The Honourable Army Doc by Emily Forbes Page A

worry.
    ‘What’s happened?’
    ‘Julieanne has had another seizure. The ambulance is there, they’re taking her to hospital.’
    ‘Do you need to go?’
    Quinn nodded.
    ‘Do you want me to drive you?’
    ‘No. But can I ask another favour? Would you look after the girls for me?’
    ‘Of course.’ Ali didn’t hesitate. She would do anything for him. ‘Leave me your house key, I’ll take them homea bit later and put them to bed.’ Quinn unhooked his car key and handed her the remaining keys. Ali raised herself up on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. A kiss that was meant to bolster his spirits and let him know she was there for him. She couldn’t put her feelings into words, not yet, she could only show him through her actions. ‘Go. I’ll tell the girls something.’
    By the time Quinn got home Ali had put the girls to bed and was curled up on the couch by the pot-belly stove. She had lit the fire and the room was cosy and warm. She stood up as Quinn came through the back door. His eyes were dark and tired and he looked as though he needed cosiness and warmth. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight, relishing the feel of his muscles under her fingers, relishing his size as she tried to bolster his strength.
    ‘How is she?’ Ali asked.
    ‘The specialist ordered another scan, there’s a second tumour.’
    ‘Another one?’ She stepped back, releasing Quinn from her arms as she sought out his face. ‘The radiotherapy isn’t working?’
    Quinn kept his arms around her as he shook his head. ‘It appears so.’
    ‘Do you want to go back to the hospital?’ she offered. ‘I can stay with the girls.’
    ‘No. Helen wanted to wait there and I just need to stop for a moment. I need time to make sense of all this.’
    His voice was heavy and flat, he sounded more thantired, and Ali wondered what she could do to help. What would he need?
    ‘Do you want me to go?’ she asked. ‘Do you need to be alone?’
    Quinn shook his head. ‘Can you stay? I can focus better when you’re near. I can breathe and my mind feels clearer.’
    Ali nodded. Her heart was singing—he needed her.
    ‘Thank you,’ he said. He dropped his arms from her waist only once she agreed to stay. He crossed the room, heading towards the kitchen. There was a bottle of cabernet sauvignon on the kitchen bench and he took a wine glass from the cupboard and filled it. ‘Do you mind if I just have a quick shower? I want to get the hospital smell off me,’ he asked as he handed her the glass of red wine and put the bottle onto the coffee table in front of her.
    Ali reached for the glass. ‘Do you need me to wash your back for you?’ She smiled, only half-joking. Her confidence was soaring, bolstered by the idea that he needed her, that he wanted her to stay.
    His blue eyes flashed and they were back to their brilliant azure best, all traces of shadow gone as he grinned at her. ‘That’s a hard offer to refuse but what if the girls wake up and come looking for me? I’m not ready to explain this to them.’
    ‘Of course. I understand.’ And she did. But it also made her wonder what they were doing. It was hardly the right time to get involved with him. She knew that for Quinn she was probably a good distraction, something pleasant in an otherwise fairly torrid time in hislife, but what if it was nothing more than that? Did it matter? What did she want?
    Quinn headed for the shower as Ali considered what she wanted. She didn’t need a knight in shining armour but She was a romantic and she did believe in happy endings. She didn’t need rescuing but she did want to find love. She wanted to be loved. Cherished. Adored. But she didn’t know if Quinn wanted that too. He’d been down the road of marriage and babies before. She wondered, not for the first time, if she was making a mistake. Did he really have room in his life, in his heart, for her?
    She didn’t know the answer but she realised she was prepared to wait to find