concealed irritation he plonked Sam on a nearby bench before spinning on his heel and fetching his top as ordered.
Their slow, hobbling journey to the medical centre was completed in silence and, although Blake stayed with her till she’d been checked over and given painkillers for her headache, the atmosphere was chilly.
‘I’ll see you to the mess,’ he said when the MO told her to take the rest of the day off and lie down.
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘You’re not well, you’ve had a bang on the head and Sergeant Armstrong told me to look after you.’
‘And I’m telling you I’m all right.’ She glared at Blake.
He stopped walking. ‘Oh yes? If you’re so all right why did the MO stand you down for the rest of the day? I’m sorry, but I am going to see you to the mess and make sure the staff there look after you properly and you’re in no position to stop me. Ma’am.’
Sam felt too shit and too tired to argue. If he wanted to trail along after her it was no skin off her nose, although she was quite surprised by his chivalry – if that’s what it was.
8
‘Maddy.’ Seb’s voice permeated Maddy’s brain. Then he called her name again, louder. She was jolted awake. Shit, she must have dropped off.
‘Hello, Seb. You home already?’ she called. She rubbed her eyes and tried to look bright and breezy.
Seb walked into the sitting room. At the sight of his father, Nathan hauled himself upright using the bars of the playpen that contained him, and held his arms up to be carried. Seb lifted his son out and then instantly dumped him on Maddy’s lap.
‘Yuck, he’s soaking. Poor little mite,’ Seb admonished. ‘How long have you been asleep and ignoring him?’
Maddy scrambled to her feet. ‘Just a couple of minutes, honest,’ she lied.
Seb rolled his eyes. Maddy took Nathan and shot upstairs to change him.
‘You know, she said to her son, kissing the top of his head, ‘it wouldn’t have done your daddy any harm to change you for once, now, would it?’ Nathan gurgled and gave her a gummy smile.
When she got back downstairs with a clean and dry baby, Seb was happily reading the paper. She plopped Nathan back in his playpen.
‘God, that child spends his life in there,’ said Seb.
‘He does not,’ said Maddy. ‘He and I spent ages at the swings today and we went for a walk, but I can’t cope with him rushing around when I’m doing other things.’
‘Like sleeping.’ said Seb.
She decided to ignore the comment. ‘And now I am going to make you a cup of tea and cook Nate’s supper. But,’ said Maddy, picking Nathan out of his pen, ‘since you are here, you can take over.’ She plonked the toddler on Seb’s lap.
‘But I was reading the paper.’
‘Read it later,’ said Maddy, disappearing to the kitchen. Honestly, she’d like to see Seb cope with a baby and housework and cooking with Nathan underfoot. Besides, he had all his toys in his playpen so he was hardly having a deprived childhood. She made up a plate of finger food for Nathan’s supper and then buttered some bread to go with it. When she returned to the sitting room to get him she found he was back in his playpen and Seb was, once more, immersed behind the paper.
Huh, she thought, do as I say, not as I do… It was nearly eight by the time she’d got Nathan bathed and ready for bed and then cooked supper for Seb and herself. She reckoned she might make it as far as the ten o’clock news before she collapsed. She was knackered.
‘By the way, before I forget, I won’t be around this weekend,’ announced Seb as he tucked into his pasta bake.
‘Really? Rowing?’
‘Kind of. That assessment weekend for potential rowers that I’ve been spammed to run – it’s this weekend.’
‘Oh. Will you be away for all of it?’
‘I’m going to leave before lunch on Friday. There’s going to be tented accommodation set up for the participants and I need to make sure that’s all sorted before the rowers arrive.
Their slow, hobbling journey to the medical centre was completed in silence and, although Blake stayed with her till she’d been checked over and given painkillers for her headache, the atmosphere was chilly.
‘I’ll see you to the mess,’ he said when the MO told her to take the rest of the day off and lie down.
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘You’re not well, you’ve had a bang on the head and Sergeant Armstrong told me to look after you.’
‘And I’m telling you I’m all right.’ She glared at Blake.
He stopped walking. ‘Oh yes? If you’re so all right why did the MO stand you down for the rest of the day? I’m sorry, but I am going to see you to the mess and make sure the staff there look after you properly and you’re in no position to stop me. Ma’am.’
Sam felt too shit and too tired to argue. If he wanted to trail along after her it was no skin off her nose, although she was quite surprised by his chivalry – if that’s what it was.
8
‘Maddy.’ Seb’s voice permeated Maddy’s brain. Then he called her name again, louder. She was jolted awake. Shit, she must have dropped off.
‘Hello, Seb. You home already?’ she called. She rubbed her eyes and tried to look bright and breezy.
Seb walked into the sitting room. At the sight of his father, Nathan hauled himself upright using the bars of the playpen that contained him, and held his arms up to be carried. Seb lifted his son out and then instantly dumped him on Maddy’s lap.
‘Yuck, he’s soaking. Poor little mite,’ Seb admonished. ‘How long have you been asleep and ignoring him?’
Maddy scrambled to her feet. ‘Just a couple of minutes, honest,’ she lied.
Seb rolled his eyes. Maddy took Nathan and shot upstairs to change him.
‘You know, she said to her son, kissing the top of his head, ‘it wouldn’t have done your daddy any harm to change you for once, now, would it?’ Nathan gurgled and gave her a gummy smile.
When she got back downstairs with a clean and dry baby, Seb was happily reading the paper. She plopped Nathan back in his playpen.
‘God, that child spends his life in there,’ said Seb.
‘He does not,’ said Maddy. ‘He and I spent ages at the swings today and we went for a walk, but I can’t cope with him rushing around when I’m doing other things.’
‘Like sleeping.’ said Seb.
She decided to ignore the comment. ‘And now I am going to make you a cup of tea and cook Nate’s supper. But,’ said Maddy, picking Nathan out of his pen, ‘since you are here, you can take over.’ She plonked the toddler on Seb’s lap.
‘But I was reading the paper.’
‘Read it later,’ said Maddy, disappearing to the kitchen. Honestly, she’d like to see Seb cope with a baby and housework and cooking with Nathan underfoot. Besides, he had all his toys in his playpen so he was hardly having a deprived childhood. She made up a plate of finger food for Nathan’s supper and then buttered some bread to go with it. When she returned to the sitting room to get him she found he was back in his playpen and Seb was, once more, immersed behind the paper.
Huh, she thought, do as I say, not as I do… It was nearly eight by the time she’d got Nathan bathed and ready for bed and then cooked supper for Seb and herself. She reckoned she might make it as far as the ten o’clock news before she collapsed. She was knackered.
‘By the way, before I forget, I won’t be around this weekend,’ announced Seb as he tucked into his pasta bake.
‘Really? Rowing?’
‘Kind of. That assessment weekend for potential rowers that I’ve been spammed to run – it’s this weekend.’
‘Oh. Will you be away for all of it?’
‘I’m going to leave before lunch on Friday. There’s going to be tented accommodation set up for the participants and I need to make sure that’s all sorted before the rowers arrive.
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