‘If you don’t come inside now, I’m going to turn into an icicle. You don’t want to have to chip me off the pavement and thaw me out, do you?’
It was obviously meant as a threat, but the idea had a certain appeal. Particularly the thawing-out part. Aksel dismissed the thought, nudging the car door shut, and Kari followed him to Flora’s doorstep. When she opened the door, Dougal came hurtling out of the sitting room to greet them.
He watched as she stood in front of the hall mirror, brushing half-melted snowflakes from her shoulders and hair. ‘I appreciate the concern, but there’s really no need. These things tend to rectify themselves.’
She turned on him suddenly. ‘What’s the problem, Aksel? You have a stiff shoulder, and I’m a qualified physiotherapist. Or are you not allowed to have anything wrong with you?’
She was just a little bit too close to the truth and it stung. He wanted to be the one that Mette could rely on completely. Strong and unbreakable. But there was no point in denying any more that his shoulder felt neither of those things at the moment.
‘Okay, I...appreciate the offer and... Actually, I would like you to take a look at it if you wouldn’t mind. It has been a little painful over the last few days.’ He put his shopping bags down, taking a bottle of wine from one. ‘Don’t suppose you’d like some of this first?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘No, I don’t suppose I would. I’m not in the habit of drinking while I’m working.’
That put him in his place. But when he walked into the sitting room, he saw that a backless chair was placed in front of the fire. She’d been concerned about him and waiting for him to come home. The thought hit him hard, spreading its warmth through his veins as he sat down.
Suddenly all he wanted was her touch.
* * *
‘Take your sweater off and let me have a look.’ Flora congratulated herself on how professional her tone sounded. It was exactly how this was going to be.
She stood behind him, gingerly laying her fingers on his shoulder. ‘You’re very tense...’
Flora was feeling a little tense herself suddenly. The lines of his shoulder felt as strong as they looked, and there was only the thin material of his T-shirt between her fingers and his skin.
‘It’s been a long day.’
‘What happened?’
He turned suddenly and Flora snatched her fingers away, stepping back involuntarily. She couldn’t touch him when the smouldering blue ice of his gaze was on her.
‘I didn’t come here to tell you my troubles.’
‘I know. Turn around and tell me anyway.’
He turned back and she continued her examination. There was a moment of silence and she concentrated on visualising the structure and musculature of his shoulder. Suddenly Aksel spoke.
‘Dr Sinclair took me through the results of Mette’s latest MRI scan today. It’s clear now that there isn’t going to be any more improvement in her sight.’
‘There was hope that there might be?’ Flora pulled the neck of his T-shirt to one side, reaching to run her fingers along his clavicle.
‘No, not really. The doctors in Norway told me that her condition was stable now, and there was very little chance of any change. It was unreasonable of me to hold out any hope.’
‘But you did anyway, because you’re her dad.’
‘Yes. I wasn’t expecting to come here and cry on your shoulder about it, though.’
‘You can’t expect muscles to heal when you’re this tense, Aksel.’
Flora felt him take a breath, and he seemed to relax a little. As she pressed her thumb on the back of his shoulder he winced. ‘It’s a little sore there.’
She imagined it was very sore. The shoulder must be a lot more painful than he was letting on. ‘You have a few small lumps on your collarbone. That’s usually a sign that it’s been broken recently.’
‘Nearly a year ago.’
‘And what happened? Did you get some medical treatment when you did it, or were you miles away from the nearest doctor?’
He chuckled. ‘No. Actually, I’d gone skiing for the New Year. There was a doctor on hand and he treated it immediately.’