City Surgeon, Small Town Miracle

Her arms clung to him, desperation in their strength. All he could do was hold her, be her rock. He was going to stand by her, to help her heal. Hold her when she needed to cry, encourage her when she was moving forward.

He would love her and protect her and support her until she was better.

And then, by God, she was going to marry him so he could love and cherish her as she deserved for the rest of her life.

Her sobs gradually quieted until the only sound was the distant shushing of the waves.

Reluctantly, he broke the moment. ‘Do you trust me, Terri?’

‘Yes.’ Her voice sounded raw from the weeping, still full of tears ready to be shed.

He was going to ask her to do more, to be braver. To do something that he sensed she needed to do. A first minute step on the journey back to normality.

‘I want you to come with me now. Come and see the young couple who came in earlier. Nadia and Pete.’

‘Nadia and P-Pete?’

‘Yes.’

‘I can’t,’ she said. With the storm of weeping over she’d moved into a passive acceptance of hopelessness. ‘There’s no point. It’s over.’

‘You can.’ He felt like such a bastard asking anything of her when she was so raw and vulnerable. Setting his jaw, he continued, ‘Nothing is over. There’s every point to coming back.’

It was important not to let her withdraw. He was afraid for her, afraid for himself that he would lose her, if he let her retreat now.

‘Come on. Wash your face, powder your nose, whatever it is that you need to do to face the world again today. Just for a few minutes.’

‘I can’t d-do anything for them. I ran away.’ She looked at him through a welling veil of tears. ‘I f-failed.’

He steeled himself against weakening. ‘You ran away because you’re traumatised. You haven’t failed. I don’t want you to do anything for them, I just want you to come and meet them. Not for long, just to see that they are okay. Come on, Terri. You can do it.’

She looked at him and then finally, she took a deep breath and said, ‘I’ll try.’

The bravery in those tiny, barely audible words brought a painful lump to his throat. ‘That’s all I’m asking, darling.’

Anxiety pinched at him as he helped her to her feet. She felt so shaky and frail. The last of her strength and vitality had leached away with her tears, leaving this frighteningly fragile husk.

He clenched his teeth. He needed to find out as much as he could about post-traumatic stress disorder. Stat.

Cuddling her close to his body, he walked her back to the building. Outside the women’s bathroom he stopped and opened the door, ushering her inside. ‘I’ll wait outside. Yell if you need me.’

She nodded.

‘I’ll check on you in five if you’re not out.’

She gave him a wan smile. ‘I’ll be out.’

‘Okay.’

He shut the door behind him and braced one hand on the wall. Terri needed his help and she was going to get it. Whether she wanted it or not. He was in awe of the fact that she’d come this far carrying the weight of her grief alone. But she didn’t have to do it on her own from now on. She had him to help. He wasn’t going to let her go. She would not shut him out, he wouldn’t let her.

He felt a touch on his arm and turned to see Dianne looking up at him, her face creased with worry. ‘Is Terri all right?’

‘She’s had a shock, Dianne. She’ll be shaky for a while but she’ll be all right. I’ll make sure of it,’ he said grimly.

‘Good. If there’s anything any of us can do, just say the word.’

‘Thanks, Dianne.’

Luke kept the visit to the now-sheepish young couple short and upbeat before ushering Terri out of their room.

In the privacy of the staff lounge, he ran the backs of his fingers over her pale cheek. ‘Go home, darling.’

‘Luke, I think…’ She took a deep breath in. ‘I think I’d rather keep busy. Please?’

‘Terri…love…you’ve had a hell of a shock. Cut yourself some slack and take the rest of the shift off. It’s only an hour.’

She gave him a haunted look.

He stifled a sigh. ‘Tell me honestly, do you feel up to being here?’

Her mouth opened then slowly closed, her shoulders slumping. ‘No,’ she whispered. ‘No. You’re right. There’s no point being here.’

‘Darling, go home. Rest, walk along the beach.’

She nodded.

‘I’ll come and see you as soon as I can.’

Another nod before she turned and walked away. He watched her go. Had he done the right thing? But what else could he do?

She looked so crushed and utterly defeated that he almost called her back.

Just over an hour later, Luke took some correspondence back to his office. A single piece of paper lay in the middle of his desk. Cold inevitability gripped him as he leaned across and picked it up.

A resignation. Neatly typed. Terri must have gone straight home to write the damned letter.

No way was he going to let her run away like this. He couldn’t. She needed help and support from people who loved her. Specifically, she needed his help, his support. He loved her.

He practised the persuasive words he’d use as he walked down to the beach cottage. When he got there the door was ajar but the place had an oddly deserted feel.

He knocked. Icy fear thrummed through him when there was no response. He yanked open the door then strode from room to room.

No sign of Terri but plenty of signs that she’d been here and been busy.

A suitcase lay open on the bed they’d made love in. Folded clothes sat in piles, waiting to be added to the case. As though she’d started packing but had been distracted from the task.

In the kitchen, pots and pans had been thrown haphazardly into a box on the bench. There was no chance that the lid could be fastened with the way handles bristled above the sides. At the other end of the bench was a stack of plates and a collection of glasses.

Without pausing, he opened the back door and stepped on to the verandah. A half-empty mug of coffee sat on the edge. He could imagine her sitting here drinking it, staring towards the beach. Was that where she was now?

His pulse fluttered as he jogged off the verandah towards the trees. He didn’t know what to expect, refused to think about what he might find.

She would be there.

She would be there…

And she was.

The tension in his body loosened abruptly, leaving his gut aching and his knees rubbery. She was sitting on the sand, hunched over with her arms wrapped around her shins as she stared out to sea.

Jamming his hands into his pockets, he took a deep shuddering breath. Damp, briny sea air filled his lungs and he stood for a moment collecting his wits before he walked closer to his still oblivious target. When he was several feet from her, he stopped. Keeping his tone carefully neutral, he said, ‘You’ve been busy since I saw you.’

She started as though he’d yelled at her.

‘You know I’m not going to accept your resignation.’ He stepped forward and lowered himself to the sand beside her, but not touching.

‘You should.’ She sounded so cold, so remote.

He had to connect with her so that she would listen to him.