Free Just for Fun by Rosalind James

admitted. “But I wanted to tell you now. Share it with you.”
    She nodded stiffly, got up and picked up both plates. “Let’s
go to bed, then.”
    That was it? Those were all her questions? She hadn’t seemed
the least bit concerned about the relationship he’d had with Emma. Was any woman
really that secure? Her lack of fuss was rational, he supposed. The whole thing
was in the past, after all. But it didn’t seem . . . normal. And she had barely
even mentioned Zack. Not as a child. A person. Well, he supposed it was good
that she was focused on maintaining their own relationship.
    But later, when he reached for her, she pushed his hand
away. “Not tonight. I’m not feeling very close to you just now.”
    He sighed, rolled over, punched the pillow a few times. It
had been a long week in the hotel. Too much work, and too much upheaval. He
could’ve used the comfort of her body tonight. He might be able to convince
her, with a little more effort. But he was suddenly too tired to make it.
     

Chapter 9
    Nic was pacing up and down on the pavement in front of
the doctor’s office when Emma hurried up, holding Zack by the hand.
    “I was afraid you weren’t going to turn up,” he said with
relief.
    “Sorry. Work. Traffic. Collecting Zack . . .” She trailed
off. She was always rushing, never seemed to be quite organized enough, to be able
to get anywhere exactly when she was supposed to, the way other people did. Due
to sheer fear, she usually made it on time to work, if only just. 
    He nodded. He wasn’t going to berate her, she saw with
relief. She felt like she couldn’t handle another criticism today. She was
nervous enough about this as it was. What would he say when he saw how much
Zack hated needles? Not to mention whatever was going to happen next. Her life
was careening out of control again, and she hated the sensation. She tightened
her hold on her son’s hand as Nic held the door to the clinic open for them.
    “Mum,” Zack complained. “You’re squeezing too hard.”
    “Sorry.” She loosened her grip and took a deep breath,
trying to calm the nerves that had had her jumpy all day. It wasn’t going to
help Zack to see her anxious.
    “Go sit and look at a magazine for a minute,” she told him
now. “Do you see the kids’ area over there?”
    “I want to stay with you.” He was the one squeezing now at
the familiar sight of a doctor’s waiting room. She didn’t try to convince him,
just focused on giving the receptionist their details, once Nic had finished
checking himself in.
    “We’ll pop you into a room straight away,” the woman said.
“Just be a sec.”
    “Cheers,” Nic said gratefully.
    “I never get that,” Emma told him in a low voice as they
moved to the line of chairs. “Seems like we wait forever, where we go.”
    He shrugged, but sure enough, a technician was calling them
now. The sound of Nic’s name had heads turning and curious looks cast in their
direction, Emma saw, and she realized the reason for the quick processing.
Well, whatever it took. Zack didn’t need any excuse to get more nervous.
    As she’d expected, Zack quailed at the sight of the chair
with its attached armrest, the rows of test tubes. He was hanging back now,
pulling at her hand.
    “Who’s going first?” the technician asked cheerfully.
    “That’d be me,” Nic said. He winked at Zack. “Come over here
and sit by me, mate. Keep me company.”
    “I want Mum,” Zack objected, lip already trembling. He pressed
closer to Emma. She scooted the single hard chair closer to the one Nic had
settled into and pulled Zack into her lap, bending her head to kiss the top of
his, her arms going around him securely. This was too hard, she thought in
despair. All of this. For Zack, and for her.
    Zack’s face went white when he saw the technician fit the
needle to the test tube in a gloved hand. “It’s jabs,” he said in a reedy
voice. “Isn’t it?”
    “Not too bad,” Nic said encouragingly.