Knight on the Children's Ward by Carol Marinelli

there needed no explanation or discussion. It just was. It just is , Annika thought.
    His chest smelt as she remembered. He was, she decided as she rested in his arms, an absolute contradiction, because he both relaxed and excited her. She could feel herself unwind. She felt the hammer of his heart in her ear and looked up.
    â€˜One kiss,’ she said.
    â€˜Look where that got us last time.’
    â€˜Just one,’ Annika said, ‘to chase away the day.’
    So he kissed her. His lovely mouth kissed hers and her wretched day disappeared. He tasted as unique as he had the first time he’d kissed her, as if blended just for her. His mouth made hers an expert. They moved as if they were reuniting, tongues blending and chasing. His body was taut, and made hers do bold things like press a little into him. Her fingers wanted to hook into the loop of his belt and pull him in harder, and so she did. Their breathing was ragged and close and vital, and when he pulled back he gave her that delicious smile.
    â€˜Come on.’
    He gave her his oldest, slowest, most trustworthy horse to ride, and helped her climb on, but even as the horse moved a couple of steps she felt as if the ground was giving way and let out a nervous call.
    â€˜Sit back in the saddle.’ Ross grinned. ‘Just relax back into it.’
    She felt as if she would fall backwards, or slide off, every muscle in her body tense as they clopped at a snail’s pace out of the stables.
    â€˜Keep your heels down,’ Ross said, as if it were thateasy. Every few steps she lost a stirrup, but the horse, along with Ross, was so endlessly patient that soon they were walking. Annika concentrated on not leaning forward and keeping her heels down, and there was freedom, the freedom of thinking about nothing other than somehow staying on. After a little while Ross goaded her into kicking into a trot.
    â€˜Count out loud if it helps.’ He was beside her, holding his own reins in one hand as she bumped along. It was exciting for maybe thirty seconds, as she found her rhythm and then lost it. She pulled on the reins to stop, and then the only thing Annika could do was laugh. She laughed with a strange freedom, exhilaration ripping through her, and Ross was laughing too.
    â€˜Better?’
    â€˜Much.’ She was breathless—from laughing, from riding, from dragging in the delicious scent of dusk, and then, when she slid off the horse and he spread out a picnic, she was breathless from just looking at him.
    â€˜It helped,’ Annika said. ‘You were right.’
    â€˜After a bad day at work,’ Ross said, ‘or a difficult night, this is what I do and it works every time.’ He gave her a smile. ‘It worked for me today.’
    â€˜Was today a bad day?’ Annika asked, and he looked at her.
    â€˜Today was an exceptionally bad day.’
    â€˜Really?’ She cast her mind back. Was there something she had missed on the ward? An emergency in ICU, perhaps?
    But Ross smiled. ‘I had a meeting with the CEO!’
    â€˜I wondered what was with the suit.’
    â€˜On my return they want me to commit to a three-year contract. So far I have managed to avoid it…’
    â€˜Does a three-year contract worry you?’
    â€˜More the conditions.’ He gave a tight smile. ‘I’m a good doctor, Annika, but apparently wearing a suit every day will make me a better one.’
    â€˜At least it’s not an apron,’ she joked, but then she was serious. ‘You are a good doctor—but why would you commit if you are not sure it is what you want?’
    And never, not once, had he had that response.
    Always, for ever and always, it had been, ‘It’s just a suit. What about the mortgage? What if…?’
    â€˜I love my job,’ Ross said.
    â€˜Do you love the kids or the job?’ Annika checked, and Ross smiled again. ‘There will always be work for you,