‘Poor Gus.’
‘Indeed,’ Deirdre said tightly.
Peering over Deirdre’s shoulder, Freya saw Gus’s eyes flicker open. ‘Can I go in, just for a moment?’
‘Under the circumstances, I think Angus’s father and I are the best people to help him now.’
‘I’d just like to—’
‘He may be well enough to receive visitors later.’ Gus’s mother’s eyes were hard and decidedly unfriendly. ‘For short periods.’
Her meaning was clear. We’re Gus’s family and you, Freya Jones, are a rank outsider and more trouble than you’re worth.
‘Please give him my best,’ Freya said, but she very much doubted that her request would be granted.
Unsure how much longer she could hold it together, Freya went back to the waiting room. She still had ages to wait and she feared she might cave in before the time was up.
But Poppy was there.
And what a sudden, uncomplicated joy it was to see her mother, swathed in her customary colourful layers. How lovely to be welcomed into her familiar embrace.
At last the waiting became almost bearable. Poppy had brought a basket with a Thermos of tea, still surprisingly hot, and a tin of shortbread made by the mother of one of Nick’s school friends. She talked about Sugar Bay—about the glorious weather they’d had this past few days, how Urchin had been happy to stay at Jamie Galloway’s while she was away, and how she’d been inundated with calls from well-wishers.
The snippets of gossipy news from home were a welcome diversion and Poppy didn’t ask prying questions about the past few days, for which Freya was especially grateful.
Somehow they got through the remaining hours and, eventually, Dr Lee appeared at the doorway. Freya’s heart jolted as she leapt to her feet.
‘Things couldn’t be better,’ he said. ‘The kidney’s in place and everything’s working. Nick’s already making urine on the table.’ He grinned at them. ‘He’s peeing like a racehorse.’
‘How wonderful!’ Freya hugged him and thanked him, and she hugged her mother and thanked her. ‘What about Gus?’ she asked. ‘Does he know the good news?’
Dr Lee shook his head. ‘Not yet.’
‘Then you must excuse me.’ She was already at the door. ‘I’ll have to go and tell him.’
Freya began to run.
The pain was bad.
Gus had been prepared for it but the severity was still a shock. He woke, fighting it, and opened his eyes to find his mother sitting beside his bed. ‘How’s Nick?’ was the first thing he wanted to know.
‘We haven’t heard yet, darling.’
Gus closed his eyes, needing all his strength just to deal with the pain. He felt drugged and he drifted in and out of sleep. At one time when he woke he was aware of whispers and he thought he heard Freya’s voice. His eyes snapped open.
His mother was at the door, but now she came silently back to the side of his bed.
‘Was that Freya?’
‘Yes, dear. She came to tell us that everything went very well with Nick. He’s out of the theatre and on his way to the children’s intensive care, but he’s fine.’
‘Ohhhh…that’s great.’ Gus managed to crack a grin. ‘That’s fabulous. I’m so glad.’ Then he remembered. ‘Why didn’t she come in to see me?’
‘You need to rest, darling.’
‘You mean you sent her away?’ He tried to sit up and gasped as fiery pain ripped through his left side.
‘You’re not ready for visitors,’ his mother said.
Gus wanted to disagree, but a wave of exhaustion hit him and he hadn’t the strength to argue.
‘That Wilder woman’s always been a dragon,’ Poppy told Freya. ‘And she hasn’t mellowed with age.’
‘I was thinking she was more like a Rottweiler.’
Mother and daughter shared rueful smiles over the dinner table. There was nothing more they could do at the hospital overnight while Nick and Gus rested in expert care, so they’d come away for an evening meal.
‘Pasta is wonderful comfort food,’ Poppy had declared as they passed tempting smells from an Italian restaurant. Thus, here they were at a corner table with a crisp white cloth and gleaming silver, each with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc and deep bowls of divine melt-in-the-mouth gnocchi Gorgonzola.
It was the first proper meal Freya had eaten all day and she felt herself finally beginning to unwind. Perhaps that was why she was so willing to express her disappointment about Gus’s mother.
‘She won’t let me near Gus. She blocked me like a footballer.’
Poppy dismissed this with a hand-waving gesture that made her silver bracelets tinkle. ‘She won’t be able to stop him from getting near you once he has his strength back.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that.’
‘Oh, Freya, stop being so negative.’
Freya sighed. She was feeling strangely ‘out of it’ and exhausted now that most of the tension had left her. Of course, a degree of tension would continue for some time while they waited to see if Nick’s body would accept the new kidney, but so far the indications were excellent.
Why couldn’t she feel happier? She’d expected to be elated tonight. She should be elated. She’d been waiting for this day for such a long time and now the weeks of longing and dread were behind her. In a couple of weeks, Nick and Gus could resume their normal lives.
That was the problem, wasn’t it? Gus’s normal life was far off in the Northern Territory, and she was going to miss him horribly. And the gnawing dissatisfaction that she felt at the end of this day of triumph was caused solely by the fact that she hadn’t been able to see him.
She hadn’t been able to look into his eyes the way she had with Nick, to see for herself that he really was OK. Hadn’t been able to reassure herself that his feelings for her were still as strong as they’d been this morning.
Shame on you, Freya. The poor man’s in pain and you’re being disgustingly selfish.
‘Stop worrying, Freya.’ Poppy was frowning at her and her voice expressed an edge of impatience.
‘Sorry. I think I must be down because I’m so tired.’ Freya reached over and squeezed her mum’s hand. ‘You know what you’ve always said. Everything always seems better after a good night’s sleep. I’ll be right as rain tomorrow.’
Gus couldn’t believe his mother was back on guard duty early next morning. Not that she saw her ministrations in that light, of course. She arrived with flowers and fruit and three paperback novels, and set up camp in the corner of Gus’s room as if she planned to read her women’s magazine from cover to cover and had no intention of shifting.
Gus loved his mother, of course he did, but she had an unfortunate habit of trying to smother. This trait had been behind his escape to Africa, while his sister had taken off to Perth on the other side of the continent, only to have their parents follow.
Now he suppressed a groan of irritation. He wasn’t an invalid. The IV tubes had been removed and he’d been up and had a shower and he was eager to get on with his recovery.
‘Mum, you’re not expected to stay here all day,’ he said in his most diplomatic tones.
‘Oh, darling, I don’t mind. It’s such a long time since I’ve been able to do anything for you. I want to be on hand in case you need anything.’ She gave his hand a possessive pat. ‘Anything at all.’
‘Well, to be honest, what I need most is to see Nick.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Well, of course, that would be lovely. I believe he’s out of Intensive Care and back in his room.’
‘Great.’ Gus threw off the bed sheet.
‘But you can’t be thinking of walking to him, Angus. You’re not strong enough.’
‘Of course I am.’
Alarmed, his mother dropped the magazine. ‘No! Wait! I’ll see if I can find a wheelchair.’
‘I don’t need a wheelchair.’
‘But you do.’ Her voice was becoming querulous. ‘Don’t be foolish about th
is. I’ll go and make enquiries.’
Gus wasn’t prepared to wait. He wanted to see Nick and, for crying out loud, he wanted to get there under his own steam, not to be pushed along by his mother. As soon as she’d left, he eased himself cautiously out of bed. The soreness under his left ribs was still pretty grim, but he would just have to put up with it.
He could walk quite well if he held himself very straight.
It was Poppy who greeted Gus in Nick’s room. ‘Gus, how wonderful to see you up and about. Nick, look who’s here.’ Her face broke into a beaming smile and she hurried to the door and took his elbow.
‘Easy does it, hero,’ she murmured in an undertone as she guided him to a chair, which he sank into gratefully. ‘I’ll leave you two to have a nice chat,’ she said, then discreetly retreated outside.
Gus took in the boy’s bright eyes and healthy colour. ‘Nick, you look fantastic.’
‘I feel great. Dr Lee said my new kidney is in better shape than his.’
‘How about that?’
‘Thanks, Dad,’ Nick said softly.
To Gus’s dismay, he felt the sting of tears. Damn it, he loved this kid so much and he’d been so scared this transplant wouldn’t work. He forced a shaky smile. ‘Knowing you’re going to be well is the best news I’ve ever had.’
The boy’s eyes shone. ‘Sister says I can get up later today.’
‘Amazing.’
Without warning, Nick’s smile vanished. ‘But there’s one bad thing.’
‘What’s that?’ Gus asked, heart sinking.
‘I can’t play tackle football any more.’
The relief that the problem was so small made Gus want to smile. But he hadn’t forgotten how he’d felt at Nick’s age, when rugby league had dominated his life and he’d dreamed of playing for the Australian Kangaroos. ‘That’s a low blow.’ He gave Nick’s shoulder a gentle punch. ‘But you know what it means, don’t you?’
Nick pouted. ‘What?’
‘You’ll have more time for surfing, and for being a life-saver, and for climbing mountains and sailing oceans, chasing girls…’
At the mention of girls, the boy giggled.
‘Speaking of girls,’ Gus said, hoping his voice sounded casual, ‘where’s your mum?’ He had to ask. In spite of everything else, he couldn’t stop thinking about Freya and the question burned in him.
‘She had to go and make phone calls. Something to do with the gallery. She should be back soon.’ The boy was watching Gus with a carefully knowing gaze.
‘What’s that look for?’ Gus asked.
‘I was thinking maybe you do still like Mum.’
‘Well, of course I like her.’ The back of Gus’s neck grew hot.
‘But does that mean—?’ Nick flushed and looked awkwardly down at his hands as he twisted a corner of the bed sheet between his fingers. ‘I don’t suppose…I mean…are you thinking about marrying her?’
Slam! It was like running into an invisible brick wall. The last thing Gus had expected was that his son, barely out of Intensive Care, would morph into a matchmaker.
Somehow, he manufactured a chuckle to cover his consternation. ‘You’re jumping the gun, aren’t you, mate?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re rushing things.’ Gus scratched his jaw as he tried to figure how to handle this question. Of course, it would be helpful if he knew the answer.
Despite the pain and his parents’ visits and the intrusions of the hospital staff, he hadn’t stopped thinking about Freya. The night he’d spent with her had been incredible, even better than when they were young. One night with Freya could never be enough.
But they needed time to discover where this fabulous chemistry might take them.
They didn’t have time. Not for romance.
And he didn’t want to give Nick false hope or confuse him. The kid needed a chance to heal, to stabilize at home with his mother and grandmother…to ease back into school life…and into a new sport…
Gus suppressed a grimace. Nick was watching his every reaction with the intensity of Sigmund Freud combined with Sherlock Holmes.
‘Since your mother and I met up again in Darwin, our focus has been on you,’ Gus said. ‘All my time’s been taken up with getting you better. I haven’t had much chance to think about other things, like romance…or…or marriage.’
‘But you have time now, don’t you?’
‘Not really, Nick. As soon as I can, I have to get back to my work in the Northern Territory. A whole community is depending on me.’
The boy’s face fell and Gus hastened to mollify him. ‘But I’ll be staying in touch with you…and…with your mum.’
Nick nodded very slowly, as if he needed to think this through. ‘Are you still angry with Mum for not telling you about me?’
Gus let out his breath on a whoosh. ‘No,’ he said after a bit. ‘Not any more. I think I stopped being upset about that as soon as I got to know you.’
The boy smiled shyly.
‘But you shouldn’t be bothering your head about these things.’ Gus ruffled Nick’s hair.
‘I’m not really worried.’
‘Good.’
‘Thing is, I reckon I’ve worked out what probably happened between you and Mum, and why she never told you about me.’
‘No kidding?’ Was there no end to the surprises with this kid? Gus couldn’t help asking. ‘So? Maybe you’d better fill me in?’
‘Well…something happened at school.’ Nick dropped his gaze. ‘Everyone knew why I had to go to hospital and on the last day…this girl in my class…’ He shot Gus a quick glance. ‘She’s usually quiet and sort of sensible.’
‘They’re often the best sort,’ Gus said, biting back an urge to smile.
‘Anyway, when I was leaving,’ Nick went on, ‘she ran after me and called out, to wish me good luck.’
‘She sounds nice.’
‘Yeah, I know.’ The boy’s mouth developed an embarrassed lopsided twist. ‘The thing is, I didn’t do anything. I went all weird. I pretended I didn’t hear her. I wanted to say something back, but I just kept walking with my head down, like a…like a…’
‘Numbskull?’
‘Yeah.’
‘And now you wish you’d handled it better?’
The boy nodded.
Gus swallowed to ease the log jam in his throat. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll be able to say something nice to her when you get back.’
‘If I’m brave enough.’
‘You’re a brave kid. Never doubt that.’ Gus smiled. ‘So you think that I probably stuffed up when I was young, and never said the right thing to your mum?’
‘Well…maybe.’
Out of the mouths of babes. Gus sighed, remembering the day he’d put Freya on the train, remembering his dismay when he realised, as it drew out of the station, that she was crying.
If only he’d found out why…
His life might have been so different.
He might not have graduated. He certainly wouldn’t have gone to Africa…or been involved in fascinating projects in distant parts.
Freya’s life would have been so very different too. She’d spent so many years battling on her own.
Hell… The truth of this was like a sounding bell deep inside Gus. He saw Freya’s decision to keep the pregnancy a secret in a whole new light.
Truth was…when he’d made her pregnant, he’d stolen the future she’d planned. But, by remaining silent, she’d handed him his future as a gift.
He sent Nick a rueful smile. ‘You could be right,’ he said softly. ‘Maybe being a numbskull runs in the family?’
Nick grinned at him, but then his attention was caught by someone at the door. ‘Oh, hi, Mum.’
Gus whirled around, wincing as pain scorched through his left side. He could tell by the look on Freya’s face that she’d heard at least some of their conversation.
Her smile was awkward as she came into the room. ‘It’s just wonderful t
o see you two on the mend so soon.’
Pink tinged her cheeks as she perched on the edge of Nick’s bed. She was wearing an outfit Gus particularly liked—jeans and a soft grey cardigan that should have looked school-marmish, but on Freya looked incredibly attractive. Make that sexy.
‘I came across Poppy and your mum down the hall,’ she told him. ‘They seemed to be involved in a cold war over a wheelchair.’
Gus groaned. ‘That’s mothers for you. Mine’s determined to strap me into that thing and wheel me around like a baby.’ He pulled a face that made Nick laugh, then sent the boy a surreptitious wink. ‘I’m setting you a bad example here, so don’t take any notice.’
To Freya, he said, ‘Do you think you could escort me back to my room? I’d be safe with you. I can’t imagine that my mother would arm wrestle with you just to get me into that blasted chair.’
Freya gulped as if she’d swallowed a beetle, but eventually she recovered enough to say, ‘Of course. I’m happy to help.’
Her skin tightened all over and her cheeks burned as she helped Gus out of the chair.
He was wearing a dressing gown over striped pyjamas, and he looked a little pale and he certainly moved cautiously, but none of these things could diminish his masculinity, or the effect of his proximity on her heartbeats.
After flashing a farewell grin at Nick, they set off with Gus folding Freya’s arm through his and holding it close against his good side. She savoured the warmth of him and the now familiar smell of his aftershave but, coming on top of overhearing his conversation with Nick, it was all rather overwhelming.
This morning she’d woken to a huge sense of anticlimax. Now she was back to feeling tense, hot and bothered.
In the corridor, they found Poppy alone.
‘You’re off the hook, Gus. A nurse finally convinced your mother that it’s desirable for fit patients like you to be up and walking as soon as possible after surgery, so she’s taken the wheelchair back.’
‘Bless the nurse,’ Gus said.
Poppy laughed. ‘Your mum took some convincing.’
She sent Freya a bright, pleased smile, which Freya did her best to ignore. Her mother was almost as bad as Nick when it came to wanting to see her and Gus reunited. No way did she want Poppy to read too much into this simple act of walking Gus back to his room.
A Miracle for His Secret Son Page 14
