CONSULTANT IN CRISIS

by Alison Roberts

  There had never been any escape.

  ‘Kelly…love.’ The figure between the security officers stopped struggling. ‘Tell them who I am.’

  All eyes were on Kelly. The whole department was at a standstill. Kelly could sense the shock that there might be some connection between her and the violent drunk who had caused such an unpleasant disruption. And Fletch was there. Staring as hard as everyone else. Looking as shocked as everyone else.

  ‘Get him out of here,’ Kelly said calmly. ‘Call the police.’

  ‘You bitch!’ The beseeching tone was gone instantaneously. The man’s face twisted in rage and he wrenched an arm free from a guard. He managed one step towards Kelly. ‘You can’t do this to me. I’m your father!’

  There was a deadly silence. Kelly felt sick. She shook her head to try and clear the odd ringing sound in her ears. She took a very shaky breath.

  ‘You’re not my father.’ The words sounded remarkably clear. Almost loud in the continuing silence. ‘You never were.’ It was hard even looking at the man in front of her. The effort it took to maintain eye contact and control her fear enough to speak made the words sound forced and icily cold. ‘And you’re never going to hurt my mother again. The police will be here any minute now and this time they’ll lock you away for good. I hope they throw away the key.’

  Kelly wasn’t sure what happened first after her words died away into the silence. Perhaps everything happened simultaneously. Her father broke free of both security officers. They lunged after him. Fletch also moved. His body was in front of Kelly, protecting her. Fletch lost his balance as a security guard fell against him and then his arms were around Kelly, spinning her to face the door and pressing her into the safety of his hold. Her senses were heightened by the rush of adrenaline. She could see nothing but she could smell the scent of Fletch’s skin and could feel his warmth and strength. She could hear the shouting and the movement. She could even hear the swish of the automatic doors to the ambulance loading bay opening.

  ‘You’re safe now, Kelly. He’s gone.’

  The security officers had also gone. And then one appeared back at a run.

  ‘We lost him,’ he announced nervously. ‘Where the hell are the police?’

  Kelly pulled away from Fletch. She had to get back to her mother.

  ‘Kelly?’

  She met his gaze for only a fraction of a second. She didn’t want to try and analyse what she saw in his eyes. What she had always expected to see. Shock. Pity. Disgust. Of course he would be disgusted. The shame had always been too much to handle and Kelly wasn’t about to try and deal with it just now.

  ‘Don’t, Fletch.’ Her words were a warning. ‘Don’t…say…anything.’

  What could he have said? He had already said it all in three words.

  You’re safe now.

  His need to protect Kelly had been all that had mattered. The shock that she had something so horrific that she needed to be protected from, and the hurt in her life that she’d never given him any hint of, had not surfaced properly until well after the event. Until hours after Kath’s successful surgery and the unexpected end to the night’s dramatic events.

  Fletch had hung around the emergency department waiting until Kath came out of Theatre. He had seen Callum come in several times with new patients. A heart attack victim, a teenager with possible appendicitis and finally a service station attendant who had been assaulted during an armed hold-up.

  ‘I was wondering if you’d still be here.’ Callum loaded the stretcher back into the ambulance and then came to stand next to Fletch, who had gone outside for a breath of fresh air. ‘Have you seen Kelly?’

  ‘No.’ Fletch rubbed a hand across his forehead wearily. ‘She hasn’t spoken to anyone except the police. She’s up in the intensive care unit at the moment with her mother.’

  ‘How did the surgery go?’

  ‘Great. She’s breathing on her own and regained consciousness enough to recognise Kelly. I think she’ll be OK.’

  ‘That’s good news. How’s Kelly?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Fletch sighed. ‘She doesn’t want to talk to me yet.’

  Callum gave him a curious glance. ‘You’ve known Kelly longer than I have. Did you know about her father?’

  ‘No.’ The monosyllable couldn’t begin to convey the hurt. Why hadn’t she told him something that important? They had been engaged. Kelly had said she loved him—that she still loved him. How could you love someone and not share a secret like that? As far as Fletch had known, Kelly’s father had never been around. The only family he had ever met had been her mother.

  ‘Seems that he’s only just got out of prison.’

  ‘What?’ The new information was as much of a shock as the problem Kelly’s father had with alcohol. ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘We spent quite a bit of time with the police before we were allowed onto the scene of the hold-up we just went to. I was talking to one of the guys who went out to Kelly’s house. He knew rather a lot about Jack Drummond.’

  ‘What was he in prison for?’

  ‘Drunk driving.’

  ‘How long was he in for?’

  ‘He served five years of a seven-year sentence.’

  So he’d been in prison well before he had even met Kelly. He hadn’t been a part of her life. Or he had been a part of her life that both she and her mother had been trying to forget. Something was falling into place. Or trying to.

  ‘Seven years is a pretty stiff sentence for drunk driving.’

  ‘Not when you’re driving when already disqualified for the same offence. Especially not when you lose control of the car and wipe out someone’s grandmother on a zebra crossing.’

  Fletch swore softly. ‘That’s appalling!’

  Callum’s smile was wry. ‘Hardly surprising Kelly didn’t want to advertise it, is it?’

  ‘No.’ And it was hardly surprising that she had an intolerant attitude to alcohol. Or to someone who became abusive when apparently drunk.

  ‘Well, she won’t need to worry about him any more.’

  ‘I guess not. He’ll go down for a long stretch after the assault on Kath.’

  Callum’s eyebrow rose. ‘You haven’t heard, then?’

  ‘Heard what?’

  His companion whistled softly. ‘When Jack Drummond got away from Security here he ran into the park. A guard chased him but lost sight of him. They think he must have slipped over the bank and into the river. They found him a couple of hours ago.’

  ‘And?’ Fletch thought he knew the answer already but he wanted to hear it said.

  ‘Dead,’ Callum confirmed. ‘The water was only knee deep but he’d got his foot caught in a tree root. Probably too drunk to figure out he only had to stay standing up.’

  ‘Does Kelly know?’

  ‘I would think so. That’s why I was wondering how she was.’

  ‘It’s probably a relief.’

  ‘He was still her father. No matter how ashamed of him she was. It’s not going to be easy.’

  ‘Kelly’s a strong person.’ Fletch had never known just how strong she was. His smile was poignant. ‘It’s just that sometimes she chooses the wrong things to be strong about.’

  Like choosing to shoulder the burden of a traumatic past alone. Like choosing to give up the man she loved because the fear that he might turn out to be like her father was too much to face. Fletch could see everything so clearly now. He had always loved the courage and determination with which Kelly tackled life. The knowledge of what must have fostered those attributes made him love her even more. If only he’d known. If only he’d given her the chance. But he’d been too sick to do that two years ago and he had been too determined not to allow himself to admit how he felt since she’d come back into his life. He’d pushed her away only hours ago. Told her that he didn’t want her physical touch. That he didn’t want her.

  It was understandable that she didn’t want him anywhere near her at the moment, but Fletch h
ad to try again. He went up to the intensive care unit only to find the chair beside Kath Drummond’s bed was empty.

  ‘We’ve persuaded Kelly to get a few hours’ sleep,’ the charge nurse told Fletch. ‘She’s on the couch in the relatives’ room with a good dose of sedative on board. I wouldn’t disturb her unless you have to.’

  ‘I’ll come back tomorrow,’ Fletch said. ‘I’d better get some sleep myself before I come on duty. How’s Kath?’

  ‘Doing as well as can be expected. She’s holding her own at the moment and if she gets through the next twelve hours or so without deterioration we’ll be able to be a lot more confident about a good prognosis.’

  Fletch nodded. ‘Tell Kelly I came in, would you?’ He hesitated. ‘Tell her I think I understand now.’

  ‘I’ll pass it on.’ The nurse gave Fletch a curious glance. ‘Was that all?’

  Fletch nodded slowly but then paused. ‘Tell her…that I’m sorry.’

  Sorry for what? Kelly wondered. Sorry that her mother was seriously injured? That her father was dead? That her father had always been a loser? Or was he sorry that he didn’t want her any more despite her confession that she still loved him? There was too much to be sorry for. And Kelly didn’t want his pity. She didn’t even want to see Fletch again just yet. She had more than enough to cope with.

  It was a long, slow day. Her mother drifted in and out of semi-consciousness but was kept sedated enough to prevent her speaking. The bank of monitors around the bed indicated that Kath’s condition was stable and by that afternoon a steady improvement became noticeable. Kelly left the unit for an hour or so to have a meal and a walk outside. She returned to find she had missed another visit from Dr Neil Fletcher but her reaction was one of relief rather than disappointment.

  ‘He said to call him if you wanted,’ the charge nurse relayed.

  Wanted what? Kelly wondered. Company? Conversation? Him? The temptation to pick up the phone was easily dismissed.

  The dose of sedative her mother was receiving was reduced that evening. Kelly sat by the bed, hoping that her mother might wake. She dozed fitfully in her chair off and on as the hours crept past.

  ‘You’re exhausted, darling.’ The quiet words made Kelly’s eyes fly open.

  ‘Mum!’ The joyous smile couldn’t mask the concern. ‘You’re awake. How are you feeling?’

  ‘My head hurts a bit,’ Kath whispered. ‘How long have I been in here?’

  ‘Getting on for thirty hours. You had surgery last night and you’ve been asleep all of today and most of the night. It’s 4 a.m. now.’

  Kath’s fingers squeezed Kelly’s weakly. ‘I still feel tired.’

  ‘You need to rest,’ Kelly told her. ‘You’re going to be fine.’

  ‘I thought…I thought he was going to kill me this time.’

  ‘I know.’ Kelly touched the uninjured side of her mother’s face gently. ‘He’ll never be able to hurt you again, Mum, I promise.’ It wasn’t the time to tell Kath about the final event of last night. The news could wait until she was stronger. Until Kelly herself felt strong enough to help her deal with it. ‘You need to rest,’ Kelly repeated. ‘We’ll look after you.’

  ‘You need to rest, too. Go home, Kelly. I’ll be fine.’ Kath’s eyes drifted shut again.

  The medical staff backed up Kath’s advice with increasing persuasion over the next few hours. ‘We’ll keep her on a low level of sedation for a while yet. She’ll be asleep for the rest of tonight and probably most of the day tomorrow. Go home and rest, Kelly. We’ll call you if there’s any change.’

  Kelly gave in. She knew she needed to rest and, even more, she needed some time alone. Time to try and sort through the jumble of emotions she was struggling to contain. There was just too much to think about. Too much to be sorry for.

  The taxi driver had to wake her.

  ‘We’re here,’ he explained. ‘You’ve had a good nap, haven’t you? That’ll be forty-five dollars.’

  ‘Really?’ Kelly blinked. The sudden wakening into the strong sunshine and the rural surroundings made it difficult to focus.

  ‘It’s a long way from town,’ the driver said defensively.

  Kelly smiled. It had been the fact that she had slept so soundly on the journey home that had surprised her, not the amount of the taxi fare. The twenty-minute nap had been enough to take the edge off her exhaustion. Now all Kelly wanted was a quiet spot in the shade somewhere so she could sit and think quietly. Or, better yet, not think at all. She just wanted to be here. At home. Safe.

  The call on her mobile phone was an intrusion but it couldn’t be ignored in case it concerned her mother.

  ‘Kelly speaking.’

  She listened for a few seconds. ‘Oh, no! I don’t believe it.’

  She listened for longer this time. ‘No, I’m sorry. It’s just not possible.’

  The head shake was firm a few seconds later. ‘No,’ she repeated. ‘I can’t. I’m sorry.’

  Kelly shook her head again, this time with disbelief. She stared at her phone. She couldn’t cope with another call like that and it was highly likely there would be another one. But what about the hospital? If she turned her phone off they wouldn’t be able to call her if they needed to. Kelly chewed her lip. She could call the intensive care unit herself to check on her mother’s condition.

  She would do it soon. Just as soon as she’d had a little more time to herself. Time without having to field an extraordinary demand on her like the one that had just been made.

  Kelly pushed the button to switch her mobile phone off.

  CHAPTER TEN

  THE packing was less haphazard than it appeared.

  Fletch tucked the knee pads into a side compartment of the pack. He rolled up the overalls and pushed them in on top of the clothing and toiletry articles he had pulled together. The heavy boots and helmet had taken up more room than expected but there was still enough space—just—to slot in the dust mask and protective goggles. A glance at his watch confirmed there was still plenty of time. Check-in at the airport was a little over an hour away. Time enough for a quick phone call.

  ‘Joe? It’s Fletch. Did Dave get hold of you?’

  ‘I’m just packing. Can you believe it?’

  ‘Hasn’t really sunk in yet. There seems to be more than a suggestion that this is no accident.’

  ‘Someone saw the package and raised the alarm so a lot of people got out before it went off. I think we have a serial bomber who likes targeting shopping malls.’

  ‘It doesn’t make any sense. There’s no motive. Christchurch was an unlikely enough place for a terrorist strike. But Dunedin?’

  ‘I know.’ Joe’s tone acknowledged the smaller size and relative obscurity of the city five hours’ drive south of Christchurch. ‘Weird, isn’t it? I’d better get going, Fletch. I can’t find my helmet. I’ll see you at the airport.’

  ‘OK. Oh…Joe?’

  ‘Yep?’

  ‘Is Kelly coming?’

  ‘No. Dave said she refused. I imagine it’s because of her mother’s condition.’

  ‘Her mum’s quite stable now. She’s on the mend.’

  ‘I know. And Dave’s a bit worried. He’s only managed to pull together a minimum team and it’s going to take a lot longer to get anyone down from the north island.’

  ‘It doesn’t sound like it’s nearly as big a collapse as the one at Westgate Mall. It might only be a day trip. Kath’s not even expecting her to visit again before tonight.’

  ‘Kelly apparently said it just wasn’t possible.’

  Fletch thought he knew the reason why. ‘I’ll ring her myself. Maybe I can persuade her.’

  ‘Good idea. Have to go, Fletch. That’s my doorbell. Wendy’s coming here to catch a ride.’

  ‘Hang on. Have you got Kelly’s mobile number?’

  The possibility that the Drummond property was outside the coverage area was unlikely. Kelly must have switched off her phone. Fletch took another glance at his watch. It wo
uld take twenty minutes to get to the daffodil farm but it was only fifteen minutes from there to the airport. The check-in time might not be that tight. He punched another number into his phone, spoke briefly and then moved swiftly. The pack was dumped on the back seat of his car and Fletch backed rapidly from his driveway, turned left and headed south through the city. There was just enough time.

  He had to see Kelly.

  The house appeared deserted. Fletch gave up knocking on the front door and walked around the cottage.

  Kelly’s car was there. The ICU staff had told him that Kelly had ordered a taxi and that she was planning to go home and sleep, but there were no curtains drawn to block out the bright sunshine and the back door was wide open.

  ‘Kelly? Are you there?’

  She had to be here somewhere. The thought that he might have to leave without talking to Kelly, without touching her, was suddenly unbearable. Kelly had to know that he understood now. That he realised why things had gone so terribly wrong between them and that it was possible to start again. It had to be possible if Kelly had meant what she’d said to him.

  The property wasn’t huge. Five acres or so at most. Fletch stood on the back verandah and shaded his eyes against the glare of the sun. It gave him an odd feeling to be seeing the place again. He had almost forgotten that he and Kelly had even toyed with the attractive possibility of building their own house on the property at some stage in the future. They had decided they would position it on the other side of the daffodil fields, near where the small stream bordered the property. That dream seemed so long ago and yet it all looked just the same. The large vegetable garden, the henhouse, the small orchard and then the daffodils. A huge, joyful mass of colour in all shades of yellow, orange and white. The kind of colours it would be impossible not to be uplifted by. In the centre of the vibrant display was a splash of dark, restful green. The branches of the ancient weeping elm formed an umbrella that created a shady oasis. Fletch smiled. If he needed a place to restore peace to his soul then that would be exactly where he would choose to sit.