‘Aisreda.’
Flynn kissed Aaron’s forehead. ‘That’s my strong boy.’ He looked up at Prita. ‘I’m sorry you’re having to do this on your birthday.’
Her eyes widened a little and she said, ‘It’s okay. It’s what I’m here for.’
‘Happy Birthday, anyway.’ Her lips flickered into a small smile touching something inside him. He shifted, breaking her gaze, cleared his throat. ‘When you’re ready.’
She nodded. ‘On the count of three. One, two, three, pull.’
Chapter 7
‘Are you sure Aaron’s going to be fine, Mum?’
Prita reached over and ruffled Carter’s hair before starting up the car and driving back to Wilson’s Bend to pick up their fish and chips. Having fish and chips at the beach was the first happy thing they’d done together after he’d come into her life, and it had become their go-to for all celebratory meals. ‘He’s going to be fine. Flynn’s taking him down to the hospital now for X-rays just to make certain, but the joint went back into place as it should.’
‘But he’s going to be in a sling for a while?’
‘That’s right. How did you know?’
‘One of my other mum’s boyfriends pushed me down the stairs. I dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm. It hurt a lot and I was in a sling for ages.’
Oh god. Heart crushed, she glanced in the rear vision mirror at Carter. He was looking out the window, seemingly unfazed. ‘Well, he didn’t break anything, so it shouldn’t be as bad as yours was,’ she said, trying to keep from stopping the car and pulling him into her arms and kissing him and holding him and telling him over and over that he was safe, would always be safe, that she would never let anyone hurt him like that again. But she didn’t. The psychologists had told her that the best thing she could do was not overprotect or smother him, but just let him tell her what he wanted to, be open to discussing it and otherwise treat him as normally as possible. And plenty of love and affection and good food and schooling and routine and times spent with friends. His psychologist said the fact he had started calling her Mum last year proved that it was working. She just had to hope it was true, because she had nothing else. She’d been completely unprepared to become a mother, but she couldn’t have turned Carter away. One look and she’d known he was supposed to be with her. Chandra and her family had said she was being rash again, but she didn’t care. It felt right. It was right.
‘He’s going to be bummed he won’t be able to climb or ride for a while.’
‘Perhaps we could arrange for a few sleepovers with him and Tilly and maybe do a few other things so he doesn’t feel like he’s missing out. What do you think?’
‘Yeah, Mum. That’d be great. Maybe we could go to the movies. And go on a picnic down near the creek at our favourite spot. Aaron could do that, couldn’t he? If he didn’t ride.’
‘Absolutely. There’s an access road down there, so we could drive and then walk the rest of the way. I think that’s a great idea.’
‘Could he swim in the creek with us? He loves to swim in the creek.’
‘He could paddle if he’s careful.’
‘Could we do it next week?’
‘Sure. I’ll call and arrange it. Maybe we can think of a few more things to do as well to stop him from getting bored. There’s Sally with our order.’ Sally Lion was standing out the front door of Wilson’s Bend Fish and Chippery holding a paper wrapped package, keys in hand, the lights of the shop behind her turned off. ‘Thank you so much for this,’ Prita said as she hopped out of the car to collect their dinner and gave Sally the money. ‘It’s made our night.’
‘My pleasure. Anything for our favourite doc. Ned might not be with us if not for you.’
‘That’s a bit of an overstatement. I just made him go in for that scan.’
‘Because you heard the murmur in his heart when Doc Simpson insisted the breathlessness was because Ned needed to lose a few pounds.’
Prita shrugged. ‘I was just lucky enough to do a rotation under one of the best heart surgeons in Melbourne, so knew what I heard wasn’t simply that.’
Sally shook her head. ‘As I said, we’re lucky to have you. Why you’re here when you could be anywhere you wanted is a mystery to me, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, whatever the reason, even if you call at midnight for fish and chips, I’d get up and turn the cookers on.’
‘I’d never get you up at midnight,’ she said, flashing a smile. ‘Maybe eleven-thirty.’
Sally snorted and gripped her hand. ‘I’m just happy I could help you have your birthday celebration with your little man.’ She leaned past Prita and waved to the little boy in the back seat of the car. ‘Hey, Carter!’
‘Hey, Mrs Lion.’
Sally smiled and leaned close to Prita. ‘Steph wanted to stay up to say hi but it was past her bedtime. She was so disappointed. She loves him being her mentor at school. I think she’s developed a little crush.’
Prita couldn’t help but smile. It was such a normal thing and normal had been missing from Carter’s life for so long. ‘It’s such a lovely thing having the year fours mentor the preps. I know Carter feels quite the sense of responsibility in his duties, and I know he thinks Steph is so cute.’ And she was. Such a little moppet of a kid with curly brown hair and big doe eyes. ‘I don’t think Carter minds the crush at all.’
‘Great.’ She leaned back again and waved at
