Needed: Full-Time Father (Medical Romance) by Carol Marinelli Page B

answer, Helen pulled out some mugs and switched on the kettle, her face pack cracking as she gave Madison a sympathetic smile. ‘It must have been hard—saying goodbye to someone you care about.’
    ‘It was,’ Madison said quietly, immersed in double meanings, her mind spinning from the emotionally draining day. ‘It really was.’

CHAPTER FIVE
    ‘Y OU’VE had an exceedingly challenging week.’ Kerry, Madison’s life coach, leant back in her very nice navy leather chair and crossed her very neat legs. ‘But you’ve coped admirably.’ Shuffling through Madison’s papers, she ticked off some boxes. ‘Madison, you’ve done amazingly well. Your salary has increased enough to send your daughter to your chosen school, you’ve your own parking space, and you’re even managing to go to the hospital gym for a workout twice a week, as well as walking with Emily some evenings. You’ve attained everything you set out to.’
    ‘I guess.’ Madison stared out of the massive window into the busy street below, watching an ambulance weaving through the early afternoon traffic, the thick, double-glazed window muting the wail of the siren. But Emily could see the flashing lights, the urgency of the vehicle as it picked its way around the slowing cars, and Madison wondered what was coming into the department, wanted to be down there, finding out. Instead, she darted her eyes away and looked over atKerry. ‘The thing is—I don’t actually need a parking space,’ Madison gulped, watching as Kerry gave her a slightly perplexed look. ‘I mean, it’s nice and everything but, given the fact I’m not arriving with all the other early staff, I could quite easily find a spot to park. I don’t really need my own parking space.’
    ‘But it shows how well you’re doing,’ Kelly pointed out. ‘The same way you can now comfortably afford to move Emily to the school you’ve chosen for her.’
    ‘Even though Emily’s happy at the school she’s at?’ Madison was as confused as Kerry. ‘Maybe taking her out isn’t such a good idea after all. I don’t know why it seemed so important.’
    ‘It was one of your goals,’ Kerry pointed out, tapping the paperwork in front of her then handing it over to Madison.
    Madison stared at her own handwriting, which said exactly the same thing, trying to remember a time when two yellow lines to park her car between had seemed so important, when a posh school with a boater for Emily to attend had seemed so vital, scarcely able to believe that the date above was only a month ago. ‘And you’ve attained them. You should be feeling pretty pleased with yourself.’
    ‘And I am.’ Madison nodded, more to convince Kerry than herself, watching as she shuffled the paperwork in front of her and silently dreading what she knew was about to come.
    ‘Now, we’ve addressed the financial and physical side of your life. You’re in great shape in both areas, butit’s time we looked at the emotional side of things. What are your goals there, Madison? Where do you see yourself in twelve months’ time?’
    ‘Coming off my shift to a graffitied car in my personal parking space and signing cheques to a school I can’t actually afford, which my daughter doesn’t want to go to…’ As Kerry crossed and re-crossed her legs, stumbled for an answer to her client’s inappropriate response, Madison gave a rather helpless laugh.
    ‘I think the goalposts just moved.’
    ‘That’s why we meet regularly,’ Kerry responded quickly. ‘Life is an evolving process. Now that your financial and health needs are being met, now that there’s order in your life, we can deal with the emotional aspects, find out what it is that Madison Walsh wants.’
    ‘You mean, write out another list.’ Madison frowned. ‘List my ideal partner?’
    ‘Not necessarily,’ Kerry said. ‘I’m not for a moment suggesting you can only be emotionally complete with a partner by your side. But your emotional needs do need to be