Nadine nodded, and Nell flashed him a querying glance. Hugo realised that his jeans and casual shirt weren’t his usual attire for the hospital, but that didn’t seem to matter right now. He got to his feet, releasing the brakes on the wheelchair.
Hugo had breezed past the nurses, smiling as he went but not stopping to receive his printed discharge papers. Nell had collected them for him, and followed him through the building to the children’s section of the cardiac unit. A couple of the staff obviously noticed that he was dressed particularly casually today and might have wondered, but Hugo didn’t seem to care and neither did any of the children in the ward. Nadine was settled comfortably back into her bed, and Hugo spent time talking and playing with her and all the other children.
He seemed to light up when he was around them. After an hour, it still didn’t seem that Hugo was about to leave and Nell stepped in, dragging him away. He’d had enough for one day and there was no question about whether Hugo would be back soon, despite the fact that he was still on leave of absence from the hospital and had so very recently been one of its patients.
‘They’ve been through so much. I feel like a complete fraud.’ He murmured the words as he got into the back seat of the car, next to Nell.
‘You need to stay strong, Hugo. Who’s going to champion them if you don’t?’ This afternoon had brought exactly what she and Hugo were doing into sharp perspective. If the endless meeting and lunches had seemed less important than being on the wards, it would make a huge difference to both the patients and the doctors and nurses who worked here.
He laughed suddenly, taking her hand, even though no one was looking. ‘And who’s going to champion me if you don’t?’
‘I expect you’ll find someone.’ Every time he got too close, she instinctively drew back. Then kicked herself for it, because being close to Hugo was the best thing that she could imagine.
The car slowed a little and Hugo nudged her. On the pavement a couple of women were waving at them, and Hugo waved back.
‘Wave...’ he murmured to Nell.
‘They’re not interested in me.’
‘No?’ He turned to her in disbelief. ‘Try waving and see what happens.’
Ted had obligingly bought the car almost to a halt. Nell leaned across and waved at the women, feeling rather stupid, but they reacted by waving even more enthusiastically. A small boy standing next to them on the pavement started to jump up and down, catching their excitement.
Hugo caught her hand up, pressing it to his lips, and the women laughed, nudging each other. Ted waited a few more seconds and then applied his foot to the accelerator.
‘That’s nice of them.’ Nell watched through the back window as the car moved away.
Hugo nodded. If only the women knew that this was all a sham. Nell sat back in her seat, suddenly feeling dispirited.
‘By the way, I’ve postponed my meeting for tomorrow. We can fit it in next week.’ Perhaps he felt the same. Hugo seemed keen to change the subject.
‘Are you sure you’re feeling all right?’
‘I feel fine. But another day’s rest couldn’t hurt.’
Nell had assumed that as soon as Hugo got out of hospital he’d be as unstoppable as the last time. ‘Have you got something up your sleeve, Hugo? You’re not going to tell me you’re going paragliding or something?’
‘No. Seems you’ve got me under control...’
Nell snorted with laughter. ‘Right. That’s never going to happen, Hugo.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HUGO HAD TO admit that these few days’ rest had done him good. He felt stronger, less fearful, and less of a slave to the imagined beat of his heart.
But now it was time to get back to work, and Nell accompanied him to a presentation to the board of directors in the most prestigious of the few high-rise offices in Montarino. It was one of their most important meetings so far, and Nell seemed to dwindle into the background, hanging on to his arm and supporting him. It wasn’t until he’d got up to speak that the idea in Hugo’s head became a reality.
He thanked everyone for being there, and reiterated the importance of the project that they were being asked to help sponsor. Then he introduced Nell, and sat down.
She kicked him so hard under the table that he jumped. But she got to her feet, smiling. She made a charming apology for any shortcomings in her French, making a joke about having to learn so that she knew what her fiancé was up to. Everyone laughed, and then the lights went down and the first of the images from Hugo’s laptop appeared, projected onto the wall. She then proceeded to make a presentation of such vigour and freshness that even Hugo felt he would have given anything that she asked of him.
She waited until they were in the car again before she turned on him. Hugo shifted his feet away from her, just in case she decided to kick him again.
‘What are you doing, Hugo?’
‘I’m doing the best I can for the clinic. You had them eating out of your hand.’
‘You!’ She pointed at him accusingly. ‘They wanted you, not me.’