“You did a great job,” Liam said.
“But what if he’s got spinal injuries or something? I should have left him in the car.”
“If you’d left him there, you wouldn’t have been able to do CPR. Now, I need you to sit here. Another crew is on its way. We’ll need to check you over too, okay?”
Jackson nodded. Sweat beaded across his forehead and down his face despite the cool afternoon air. He collapsed to the ground awkwardly as his legs gave way, but when Liam went to check him, he waved him away.
“I’m okay. Stay with him. He needs you more than I do.”
It took them half an hour to get Macca onto a stretcher and up to the ambulance. As they were loading him into the back of the truck he arrested again. Thankfully by that time another team of paramedics had arrived and they hurriedly intubated him and with lights on and sirens blaring, sped through the night to the hospital.
*
Liam was standing outside the hospital getting some fresh air when he heard someone shout his name. He turned to see Emma bounding toward him, her face creased with concern.
She touched him on the arm. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’ll be alright.” He nodded toward the emergency department. “Is he—?” He couldn’t even bring himself to ask.
“No. Sorry.”
“Oh, man.” Liam ran his hands through his hair. “How the hell are Jenni and the boys going to cope?”
The McDonald and O’Connor families were close and Liam had a soft spot for Macca and Jenni’s teenage sons, Hamish and Isaac.
“Jenni’s an incredibly strong woman,” Emma said.
“Doesn’t matter. She’s lost the love of her life and that’s never easy. And those boys are so young.”
Tears pricked his eyelids and he blinked them away. He didn’t want Emma to worry about him more than she already did.
“Are you going to be okay?” Too late. She was frowning at him in concern.
He gave her a quick hug. “Thanks, sis. I’ll be fine. You never get used to trauma and it’s always ten times worse when it’s someone you know.”
She nodded in agreement.
They stood in silence as two ashen-faced young policemen arrived. Once they’d passed, Emma turned to him.
“Kate and Joel have invited a group of friends around to their place on Sunday arvo. Do you want to join us? Nothing fancy. I thought I might see if Nathan and Mackenzie are free too.”
He shot her a look. “Not if these ‘friends’ include single women you and Kate plan to set me up with.”
If Mackenzie was constantly on his case about finding him a woman, Emma and Kate were ten times worse.
Emma fixed him with a butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-my-mouth look.
“Have you been talking to Kenz?”
She chewed her lip. “Maybe.”
Liam ran his hands through his hair. “Oh Em, please. Leave it, okay.”
“But you haven’t dated anyone in ages.”
“Not that you know of.”
That caused raised eyebrows.
“I’m kidding. Seriously, Em, I’m okay. We’ve talked about this hundreds of times. You need to drop it. I’m happy being a bachelor.”
“You mean forever? Or until you get over Lily?”
He frowned. “I am over Lily.”
Emma fixed him with a stern gaze. “Could have fooled me. She wasn’t right for you, that’s all.”
That was an understatement.
“Shame none of us ever worked that out sooner,” he retorted.
He was aware of the bitterness which always crept into his voice when he talked about Lily so he stuffed it back down and smiled at Emma. “Sorry. I’m just tetchy after what happened today with Macca. What time’s everyone getting there? If I’m not working I’ll pop in.”
She squeezed his arm. “Twelve o’clock. No need to bring anything.”
“Promise me you won’t try to set me up with anyone?”
“Pinky promise,” she replied, holding her little finger out to him.
He forced a smile. “Why don’t I trust you?”
*
Eagles Ridge, Joel and Kate’s paddock-to-plate farm and café was closed to customers on Sundays but Liam counted four cars parked in the gravel carpark. He recognized Tom and Emma’s, but none of the others. He pulled up alongside a mud-splattered four-wheel drive and sucked in a deep breath. Why had he agreed to come? If Emma, Kate or Mackenzie tried to set up him with anyone again, he’d be out of there faster than an out-of-control freight train.
Kate waved at him from the window. Too late to back out now.
Liam waved in return and grabbed his puffer coat from the backseat. He shrugged it on and headed around the front of the café where he heard laughter and music.
People and kids littered the thick grass. He spied Annabel, his five-year-old niece, but couldn’t get her attention. She was having too much fun playing chase with her friends. On the other side of the lawn near the barbeque Joel stood with three men Liam didn’t know. He wore a stupid apron and was brandishing the tongs in his right hand and a beer in his left. He waved his arms around, clearly deep in a story. Liam spotted Nathan and lifted his hand in greeting.
In reply, Nathan raised a bottle of beer and mouthed, “Want one?”
Liam gave Nathan the thumbs up. “Yes, please,” he replied gratefully.
“Hey, you came,” Kate said, coming up from behind him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
“Yeah, figured if I didn’t show up you or Emma would have come to my place and dragged me here by the hair.”
“Speaking of hair, when did you last have it cut?” She flicked a lock that had fallen over one eye. “Going for the pirate look are you?”
He pulled a face. “I haven’t gotten around to it.”
“If you think it’s sexy, think again. Take my advice. Get a haircut.”
“Yes Mum.”
Kate laughed. “I can’t get used to you looking so different from Joel, that’s all. You know how long it took me to tell you two apart.”
“Speaking of which. You need to label those kids of yours. They’re looking more alike every day.”
Kate laughed. “I dress them differently.”
“Doesn’t help me tell them apart though.”
“Spend more time with them and you’ll work it out.”
He glanced at Kate to see if she was having a dig at him, but there was no malice in her words. He visited his niece and nephews as often as he could.
“How about I get T-shirts made with their names on them?” he suggested.
“They’re growing so fast they’d grow out of them before I even had a chance to wash them.”
“For the sake of me being able to work out which one is which, I’ll commit to having T-shirts made in every size up until they’re eighteen.”
Kate chuckled. “Yeah, because I can picture teenage boys wearing those.” She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. “Today Angus is wearing blue and Oscar is in red.” She indicated a woman gently rocking the pram forward and backward. “Peek your head in on them. They’re probably asleep by now.”
He ran a hand across his brow. “Thanks for the heads up. I don’t want them getting a complex because their Uncle Liam gets them mixed up.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. At the moment the only thing they’re thinking about are these.” Kate indicated her breasts.
Liam chuckled. “Isn’t that what all men think about?”
“Don’t I know it?” She gave his arm a squeeze. “Anyway, I’m glad you came. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show up. Now, can I grab you a beer?”
“Nathan’s already onto it,” he said.
“Good. Now go and mingle while I get back into the kitchen. I need to check on the potatoes.” She gave him a little shove toward the barbeque. “And do me a favor? Can you make sure Joel isn’t burning those steaks like usual?”
“Are Em and Tom here yet?” he aske
d.
“Yeah, they’re around somewhere. I think they’ve gone to get the outdoor heaters from the shed.”
Liam pointed to a group of women sprawled in chairs in a circle around the fire pit. He saw Mackenzie sitting with a nurse he recognized from ED but he didn’t know the others.
“Which ones should I avoid?” he whispered.
Kate smirked. “Relax. They’re all happily married. Not a single woman in the mix.”
He gaped at her in mock surprise. “What? You’re kidding me. Not one single available woman here to be conveniently introduced to me?” He shook his head and winked. “You’re losing your touch, Katie girl.”
She punched him in the arm. “Go.”
He gave the women a wide berth anyway and went straight over to the men standing around Joel. Joel introduced him to the others and everyone greeted him warmly. Despite his misgivings, he relaxed quickly.
When Kate called out that she was ready for the meat, it occurred to Liam he was actually enjoying himself. It wasn’t often he hung out with friends. That needed to change.
Chapter 11
Summer was almost on Poppy’s doorstep before Adam finally called. It was Friday afternoon and her shift at the hospital had just ended. The moment she saw his name on her screen her mouth went dry and her mind did mental gymnastics. He’d never gone so long between visits or phone calls and she’d foolishly convinced herself it was all over between them.
She pressed the screen and put the phone to her ear. “Hi Adam,” she replied warily as she slammed her locker closed and scooped up her bag.
“Hey babe. I’ve missed you.” Typical Adam. He sounded like nothing was wrong. Clearly he’d forgotten about the tension between them when they’d seen each other last time.
Outside, the hot sun made her blink and she scrambled to find her sunglasses. She listened to him talk about what he’d been up to while she waited for the lights to change. A never-ending ebb and flow of sights and sounds and smells rushed around her.
“Did you see me on Jimmy Fallon the other night?” he asked like an excited child.
“No.”
“Oh. Well, anyway, sorry it’s been a while, but I’ve cleared the diary for a long weekend in July. I know it’s a month away but I’ll be there late on the Friday night and I don’t have to be back in LA until the sixth so we can have Independence Day together.” He paused. “I’ve missed you so much, babe, if you know what I mean. See you then. Be ready okay? Gotta fly. Catch ya.”
Adam hung up before she could formulate a reply, leaving her staring at a blank screen. She stomped up the street back to the apartment. His apartment. She could no longer think of it as her own.
Why hadn’t she told him not to come? Or lied and said she had other plans for the holiday weekend? Or told him she knew all about his wife? Why didn’t she just tell him their relationship – if that’s what it was – was over? Instead, she’d let him walk all over her again.
Her cell beeped again. Probably Adam again asking her to buy his favorite wine or giving her instructions on what color lingerie he wanted her to wear. Stuff him. She wasn’t going to let him get a word in this time. She was going to tell him she knew all about Juliet.
She glanced at the screen then frowned at a number she didn’t recognize. She hesitated slightly before answering.
“Hello?”
“Is that Poppy McDonald?”
“Yes.”
“This is Senior Sergeant Sean O’Connor.” There was a long pause. “I’m calling from Australia.”
Poppy stopped walking, ignoring the way people shot annoyed looks at her as they swerved to walk around her. She put one finger to her ear to block out the street noise and pressed the phone closer to her ear. Fear clutched at her chest and for a split second she forgot to breathe. “Mum?”
Another long pause. “No, love. I’m actually calling about your dad.”
A sudden coldness hit at her core and her skin tingled all over. “How did you get my number?”
The pause was even longer this time and Poppy couldn’t tell if the delay was due to the international connection or if the caller had hung up.
“Hello?” she said.
“Yes, sorry love. I, er, I worked with your dad. He gave me your number.”
Now wasn’t the time to wonder about how or why her father had her phone number. “Where are you calling from?” she asked.
“Birrangulla.”
“Birrangulla?” she repeated. “In New South Wales?”
“Yes. Do you know it?”
“I know roughly where it is but I’ve never been there. I lived in Queensland most of my life.”
“So you haven’t spoken to your dad for a few years?”
Poppy blew a breath out. A few? Try sixteen. But that wasn’t her father’s fault. It didn’t matter how many times she moved house, without fail he managed to track her down and every year on her birthday and at Christmas she received a letter or card from him. Each year, with growing guilt and increasing curiosity, she placed them, unread and unopened, in a box at the top of her closet.
“He left on my thirteenth birthday and he’s been as good as dead to me for years,” she said. “You’re welcome to pass that message on.”
As soon as she spoke, remorse washed over her. She bit the inside of her mouth. Sarcasm wasn’t her strongest suit and once again, nervousness had made her say the wrong thing.
“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” she said.
Sean cleared his throat. “That’s actually why I’m ringing. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, love, but your father was killed yesterday.”
Poppy tightened her grip on the phone. “Killed? As in murdered?”
“No. He was involved in a pursuit when he ran off the road and hit a tree. He died in hospital.”
Poppy’s knees went weak and she forced herself to breathe.
On the other end of the phone Sean was speaking, but she wasn’t hearing a word. She allowed the warm lilt of his Irish accent to wash over her as memories of her father flooded through her mind. She hadn’t thought about him in years.
Poppy vaguely remembered her father’s tears the day he left. But more than his tears, she remembered the way her mother had stood to one side, frantic, eyes wide, nostrils flaring like a losing racehorse being whipped across the finish line at the end of the Melbourne Cup. She remembered the way her father had ruffled her mop of unruly curls, taken off his sunglasses, wiped his eyes, then wiped the lenses with the tail of his shirt before placing them back on his nose.
She didn’t remember much else. If there were hugs, words spoken, promises made, she couldn’t recall. Or maybe she didn’t want to. Time had a way of fading the memories. And of fading the pain of his rejection. It had taken years, but she’d managed to put him out of her mind as well as her life.
She started walking again. Sean was still talking.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” she asked.
“The funeral is next Wednesday at one o’clock. The eighth.”
“I won’t come back for the funeral,” she replied as she entered the building and walked across the marble floor to the elevators, her shoes squeaking on the highly polished tiles.
“Love, I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but you should be at your dad’s funeral. It’s going to be a big deal.”
She stabbed at the button and the doors slid open straight away. “Why is it such a big deal?”
“Your father was killed in the line of duty so it will be an official police funeral. Also, I think it would be good for you to attend and meet his family.”
The small space spun as the elevator rocketed upward to her floor. She clutched the handrail to stop herself from falling. His family? She shook her head to clear the fog. He had another family? The doors pinged open and she tripped out.
“Family?” She croaked the word out.
“Yes. He was married to Jenni and they have two boys. Hamish and Isaac. Teenagers.”
<
br /> She let that sink in. She had a stepmother? Stepbrothers? Why hadn’t she ever considered he would have remarried? Had another family? Poppy forced herself to concentrate.
“Was he still a policeman?” she asked.
“Yes. A good one. One of the best. And one of my closest colleagues too.”
Poppy’s brain raced forward then reversed with a screech. Sunday in America made it Monday already in Australia. Even if she managed to book a flight the next day, she’d never make it back to Australia in time for the funeral.
“There’s no way I can get there by Wednesday. Sorry. I’m in America.”
“I didn’t realize you were overseas.”
“I live here. New York is my home now.”
She unlocked her door and stumbled inside. Dumping her bag on the table, she collapsed onto the couch.
“Can you organize your flights and call me back with the details? We’ll hold off the funeral until you get here. Perhaps Friday instead. Would that work for you? If you need me to arrange transport from Sydney to Birrangulla, please let me know.”
Poppy agreed to see what she could do and disconnected the call in shock. She had no idea how long she sat there but by the time her brain cleared enough for her to launch into action, the late afternoon sun was playing hide and seek behind the buildings as it slipped toward the horizon.
She debated whether to call her mother and in the end decided she had no choice. As expected, Poppy’s mother didn’t care one iota that her ex-husband was dead. Nor did she seem to care that Poppy was coming home. Or that she hadn’t spoken to Poppy in months. Poppy ended the call in less time than it took her to brush her teeth.
She pulled out her laptop and an hour later she’d booked and paid for her flights. Given she was travelling such a long distance, she figured she might as well take the vacation Andi kept encouraging her to take, so she planned to stay in Australia for a month, meaning she’d make it back to New York in time for Adam’s visit. Then she could tell him in person that it was over. She dreaded the confrontation, but knew she had to do it face to face in order to move on.
Thanks to Adam, Poppy had plenty of money put aside and the cost of the flights didn’t even make a dent in her savings account. She emailed Sean O’Connor with the details and he promised to meet her at the airport in Birrangulla then arrange a hire car for her. He told her they’d re-scheduled the funeral for Friday and that he looked forward to meeting her. It was all happening so fast and Poppy could hardly believe how easily everything was falling into place.
Critical Condition Page 7