“You ready to go?” I touched Georgia’s back gently, Rose’s eyes landing on me curiously. “I’m Seph. I work with your mum.”
She gave me a kind-of smile then buried her head in her mum’s neck.
“She’s shy sometimes with men.” Georgia looked at me through some of Rose’s hair. “Thank you for doing this. If you just drop us off we’ll be fine.”
“Okay.” I had no intention of just dropping them off, but she could find that out when I sat down with them in the waiting room.
Georgia got into the back seat, Rose clinging to her, looking sleepy. I hadn’t processed yet about the whole daughter thing, not sure whether I should be surprised or not, and knowing it didn’t matter what I thought about the whole thing. What mattered was getting the littlest four-year-old I’d ever seen checked out and her mum’s worries eased.
I swallowed hard as I started the car, catching sight of them in the rear view, Rose snuggling into Georgia, Georgia’s lips pressed to Rose’s head.
My sisters had always taken the piss out of how I drove; I was the opposite of the boy racer, sticking to the speed limit, keeping a safe distance, never losing my temper with other drivers. I never let it bother me, and right now, I was glad it was how I drove. Rose should’ve been on a booster seat, but I didn’t have one and I hadn’t thought to ask. If Payton could see how I was driving now, she’d have various comments dropping off her tongue.
I didn’t care. As much as I wanted my family to see me as being responsible and able, there were opinions of theirs that went in one ear and out the other. I pulled up outside accident and emergency, turning off the child locks and getting out.
“Thank you for the lift,” Georgia said, shuffling to the door with Rose still clinging to her. “I’ll let you know what I have to do tomorrow. I know it’s not ideal if I can’t get into the office but I’m not sure if…”
“Let’s talk about it later. It isn’t top of the list right now. You want me to take her while you get out?” It was a low car and getting out of it while holding a child was going to be some feat.
Georgia nodded. “Rose, can you go to Seph?”
The little girl looked at me with those big eyes. I reached my arms out to take her and felt a tug in my chest. She reached out for me and I clutched her to my chest, standing up and moving back so Georgia could get out.
“My cousin works here,” I said to Rose. “He’s a doctor who works with children. Maybe you’ll see him today.” It was unlikely, as Shay was a surgeon, but he could be around and there was no chance I wasn’t going to text him and see if he could make an appearance.
Her small hand grabbed onto my suit jacket, pulling at the material and her head rested against her chest.
“I can carry her in, if you want?” I looked at Georgia. “The car will be okay here for a couple of minutes.”
She looked from me to her daughter. “Are you sure?”
“Wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t. Shall I carry her in?”
There was a nod and she started walking with me to the entrance, her hand on Rose’s arm. “I can register her with reception.”
“There’s a note in her bag with what happened and what first aid they did.” The bag was on my shoulder. I paused to let Georgia rummage through it.
I sat down as close to reception as possible so Rose could see her mum, still holding her to me on my lap. She hadn’t let go yet, which had surprised me. Georgia had warned me that she wasn’t confident with men she didn’t know, but she seemed okay right now.
“How’s your head?”
Big eyes looked up at me. “It hurts.”
“It will get better.”
“Have you ever hurt your head?”
I nodded solemnly. “Three times.”
“How?”
“I fell, my brother hit me and I banged my head on a shelf and once I pretended I could fly and jumped out of a tree.”
“That was silly.”
Nothing like a four year old to put you right in your place.
“I know. I flew for about two seconds though.”
