left Amy playing quietly and walked down to the canteen. Jon piled a plate full of all the breakfast items on the menu and Chloe rummaged in her handbag for the small sachet of teabags.
‘Hot water? Or can I tempt you to something else?’ He gestured towards the pile of flapjacks.
‘No, that’s okay. I’ll watch you eat.’
They found a table in a quiet corner and Jon attacked his food like a man who hadn’t eaten in the last week. She waited until he slowed a little, sipping her tea.
‘So how’s Kathy’s husband?’
‘Second-and third-degree burns on the top of his arm and shoulder. He could well need skin grafts.’
‘But he’ll be okay.’
‘Yes. Apparently he was pretty lucky to escape with just that.’
‘He knew Kathy was there?’
Jon’s face broke into a smile. ‘He was drowsy from the pain relief but he knew all right. Brave man.’
‘Going to fetch Nicky like that.’
‘Yes. And the way he told Kathy that it all looked worse than it felt, and that she wasn’t to worry about him. He was okay, and she should stay with Nicky.’
He paused for a moment, looking at Chloe, and then started to eat again. She wondered whether that comment was aimed at her as well. If it was, she didn’t deserve the kind of respect that Kathy’s husband did. She’d just done what she’d had to do, when she’d sent Hannah away to live with James.
‘I’ll go down there later. If he can’t have visitors, I can at least take a message from Kathy. Let him know how she and Nicky are doing.’
‘That’s nice. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.’
He finished the last few mouthfuls from his plate and leaned back in his seat with a satisfied sigh. Then he turned to the toast.
‘I’ve been thinking...’
Chloe asked the question that he was clearly waiting for. ‘What about?’
‘What are you going to do when Amy comes out of hospital?’
‘I’ll take some time off work. She should be coming out on Monday but it won’t be until the afternoon so I’ll speak to my head of department in the morning. When she’s fully well, I’ll make enquiries about getting her into the hospital crèche.’
He nodded. ‘I could look after her next week.’
‘You can’t work nights and look after a baby all day. You’re not that superhuman.’
‘Ah, so you think I’m just a bit superhuman...’ Jon grinned at her. ‘But, no, I wasn’t thinking of doing that. The guy I’m covering for is back from sick leave next week. I’m working on Monday night, but I’m not needed again until the following Sunday. After that I’ve got some more time off arranged before I start work permanently, and I can use that to work on the house.’
It was tempting. Very tempting, in more ways than just the practical. Chloe stared at him, trying to frame a polite but firm refusal.
‘What?’ He didn’t wait for her answer. ‘Come on, you know Amy will be safe with me. And a week off with her might be relaxing.’
‘You think so?’
Jon shrugged. ‘Well, a change is as good as a rest. Amy can’t frame a sensible sentence about either medicine or building materials.’
He seemed so sure. And although it was difficult to fault his logic, his absolute commitment to the idea didn’t make any sense.
‘This is my responsibility, Jon. Why won’t you take no for an answer?’
* * *
It was a fair enough question. If he were in Chloe’s shoes, he’d be asking the same thing. Avoiding her like the plague and then suddenly jumping in with both feet might not be a very good basis for trust, but he’d just have to use a bit of persuasion.
‘When do you think Hannah’s going to be able to take full-time responsibility for Amy?’ He avoided the question with one of his own.
She sighed. ‘I spoke with James last night. We both agreed to take things slowly.’
‘Then you’re going to need to pace yourself. Save your leave for when you really need it.’
‘That’s true, and it’s a very good point. You haven’t answered my question, though.’
So he wasn’t getting off the hook that easily. ‘Families are important.’
‘That’s true too.’ She was circling the rim of her empty cup with her finger. Jon could practically hear the next question forming and he didn’t want to answer that one either.
‘Look, James will tell you that I’m not close to my family. I speak with my sister regularly, once a fortnight. I mark it in my diary to remind me.’
She looked up at him thoughtfully, obviously trying to comprehend an arrangement that was so different from the way she kept in touch with James and Hannah, just picking up the phone whenever she had something to say. Never needing to remember to do it, because her brother and sister were a part of her life.
‘Do you say much?’
‘Yeah, we say quite a bit. We’ve learned not to say anything that really matters, because that’s likely to get us into trouble. It’s a long story. But you and James and Hannah...you have something special. It’s worth taking care of.’
‘When our parents died, all we had was each other.’ She pointed to his empty cup. ‘Do you want a refill?’
‘There’s still another cup in the pot.’ Jon picked up the small, stainless-steel coffee pot and poured the rest of its contents into his cup. ‘Am I going to need this?’
‘I’m not sure. You said it was a long story.’
Suddenly he wanted everything out in the open. He wanted to let Chloe know where he stood, and then they could forget about these games and get on with the practical.
‘Right...’ Jon wondered where to start, and decided that the very beginning was probably best. ‘Well...boy meets girl, I guess...’
Her eyes widened suddenly. For one delicious moment Jon let the misunderstanding hang in the air between them.
‘I met my ex-wife at the Freshers’ Ball at medical school.’
‘Ah. Yes, of course.’ She found another teabag from the seemingly endless supply in her bag and put it into her cup, splashing hot water onto it. ‘And...then you got married?’
‘Yes, we did, after we’d both qualified. Everyone pretty much expected we would, we had the same interests, the same goals in life...our families got on so well that Helen’s parents
