Nadia laughed. ‘If only.’
Before they left the hospital, it was confirmed that Lena would remain with the doctors and nurses until social services appointed an approved foster carer.
‘I’ll come up here again tomorrow to see her,’ said Nadia as Hudson pulled out of the car park.
‘That’s a nice idea.’ Even though he was driving, he sneaked a quick look to see she’d turned in her seat to face him.
‘You don’t think it’s weird?’
‘The Skylarks are forever crossing boundaries. And I think we do it well.’ Nadia was in charge of keeping the team operating effectively, managing their schedules, ensuring they ran efficiently, but she cared; they all did. It was part of what made them all keep coming back to the job.
‘She’s all alone in the world,’ said Nadia, her voice catching on her words.
‘She’s not alone; she’s safe. And she’s in good hands. And whoever left her, they either weren’t thinking straight or they felt they had no choice.’ He couldn’t be sure of the circumstances but a parent rarely left their child on a whim. And one as well looked after as Lena? It hinted that whoever had abandoned her, whether it was the mother or someone else, they loved her very much.
‘I was so relieved when she took the bottle. Do you think the nurse was right: that Lena was likely breastfed and wondered what on earth was going on? She must’ve known none of us were her mother; she was waiting to be in her arms.’
‘Maybe, but she was pretty happy with you.’
‘How long until she’s placed with a social worker?’
She sounded worn out. He wanted to ask why this case had hit so hard, ask whether she needed to talk. This woman had a huge heart, a warmth, a way with people that he’d admired right from his very first day at the air ambulance base.
‘It could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days, but they’ll do it as soon as they can. She doesn’t have health concerns that require a stay in hospital; better to get her to a homely environment.’
He pulled in at the kerb outside her house.
‘Thank you for bringing me home, Hudson. You’d better get back to your kids.’
‘No worries at all, and my parents leapt in to look after Carys. Beau went because he enjoys their company.’
‘Is Lucinda out of town? On your birthday?’
He’d mentioned his parents without even thinking. ‘Couldn’t be helped. Oh… and thank you for the brownies and the cake again – haven’t had any of the latter yet but tomorrow is another day.’
‘Let’s hope they’ve left us some cake back at the base. And you’re very welcome for the brownies.’
With a smile and yet another thank you, Nadia got out of the car.
As he drove to his parents’ to collect the kids, Hudson thought about the woman he’d married and the woman he was getting to know as a friend. They couldn’t be more different, both in looks and personality. Lucinda had a sharp brunette bob with eyes that missed nothing and her appearance was on a par with her work ethic, her utter drive and determination in her job as an actuary with an insurance company. Nadia on the other hand had soft blonde waves in her hair and a smile that was impossible to ignore. She was a people person, like he was, and she had a way of talking to you that made you feel as if you were important, as if you mattered.
And now he drew another comparison because the way Nadia had been with Lena today had him imagine what she would be like as a mother. She’d be the one to volunteer at nursery, to accompany them on school trips, to let them get messy with paints at home, take care of them when they were sick. Lucinda loved Beau and Carys, Hudson knew that, but she’d never wanted a family as much as Hudson had and had never done those things. They’d fallen pregnant by mistake with Beau and he knew that had Beau not come along, it was unlikely they ever would’ve stayed together. Lucinda cheated on him a few years into their marriage but when he found out, she insisted she didn’t want to end their relationship, that nothing mattered more than keeping her family together. She told him then thatthey should keep trying for another baby, the second baby they’d never been blessed with despite their efforts. And so, with the lure of the bigger family he’d always longed for, he’d accepted that she made a terrible mistake and they’d tried to make their marriage work.
They were still trying to make it work when Lucinda found out she was pregnant with Carys. That was when Lucinda’s biggest lie had come to the fore. Hudson’s way of coping was to focus on their family; her way of coping was to throw herself into her work for as long as she could, working right up until the day before she gave birth. She took minimum maternity leave before she got back to what she loved best – her job and the part of her life that was solely hers. She had a harder edge when it came to family than he did. And that harder edge was what had come between them as a couple in the end. She’d had another affair, she wasn’t very good at hiding them, and making their relationship work became impossible. They’d tried for the sake of the kids but it was obvious that staying together for Beau and Carys would likely make everyone unhappy.
He pulled up outside his parents’ home. All he wanted now was for Beau and Carys to settle into this new life of theirs, seeing both parents separately, spending the majority of their time with their dad. Lucinda had cheated on him twice at least when they were married – twice that he’d found out about anyway – and now she had a new boyfriend. She’d introduced the guy to the kids even though the divorce had only been finalised last month and while Hudson didn’t mind that she was moving on, he did mind when it affected the children. And from what he could make out, Beau wasn’t overly keen on this new man at all. He wouldn’t tell Hudson anything about him; he always asked his mother ifhewas going to be there when she came to pick him and his sister up.
Hudson went inside his parents’ home to be greeted by the sound of laughter – his mum’s and Carys’s. He wanted to immerse himself in the sound; he wished he could hear more of it at home, especially with Beau.
All he wanted these days was for his kids to be happy, to feel safe and loved because his kids were his whole world.Nothing else mattered as much as they did.
4
Nadia was nervous. In the reception area of the airbase, she watched the television camera operators outside hovering, ready for her. Various onlookers had begun to assemble and she wasn’t sure whether she could do this. Conrad, lead detective on the case to find the missing mother of baby Lena, had asked her to speak and appeal to the mother to come forward.
‘Are you sure someone on the force wouldn’t be better at this than I would?’ Nadia fussed with the frill collar of her floral blouse, an open collar that in some way felt as if it was getting tighter, as if it might hamper her efforts to speak.
Conrad faced her square on. ‘In cases like these, women… mothers… often relate to other women. Based on my experience, I made the call to hold the appeal here at the airbase where the baby was found and to have you speak as you were the one who found her. It gives the case a personal, softer edge. It might make all the difference.’
