Charlie ‘s heart went out to the woman sitting on the other side of the desk. He remembered seeing little Harry, first in Holly’s shop and then, he winced inwardly, when the loose mouse had caused such an embarrassing stir. The little boy looked just like any other child; who would have imagined that he had such a heartbreaking condition? He didn’t know a lot about cystic fibrosis, but his sense of responsibility to those in need in his constituency, as well as his own, very human emotions at Rachel’s revelation made him want to find out more. He scanned through the précis that Rachel had given him. On paper it all seemed clear enough, though, understandably, frustrating for Rachel and her family.

‘It’s a conflict because of the cost issue, I see,’ he murmured. It wasn’t an unfamiliar story; the NHS was stretched and often it was a question of economics. That in no way made decisions easier, but they had to be made, nonetheless.

‘That’s true, but there may be grounds for reassessment,’ Rachel said. ‘So far, there have been a couple of MPs who’ve got behind the campaign, but as the new MP here, I wondered if you might give it some thought, too.’

Charlie nodded. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll need to look into it, get some more facts and figures and find out exactly what’s involved, but I promise I’ll come back to you when I’ve had the chance to do a bit of homework.’ Charlie felt a tingle of excitement; the Ministry of Health was his ultimate aim, in a few years, and taking on Rachel and Harry’s case might be as useful for him politically as it was for them. That wasn’t as venal as it sounded; as one of his constituents, it was equally important to give them the attention and service they needed, too. Perhaps there was a way to help them both.

‘Thank you,’ Rachel said. ‘Being the parent of a child with CF feels like being on borrowed time.’

Charlie nodded. ‘I can’t imagine, but I can try to help.’

There was a pause, which seemed to signal the end of the formal part of the appointment.

Rachel stood up and Charlie went to hand her back the folder, but Rachel shook her head. ‘Keep it – I made copies for you for reference.’

‘Thanks.’ Charlie rose to his feet when Rachel did, and she grinned.

‘It’s good to see you with your trousers on this time.’

Charlie laughed out loud. ‘I have no idea what you must have thought.’

Rachel smiled wryly. ‘With Holly, I’ve learned not to read too much into anything – for all I know it could have been some kind of alternative therapy!’ She paused. ‘She did text me and say she and Arthur flushed out the mouse in the end, though, if that’s any comfort.’