Crisis at Katoomba Hospital

by Lucy Clark

  ‘I love living here.’

  ‘It’s very…picturesque,’ Stephen agreed. He continued driving through the main street of Blackheath and then down to a landscaping centre.

  ‘What’s happening now?’

  ‘Firewood.’

  ‘Pardon?’

  Stephen drove into the landscaping centre and parked the car. ‘I need firewood,’ he repeated, and climbed out of the car. He came out of the centre a little later and moved the car, reversing it into place so he could attach a trailer. Once that was done, he drove over to the wood pile. Nicolette kept looking around her, trying to figure out what was going on. Usually, if she needed firewood, she had it delivered.

  ‘Coming?’ he asked as he climbed out of the car once more.

  She followed him and saw him pull on a pair of gardening gloves and start selecting pieces of firewood from the pile and putting them into a trailer. Nicolette raised her eyebrows in disbelief. ‘You want me to put that wood in that trailer?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘But there could be spiders and all sorts of things in that wood pile.’

  ‘Spiders are what you’re concerned about? This from the woman who operated with a gun pointed at her?’ He shook his head, bemused. ‘The spiders—if there are any—will be down at the bottom. Choose bits from up the top.’

  ‘But I might break a nail. That really hurts, you know.’

  He nodded, reached into the back seat of the car and pulled something out, tossing it at her. She caught it, only to discover it was another set of gardening gloves. ‘That’ll help.’

  Nicolette glared at him for another minute, mumbling in French beneath her breath. She’d been having such a good time until now. Why did he have to go and spoil it by being all…male?

  Stephen chuckled as her mumbling continued and she glared at him, desperately trying not to let his smile crack through her peevishness.

  ‘So is this where you bring all your dates?’ she eventually asked.

  ‘Who said this was a date?’

  ‘You di—’ She stopped, remembering what he’d said yesterday. You can call it a date but don’t get upset if we start discussing business. Nicolette nodded as she pulled on the gloves. ‘I get it. This is a test. You’re testing me. You’ve probably been testing me all day.’

  Stephen’s only answer was a smug ‘I’m in control’ smile. She glared at him, wanting nothing more than to wipe it off his face. Even so, she couldn’t help the way he was affecting her equilibrium. She stumbled forward, concentrating on him rather than where she was putting her feet, and he quickly reached out a hand.

  ‘You all right?’

  ‘I’m fine. Right. Test away.’ She picked up a piece of wood and put it into the trailer. One after the other, they loaded the trailer. Soon she was climbing up onto the pile to pick better pieces and Stephen was amazed at how quickly she adapted.

  ‘You know,’ she said once the trailer was almost full, ‘I need firewood, too, although I’d planned on getting it delivered. Instead, you can just deliver half of this to my house.’

  ‘That’ll mean I’ll have to come back sooner to replenish my stock.’

  ‘Then that can be our second…date,’ she retorted, heaving another piece of timber onto the pile. They covered the trailer, tying it off with Army knots before admiring each other’s handiwork.

  ‘Not bad.’ Stephen nodded.

  ‘Yours are a bit shabby,’ she teased.

  ‘They are not. They’re perfect. Just check out that tension.’ It was only when he looked at her that he realised she was teasing. ‘Very amusing,’ he replied drolly. Stephen had the trailer weighed, then he paid and drove them directly to Nicolette’s house where they unloaded half the wood.

  ‘No. Not that piece,’ she said, tossing it back. ‘That’s yours. That piece is mine.’

  ‘Typical female,’ he mumbled as he took the piece she’d pointed to. Once her wood was stored in the shed next to the house, Stephen knew it was time to say goodbye. He’d had an amazing day, better than he’d hoped, but it was starting to move towards late afternoon and he had the feeling if he didn’t say goodbye soon, they’d end up sharing dinner together. That hadn’t been part of his initial plan, despite how tempting it was.

  Before he could say a word, though, she’d climbed back into the passenger seat and shut the door.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked as he climbed behind the wheel. ‘You can go inside to keep warm.’

  ‘I’m actually very warm after all that manual labour.’

  ‘Then why are you in the car?’

  She frowned, confused. ‘Aren’t we going to your house to unload your wood?’

  ‘I was going to take care of that myself.’

  ‘Oh, no. No, no, no. You can’t just say you’re testing me and then cut me off halfway through the test. If I hadn’t snagged half this wood for myself, you’d have had me at your house unloading the entire trailer, so let’s go, Brooks. Time is awasting.’

  She had a point so Stephen shut the door and drove the short distance to his home, reversing the trailer into the drive. When they’d finished unloading it, they returned the trailer and this time Stephen was determined to take her home and say goodbye.

  ‘Come in for a drink,’ she urged as he walked her to the door.

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘I know you’re thirsty after all that huffing and puffing you were doing. Besides, I think it’s only fair if you tell me if I passed the tests.’

  ‘You did. With flying colours.’

  ‘I take it that means I get the job?’

  ‘Yes. I’ll have a contract drawn up for you.’

  ‘Thanks, but we have more to talk about than that. Don’t you want to know about Dr River and his practice? The patients? What the main demographic is? What type of salary I expect?’ She grinned at the last one.

  Stephen hesitated for a fraction of a second longer than necessary and Nicolette took that as a positive sign. ‘Cold or hot drink?’

  ‘Both, if you don’t mind,’ he said as he followed her into the house.

  ‘Water? Tea?’

  ‘Great.’

  Nicolette turned the heater on and headed into the kitchen. Stephen wasn’t sure whether to follow or head to the homey lounge room he’d been in that morning. She made the decision for him.

  ‘Browse through the bookshelves, look at the photographs. There are some cute ones of me, even if I do say so myself,’ she called with a laugh.

  He did as he was told and had a close look at the photographs. He’d become more intrigued by Nicolette as the day had worn on and the opportunity to have a sneak peek at her childhood was something he wasn’t going to pass up.

  There was one photograph of her at the famous Three Sisters rocks in Katoomba. She was flanked by two boys. She looked about seven years old in the photograph. Next to it was another photograph, taken probably ten years later, in the same place with the same people in the same poses. It was interesting to see how much all three children had changed, but where Nicolette had been wearing pigtails and a toothless grin in the first one, she was definitely a maturing teenager in the second. Both brothers were well over six feet and had protective arms around their sister. Being protective of his own sister, Stephen knew exactly how they felt and he was glad Nicolette had someone looking out for her.

  She came back with two glasses of water and placed them on the coffee table. Stephen stayed where he was, looking at the photos. ‘How old are your brothers?’

  Nicolette glanced at the photos and smiled. ‘Luc’s thirty-six and Pierre’s thirty-five. I’m thirty-three, just in case you were wondering.’ She stood beside him and looked at the photo, smiling with the memories it evoked.

  ‘How did they react when you went to a war zone?’

  ‘Luc had already been so he understood. Pierre was a different kettle of fish. He learned to live with it.’ She pointed to another photograph, one taken in a professional studio. ‘That’s t
he last time we were all together. Three years ago.’

  ‘Before Warren?’ He couldn’t resist asking.

  ‘Before Tim even. Tim was before Warren.’

  ‘Miss them?’

  ‘My ex-boyfriends?’ she teased.

  Stephen’s answer was to glare at her.

  ‘Oh, my brothers. Yes. Terribly.’

  ‘What do they do?’

  ‘They’re both doctors,’ she said with a smile. ‘I know. Luc says we all copied him, but we’re all in different specialities.’

  ‘And where are they?’

  ‘Pierre’s in Perth and Luc’s in Launceston.’

  ‘Do you catch up often?’

  ‘We call each other weekly. Both of them came to pick me up from the airport when I returned home from London and we had a week together in Sydney before I came here.’

  ‘It’s good to be with family.’ He said the words more to himself than to her.

  ‘You missed Steph?’

  Stephen frowned a little in concentration. ‘I don’t miss her as such because she’s always with me but, yes, I missed her. We can have conversations where no words are needed but we know exactly what the other is thinking.’

  Nicolette nodded slowly, her heart racing as she shifted closer to him. ‘So…if I were to, say, kiss you right now, Stephanie would know?’

  Stephen was taken aback at her forthrightness. ‘Uh…I…er.’ He stopped and cleared his throat, surprised at how warm the room had suddenly become. ‘She wouldn’t know exactly but she’d, er…feel an emotion.’

  ‘How are you supposed to keep anything secret from her, then?’

  Stephen was mesmerised by this woman. She shifted closer still and although he felt like backing away, he stood his ground. She was dangerous and up until that moment he hadn’t realise just how dangerous she could be to him. Then again, he’d flirted with danger before and was still alive. He was sure he could do it again and still remain unhurt.

  Her brown eyes were now deep and intoxicating, drawing him in. Her lips were slightly parted, ready and waiting to receive his. He was totally captivated and at that moment he could think of nothing he wanted more than to have the mutual need they were experiencing satisfied.

  ‘With great difficulty.’ His mind was at odds with his words as he answered her question, his gaze flicking from her mouth to her eyes and back again.

  ‘I love a challenge,’ she whispered, bringing her body up against his. She gasped at the immediate awareness of him. He may not have physically moved since she’d come back into the room yet the mental distance they’d covered was huge. Although she still had strong reservations, it felt right. Besides, she was a grown woman. She’d learned a lot about herself in the past year and she was positive she could keep control of the situation and not let her heart get muddled up in things. At least, she hoped she could do that.

  She glanced up at his mouth, her tongue unconsciously slipping between her parted lips to wet them in sweet anticipation. He groaned. The sound was deep and low in his throat, giving it a primeval, animalistic sound, one that washed over her with a wave of electric excitement. Her want…her need grew in that one moment and her desperation to have his mouth on hers intensified.

  Their hands, hanging by their sides, brushed lightly together. The mere contact caused heart rates to soar, their fingers to entwine. With an almost imperceptible tug he urged her even closer, his other hand coming up to rest at her back.

  Her heart was pounding so wildly against her ribs she was positive he could hear it, and at that moment she didn’t care. The thought that her emotions were now at the point of no return was irrelevant and something she pushed aside, not wanting to even think about the implications of her actions. The way he made her feel was the only thing that mattered.

  Stephen felt a churning in his gut. It was so powerful, so intense his eyes widened at the sensation. His fingers clenched around hers, gripping tight as he took his other hand away from her back and slammed it up against the wall for support. Then nausea hit him like a tidal wave and he groaned, unable to move.

  It took a few milliseconds for Nicolette to snap out of her fantasy world and realise something was wrong. ‘Stephen?’ She glanced down at their hands, clenched tightly together. He was groaning again but this time it was with sheer agony. ‘What’s wrong?’

  He coughed. ‘I don’t know.’

  He was really sick, she realised, and clicked into doctor mode. She freed her hand from his, pressed one hand to his forehead and the other to his carotid pulse. ‘Stephen! You’re burning up.’ He coughed again and closed his eyes. Nicolette urged him to sit on the floor before he fell down, and the fact that he went willingly indicated he wasn’t well. ‘What happened? Why are you so sick all of a sudden?’ She reached for one of the glasses of water she’d brought in and raised it to his lips. He sipped gratefully before coughing again.

  ‘Get my phone,’ he rasped. ‘It’s on my waistband.’ Nicolette did as he asked.

  ‘I’ll be right back.’ She quickly found a hand towel, which she wetted through then squeezed out. She was back by his side before he could open his phone. She took the phone from him and placed the cold compress to his forehead. ‘Who do you want to call?’

  ‘Steph. I need to check Steph.’

  Nicolette’s eyes widened in astonishment. ‘You think something’s wrong with Steph? Are you…feeling her?’

  ‘Call her.’ He coughed again. Nicolette scanned through the names in his cellphone until she came to Steph’s. She dialled the number and waited. And waited…and waited.

  ‘I’ll try the hospital.’ She called through to switchboard but was told Stephanie wasn’t in the hospital. Nicolette got them to page her and waited, but still no Stephanie. ‘Call me if she comes in or if you hear from her,’ Nicolette said.

  ‘No!’ Stephen whispered, feeling helpless. ‘Have someone go around to her house. Have them check it out.’ Nicolette relayed the information to the switchboard operator before hanging up. ‘We need to go to her house.’

  ‘Stephen, I don’t want you moved. They’ll find her—’

  ‘No.’ He shifted up onto his elbows. ‘She’s not all right. This is her I’m feeling. This isn’t me. I’m not sick. She is.’

  Nicolette wasn’t so sure but decided to follow his lead. After all, he was the one who’d lived with these feelings all his life. ‘OK. Let’s get you up, then. Well have to take your car not only because it’s parked in the driveway behind mine but because mine’s dead anyway,’ she mumbled, remembering she still needed to do something about it. With her help Stephen rose to his feet but the instant he was vertical he immediately felt nauseous again. ‘Take it easy,’ she soothed. She handed him some water and he rinsed his mouth. ‘Feel better?’

  ‘Yes. Keep going.’

  They slowly made it out to the car, Nicolette stopping to grab only their coats and her house keys. He rinsed his mouth once more and then actually straightened to his full height, a bit of colour starting to infuse his cheeks once more.

  Stephen managed to open the driver’s door but Nicolette steered him around to the passenger side. ‘You’re in no shape to drive, buddy. Come on, give me your keys.’

  ‘I’m not drunk, Nicolette.’ His tone was brisk and haughty and she couldn’t help but chuckle.

  ‘You sounded mighty British then, old bean. Give me your keys, get in and keep quiet.’

  He reluctantly fished his keys from his pocket and did as he was told. She went around to the driver’s side and climbed behind the wheel, adjusting the seat position and the mirrors. Stephen merely muttered something about having to put it all back later but she just smiled again as she put her house keys into the glovebox.

  ‘Ooh, drives nice and smooth,’ she purred as she reversed onto the road. ‘Thank goodness the fog hasn’t come early tonight.’ She headed to the main street and turned left onto the road that led to Katoomba. By the time they passed through Medlow Bath, a few minutes down th
e road, Stephen was able to sit upright, no longer groaning or coughing, and even in the dim light she noticed more colour and strength returning with each passing kilometre.

  ‘Feeling better? You’re certainly looking it.’

  ‘Much. Thank you.’ His phone rang and he quickly answered it. ‘Dr Brooks.’

  ‘Dr Brooks? I was looking for Dr Bourgeois,’ the hospital switchboard operator said.

  ‘She’s driving. Have you found my sister?’

  ‘Yes. It was freaky. We sent someone around to check like Dr Bourgeois told us to and there was smoke coming out of her house. The neighbour’s house was the same. The fire department’s been called but the person I sent couldn’t find Stephanie,’ she clarified.

  ‘We’ll be there in ten.’ He disconnected the call. ‘Stephanie’s house has smoke coming from the windows.’

  ‘It’s on fire!’ Nicolette was alarmed.

  ‘Sounds that way.’

  ‘No wonder you were coughing.’ She thought for a moment, then nodded. ‘Fever, nausea, coughing. It all adds up.’

  ‘Just drive,’ he snapped.

  ‘You are feeling better, aren’t you? Back to your old bossy self.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m just worried.’

  ‘Understandable.’ She noticed he was becoming calmer the closer they got to Stephanie’s house. It was a strange sensation to actually see the link operate between the twins. She was close to her brothers but nothing like this and in a small way she envied their closeness.

  They remained silent, Nicolette concentrating on driving and Stephen concentrating on his sister, his eyes closed, his forehead creased in deep thought. Her heart went out to him and she knew in that instant that he was a man of value, of principle and ethics.

  She drove past the hospital and up the hill towards Stephanie’s house. They could hear the sound of fire engine sirens behind them and a moment later Nicolette glimpsed the flashing lights in her rear-view mirror just as she turned into Stephanie’s street.