The Honourable Army Doc by Emily Forbes

one she thought they could manage unsupervised, leaving her free to have a few minutes alone with Quinn.
    ‘I think you deserve this,’ she said, as she went out to the terrace and handed him an icy-cold beer. He had the first of the skewers cooking on the hot plate and the spicy tandoori aromas were beginning to permeate the air.
    ‘Are you okay?’ Ali asked, as Quinn took a long draught of the beer. ‘The girls’ comments didn’t upset you?’
    ‘Their comments about what it takes to be a good husband?’
    Ali nodded her head as she sipped her drink.
    ‘I don’t think they meant it personally,’ he replied, ‘but I have to admit I wasn’t a very good husband.’ He shrugged and added, ‘But Julieanne wasn’t a great wife. We were not a match made in heaven, as they say, and I don’t think we were meant to get married. We wouldn’t have married if it wasn’t for the pregnancy. We thought,
I
thought, we were doing the right thing but it was a mistake. The marriage, not the pregnancy,’ he clarified. ‘The pregnancy was unplanned but we have never told the girls that. I didn’t want them growing up thinking they weren’t wanted. That’s not something a child should ever hear.’
    ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’
    ‘Sorry.’ He smiled, his brilliant blue eyes flashing, ‘I’m fine, just remembering why I insisted we get married.My father instilled a sense of duty in me from a very young age. He married my mother because he got her pregnant and he made no secret of the fact that he felt it was his duty and that he hadn’t planned on having kids. I spent my life trying to be the perfect son to make up for ruining his life but then I met Julieanne and something about her triggered a rebellious streak in me. And then, when Julieanne fell pregnant, I found myself trapped by duty in exactly the same way my father had been. Until then I had spent my life trying to make myself into the perfect son, someone a father could love and be proud of, and then I ended up repeating his mistakes.’
    ‘But he must be proud of you all the same?’
    ‘I’ll never know. He never said as much. My parents were killed in a light plane crash before the twins were born. The girls are named after my mother. She would have loved being a grandmother and maybe becoming a grandfather would have mellowed my father. I just don’t know. I’m not sure if he was ever proud of me but I think he wasn’t disappointed.’ Quinn shrugged his shoulders as if to shake off the memories. ‘Anyway, I had a vision of the type of father I’d be but it’s harder than I thought. I just hope I’m a better father than I was a husband.’
    Ali wondered if his past history had put him off marriage permanently but she wasn’t about to ask. There was no subtle way of posing that question so she chose to reassure him about his other concern. ‘If it makes you feel better, Julieanne thinks you’re a good father.’
    ‘I hope she’s right.’
    ‘Do you want to ring and check how she is?’
    ‘No. Helen will ring me if there’s a problem. Let’s just enjoy the few moments we have to ourselves. I’ve been looking forward to this all week.’
    Ali smiled. She had to agree. The afternoon was turning out to be almost perfect.
    Dinner was pronounced a success. The girls had made short work of the barbecued chicken skewers and mopped up their raita with the naan bread and Ali was thinking about clearing the table when Quinn’s phone rang.
    Ali could hear from his side of the conversation that it was Helen and she could tell by Quinn’s expression and the darkening of his eyes that something was wrong.
    ‘Girls, why don’t you go and wash your hands to get ready to make the burfi?’ she suggested, wanting to get them out of earshot. She stood too and gathered a couple of plates to clear, wanting to give Quinn some privacy.
    She returned to the table just as he was finishing the call. Quinn was pacing, his azure eyes dark with