Dr Graham's Marriage

by Meredith Webber

  Though there was one decision he would make for her— the one about her determination to keep him at arm's length.

  He was walking out of the hospital when it struck him that not only did he not have the means of getting to Bay view Private, but he had no idea where Gabi's car was even if he had the right to use it.

  Damn and blast. He should have thought of that earlier. He'd organised for her parents to stay in the flat and he had shifted to Alana's to feed the animals, but Gabi's car must still be at the rescue service base. Would the keys also be there?

  He hesitated, then hailed a cab. She'd be undergoing admittance procedures at Bayview, so he'd go out and get her car first, then ask her if he could use it while she was in hospital.

  It was a sensible idea, but for some reason it bred uncertainty within him. Perhaps because he was assuming in all these plans that Gabi would agree, when in actual fact he couldn't be entirely certain of anything the new Gabi was likely to do.

  Or what anyone else would do, he discovered when he arrived at the rescue base to find her car had been collected by Kirsten days earlier. Of course, by the time he'd talked to Pete in an effort to discover what had happened to it, and discussed the rescue effort, the taxi had long gone and he had to wait until Pete finished some maintenance work, then catch a lift with him.

  'I went to see the chap they pulled out with Gabi,' Pete told him. 'Have you seen him? He's in your hospital. Two broken legs but otherwise OK, or as OK as anyone will ever be after being buried alive for a couple of days. Apparently he knew Gabi.'

  Alex was kind of listening, but at the same time he was wondering if he could ask Pete to go out of his way and drop him at Bayview, so when Pete said that the man wanted Gabi to visit him, and would Alex ask her if she'd do it when she was feeling better, he had to ask Pete to start again.

  'A chap called Robert Blaine. He was on the top of the building with Gabi when it collapsed. We'd just winched up an older woman who was comatose—turned out she'd taken her sleeping tablets and simply passed out. Another man still on the roof was killed, but Robert and Gabi ended up under the slab of concrete that somehow folded over them instead of crushing them.'

  Alex shivered, though the day was hot and Pete had the windows open rather than running the air-conditioning.

  'I'll ask her,' he promised Pete, 'though it's not as easy now she's been shifted.' He explained how Gabi had been transferred and was pleased when Pete offered to drop him at Bay view—saved him having to ask.

  But getting to Bayview was one thing—seeing Gabi was another.

  'She's sleeping,' Nancy told him, meeting him outside the door after a nurse had asked him to wait. The older woman was looking so distressed that Alex guessed what it was she didn't want to say.

  'She doesn't want to see me?' he said bleakly, and Nancy, tears brimming from her eyes, took his hand and squeezed it tightly.

  'I'm sure she doesn't know what she's saying,' she said, accepting Alex's hug and wiping tears from her eyes. 'But while she's still so unstable it might be better...'

  Alex kissed her cheek.

  'I know—there's no point in fighting with her now.' Then he grinned at Nancy. 'But be sure of one thing, ex-mother-in-law of mine, I do intend to fight. Not only to fight, but to win.'

  The battle commenced the day Gabi arrived home. Alex might have established himself in Alana's flat, and had even bought a new spare bed so he wasn't fighting the bed spring now Alana had returned, but he had filled Gabi's flat with flowers and balloons—red heart-shaped balloons announcing his love. And if her parents were embarrassed by it, too bad, he'd decided. In fact, embarrassment might be good, because the sooner they went back to the farm and left him to look after her, the better.

  He also sent her letters, and tempting treats, but didn't mention that he knew about the needle-stick—she was still recuperating and he didn't want her suffering a setback. Besides, being Gabi, her instincts would be to protect him, and he'd have to break down all the barriers she put up, slowly and patiently—one by one.

  Three days after she came out of hospital, as her parents prepared to leave, he made his move, coming up to the flat on the pretext of helping them carry their bags down to the car, but doing no more than nodding at Gabi to acknowledge her presence.

  He could see his behaviour threw her, and guessed she wanted to talk to him—if only to tell him to stop sending her flowers—but he didn't linger, merely mentioning he was available if she wanted any shopping done, and he'd be calling each day to see that she was OK.

  'I don't need you coming. Kirsten will check on me— in fact, everyone's fussing so much the attention's likely to cause a setback.'

  'Kirsten's an occupational therapist, not a doctor, and I won't fuss,' he told her, and departed before she had a chance to get a bit more off her chest.

  'You will look after her?' Nancy asked as he lifted her suitcase into the car boot.

  'Of course he will,' Ross Kerr answered for him, then he turned and shook Alex's hand. 'And you'll sort out whatever nonsense there is between you and Gabi, won't you, son?'

  The anxiety in the man's voice tightened Alex's throat.

  'I'll do my darnedest,' he promised, though as they drove away he realised he was far less certain than he'd sounded. His Gabi had a lot of sterling characteristics, but she could be as stubborn as a mule once she'd made up her mind— especially when the welfare of a loved one was at stake.

  And if his guess was correct, and she'd decided that not seeing him was the only way to protect him, then changing her mind about that wasn't going to be easy. What he had to do was prove his love to her in such a way it would sweep her off her feet and into his arms.

  For ever.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Not that it would be easy, Alex admitted to himself. For a start, talk wouldn't work. He could talk himself blue in the face and not get Gabi to agree. No, this was the time for action.

  But what action?

  He went back to work, but on night duty so he'd be available during the day, when fewer people were in the apartments.

  He e-mailed her daily, not pressuring her exactly, but sending jokes he'd heard or received, scanned photos he'd taken in Scotland, with the odd one from their marriage thrown in. He sent her parcels of enticing food, left books and magazines outside her door and generally made it impossible for her to forget about him.

  'Join the Latin-American dancing lessons,' Kirsten suggested. 'She's going to those next week.'

  Alex considered it, then realised that if Gabi turned up and saw him there she'd be likely to walk away and she'd miss something to which she'd been looking forward. But dancing...something she knew he hated... How would that fit the action scenario?

  Worth a try!

  He phoned the school and arranged to attend the Saturday morning classes—he'd learn to dance if it killed him.

  Gabi went along to her first dancing class because she knew she had to get out of the flat and she was damned if she was going to let one little life-threatening accident knock out all her newly acquired backbone. It would also get her out of the flat, where memories of Alex were becoming so all-pervading they were consuming her.

  Kirsten and Alana had both pointed out he'd proved his love for her by now, and she could hardly tell them it wasn't a matter of him proving his love so much as keeping him safe. That secret she hugged to herself. In another few months she'd know, one way or another, and until then...

  She danced—and enjoyed it. And went back to work, and enjoyed that as well, especially as the transfer to the paediatric ward had come through and there was little chance of running into Alex.

  Then the flowers, e-mails and little gifts slowed to a trickle, and eventually stopped, and a void as big as the one she'd suffered when Alex had left her opened up in her life. She started doing things she'd said she wouldn't do—going out with Alana and Kirsten to parties she found dreary and uninteresting.

  'So how's Alex?' Ever so casually, she as
ked Alana one late afternoon when they'd both come off duty at the same time so were walking home together.

  'He seems fine—though I don't see much of him because he's working nights. I don't know where he disappears to at weekends.'

  Alana cast a sidelong glance at Gabi. It had been Daisy's advice to Alex that he stop sending the flowers and gifts, her theory being that now Gabi was used to them a sudden cessation might make her think differently about things. Jolt her a little.

  And as far as Alana could tell it had worked.

  'Don't tell me that now you've finally got the message across that you don't want his notes and gifts and flowers, you're actually missing them.'

  'Of course I'm not!' Gabi said crossly, thinking that self-sacrifice was really the pits.

  But she was missing them, and him, and her heart ached with the hopelessness of it all. The hospital hierarchy had suggested she take some time off, and she was tempted to do just that. She could go home, back to the farm, and stay there until she knew for certain.

  By which time Alex would probably have met and married someone else!

  And it would mean missing her dance lessons, which were the one bright spot in her life just now, and the end-of-term Christmas dance in a fortnight, which all her fellow enthusiasts assured her was the best night of the year.

  Yeah?

  So she stayed, and worked, and danced, thinking of her dreams—her list—and all she'd wanted to accomplish. Actually, she'd done well by the list, really succeeded with everything on it—except the dancing-all-night part, and that had been a bit silly anyway.

  In that case, shouldn't she be feeling confident and positive, instead of hurting and depressed?

  Thinking of the list reminded her of Pete and the rescue service. She should go out and see them. She knew she was off the roster, but now that the doctors had pronounced her fit surely she could go back on it.

  'Did you ever catch up with that chap they rescued just before you?' Pete asked, when the politenesses were out of the way.

  'What chap?'

  Pete frowned.

  'I thought I told you—or maybe I told Alex and he was going to pass the message on. There was a youngish man on the roof with you, and you were both trapped under the same slab. I visited him in hospital and he particularly asked to see you.'

  But, much as Gabi tried to remember, the actual accident remained locked in some unreachable part of her memory.

  'The last thing I remember is going down onto the roof— everything else I know is what people have told me.'

  'That happens,' Pete agreed, 'but the fellow was really keen to make contact. In fact, it was upsetting him so much I promised I'd see to it. Can you find out from the hospital lists who he was? He was on the fourth floor in the hospital, two broken legs.'

  Two days later Gabi found herself unexpectedly free to take a proper lunch-hour, but with Jane out of hospital and Alana off duty she was debating whether to go to the canteen or slip home for a while when Pete's words came back to her.

  The person she'd been buried with had been on the fourth floor. Even with two broken legs, unless complications had set in, he'd be long gone by now, but maybe she could track him down. He might remember more than she did, and according to the therapist the hospital had insisted she see talking about the accident was good for her.

  'Robert Blaine. I've got a contact phone number for him, care of his parents, because of course his home was one which was lost in the landslide. I can't give you his number, but if you like I can give him a call and ask if he still wants to see you. I know he asked for you quite often, so I guess he would.'

  The nurse phoned the number and Robert answered. On being told Gabi was enquiring, he insisted on speaking to her.

  'I'm kind of tied up right now,' he joked, 'but I really would like to see you. Would you mind coming here?'

  Had he sensed hesitation? Because he added, 'I'm well chaperoned by Mum, so even if you can't run faster than a man with two pinned legs you'll be quite safe.'

  'I wasn't worried about that,' Gabi assured him. 'If I hesitated, it was because your voice seemed familiar. Do I know you?'

  'Come and see for yourself,' he said, and again Gabi found his voice prodding at memory cells in her brain. Though voices were often distorted by the phone so it could be an illusion.

  She made arrangements to call the following Saturday morning, wrote down his address and instructions on the easiest way to get to his part of the city and hung up.

  But after a late day on Friday, and an even later night with Kirsten and Alana in Mickey's bar, by Saturday morning visiting a fellow survivor was the last thing she felt like doing.

  Still, she crawled out of bed, showered and dressed, then took the lift down to the basement. As she passed the second floor she wondered where Alex was and what he was doing. Did the fact that he'd stopped pestering her mean he'd finally taken her no for no and backed away—which she both did and didn't want him to do—or that he'd found someone else?

  That thought killed whatever smidgen of pleasure the day might have held, so in a mood of deepening gloom she drove across town.

  'Robert Blaine?' she asked, peering at the man who opened the door to her, checking he did indeed have external scaffolding on both broken legs. 'But...'

  She knew him—just couldn't place him—but she was fairly certain it wasn't from the accident.

  'Come in,' he said, taking her hand and leading her into a pleasant, sunny sitting room. 'This is my mother, Ruth, who's provided this great spread and will now leave us to talk. I asked her to stay so you'd know she existed.'

  Gabi introduced herself to the woman, then sat down, accepting coffee and a freshly made muffin. Mrs Blaine, satisfied Gabi had been looked after, retreated, and Robert began.

  'You don't remember me, do you?' he said, with a smile that would have charmed birds out of trees.

  'I know I know you, but if I saw you on the roof I suppose it's from there.'

  Robert hesitated.

  'You recognised me on the roof. My last memory before everything went black was of you coming towards me.'

  This time the hesitation was longer.

  'You called me Robin Blair.'

  Gabi closed her eyes and the world swirled around her. She'd survived an accident that had killed so many other people—now he was going to tell her it was only temporary.

  'Are you OK? I'm sorry to do it this way. I was going to come to the hospital and tell you in person—show you the papers—but then there was the accident, and of course the papers were destroyed, but I've been retested and I'm clear.'

  'You're clear?'

  Robert frowned at her.

  'Are you sure you're OK?'

  Gabi managed a nod.

  'Do you remember where we met? At the hospital early one Saturday morning. You jabbed yourself with a needle and I wouldn't let you test my blood.'

  Gabi nodded again. Then, in case that wasn't definite enough, said, 'I remember all that, but what are you telling me?'

  He tried the smile, but this time it was more shamefaced than anything.

  'I'm gay—always have been—and for the last four years I've been in a relationship. Bill, my partner—I love him, I really do—but about eight months ago things started going... not wrong, but kind of stale. I know this sounds as if I'm making excuses, and I am. I should have made more of an effort to fix things because I knew it was only me who was unhappy. Bill was just motoring along.'

  Like herself and Alex, Gabi thought, then terrible fear filled her and she had to break in.

  'Bill, your partner—was he in the flat? Was he harmed?'

  She was imagining how she'd have felt if it had been Alex, and the mere thought was enough to accelerate her heartbeats.

  This time Robin's smile was more heartfelt.

  'No. He's an engineer and had been away—in fact, he's still away, though he did fly home for a week while I was in hospital. His contract's nearly finished and he's due back
next week. I guess I'm using the fact that things weren't good between us before he went away as an excuse, but I met this other fellow and it wasn't until we'd had a bit of a fling that he told me he was HIV positive.'

  'You weren't using protection?' Gabi gasped. 'That's just plain stupid.'

  'We did most of the time,' Robert told her, 'just once or twice without, and then I realised it was nothing more than me getting back at Bill. I'd really been upset about him accepting the overseas contract when he knew I couldn't go, and the whole thing was just a disaster.'

  'So?' Gabi demanded. 'If you were feeling all this guilt, why not tell me you might be HIV positive?'

  'I didn't want to worry you—well, that's my excuse. But in truth I panicked, thought I could be sued or get into trouble for doing it to you, and then I excused myself by telling myself I'd been negative at the three-month test so you should be OK.'

  'You could have told me that as well,' Gabi fumed. Then she realised none of this was the point. 'And now?' she asked.

  The smile came back, but genuine this time.

  'I'm clean,' he said. 'I received the results of the last test the day of the accident—that's why I was on the roof. Stupid, really—I was yelling my delight at the sky! And, please believe me, Dr Graham, I was going to track you down the very next day and explain. Then I saw you coming towards me across the roof...'

  'The caving-in thing must have seemed like divine retribution,' she remarked, not totally satisfied with all of this. 'Why did you give a false name and address at the hospital the morning you were brought in?'

  At least he looked embarrassed!

  'I'd been going to the hospital for testing. I thought if my name went into the computer it would show I was on the "suspicious" list and that might worry you.'

  'No more than your equally suspicious behaviour did,' Gabi snapped. 'And, for your information, any needle-stick injury has to be reported and I've been worrying about contracting HTV ever since it happened. You've caused me a great deal of anxiety and...'