Wishing for a Miracle by Alison Roberts Read Free Book Online Page B

someone dangling off the bridge trying tolook in the windows of the carriage. It looked horrific. Was that Mac?’
    Julia remembered hearing a helicopter hovering that could well have contained a news crew. ‘It was probably me,’ she admitted. ‘I went down first to assess things.’
    â€˜Oh, my God!’ Anne groaned. ‘Don’t 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€˜Someone had to,’ Julia said matter-of-factly. ‘And it’s what I do, remember?’
    â€˜How can I forget?’ Julia heard a heavy sigh. ‘I want you home safe and sound, Jules. The sooner the better, thanks.’
    â€˜Stop worrying so much.’
    â€˜It’s what I do, remember? I’m your big sister. I…miss you, kiddo.’
    â€˜I miss you, too.’
    Oh, dear. This conversation was supposed to be picking her up after a miserable day of work when she hadn’t 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.
    â€˜How are you , anyway?’ she asked brightly. ‘How’s work?’
    â€˜Flat out,’ Anne said co-operatively. ‘We 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€˜Wow! How did that go?’
    â€˜Great. Little Down’s syndrome girl. Very cute. She was awake when I did my rounds in PICU this morning.’
    Julia swallowed. Was the mere mention of a child enough to drag her thoughts back to yesterday? To Mac?
    â€˜Any word on that consultancy position?’
    â€˜They’re going to advertise it soon. Richards thinks I’ll be a top contender.’
    â€˜You’ll get it. Good heavens, you’re going to be a consultant paediatric cardiac surgeon by the time you’re thirty-five. Go, you!’
    â€˜I’m not holding my breath. I’ve been working towards this for nearly fifteen years. I can wait as long as it takes.’
    â€˜Wait until I get home, anyway. I want to help celebrate.’
    â€˜I’ll tell them not to advertise for a couple of months, shall I?’
    â€˜You do that.’ Julia was smiling again but something new was being added to the mix of emotions she’d been grappling with. Three months wasn’t 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 she’d never see Mac again. She’d never know what might have happened if she’d…
    â€˜Hey, it’s Saturday on your side of the world.’ Desperation was providing another distraction. ‘You’ve got a night off for once. You and Dave going out on a hot date?’
    â€˜I will if you will.’
    Something in her sister’s tone made Julia’s heart sink. ‘Things not going any better, then?’
    â€˜Worse if anything,’ Anne admitted. ‘I 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€˜It’s crazy, isn’t it? You can have kids and don’t want any because you’ve already been a mother to me, and I can’t and…’ Her voice trailed off. It was the biggest dream of all, wasn’t it? A home and family of her own.
    It was Anne’s turn to try and provide distraction. ‘We’ve got each other,’ she said stoutly. ‘And we’ve both got amazing careers. Now, tell me all about this job with the train.’
    â€˜It was unreal. It’s been all over the Sunday papers here. I’ll scan the articles and email them to