Second Chance With The Single Mum. Annie Claydon

you tell me a little about your daughter?’

      ‘Well, as I said, Anya’s three years old. And she’s beautiful...’ Raina smiled suddenly. ‘She’s becoming so curious about the world. Look...’

      She took her phone from her pocket, flipping through photos. Alistair was about to tell her that he didn’t need to see photographs when Raina held out the phone.

      A little girl, with dark curls and brown eyes, smiling gleefully as she inspected sea shells on a beach. She was so like Raina that it almost hurt to look, but in that moment he knew that if things had been different, and this had been his and Raina’s child, he would have given up everything for the little girl as well.

      The temptation to tell her right now that she and her daughter had a place on the pilot scheme almost overwhelmed him. But there was a process, and all applications had to go through the assessment procedures.

      ‘And you’ve completed your application?’

      ‘Yes, and all the supporting documents are there too. I’ve spoken with Anya’s consultant about it, and he thinks that it’s a way forward for her. The kind of prosthetics you’re producing aren’t widely available yet and when I showed him your website he agreed that The Watchlight Trust’s patient-led approach made your scheme a very good option for Anya.’

      She pulled the large manila envelope with his name on it out of her bag, opening it and taking out a folder and handing it to him. The application was neatly bound together with typed pages, which no doubt gave all the details about her daughter’s injury and her medical needs. But the front page gave little doubt about what Raina thought was most important. This photograph showed the little girl with crayons and a drawing pad. Raina’s whole focus was on what she could do, and her potential to do more.

      Suddenly he realised that Raina had been speaking...

      ‘Sorry...what was that?’ It was tempting to just smile and nod when he didn’t hear something, and ninety per cent of the time that worked well. But the other ten per cent of the time it wasn’t what people were looking for in an answer.

      ‘I just said...that I want to thank you. For talking to me about Anya.’

      ‘You’re welcome.’ He went back to flipping through the papers. He’d learned that most people responded well when he told them about his deafness, but something stopped him this time. Maybe Raina’s attitude, so positive despite all she’d been through. His own problems didn’t matter.

      He went to look up at her and jumped suddenly as he heard the sound of rushing water coming from the road behind him. Before he knew what he was doing he stretched out his hand to shield Raina.

      Then he realised that the sound was coming from the river. Staring at it, trying to marry the sound with what he saw, he jumped again as he felt Raina touch his arm lightly.

      ‘Are you okay?’

      ‘Yeah... I should be getting back to the office, though.’ He didn’t have that much to do there, and a small voice at the back of his head was telling him that this wasn’t the first time he’d retreated into his work to avoid a difficult conversation with Raina. Alistair dismissed it, taking one last swig from his coffee cup.

      ‘As I’m heading up the project, there’s a clear conflict of interest here, and I want to make sure that everything’s entirely above board. So I’m going to give your application to my co-director Gabriel DeMarco for assessment. He’ll be getting back to you within a week.’

      ‘Thank you, Alistair. You’ve been very kind.’

      He wanted to tell Raina that he once would have done anything for her, and in the last half-hour he’d realised that nothing had changed. But that was beyond inappropriate. He trusted Gabriel to do the right thing, and that he’d handle Raina’s application fairly. He had to step back now.

       CHAPTER TWO

      ALISTAIR HAD GIVEN her a better reception than she deserved. But he seemed so remote, hardly hearing what she said at times.

      What had Raina expected? That the divorce and all that had led up to it would just melt away? A person could forget a lot in five years. Not that much, though.

      ‘What’s going on? Over there...?’ He didn’t react to her question but when Raina pointed towards a group of people that was forming by the stone parapet at the side of the pavement, he turned to look.

      ‘We should go and see. Perhaps someone’s hurt.’ Raina got to her feet, looping her bag over her shoulder.

      When they’d first been married, it would have taken just an exchange of glances. Young doctors who wanted to save the world, and who would rush towards any potential emergency, believing that together they were indestructible. It wasn’t like Alistair to hesitate.

      Raina wasn’t going to wait for him to sum the situation up, though. She ran over to the knot of people that had formed.

      ‘I’m a doctor. Is anyone hurt?’ No one turned and the wall of backs prevented her from seeing what had happened. Then she felt an arm around her shoulder. Alistair the rock. Pushing through the crowd and taking her with him.

      ‘What’s the matter?’ A woman was holding a child of about two years old, gesturing frantically towards the deep granite parapet between the pavement and the river. She took no notice of Alistair’s question, but a man replied.

      ‘A kid’s climbed over the barrier...’

      Quite how he’d managed to do that wasn’t clear, but when Raina leaned over she could see a boy of around six clinging to the other side. He began to slip, his feet scrabbling for a hold, and the woman screamed.

      ‘Hold on, sweetheart... Please...someone help him.’

      Raina felt, rather than saw, Alistair thrust the envelope with her grant application back into her hands. Climbing across the deep coping stones on the top of the parapet, he slid carefully down the other side, making his way across to the boy.

      ‘Give me a leg up, will you?’ Raina turned to the man standing next to her and suddenly Alistair seemed to remember that she existed, and looked up.

      ‘Stay there, Raina. Anya needs you home tonight.’

      There had been a time when they wouldn’t have thought twice about it. She would have been right there next to him. Now it seemed that Alistair acted alone.

      But he was right, Anya did need her to come home tonight. How many times had Raina hesitated and looked again before crossing the road, knowing that Anya couldn’t lose another parent. And the ledge that Alistair was now edging along towards the boy was too narrow for a second person to be of any use.

      He almost lost his footing, stopping to regain his hold. Suddenly Alistair looked up again, his golden-brown eyes searching for her.

      ‘Easy does it. You’re nearly there.’

      He nodded, carefully moving closer to the boy. Just as it seemed that Alistair could reach out and touch him, his mother called out to him. The boy looked up, lost his balance and toppled backwards, twisting as he fell and landing flat on his stomach in the river.

      Alistair didn’t hesitate. Kicking off his shoes, he jumped, disappearing underwater for a few heart-stopping seconds. Then he surfaced, looking around for the boy.

      He didn’t have much time. The boy had landed amongst some floating debris and the swell of the tide had washed him against a large piece of wood. He struggled weakly in the water, seeming stunned by the impact, and then was still, floating face down. He was already starting to drown and soon he’d begin to sink. If that happened it would be a miracle if Alistair found him in the murky water. Raina screamed Alistair’s name, pointing to the boy.

      He looked up, and then