“I’ve just told Heather I don’t think the burns are bad but they should be seen to. It’s his hands and face.”

Heather went past Paula and back into the house.

“Why didn’t someone take him sooner?” Paula said.

“No one noticed in all the commotion. I think he’s in shock.”

Paula looked past Dan to where Ted sat slumped in the front seat. “You’d better get going. I’ll stay with Heather.”

Dan brushed a kiss across Paula’s cheek. “Thanks. Like I said, I don’t think the burns are that bad but I’m no expert and it won’t hurt for him to be checked over. I’ve shut Spud in the side yard.”

“Spud?”

“The pup.”

Paula had forgotten they’d even brought the young animal with them. “You’ve named him Spud?”

Dan was walking back to the vehicle. “You said it was my choice,” he called over his shoulder.

Paula shook her head. “What kind of a name is Spud?” she murmured. But as Dan drove away, her thoughts returned to Heather. Did Ted push her? Had he done that kind of thing before? Paula never felt comfortable with Ted. She realised he was in a terrible place right now but it was no excuse to turn on his wife.

There was a crash from the kitchen followed by a boy’s voice yelling loudly. Paula sighed. She hadn’t found Ted’s boys easy to like either. Reluctantly she moved in the direction of the noise.

Chapter 22

CHAPTER

22

Lachlan Hunter put down the phone and typed something on his computer. Paula held her breath. The baby was pushing on her bladder and her stomach was churning. Her blood pressure reading was higher than last time and the doctor had called the nurse to get the results of the urine sample.

“Your urine test results are all normal.” He glanced across at her. “That’s good news.”

Paula exhaled. “What does high blood pressure mean?”

“I didn’t say high, just higher than your previous readings. Blood pressure can rise for all kinds of reasons. You were probably rushing around this morning.” The doctor looked back at his screen.

Paula shifted in her seat and pressed a hand to her side where the baby had given her a sharp prod, as if to remind her she’d been doing very little. The day before had been hot and she’d woken up this morning with a headache. She’d spent the couple of hours before her appointment lying on the couch with a damp cloth on her forehead. The headache had eased by the time she had dressed and driven in to town.