Page 49 of Only for Christmas

‘Got it all sorted, haven’t you?’ She shuffled over to the armchair and lowered herself onto it. ‘You think you’re so smart.’

‘Only trying to help.’ He stood up. ‘So, can I refer you?’

‘Do whatever you like. I doubt I’ll do anything, though.’ She reached for the chocolates.

‘We’ll see. Need anything before I go?’

‘No, you can bugger off now.’

‘Your dinner’s in the oven.’ He handed her the remote. ‘The timer’s on. Fish pie.’

She scowled at him and shoved a mini Milky Way in her mouth.

He tilted his head, waiting for her objection. ‘Sound okay?’

‘Thank you,’ she said, although it clearly pained her to say so.

He grinned. ‘You’re entirely welcome, Diana. See you tomorrow.’

Leaving her to enjoy her chocolate, he headed upstairs to his apartment, glad to find it warm inside and he hadn’t left the window open again.

Having ordered a curry online and opened a bottle of red, he chose a blues playlist on Spotify and flopped onto the couch, one arm under his head, letting his eyes drift shut.

As he lay there, wallowing in some downtime and drifting off to sleep, he was jolted awake by a loud crash outside. Blinking away sleep, he sat up and rubbed his face. Unsure whether he’d actually heard a faint scream, or whether it was his imagination, he headed over to the window to see what had caused the noise.

Lifting the sash window, he stuck his head out.

Jeez, it was cold. It was also pitch dark. There wasn’t a single light shining onto the service area below; he couldn’t see a damned thing. Then he heard a faint moaning sound, followed by barking.

Straining his eyes, he tried to see where the noise was coming from. ‘Sarah…? Honey, is that you?’

‘I’m not your honey,’ came her disgruntled reply.

‘Sarah? You okay?’ When she didn’t reply, he climbed onto the fire escape and climbed down the spiral metal steps leading to the service yard. ‘Hey there, fella,’ he said, encountering Fred along the way. ‘Where’s your mom?’

‘I’m here… Ouch.’

He squinted, unable to see her at first, and then he spotted her. She was lying in a heap on the ground. Jesus. He jumped down the last few steps. ‘What happened?’

‘I fell,’ she said, pushing herself into a sitting position. ‘Stupid slippery steps.’

He crouched beside her. ‘How far did you fall?’

She rubbed her elbow. ‘Far enough for it to hurt.’

When she tried to get up, he stopped her. ‘Hang fire a moment. Where does it hurt?’

She let out a shaky breath. ‘Where doesn’t it hurt. I just need to stand up.’

‘Not until I’ve checked you over.’ His eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting, allowing him to see better. ‘Are you wearing pyjamas?’

‘And what of it? I was planning an early night. I’d just got out the bath.’ She was shivering. ‘I’m cold. I want to move.’

‘I know, but I’m the doctor and I want you to stay put.’ He scanned her as he spoke, his eyes travelling from head to toe as he tried to assess the damage.

‘I haven’t broken anything. It’s just bruising. Stop fussing.’

‘Then stop moving.’ His gaze landed on her feet. ‘And I’m not surprised you’re cold. You haven’t got shoes on. What are those flimsy things?’

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