A Doctor to Remember by Joanna Neil

muscular legs and bare chest with its taut six-pack. ‘From the looks of those people surfing, it must be an exhilarating experience,’ she said.
    ‘It is,’ Matt agreed. ‘If you’re interested, I could teach you how to do it—just as soon as we get a day on our own. Do you do any water sports?’
    ‘Um…I’ve a feeling I do. I know I can swim, anyway, and I think I might like to learn kite-surfing. It’s mostly men who do the sport, though, isn’t it?’
    ‘Not necessarily. A lot more women are getting into it nowadays. You’d start with a trainer kite and learn simple techniques first of all.’ He looked at her expectantly and she nodded.
    She was getting her confidence back now, feeling stronger day by day, and maybe it was time to accept some new challenges.
    ‘Maybe I’d like to try,’ she said, and he gave her a satisfied smile. She breathed in the salt sea air. It was good to be with him out here, and to look forward to more days like this, but didn’t she know, deep down, that she was playing with fire? She was getting closer to him all the time, when the sensible thing would be to keep her distance. It was quite clear he wasn’t looking for any serious involvement.
    He introduced her to his friends and she and Ben watched from the beach as they went out onto the water. Saffi walked along the sand with the contented little boy, helping him to collect shells in a plastic bucket, looking up every now and again to see the surfers wheeling and diving, letting the wind take them this way and that.
    Ben kicked off his shoes and splashed in the waves that lapped at the shore, while Saffi kept a close eye on him, and then they walked back to the base of the cliff where he could dig in the sand.
    She saw the surfers moving over the sea at a fast pace, some of them lifted up by the kites from the surface of the waves, skilfully controlling their movements and coming back down again to ride the water. The wind was getting up now, gusting fiercely, and she rummaged in her beach bag for a shirt for Ben.
    ‘Here, put this on. It’s getting a bit chilly out here.’
    He stopped digging for a while to put on the shirt and then he gazed out at the sea. ‘I can’t see Uncle Matt,’ he said. ‘He’s too far away.’
    ‘There are two of them in black wetsuits…I’m not sure, but I think that might be him coming in to the—’ She broke off, clasping a hand to her mouth in horror as she saw one of the surfers lifted up by a sudden squall. Was it Matt? His kite billowed, the fierce wind dragging him swiftly towards the cliffside so that he was powerless to do anything to stop it. He was hurtling towards the craggy rock face at speed, and Saffi’s stomach turned over in sheer dread. As she watched, he hit the jagged rocks near the foot of the cliff and crumpled on to the sand below.
    She saw it happen with a feeling of terror. Was it Matt? It couldn’t be Matt…she couldn’t bear it.
    She sprang to her feet. ‘Ben, come with me,’ she said urgently. ‘That man’s hurt and I have to help him. We need to get the medical kit from the car.’
    He didn’t argue but left his bucket and spade behind as they hurried up the cliff path to the car. ‘Is it Uncle Matt?’ he asked.
    ‘I don’t know, sweetheart.’ She rummaged in her bag for her phone and called for an ambulance.
    ‘Will you make him better?’
    She gently squeezed his hand. ‘I’ll do everything I can. But you must stay with me, Ben. You can’t wander off. I need to know you’re safe. Promise me you’ll stay close by me.’
    ‘I promise.’
    ‘Good boy. It might not be very nice to see the man that’s hurt, so you’ll probably need to look away.’ Heaven forbid it should turn out to be Matt. She studied him. ‘Okay?’
    He was solemn-faced, taking in the enormity of the situation. ‘Okay.’
    She whipped open the boot of the car, thankful that Matt had left the keys with her. She pulled out the heavy medical backpack and the