True Love Down Under_A BWWM Romance

by Kendra Riley

  Her phone didn’t ring at all.

  Chapter 18

  “You’re just in time for our family dinner,” Caroline gave Miranda a quick smile. They had once a week dinners, all siblings with their father, and apparently a new guest tonight.

  “I thought this was exclusive to family,” Cara muttered, disliking Miranda’s presence.

  “Apparently, dad thinks they might just get back together,” Caroline whispered as they went to the kitchen.

  “That croc was bad luck,” Cara added, eyeing how their father was like putty in Miranda’s hands.

  “So, I have a theory,” Lily began, following them into the kitchen.

  “Why are you here? You could’ve gone with Lara, you know.”

  “Pregnant, hungry,” Lily quickly said.

  “What’s the theory?” Caroline asked.

  Lily scooped a bit of frosting from a cake, and she licked it. “Yum. Wait, what? Where was I? Yeah, theory. I thought M didn’t want to lose Zac anymore after the news. So she’s here, ready to get him back.”

  “Like he’s always been hers. A change of heart doesn’t count,” Cara muttered.

  “But Zac liked that Sheila he was with,” Caroline said thoughtfully.

  “Which Sheila?” Lily asked, “The one who stabbed the croc? Now, her, I haven’t met her, but I like her.”

  “Yeah that one. Sara Wright. She seemed quiet, pleasant, overall,” Caroline said. “And Zac seemed very concerned for her. Almost like he’d already liked her even before the attack.”

  “I’d like to meet her,” Cara said.

  “Me too,” Lily chimed in.

  The door to the kitchen opened and in came Lara, her face looking cross. “I can’t believe you’d leave me alone with her and dad and Zac. You know how she’s only nice to guys.”

  “Sorry, we’d have been too obvious,” Caroline said. “It’s like we’re rising up against some evil force.”

  Her younger siblings laughed aloud.

  “Aren’t we?” Cara said.

  “I don’t want them back together,” Lara groaned.

  “It’s really up to Zac,” Caroline sighed. “Let’s try to be nice, yeah?”

  *

  Zac wished he could have a glass of brandy, at least, just to make do with the conversation while having dinner. He had been completely bored while Miranda regaled them with stories of her latest gigs. He could see his sisters’ patience waning as well, and the only person who truly enjoyed the talk was their father.

  It was typical of Miranda, and it was why she was a successful model. Talk your way into the hearts of men and make the women feel like they’re beneath you, so they’ll emulate you—a subtle way of winning over both genders.

  He hadn’t been able to protest about Miranda being able to join dinner. It was a family thing, she told the senior Turner. Nonsense, Clark had said, you’re like family. That did it, Zac thought, those words reeled her right in.

  Let’s make it Miranda night, he thought derisively. Let’s make it her night, instead of the family dinner I expected.

  Miranda was seated right across from Zac, beside the pregnant Lily, who found it difficult to keep a straight face. Lily’s eyes would roll often, whenever Miranda made their father laugh.

  “Can I drink?” Zac asked Caroline, who was seated to his right.

  “No. you’re still on pain relievers, remember,” Caroline hissed. “This’ll all be over soon. Dessert’s coming.”

  Cara had baked a lovely cake for the family (she was the only one who cooked well amongst all four of the females), and it was served on porcelain plates, with polished silverware. A dessert wine was served with it.

  “Oh, Cara, you have no idea how much I missed your cakes,” Miranda exclaimed.

  “Didn’t know you ate,” Cara quickly said, “Ate cake, I mean, don’t you diet a lot?”

  “Not tonight,” Miranda said with relish.

  “I hope no one ruins dessert,” Lara muttered.

  “Speaking of, what brought you here?” Clark asked Miranda, downing a bit of wine.

  Miranda smiled shyly. “Well… I saw what happened to Zac on TV. It got me worried, it got me so damned worried, I wanted to drop my project and run for the hospital.”

  Zac sighed, as it was the only thing he could do for now. He wished he could make a graceful exit, but he couldn’t without grunting and limping about.

  “The boy can survive anything,” Clark said with a broad smile.

  “He’s always been a survivor,” Miranda said.

  Yeah, I survived with you breaking off our relationship. I survived dating you, without knowing how annoying you were.

  “I take it this visit was a reconciliation of sorts,” Clark added.

  Miranda looked at Zac with a knowing smile.

  “Weren’t you dating Sara?” Caroline suddenly said aloud.

  “Sara?” Clark began. “Who is Sara?”

  “The young lady that saved him from the croc,” Cara explained.

  “I thought you saved her from the croc,” Miranda said.

  “No,” Zac replied, “she did the saving. Stabbed the saltie right in the eye. Where do you get your news?”

  “What does Sara do? Is she connected with the zoo?” Clark looked confused, annoyed; even.

  “Sara’s one of our scholarship winners, she works with the Met Zoo,” Lara explained.

  “Oh, one of your people. An intern,” Miranda said with a smile. “How’s that for bonding, huh? I do want to hear the story on how you two made it out. The news has been so confusing and sketchy about the whole thing.”

  Zac shook his head. “It was a nightmare. That’s all that matters.”

  “The story is interesting to hear however. Think of it as a nightcap,” Clark told his son, looking at him squarely in the eye.

  He took a deep breath. “The rains were too strong to see where we were going. The rangers had already been tossed out by whatever the boat hit. I highly suspected it was a croc since it was mating season, but assumed it could have also been a rock. So I did my best, shone a light across us amidst heavy rain, and saw a patch of land. I thought we’d be on main land, but we got stuck on that islet instead.

  “Now, instead of being able to swim out, we couldn’t. I kept shining a flashlight into the water after the rains had died down, and I saw croc eyes. I didn’t want to risk wasting what little items we had left, so we rationed the flares for the morning, which was a good thing, 'cause the rain started again.

  “Sara and I, we were stuck on that little island, with just a bit of shrubbery keeping us cool. Didn’t help at all. We had no food, or water. Our last drink was from the rain. The croc showed itself at the edge of the island. It scared the hell out of me and Sara. I knew we’d be dead if we decided to stay there, so I thought it best to swim from the island as fast as we could.”

  The room was heavy with silence, and even his father stayed glued to his seat, the wine glass still in his hand.

  “I gave Sara a knife, and I told her to make a swim for it, as fast as she could, and that I would be right behind her. After releasing the flares, and pretending there was currently no croc in the water, we made a break for it. I’d reached shore just mere seconds after she did, and that’s when I felt something clamp over my leg.

  I didn’t feel the pain first, honestly, but then it dragged me under…” Zac shuddered involuntarily as he remembered bits and pieces of it. “I don’t know how she did it, but the next thing I knew, she was dragging me to the bank of the river, and I couldn’t even feel my leg. I just knew I was losing blood, and that was it. Sara had stabbed the damn saltie with the knife I’d given her, she stabbed it right in the eye. We walked, well, at least tried to, after she tore up her shirt for me, to keep me from bleeding out. So, that intern saved my life. She’s the woman I’m in love with,” he finished.

  The room was quiet, and Miranda’s eyes were wide open, staring at him. He just had to say it. He just had to let her know he wa
sn’t fooling around. He just had to let his father know that Miranda was not for him, that a reconciliation with her was next to impossible. He couldn’t look at his sisters at first; in fact, he couldn’t look at anyone except Miranda.

  “Anyone for round two of cake?” Caroline asked brightly after a moment of silence.

  “I’ll have another,” Lily said.

  “Me too,” Cara added.

  “Dad, would you like another glass of wine?” Caroline asked Clark. “Miranda?”

  “I think I’d best retire for the night,” Miranda said carefully.

  “I’ll show you out,” Cara said with a sympathetic look on her face.

  “No need, really, I know my way out,” Miranda said, and in her rush to leave the dining area, she dropped her cellphone. Miranda cursed under her breath. Then she turned to face Clark.

  “Thank you for having me. It was a great dinner.”

  Zac wondered if she meant it. They all watched as Miranda walked out of the room. Caroline pressed a button, and asked the butler to escort Miranda to her car.

  “Well, now that that’s settled,” Caroline said, “more cake, people?”

  Clark was quiet still. He was looking at Zac intently, his hands clasped in front of him like he was studying something, scrutinizing a proposal.

  “What was that?” Clark finally spoke up.

  “What was what, dad?” Zac began. “I just told you all my version of the story. The real story. Not the ones you’ve heard from the news, or the doctors, or the people who had nothing to do with my survival and hers.”

  “You embarrassed a guest.”

  “She wasn’t my guest to begin with,” Zac answered, feeling his leg throb from the pain. His head began to feel intense pain, too.

  “I had half thought that you’d have grown up after that scenario,” Clark said.

  “Dad, your blood pressure,” Caroline began, trying to alleviate the situation.

  “I’m fine, Caroline. What’s not fine is your brother here. Miranda came in with good intentions—” Clark was cut off.

  “She came here to ruin our dinner,” Zac said. “You of all people should have seen that. She decides she’s in love with me, after I almost died? After two years since the breakup? You didn’t raise me to be stupid, dad. A reconciliation was not in the books, at least not on my end. And you’d half thought I’d grown up already? What? Because like what everyone else thinks, I’m just an irresponsible, spoiled brat who can’t do anything without guidance, especially yours?

  “I grew up a long time ago, dad,” Zac continued. “I grew up the day mom died. And I wanted to grow up not missing out on anything, like how mom would have wanted it. You’re just not content because I’m the only son, so I should be beaten to a pulp, to be worthy of the Turner name. I should’ve just let that croc eat me up, if surviving wasn’t enough for you.

  “Zac, calm down,” Lara told him.

  “I am calm,” Zac told them, “I’ve said my peace. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get away from this farce of a family dinner.”

  He stood up, without anyone’s help, except the crutch that was close to his seat. Just as he took a few steps away from the dining table, Zac suddenly clutched his chest.

  “Dammit,” he groaned, as his knees buckled, in fact, his entire body buckled. He collapsed to the floor without another sound, and his crutch fell down beside him, his head cradled by the carpeted floor.

  “Zac!” Caroline gasped.

  “Oh god, Zac!”

  “Call emergency!”

  *

  Sara ran for the hospital, out of breath, but intent on finding out where Zac was. She had just gotten a call a mere twenty minutes ago from his sister, Caroline. If she remembered correctly, Caroline had managed her insurance coverage while she had been hospitalized.

  She got to the emergency room, but she was turned away. Zac was in surgery at the moment. Surgery for what? Hadn’t he healed from his wounds by then? It had been weeks since the attack, but he’d had check-ups and he was still on medication, wasn’t he?

  Hurrying for the surgery floor, she bumped into someone bringing coffee. “I’m so sorry, I—” she stopped.

  Cara was looking at her intently. “Aren’t you Sara Wright?”

  “How do I know you?” Sara’s voice faltered. “I’m sorry, I really have to go—”

  “Zac is my brother. I’m Cara, the second female Turner you’ve probably just met.”

  Sara stopped in place, her face still in obvious distress. “Hi…” she said hesitantly. “Where’s Zac?”

  “Still in there,” Cara replied, motioning for the white doors they couldn’t go through. “Glad you came. We thought we didn’t get the right number. Well, we had to call the foundation first, and then Danny who had your local number. Come with me.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “We wait,” Cara replied.

  They walked inside a large waiting room. There were two other women inside (one was pregnant) and a serious- looking man, who seemed to be in his late sixties. She didn’t see Caroline.

  “Hey guys, this is Sara. Sara, this is Lara, and this is Lily. This is our father, Clark Turner,” Cara announced.

  “How do you do,” Sara said to them, trying to sound as calm as possible. Well, that was next to impossible. She still hadn’t caught her breath, and she was shaking. Out of what? Worry?

  “Hey, Sara,” the other women said.

  Clark nodded in her direction, and then he proceeded to look away, his eyes shifting for the door once in a while, as if willing for a surgeon to come out and tell them the news. The man seemed unapproachable as well; he was a far cry from Zac’s friendly persona.

  Sara didn’t know how to start the conversation. Zac was the only person on her mind at the moment. “What happened?” she turned to face Cara.

  “Well, they said it was an embolus of sorts. Happens with post-op patients. We thought he was having a heart attack, apparently it was close to it.”

  Zac was healthy! He couldn’t have a heart attack, let alone some stupid embolus. She hadn’t realized her fists were clenched tightly, until Cara lightly tapped on one fist with her finger.

  “Easy there, Mohammed Ali,” Cara said, “Our Zac’s a tough one.”

  “I know he is,” she said, closing her eyes.

  The minutes filtered into hours, and by the time the clock struck eleven in the evening, only she and Caroline were left behind. Caroline had arrived a few minutes after ten, and she had awoken their sleeping father and her other sisters. A car was waiting for everyone. The other sisters had insisted on staying in the waiting room at first, but Caroline reminded them there was work for tomorrow.

  “Does work matter so much to you?” Caroline suddenly asked Sara, who was holding a cup of coffee in her hands.

  Sara nodded. “It does. I grew up working hard. You?”

  “Everyone left when I said work. It’s in our blood, too. But someone has to watch over Zac.”

  “I’m here,” Sara found herself saying.

  “Yes, you are indeed,” Caroline said with a smile. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

  “Why not?”

  “Things happened over dinner, you see. And I have a feeling you and Zac haven’t quite figured out your concerns, yet.”

  “We don’t have concerns. We’re not together.”

  “There’s the concern,” Caroline said, without looking at her. Her voice was gentle and easy-going, like she had rehearsed what to say to her.

  “What happened to him? I don’t understand how—”

  “I think Cara explained a bit of it. We’re no medical people, but if you’ve met our father…well, he and Zac had a bit of a row.”

  “Over what?”

  “I assume you’ve met Miranda Sweeting?”

  “Once,” Sara admitted. “She wasn’t at all nice to me. I thought she was at first but…” Sara stopped, realizing she had been negative about someone she’d barely known.
r />   “It’s okay, we don’t like her either. So where was I? They argued. You see, dad has always liked Miranda for Zac. She comes from a good family, she’s attractive… but Zac said things that made our dad cross. Zac likes you apparently, the extent of it, I don’t know. I’d rather not mention what he said word for word, but it was a strong emotion, one our father had thought didn’t exist between Zac and a foreign intern. He had hoped for a resolution between them, like all parents with good intentions, and maybe a few power slash political ties. Good old Zac here collapsed the moment he walked away from the dining table.”

  So… Zac liked her and held strong emotions for her, and that was from his own sister. Zac hadn’t shied from the fact that he was in love with her… did he, did he defend her to their father, and did he upset Miranda? All for her? Sara bit her lower lip. Worrying wasn’t going to help, but she couldn’t stop the gnawing concern for Zac. “How long was this operation going to take again?”

  Caroline shook her head. “They didn’t give us any estimate. So I’ll just wait here. What about you?”

  Sara nodded, her gaze lingering at the door. “I’ll wait. For as long as it takes.”

  “He told us how you two survived on that little island,” Caroline said.

  “I was bad at it. Zac held me together,” Sara admitted, looking at her palms. She remembered the knife in her hand, remembered the way it crunched inside the croc’s eye. She shook a little.

  “I didn’t want him to die there, you know. He said we’d have our first date, if he got out of it alive. And I wanted that date to happen, so I made sure we’d both get out alive. I didn’t think I could…” she made little stabbing motions in the air, “I didn’t think I could hurt an animal, but I did.”