She laughed up at him as she cupped his filthy face in her hands and felt the rough bristles on his chin. ‘Only if you want to,’ she teased.

He gave a soft groan. ‘Of course I want to,’ he breathed. His kiss was tender and sweet, growing in intensity as they clung to one another. The rest of the world faded away, leaving them in their own cocoon of happiness where little else mattered.

They finally drew apart, breathless and stunned by the depths of their feelings as they looked into one another’s eyes. ‘Danny’s all right?’ he asked. At her nod, he embraced her again. ‘We’ll take it slow,’ he assured her, ‘but from now on you’re my girl, and I don’t care if the whole bloody world knows it.’

Becky snuggled against him, warmed by his love and understanding and the deep sense of being where she belonged. They had come through the firestorm and, although it might still take time before Danny was ready to accept Ben into his life, Becky could already sense that things would be much better from now on.

*

Jane had been checking on Hugh again when she heard the cavalcade coming down the track. Quietly leaving him to sleep, she’d tiptoed to the door and closed it behind her, planning to watch the fun from the hospital veranda. But as she reached the screen she was startled to see Bob Freeman striding very determinedly towards her.

‘Whatever’s the matter, Bob?’ she asked as he crashed through the screen door and stomped across the veranda.

‘I’ve come to have a word with Big Mac,’ he growled as he took off his hat and slapped the dust from it against his meaty thigh.

‘He’s asleep,’ Jane said quickly.

‘Then I’ll wake the bugger up,’ he rumbled.

Jane put her hand against his muscled arm. ‘Please, Bob. Don’t cause trouble. Not here.’

‘I’m not here to cause flaming trouble,’ he replied as he gently but firmly lifted her from her feet and set her down away from the door. Before Jane could do anything to stop him, Bob was clumping down the corridor towards the ward.

Jane scurried along behind him, but he was as big as a house and obviously fully determined to get to Big Mac. ‘He’s in the isolation room,’ she said before he could disturb the whole hospital. ‘But I know what you and Mac are like when you get going, and I will not stand for that sort of carry-on in my hospital. Is that understood?’

Bob looked down at her and nodded.

Jane quietly opened the door to the isolation room, and before she could stop him, Bob was approaching the bed.

‘The wife reckoned I oughta come and see if you’re right,’ he growled.

‘You needn’t have bothered,’ replied Big Mac, who was bound almost head to foot in special burn bandages.