Brandi was nervous as she led Declan into the hospital. None of her other boyfriends had ever shown any interest in seeing what she did there and having him with her was somehow significant. And nerve wracking. What if he thought she was an idiot? Brandi tried to calm her breathing and kept a bright smile plastered on her face as she waved to the nurses and orderlies that she knew.

She slowed as they approached Caitlyn’s room. Brandi poked her head around the corner and saw the little girl propped up on the pillows staring at the television that hung from the ceiling.

“Hello chicken,” she said softly and Caitlyn’s eyes found hers and lit up.

“Hi Brandi,” she replied, her voice raspy like it was hard to speak.

“I brought someone to meet you,” Brandi said nervously, standing in the doorway, not yet ready to walk into the room and reveal Declan. “Are you up to it?”

Caitlyn smiled at her and nodded. Her movements were slow and looked like they took all her effort. She did not look good. Her skin was grey without the usual rosy glow in her cheeks. Her eyes were dull and missing the spark that Brandi had first noticed when they met. Nothing seemed to get Caitlyn down, but today she looked like she carried the world on her shoulders. Brandi sucked in all the emotions that were threatening to leak out of her and plastered a happy smile on her face as she stepped into the room and revealed Declan.

Caitlyn’s eyes widened in surprise as she saw Declan and her smile grew slowly. “Who’s that?”

Brandi turned to look at Declan. He had a half smile on his face and an odd look in his eye. She turned back to Caitlyn. “This is Declan. He’s a friend of mine.”

Brandi walked over to the bed and dropped a kiss on Caitlyn’s forehead, noticing that her head scarf was a little askew. She straightened it and smoothed her hand over the girl’s head, clamping down on the need to cry over the unfairness of this fucking illness that took indiscriminately. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that Caitlyn had to suffer. It wasn’t fair that her short life was going to end before she even had the chance to live.

“Hello,” Declan’s deep voice vibrated through her, calming her.

“Hello,” Caitlyn replied, “I’m Caitlyn.”

Declan took a step into the room and his eyes gazed around, taking in the drip that Caitlyn was on and the piles of books and the stuffed animals. Caitlyn had been in this room for a long time and it had started to take on the look of what Brandi imagined her bedroom must look like at home.

“Brandi tells me that you help her get ready for her shifts here at the hospital.”

Caitlyn giggled. It was such a happy sound and so at odds with the sick pallor that permeated the room. “Not really,” she said. “She just comes to see me first because I’m not allowed to be in the same room as the other kids.”

“Is it because you’re a big bully and all the other kids are scared of you?” Declan asked and Caitlyn giggled again.

“No,” she said, drawing the word out dramatically.

“Ah,” Declan said, “then it must be because you’re the prettiest in the hospital and they don’t want the other kids to feel bad.”

Brandi smiled as Caitlyn giggled.

“That’s definitely the reason,” Brandi said looking at Declan and hoping he could read the gratitude in her eyes.

“So you’re like a princess locked in a tower,” Declan went on as he sat in the chair beside the bed. “And the fairy godmother has put you here to keep you safe so that all the ugly people in the world can’t steal your beauty.”

“So how come you can come in?” Caitlyn asked, intrigued by the story he was spinning.

“Ah, well now,” he said looking at Brandi and then looking down at himself. “The fairy godmother—” he swished his arm towards Brandi meaning that she was the fairy godmother, “—only wanted the ugly people to stay away from you. But me? Well, look at me. I’m beautiful too so it was fine for me to come in. Us beautiful people have got to stick together.”

Caitlyn laughed and Brandi couldn’t stop the tear that ran down her cheek. She brushed it away quickly before either of them could see it.

“And on that note,” she said briskly, “I need to go and get changed.” She turned to Declan, “Will you be okay here for a little bit while I go and put my costume on?”

“Sure,” he said, picking up a book from the bedside. It was Harriet the Spy. “Caitlyn and I can amuse ourselves for a little while.”

She dropped another kiss on Caitlyn’s forehead and then one on Declan’s without thinking. She froze, realising that it was probably not something he would appreciate. She didn’t know where they stood now that the benefit was over and she didn’t know where he stood on casual public-displays-of-affection. Would a quick kiss on the forehead been too familiar?

He smiled up at her as if it was something she did every day and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

“I’ll be back soon,” she said.

“No rush,” Declan said. “Now, where are you up to in this book?”

Brandi took a minute to stop and look back at the man sitting beside the bed of a sick girl and reading to her. This was a side of Declan that she hadn’t seen and, if she was honest, she hadn’t thought existed. Seeing him there twisted her insides up and made her wish for things that she knew she could never have with him. Before she could start imagining the white picket fence and two-point-five children, she turned away and headed for the locker room.

“Are you really Brandi’s friend?” Caitlyn asked him after the woman in question had left the room.

He looked up from the book and into the serious eyes of a little girl who was older than her years.

“Yes,” he said. “We’re friends. Good friends.”

“Do you love her?”

The question was like a punch in the gut. He avoided the love word whenever he could because he knew it was never in the cards for him. He wasn’t allowed to fall in love. That would only mean pain for him in the long run so it was better if he didn’t allow himself to go there.

“I don’t know,” he answered truthfully. “She’s very special to me.”

Caitlyn looked at him with such a serious gaze that he wondered what she saw.

“I’m dying,” she said. “Nobody has told me to my face, but I see the looks in the doctors’ and the nurses’ eyes. I see the way my mum and dad look at me. I overheard the doctors tell my parents that there is nothing more they can do for me.”

Declan sucked in a deep breath. What do you say to a twelve year old who is looking at the end of her life.

“I’m sorry—”

“Don’t say it,” she said tiredly. “But if you really are Brandi’s friend then I need you to do something for me.”

“Okay,” he said.

“When I die—” she stopped and took a breath. He reached out to take her small hand in his and she squeezed it. When she had herself under control, she began again. “When I die, Brandi is going to be really sad. She is my friend, my best friend. I know she sometimes comes into the hospital just to see me and she always makes sure she spends more time with me than she does with the other kids. I love her and I know she loves me.” Caitlyn took a breath. “So when I’m gone, she is going to be sad and she will need a friend to be there for her the same way she has been there for me.” Caitlyn looked at Declan, drilling him with her eyes. “Can you be that person? Can you be her friend and look after her when she’s sad? Can you tell her that I love her and that I will be watching down from heaven and making sure she is okay?”

Declan swallowed. How could he deny such a selfless request from a dying girl? He knew, even though he had only just met Caitlyn, that losing her would tear Brandi apart. His Brandi had such a soft and tender heart and he didn’t know how she was going to survive losing Caitlyn from her life.

“Of course I will,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.

“Do you promise? Because if you can’t do it, you need to tell me now. If you can’t do it then I need to find someone else to look after her. What she does here at the hospital is important and I don’t want her to stop doing it because I die. I don’t want her to be so sad that she can’t come back here. I don’t want her to be lonely. Are you sure you can be that person? Are you sure you can be there for her and look after her and remind her why she does this, why she gives up her weekends to come into the hospital and dress up to make a few sick kids smile?”

He nodded solemnly. “I promise you I will be there for her and look after her.”

“And love her,” Caitlyn whispered, gripping his hand tightly. “She needs someone to love her.”

Declan looked at the fierceness in Caitlyn’s eyes and the words bubbled in his throat. He opened his mouth to confess what he already knew but had been desperately trying to deny.

“What’s going on here?” Brandi said brightly as she stepped into the room.

“Oh! My favourite!” Caitlyn cried.

Declan tried to rearrange his features so that she wouldn’t see the turmoil that raged within him and then turned to see her standing in the doorway. She wore a simple pinky-purple dress, her feet were bare and her hair was in a thick plait that reached the ground and it was threaded with flowers. She did a little twirl and Caitlyn clapped delightedly.

“I love Tangled,” Caitlyn said dreamily.

“Tangled?”

“Disney movie,” Brandi replied, “about Rapunzel.”

“Can’t say I’ve seen it,” he said.

“We can watch it now,” Caitlyn said, “I have the DVD.”

“And what is Brandi going to do while we watch Tangled?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Brandi said. “I’ve got to go and spread smiles and sunshine through the ward. You two have fun.”

She kissed him on the forehead again and it sent a pleasant warmth through him. He liked that she felt comfortable enough around him to be so effortlessly affectionate. He caught her hand and saw the diamond sparkling on her finger and looked up at her. She smiled softly down at her hand and then looked at him. Her smile dimmed a little.

“Dr. Shane is working today,” she said in explanation and his heart fell a little. He’d had the fleeting thought that perhaps she had worn it because she wanted to, because she liked wearing his ring. He dropped his head and kissed the back of her hand. He liked seeing it there, it didn’t matter what her reasons were. Then he tugged her down and brushed a soft kiss on her lips. If they were going to pretend then they were going to make it worth it.

Declan had been quiet since they'd left the hospital. Brandi looked at him across the console of the car as he drove through the city back to the hotel and chewed on the corner of her lip not sure if they had the type of relationship where she could ask him if he was okay. Would he think she was prying or trying to overstep her bounds?

“What?” he asked, shooting her a quick look.

She shrugged and turned to look out the side window.

“Brandi,” he said, “you can say anything to me. So what's up?”

She sighed and turned back to him. “You're quiet. Did something happen between you and Caitlyn? Was it weird of me leaving you with her while I did my rounds?”

He smiled, shooting her another quick glance. “Definitely not. Caitlyn is a very special little girl and I'm glad I got the chance to meet her.”

Brandi sighed and looked out the side window again. “Her mum told me that there's nothing more they can do for her. Her cancer is spreading and not responding to treatments. Even in the last week I've noticed a difference in her. She never used to look sick but today…” she faded out as her throat tightened.

Declan reached across the console and took her hand, squeezing lightly in support. “She cares about you a lot,” he said. “She told me you were her best friend.”

Brandi smiled at that, glad that Caitlyn thought of her that way but sad that she didn't have any other friends.

“It's been hard for her. She's been in hospital so much that she has lost touch with the other kids her own age and she's not allowed to mix with the other kids in hospital because she is immunosuppressed and might pick up an infection. Her parents try but they have other kids at home and jobs they need to go to. I visit her whenever I can.”

“Is there no financial assistance they can get?” Declan asked.

“I think they've both used all the sick leave they have. Caitlyn has been sick for a long time and it's fatiguing for all of them. I thought about setting up a trust fund for them so that they can take some time off to spend with her in her last days.”

“Yes,” Declan said without hesitation. “I want to be part of that. I can get my solicitor on it today.”

Brandi turned to stare at him. “But you hardly know her.”

“What more do I need to know? She's a precious little girl and her parents deserve a break. I've never had to deal with anything like that in my life and if I can help ease their grief in the smallest way then I want to.”

Brandi squeezed his hand and her heart melted. This man knew her body better than any other man ever had but he was also kind and generous and sweet. Caitlyn had whispered to her that she really liked him before they left the hospital earlier and if that wasn't a ringing endorsement then she didn't know what was.

“Hey. Where are we going?” Brandi said as she realised they were exiting the city.

“I'm taking you home,” he said with a grin.

“But my stuff—”

“I'll have it sent over. Today was an emotional day and I think we both deserve a night in.”

“Are you going to cook for me?”

He looked over at her with a puzzled expression. “Cook for you? I thought you'd be cooking for me.”

Brandi rolled her eyes. “I don't cook,” she said.

He laughed. “Then it's a good thing that I have the local Thai shop on speed dial.”

“Thai food and Netflix?” she asked, looking over at him hopefully.

“As long as we're not watching Tangled again,” he said wiping an imaginary tear from under his eye. “I don't think I could cope with that again so soon.”

“What about Frozen? Have you seen that one?”

“Another Disney movie?”

She shrugged and he laughed.

“So, no Die Hard or Speed?”

She screwed up her nose and he laughed. “I don't mind me a bit of Keanu,” she said. “What about The Lake House?”

“Can't say I've seen that one,” he replied.

“Well, it's kind of like Speed…”

“Oh yeah? In what way?”

“It has both Keanu and Sandra in it.”

“And…”

She laughed, their easy banter lightening her mood. “Okay, well that's where the similarities end. But it does have time travel in it.”

The car came to a stop and Declan leaned over the console to kiss her lightly on the lips. It was such a normal, couple-y thing to do and Brandi couldn't help the little skip in her heart. It didn't matter how hard she tried to corral her feelings for him, they kept escaping. Every time she thought she had them under control, he would do something sweet or thoughtful and the fences she'd put around her heart would fall down. She had no idea how she was going to survive this man and the way he made her feel. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't real and that after this weekend, it wouldn't last.

“Come on,” Declan said, “we’re here.”

Brandi looked out the window to see a large stone Victorian era manor house.

“You live here?” she asked as she stepped out of the car.

“My many-great grandfather built it,” Declan said, “and my grandfather left it to me when he died. I wanted to move out of home at the time, so I moved in here. I don't stay here very often.”

Brandi gaped at the sight. It looked like something that should be a wedding venue or preserved as a historic sight. It was huge and she could just imagine the balls they must have had back in the day with the women in their long, Victorian gowns and the men in frock coats and breeches.

Declan trotted up the stairs as if he wasn't walking on stone that had been around almost as long as the country had been a federation. It was so at odds with the man she knew. His hotels were modern and state of the art and here he was dwelling in a two hundred year old house. The man had depths and layers that she hadn't even begun to plumb.

He turned when he had the door open and smiled down at her. “Well come on then,” he said, “there's more to gape at inside. I think there might even be some scotch as old as the house somewhere.”

Brandi shook her head as she climbed the stairs. He kept on surprising her and she wondered if she would ever really know the complete man beneath the façade he wore.