vengeance.
Steve Pryor was undergoing massive reconstruction of his thigh. He wouldn’t lose his leg, but it would take months before he was able to use it in anywhere near a normal fashion.
Caroline, the night sister who’d spent the day at the beach with him, travelled to Brisbane so there’d be someone with him during major surgery. It turned out Steve had no family. Caroline was it. And, by the look of her haggard face as she arrived back in Sapphire Cove, Abbey knew Caroline wouldn’t have it any other way.
‘He’s such an owl,’ Caroline sniffed into Abbey’s arms. ’Such a gentle, loving person. And he saved those kids. I don’t think I can bear it.’
‘You’re in love with him,’ Abbey said on a note of discovery, and that produced more sniffs and a fast retreat into a handkerchief.
‘Yes. but now… I mean it all happened so fast. I only went out with him the once and how’s he supposed to believe I love him already? And now he’s in Brisbane and I’m here and he was only here on a locum anyway and I’m never going to see him again.’
‘Let’s see what Steve has to say about that when he’s feeling a bit better.’ Abbey smiled. And then asked what she most wanted to know. ‘Now, tell me. How’s Leith? Is Ryan still with her?’
Caroline hauled herself together and blew her nose. And managed a watery smile.
‘Dr Henry assisted at the operation. The surgeons down there asked him to. Oh, Dr Wittner, they think he’s wonderful. No one thought she’d walk again but there’s some new technique Dr Henry knew was being trialled.
‘The surgeons here did a video conferencing session with some of Dr Henry’s colleagues in the States- paediatric orthopaedic surgeons, the best in the world. Dr Henry organised it so it seemed like they were actually in the theatre while they were operating on Abbey. And now they say there’s a really good chance she will walk.’
Well, well.
Abbey took it all in and hugged it against her heart. It helped. It helped that even if she couldn’t marry Ryan the Ryan she knew and loved was still going strong.
She was proud of him. She ached for him. She loved him.
It had to be shoved aside for the moment. There’d be time to be really miserable later. There were all sorts of after-effects from the accident on the beach. Paul, the child who’d been riding the jet ski, had been admitted to hospital, suffering from shock, and it would take all her skills to pull him out of it without serious emotional scars. His parents were almost as bad. Basically good-hearted people, they were deeply distressed at what had happened.
The police sergeant wasn’t helping. He wanted blood, and when Abbey counselled him strongly about taking it further he broke down and wept and needed help himself.
The small child with the gashed arm was the least of her worries. Wendy was proud of her stitches but her parents were upset. Then the local school teacher wanted Abbey to come and speak to the children at assembly as the children were desperate to know what was going on.
And there was her ordinary hospital work. Abbey asked the farmers to take over her cows again and Marcia kept on helping with Jack, but still she finished each day exhausted. And missing Ryan.
Janet was still recovering, following her exercise regime with stoic determination. With reason.
On the fifth day after the accident Abbey walked into Janet’s ward to find her sitting up in bed with Sam at her side. That didn’t surprise her. Sam had been a constant visitor. What did surprise her were the silly grins on both of their faces. They sat hand in hand on the bed and they looked for all the world like two teenagers caught having an illicit cuddle.
Abbey lifted her eyebrows and smiled a query.
‘Sorry, guys. You want me to come back later?’
‘No.’ Janet blushed and looked at Sam. And blushed again.
‘We have something to say to you,’ Sam said seriously. And it was his turn to turn pink.
And Abbey knew.
‘You want to ask for Janet’s hand in marriage,’ she said in delight. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Well…’ Sam’s smile deepened in quiet satisfaction. ‘I should ask someone.’
‘Have you asked Janet?’
‘Yes.’
‘And she said?’
‘Yes,’ Sam said bluntly. ‘She said she’ll marry me if you’ll marry Ryan.’
Abbey frowned. ‘I like the marriage idea,’ she said slowly. ‘I don’t agree with the
‘That’s what I told her,’ Sam said, ‘but she won’t leave you by yourself.’
‘I’m not by myself.’ Abbey took a deep breath. ‘So… you two love each other?’
‘Yes,’ Sam said firmly, and put his arm around Janet’s waist. ‘We do.’
‘Then I’m walking out of here right now and announcing it to the world,’ Abbey told them. ‘Sam and Janet are getting married. And there’s no conditions applying. Not one!’
She hugged them both. ‘And don’t you dare stuff this up by stupid quibbles, Janet Wittner,’ she ordered. ‘You’ve got your Sam. And I have my little Jack. I won’t be lonely.’
Only it wasn’t quite true. Jack was here, but anywhere without Ryan was lonely.
Where was he? He’d been away for five days. Why didn’t he return?
Half of her was starting to think that the next thing they’d hear from Ryan would be a phone call from New York to say that his career had reclaimed him, and it was time to get on with his life.
At two the next morning someone knocked hard on Abbey’s door.
Abbey flicked on her bedside light and looked blearily at the clock. Two?
People telephoned in an emergency. They didn’t come here.
For a moment she felt a pang of alarm. This little cottage was set back far from the road and, apart from Jack, she was alone. Still, if it was an emergency…
She hauled a wrap around her flimsy nightgown, went to the door and opened it a crack.
Ryan.
She shut it again. For the life of her, she couldn’t think of anything else to do.
‘Abbey!’
‘Go away, Ryan Henry,’ she said breathlessly. ‘It’s two in the morning. I’m not… I’m not dressed to receive visitors.’
‘I’m not a visitor. I’m me.’
‘Ryan…’
‘Twenty years ago, when I came at midnight to take you turtle-hunting, you never had maidenly quibbles.’
‘You want to go turtle-hunting?’ she demanded with her back to the door, and Ryan laughed.
‘No, Abbey, I don’t. I’m looking for something much more precious. Let me in.’
‘Why should I?’
‘Because I love you.’
Silence.
The words echoed round and round Abbey’s little living room.
This was dangerous.
‘Ryan…’
‘Abbey, I’m not here to demand you leave everything you love,’ Ryan pleaded. ‘I promise. Let me in.’
Abbey took a deep breath. This was mad. Crazy. But there was nothing else to do but let him in.
She’d expected to open the door and have him sedately step inside. No such thing. She opened the door an inch, it was shoved wide with ruthless force and she was swept right up into Ryan’s arms and kissed so thoroughly that there was no possible way she could protest.
And after the first millisecond she didn’t try.
Abbey wound her arms around his neck and kissed him right back.
Crazy, crazy, crazy.
But sense was for tomorrow. Crazy was for now.
