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CHAPTER ONE

TWO more weeks Two more weeks Two more weeks The words reverberated around Charlie Wentworth’s head in time with the squeak in his back wheel Two ular Sunday visit with his parents had left him with that familiar bitter taste in his mouth Between his family’s overt disapproval, the uncertainty over his health and tomorrow’s invasion from the hospital administrator, he had a lot on his mind

All he had to do was get through the next fortnight Go through the motions Co-operate with the hospital hatchet-wielder See his patients Take his et the blood test Wait for the results Then he could get on with living

Unless the test results were bad Then what the hell was he going to do? He stepped on the accelerator out of pure frustration He felt like his life had been on hold for years The separation, the divorce and now this The ancient Datsun strained and protested, gaining steadily on the car in front, and Charlie eased his foot off the pedal Blowing the gearbox wouldn’t bring the next fortnight to a close any faster

Carrie Douglas flicked her gaze to the rear-view hts stabbed into the darkness and she prepared to dip her high beam She could see Dana’s blonde head slumped to one side, her cute face relaxed in a deep sleep, her ancient blanky snuggled against her cheek

The other car fell back to a safe distance again and she relaxed Driving at night on an unfao intensified the feeling It was at times like these one realised that there was only so much as a mother you could do to protect your children So much more was out of your control

Thoughts about the job she was starting tomorrow turned over and over in herher in to sort out the financial rammes As far as projects went it looked pretty tedious but with her business and ree, she was perfect for the job

And it wouldn’t be long now until her hard work paid dividends There were ru considered for promotion to depart up for renewal Froe tobe damned!

It was the only thing in her life that mattered other than Dana She needed financial security for her daughter and herself and to show everyone that her unplanned career diversion had been successful Losing sight of her goal was not an option She’d even left her sister’s wedding before the bride and grooht hours’ sleep to ensure she was in good condition for tomorrow’s job

Carrie saw the headlights of an approaching car illuhts in preparation She chewed at her botto car grew bigger She glanced in the rear-viewa respectful distance

Charlie was pulled out of his brooding thoughts in an instant as he noticed the drift of the onco car into the path of the car in front of hi reflexively and at the sahts of the car in front Great, just the way his luck was running!

He swore as the car crossed theit on a collision course with the car in front

Letting out an expletive, Carrie stomped on the brake pedal as the fancy red vehicle bore down on her Her entire life flashed before her eyes For a split second the world stopped Her heart beat so loudly in her ears that nothing else registered It pounded so frantically in her chest her whole body shook with its agitated rhythm And then panic and instinct took over and she pulled hard on the steering-wheel Please, God, don’t take me away from Dana

Carrie held her breath as the red car passed in a blur For a split second she thought she was safe But then the red car clipped the rear of hers and she felt her head snap forward, her seatbelt snap tight and her head fling back again, sla into her headrest as her vehicle spun wildly round and round in the centre of the road

Charlie swore again as the red car’s trajectory changed on contact with the car in front

It flipped, rising up over his Datsun, narrowlyhim He looked in his rear-viewinto the bitu to rest on its wheels in aheadlight shone brokenly on the un in the middle of the road