Their Marriage Miracle by Sue MacKay Page A

more serious than hers.
    Huh. She laughed mirthlessly. A clown in a circus would have been more serious than the old her. But not now. These days she didn’t find a lot to poke the finger at, nor did she laugh much. And she did not treat her life as cheaply as she once had.
    A sigh slid through her chilled lips. One of Tom’s pet hates had been her flagrant disregard for rules and regulations, and her continuous need to test herself against the odds.
    Tom had definitely been the sensible one in their relationship. The exhilaration of soaring across the sky in a two-seater aeroplane, deliberately stalling the engine to have the thrill of flinging it into a spin before pulling out five hundred feet above the ground had not been for him. But she’d been driven by a continuous need to prove how good she could be.
    Tom, Tom, Tom. He filled her head. His scent in the air as he worked opposite her in theatre, his voice echoing in the corridors of the hospital. Damn, but this had become so hard, so fast.
    ‘Hey, lady, who are you?’ A young voice penetrated her bleak thoughts.
    ‘I’m Fiona. Who are you?’ She studied the muddy urchin before her. He oozed mischief, from his cheeky grin to his small fists balled against skinny hips.
    ‘Connor. My mum does the gardens around the hospital. Dr Tom says she’s very good.’ His chin jutted out, as though daring her to disagree.
    ‘She must be. The grounds are beautiful. Does she do them all on her own?’
    ‘Not quite. Someone helps her.’ The chin lost some of its severity, and the boy shrugged. ‘What do you do? Are you another doctor?’
    Fiona grinned. ‘I’m afraid so. Don’t you like doctors?’
    He shrugged. ‘They’re all right. I like Dr Tom cos he gives me jobs and pays me.’
    ‘What sort of jobs?’ Seemed like Tom looked out for everyone around here, not just his patients.
    ‘I have to collect the eggs. Do you want to see the hens?’
    ‘I’d love to.’ She fell into stride beside her new friend.
    Connor rolled his eyes, clearly not impressed with her lack of knowledge. ‘They’ve got places outside where they lay the eggs.’
    The gardening sheds were behind the hospital, and beside them stood the chicken coop. Connor led her inside the coop and picked up a gold and brown hen, cuddling her in his arms. ‘You can carry the egg basket if you like.’
    ‘Okay. How many eggs are we going to find?’
    ‘Lots and lots.’
    Connor chattered non-stop for the next half-hour as he went from the bushes to the hedge to the vegetable garden, gathering up his bounty.
    Fiona happily followed him, learning that he was ten,and his sister was four and a pain. School was fun, but his mum taught him better things, like how to grow pumpkins in summer and cauliflowers in winter.
    ‘I have to go now.’ Connor carefully took the basket from Fiona. ‘I have to clean the shed and take these eggs to the hospital kitchen.’
    ‘Okay. I might see you again during the week.’ Fiona watched Connor skip away, ever mindful of his precious load, before she turned and headed in the direction of the cottage. She suddenly felt very alone.
    If only she had someone to share what was bothering her. It was Tom she really wanted to talk to, but so far he wasn’t very forthcoming. Back up. His revelation last night, about how his need to save other parents from what they had been through had driven him to create this specialist hospital, had been more than she’d got in months last time they were together.
    Tom mightn’t have verbalised his thoughts, but this place showed how he truly felt. She’d always been the talkative one, he the quieter, steadier one. The rock in their relationship. But rocks cracked. Had she even given him a chance to explain how he was coping without going on at him, demanding he talk to her? Her heart squeezed painfully. She’d always thought she’d tried so hard to comfort him, but maybe she hadn’t seen what he’d really wanted.
    Everyone dealt with