The Doctor Meets Her Match. Annie Claydon

      ‘Over there.’ Abby followed the little girl’s pointing finger to a group of younger children at the shallow end of the pool, supervised by two women.

      ‘Well, why don’t you go and join them? But there’s something I’d like to tell you first.’

      ‘Okay.’ Half the child’s attention was already on her playmates.

      ‘If anyone ever hurts you or makes fun of you, you should tell an adult. Your mum or dad, or one of your teachers.’ That hadn’t worked too well for Abby, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t good advice in general. ‘Will you remember that?’

      ‘All right.’ The child nodded solemnly and scuttled away, the jibes of the older girls seemingly forgotten. Abby sat back on her heels and took a deep breath to steady herself. The adult in her told her that banging the bullies’ heads together and throwing them in the pool wasn’t going to help anyone, least of all their victim. The child in her was itching to do just that.

      The sound of feet scuffling on the tiles as the group behind her broke up, saved her from herself. Abby turned and saw Nick approaching and got to her feet, pulling the towel back around her.

      ‘You’re shivering.’ He’d followed her to the bench at the side of the pool and lowered himself down next to her.

      She wasn’t shivering, she was trembling. There was a difference and Nick knew it as well as she did. ‘I’m okay. I should let someone know…’

      ‘Go and get dressed.’ He indicated the children’s swimming coach with a nod of his head. ‘I’ll let Diane know what’s happened.’

      He was right. She had to let go of this, pass it over to the people who were best placed to do something. It was hard, though. Abby had worked through the fear and self-loathing from her own childhood but seeing another child bullied had created a whole new set of emotions. Anger and helplessness had smacked her hard in the face, leaving her reeling.

      ‘Go and get changed.’ He had already caught Diane’s eye and was pulling himself to his feet, grabbing his crutches.

      There was nothing for it but to do as he said. Abby sat for a moment, watching Nick and Diane as they talked. It was okay. Everything was going to be okay. She repeated the words over to herself as she made her way towards the entrance to the changing rooms.

      Nick only had to get out of his sweatpants and canvas shoes then pull on a pair of jeans, but when he made it to the reception area he found that Abby was already there, waiting for him. ‘Is she all right?’ She fired the words at him almost before he had reached her.

      ‘She’s fine. Diane’s talked to her and she’s going to have a word with the mother. She asked me to thank you for spotting what was going on and breaking it up.’

      She nodded wordlessly, her eyes fixed on the floor. It seemed that what he’d done met with her approval.

      ‘You ready for breakfast, then?’ Maybe he’d ask her. About that haunted look in her eyes and the way she’d reacted at the poolside. The way she was reacting now.

      ‘I’m a little tired. Maybe another time.’

      He supposed that ‘another time’ meant when he’d forgotten all about what had happened here this morning. That wasn’t going to happen. ‘Abby, I know that no case of bullying should be taken lightly…’ he didn’t know quite how to put this ‘… but you seem very upset.’

      The look in her eyes told him that he was right. She’d chosen to see something else, something that she remembered rather than what had actually gone on here. But her lips, pressed together tightly, showed that she wasn’t about to admit anything of the sort. ‘I’m tired, Nick, and I didn’t react appropriately. It was a mistake.’

      ‘Our mistakes often tell us more than anything.’ Nick smiled to soften the words. It wasn’t a criticism. Or if it was, it was aimed primarily at himself.

      ‘And what this one tells me is that I’m tired and I need to get home.’

      ‘Are you sure?’ He shouldn’t be questioning her like this. Or rather he shouldn’t care so much. If he didn’t care about her answers, then asking would have been okay.

      He was about to get the brush-off—he could almost see the lie forming on her lips. He caught her gaze, searching her pale blue eyes, and for a moment he saw the truth and wanted to hold Abby, protect her from every real and imagined threat.

      ‘I’m going home, Nick.’ She swung her swimming bag onto her shoulder and would have walked away from him if he’d let her.

      He’d cared too much, pushed her too hard, and now she’d drawn back. Nick preferred not to think about what that mistake said about him. ‘I’ll drop by later in the week with the detailed itinerary.’

      ‘Good. Thanks.’

      ‘Keep up the good work.’

      ‘Right.’ There was no stopping her from going, this time. She turned and walked away from him, turning in the doorway to give him a wave that looked far more like Goodbye and good riddance than See you later, and then she was gone.