‘Yes. Yes, of course. Thank you for what you did just now.’
Hannah smiled suddenly and got to her feet. ‘It’s all in a day’s work.’
* * *
Matt had seen Hannah jogging over to where Sam and her mother were standing. No victory dance this time, but there was a hug. That was what really mattered.
He walked out of the park and onto the hospital grounds, finding his way to A and E. One of the doctors there told him that Joe, the young man who had been injured, was doing well and he allowed Matt to spend a few minutes with him.
Deep in thought as he left A and E and walked back towards the park, he almost bumped into Hannah.
‘Hey! What’s up, everything all right?’ She looked a little down in the mouth.
‘Yes, fine. How is he?’
‘He’s okay, recovering nicely. The burns aren’t too bad, and he’s conscious and talking.’
‘That’s great.’
‘So what is up?’ Hannah shrugged and Matt shook his head.
‘Don’t tell me nothing...’
She puffed out a breath. ‘Everyone’s being so nice. Jack and Laura came to find me, and said we should take first place. But they really deserve it, they came back after what happened this morning and they’re set to win today. The director said that we could do the course again but...’
‘That wouldn’t be fair either. You’ve seen it now, and you’re bound to do better.’
‘Yes. Exactly.’ She looked up at him, her expression troubled. ‘I... This just doesn’t feel right, Matt. We did what we did, and that’s its own reward.’
Matt thought for a moment. ‘I guess we’ve both given up a bit to do the jobs we do. You and Sophie catch an extra shift, and you can’t get back home in time to put Sam to bed.’ He couldn’t think of anything that he was missing by working long hours. He’d made a point of not having any home life. But Hannah smiled, and nodded.
‘So what do you say we let this result stand. We’re disqualified because I made a decision to tell you to take your helmet off. We made the same decision that we’ve had to make all of our working lives. Let’s stick by that, and be proud of it.’
‘That’s exactly how I feel about it. But... It’s not just us. What will the hospital board say if we pass up the chance of winning the money?’ Hannah frowned.
‘It’s a matter of principle. If they have anything to say about it, then we have our answer. We can still win if we make a good showing on the final day.’
He wanted to tell her that if they didn’t win, he’d help her raise the money for the hospital anyway. But he might not even be here in a couple of months. His application for the job in London was under consideration, and he’d been called for an interview.
They’d come a long way in the last three weeks. Complete strangers, who’d treated each other with prickly courtesy but didn’t really trust each other. But now Matt knew her. And he knew what Hannah would choose to do.
She looked up at him, the sunlight catching flecks of gold in her eyes. ‘You’re right. I say we disqualify ourselves from the race. We did the right thing, and we don’t need any rewards for that. Thank you, Matt.’
Suddenly he needed her close. Winning together was nothing if they couldn’t lose together as well. Matt reached for her, and Hannah smiled up at him.
‘I’m okay...’
‘Not sure that I am.’
She wrinkled her nose. ‘Maybe I spoke too soon.’
She put her arms around him, and Matt held her close. None of the people milling around seemed to notice, they were just teammates hugging each other. But this was different. It was everything. Sharing the disasters along with the triumphs, and knowing that Hannah was there with him.
‘We should go.’ She didn’t move.
‘Yeah, we should. In a moment.’
He felt her move against him, snuggling into his arms. Matt held his breath, wanting this to last. ‘Yeah. In a moment...’