someone dangling off the bridge trying tolook in the windows of the carriage. It looked horrific. Was that Mac?â
Julia remembered hearing a helicopter hovering that could well have contained a news crew. âIt was probably me,â she admitted. âI went down first to assess things.â
âOh, my God!â Anne groaned. âDonât tell me it was you who climbed inside the carriage to get people out. Good grief, you must have. You were just telling me about that little girl.â
âSomeone had to,â Julia said matter-of-factly. âAnd itâs what I do, remember?â
âHow can I forget?â Julia heard a heavy sigh. âI want you home safe and sound, Jules. The sooner the better, thanks.â
âStop worrying so much.â
âItâs what I do, remember? Iâm your big sister. Iâ¦miss you, kiddo.â
âI miss you, too.â
Oh, dear. This conversation was supposed to be picking her up after a miserable day of work when she hadnât been able to find anything to take her mind off Mac. Or that kiss. Or put a stop to the flashes of desire and hope that always spiralled into hopelessness. Now she was going to be feeling homesick on top of heartsick.
âHow are you , anyway?â she asked brightly. âHowâs work?â
âFlat out,â Anne said co-operatively. âWe had three cases back to back yesterday and they were all complicated. The biggest was an ostium primum atrial septal defect that extended through both AV valves into the ventricular septum.â
âWow! How did that go?â
âGreat. Little Downâs syndrome girl. Very cute. She was awake when I did my rounds in PICU this morning.â
Julia swallowed. Was the mere mention of a child enough to drag her thoughts back to yesterday? To Mac?
âAny word on that consultancy position?â
âTheyâre going to advertise it soon. Richards thinks Iâll be a top contender.â
âYouâll get it. Good heavens, youâre going to be a consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon by the time youâre thirty-five. Go, you!â
âIâm not holding my breath. Iâve been working towards this for nearly fifteen years. I can wait as long as it takes.â
âWait until I get home, anyway. I want to help celebrate.â
âIâll tell them not to advertise for a couple of months, shall I?â
âYou do that.â Julia was smiling again but something new was being added to the mix of emotions sheâd been grappling with. Three months wasnât very long. She was already halfway through her time here and look how fast it had gone. It would only seem a blink until she was heading home again and then sheâd never see Mac again. Sheâd never know what might have happened if sheâdâ¦
âHey, itâs Saturday on your side of the world.â Desperation was providing another distraction. âYouâve got a night off for once. You and Dave going out on a hot date?â
âI will if you will.â
Something in her sisterâs tone made Juliaâs heart sink. âThings not going any better, then?â
âWorse if anything,â Anne admitted. âI get the feeling he wants me to choose between him and my career. He wants a family. How did life get so mixed up?â
âItâs crazy, isnât it? You can have kids and donât want any because youâve already been a mother to me, and I canât andâ¦â Her voice trailed off. It was the biggest dream of all, wasnât it? A home and family of her own.
It was Anneâs turn to try and provide distraction. âWeâve got each other,â she said stoutly. âAnd weâve both got amazing careers. Now, tell me all about this job with the train.â
âIt was unreal. Itâs been all over the Sunday papers here. Iâll scan the articles and email them to