"The staff are brilliant and you will find them very helpful. I should know, I found most of them. Your contact down there will be Elizabeth Stanley. She is the Nurse Unit Manager and a fantastic person. I've known her for several years and she is a brilliant young nurse. Get in touch with her as soon as you arrive to work out a tour of the hospital and anything else you might need to know." Neeta smiled at him. "I hear she is looking forward to getting things settled rather quickly. It’s been hard on her the last few weeks dealing with more patients than normal and having no permanent doctor on staff. Although the local doctors have been fantastic coming in on call, she’s had to deal with a lot."
"Fair enough. Once again, thanks and I'll get that contract signed and returned this afternoon." He walked out the door and hurried to his car wondering if he’d made the right decision.
Sliding behind the wheel, he pulled out the phone and pushed the key pad. "Tory, Russ Williams. I got your letter last night."
"My condolences, Russ, your father will be missed by many."
"What happened?" Russ looked out the windscreen of his car as he listened to his childhood friend and family solicitor.
"Apparently he had a heart attack in his sleep four nights ago. Listen, can you get hold of Cade for me?"
"Already done. I spoke to him last night. I can't help you with Rooney though. She seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet. No one has seen or heard from her, although Heaven knows I tried enough."
"I've already spoken to her. She can't make the meeting but I can fill her in later. Can you and Cade be here the day after tomorrow? I've put off the funeral until I could find you but I think we need to meet and discuss things first. Then you can decide where you want to bury your father."
Rooney was still around? God, he missed his little sister. Russ was gutted when she ran away from home and didn't contact him. He had left first so he understood if she felt he had deserted her. Both he and Cade had left her at the mercy of their father and being a girl didn't save her from the discipline.
"Of course, but it goes without saying he will be laid to rest next to our mother at the family property. Listen, I can be there but Cade wants to make his own way down. I'll call you when I get closer to town and see if you are free."
"No problem, I can set a time to suit you both. Tell Cade the same thing, will you?" There was a slight pause. "It will be good to catch up again, Russ. It's been too long since we all threw a ball around together or stopped for a beer. I have lots to tell you about what’s been going on."
"Thanks, Tory. Call you when I can. "
Chapter 3
Rooney Williams slid the needle into the vein, holding the dog’s leg and crooned in a soft voice to keep the animal calm until the drug took hold. "There, there pet, shh now." She ran her hand over the head of the brown and white wire-haired terrier and glanced at her assistant. "Thanks Tara, I should be fine with him now. I'll yell if I need any help."
She positioned the small dog on the table before reaching for the instrument tray, pulling it closer so she had everything within hand’s reach. Rooney poured cleaning solution into a bowl and, taking a swab from the packet she tore open, cleaned the jagged tear in the dog's belly as best she could.
"What were you thinking, little man? This is the second time you've ripped yourself open on the fence chasing those blasted cats. I'll have to have a serious talk with your dad when he picks you up. There has to be a way to curtail your fence jumping." Once the wound was clean, she checked the dog's internal organs and breathed a sigh of relief. There was no damage inside. With deft hands, Rooney threaded a needle and pulled the skin together. She joined the edges of the wound with tiny neat stitches.
Once the sleeping dog was inside a cage in the recovery room, Rooney cleaned the operating table and prepped it for the next emergency. Voices sounded in the waiting room and she poked her head out the door.
"Pete, hi." She moved forward and kissed the older man on the cheek. "I didn't know you were coming in today."
He looked over at Tara and dropped his gaze to the ground.
Rooney's stomach lurched. Pete was normally so happy and relaxed. Now his shoulders were slumped forward and he was doing his best to avoid making eye contact with her.
"What's wrong, Pete? Has something happened with Julie, has there been an accident?"
Rooney put her hand on his shoulder, gripping with tense fingers while her knees trembled.
"No, no nothing like that. My wife is fine although frail as you know." He finally met her gaze with watery eyes and gave a feeble smile. "Rooney, can we go and talk in the office."
She managed to nod her head and slipped her arm through his for the short walk down the hallway, past the sterile operating room to her office. Closing the door behind them, she walked over and sat on the edge of her desk, her gaze on the face of the man who had been her mentor and father figure the last eight years.
"This is hard for me, honey." He wiped a shaking hand over his chin and sat down in the old brown leather chair in front of her. "You know Julie is having health issues, has been
