by Lucy Clark
‘You’re very quiet,’ she said, swallowing a mouthful.
‘Pensive,’ he returned, finishing his salad and draining his drink.
‘Wondering whether we can leave the past in the past and make this new professional relationship work?’
‘Something like that. Finished?’
‘Yes.’ She put her utensils down and sighed. ‘It was delicious so my compliments to whoever made it, but I definitely can’t eat any more.’
‘Your compliments are gratefully accepted.’
‘Ah, so you did make it. I wasn’t sure whether Giselle was just kidding me when she told you to get started on the salad.’
‘Is that why you insisted on sharing it with me? To make sure it wasn’t poisoned?’
Abbey laughed. ‘No, but I wish I’d thought of that. So you like to cook?’
‘I do.’
‘Since when?’
He shrugged as he cleared the plates and put them in the open hatch to the kitchen. ‘Since for ever.’
‘Even when we were back in med school?’
‘Yep. Cooking calms me down. In our final year, I did even more baking than before. During those last weeks of examinations, I baked cookies every night. My mother had to give them away to family and friends we had so many.’
Abbey laughed again. ‘That’s amazing. I never knew that about you.’ She shook her head. ‘I guess in some ways we really don’t know each other at all.’
Her thoughts mirrored his own and it was another disturbing factor. He didn’t want to have things in common with Abigail. He simply wanted another doctor in the area to help him look after the bustling community, which included the personnel from the LPG gas rig. It really wasn’t too much to ask, was it? ‘Except to know that we can still argue and get on each other’s nerves with ease.’
Her smile was bright at his words and for a split second Joshua found himself quite mesmerised by her. Her hair was now dry, floating softly around her face, curling slightly at the ends. Her brown eyes were less tired than before and he realised that a shower and something to eat and drink had definitely gone a long way to making her feel more comfortable. Perhaps it would have been better to have left her cranky and dishevelled—that way at least he wouldn’t find her so attractive.
‘Amazing, isn’t it? After sixteen years of not seeing each other, we can still slip back into the old ways and bicker like not a day has passed.’ Abbey tilted her head to the side. ‘Does that make us young at heart or old fools?’
Joshua couldn’t help but laugh, and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Perhaps a bit of both.’ He picked up the cloth from the side of the bar and wiped the area down before coming around to stand next to her. ‘Ready to leave the relative cool comfort of the pub and head out to the rig?’ As he spoke, she noticed Dustin coming around behind the bar to replace Joshua. Did he work here, too? It was a strange situation and she wondered whether anyone and everyone could just slip behind the bar and help out.
‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’ As she spoke, the door next to the kitchen burst open and in ran two toddlers, the young boy holding a doll, the little girl chasing him. Hard on their heels was a young woman in her early twenties.
‘Good. Just give me a second.’ Joshua turned and scooped up the little boy without missing a beat. ‘What are you doing, monkey?’
‘He got my dolly,’ the little girl said, and the young woman picked her up.
‘Sorry, Josh. They’re getting faster every day.’
‘That’s all right, Rach.’ Joshua took the doll from the boy and gave it back to the girl. ‘Were you teasing your sister?’ he asked, and the little boy shook his head. ‘Do you know what teased means?’ Joshua asked, and again the boy shook his head. Abbey tried not to laugh. ‘It means doing something cheeky when you know Becka will get cross with you.’
The boy nodded his little blond head, then wrapped his arms tightly around Joshua’s neck. ‘I sorry, Daddy.’
Abbey’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Daddy?’ The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Joshua looked over at her.
‘Yes. I am Daddy. This is Jimmy and that’s Becka.’ He pointed to where Becka was now out of Rach’s arms, strutting around the pub as if she owned it, giving kisses to everyone she met. ‘They’re my twins.’
‘Twins.’ Abbey was still coming to terms with the fact that Joshua had children. She hadn’t pictured him as the fatherly type but as he put the boy back down on the floor, she realised she really hadn’t pictured him as married either. She glanced across at the young woman who’d been holding Becka. Was that his wife? If so, she must have been a child bride.
‘That’s Rach. She’s married to Dustin.’ He pointed to where the other man was behind the bar. ‘They own the pub and help me look after the kids.’
‘And you help them cook?’
He shrugged and spread his arms wide, a grin on his face. ‘We all help each other out here. It’s the outback way.’ He headed for the door, collecting his hat and putting it firmly on his head. ‘Now that I’ve touched base with the twins, we can go.’
‘Uh…Joshua?’
‘Hmm?’ He glanced at her over his shoulder. She’d put on her hat and sunglasses, her steps tentative as she started to follow him.
‘We don’t have to walk to the rig, do we? We are driving, right?’
‘Well…we can walk if you’d prefer but given the flies and the heat and the time of day, we should have started out about an hour ago.’
‘You’re teasing,’ she murmured, trying not to get cross with him.
‘I’m teasing,’ he confirmed, calling a cheery goodbye to everyone in the pub and receiving a rowdy response in return before he walked out the door.
‘Have fun, Doc,’ someone called, and she realised it was aimed at her.
‘Oh. I’ll try.’ She waved, unsure exactly who she was waving to but wanting to prove that she was happy to be here, even though she thought all of them a glorious bunch of loons.
She continued to follow and watched Joshua, waiting for him to pull out his car keys, waiting for him to divert somewhere else to collect keys from somewhere, but instead he walked across and climbed into a well-used red two-door ute. The windows were down, it was covered in dust and there were two pairs of sunglasses and bits of paper scrunched up in a mess on the dashboard. As she stepped down from the large kerb, the engine purred to life and it was then she realised the keys had been left in the vehicle. She slid into the passenger seat and was pleased when he put the electric windows up and switched on the air-conditioning.
‘Do you always leave your keys in your car?’ He looked at her for a moment as he slid on a pair of aviator sunglasses.
‘Everybody does. Makes it easy to always remember where your keys are, too.’ At her stunned look he laughed. ‘Life is different out here, Abbey. No doubt you’ll get used to it.’
He switched on the radio and settled back with one hand on the wheel, driving with confidence over the dusty outback roads. There was a stretch of bitumen on the main road for the town but everywhere else was just like open dirt tracks. There were hardly any road signs once he turned off and for a moment she wondered whether he was taking her on a wild-goose chase to show her just how different life out here really was.
It wasn’t too long before the skyline started to change from one of gumtrees and shrubs to large steel chimneys, about six or seven of them all shooting up into the sky. The closer they got, the more Abbey could see that the gas rig was far larger than she’d anticipated. She’d looked at photographs on line but they didn’t take into account the heat, the flies and the noise that went along with the real-life experience. It was like a small town, in a sort of L shape, a metal monstrous structure on steel girders.
‘How many people work here?’ she asked.
‘Almost three hundred.’
‘And you’re the only doctor around?’
‘We are the only doctors around,’ he pointed out. ‘Yes.’
‘And everyone lives in Yawonnadeere?’
‘Or the surrounding farms. Not everyone in the district works here, only about eighty percent.’
Abbey was too stunned to say anything else as he pulled up at the gatehouse, showed his identification and parked the car. As they entered the main building, she was still looking around. ‘Tell me about our set-up. Do we hold clinics here or do they come to Yawonnadeere?’
‘Both. There is an infirmary here and clinics are held a few times a week. Anything else must be by appointment, which Giselle usually arranges.’
‘OK.’ They stopped at the receptionist’s desk where Joshua introduced Abbey, signing her in and requesting an identification tag be made.
‘Take these papers to the HOp…’ She paused and looked at Abbey. ‘That stands for Head of Operations. Anyway, get Pierre to sign them and return them to me,’ Ellen, the receptionist, said. ‘Once that’s done, I’ll get them processed. Look this way, please,’ she said to Abbey, and held up a web camera. ‘Thanks.’
Abbey put a hand to her head. ‘Wait. I wasn’t ready.’ She smoothed her hair, looking from Ellen to Joshua, all the while straightening her clothes and protesting. ‘I can’t have that on my ID badge.’
Joshua reached over Ellen’s desk and turned the computer monitor around, surveying her photo. ‘You look great. Stop worrying.’ He straightened and started down the corridor. Abbey followed.
‘Stop placating me just because you can’t be bothered waiting around. I can’t believe you’re still so impatient.’
‘Me? Impatient? That’s a laugh.’ He stopped outside a door and knocked twice. ‘I seem to recall that you were far more impatient than I ever was.’ He lowered his voice slightly. ‘Remember when we organised a surprise party for Sammy and you jumped up and yelled “Surprise” earlier than everyone else?’
Abbey couldn’t believe the embarrassment that swamped her at the memory. ‘How do you remember things like that?’
‘Because it was funny.’
‘You’re embarrassing me. It was a mistake. I thought I heard her walk in and that’s—’
The door they were standing in front of was wrenched open and Abbey jumped, startled at the suddenness of the action. ‘Come on in,’ the owner of the office said. ‘Pierre Knowles.’ He reached out a hand to Abbey and when she shook it, she noted it was cold and clammy. He was a tall man, whose hair was more grey than the sandy blond she could see in places and he was a little overweight. ‘You must be the new doc. Hi, Josh. Come on in, both of you. Please sit down.’
Pierre’s words were brisk and to the point, as though he really didn’t have a lot of time. The man had three different phones on his desk and another one strapped to his waist. There was a fresh cup of coffee on his desk and a cupcake on a plate, yet neither had been touched. There was a bottle of water which Pierre now reached for, taking a sip. Abbey’s doctor’senses started tingling as she observed him.
‘What were you two arguing about, standing outside my door?’ Pierre asked, and as he walked back behind his desk, Abbey clinically studied his gait, finding that he was a little hunched over. When he sat down, she was positive she saw him wince.
‘Nothing.’
‘The past.’
They spoke at the same time and at Pierre’s raised eyebrows Joshua quickly filled him in. ‘We went to the same medical school.’
‘You dated?’
‘No.’Again, they spoke together, Abbey’s word more vehement than Joshua’s. She didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea of what their past relationship had been…even though back then he’d looked just as gorgeous as he did now. That wasn’t the point.
‘We were more like…rivals,’ Joshua finished.
Abbey continued to study Pierre’s face, now noticing that his brow was peppered with sweat. The heat in the office wasn’t too bad and neither was Pierre overdressed, his crew uniform fitting him snugly.
‘Are you feeling all right?’As she asked the question, her mind flicked through different scenarios.
‘I’m fine.’ He took a sip of water. ‘Now, I know you’ve just flown in this morning but I asked Josh to bring you down straight away so that you can get a good look at the rig, familiarise yourself with the infirmary and generally touch base, as well as get the red tape taken care of.’ He held out his hand for the forms Joshua was holding and as he accepted them Abbey again noticed how weak Pierre was. She glanced across at Joshua, to see if he’d noticed anything.
When he glanced back at her, she knew he had. There was something wrong.
Pierre took another small sip from the water bottle. She looked at his lips and saw that they were cracked and a little white, even though there was sweat on his upper lip. Dehydrated. The circles around his eyes were dark but where she would have initially thought the man wasn’t getting enough sleep, no doubt due to the stress of his job, she now wondered whether he wasn’t sleeping due to being in constant pain.
He hadn’t touched the cupcake and his coffee was starting to cool. Pierre was still talking, explaining to her the intricacies of the rig, but she was only half listening. She’d have to ask Joshua about it later.
‘Old Doc Turner was a good doctor. She won’t be at all easy to replace.’
‘I’m not looking to replace anyone. I’m only here to assist Joshua as best I can for the next six months. Excuse me, are you sure you’re feeling all right?’ Abbey asked again. ‘You don’t look so good.’ She was out of her chair and heading around to the other side of the desk, intent on taking a closer look at the man.
‘I told you, I’m fine. There’s no need to start fussin—’ Pierre broke off from what he was saying.
‘You’re not fine. I knew it.’ Joshua was up and around the other side of the desk, both doctors surveying Pierre closely. ‘He hasn’t been eating all that well the past few weeks.’
‘What? Of course I have,’ Pierre blustered.
‘I’ve been watching you and Ellen has been giving me reports,’ Joshua said. ‘Look at that cupcake. Usually you can’t resist cakes and devour them within minutes of seeing them. Not so today.’
‘He’s dehydrated.’ Abbey placed a hand to Pierre’s forehead. ‘He’s burning up. We need to get him to the surgery or infirmary or whatever it is you do in this place when people are ill.’
‘I don’t need to go to the—’ Pierre tried again but broke off, doubling over and clutching his abdomen.
Joshua grabbed one of the phones on the desk and quickly called for help. ‘Ellen, organise for a stretcher to be brought the HOp’s office. Call the pub, tell Mark and Giselle to prep for surgery and get the helicopter ready. We need to transfer Pierre to the surgery, stat.’
With that, he returned his attention to Abbey.
‘Let’s get him on the floor,’ Abbey instructed. ‘Loosen his clothing. You said he’s been off his food?’
‘I noticed it at the beginning of last week. Since then I’ve been keeping an eye on him.’
She began carefully palpating the man’s abdomen and when she pressed on the lower right side, Pierre nearly passed out from the pain.
‘Appendicitis,’ the two doctors said in unison.
‘He needs to be in surgery, ASAP,’ she said. ‘Can you organise that? Where would he go? Adelaide?’
‘No time to transfer him anywhere. He’s too far gone.’
‘What are you suggesting?’
‘We need to operate.’
‘Where? All I’ve seen of Yawonnadeere is the pub.’
‘There’s a small operating theatre out the back of the surgery in town. We’ll transfer him there by chopper. Mark will anaesthetise, Giselle will be theatre nurse and you and I, Dr Bateman, will be…well, I guess we’ll be the surgeons.’
As he said the words, trying to inject some humour into the situation, Abbey noticed a tightening of his smile, a loss of colour in his face and hesitation behind his eyes. She’d seen that look on Joshua before. When they’d first been assigned tog
ether as lab partners, he’d taken unnecessary risks with their experiment and although she’d argued with him, demanding they follow the set procedure, he hadn’t listened. As a result, they’d almost failed that part of the module and she’d been furious. Yet just before they’d been marked, she’d noticed the same pallor and hesitation that he was displaying now.
‘Are you qualified for surgery?’
‘General surgery, yes, although out here you become a “bitsa” doctor. Bits of this and bits of that.’ They continued to monitor Pierre as they spoke.
‘Are you OK to operate, Joshua? He is your friend, after all.’
Joshua’s smile instantly disappeared. ‘There’s no one else, Abbey. Out here, we’re it, and whether the patient is your friend or your family, you have to do something. That’s just the way it is.’
There was a vehemence to his words that she hadn’t expected but his attitude also told Abbey there was far more going on in his life than he was admitting.
Shaking her head, she had to wonder, what on earth she’d got herself into.
Chapter Three
PIERRE was transferred from the helicopter, which had landed as close to the town centre as possible, to the back of a ute Mark had ready. They drove to the surgery, which was situated next door to the pub, and it was then Abbey realised there was also a house attached to the rear. Was that where she would end up living or was that where Joshua lived with his children…and his wife?
Children. She still couldn’t believe he had children. The question remained, though—where was his wife? Was he divorced? Was she simply interstate? Perhaps she worked out at the mine? What unsettled Abbey more was the way Joshua had looked at her earlier. They’d been close, their emotions had been heightened and he’d looked as though he’d wanted to kiss her.
He may have flaws, he may annoy her from here to kingdom come, but she’d never pegged him for a philanderer. One of their friends had been two-timing a girl back in med school and both she and Joshua had agreed it was wrong. In fact, it was about the only time she ever remembered them agreeing on anything.
