Coming Home (12 page)

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"Right then."
Lizzie sat and looked at the doctor opposite her. Her heart did a small flip
that left her breathless. Doctor Russ Williams was stunning, and he was in her
hospital. He watched her with deep blue eyes and a small smile lifting the
corners of his mouth. A mouth so kissable, the mere sight of his lips jolted
right down to the pit of her stomach. Desire long hidden surged up her throat,
threatening to steal away her composure. She took a deep breath and looked at
some paperwork on her desk to give her time to prepare herself.

He wore a dark blue
suit and white shirt that showed off his lightly tanned skin to perfection. A
navy and white striped tie finished the outfit, making him look like he'd just
stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine. Doctor Williams would set the
tongues wagging, of that Lizzie had no doubt.

"So,
Doctor..."

"Please, call me
Russ." He smiled, his perfect white teeth vivid against his skin.
"We’re going to be working closely together so we may as well cut the
formalities."

"I'm not sure that
is a good thing. This is a hospital after all, and I have to keep a certain
amount of control over the staff." Lizzie licked her lips before continuing,
"I do hope you aren't going to be one of those doctors who don't follow
protocol, Doctor Williams."

He laughed and lifted a
hand, running it through his short blond hair. "No, certainly not. I
follow the book but I thought, working in a smaller community hospital, the
staff would all know each other and be a little friendlier than in the big
city. I do hope I'm not mistaken."

 He kept his gaze
on her face and Lizzie fidgeted with the edge of her white cotton blouse,
rolling the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. "Look, I don't want
to come across as a hard taskmaster but in front of my staff, especially my
younger staff, I would appreciate it if you and I kept to formalities. Some of
the nurses may get too familiar with staff and patients, and that makes my job
all the more difficult." She swallowed as he kept his gaze on her face.
"This is a work environment and we are here to help people, not make
friends."

"If that’s what
makes you happy, so be it."

"Thank you. Now,
let me fill you in on the roster and how things run here. Although I'm sure it
won't be much different to what you’re used to, it would make me happier to
know I've gone over everything with you."

For the next hour, Lizzie
went over the hospital system, rosters and staff. When she was sure there
wasn't anything she’d forgotten, she stood up.
"Right then, we should go on a tour so you can familiarise yourself with
everything and meet the staff before you get dragged into the fray."

"I'd like that,
thank you." Russ stood and opened the door for her, following as she left
the office.

Lizzie wasn't at all
surprised at the adoring looks Doctor Williams got from the female staff, both
young and old. She had time for a small pang of jealousy before reminding
herself she was off the dating roster for her own good. Jealousy that now make
her regret the decision to stop dating but with the horrors from her past,
Lizzie wasn't prepared to put her heart on the line again.

Rooney drove her trusty
station wagon up the driveway to her childhood home, past the large dam she had
swum in as a child, past the weeping willows where she and the boys had built
countless tree houses and forts.

"You'll like it
here, Tam." She smiled reassuringly at her daughter who gazed out the
window with a frown on her young face.

"I wish we could
have stayed with Pete and Julie." Rooney heard the sigh in her voice.
"I don't know anyone here."

She reached out and grabbed
her daughter’s hand, squeezing her fingers. "You know it will take you all
of five minutes to find people to talk to. Once you’re enrolled in school,
you’ll find your feet. I know you will."

Tam turned and looked
out the window again, saying nothing more.

Rooney drove up the
back, past the old Morton Bay figs and around by the old stables. Chickens
scattered as she past the kitchen garden and pulled up at the back of the
house. She unclipped her seatbelt, turned off the engine and got out of the car.
"Let's go."

Walking around to open
the passenger door, she helped Tamara slip out of her seatbelt and took her
hand as she got out. As the door screen slammed and Essie cried out, Tamara
tucked into Rooney's side.

Essie ran toward them,
her arms outstretched. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged Rooney.
"Hey Essie, you knew I was coming back. Shush, it's alright."

"I was so worried
you would change your mind when you got back to the city." She looked down
at Tamara hugging her mother's side. "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. I didn't
mean to scare you with my carrying on." She crouched down and held her
hand out. "I'm Essie. I looked after your mother when she was a little
thing just like you."

"I'm not little.
And I don't need looking after."

"Well, that's good
to hear then because I know there is heaps I need to do around here. Not sure I
have time to go running around after a little girl when I should be baking
chocolate chip biscuits and roasting chicken for tonight's dinner."

Tamara looked at the housekeeper
before glancing up at her mother, a question in her eyes. "You can ask,
but mind your manners." Rooney twisted her lips to keep the smile tucked
away as Tam eyed off Essie. When the grip on her leg eased, she breathed a sigh
of relief.

"Can I have a
biscuit, please?"

"How about I give
you one after you help your mother with your bags, Tamara?" Essie
straightened and pressed her hands down her apron, smoothing out the creases as
she waited for an answer.

"Tam, I get called
Tam."

"Fine, Tam it is.
Let me go ahead and get you a drink and a biscuit then while you grab a bag.
Your mother can show you to your room and when you’re ready, come on down to
the kitchen."

"Thanks,
Essie."

"I've put you in
your mother’s room, Rooney. Tam can have yours."

Rooney swallowed the
lump filling her throat. Blinking rapidly, she brushed away the tears that
threatened to run down her cheeks. "Fine." She walked to the back of
her car and lifted the boot lid. She handed a small suitcase to Tam and grabbed
her own, deciding to leave the boxes until later. With more gusto than
warranted, she slammed the boot before guiding her daughter inside.

They walked through the
kitchen, ignoring the heavenly smells of roasting chicken and fresh baked
cookies. Rooney pulled her suitcase up the stairs, pausing every now and then
to wait for Tam who followed behind her. When they reached her old bedroom she
stopped, resting her suitcase against the wall. She stepped into the room and
looked around. Her bed was against the wall under the window, just as it had
been when she’d walked away with nothing more than the clothes she was wearing
and a back pack stuffed full of things she couldn't bear to leave behind.

The dressing table
mirror still had the love hearts cut out of red cardboard
stuck
to the glass with blue tack They were faded now. Rooney walked over and traced
her fingers over the one with cut out pictures of her and Stevie. She pulled it
off and jammed it in her pocket.

In the reflection of
the mirror she saw Tam walking in, glancing around the room. "Can I keep
this stuff?" She looked around and grinned when she spotted the shelf of
stuffed toys.

"Sure. Keep what
you want and ditch the rest." Rooney walked over and patted the bed,
sitting down on the floral cover she had loved as a teenager. "Once we get
settled we might be able to change things for you. You know, put up fresh wall
paper and get you a new bedspread if that's what you want."

"I kind of like it
how it is. For now anyway." Tam looked at her mother expectantly.
"Can I go down to the kitchen and get a biscuit. I'm hungry and thirsty
and she said I could."

"Sure, but her
name is Essie and remember your manners."

She watched the child
skip out of the room and listened as the footsteps sounded all the way down to
the bottom before standing up. Rooney wiped her palms on the legs of her jeans
and walked to the door. She walked out into the hallway and took slow steps
toward her mother's room, pausing outside the door before lifting her hand. The
door knob was cool to the touch and Rooney turned it, waiting for the small
click just before it gave. With determination, she pushed the door open and
looked inside from where she stood.

The lingering scent of
old fashioned roses hit her first. The perfume brought back a rush of memories
that threatened to drop her to her knees. Rooney grabbed hold of the door frame
and gripped it with one hand, the other closing over her mouth to stop the
whimpers rising in her throat from slipping out.

"Hey kid, it's
okay." A hand dropped on her shoulder and she jumped, swinging around
ready to hit out.

Cade grabbed her hand
before her open palm made contact with his cheek. "Shit, calm down. I
didn't mean to scare you like that."

"Hell, I'm so
sorry." She hiccupped and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"It kind of got me, the smell and the memories."

He reached for Rooney
and pulled her against his shoulder. "I don't know why Essie put you in
there. Do you want my room instead?"

She gazed at him,
grateful he understood her panic. "No, it's okay, really. I got a bit
overwhelmed. I'll be okay." To prove it more to herself than her brother,
she took a step inside the room. It was impersonal now apart from the smell.
Her mother's belongings had been packed up and moved, probably into storage.
She wondered who had done it, was it Dad or Essie.

The furnishings weren't
the same as the last time she’d stood in this room. A new bedspread graced her
mother's four-poster. The only personal thing left was the smell, and that
Rooney could learn to live with.

"Did I hear my
niece clomping down the stairs before?" Cade walked in the room behind
her.

"Yeah, she's a bit
scared of everything but I think Essie has her won over with fresh biscuits.
Want to come down and meet her?" Rooney walked over and tucked her arm
through Cade’s. "Where are your crutches?"

"Don't mother hen
me. They're in my room. I keep tripping over so, when I'm in the house, I use
the wall for support and hop around. Works for me, so don't start
nagging." He gave her his trademark grin and she forgot her nerves.
"I've had enough from Doctor Russ. Now, let me go and meet the kid."

He turned and hopped
out of the room. Rooney took one more glance around the room before she
followed, keeping close as he worked his way down the stairs. When they pushed
through the kitchen door, it was to hear the chatter of Tamara talking
excitedly. stalled when she spotted Cade.

"Tam, this is your
Uncle Cade. Cade, my daughter Tamara."

"Hey, Squirt, nice
to meet you."

Rooney watched him work
his charm on the girl and glanced over at Essie, sharing looks over the expanse
of the kitchen. Could it be her brother had a heart after all? She had yet to
see it but if anyone could change her brother’s arsehole attitude it would be
Tam.

Cade held back his
surprise as he looked at his niece. There was no mistaking who her father was,
even if he hadn't known the truth. The thick black hair framing her face was
enough of a giveaway without the piercing blue eyes that looked up at him.
Where Rooney was almost white-blonde with pale blue eyes, Tam was the spitting
image of her father.

A cough behind him made
him glance up. He’d been staring, and Tam had sidled over to her mother.
"So, Squirt. How old are you?" Cade rested on the stool and leaned
his elbows on the island counter. He glanced quickly at his sister and noticed
the discomfort on her face.

"I'm going to be
eight this year. What did you do to your leg?" She came closer and lifted
the large cookie in her hand, taking a bite.

"Football
accident."

"Are you busted
now?"

"I hope not. Guess
I'll find out next week." He looked over at Rooney and put on his best
smile. "Fancy passing me a beer?"

"No, but I'll make
us a coffee." She turned and walked to the coffee machine. Taking two mugs
from the top, she placed them under the spout before putting a pod slot and
pushing the start button. Rooney turned to watch him while the machine dribbled
out fresh coffee.

"What are you
going to do if you're busted?" Tam walked closer and looked into his eyes
with the honesty of a child. "You could work for my mum. That's if you
know how to help sick animals."

Cade smiled, hiding the
jolt of terror spearing his gut. "Thanks, but I'm sure it will all work
out." He met Rooney's gaze. "So you got the old dump then?"