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In the ward he found a nurse to ask if he could use their kitchen to make a coffee for Stacey and was told yes, and to take her a piece of the fruit cake on the bench

‘Here, thought youand plate with cake on the table beside her ‘You haven’t eaten at all’

‘Mury’ She was sitting with her knees under her chin and her ars

‘Try so Holly with such tenderness it had torn his heart in two He knew that look fro to him, then and now Holly didn’t kno lucky she was He pulled up the chair and sat down ‘I’ to cos like he was still in shock, no matter how true they were Excuses didn’t solve any of what lay between them

Her gaze still on Holly, she shrugged ‘It’s all right’

It wasn’t There was hurt in her voice, put there by hi fine, Stacey’ Noah sat back quietly and watched the two fe theh what from was another question with no answer

‘Sure’ Finally Stacey stretched her legs out, and reached for the‘Thanks for this I wanted a coffee but couldn’t bear to leave Holly even for a few ht wake and panic if I’m not here’

‘Your parents have gone home?’

‘Yes They didn’t want to, but I insisted’

‘You’re all so close’

Finally she looked at him ‘Yes, we are Always have been’

And I’d be a fool to forget that

‘Feel free to askyou need to know toover her daughter

And he went back to watching over the themselves known in his head

Stacey yawned and leaned back, closing her eyes

Noah fought the urge to go across and kiss her cheek Instead, he stood to gaze down at the beautiful girl lying in the bed attached to the ht settled over his heart Not a painful one but sadness for the two years of her life he’d missed He hadn’t been there to hold her when she’d arrived in the world, hadn’t kissed her or promised to love and care for her for the rest of his life Hadn’t heard her first word or seen her first steps Her giggles didn’t ring in his skull He didn’t knohat her favourite food was, if she slept all night or woke on and off

‘Her favourite toy is Goggy, a orn teddy bear that has to go to bed with her every night or there’s hell to pay Muy in with her tomorrow’

Noah sy, eh?’

‘There’s a doll named Jack after her best friend at day care’

He laughed ‘Does Jack know that?’

‘Yes, but I don’t think he realises what it hter

Noah turned to look at Stacey For the first ti s his, hates cornflakes and eggs’