‘There’s a bloke out there wants to see you.’
‘Yeah?’
‘I’ve put him in your waiting room. You want me to come with you?’
‘Why would you want to do that?’
‘He says he’s Cady’s father.’
Silence. Then… ‘Cady’s father,’ Nate said cautiously. ‘You’re kidding.’
‘That’s what he says’
‘Big bloke? Expensive suit?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘But I thought…’
‘You thought what?’
‘If he’s the man who was here earlier, he said that he’s Gemma’s husband.’
‘So?’ Then Graham thought it through and saw what Nate was confused about. ‘But Cady is Fiona’s kid.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then Cady can’t be Gemma’s husband’s kid? Can he? Am I missing something here?’
Nate shook his head. ‘Not that I can see. I’m as confused as you are.’
‘The plot gets more convoluted by the minute.’ Graham looked bemused. And also concerned. ‘I suppose the man could have formally adopted Cady. He might have if he was…if he
First impressions were often correct and this one was spot on. Nate had looked at the man as he’d waited outside Gemma’s room and he hadn’t liked what he’d seen and he didn’t like what he saw when he walked back into his waiting room.
‘You wanted to see me?’
‘You’re Nate Ethan?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’re looking after my wife and my kid?’
Gemma and Cady.
‘Yes.’
‘Then I’m here to tell you that I’m taking them back to Sydney. Tomorrow.’
‘Do they want to go back to Sydney?’ Somehow Nate kept his voice neutral-calm in the face of belligerence.
‘Of course they want to come.’
‘I’m sorry but they’ve been here for two weeks and you’ve hardly been mentioned.’
‘But I have been mentioned.’
He couldn’t deny it. ‘Yes.’
‘Well, there you go, then. They’ve had their little holiday. Now it’s time to get back to work.’
Nate hesitated, not sure where to take it. He didn’t like what was happening-and he didn’t understand.
‘Did Gemma tell you that Cady’s been diagnosed as a diabetic?’
‘Yeah. That’s got nothing to do with me. It’s her business.’
‘He needs constant medical supervision.’
‘He goes to a hospital creche. He’ll get supervision there.’
‘But Gemma’s lost her job at the hospital.’
‘She’ll get another job,’ he said easily, with the assurance of someone who knew they were right. ‘She’s an anaesthetist. They’re in demand.’
The man sounded placid about it and things were sounding more and more out of kilter.
‘I need to speak to Gemma,’ Nate started, but the man shook his head.
‘There’s no need. Cady’s mine-not Gemma’s. She had no business bringing him down here so I’m taking him back tomorrow. If Gemma doesn’t want to come with me then she can follow. But she will. Have the boy ready for me by nine.’
And that was that. He walked out and slammed the door behind him.
This whole set-up wasn’t making sense. Nate took a few deep breaths, went and checked on Ian just to give himself time to collect his wits-it didn’t work-and finally returned to Gemma’s room. She didn’t look at him as he entered. She was lying flat on her pillows with her arms behind her head and her face set like stone.
The impulse was to walk straight over and take her in his arms, but there was something about that expression… It was a shield all by itself.
‘Gemma…’
‘I’m sorry,’ she said blankly. ‘Nate, I’m sorry.’
‘Do you want to tell me what you’re sorry about?’
‘I thought…I thought he mightn’t want us. I was stupid.’ Still she wouldn’t look at him. It was as if she was afraid of what she might see.
Nate hesitated and then sat down on the bed beside her. He tried to take her hand but she pulled away. Keeping up the shield. ‘Do you want to tell me about it?’
‘No.’
‘I’m a good listener.’
‘And I married Alan. End of story.’ She flung the words at him like a taunt. ‘I never should have… I never dreamed it was possible. You and me. Staying here. It was a crazy idea, doomed from the start.’
‘Because you’re married?’
‘Because I was married.’
‘Right.’ He nodded as if he understood everything. Which he didn’t. ‘Um… You and…’
‘Alan. His name’s Alan Herbert.’
‘Right. But you’re not Mrs Herbert?’
‘I kept my maiden name-for my medicine. And afterwards…’
‘Afterwards?’
‘After we divorced.’
Divorced. That had a good ring to it. Divorced was something at least. But he still didn’t understand. ‘I got the impression,’ Nate said cautiously, ‘that you hadn’t divorced. That you’re returning to Sydney with him in the morning.’
‘He said that?’
‘It’s not true?’ There was a flicker of hope in his voice, quashed immediately by the shake of her head.
‘Oh, it’s true all right.’
‘You’re not still in love with him?’
‘Are you kidding?’ But her voice sounded dead. Like all the life had been sucked out of it. ‘After what he did…’
‘Gemma, you’re going to have to tell me.’
‘You don’t want to know.’
‘Try me.’
She shook her head. Still she refused to look at him. ‘Leave it, Nate.’
‘Is Alan Cady’s father?’
She drew in her breath. ‘Yes.’
‘But Cady is your sister’s son.’
‘That’s the one.’
‘So Fiona and Alan…’
‘Didn’t I tell you?’ she demanded bleakly. ‘Didn’t I make you see? Everything I had, Fiona wanted, and she was like that from the time that I can first remember. My toys, my clothes, my mother’s attention. Then my career-and my husband.’
‘So she and Alan…’
‘Alan was a dreadful choice for a husband,’ she said bitterly. ‘He’s an accountant at Sydney Central. He took me
