Hello Stranger

I’d been waiting for this.

Waiting for the right moment.

Waiting until we’d truly set free the woman who had cackled and laughed and smirked her way through the freedom in every day – every moment – of her life.

“We did it,” I said to her. “Bucket list completed.”

And then, finally, with the memory of her whooping and air-punching sounding loud in my mind, I ticked off that very last box on her list.EpilogueTen years later“Dr Hall! Can you come, please? We need you in room seven.”

I still got a burst of joy every time they called my name like that, no matter how many times I heard it.

I scooted on down to room seven, following Erica on my whippet fast legs, scooting along the corridor.

Logan used to call me the white rabbit. He told me that’s how he used to think of me, right back at the beginning on that train.

The white rabbit.

I’m late, I’m late, on a very important date.

Only I wasn’t late these days, not anymore. My life with Mr On-Time had seen me clear of that little habit.

I stepped into room seven, and Leona Robinson was already up on the bed, her forehead glistening with sweat and her cheeks almost crimson with her efforts.

I put my hand on hers and smiled, and my words came out with a calmness that still surprised me, even after so long with it coming out of my mouth. My voice sounded just like my husband’s through all those years in Franklin Ward. A doctor, soothing so well.

“Ready for the push?” I asked her, and she nodded, giving me a thumbs-up.

“Yeah, Dr Hall. I’m ready.”

Her husband was at her side, looking a touch more nervous than she did. I gave him a smile and told him it was going great, and he let out a sigh of relief.

She had this. His wife had this nailed.

Pushing, and pushing, and grimaces, and groans of pain, but Leona Robinson was a trooper as she gave birth to her beautiful little baby. Hours upon hours vanished to nothing, as those gorgeous little eyes met their mother’s eyes for the very first time.

“It’s a boy,” I said, feeling the tears pricking, even now, after witnessing more labours than I could ever count.

“A boy!” Leona cried, and her husband was crying too, holding her tight as I placed that tiny little beauty on her chest, skin to skin. “Oh, wow! A boy!”

“Congratulations,” I said. “And well done, you did great.”

Her nods and thanks were enough to have justified every year of study and training I’d ever done. Just to hear her gratitude in that special moment of her life was all the reward anyone could ever need.

I stayed with them a few minutes before making my exit and heading back to my consultation room. I paced behind my desk for a minute, jittery legs jittering hard, even after so many years feeling steady on them.

I could never stop it, those tears running down my face. Tears of pure joy at seeing such a magical part of so many people’s lives.

I would never get enough of it. Not in a billion years.

I’d calmed down by the time I sat myself down in my seat and called up the paperwork on screen, but I paused another few seconds, picking up the picture of my beautiful husband to give him my usual smile.

“I did it,” I whispered. “Another super cool wonder under my belt.”

He’d certainly been a super cool wonder of mine, every single day he was a part of it.

I’d had Logan Hall at my side for six whole years before his body had finally given up the fight and taken him away from me. He’d fought his battle, as hard as he could fight it, and I’d been there through every minute, battling alongside him.

My God, he was a fighter.

My God, his strength had inspired me, right through to the very end.

Holy hell, I still missed him. There wasn’t a single minute of the day I wasn’t missing him deep inside.

My shift was almost over when I filled in Leona Robinson’s paperwork. I checked my phone in the staffroom, calling up my messages as I grabbed the novel from my locker.

Vickie.

You still coming to the quiz later? Gina is coming, and so is Wendy.

I smiled as I called up the response tab.

Sure am. I’ll see you there.

I was still in touch with everyone from Harrow District, and had come to know every single one of them so well. They were all amazing, and so were the people Logan had brought along to me, a whole network of people who’d been such rocks to me in my grief when he left me behind.

Nobody wants to say goodbye to the man they love at forty-seven years old. Nobody wants to stand at the podium at his funeral and try to express just how insanely incredible their husband was to them, and how much he gave them in their life.