Second Chance with the Single Mom

‘You want me to be the Wicked Witch, do you?’ She raised her eyebrows and as Alistair smiled, the atmosphere between them lifted.

‘No. I just want your opinions. I know you have them...’

‘Are you calling me opinionated? I could say the same about you.’

Alistair chuckled. It seemed that they’d found a way to make this work after all. Not without some pain, but the gain had been worth it. ‘You want the last word on that? I could come up with some compelling arguments.’

Raina grinned. ‘Don’t waste your time. I’m having the last word.’

* * *

‘Right, then, Edward.’ Alistair arranged the teddy bear carefully next to the small table and chair that was set up in the corner of his office for Anya. ‘Let’s see how you manage...’

He pressed Edward’s arm, and the bear’s small prosthetic fingers closed. Perfect. Pressing on the other side made them open again. It wasn’t quite the same mechanism that Anya would use to control her prosthetic hand, but hopefully it made the connection between Edward’s arm and the new hand clear.

Kaia and Ben had produced this smaller prosthetic, and it had been down to Alistair to perform the surgery on the teddy bear. When he’d removed the lower part of Edward’s arm and stitched the opening closed, Alistair had felt uncharacteristically squeamish. Maybe it was the eyes, looking at him unblinkingly as he completed the procedure.

Raina and Anya would be coming again this afternoon, and Alistair was having a hard time keeping himself from smiling at the thought. In the last two weeks, he’d begun to develop a relationship with Anya, and found that the more he did so, the less he compared her with the child he and Raina had lost. And under Raina’s watchful eye he’d begun to accept that he needed a hearing aid, and put into practice all the little techniques that allowed him to hear better.

It was a hot day, and when Alistair looked up from his labours and saw Raina in the outer office she was wearing a blue-patterned dress, made from material that looked as if it would be soft and thin if he were to touch it. Everything she’d worn in the last two weeks had somehow imprinted itself on his memory. The dark, formal trousers. A more casual pair of cargo pants. Stiff shirts had given way to pretty tops and T-shirts. And now a dress.

It was tempting to feel that Raina’s choice of outfit might be reflecting her growing confidence about the situation, and with it their relationship. But Alistair didn’t have the words to explore that and instead he greeted them both with a smile.

‘I’ve got...a new friend.’ Alistair gestured towards Edward, and saw Raina’s eyes widen. Anya was a little less impressed.

‘Who is it?’

‘He doesn’t have a name.’ Edward was purely between Alistair and the bear. ‘Do you want to give him one?’

Anya thought for a moment. ‘No.’

‘Okay. How about Edward, then?’ Anya didn’t seem to mind much one way or the other, and Alistair decided he should keep trying. ‘Would you like to see what he can do?’

He walked over to the bear and squeezed his arm, and the small fingers closed, then opened again. Then Alistair moved his arm and squeezed, making Edward pick up one of the bricks from Anya’s table.

‘That’s so clever!’ It wasn’t clear whether Raina’s smiling exclamation was for Anya’s benefit or his, but Alistair grinned up at her, shivering as he met her gaze.

Anya walked over to Edward, whispering into his ear, and Alistair decided to leave her to it, retreating to one of the easy chairs that surrounded the coffee table. She was interested, at least. Whatever it was that Anya was saying to Edward, and he was saying back, appeared to be serious business.

‘He doesn’t like it, Mummy.’ Finally Anya turned, her brow furrowed.

‘Doesn’t like what, sweetie?’ Raina joined her daughter, kneeling down next to her.

‘That.’ Anya swatted the prosthetic arm. ‘Take it off.’

‘But look, Anya. It helps him to pick the bricks up.’ Raina pressed Edward’s arm, finding the place that operated the hand. She took a shot at opening and closing the fingers and then tried to pick up a brick.

‘No, Mummy...’ Anya seemed about to burst into tears, and Raina looked equally crestfallen. Alistair got to his feet quickly.

‘That’s okay, Anya. It’s okay, we’ll take it off if Edward doesn’t like it. He doesn’t have to wear it if he doesn’t want to.’ He slid the prosthetic off Edward’s arm and put it on his desk, out of Anya’s reach. Maybe it would assume the importance of everything else on his desk in Anya’s mind. Something to be reached for and played with when she thought he wasn’t looking.

‘He wants to draw.’

‘That sounds like a good idea.’ Alistair picked up the bear, putting him into Anya’s lap and pushing her crayons towards her.

The picture was drawn, admired and pinned on the wall and then Alistair suggested that they go upstairs to the Dream Team’s office. Raina was quiet, her thoughts seeming to bother her, and when she asked Kaia to watch Anya while she slipped out for a moment, Alistair followed her.

She wasn’t in his office, and the receptionist said that she’d seen Raina go out. When Alistair opened the front door and looked outside, he could see a splash of blue amongst the greenery in the square across the road.