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“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not a brave person when it comes to most things. I hate going on rides at theme parks unless they are extremely sedate and no thrill at all. I will have a go at the bridge climb though. I have some friends possibly coming over in a few months and could do it then.”
“Well, as long as Doc Wilson doesn’t find something horrible on my tests, I’d like to go on the adventure with you.”
“I think that would be great, but I will be the slow one at the back.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind coming up the rear.” Shit, now I had that image in my head and it was a good one. Her butt in the mirror had looked gorgeous.
Autumn shook her head and laughed. “I can’t believe you just said that. No. I take that back. After knowing you a short while, I’m not surprised at all.” She placed her empty mug on the coffee table. “On that note, I think it’s time for bed for me. I have an early start and a busy day.”
“Me too. I’ll be over the road at Dorothy’s. My waistline will be twice the size by tomorrow night from all the cakes she gives me.” I finished my drink, stood, and followed Autumn. Darn it but I wished I could stay.
“She seems a sweet lady. I had a few words with her yesterday.” Autumn undid the latch on the door and turned, almost bumping into me. There was that perfume again. The corridor was narrow, and I could bend in and kiss her without much effort. I didn’t. For the first time in my life, I was not going to rush things. When I got a kiss from the lovely Autumn, I wanted it to be more than a peck on the cheek.
Instead, I edged past her, walked down the path, and waved back.
“Goodnight, Ryan.”
“Goodnight, Autumn.” For now, I would go home and lie in bed thinking about all the ways I could make her happy with surprises that would stimulate as well as excite.
I drifted off to sleep contemplating a hot dream with the doctor where she could use her bandages to tie me to the bed. I would need a long cold shower in the morning.
* * *
My cell phone was ringing. I must have fallen asleep. It was still dark and only phone calls you didn’t want to get came at this time of night. It was my brother’s number. Damn.
“What’s up, Jake?” My stomach turned as I asked the question, dreading the answer.
“It’s Mom. She called me earlier—said she didn’t feel well. By the time I got there, she was burning up. I rang the ambulance and they’ve taken her to hospital.”
“It’s her kidneys again, isn’t it?”
“Seems that way.”
“I’ll drive down overnight and see you tomorrow.”
EIGHT
Autumn
I was settling into life in Katoomba. My job filled my days, and my evenings were spent working on a paper I would present at a conference in Sydney. Okay, so I had not seen much beyond the town, but that would come. One day I would go on a bushwalk as they called it here. I would have said a hike back in England. I still wanted to go to Sydney too. It was only a couple of hours’ drive, but I didn’t want to leave my little cocoon that I had here in the Blue Mountains.
There was one thing, or rather, one person I was missing. My next-door neighbor, Ryan. He’d sent a message saying he would be away in Melbourne because of a family emergency. I hated to admit dependence on someone, but he had made me smile. I had looked forward to seeing him when I got home. Poor guy would think I was being a pest.
I hoped everything was okay with his family but didn’t want to intrude. It was the doctor in me. The two of us might have had a close moment in the bathroom, but I didn’t know much about him apart from the fact he was hot and useful around the house. I needed to stop daydreaming and get back to work.
My next patient was waiting. Even after just a couple of weeks here, a few older patients were working their way into my heart. I tried to stay analytical, but sometimes they’d say things that made me melt. My neighbor Mrs. Jenkins was coming today.
I walked out to the waiting room and called her name. Dorothy got up and strode over with a bounce in her step. She was eighty years old but was still sprightly. I hoped to have just as much pep when I got older.
Dorothy sat across from me and grinned. She didn’t appear sick, but as a doctor, I knew sometimes that looks could be deceiving.
“Hello, Dorothy. I’ve seen you across the street, tending to your garden. I’m Autumn Blake, and I’m here to replace Doctor Farley for the year, while she is on maternity leave. How can I help you today?”
“I want to have you look at my hands. I’m struggling a bit with my garden. I don’t like to complain as I know other eighty-year-olds who can’t do much. It’s just that I struggle opening jars and bottles as well. I made scones the other day for Ryan, and I couldn’t open the strawberry jam.”
I had watched my neighbor sing as she worked on the flowers in her garden. It made me smile and my heart ache. I was getting soppy. I could see how not getting the jam open would have been a calamity.
I took Dorothy’s right hand and ran my fingers over the skin which was dry but unbroken. The finger joints were swollen and hot. The symptoms pointed to arthritis. As a doctor, I was amazed she had not asked for pain relief before. Her fingers were so inflamed that she struggled to straighten them out.
