The Accidental Romeo. Carol Marinelli

make my own fun,’ Marnie said.

      She really was the oddest mix and, if there was any doubt as to that, she proved it when she continued talking. ‘I should be offended really that you’re so relieved nothing ever happened.’ Marnie winked. ‘’Night, Harry.’

      He turned to go but as he did so the alert phone rang and Miriam, one of the late staff, took the call. ‘There’s a multi-trauma coming in, they’ve just diverted and are bringing him here,’ Miriam said. ‘ETA ten minutes. Harry, would you like me to run over and grab the twins for you?’

      ‘That would be great,’ Harry said, taking off his jacket but pausing midway as Marnie’s soft voice carried the length of the nurses’ station and promptly halted everyone.

      ‘Instead of running over to day care, Miriam, shouldn’t you be setting up for the multi-trauma?’

      Miriam hesitated and when Harry gave her a nod, instead of racing to get the twins, Miriam headed into Resus.

      ‘You’d better get going,’ Marnie said to Harry. ‘You don’t want to get caught up in this.’

      No, he didn’t want to get caught up but if it was serious he would call for the trauma team to come down and if it wasn’t serious Sheldon could deal with it, except Marnie was already speaking into the phone.

      ‘Could you fast-page the trauma team to come to Emergency?’ she said, but as she replaced the receiver Harry was waiting for her.

      ‘They might not be needed.’

      ‘Hopefully not,’ Marnie said, ‘but if they are then surely it’s better for the patient to have them waiting here.’

      Harry heard the overhead intercom crackle into life to summon the team.

      ‘’Night, Harry,’ Marnie said again.

      For Harry it was the strangest feeling to be leaving the department knowing full well there was an emergency on its way in.

      He was always running towards an emergency; instead, this evening, he was walking away.

      It just didn’t feel right.

      And however assured Marnie was, he couldn’t help but wonder how she’d deal with a less-than-impressed trauma team if she’d called them at five to six for something minor, just when they were due to go home…

      Harry paused as he reached day care, dropped one ball from the many he was juggling as he heard the sound of his colleagues’ footsteps racing down the corridor to greet whatever was being brought in.

      Harry let out a breath and walked into day care. No, he wasn’t the first parent to get there but at least he wasn’t the last.

      ‘Daddy! We thought you’d have to help with the emergency!’ Charlotte squealed, and flung herself at him. Her brown curls were bobbing and her green eyes, the same as her dad’s, were smiling with excitement as she realised it was home time. And she remembered the promises made.

      ‘Can I make the frosting?’

      ‘You can.’

      Even though the trauma team was arriving, the blasted intercom was summoning the team for the second time as Harry signed the twins out.

      As he walked down the corridor, carrying Charlotte and holding Adam’s hand, he felt Adam still as the stretcher was raced in. He looked down and saw Adam blinking. ‘He’ll be okay,’ Harry assured him.

      But the injured man on the stretcher didn’t upset Adam, he’d seen way more than most children had already. No, he was bracing himself for his father to return them to day care, Harry realised, or to pop them around to the staffroom; instead, they headed to the car.

      ‘Who’s looking after him?’ Adam checked, because normally his father was needed.

      ‘He’s going to be fine,’ Harry said, wishing for the hundredth time his children didn’t know or see so much, but the hospital day-care centre was his only choice if he was going to work here. ‘There is a team of specialists waiting for him.’

      Harry strapped the twins into their car seats and drove the short distance home as Charlotte filled him in on her day, talking non-stop till they were turning into their street.

      ‘How about your day, Adam?’ Harry asked, trying to encourage Adam to speak.

      ‘We did paintings.’ Adam looked at his father as if Harry must have briefly lost his mind. ‘Charlotte just told you.’

      ‘I know.’ Harry smiled. They were just so different. Charlotte liked every gap in the conversation filled with her voice, whereas Adam was only too happy to sit back and listen.

      Evelyn came out to help him with the twins as they pulled into the driveway, but as she ushered them in, knowing he wouldn’t be able to relax till he knew things were okay at work, Harry told Evelyn he’d join them soon. He stood in the hallway, took out his phone and called Emergency. It was Marnie who answered.

      ‘How’s the multi-trauma?’ Harry asked.

      ‘All good,’ Marnie replied. ‘Well, not so good if you’re the patient, but it’s all under control. He’s just heading round for an MRI.’

      ‘I can come back if you need me,’ Harry said. ‘My babysitter’s here.’

      ‘There’s really no point,’ Marnie said. ‘As I said, it’s all under control. The team have been fantastic.’

      ‘Shouldn’t you be at home?’ Harry asked, glancing at his watch. She’d been there since long before nine after all.

      ‘Shouldn’t you be?’ Marnie asked, and Harry gave a thin smile as he heard the chatter coming from the kitchen.

      Marnie had made a very good point.

      Happy that the patient was being well looked after, Harry headed into the kitchen and to the delicious scent of dinner. ‘Smells good,’ Harry said.

      ‘I’m trying something different.’ Evelyn smiled at the twins. ‘Tonight we’re eating Russian!’

      ‘Ooh!’ Charlotte was delighted, Adam not so sure, and Harry was simply grinning because Evelyn was so Australian she thought beef stroganoff was exotic.

      Having Evelyn look after the children had, absolutely, been the best idea Harry had had.

      Actually, it had been Juan’s idea that he get an older carer for the children.

      Yep, mea culpa, Harry had slept with the last nanny and the one before that.

      It was exhausting being a widower at times!

      Seriously.

      Harry didn’t want a wife—he’d had Jill. Sex, though, that was another matter entirely. Why did women always have to complicate things by falling in love?

      At least Evelyn didn’t read a single thing into it when Harry suggested that instead of dashing off she join them for dinner.

      ‘Are you sure?’ Evelyn checked, but she was already pulling out a chair. ‘How was work?’

      ‘Good,’ Harry said, because, given he was home on time, it must have been a good day. ‘We’ve got a new nurse manager just started,’ Harry said. ‘She seems very efficient.’

      ‘She’s rude,’ Charlotte said.

      ‘Rude?’ Harry looked at his daughter, who was spooning sour cream onto her dinner, and tried to recall them meeting her. ‘How can you say Marnie’s rude? You barely even met her.’

      ‘She didn’t say hello to us,’ Charlotte said.

      ‘It was her first day,’ Harry commented. ‘I’m sure she had other things to think of.’ Though, as Harry wrestled the sour cream from Charlotte, he did dwell on it for just a second. Charlotte was right, well, not the rude part but usually people did