She nodded but clutched her hand even closer to her chest.
He pulled off his gloves and held his hand at the side of her face. ‘Can you feel how cold my fingers are?’ He touched her cheek and she flinched a little, before smiling and nodding.
He picked up the gloves. ‘I’m going to put these really funky blue gloves on before I have a little look. I might want to put a special bandage on your hand—is that okay?’
Victoria nodded, still looking tearful, but held her hand out tremulously to Brad.
Brad worked swiftly. He cleared her hand from her anorak sleeve and had a quick glance at the cut before stemming the flow of blood with a sterile pad. ‘I’m going to give this a quick clean and bandage it up for you.’ He nodded at Cassidy as she ripped open the antiseptic wipes for him.
‘Ouch!’ squealed Victoria, as the wipe lightly touched her skin.
‘All done,’ said Brad almost simultaneously. He took one more look now that the blood was clear, then applied another sterile non-adherent pad and elastic bandage to put a little pressure on the wound. He looked at Cassidy. ‘Which hospital is nearest to here?’
‘The Royal Infirmary,’ she answered. ‘Less than five minutes in a taxi.’
Brad gave the anxious father a smile. ‘I’m afraid she’s going to need some stitches and the wound cleaned properly. The pad shouldn’t stick to her skin and the elastic bandage gives a little pressure to stem the flow of blood before you get to the hospital. But it’s not a long-term solution. Are you able to take her up to the A and E unit?’
The father nodded. He pulled a phone from his pocket and started pressing buttons. ‘I have a friend who’s a taxi driver in the city centre. He’ll come and get us.’
Brad leaned forward and whispered in Victoria’s ear. ‘You’re a very brave girl. And do you know what brave girls get?’ He reached into his pocket and pulled out his little Russian doll. It was almost identical to the one he’d just bought for Cassidy, but this one had silver and pink zigzags and a long silver string to hang it from the tree.
‘This is a special Christmas-tree decoration—just for you.’
Victoria’s eyes lit up, his distraction technique working like a charm. Cassidy’s felt a lump at the back of her throat that she tried to swallow. He must have bought an extra ornament when he’d paid for hers earlier. And it didn’t take much imagination to know who he’d bought it for.
There it was.
Right in front of her, glowing like a beacon. All the reasons why Brad shouldn’t be without his daughter. She gathered up the remnants of the first-aid kit, stuffing them back inside, and disappeared back to the booth.
She couldn’t watch that. She couldn’t watch him interact with a child in such an easy and relaxed manner. It showed what she already knew deep down but hadn’t wanted to admit.
Brad was good with kids. No, Brad was great with kids. He knew just when to act and what to say. He deserved to have kids. He deserved to be with his daughter. He deserved to know where she was and play a part in her life.
And even though he hadn’t said much around her over the last few days, it was clear that Melody was in the forefront of his mind.
She felt ashamed. Ashamed of the words she’d uttered and the thoughts she’d had while she’d been talking to Lucy. Thoughts that he might be willing to forget about his daughter and just have a life with her. What kind of person was she?
She’d seen the haunted look in his eyes earlier when he’d been watching the father and daughter on the merry-go-round. But she hadn’t been able to say the words—to ask him if he was hurting and what she could do to help.
She looked over at him now, and he gave her a wave as he walked with Victoria and her father to a black cab parked at the side of the square. Her hand lifted automatically in response, but it was the expression on his face that was killing her.
She’d never seen Brad look so comfortable and so at ease.
She knew what he needed more than anything. He needed to find his daughter.
CHAPTER SEVEN
29 November
‘HI, Cassidy, nice to see you.’
‘Hi, Grace, how’s Gran today?’
The nurse walked around the desk and joined Cassidy. ‘She’s in here today,’ she said as she walked into a large sitting room looking out over well-tended gardens. ‘She’s been really confused these last few days, but unusually quiet, too.’
‘Is she eating okay?’
Grace nodded. ‘She’s eating well. She seems quite focused when she gets her meals. But as soon as she’s finished, she’s off wandering.’ She walked over and touched Cassidy’s gran on her shoulder. ‘Tillie, your granddaughter is here to see you again.’
Cassidy’s heart fell as her gran barely even looked up, her eyes still fixed on the garden. She gave Grace a half-hearted smile. ‘Thank you, Grace.’
‘No problem. Give me a shout if you need anything.’
Cassidy sat down in the chair opposite her gran. Her heart was fluttering in her chest. She was wearing her gran’s red wool coat and she wondered if she would notice. She pulled off her leather gloves and reached over and took her gran’s hand.
‘Hi, Gran.’ She brushed a kiss on her cheek.
Tillie looked at her only for a second, her confusion immediately evident. She didn’t recognise Cassidy.
Cassidy took a deep breath. It had been like this for the last few months. The little spells of recognition and memory were becoming fewer and fewer. She’d had some episodes where she’d mistaken Cassidy for her mother, but it had been over a year since she’d recognised Cassidy for herself.
This was the part that broke her heart. Her gran had always been her confidante, her go-to person. The person who gave her the best advice in the world—something she badly needed right now.
She opened her bag and stared at the pile of envelopes inside. They’d revealed more than she wanted to know. But it was the photograph that haunted her most. Her gran had always been warm and caring towards her. But she couldn’t remember ever seeing her gran like she was in that photograph—her eyes filled with adoration for the man standing by her side. Her whole face glowing with happiness. Had
she really known her gran at all?
‘I’ve been at the house, Gran. Everything’s fine.’ Her fingers caught the edge of the collar of her coat and she bit her lip nervously. ‘I found this beautiful coat in the one of the cupboards. It was wrapped up with some letters.’ She pulled the bundle from her bag, But Tillie’s eyes were still fixed on the garden. Cassidy swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.
The garden was covered in frost and a light dusting of snow, but the beds in front of the window brimmed with life. They were filled with evergreen bushes with red berries, coloured heather plants and deep pink pernettya plants. The planters around the edges had an eruption of coloured cyclamen and white heathers. It was beautiful.
Cassidy looked out over the horizon. Everything about this spelled Christmas to her. She wondered what plants they had in Australia at this time of year. Would there be anything as nice as this? How could anyone feel festive in a baking-hot climate?
She’d thought about that often over the last few days, the thoughts just drifting into her mind when she least expected them. She’d had numerous friends who’d emigrated and they all raved about it, saying it had been the best move of their lives. They sent her pictures of spending Christmas Day on the beach, cooking on the barbeque or having dinner in the sunshine next to the pool.
But Christmas always meant cold weather, frost and snow to Cassidy. She just couldn’t imagine it any other way. Could she really feel festive in a bikini?
‘Hello, dear. Who are you?’
Cassidy flinched and pushed the thoughts from her mind as her gran spoke to her, her eyes suddenly bright with life.
‘I’m Cassidy, your granddaughter. I’ve come for a visit, Gran.’
‘How lovely. Do you have any tea?’
Cassidy smiled. Her gran was a true tea genie and could drink twenty cups a day. She slid her hand into her gran’s. ‘I’ve come to tell you that I’ve met a nice man, Gran. One who’s making me think about a lot of things.’