Page 31 of Welcome to the Cornish Country Hospital

‘Damn, I left them behind today, at the last minute too.’ Charlie shrugged. ‘But I’ll shout out some motivational advice if you like. “Come on, you can do it. Pull harder than the other team.” You know, stuff you could never come up with, without me.’

‘I’ve always liked the idea of a personal trainer, commanding me what to do and when.’ Aidan was a shameless flirt, but Charlie was taking it all in good fun. He had the sort of laugh that made Danni want to smile, every time she heard it.

‘It looks like we’ve all got our roles, then; now bring back the trophy or there’ll be hell to pay.’

‘Yes, sir!’ Aidan gave a mock salute and hooked his arm through Danni’s, as Charlie had taken Brenda’s lead from her. ‘Come on, then, let’s go and find Gary and Debbie, and get warmed up. We can show those midwives that they might still have Gwen, but we’ve got the muscle.’

‘Do you ever think you might be taking these things too seriously, Aidan?’ Esther asked as they all walked towards the other side of the showground.

‘Not at all, but someone who should be taking things seriously is Danni, preferably with Charlie if she gets half the chance. Now he is a good enough reason to quit internet dating and never look back.’

‘He’s only down here visiting his mum while she’s in hospital. He’ll be leaving soon.’ Danni hadn’t realised how much that bothered her until she said the words out loud. It was ridiculous; the feelings she’d had for Lucas couldn’t really just disappear in an instant. Her brain was just protecting her by using Charlie as a distraction, so she didn’t have to process what she’d admitted to Lucas about there being no chance of anything ever happening between them. Or come to terms with the seven years she’d wasted, all the time betraying her best friend’s trust. Once Charlie left, she’d have to work through things properly, but that didn’t stop her wanting to enjoy his company while she could. Just the thought of them being able to walk the dogs together, and go to check on Trevor, made her smile again.

‘So what if he’s leaving soon? When I said you needed to get serious with him, I wasn’t talking about marriage and babies and all that boring stuff.’ Aidan shook his head, as if he was having to explain something ridiculously simple to her for the hundredth time. ‘I was thinking more of gettingseriously nakedand having someserious fun.’

‘Now there’s an idea.’ When Esther responded, Danni was just glad her parents were out of earshot.

‘Please tell me you’re not encouraging Aidan’s flights of fancy! I barely know Charlie.’

‘All I know is that it’s about time you had some fun, Dan. It’s been far too long. I can hardly remember the last time you even went on a date. What’s the harm in practising on someone who’ll be gone soon? Even if it’s a disaster, you’ll never have to see him again.’

‘He might not even be interested in going on a date.’ Danni looked over her shoulder to where Charlie was now sitting on a bale of straw at the edge of the showground, with both dogs looking up at him devotedly.

‘Oh he’s interested, believe me.’ Aidan’s tone brooked no argument. ‘And if you don’t tell him that you are too, then I will. Because that’s bloody obvious as well.’

‘I’ll think about it.’ There was no way Danni was going to confess to Aidan that he was right. Especially when the idea of spending time with Charlie was more appealing than she could even admit to herself.

* * *

‘Do you really think Aidan was right about the midwives cheating?’ Charlie asked as he and Danni wandered amongst the stalls, twenty minutes or so after the midwifery team had shown everyone else who was boss. They hadn’t just won the first heat of the tug of war contest against Danni’s team, they’d also beaten three other teams to take the trophy.

‘No, he’s just a sore loser and they’re clearly made of tough stuff. You have to be if you’re delivering babies.’ Danni stopped to look at him. ‘I worked in obstetrics for a little while, during my hospital rotation. It’s hard work and really emotional too.’

‘So you’ve delivered babies?’

‘I assisted with a couple, and I’ve overseen a couple of emergencies. The first was when I was part of a pre-hospital critical care team, and we were called out to an accident. One of the passengers went into labour on scene and the baby was born in a layby, on one of the A-roads leading out of London. The other time was when a teenage girl came into A&E with what we thought at first was a severe water infection, until I examined her and realised the top of baby’s head was already visible. We nearly had another emergency delivery in A&E recently, and obstetrics was the only other field I considered going into. But emergency medicine won in the end.’

‘Luckily for them.’ Charlie held her gaze and she came really close to following Aidan’s advice and asking him for a drink, but the moment passed, leaving her feeling like she needed to change the subject.

‘Can we go and check out the auction stall? Gwen said there are some great things to bid on.’ She didn’t speak again until they reached the stall, her eyes immediately drawn to a charcoal drawing of a baby seal. ‘Oh my God, it looks like Trevor!’

‘It is Trevor.’ Charlie smiled. ‘When I went in to see Connie, I noticed the poster asking for items to be donated for the auction. I did this when I got back yesterday, while I was waiting for you to collect Brenda, and when I offered it as a prize to the lady on the stall this afternoon, she seemed really pleased. I didn’t have time to get it framed, but I said I’d organise it if that’s what the winning bidder wants.’

‘It’s beautiful. I can’t believe you did it so quickly.’ Danni already knew she was going to bid whatever it took to make sure the picture was hers. After all, it was the baby seal she and Charlie had named after her father.

‘I do charcoal drawings of all the ideas I have for my illustrations, before I decide if I’m going to take them any further. It helps me see if they’re likely to work with the story, and I couldn’t resist drawing Trevor. I’ve offered some signed books for the auction too. It’s not much, but after everything the hospital has done for Connie, I just wanted to help. It’s really hard not being able to go in again until she’s had the chance to speak to my father and Darcy, but I rang the ward this morning to check how she’s doing. They said she’s doing really well, despite the complexity of her injury and the organ damage that’s prolonging her stay. They also said she’s only here at all because of the A&E doctor who went out to the scene of the accident and almost certainly saved her life. I can’t believe how close it came to us missing out on getting the chance to meet. I wish I knew who to thank.’

‘They won’t expect thanks; they were just doing their job.’ Danni had no intention of telling him it had been her at the scene, but, when she looked up from the drawing, he was staring at her intently.

‘It was you, wasn’t it? I’d have known from your response, even if the ward nurse hadn’t mentioned your name.’

‘I just did the same as any of the emergency team would have done.’

‘I’m so glad it was you there with her. And even if you don’t expect my thanks, you’re getting it.’ Charlie touched her hand. It was only momentary, but she found herself wishing he hadn’t stopped. ‘I can never thank you enough, but if there’s ever anything I can do to try, just let me know. I’m up for anything: dog-sitting Brenda, dedicating a book on your behalf, or naming my next baddie after someone you can’t stand. I know it hardly compares to saving a life, but as a writer and a dog lover, that’s about all I’ve got to offer.’

‘It looks like you’ve got quite a lot to offer from where I’m standing.’ Danni might be dying with embarrassment on the inside, she was so out of practice with all of this, but she was determined to harness her inner Aidan and at least try to flirt a little bit. ‘And, if you really want to do something to say thank you, even though there’s absolutely no need, you could always take me to dinner. Or just out for a drink. Even a walk with the dogs would do.’

That was it, she’d already blown it. Rambling and lowering the stakes every time she opened her mouth. If she’d gone on much longer, she’d have probably suggested a high-five. She’d forgotten how useless she’d always been at flirting, long before Lucas had put a stop to her even trying.

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