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able to see her again very soon.' He looked fleetingly at Sarah. 'What are you going to do now? Are you on your way to the cafe?'
    'I thought we might go and get a snack while we wait for my dad,' she said. 'I promised Jamie that he could choose what he wanted.'
    'Would you mind if I come along with you? I'm on a break and I was hoping that we might be able to have a quick chat.'
    She was surprised, but she murmured, 'That's all right, of course you can come with us.' She had no idea what it was that he wanted to talk to her about. Had she done something wrong? Had one of her patients suffered a relapse?
    'That's good.' He looked down at Jamie, and walked along with them, talking to the little boy and gently getting him to open up to him.'
    Jamie was solemn at first, but gradually he began to lose his shyness, and Sarah sensed that there was a rapport between the two of them. Mark seemed to know how to bring out the best in Jamie, and soon the little boy was chuckling and telling Mark how he sometimes wrestled with Kingston.
    'He keeps rolling over on his back, and he likes his tummy tickled,' he confided, 'and sometimes he puts his paw up to me and we shake hands.' His voice was gleeful.
    Sarah was glad that Jamie was happy once more. They went into the hospital cafe and loaded their trays. Jamie chose milk and cake, and Sarah settled for coffee. Mark added a pack of sandwiches and bought a small puzzle box from a collection of toys that were in a basket on the counter. He gave the box to Jamie.
    'Have you played with one of those before?'
    The little boy inspected it carefully and shook his head.
    'I'll start you off, then,' Mark said. He showed Jamie how to manoeuvre the pieces, and then said, 'Do you think you can manage it by yourself now?'
    Jamie nodded, smiling. 'Thanks,' he said, looking up at him with wide eyes. He took the puzzle over to their table and immediately became absorbed in working out how to fit all the pieces together and push them into the right places.
    'You said that you wanted to talk to me,' Sarah murmured, glancing at Mark when they had seated themselves. 'Is it about work?' She was concerned. 'Have there been any repercussions over the man with the tumour?'
    He shook his head. 'No, that's all been dealt with satisfactorily. The surgeon removed the growth, and we were lucky in that it was benign. We caught it in time.'
    'I'm glad.' She gave a relieved sigh and stirred her coffee absently. Would it have made a difference if he had been discharged and left to wait for an appointment? Who could tell? It was only because of Mark's vigilance that the man had received prompt treatment. She said cautiously, 'What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?'
    'It's to do with the fundraising dinner tomorrow evening. I noticed that your name wasn't on the list, and I know that this is a bad time for you, but I think it would be good for you if you could manage to come along.'
    She had tried not to think about the dinner. She had enough things on her mind already, and anyway, after what Owen had said about Mark's father and his influence in getting his son the job in A and E, she had thought it better to steer clear. She didn't want to be drawn into any gossip that might start up, and how could she avoid that if the function was being held at his father's house? Perhaps Mark's father didn't care one way or the other if his motives were questioned.
    'I don't think I can bring myself to sign up for anything right now,' she said. 'I'm worried about Hannah and Ryan, and there's Jamie to look after. I don't want to have to think about anything else at the moment.'
    'I realise that.' He looked at her carefully. 'I know what you're going through, but I think it would do you good in a lot of ways to come along. I think you'll feel better for a change of scene, and it isn't just a commonplace get-together—we do this once a year, and it's a highlight, an out-of-the-ordinary occasion. This time it's extra-special