over and talk to them about children, because Joey wasn’t really hers. Besides, she only recognised a couple of the children on the pitch from Penhally, and a swift scan of the sidelines told her that their mums weren’t at the match—they were obviously at home looking after the younger children.
In the end, she simply stood on the sidelines, watching Tom and Joey, thinking miserably that she was never going to fit in with Tom’s crowd. Maybe they ought to stop this disaster of a relationship before it had really begun.
Megan shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. What an idiot she was, turning up to the father-and-son football match. And all to catch a glimpse of Josh. Stupid, really. Josh was only there because one of the emergency department doctors had got flu and had had to drop out. He didn’t even have a child with him.
Though if things had been different, he would’ve done. A seven-year-old boy. A boy with Josh’s indigo-blue eyes and ready smile, perhaps. A boy who adored his father and had grown up knowing how much he was loved by both his parents…
The back of her throat felt tight. There was no point in wishing things were different, because they weren’t. She’d lost the baby. And more. She never would have a child of her own. The nearest she could get to it was through her work, saving the lives of other people’s precious babies.
And that had to be enough.
She swallowed hard. She really shouldn’t have come today. Better to leave now—before Josh saw her and started asking questions.
To her surprise, Flora discovered that she enjoyed watching the game and cheering as Tom scored a goal. She had a flask of hot chocolate in her basket ready for half-time, and had alsospent the Saturday afternoon making a batch of brownies and cookies. She poured a small mug of hot chocolate for Joey; Tom simply stole her mug, deliberately sipped from exactly the same spot that she had, and gave her a smile that made her knees go weak. And suddenly it didn’t matter that she was on her own on the sidelines; Tom and Joey wanted her there, and that was the main thing.
‘Enjoying it?’ Tom asked.
She smiled. ‘Yes.’ It wasn’t a complete fib; now he and Joey were here with her, she was definitely enjoying it.
Josh spotted Megan on the sidelines. On her own. But why would she come to a football match? Unless…
‘Pay attention, Josh! That was an easy pass. You should’ve scored.’
‘Sorry, mate.’ Josh held his hands up in acknowledgement of the fault. But all the same he couldn’t help looking for Megan during the match, trying to catch her eye. When the whistle blew for half-time, he caught one of the others. ‘Can you substitute me for a bit? Something I really need to do.’
‘What,
now?’
‘Yes, now,’ Josh said, clapping his team-mate’s shoulder. If Megan was here, unless she was here as the medical support—which he very much doubted—it was to see him. And he couldn’t pass up the chance that she might be ready to talk to him. To start sorting things out between them.
Except, when he reached the place he’d seen her, she wasn’t there. He scanned the sidelines and couldn’t see her there, either. Maybe she was in the car park.
But a swift search of the car park told him that Megan had gone.
Needing a moment to himself, he leaned against the bonnet of his own car. Why had she come here in the first place? Hedidn’t have a clue what was going on in her head. But one thing he did know: they needed to talk. Properly.
Five minutes into the second half, one of the players fell to the ground and rolled onto his back, clutching his leg. The referee stopped the match. Automatically, Flora went over; her skills were needed, and that was enough to push her shyness and feelings of awkwardness into the background. ‘I’m a nurse,’ she explained. ‘Can I do anything to help?’
The referee gave her a grateful look. ‘Yes, please. This is Ian.’
‘What happened, Ian?’
In the end, she simply stood on the sidelines, watching Tom and Joey, thinking miserably that she was never going to fit in with Tom’s crowd. Maybe they ought to stop this disaster of a relationship before it had really begun.
Megan shoved her hands deeper into her pockets. What an idiot she was, turning up to the father-and-son football match. And all to catch a glimpse of Josh. Stupid, really. Josh was only there because one of the emergency department doctors had got flu and had had to drop out. He didn’t even have a child with him.
Though if things had been different, he would’ve done. A seven-year-old boy. A boy with Josh’s indigo-blue eyes and ready smile, perhaps. A boy who adored his father and had grown up knowing how much he was loved by both his parents…
The back of her throat felt tight. There was no point in wishing things were different, because they weren’t. She’d lost the baby. And more. She never would have a child of her own. The nearest she could get to it was through her work, saving the lives of other people’s precious babies.
And that had to be enough.
She swallowed hard. She really shouldn’t have come today. Better to leave now—before Josh saw her and started asking questions.
To her surprise, Flora discovered that she enjoyed watching the game and cheering as Tom scored a goal. She had a flask of hot chocolate in her basket ready for half-time, and had alsospent the Saturday afternoon making a batch of brownies and cookies. She poured a small mug of hot chocolate for Joey; Tom simply stole her mug, deliberately sipped from exactly the same spot that she had, and gave her a smile that made her knees go weak. And suddenly it didn’t matter that she was on her own on the sidelines; Tom and Joey wanted her there, and that was the main thing.
‘Enjoying it?’ Tom asked.
She smiled. ‘Yes.’ It wasn’t a complete fib; now he and Joey were here with her, she was definitely enjoying it.
Josh spotted Megan on the sidelines. On her own. But why would she come to a football match? Unless…
‘Pay attention, Josh! That was an easy pass. You should’ve scored.’
‘Sorry, mate.’ Josh held his hands up in acknowledgement of the fault. But all the same he couldn’t help looking for Megan during the match, trying to catch her eye. When the whistle blew for half-time, he caught one of the others. ‘Can you substitute me for a bit? Something I really need to do.’
‘What,
now?’
‘Yes, now,’ Josh said, clapping his team-mate’s shoulder. If Megan was here, unless she was here as the medical support—which he very much doubted—it was to see him. And he couldn’t pass up the chance that she might be ready to talk to him. To start sorting things out between them.
Except, when he reached the place he’d seen her, she wasn’t there. He scanned the sidelines and couldn’t see her there, either. Maybe she was in the car park.
But a swift search of the car park told him that Megan had gone.
Needing a moment to himself, he leaned against the bonnet of his own car. Why had she come here in the first place? Hedidn’t have a clue what was going on in her head. But one thing he did know: they needed to talk. Properly.
Five minutes into the second half, one of the players fell to the ground and rolled onto his back, clutching his leg. The referee stopped the match. Automatically, Flora went over; her skills were needed, and that was enough to push her shyness and feelings of awkwardness into the background. ‘I’m a nurse,’ she explained. ‘Can I do anything to help?’
The referee gave her a grateful look. ‘Yes, please. This is Ian.’
‘What happened, Ian?’
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