Carrying The Single Dad's Baby. Kate Hardy

play football. Just like my dad,’ Iain told her proudly, puffing out his chest.

      ‘Then I’ll make sure I cheer really loudly when you score a goal,’ she said.

      Although football really wasn’t her thing, she enjoyed chatting to Hayley on the sidelines, and dutifully clapped and cheered every time a goal was scored.

      Iain was running past her, clearly intent on getting to the ball, when he tripped and fell over. Instinctively, she looked up to see where Daniel was: on the far side of the field.

      Iain was on his knees, crying and shielding his arm.

      What could she do but go over to him until his dad arrived and see if she could sort out the problem?

      ‘You’re lucky we’re all in the emergency department so we know just how to deal with things when people fall over,’ she said. ‘Where does it hurt, Iain?’

      ‘Here.’ He pointed to his elbow.

      It was very obvious to her that he’d twisted his arm when he fell, so the ligament holding the radial bone in place had slipped, letting the bone dislocate. Given that he was so young, it would be easy to manipulate the bone back into place—but she also knew that it would hurt like mad, very briefly.

      ‘I need you to be super-brave for me, Iain,’ she said. ‘Do you like chocolate?’

      ‘Aye.’

      ‘OK. I can fix what’s wrong, but it means I have to touch your poorly arm and it’ll hurt for about three seconds. After that, it’ll stop hurting,’ she said. ‘I made some really special chocolate brownies you might like, so you can have one afterwards. I just need you to be brave for three seconds, that’s all. Can you do that for me?’

      Iain sobbed, ‘I want my dad.’

      ‘And he’s running across the field towards you right now. He’ll be here really soon. But I really need to slip that bone back into place for you,’ she said. ‘Close your eyes and sing me a song, Iain.’

      ‘I don’t know any songs,’ he wailed, clearly too scared to be able to think.

      ‘I bet you know “The Wheels on the Bus”,’ she said. ‘I’ll help you sing it. And I want you to sing it really, really loudly. Can you do that?’

      He nodded, his face wet with tears.

      She started singing, and the little boy closed his eyes and began to sing along with her, very loudly and very out of tune. The perfect distraction, she hoped. One quick movement and she’d manipulated his arm to put the bone back into place.

      Iain was halfway through yelling when he clearly realised that his arm had stopped hurting.

      ‘Oh. It doesn’t hurt any more,’ he said. ‘You fixed me!’

      ‘I did,’ she said with a smile.

      * * *

      Daniel arrived just as Iain flung his arms around Beatrice and hugged her. ‘Thank you, Bee!’

      ‘What happened?’ he asked.

      ‘He fell over and dislocated his elbow. I’ve just manipulated it back, but we need to check his pulses and his range of movement.’ Just in case there was a problem and Iain needed an X-ray, Daniel knew.

      His own heart was racing madly with fear for his child, but she’d been calm and sorted out the problem without any fuss. He’d do the same. It was what he’d trained all these years for: to be calm when there was an accident or an emergency.

      ‘Iain, can you move your arms for me and copy what I do?’ he asked.

      ‘Aye, Dad.’

      He checked Iain’s pulses, which were fine, then talked Iain through a range of movements. The little boy copied every movement without flinching or stopping as if he was in pain. Everything seemed completely normal.

      ‘I hardly need to tell you what happens next,’ Beatrice said.

      ‘Pain relief if he needs it, put him in a sling for the rest of today to support his elbow, and if he stiffens up and doesn’t use his arm tomorrow take him in for an X-ray.’

      She spread her hands. ‘Textbook perfect, Dr Capaldi.’

      ‘Thank you for looking after him,’ he said.

      ‘That’s what I’m here for. That,’ she said, ‘and chocolate brownies. I haven’t forgotten what I promised you, Iain.’

      ‘My dad doesn’t like chocolate. We never have chocolate brownies,’ Iain said.

      ‘Then your dad can go and finish playing football while you sit and eat brownies with me,’ she said.

      ‘I...’ Daniel looked at her, wanting to be with his son but not wanting to let the rest of the team down, either.

      Beatrice shooed him back to the field. ‘He’ll be fine with me.’ And then she gave him the sassiest smile he’d ever seen, one that made him want to grab her and kiss her. Not good.

      ‘Trust me—I’m a doctor,’ she said.

      It was the cheesiest line in the book. But he’d seen her at work and he’d heard others praising her, saying that she always put the patient first. And Iain seemed to like her. He gave her a speaking look, but headed back to the field. He played for another ten minutes, and then to his relief he was substituted by one of the nurses.

      When he went back over to where the spectators were, Iain was chatting animatedly to Beatrice. And Beatrice had used the scarf from her hair to fashion into a sling.

      ‘Dad! You’re back!’

      ‘That’s my playing over for today,’ he said. ‘Thank you for looking after Iain. I’ll take over now.’

      ‘My pleasure. We’ve had a nice time, haven’t we, Iain?’ she asked.

      ‘She made me a special sling,’ Iain said. ‘Look.’

      ‘Very nice,’ Daniel said. ‘I’ll wash it when we get home and get it back to you on Monday at work. And now we must let Ms Lindford get on, Iain.’

      The little boy frowned. ‘But I like talking to Bee.’

      ‘She’s busy.’

      Out of Iain’s view, she shook her head.

      She wasn’t undermining him as a parent—he appreciated the fact she’d disagreed with him without actually saying so in front of his son—but the idea of spending time with her was dangerous. Right now Beatrice’s hair was loose, she was wearing denims cut off at the knee, a strappy top and canvas shoes; and she looked more approachable than she did at work in tailored trousers and a white coat. The way she looked right now, he could just imagine walking hand in hand with her in the sunshine and kissing her under a tree.

      He didn’t want to walk hand in hand with anyone in the sunshine or kiss them under a tree, and that included Beatrice Lindford, he told himself sharply.

      ‘Five more minutes, Dad?’ Iain pleaded. ‘Please.’

      Again, out of Iain’s view, she nodded.

      Iain’s brown eyes were huge and pleading. How could he resist? ‘All right. Five more minutes.’

      ‘Bee makes the best chocolate brownies in the world,’ Iain said. ‘Even you would like them, Dad.’

      ‘I made flapjacks as well.’ She gave him a cheeky grin. ‘And don’t tell me that you don’t like oats. You’re a Scot.’

      ‘Aye, he is.’ Iain was all puffed up with pride. ‘And so am I.’

      ‘Peas in a pod, you two.’

      But Daniel could see she was laughing with them, not at them.

      ‘Can I have some flapjacks, too,