month and on

't worked

her. Because it didn't make sense. The clinic had tried a different procedure this time, putting the sperm right into her womb

e of money as

ic on her own, in secret. That way, she could have handled her disappointment in private, without the added pain of watching her mother's disappointment. Her mum so

ied till she was mine. Joy sucked in sharply at the possibility that her mother had been unable to conceive more babies. But if that we

e salon, working. Wednesday was always a busy day. It would be impossib

, that her period had arrived. The poor darling, she thought sadl

n the way home. She'd seen the sympathy in her mother's eyes when she'd come o

herself to say. She was close to tears

s there any physical reason why

he'd been expecting t

horoughly checked out, the same way you've been. One doct

d. "That's why couples sometimes fall

child," her mom confessed. "But then he w

ry. I know how muc

ight for months. It never surprised Joy that her mother hadn'

bly touched, especially with his intuitive observation about her fragile nervous state. She'd almost changed her mind about going back to the clinic and rung him straight away. But, in the end, she simply hadn't had the courage to take what would have not to

s long gone. If she didn't take john up

ve changed his mind by n

, Joy vowed with renewed resolve. If he waffled, she'd remin

ocked at herself if she

i might go away for a

Where

stralia, of course. I do

his time of the year,"

total untruth . Joy had seen one or two documentaries about the Northern Territory and was n

mother said,soun

ompany. You could manage. I managed when you left to be an

nths. Two weeks after her period started was beginning of her peak days for conceiving. No point in going to Darwin much befor

how l

maybe ten days." She a

to the clinic for anoth

ded to have a break f

en her mother offered to make her a cup of tea, she declined, saying she was going to take some

ouse, some way from the kitchen. Once her mother turned on

iven her two numbers, one for a regular mobile, one for a satellite phone. She say on the side of her bed and tried the mobile number

amned thing." She muttered under her

A despairing Joy didn't leave any message, choosing instead to try the s