‘I think…’ Joe squinted at the patch of wilderness between the garage and the trio of old apple trees as they stood outside the next day ‘…that that used to be a vegetable garden.’
Jessica poked the long grass with her foot. ‘There’s a little brick wall in here.’
‘It was a raised garden,’ Joe nodded. ‘I remember it now. Rows of corn and tomatoes and stuff.’
‘Hmm.’ Jessica’s eyes gleamed. ‘I love growing my own vegetables.’
‘Shall we reinstate it? We could dig out all the weeds and rotary hoe the ground. Easy!’
Jessica grinned. ‘Good exercise, anyway. Hey, we could make a scarecrow to stand in the middle. Ricky would love that.’
‘Yeah. I can probably find a few old clothes we could use.’
‘No kidding?’ Jessica kept her expression neutral.
‘Are you talking about one of those piles of laundry you’re building in your bedroom?’
‘Are you implying that I’m a slob?’ Joe put down the spade he was holding. ‘That calls for a good tickling, woman.’
‘No!’ Jessica knew where that would lead. ‘The garden needs weeding.’ She stepped back hurriedly under the influence of Joe’s menacing stare and promptly tripped over the low brick wall. She shrieked as Joe launched himself towards her. A moment later she was pinned in the long grass.
‘Some things,’ Joe informed her sternly, ‘are more important than weeding.’
Not that the weeding didn’t get done eventually. It was one of those strange things that were happening in Joe Barrington’s life at present. It wasn’t that he wasn’t enjoying them. They were just…different. Different enough to need caution, so it was impossible to decide just how significant they might turn out to be in the long term. Joe had never before entertained the notion that it might be a good investment of his time to cultivate food. Or that his house wasn’t perfectly liveable the way it was. He’d never noticed the peeling wallpaper and paint or those sagging curtain hems, but he had to admit the house was starting to look and feel nicer. More like a home than a house. And he could find things in the kitchen again now that he was getting used to the reorganisation.
Other things were more of a worry, however. Like the fact that he’d just had four days off and hadn’t been anywhere near the Mustang. He’d had every intention of sorting out the timing this week and adjusting the new mufflers. He’d even had visions of starting a dry rubdown of the bodywork with an orbital sander so he could see how much filler he was going to need for the rusty spots and dents. The real worry, though, wasn’t that the work hadn’t been done. It was that he hadn’t missed doing it at all.
Spending time with Jessica and Ricky had been too much fun. Even getting blisters, digging weeds the size of small trees out of the vegetable garden, had been fun—especially that shower with Jessica after they’d got so sweaty and grubby the first day. He’d promised to hire a rotary hoe on his way home from work today. It wouldn’t take long to turn the earth over with a good bit of equipment and there should be enough daylight left after dinner.
Work felt different, too. Joe’s partner Murray raised an eyebrow with obvious significance that afternoon when Joe took over the care of a paediatric patient instead of dealing with the child’s mother when they were sent off to a car accident. Fortunately neither was injured as badly as bystanders had thought but the mother had a fractured tibia and some nasty seat-belt bruising with possibly fractured ribs, which was making breathing painful. The child had been a boy a bit older than Ricky. He’d got over the fright of the accident and seeing his mother injured by the time they took off, and the helicopter ride was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him. Joe watched the mixture of fear and joy on the child’s face and decided he’d have to organise a ride for Ricky one of these days.
There were no urgent calls waiting after they handed their patients over to the emergency department staff and Joe was happy to stop and say hello to Neil Fletcher.
‘Are you planning to go to that USAR get-together that Roger’s organising?’ Fletch asked.
‘You bet. Are you?’
‘I guess so. I could do with an evening out.’ Fletch’s glance at Joe was rather speculative. ‘You don’t look like you need cheering up. I guess it’s true, then.’
‘What’s that?’
‘What I’ve heard about you and Jess.’
‘Where did you hear anything?’ Joe’s gaze flicked around the department. He hadn’t told anyone what was going on in his personal life, so who was talking about it?
‘From Wendy.’ Fletch was grinning at Joe’s discomfiture. ‘I was visiting Ross yesterday and she said something that made me curious so I asked what was going on.’
‘And?’
Fletch’s grin broadened. ‘And it sounds like it’s serious.’
Joe couldn’t suppress his own smile. ‘Could be,’ he admitted lightly. He hadn’t really thought about how serious it was.
‘Congratulations.’ Fletch looked serious now. ‘I could be available at short notice.’
‘What for?’
‘The stag night.’
‘Whoa!’ Joe took a mental leap backwards. ‘I have no intention of going down that path again.’
‘Why not?’
‘Been there, done that,’ Joe said decisively. ‘It’s not an experience I intend to repeat.’
‘Fair enough. It’s not compulsory.’ But Fletch looked disappointed. ‘Shame. I could have done with a good stag party to look forward to.’
‘If you want a stag night you’d better have one of your own.’ Joe’s grin was triumphant. ‘I’ll be available.’
‘Ha! I wouldn’t hold your breath, mate.’ Fletch’s smile was wry. Then he raised an eyebrow. ‘Mind you, it’s not just a woman’s prerogative, you know. You could always change your mind.’
Joe snorted. ‘I wouldn’t hold your breath either, mate.’
He should never have got married the first time. It wasn’t as though he had wanted to have kids or anything with Lisa, but it had just been expected and Joe had gone along with it because he’d wanted to make sure Lisa was intending to stick around. The good times hadn’t lasted that long, though, and now that Joe came to think of it, they’d never had the kind of good times he was having with Jessica. There’d never been the music or the dancing or so much laughter. Or a garden to slave over or a pile of sand to build roads in.
The more Joe thought about how good it was, the clearer his mind became. He didn’t want what he had right now to stop. He wanted these good times to last for ever. By the time Joe headed for home, with a detour to find the most powerful rotary hoe the hire shop had available, he found his thoughts heading in an entirely unexpected direction. Jessica was kind of old-fashioned in many ways. The fact that she didn’t have that confident, sassy edge a lot of younger women had these days was one of the things he loved about her, but maybe it had its drawbacks. She wasn’t likely to want to hang around for ever if they weren’t married, was she? The thought of losing what he’d found was enough to cause a flash of something close to alarm. At least if she was prepared to marry him he could feel confident that she thought they had a future together. But what if she said no?
Good grief! Joe hadn’t even been planning to propose and now he was worried she might turn him down. And what about his iron-clad rule about not becoming an ‘uncle’ or stepfather? Of course, if he married Jessica, he wouldn’t be an ‘uncle’. And if he adopted Ricky, he wouldn’t be a stepfather either. The solution struck Joe as being singularly brilliant. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t Ricky’s birth parent. If he had to pick a kid then Ricky would do just fine. And maybe…just maybe another kid like Ricky would be quite fun, too. One that wouldn’t have the same problems and would be brought up in a loving and secure family.
The new ideas were too dauntingly alien to be anything other than disturbing. Trying to push them into obscurity wasn’t easy, however, and the more they surfaced the less intim
idating they seemed. Within the space of just a few days Joe could almost concede that Fletch had had a point. He could always change his mind. He’d never had a stag party the first time round either.
It took more than one session with the rotary hoe to get the vegetable garden looking good. Then there was the old compost heap that had been digesting Joe’s grass clippings and food scraps for years to dig into the soil. Jessica was developing muscles she hadn’t known she possessed and she was more than willing to be the one to go inside and answer the phone when it rang on Thursday evening. She was even happier to spend some time chatting to Jim Summer, even though it wasn’t long before he got stuck into more personal questions.
‘So, how are things between you and this Joe?’
‘They’re great, Jim. Couldn’t be better.’
‘Hmm. You sound happy, Jessie, that’s for sure. You haven’t gone and got engaged without telling me, have you?’
‘As if I would!’
‘Are you planning to marry him?’
‘I hope so,’ Jessica affirmed softly.
‘So you’re really in love with him, then?’
‘Definitely.’
‘And does he feel the same way?’
Jessica had to smile at Jim’s possessive tone. He sounded as though he wasn’t about to give any stamp of approval if Joe didn’t measure up to his own standards. It was nice to know that she still had someone who really cared about the direction her life was taking.
‘I think so, Jim.’ Jessica thought about the way Joe said the words ‘I love you’. She remembered the way he looked at her so often these days with such an expression of warmth in those hazel eyes. It advertised the kind of love that could last a lifetime—quite different from the intense heat of desire. And Jessica could pick up the difference easily because she saw both so frequently. ‘Yes, I’m sure he does,’ she said confidently.
‘And what about Ricky?’
‘That’s the best bit,’ Jessica said happily. ‘You’d think he was Ricky’s dad already. It’s wonderful.’
‘You’re not going to marry him just for Ricky’s sake, I hope.’
‘Of course not.’ Jessica chuckled as she shook her head. ‘I do know what I’m doing, Jim. I’m a big girl now.’
‘Don’t rush into anything. You don’t have to get married yet.’
‘But I want to,’ Jessica told him. ‘I’d always planned to get married some time.’ She laughed. ‘And I’m not getting any younger, you know.’
‘Well, keep me posted. Now, what else is happening? Did you go for that interview with the ambulance service?’
‘Yes. I could start training any time I like. I’ll need a lot of help with Ricky, though.’
‘What does Joe think about that?’
‘We haven’t discussed it much yet. I think he’ll be happy enough to go along with it.’
‘No rush for that either.’ Jim sounded pleased. ‘You’re certainly sorting your life out by the sound of things, Jessie. I’m really happy for you.’
‘Not half as happy as I am, Jim. I can’t believe how lucky I am. If Joe and I do get married, Ricky will have a real dad and I’d have the chance to become a paramedic.’ Jessica sighed with contentment. ‘It would be just perfect.’
Jim’s approval was finally sealed. ‘Just make sure you invite me to the wedding.’
‘I will.’
‘And before I go, have you made up your mind about the house? There’s apparently someone who’s rather keen to take it over.’
‘Oh.’ Jessica chewed her bottom lip. ‘I’d better get a move on, then, hadn’t I?’
‘How long before you can let Mrs Jacobs know?’
‘Give me a few days,’ Jessica said. ‘A week at the most.’
Joe rinsed his hands under the tap beneath the kitchen window, having spent the last two minutes shamelessly eavesdropping.
So…Jessica wasn’t getting any younger and had always planned to get married some time, had she? She knew what she was doing and the best bit was that he was already acting like Ricky’s father. And she’d have the chance to train for the career she’d dreamed of. It was perfect, was it?
Joe didn’t think it was perfect. Not from his point of view. It wasn’t that he thought he’d been lured into participating in a calculated scheme Jessica had devised to improve her life. He knew her quite well enough to know that her love for him was genuine. The thought that it would be a bonus if he could help her towards the career she wanted was fine as well. It was Ricky who presented a complicating factor. How far would Jessica be prepared to go in order to do something beneficial for her son?
Echoes of the tense discussion they’d had concerning Ricky at the end of the first week of their visit started making themselves heard with increasing significance. Especially three of her statements.
I love Ricky so much.
I only try to do what’s best for him.
I’d do anything if I thought it would help him.
The emphasis changed after endless repetition. I’d do anything if I thought it would help him.
‘Anything’ had no limits. There were bound to be situations where what was best for Ricky might not suit Joe. Would Jessica always put her son first? Joe didn’t want to just be an extra, however welcome an extra, in Jessica’s life. If Ricky didn’t exist, would Jessica have found it so ‘perfect’ to fall in love with him? And how the hell could he ever find out how important he was as just himself and not as a prospective father?
The only way to try testing the water that Joe could think of was to suggest that they have some time together away from Ricky.
‘Just a few days,’ he said. ‘A holiday. Just for us.’
‘But there’s no one I could leave Ricky with.’
‘There’s Kelly and her mother. Or Wendy.’
‘They don’t know Ricky.’
‘I didn’t know Ricky very well and you were happy for me to look after him.’
‘That was different. Ricky talked to you. He liked you.’
‘He might like Kelly’s mother. Maybe he’s missing his nana more than he lets on.’
‘And that was for the funeral.’ Jessica appeared to be ignoring Joe’s comment. ‘It would have been more upsetting to take Ricky than leave him. There’s no really urgent reason to risk disrupting him again so soon. Not when he’s doing so well at school.’
Joe’s heart sank. It would be so easy to confirm his suspicions. He didn’t want to. But he knew he had to.
‘What if we took Ricky with us?’
Jessica’s face lit up with an excited smile. Her eyes danced. ‘Oh, Joe, could we? Would you mind?’ Her arms were around his neck in an instant. ‘I love you so much, Joe.’
‘So, where’s the ring?’ Kelly’s tone was teasing but there was concern clouding her dark blue eyes. ‘Has Joe still not got round to popping the question?’
Jessica shook her head sadly. ‘I thought he was going to,’ she sighed. ‘We were talking about that interview I had with the ambulance service. Did I tell you about that, Wendy?’
Wendy nodded. ‘I think it’s fabulous. You’ll make a brilliant paramedic.’
‘I said maybe I should put it off for a while because I was worried about all the changes I was making in Ricky’s life in such a short space of time. I’ve got to think about a new school for him. They’re pushed for space at the special school and they don’t want him there for more than another week or so. He’s already been there longer than most children are for assessment. And then there’s the house. I haven’t said anything to Joe but Jim rang and I’ve got to do something about my things.’ Jessica sighed again. ‘Joe’s never said anything about us living with him permanently but he hasn’t made any suggestion that we move out either. I don’t know what’s going on.’
‘I do,’ Kelly said. ‘He’s just scared of taking that step into commitment. It’s classic. And he’s got the once-bitten-twice-shy syndrome on top of that. But don’t worry. He’ll wake up to th
e fact that it’s not going to be the same this time.’
‘I’m not sure about that.’ Jessica looked frankly worried now. ‘He might be having second thoughts. He didn’t offer to babysit again when I said we were planning another girls’ night out.’
Kelly waved a hand. ‘So what? We get to have lunch instead. These tacos are delicious.’
‘Did Roger ring you this week?’ Wendy asked. ‘About the USAR class reunion he’s organising at that vineyard?’
Jessica nodded. ‘It could be fun. Joe’s keen and I’d like to catch up with Tony and Owen and everyone again.’
‘Kyle might be there.’ Kelly wiggled her eyebrows at Wendy, who groaned.
‘As if I don’t have enough to deal with right now.’
‘That’s right!’ Jessica was distracted from her own concerns. ‘Did the police catch whoever it was that broke into your flat?’
‘I don’t think they’re even interested. It’s not as though anything valuable was taken. In fact, I’m not actually sure I lost anything at all apart from that necklace I can’t find.’
‘It’s the thought of some creep going through all your drawers and touching your underwear and things that would really bother me,’ Jessica said with a shudder. ‘Yuck!’
‘I washed everything,’ Wendy told her. ‘But it is creepy. I’ve had a couple of weird phone calls, too.’
‘What sort of weird?’
‘They’re probably just wrong numbers. I say hello and there’s a short silence and then they hang up.’
‘How often is it happening?’ Kelly was frowning.
‘It’s only been twice.’ Wendy poked at the food she had been eating half-heartedly. ‘I think I’m just overreacting. Things with Ross are starting to get me down.’
‘You need a night off,’ Kelly said. ‘Are you going to go to the reunion?’
‘I’d like to.’ Wendy gave up on her lunch and pushed her plate away. ‘I thought it would be good for Ross to come. It’s time he tried going out. He’s getting quite independent in his wheelchair now and they’re talking about moving him to one of the rehabilitation units to try coping on his own.’
THE NURSE'S RESCUE Page 12