"Mrs. Castell, come through please." The colourless voice broke into her thoughts.
As the doctor held out his hand he said, "Lauren's your friend, correct? Crazy one, that girl. I've been her doctor since she was eighteen years old. It must be a year since I've seen her. You'd better remind her to come and see me.
"Now, what brings you here?"
Dr. Jacobs was not an intimidating man. Kris was able to relate to him, and she managed to keep the truly personal details out of their conversation as she told him her story.
He took some samples of blood, then came back and looked at her thoughtfully. "Girly, you are not pregnant. But from what I gather, you have had a torrid time of things. I'll give you something that should put you back to normal. If nothing's happened in four days, you must come back and we'll take it from there." He looked at her sharply. "Take better care next time, and spare yourself this agony."
Feeling like a naughty two year-old, but weak with relief, Kris crept out with her prescription and headed for the nearest chemist. She swallowed the first pill while still at the pharmacy.
Before she left her flat, she gave Lauren a call. "Guess what? I'm not pregnant, isn't that fantastic? You were right, as usual, Lauren. Your doctor is very nice, sends you his regards. He's given me a heap of pills, which I am sure will work, otherwise he wants to see me in four days time. I'm still going to the Lawrence's place. I feel as though I've been through a mangle, so a bit of their TLC won't do me any harm. I'll give you a call. Thanks for everything."
...x...
"My, but you are thin. Some feeding up and country air is what you need, young lady. Get your things unpacked and come on down and I'll have tea ready for you. You shouldn't stay away so long, love. It's so nice to see you." Kris put her arms around Mrs. Lawrence's comfortable frame, her tension slipping away fast. Only then did she realised how happy she was that she had come.
She put her things away hastily and changed into jeans, a loose jersey and a pair of canvas walking shoes. She casually plaited her hair before she went down to tea. The old couple waited for her at the table as they chatted away. When Kris joined them, they filled her in with the local scandal while they layered her plate with fresh scones and homemade raspberry jam and cream.
"I'm going to go walk these off," she laughed. "But, mind you, have a big supper ready for me when I return. I know the sea air is going to make me eat like a horse."
Because it was out of season, the only people staying in the hotel were salesmen passing through. They usually kept to themselves, or joined the locals in the pub, which suited Kris just fine. She had the open space all to herself.
A stiff breeze blew past her as she walked, making her feel invigorated and alive. Her thoughts wandered over the events of the past few days and she thanked her stars for a friend such as Lauren, someone she could depend on, no matter how startling the problem. At the end of the headland, she sat down and gazed at the creamy froth of the waves breaking on the small pebbly beach below. Gulls wheeled and cried overhead, and the setting sun turned the colour of the water to a molten fiery bronze. The vastness of the vista before her acted as a balm to her soul, and she felt better.
True to her word, although she had not really meant it at the time, she was hungry and enjoyed the hearty farmhouse fare put before her. She thought about watching TV, but the heaviness of her eyes changed her mind. The fresh air had weaved its spell.
Kris decided to phone Lauren before she went to sleep. "I wanted to thank you for your support, again. I know that I'm going to finally sleep well tonight."
"I think I have been almost as excited as you, Kris. Now you put this episode behind you and get yourself back here fit and strong."
It must have been about four a.m. that morning when she awoke with a dull feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her pulse raced as she lifted herself to a sitting position. When the tears finally subsided, the tensions of the past weeks washed away.
In the bathroom, she looked at her horrible reflection. Her puffy eyes and red-nose caused her to yell at herself. "Stupid cow!" She felt better and grinned. "How lucky can you be? Now you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and get your life on track again."
Too elated to sleep, she picked up the phone. "I don't give a damn about waking you at this unearthly hour, Lauren. I just had to tell you that the pills are working."
"Be my guest, anytime. Lauren's ear is always open. Seriously, I am pleased you phoned. We can all get back to normal at last." She laughed, wide-awake. "By the way, Luke phoned. He wanted to know what was going on as he got an SOS from Raoul recently, who apparently is in a high old state at your disappearance. Funny thing, though, he thought Luke was involved!"
"What did you tell him? Oh, God, you didn't hint at a baby or anything, did you?"
"Come on, give me a bit of credit, Kris. I told him you had seen me briefly, but had not enlightened me with much detail. Then I told him that you had gone off, and when you were good and ready, I expected that you would contact me. I told him I'd let you know he called. I also said that your behaviour mystified me -- I mean, I had to say something convincing, didn't I? After all, we are friends and he would expect me to know something, right?"
"I'm sorry, Lauren, for even thinking that you would tell him anything. I seem to be spending my life saying sorry and thank you to you! I'm going to be fine. In the next day or so I'll have my act together so I will be able to face things head on instead of bolting off like a startled rabbit."
"That's my girl," Lauren said. "It's not like you to run from your problems. You know something, though...I think you should seriously consider going back. For one thing, PJ needs you. And the other, Luke spoke to me and I have a sneaky feeling the big man himself has had a good shake-up. I'm sure there won't have to be any great explanations. After all, he knows what happened between you two. Think about it, love," she said, teasingly. "Besides, responsible employees don't abandon their posts when the going gets tough, do they? I know you and you would hate a black mark such as this to notch up your creditability."
"You can't be serious, Lauren? Forget the black marks, they don't apply. But go back? That's quite a tall order."
"Think about what I've said. I'm sure it won't be that difficult. Now, if we have quite finished, I will try to continue my beauty sleep. I need all the assistance I can get in that area these days. Cheers, Kris. I'm glad it all turned out okay."
Long after the conversation ended, Kris lay in the dark, eyes wide open and slowly allowed Lauren's words to sink in. She had been irresponsible to leave in that manner. She knew that sooner or later things would catch up to her; she should get it over with and face the problem head on. As her mind cleared, she realised how bone weary she felt, and it didn't take her long to fall fast asleep.
It was late morning when she awoke, but this time Kris was refreshed and determined to carry out the plans she'd made during the night. She had a hearty breakfast, something she rarely allowed. She started with fruit, and then indulged in a tasty memory from her childhood -- coarse oatmeal porridge with brown sugar and thick farm cream. Deciding to put weight watching aside for once, she also have an egg and a slice of home-cured bacon, toast marmalade and a pot of steaming strong coffee.
"Well, that should put the roses back in your cheeks, my dear." The old lady beamed delightedly at her as she took away the empty plates. "It's a beautiful day, so away with you! Enjoy a walk on the beach. They've opened a new path down the cliffs and it is easy walking and quite lovely when you get to the bottom. It's guaranteed to make you ready for lunch when you get back."
Kris groaned, the idea of another meal unthinkable. But she didn't doubt the magical properties good clean air had on one's power of recovery.
Back in her room, she moved straight to the phone and dialed the Cottage Hospital.
"Yes, my name is Kris Castell and I'm inquiring after Penny Jayne Metier."
"Oh, yes. Wait a second, please, while I pull up her file," the voic
e on the other end said. After a few seconds of soft waiting music, Kris heard, "Yes, Penny Jayne Metier. May I ask, are you part of her family?"
"Well, you see, I'm her...uh...yes, I'm her female guardian. I work for her father...."
"Ah, okay, I understand. Well, her progress has been slower than expected. She seems upset about something and no one can get her to talk about it. Her temperature keeps rising and she is very restless. If she settles down today, they may let her go home tomorrow. She'll probably recover quicker there."
"Please send her my love and tell her if she hurries up and gets better today, I'll be waiting for her at home tomorrow. That might cheer her up."
Kris phoned Raoul's secretary to get Luke's number overseas, and was relieved that he sounded friendly.
"Am I pleased to hear from you! Lauren was so cagey when I called her, wouldn't give anything away. Anyway, how are you? I gather there must have been ructions with Raoul, or you would never have left like that. A bit impetuous, don't you think, with PJ sick and--"
Kris interrupted him, "Luke, I'll tell you more when I see you. This is costing money, and I'm not going to get into a long harangue on an overseas call. Yes, there were problems, and yes, I did act hastily, and yes, I should have called you first, and yes, I am in the wrong and I'm sorry, but I am here now, and I'm ready to go back if you think Raoul still wants me." Kris took an obvious deep breath before continuing. "This isn't easy for me, but I would be grateful if you could sound him out and perhaps smooth the way for me by talking to him. Please? It won't happen again, I promise."
"I don't think there is any question as to whether he wants you back or not since things are in a complete turmoil. Isabella certainly hasn't stepped up to help, and I think PJ is in quite a state, which upsets the applecart even more. Knowing Raoul as I do, I know that he likes direct dealings. He knows what happened between you two, so you won't have to do any explaining. I spoke to him about ten minutes ago, so he's at the house if you want to catch him before he leaves to visit PJ. If you do, then I suggest you hot foot it back there, and bring some order back into the place."
"You're right, I'll have to face him sometime. I'll grit my teeth and phone him. Before I go, how're things with you?"
"Going particularly well, thank you. In fact," he said, chuckling, "that's another reason you need to return to PJ. I want to use your flat over the weekend, and three would definitely be a crowd. All jokes aside, Raoul will probably make a fuss, but believe me he will be more than relieved to hear from you. I'll give you half an hour before I phone him, and if necessary, pour oil on troubled waters and sort things out. Before you leave, will you give me a call? I'll be at this number all day."
"Of course, I will."
...x...
Kris stared at the phone for some time before gathering enough courage to call Raoul. However, when she did, she was relieved that it was Raoul, and not Isabella, who picked up the phone. Her stomach knotted at the sound of his curt voice. "Raoul Metier here."
She nearly lost her nerve and slammed the phone down. But after a long pause, she managed to say, "Raoul, it's Kris."
Kris felt nauseous as she listened to Raoul take a deep breath. She rushed to speak before he could say anything. " Wait, Raoul, this is most embarrassing for me, please don't put the phone down." When she didn't hear a dial tone, she continued, "I'm so sorry I rushed off leaving you in the lurch for the weekend, and upsetting PJ like as I'm sure I did. I know it is an awful cheek, but I would like to come back and fulfill my obligations and at least stay on for as long as it takes for you to find someone to take my place."
She felt like an adolescent schoolgirl as she gabbled. Thank God, he couldn't see her flaming red cheeks and dry lips. Take a deep breath and slow down, she scolded herself. "Raoul, I don't want a post-mortem. You know as well as I do what happened between us, but I assure you, it won't happen again. Honestly, I'm sorry about leaving you in the lurch." She paused hoping the full implications of her words would sink in. "I promise that until you find a replacement for me, no matter how long it takes, I'll never take off like that again." She took a deep breath. "Raoul, please...just give me a straight yes or no." She was amazed to hear herself speaking so boldly.
When he answered, his taut, emotionally controlled voice made his accent seem more pronounced than she had ever heard it.
"What were you thinking?! How the hell did you think I could find someone at a moment's notice to pick up the reins when you rushed hysterically into the blue?"
The implication struck that her job was still waiting for her. Kris sure hoped so. She didn't have a chance to breath before he started in again.
"It serves you damned well right that there's total chaos for you to sort out. All I can say is thank God PJ is still in the hospital, or your irresponsible behaviour would have caused us even more grief. She's most upset; that's probably why she's not as well as expected. I've even had to speak to Mrs. Cree and see if she can help. Do me the courtesy of getting back here as soon as that scrap heap of a car can go. I have more than enough on my plate without all these histrionics. If I can rely on you coming when you say you will, I'll leave for town at once."
Kris hated hearing his sarcasm and anger, but knew she deserved it.
"I'll call PJ and tell her that you're coming home, and that you will make arrangements to pick her up tomorrow. I'll leave cash and the keys to the house at the hospital. I'd be pleased if you could go and see her as soon as possible." His concern for PJ was obvious and once again, the immaturity of her behaviour hit home. "Isabella couldn't help because I had to take her back to town -- as if there wasn't enough going on." He made no effort to disguise his irritation at the selfishness of his Portuguese girlfriend.
"There are hardly any groceries in the house, so you'll have to sort that out pretty quickly, too. I'll call you later tonight with the details of how many will have to be booked at the hotel for the weekend, and who's coming back with me on Friday. Jeez, Kris, thank God you're good at handling emergencies because there is precious little time to make arrangements. Heaven knows we can't postpone things.
"By the way, Isabella won't be back with us for the party, but Philippe will be coming down with Luke." His words rang in her head of sarcasm, like a clear bell. What was that supposed to mean? she wondered.
Her mind raced, but she managed to keep her cool, despite the tongue-lashing. She managed to say goodbye with a certain amount of dignity.
She gazed abstractedly out of the window towards the cliffs knowing that a walk in that direction would clear the cobwebs. Then she'd be able to pack much faster. There was a long drive ahead and she needed to get going.
Return to Contents
* * *
Chapter Eleven
As the countryside grew familiar, Kris felt a pang of excitement and recognized it as a delight to return home. Deep down, she wished that it really was her home. She was growing to love the place, and the little girl who loved and trusted her.
As for the master of the house, that was another story. She reminded herself that she was only staying until Raoul found a suitable replacement for her. He had used her in more ways than one. The man was sarcastic and hard, and she couldn't let him hurt her again. His life and its problems were his business, and there was no reason for her to be involved in them as a paid hand.
She turned into the driveway before remembering that she should have gone straight to the hospital for the keys. Oh, well, she thought, I'll just turn around when I reach the house. She was so busy boosting her morale it was not until she was outside the house she realised that she had parked next to a sleek two-toned sporty looking car with trade plates. Raoul's car was also in the yard. Visitors-damn, she thought. Her stomach churned, her mouth went dry, and her composure took a dive. She had mentally prepared herself for their first meeting, but not right now. Why is he still here?
While she slowly got out of her car, she sensed someone watching her. Then she turned toward the house an
d saw Raoul walking in her direction, his handsome features expressionless, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.
"So, you made it after all." His first words, complete with underlying sarcasm, made her flinch. "I decided I'd better wait for your arrival, you know, in case you did another disappearing act."
When he took off his glasses, her eyes met the mockery in his gaze and she flushed angrily. She opened her mouth to retort, but decided it would only be something she'd regret later.
Kris watched in amazement as Raoul's eyes softened and the hard line surrounding his mouth evened out. He actually looked worried.
"You look tired," he said. "I suppose anyone would, driving a boneshaker like that." He stepped forward, took her arm and walked her towards the beautiful car parked beside hers. "It doesn't suit me having you drive an old jalopy, so I bought this when you said you were returning." Before she could speak, he said, softly, "I hope you like it, it's yours."
LOVE STORM Page 10