English Rose in the Outback

by Lucy Clark

  Loved. There was that word again. Until tonight, he hadn’t allowed himself to think of her in such a way, but since they’d given in to the need to touch and caress and kiss, he hadn’t been able to stop the word from springing to mind…or his lips.

  ‘Don’t love me,’ she’d said, and yet she’d still to give him a decent reason as to why not.

  Oscar grabbed the emergency bag then went back into the lounge room to find out what the situation was. What he found was Daisy sitting in the chair, her face almost deathly pale, just hanging up the phone.

  ‘Daisy?’ He received no reply from her. ‘Daisy?’ His senses heightened to full alert. ‘Daisy, what’s wrong? What is it?’ He knelt down in front of her and stared into her face.

  Slowly she looked at him but her eyes were glassy, not seeing him at all. ‘It’s my mother. She’s in a coma.’

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ‘WHAT?’ OSCAR STARED at her, then gathered her close, or at least he tried to. This time when she put up her hand, she kept it up, using her strength to push him away.

  ‘Don’t hug me.’

  ‘What?’ he said again. ‘Why not? I’m here for you. I’ll do whatever you need.’

  ‘I need you not to hug me.’ Her words were clipped, her expression was controlled and, although she still had very little colour in her face, her eyes were huge and expressive. It showed her concern, her worries, her fears. ‘If you hug me,’ she continued a moment later, ‘I’ll crumble and right now I don’t need to crumble, I need to be one hundred per cent in control of my faculties.’

  ‘All right.’ He held up his hands but still stayed kneeling in front of her. ‘No hugging. What can I do to help you?’ For a while he thought she wasn’t going to answer him, her eyes still staring unseeingly past him, her mind clearly working fast. Her mask, the one he’d seen her wear that very first day she’d arrived here in Meeraji Lake, came back into place. She had herself under control. If that was what she needed in order to function, then so be it.

  ‘A cup of tea, please.’

  ‘As you wish,’ he stated and immediately stood and headed into the kitchen. While the kettle boiled, he could hear her on the phone and realised she was making a few calls of her own. When he returned with her cup of tea, she was just dialling a new number.

  ‘Thank you,’ she remarked and eased back in the chair, pulling her feet beneath her, protecting herself and at the same time shutting him out. He remembered when she’d first arrived and how she hadn’t wanted to accept anyone’s help, how she’d wanted to get better all on her own. That woman, the one who had survived terrible situations in the heart of a war-torn country, came to the fore. Still, he wasn’t just going to walk away and leave her alone. Whether she liked it or not, he was going to stand by her.

  ‘John,’ she said a moment later into the phone. ‘I wanted you to give me an update.’ Her beautiful eyes swam with tears as she listened to her brother. ‘John! Mother is in hospital. I’ve just received a call from her physician to tell me she’s in a coma. How can you not know this?’ A pause. ‘I don’t care if you’re in Scotland. I’m on the other side of the world and it will take you far less time to get to her than me.’

  As Oscar listened unashamedly to her side of the conversation, equally astonished at her brother’s lack of concern, he started to realise what she’d been trying to tell him earlier, about how her family was very different from his.

  ‘Get on a plane. Drive in your car. I don’t care. Just get to the hospital.’ Another pause. ‘I’m presuming Father knows as he’s the one who’s no doubt caused all this with his constant berating and emotional bullying of her.’ Daisy gritted her teeth. ‘No, I’m not going to call him and, yes, you do have to go.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Because she’s your mother, John. Think of how it will look if the papers get a hold of this story. You’ll be the doting son. The one at her bedside. Helping her through this situation.’

  Her family were newsworthy? He guessed an earl’s wife being admitted to hospital in a coma might very well be newsworthy. Apparently Daisy’s latest attempt to shift her brother into gear had worked because she sighed and opened her eyes. ‘Thank you, John. I’ve booked a flight but I still won’t be there for another two days—at the earliest.’

  ‘You’ve already booked your flight?’ Oscar asked after she’d hung up.

  ‘Of course.’ Daisy stood and headed to her bedroom, where she got out her suitcase and put it on the bed.

  ‘Do you need to pack right now?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes. I’ve called Henry and he’s organising for the emergency chopper to fly me to Darwin. I’m booked on the mid-morning flight to Heathrow airport.’

  ‘Then I’m going with you.’

  She stopped and stared at him as though he’d grown an extra head. ‘You’re going to come to England with me?’ Her tone was laced with sarcasm and he so desperately wanted to tell her that that was exactly what he was going to do; however, both of them knew that was impossible.

  ‘I can go with you to Darwin. I can check on Gracie while I’m there.’

  ‘Oscar, I don’t think that’s wise.’

  ‘I don’t care what you think,’ he stated and pulled his own phone from his pocket and called Tori to let her know that he and Daisy would be leaving to go to Darwin so she was first point of call for any emergencies.

  ‘There.’ He shoved his phone back into his pocket. ‘All organised. I’m just as stubborn as you, remember?’

  Daisy’s answer was to grit her teeth and toss more of her clothes into her suitcase. For a woman who was usually meticulous, she didn’t seem to care all that much about the contents of her suitcase. ‘How will you get back from Darwin?’ she asked. ‘I’ve told Henry I’ll pay the cost of the chopper taking me to Darwin. Are you going to pay for your own ride home?’

  ‘I can hitch a ride with the RFDS, as you well know,’ he stated. ‘I’m not backing down, Daisy. You need to go and see your mother. I understand that but your attitude of trying to shut me out, of making it seem as though this situation has nothing to do with me—’

  ‘It doesn’t have anything to do with you,’ she interrupted, raising her tone. ‘This is my family. My life.’

  ‘I thought things had changed between us. I thought we’d moved past this professional acquaintance, past being just friends.’ He opened his arms wide, almost wanting her to see that this was him, stripped raw, willing to throw himself at her feet. ‘Daisy. You know how I feel about you. Let me help.’

  ‘There’s nothing you can do.’ She enunciated every word meticulously and he dropped his arms back to his sides. ‘Excuse me.’ She sidestepped him and removed the clothes from her closet.

  ‘OK. If that’s the way you want to play it, I’ll help you pack. Let me get your toiletries for you.’

  Daisy glanced at him, clearly wondering if he was now trying to get rid of her, but thankfully she could see his genuineness and started to soften a little towards him. For one split second, Oscar thought he might have reached her, might have broken through that tough diplomatic exterior she was wont to wear, but as fleetingly as it came, it disappeared.

  ‘Thank you.’ She continued to pack and Oscar knew his only course of action was to stand his ground, to not let her quash his efforts to become a part of her life. He wasn’t even sure when he’d realised he needed to be a part of her life—no matter what. He would even leave Meeraji Lake and move to England if it meant he could be with her and he most certainly hadn’t felt that way with either of his previous relationships. All he knew right now was that he needed to support her and if she couldn’t tell him what she needed from him, then he would do his best and muddle through.

  He returned with her things and handed them to her. ‘Thank you,’ she replied again, ever polite, and as he watched her move about the room in a stiff and controlled manner he realised, for the first time, that he was actually looking at Lady Daisy Philomena Sarah Forsythe-York. Here she was. The groomed aristocrat…a
nd he still loved her. It didn’t matter whether she was Dr Daisy, Major Daisy or Lady Daisy, at the end of the day, she was his Daisy.

  ‘What wrenches my heart,’ he murmured as she zipped the suitcase closed, ‘is that you think you need to go through all of this alone. You don’t, Daisy.’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘No.’ He caressed her cheek, pushing her hair behind her ear. ‘You don’t. I’m here. I’m here for you. In whatever capacity you require.’ He cupped her cheek, wanting to exude as much love and support as he could. When she didn’t immediately pull away from his touch, he leaned forward and kissed her, wanting to let her feel just how much he cared for her.

  ‘Oscar.’ His name was a whisper of pain, then she eased away from him and shook her head. ‘Don’t come to Darwin with me.’

  ‘Daisy, I—’

  She held up her hand. Didn’t he understand how difficult this was for her? Couldn’t he see the extra pain he was causing her?

  ‘Can you at least tell me why? Why don’t you want me to come with you?’

  ‘Because saying goodbye to you here is hard enough.’ It was then that her voice broke and tears filled her eyes. ‘I’ve been so happy. I want to keep those memories. Please? Please, Oscar?’ she pleaded and he knew he’d give in, knew he’d give her whatever she wanted even if it almost killed him to do so. ‘I want these last memories to be happy ones, not ones of us arguing.’

  He frowned for a moment. ‘Daisy, this isn’t goodbye.’

  ‘Oscar, my mother is in a coma. Her physician couldn’t tell me much over the phone in case his phone is tapped.’

  ‘Tapped? What sort of world do you live in?’

  ‘One very different from here.’ Her words were sad and she hefted her suitcase from the bed and started wheeling it towards the front door.

  ‘Can I at least drive you to the helicopter?’ he asked as he took the suitcase from her, which, thankfully, she allowed him to do. Again, she shook her head.

  ‘Henry’s giving me a lift.’

  Oscar couldn’t believe his life had gone from happiness to misery in such a short space of time. ‘Will you at least call me? Let me know you arrived safely?’

  She nodded. ‘Kiss me, Oscar. Kiss me goodbye.’ She wrapped her arms around his neck, pain filling her eyes. ‘Make it memorable.’

  ‘I’ll make it memorable, all right, but this isn’t goodbye, Daisy.’ He gathered her close, knowing she was concerned for her mother, knowing she was going to have a hectic few days of travel ahead of her, knowing she was going to be standing alone, fighting the battles yet to come by herself. He wanted to pour the love, a love that seemed to be increasing with every passing second, into her, wanted to shower it over it, to protect her, to let her know that he was always with her, loving her.

  He kissed her with purpose, with reason, with promise until a car horn beeped from outside and Daisy pulled away, slightly breathless. ‘I love you, Daisy.’

  She shook her head slowly as though she didn’t really believe him. ‘I’ll call you when I’m safely in England.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She was so polite, almost impersonal, and he wouldn’t have believed it if it hadn’t been for her slightly swollen lips, which let him know that she’d enjoyed those kisses as much as him. ‘I’d better go. I don’t want to keep Henry waiting. Stay inside. Please.’

  He pursed his lips for a moment before nodding and forcing a little smile. ‘OK, but only because you asked so nicely.’ With that, he winked at her and she forced a smile of her own in return.

  ‘Goodbye, Oscar.’

  ‘See you later,’ he responded in the typical Australian farewell. Within another moment, she’d walked out of the door and closed it behind her. Another moment later, he heard Henry’s police car pull away and drive off into the distance.

  How long he stood there, he had no clue. All he knew was that the house smelled like Daisy, like the woman he loved, and although she’d thought she was saying goodbye to him, she had another think coming.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ‘HAVE YOU HEARD from Daisy?’ Tori asked him two days later as they dealt with a busier than usual emergency department.

  ‘She called to say she’s arrived.’

  ‘Any news on her mother?’

  ‘She didn’t give me any details.’

  ‘Have you tried calling her?’

  ‘Yes, Tori, I have,’ he snapped. ‘She probably hasn’t been able to get back to me because she’s at the hospital looking after her mother.’

  ‘Do you know what happened to put her mother into the coma?’

  ‘Just stop with the all the questions and go and see the patient in room two.’ He picked up a set of case notes. ‘I’ll be in room one.’ He stalked off to deal with his patient, wishing everyone would stop asking him about Daisy.

  It would be fine if the woman would answer his calls, and if she didn’t have the time to do that she could at least send him a text message, or email him but Daisy seemed intent on maintaining her radio silence, as it were.

  A week later, there was still no news, not from Daisy. Scotty had returned from Darwin, giving them a firsthand account of Gracie’s progress and even showing Oscar photographs he’d taken with his cell phone of the wound site.

  ‘That is a great improvement,’ he said, handing Scotty’s phone back to him.

  ‘Timothy, her doctor, said she’s going to make a full recovery although there may be a slight restriction in the movement of her little and ring fingers.’

  ‘Fantastic news. And her parents? Are they home yet?’

  ‘They’re going to stay in Darwin until Gracie can be transferred here to Meeraji Lake. It’ll make it easier on them.’ Scotty continued to talk about his experiences in Darwin but Oscar wasn’t listening. Whenever he wasn’t with a patient, a part of his thoughts was on Daisy, wondering why she hadn’t called him, wondering how her mother was progressing, trying to figure out what her father could possibly have done to send her mother into a coma. Whatever it was, had they managed to keep it out of the papers?

  Another week later, he still had no answers and was even more worried than before. He’d been determined that when she’d left, it hadn’t been forever, that it wasn’t a real ‘goodbye’, but with the way she seemed to be refusing to return his calls, was ignoring his emails and generally snubbing him, he was starting to wonder whether she hadn’t been right.

  Was this the end of his relationship with Daisy? Was he willing to let this one go?

  ‘No!’ He paced around his house, the house that seemed to be far too empty. Now, when he dreamed about having a wife and children, filling this house with laughter, his wife’s face was clear and distinct because it belonged to Daisy.

  Whatever he’d felt for Magda or Deidre was nothing compared to how Daisy made him feel. She was his other half, his soulmate. So why was she insistent on causing both of them so much pain?

  Another two weeks later, with absolutely no contact, and he was finally starting to believe that last kiss had really been their goodbye kiss. The only correspondence he’d received from Daisy was her letter of resignation. It stated that due to a family emergency she would be unable to fulfil the full terms of her contract, that she was willing to pay any damages and that he should get in contact with her attorney to settle the details.

  Didn’t she realise, it wasn’t about the money? Did she think that she could just buy him off? What sort of person kissed him the way she had and then left without a word? She thought she had to go through this crisis alone and even though he’d tried to reassure her, to let her know that he was here for her, she’d still rejected him.

  It was that that hurt the most, the lack of trust, the disbelief that he could support her, that he would do anything for her. How could she do this to him? How could she kiss him in such a way that clearly indicated she’d had very strong feelings for him, and then just cut him off without another word?

  What added fuel to his already annoyed and burning
fire were the whispers that seemed to stop the instant he walked into a room. His friends would smile at him, in that sad, pathetic way they had in the past when Deidre had left.

  ‘Poor Oscar,’ he’d heard them whisper. ‘That’s three women who have rejected him now. I can’t understand why. He’s such a nice, handsome bloke.’

  Three women. One had left him because he didn’t earn enough money. The other had left him because her career was more important and the last… He shook his head. She’d left him because she was stubborn and that was just plain stupid. Daisy was stupid and he was stupid too because he still loved her, even more than when she’d left.

  As he sat in the kitchen, drinking a hot cup of tea even though it was still very warm outside, he allowed the pain from his breaking heart to fill his entire body. When someone knocked at the door, he wasn’t sure he had the energy to tell them to go away.

  ‘Hello?’ Tori called and a moment later she and Scotty walked in together, followed by Glenys, Erica and Henry. ‘Are we disturbing your dinner or aren’t you bothering to eat food any more?’

  ‘What do you all want?’ He sighed and finished his cup of tea, clattering the cup down onto the saucer.

  ‘This is an intervention,’ Scotty said, resting his hand on Oscar’s shoulder.

  ‘We care about you too much to see you going through this again,’ Glenys remarked.

  ‘So,’ Erica said with glee, ‘we’ve bought you a ticket to England.’

  ‘A what?’ Oscar looked at them all as though they’d gone stark raving bonkers.

  ‘A plane ticket. For you to go to England.’ Tori spoke to him as though he were five years old.

  ‘We all chipped in,’ Henry remarked as he handed over the piece of paper that indeed confirmed that Oscar was booked to travel overseas the day after tomorrow.

  ‘It’s a nice gesture but I can’t go.’

  ‘Why not?’ Tori asked.

  ‘Why not?’ He stood and spread his arms wide. ‘Because unless you can find another doctor hiding somewhere in this building, I can’t go. I can’t leave Meeraji Lake without a doctor for that length of time and Daisy knows it. She knows I won’t come after her and therefore she can maintain her resolve not to speak to me because I can’t do anything about it except get frustrated and annoyed and—’ He stopped and covered his face with his hands.