‘Not anymore, but it did. The wound isn’t very big but it’s really gaping.’

Carrie’s brain quickly sorted through the possibilities as she watched Charlie draw nearer. By the time she got home and they went to either the GP or the hospital it would be another hour. Susie would have to take her and she could meet them there. But it was getting close to rush-hour.

‘What’s wrong?’ Charlie asked quietly.

Carrie put her hand over the mouthpiece, her hand trembling slightly. ‘Dana needs stitches in her chin.’

‘Bring her here. I’ll do it.’

She stared at him blankly for a few moments. “Really?”

‘At this hour of the day your nanny will probably be able to make it here quicker. Unless you’d rather someone else did it?’

Carrie continued to stare. It wasn’t that. It was just...unexpected.

‘Trust me, I do a lot of stitching. I stitch like a pro. My father’s right, I should definitely be a surgeon.’

He gave her one of his slow sexy smiles and the confidence in his eyes shone like a beacon. The same confidence she’d seen at the accident scene and when he’d dealt with the overdose.

Carrie held his gaze as she spoke into the phone. ‘Bring her here, Susie. Dr Wentworth has offered to do the suturing.’

He smiled. ‘I’ll go and get set up.’

––––––––

Carrie paced the frontlounge area, the thump of music from the jukebox grating on stretched nerves. Where were they? It had been nearly half an hour.

‘Mummy!’

Carrie heart contracted with an almost painful boom as Susie walked through the door, clutching a bloodied and bandaged Dana in her arms. Her daughter’s T-shirt was spotted with dried blood and there was a smear of it on her forehead. She grabbed Dana off the nanny and squeezed her tight.

‘I hurted my chin, Mummy.’

Carrie laughed. ‘Well, you obviously didn’t knock your noggin.’ She pulled out of the embrace to inspect her daughter’s injury. It was covered with a sticking plaster so the damage was hard to assess. ‘Come on, let’s go see Charlie.’

‘Charlie?’ Dana’s eyes lit up like light bulbs. ‘From the crash?’

‘Yes.’ Carrie laughed. ‘Charlie from the crash.’

Carrie’s heart contracted at the happy hug Dana bestowed on her as she made for the treatment room.

‘Ah, here she is, my little Sleeping Beauty.’

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