Connor pressed the bell at Jessica’s house. He’d had to grovel twice since his call with Olivia, once to ask his parents to pick up Ellie, once to ask Ivan, one of the chefs, to swap shifts with him. Surprisingly, the first had been easier than the second, a fact he put down to Olivia because she’d ticked all the boxes required to gain his parents’ approval. Boxes he’d never managed to tick. Ivan had been unhappy at the thought of getting out of bed before eleven a.m. but had reluctantly agreed when Connor offered to do two of his late shifts in return. A price he figured was totally worth paying when he caught the look of relief on Olivia’s face as she opened the door to him.
“How’s the patient?” he asked, bending to give her a soft kiss.
“Swinging between hot and cold, saying she’s thirsty but I don’t know whether she should have anything to drink, as she didn’t keep the last lot down. Oh, and her stomach aches, but I can’t find the blasted hot-water bottle in any of the places Jessica thinks she left it.” She blew out a breath, her cheeks flushed. From the neck up, she looked frazzled. Neck down, in her black tailored suit, she looked professional, smart, and capable of anything.
“Have you taken her temperature?”
“No. Damn it, why didn’t I think of that? There must be a thermometer in the medicine cabinet.” She exhaled heavily. “At least I know wherethatis now.”
While she went off to find it, he wandered through to the lounge to find Mia. “Not feeling good, huh?”
“My tummy hurts and Aunt Olivia can’t find the hottie.”
He gave her hair a gentle tousle. “Okay, let’s see if we can find something else.”
He walked into the kitchen, opened the fridge-freezer, and found a frozen gel pack. After running it under the tap to defrost, he popped it in the microwave for thirty seconds. While he was waiting, he pushed out a few ice cubes from the freezer and smashed them to make ice chips.
By the time Olivia returned with the thermometer, Mia was holding the warm pad to her tummy.
“You’ve found something for her stomach?” She popped the thermometer under her niece’s tongue.
“Yeah, these things do both cool and warm.” He nodded to the ice chips. “Ellie likes to suck on them when she’s sick. Helps with the thirst until she can try a drink.”
“And when would that be, Dr. Connor?”
He gave a wry shake of his head. “I’ve been through this a few times. Genuine doctors have advised me to wait a couple of hours after the last vomit before trying sips of water. If she’s good with that, move to clear fizzy drinks, sports drinks if there are any.”
Olivia read the thermometer and showed it to him.
“High, but not alarming.” He gave Mia a gentle nudge. “You’ll be fine. Just need to take it easy for a few days.” He turned back to Olivia. “There’ll be some paracetamol in the medicine cabinet. It’ll help bring the temperature down.”
Olivia darted back up to get the liquid paracetamol. Once she’d given Mia a spoonful and settled the ice chips next to her, Olivia curled her hand around his and led him to the kitchen.
“Thank you for coming.” Her shoulders sagged as she let out a deep, frustrated-sounding breath. “I feel useless. I’ve never had to take care of anyone who’s ill, never mind a child.”
He brushed his mouth against hers. “You did the most important thing.”
“What’s that?”
He tucked away the strand of hair that was out of place. “You were there for her.”
“Even if I was clueless?”
He’d never seen her like this, so unsure, doubting herself. He ran his hands down her arms and drew her to him. “You think Ihaven’tbeen winging it these past nine years? But one thing I’ve learned is that all most sick kids want is to know somebody is there to care for them.”
For a few moments he just held her, rubbing circles on the small of her back, feeling her muscles slowly relax. “What about the presentation?” he asked finally.
“Stuart’s going to do it.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “He’ll be starting it in about fifteen minutes. You can imagine how pleased he was at the prospect.”
Connor looked over at Mia, then down at Olivia. “If you went back now, would it help? If Jessica’s okay with it, I can stay until she comes home.”
“But what about Ellie? And your work?”
He shrugged. “I’ve swapped shifts, and my parents are on standby to look after Ellie.”
“Seriously?”
“Livvy, if you need me, I’ll find a way to be there for you. That’s what a relationship is all about.”
