“Yes. I’ll get you some money.”
“No. I’ll pay.” Apart from his desire to look after her, this dreadful outcome was his fault. “Take care now. I’ll be as fast as I can.”
“Thanks for helping, Jack.”
“Only too glad to.”
It was the truth. He’d bungled badly. Nina was right. Human beings were more complex than he’d thought. As he raced out to the Range Rover and hit the road, he castigated himself for not even realising the dire consequences ensuing from his initiative with Charlie girl. And the poor little kid—she couldn’t have realised, either. She’d trusted her dad and almost ended up drowning in her mother’s milk.
It was like the environment, Jack thought. If one little part of the pattern was changed, it set up a chain reaction that messed up everything. Big mistake! It was just as well Nina didn’t know about his father-to-daughter chat. He’d have a black mark against him.
She’d probably see it as selfish, cutting down on the kid’s needs to have more time with her. Which was true, in a way. But he hadn’t meant any harm. It was a salutory lesson. He’d be a lot wiser in the future about how he arranged things.
Luckily it was Saturday morning, and the traffic was light on Epping Road at this early hour. He made good time to the shopping centre. He found the all-night chemist and rang the bell for attention. A guy came to let him in, and Jack spelled out the problem. He was mightily relieved when the breast pump turned out to be relatively small with an easy-to-use hand pump attached to a suction cup and a little bottle.
“I’d recommend you buy a jar of wool fat, too,” the pharamacist advised.
Jack’s mind leapt from cows to sheep. “What for?” he asked warily.
“Your wife could get sore nipples from the breast pump. They’re probably sensitive anyway. If they crack it’ll be very painful for her. Wool fat’s the best to use on them.”
Cracked nipples! Things were going from bad to worse. Huge mistake!
“Right! I’ll take a jar,” Jack said quickly. “Anything else we might need?”
“No. She should be right if she takes care. If not, see a doctor.”
“I’ll see she takes every care,” Jack vowed, hating the idea that any action of his would result in Nina having to see a doctor.
Nothing was simple, he decided, paying over the money and collecting the goods. Babies could really complicate the normal run of life. He’d observed this with his friends without fully appreciating how complicated it could become. He’d always thought control was the key to keeping the little monst—uh, moppets in their place, but it was now clear that control was a very tricky business. He’d have to give it more thought, more care.
Having climbed into the Range Rover, he set off fo
r Lane Cove, determined to get on top of the baby game. No more finagling without knowledge of possible repercussions. He couldn’t afford to let Nina catch him out on too many mistakes. After last night, he was certain the door was well and truly open for him. He wasn’t about to shut it in his own face.
At least he had the whole weekend to make up for this mishap. If he ever met those parents of hers, he’d have a few things to say to them. Fancy not wanting Nina, giving her a hard time. He was lucky his own parents had only ignored him for the most part. Nina had had it much rougher than he had. No wonder she needed a lot of reassurance.
As for Charlie girl, Jack figured he had no problem there. She was a good kid. Listened to her dad like a little trooper. He’d have to find some private time to have a quick word with her today, tell her there was a new plan and she’d better get back to her normal schedule. They’d upset the applecart.
Tonight…well, maybe he’d just cuddle Nina.
Unless she wanted more than that.
In which case, he’d oblige.
He might very well take obliging to a new art form. The pharmacist had assumed Nina was his wife. Jack was going to turn that into a reality as soon as he could. It surely wouldn’t take long for Nina to see he wasn’t like her father. He wasn’t like his father, either.
All it would take was some mutual understanding with Charlie girl. She recognised a good deal when she was handed one. Kids knew instinctively which side their bread was buttered on. It was simple mathematics. A girl needed a dad, and he was obviously the right one to have.
Jack fiercely hoped it was simple.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SOMETHING was badly wrong, and Nina couldn’t ignore it any longer. It was getting worse, not better. Much worse. Ever since the first night Charlotte had slept through, her breasts hadn’t felt right. This morning, both feeding times had been pure agony.
Over the past week she’d used the pump to drain off the excess milk. It hurt, but she’d persisted with it until yesterday. Maybe her inexperience was at fault there. Whatever the reason, her breasts now had a hard, hot, red lump towards her armpits and were extremely painful. She was definitely running a temperature. On top of which, Charlotte was fretful, as though she wasn’t getting enough.
It hurt to lift the capsule. Nina realised she wouldn’t be able to manage getting to her doctor on her own. Her head was in a swoon from the fever. It could be dangerous if she fainted. She took the most sensible course and rang Sally, who was close at hand and wouldn’t mind doing her a favour.