his legs. They must be a real nuisance for him.’
‘They’ll be coming off soon,’ Hannah explained, and Billy’s face brightened.
‘That’s good to hear. He’ll have to come round to our house then and play with my little brother. He’s just turned one so they’re much of an age.’
Billy said goodbye and left. Hannah frowned when she heard him asking one of the other men if he fancied a pint.
‘Something wrong?’
She glanced round when Tom joined her. ‘Not really. I was just a bit surprised when Billy mentioned he had a little brother a few months older than Charlie.’
‘His mum was more than a bit surprised when she found out she was pregnant again!’ Tom laughed. ‘There’s a ten-year gap between the baby and the next child so it came as a bolt out of the blue.’
‘It must have done,’ Hannah replied, smiling as she followed him outside. The helicopter had landed in a nearby field and they were just in time to watch it taking off.
‘Look,’ Tom said, lifting Charlie out of her arms so he could see over the top of the crowd. ‘Helicopter. Whee!’
Hannah wasn’t sure how to react. Tom hadn’t asked her permission to hold Charlie yet it seemed churlish to complain when it was obvious that her son was enjoying himself. She stood silently beside them, thinking how wonderful it would have been if it had been Andrew holding him, Andrew playing the doting father; Andrew accepting him for what he was, not what he’d wanted him to be.
‘That was fun, wasn’t it, tiger?’ Tom swung Charlie round to face him, laughing when the little boy grabbed his nose. ‘Hey, that’s quite a grip you’ve got, young man. Can I have my nose back, please?’
He gently released the baby’s fingers then balanced him on his hip as he forged a way through the crowd. Hannah shrugged off the moment of introspection as she hurried after them.
‘I’ll take him now, thanks. He’s rather heavy.’
‘All the more reason for me to carry him when you’ve got your bag to lug home.’ Tom paused and glanced at her empty hands. ‘You are taking it home, I suppose?’
‘Oh, er, yes, of course.’ Hannah felt herself blush when she realised that she hadn’t given a thought to her medical bag. Bearing in mind that it contained a variety of drugs and expensive equipment, she should have been more careful.
‘We’ll wait here while you fetch it,’ Tom told her. ‘I’ll show Charlie the fishing boats. He’ll love them.’
He went over to the harbour wall, leaving her hovering in a sort of no-man’s land. She wanted to go after him and insist he give back her son, while on the other hand she needed to fetch her bag. In the end duty won and she hurried back inside the lifeboat station. Jim Cairns was standing guard over her case and he smiled at her.
‘Here it is, Hannah. No one’s touched anything.’
‘Thanks, Jim. I’d forget my head if it wasn’t screwed on tight.’
It was obviously the right thing to say because he laughed. Hannah had a feeling that her lapse had created a bond between them and it was something she would take on board. It didn’t always need perfection to make a situation turn out right.
Tom placed Charlie on his knee as he sat down on the harbour wall. The baby seemed entranced by the scene, waving his chubby little fists as he watched the boats set off for an evening’s fishing, and Tom smiled. He’d had very little to do with any children outside his work and it was fascinating to observe Charlie’s reaction. Even at such a tender age, Charlie was taking everything in, his head turning this way and that as he watched the boats leave the harbour. It was growing dusk and when some of the boats turned on their lights, Charlie gave a little squeal of excitement.
Tom laughed. ‘You like this, don’t you, tiger?’ He buzzed the top of the baby’s head with a kiss, surprised by the sudden rush of longing that assailed him. He had long since ruled out the possibility having children yet all of a sudden he found himself thinking how wonderful it would be to watch his child discovering the world. There must be a special kind of magic seeing everything through a child’s eyes and he couldn’t help wishing that he could experience it for himself. Maybe he shouldn’t rule out the possibility of him having a family at some point?
The thought was contrary to everything he had always believed. Tom pushed it aside when Hannah came to join them. He patted the wall, doing his best to behave as though nothing had happened even though it had. Could he really see himself as a father? It was the ultimate commitment, after all, and normally he would have shied away from the idea. However, he couldn’t deny that for the first time ever it held a definite appeal.
‘Sit yourself down while we finish watching the boats.’ He summoned a smile, determined that he wasn’t going to get carried away. Maybe the idea did appeal at the moment but he could very easily change his mind.
The thought should have set him back on course faster than anything else could have done but Tom found it lingering at the back of his mind as they watched the last few boats set sail. Charlie gave a little sigh, obviously worn out by all the excitement, and Tom took it as his cue that they should leave. Standing up, he swung the baby into his arms, somewhat surprised by how natural it felt to carry him.
‘Shall I take him now?’ Hannah suggested, but he shook his head.
‘No, we’re fine, aren’t we, tiger?’ He dropped another kiss on the baby’s head and heard her sigh softly.
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