Coming Home (3 page)

Nothing could sway Russ
to work the land. His goal had always been to help people and since his mother
died, the need to heal the sick was even stronger than before. He tried to
ignore the knot in his stomach as he stripped his trousers and boxer shorts,
throwing them in the clothes basket. He needed to look his best for the
interview tomorrow. He rubbed his hand over his jaw. The 5 o'clock shadow rough
against his palm.

I hope my grey suit
will be appropriate. I doubt I would make my best impression wearing my usual
hospital garb of jeans and polo shirt. I wonder where my good bottle of Armani
aftershave is? Funny, I haven't seen it around. Paula probably decided she
wanted that as well
. He frowned looking through the small
drawer in the cabinet coming up empty handed.
Looks like its Old Spice
again.

Russ flicked on the
shower and walked under the spray, his shoulders slumping as the heat massaged
his tired muscles.
I'll set the alarm early and have a shave then, too
damned tired tonight.
He stood letting the spray wash over his face before
giving himself a quick scrub. When he stepped out of the shower and dried
himself, Russ walked to his bed. Throwing back the blanket, he collapsed down
onto the cool sheets. He was exhausted, excited and apprehensive all at once.

***

The chiming of his
phone woke him just after midnight.

"Yo, brother.
What's up?" Cade’s voice was slurred and Russ knew he must have been out
on the town.

"I got a letter
from the solicitors. The old man died."

"Fuck,
really?"

"Yeah really.
Listen, where are you? I need to call Tory in the morning and we will no doubt
have to head home for the funeral and a meeting." He thought quickly.
"Can you get away later tomorrow? I can pick you up and give you a lift
down."

"No, it's okay. I
have stuff to do before I leave here, I'll tell you when I see you. Give me a
call after you've spoken to Tory and let me know what's happening. I'd rather
meet you down there if you don't mind."

Russ promised to call
back tomorrow and disconnected. He dropped his phone on the bedside table and lay
back on his pillow. Now he was awake and his mind turned things over. Doubting
he would get back to sleep in a hurry, he got up and flicked on the lights as
he went.

***

"The job is yours,
Doctor Williams. When can you start?" Neeta Pryor looked over the rims of
her steel-framed black glasses.

"We haven't
discussed the location, Ms Pryor."

"Oh gosh! Sorry
about that. I have to say this position was stressing me out until I saw your
application. Singleton in the Hunter Valley. Beautiful spot. I'm sure you will
love it there."

Russ sucked in a quick
breath and she frowned. "Is that a problem for you, Doctor?"

"Uh…that’s where I
grew up actually. You took me by surprise."

"So," she
chewed her bottom lip with even white teeth, "will it be a problem for you
to return?"

Russ swallowed and
looked past her out of the window. He needed something quieter than working in
the city. Singleton offered him everything he wanted. With his father gone,
there was no reason why he shouldn't go home and work his way back into the
community. It was his father who forced him away. That didn't mean he had to
stay away forever.

Smiling at Neeta, he
swiftly made up his mind. "No. That won't be a problem for me. When do I
have to be there?"

"Can you start
next week? Monday?" She shuffled her paperwork and drew out a sheet,
handing it over to Russ. "If you could sign this for me accepting the
position, I can draw up the contract and have it delivered to you later today.
There are doctors’ quarters at the hospital you can use if you require or you
can find your own place. Your call."

"Thanks, I'll let
you know." He signed the paper and pushed it back over the desk. "You
know where I am and I'll be there until five tonight so you can send over the
contract." He stood and reached for her hand, shaking it. "I
appreciate the opportunity. Funnily enough, I’ve been thinking of heading to a
small country town for some time. I just never thought I would be going back to
where I was born."

"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. "

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 for years. We spoke to the specialist yesterday and I'm afraid
it's worse than we thought." He gave a bitter laugh that ended on a
strangled sob. "Alzheimer's, Rooney. My darling wife is being taken away
by the most devastating disease of all, and there is nothing I can do to stop
that from happening."

Rooney gasped and
lifted her hand to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. "No. God Pete,
I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, me too. I
thought now I’d retired and you were taking care of the practice for me, Julie
and I could do things. Travel the world and spend time with the grandkids. All
the things we’d planned to do and now…" his voice caught, "now I have
to think about how to care for her."

"Pete, if there is
anything I can do, just ask. You and Julie have been there for me always. There
is nothing I wouldn't do for you guys." She reached over and wrapped her
arms around his shoulders, feeling the tremors running through his body.
"Did you want me to come over after surgery tonight? I can sit with her if
you have anything you need to do. You only have to ask."

"I know you would,
dear but there is something else. You know I was making noises about selling
the practice? Well, I think it's time."

"But I don't have
enough money saved yet, Pete. I have a good down payment but it will take me a
while longer to get what you would expect for a vet practice this size. I doubt
the bank will look at me for another year or so at least."

She gazed into his eyes
and suddenly she knew. Her stomach lurched and the breath stalled in her
throat. "You've already sold it, haven't you?"

"I have an offer
but I haven't said yes to it yet. I'm sorry, Rooney, truly I am. But when this
guy approached me I decided it was a deal too good to turn down and the way
Julie is…well, the kids are trying to talk me into it. I know you wanted it but
the money the prospective buyer is willing to pay is going to come in handy if
we have to put her into care. I don't know if you would be able to match
it."

Gathering all the
strength she could muster, Rooney smiled and squeezed his hand while forcing
down disappointment and the need to scream in frustration. "It's alright,
Pete. You needed to do what's best for you and Julie. Between the two of you,
I’ve had the best foster family I could wish for."

She ran her fingers
over his brown speckled hand, taking note of the tremors running through his
body. His pain was greater than hers would ever be and she understood his reasons
for letting someone else buy what she needed. "You helped me through all
my problems and pushed me into university to get my degree when I needed it. I
don't begrudge you selling the practice to someone else. You have enough on
your plate without having to worry about me."

"I hoped you would
understand, Rooney. I've sung your praises to the new owner and I'm confident
he will keep you on when he takes over next week."

"Let me worry
about that. You look after yourself and Julie, that’s what’s important right
now. I'll pop over and see her on the weekend then, okay?"

"She would love to
see you, you know that." He stood and opened his arms wide. Rooney stepped
into them, doing her best to keep her emotions under control.

"If you need me,
I'm here, okay?"

"Thanks, Rooney
you're a good girl."

Pete gave her a sad
smile and opened the door. With a small wave of his hand, he walked away back
to the reception room.