The Doctor Calling

by Meredith Appleyard

  Laura felt her whole body tense. She signed her entry in the patient’s clinical record, closed the case notes and stood up.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Milt Burns’s words came out like an accusation and Laura steeled herself.

  ‘I’ve been seeing Jason Coombes. He’s sick and septic and I’ve transferred him to Port Augusta. You didn’t answer your phone.’

  She watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. Bright spots of colour formed on his cheeks giving him a flushed look.

  ‘Phone was on silent. Damn thing,’ he grouched, pulling the offending device out of his pocket and glaring at it. ‘Linda was looking after the kids from next door and they must have been playing with it.’

  ‘Well, everything I’ve done is written in his notes.’

  ‘I’ll ring Port Augusta hospital tomorrow.’

  ‘Okay, but I’m happy to follow up on him.’

  ‘I’ll do it, I’m on call.’

  Voices drifted down the corridor and the two nurses appeared.

  ‘Doctor Burns, you’re here,’ the RN said, and Laura could see she was embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry but when I couldn’t raise you, I called Doctor O’Connor and she came straight away. The patient was very sick. I assessed him and concluded he needed to be seen as soon as possible.’

  Milt Burns gave the RN an implacable look and said, ‘Well, then, I’m obviously not required so I’ll go home again. Call me if you need me.’ He spun on his heel and stalked out.

  ‘Oops. I hope I didn’t drop you in it, but I did try to contact him. If there’s any fallout, blame me. I’m from the agency and can plead ignorance.’

  ‘You did the right thing. The patient needed to be seen.’ Laura slung her bag over her shoulder. ‘If I hadn’t been here, would you have called the Magpie Creek GP?’

  ‘No. Unless it’d been arranged for them to cover, I would have rung A&E at the Royal Adelaide, taken it from there.’

  ‘I see.’ Laura thanked the nurses and left, vowing to have a conversation with Milt Burns about on-call protocols.

  On Sunday morning Laura drove to Magpie Creek to see the handful of outpatients needing urgent attention. ‘That’s my usual weekend routine,’ Meghan had said. ‘If there aren’t any out­patients, I don’t go in. The community’s gradually learning what a real emergency is.’

  Laura saw no reason to change what the community was used to; needless to say the majority of the outpatients that day could’ve waited until Monday. When she arrived, the RN briefed her about the outpatients then followed with a sheepish apology. ‘Sorry, Doctor O’Connor, they know Meghan’s not here. Believe it or not this is only half of the ones who tried.’

  The only outpatient who couldn’t have waited was a middle-aged man on his way to the Flinders Ranges to go camping. ‘Sorry, Doc, but I forgot my blood pressure pills,’ he said.

  ‘For medications you can’t miss, it’s a good idea to carry a spare prescription in your wallet. Somewhere you won’t forget it,’ she said. She took his blood pressure, twice, wrote him a script and the RN provided a few tablets from the hospital pharmacy cupboard to tide him over. He left a happy man.

  Laura was finished by midday and, following the directions Meghan had given her over the phone, she stopped off at Ashdale on her way back to Potters Junction. It was a green oasis in a brown-and-gold landscape, the farmhouse a handsome double-fronted stone villa with simple lines and several verandahs. Meghan met her with a hug. There were dark shadows under her eyes but she was smiling. Laura followed her into a cavernous country kitchen.

  ‘How’s James?’ she said, as Meghan put the kettle on.

  ‘Perfect. He’s steadily putting on weight and only woke me once last night. Sean is besotted.’ Meghan turned to Laura. ‘What is it about men having to have a son? I know Dad always wished one of us had been a boy.’

  ‘Beats me. Is your mother still staying?’

  ‘No. Much as I love her I’m glad she only stayed a few days. Sean’s out in the paddock doing God knows what. And Lucy’s in bed with a tummy ache. I reckon she feels a bit left out, so I’ve been lavishing her with attention.’

  They chatted and drank tea and Meghan fed James. When she’d finished she put him down to sleep.

  ‘Thanks for covering Magpie Creek. The locum arrives in the morning.’ Meghan said when she came back into the kitchen. ‘So Laura, how are you? How’s everything going?’

  ‘Magpie Creek was a breeze. The nurses were terrific and, of course, Julia is wonderful. More to the point, how are you? I can see the baby’s thriving, but are you doing okay? No baby blues?’

  ‘No. I feel great.’ Meghan rubbed a hand across her flabby stomach and wrinkled her nose. ‘I’ll be even better when I get rid of this and can get back into normal clothes again.’

  ‘No worries about anything else? Vaginal loss settling down? No problems with breastfeeding?’

  ‘Is this a home visit, or what? Don’t worry, I have an appointment with my obstetrician later this week and I’ve a friend who’s a paediatrician and he’ll run his eye over James.’ Meghan looked at the kitchen clock and jumped to her feet. ‘Bloody hell, is that the time? Have you eaten? I’ll call Sean. Stay for lunch.’

  ‘Thanks, but no. If I stay for lunch I’ll never get anything done at home. I’m back at Potters Junction Health Centre in the morning.’

  ‘You know I really appreciate you helping out, Laura, more than you know.’

  ‘I realise that, and it’s okay. I’m glad to help.’ Laura shouldered her bag and Meghan followed her out to the car. She threw her bag onto the seat, turning to say goodbye. Meghan was watching her, her gaze bright, assessing.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I didn’t miss how you so cleverly changed the subject, giving Magpie Creek a rave review and not a word about how you are. What’s happening in your neck of the woods? How’s Milt, the grumpy old sod? Has he been giving you a hard time?’

  ‘No —’ She paused when Meghan raised her eyebrows.

  ‘You don’t need to fib to me, I know what a pain in the bum he can be. He was fantastic when I first started here and didn’t have much of a clue – I couldn’t have made it without him. That’s not to say we haven’t had our moments.’

  ‘Potters Junction is good. The health centre staff are lovely, and the hospital staff, well, I guess they’re gradually coming around. They’ve obviously become so used to dealing with Milt Burns for all these years that some of them have been downright hostile towards me.’ She leaned against the side of the car, folded her arms. ‘And Milt, what can I say? So far he’s shown up at the health centre on every one of his days off. He always has a good reason, but I thought he wanted to cut down.’ She sighed. ‘I know it’s early days, but there have been a few issues with the hospital routines – who’s responsible for particular patients, after hours call, that kind of thing.’

  ‘Mmm, I’m not surprised. It’s been a long time since he’s had to consider another doctor. I was a complete novice when it came to general practice and I was dependent on him to a certain extent until I got the hang of it. You’re an experienced GP. He probably feels threatened.’

  Laura’s mouth dropped open. ‘Noo!’

  ‘Yeah, I wouldn’t be at all surprised,’ Meghan insisted. ‘There was a female GP who joined the practice years ago, and she ended up telling him where to stick it. He told me she couldn’t cope and left because of that, but Linda implied that Milt had made it so difficult and uncomfortable for the poor woman that she eventually left.’

  Laura shook her head in disbelief.

  ‘And I know he has the staff curled around his little finger. But I said to him if he’s serious about retirement, he’s eventually going to have to let go. Have you met Linda?’

  Laura leaned back against the car. ‘Not yet. Kaylene says she’s in Adelaide. New grandchildren or something. Twins.’

  ‘No wonder he’s in such a stinking mood. He says he loves it when she goes away, but h
e’s lying. He hates her being away. He’s okay for a day a two, but then he really starts to get grumpy. And the dirty dishes begin to pile up.’

  ‘For this to work – with me now, and then when they recruit someone permanent – there are a few things that need to be sorted out.’

  ‘I would love to be a fly on the wall when you talk to him.’

  Laura slid into the driver’s seat.

  ‘I’m glad you’re okay, Laura. I was worried maybe I’d bullied you into going back to work when you weren’t totally ready.’

  ‘You didn’t bully me, Meghan. You gave me a little nudge and it came at the right time.’ She met Meghan’s keen gaze. ‘I wouldn’t have said yes to Milt if I wasn’t ready.’

  Meghan gave a thoughtful nod and then her face brightened. ‘I know – why don’t you ask Milt over for dinner while Linda’s away? He is a sucker for a home-cooked meal. Ply him with good food and a bottle of red and he’ll be putty in your hands.’

  With a hoot of laughter, Laura started the car, waved and bumped her way down the rutted driveway to the road, and then out onto the highway. Dinner with Milt Burns? Not going to happen. Laura doubted they’d ever have that kind of friendship, but she hoped that, over time, they’d develop a mutual respect for each other.

  ‘I hope you haven’t been staying away on my account,’ Jake said, holding open the screen door for her.

  ‘Of course not. Why would you think that?’

  He shrugged.

  ‘I’ve been working. I was called out last night, and today I’ve done an outpatient clinic at Magpie Creek, amongst other things.’ Laura managed not to brush against him as she went through the door, but she felt the warmth from his body and she breathed in his scent. She couldn’t help herself.

  It was late on Sunday afternoon and heat rippled off the galv rooftops. The air was still, heavy, hard to breathe. Fluorescent, purple-­tinged cumulonimbus clouds billowed on the horizon.

  ‘Storm’s coming,’ Neill confirmed. ‘Feel it in my bones,’ he said. ‘Or perhaps that’s just the cancer.’

  Laura glanced at Jake; the lift of his shoulders was almost imperceptible.

  ‘How are you, Neill?’ she said, scanning his face. The pallor was back, shadowed with a bluey-grey. The flush of colour he’d had since the blood transfusion had leached away.

  ‘How am I? As well as can be expected for a dying man,’ he said with no hint of bitterness. ‘Tea?’ He levered himself up from the kitchen chair.

  ‘No, thanks, I’ve not long had one. I only came to say a hello and to see how you were,’ she said. Jake sighed. She cast a brief look to where he leaned against the kitchen sink.

  ‘I’m going to feed the dog,’ he said.

  Moments later the screen door snapped shut and she could hear the low rumble of Jake talking to the dog.

  ‘God knows what’s got into him,’ Neill said. ‘He spent most of the weekend out at the farm with Jess and the boys. He’s been like a bear with a sore head ever since.’

  ‘I guess he hasn’t seen them for a while.’

  Neill half-heartedly lifted his bony shoulders. ‘They’ve been thick as thieves since he returned.’

  She slid into her usual spot opposite Neill at the kitchen table. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’

  ‘No, thanks, lass.’

  ‘How’s your pain? Better, worse, the same?’

  ‘About the same.’ He laboured to get the words out.

  ‘Sleep?’

  Neill responded with the same half-hearted lift of his shoulders. Even in the heat he had on a thick shirt and trackpants. ‘My sleep is broken. I just doze, really.’ he said. ‘You’re sure you’re not my GP?’

  ‘I’m just asking as a friend. Has Doctor Burns talked to you about the next step in pain relief?’

  ‘Yeah.’ He coughed and spat into tissues and, with a sinking feeling, Laura saw blotches of bright blood. ‘I’m not quite ready for the needle,’ he said.

  ‘You’ll know when it is time.’

  He inclined his head and clasped his hands together on the table in front of him. ‘Would you do something for me?’

  ‘Of course, Neill. Whatever you want, you just have to ask me and if I can do it, I will. As long as it’s legal.’

  Understanding flashed across his face. ‘Nothing illegal, lass. I would never ask that, of anyone.’ He lifted his chin towards the back door. ‘I know there’s something going on. Jake won’t say anything but I haven’t seen Jess or the boys for days . . .’

  Laura couldn’t look at him. She hated not telling him what she knew. His daughter, in an effort not to upset him by pretending everything was normal, was causing Neill more pain. They would have to tell him about Darren.

  ‘So, will you try to find out what’s going on?’ he said. There was hope and despair in his voice.

  She reached for his arm across the pockmarked laminex tabletop. ‘I’ll see what I can find out.’

  The back door banged and Jake looked up from where he was watering a straggly lemon tree. He had no idea why he was bothering for the dozen or so wizened-looking lemons. Skip stood up, pulling on his chain and wagging his tail. Laura detoured to pat him and murmured something that made his tail wag faster. Christ, if she gave him as much attention as she did the dog, his tail would wag as well.

  ‘Neill’s not travelling so well, is he.’ It wasn’t a question.

  ‘No,’ he said. He dropped the end of the hose on the ground under the tree and went to turn off the tap.

  What was she brewing? He could feel her steady gaze on his back and she’d been talking to the old man for a while. He turned to her, not in the mood for a lecture.

  She folded her arms and scuffed the ground with her foot.

  ‘Where’s your bike?’ she said, peering into the carport at Neill’s battered 4WD ute.

  ‘Out at the farm.’

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Laura,’ he snapped when he couldn’t bear her standing staring at him any longer, ‘was there something you wanted?’

  Bearing the brunt of his abruptness, she seemed to have made up her mind about something and her expression visibly changed. She exhaled slowly.

  ‘No, not really,’ she said simply. She spun around and in four strides was at the gate fumbling with the latch. Seconds later it slammed shut behind her.

  Why the bloody hell there was a gate there in the first place he had no idea.

  He scratched his head. As pissed off as he was with everyone and everything right at that moment, he could still admire the way her shorts covered her backside like a second skin, the smooth, golden length of her legs. He wasn’t sure about the short hair, though. It looked good on her but there was something about that thick braid, the silky feel and fragrance of her hair that one and only time he’d been close enough. He growled, swore again and went back into the house.

  The dog retreated to his kennel, ears flat, tail between his legs.

  Sorry, Neill. She mouthed the words as she closed the gate. Jake wasn’t in the right space to talk to her, or to anyone, by the looks of things. While Laura really felt for Neill, Jess’s secret was hers to tell. Laura had called Jess the day before on the pretext of seeing how Mikey was doing. Although she’d given ample opportunity, Jess hadn’t uttered a word about Darren.

  After stowing the ironing board in the dining room, now officially her storage room, she hung the carefully pressed blouses back in the wardrobe. And then, feeling sick to the stomach because she’d let Neill down, she rooted around in the pocket of her shorts for the phone. She knew what was going on with Jess, and by default Jake, and she needed to persuade them to tell their father. Before she could change her mind she rang Jake.

  He picked up on the second ring.

  ‘Coffee?’ she said.

  Silence. She opened her mouth to fill the void, to take back her offer.

  ‘Give me five minutes,’ he said.

  It was more like fifteen minutes before she heard the clank of
the gate, the not-so-gentle rap on the back door, and by then she’d tied herself up in knots. She squeezed her eyes shut and when she opened them he was standing there, taking up the whole kitchen doorway, hands firmly planted on his hips. You can do this. Blood thrummed in her veins.

  ‘Hi,’ she said.

  His eyes narrowed. ‘What’s the old man put you up to this time, Laura?’

  She stiffened her spine. ‘Your father wants to know what’s going on with Jess, and someone needs to tell him. You’re worrying him more by not telling him. You know how it feels when other people keep secrets from you.’

  ‘Let’s go to the pub, discuss this over a beer.’

  ‘Okay,’ she said, momentarily disarmed. ‘But mine will have to be a soft drink. I’m on call for Magpie Creek until the locum arrives tomorrow morning.’ She pocketed her phone, reached for her purse and car keys.

  ‘Let’s walk,’ he said, then, ‘No, I don’t suppose you can. You’d need your transport close by in case you get a call.’

  ‘You’ve got it in one.’

  Fifteen minutes later Jake sat hunched over a schooner of beer, forearms resting on the rickety table. There were only a few punters in the front bar. The barman was polishing glasses while he watched the widescreen television blast out a soccer game. He’d looked put out when Jake had ordered their drinks.

  Laura sipped her bitters, lime and soda and looked around. ‘I’ve never been in here before.’

  ‘You definitely don’t strike me as a front bar kind of a girl.’

  She pulled a face at him. ‘I’ve been in front bars before! I’ve just never been in this front bar.’

  He took a long swallow of beer, licked the foam from his top lip and gave the bar a sour glance. ‘Wish I could say the same. It hasn’t changed much in twenty years.’ He nodded to a couple of grizzled old boys propped up at the bar. ‘I wouldn’t mind betting they were in that very same spot when I was in here last.’

  Laura waggled her fingers in a little wave when the two men looked curiously her way, and then turned her attention to the man opposite her.