Critical Condition

by Nicki Edwards

  “I don’t know much about her,” Joel replied.

  Mackenzie rifled through her bag and pulled out her phone. “I’ll find her on Facebook.”

  Liam lunged for Mackenzie’s phone but she jerked her arm out of his reach. He sank back in his seat. They ignored his pleas to stop.

  “Found her!” Mackenzie passed the phone to Joel. “And look at that. Liam O’Connor is a mutual friend.”

  Liam felt his skin burn. Luckily Mackenzie couldn’t see the private messages they’d been sending each other. Then he’d have some explaining to do.

  Mackenzie slapped her phone on the table in front of him. “She’s gorgeous.”

  “Yes she is.”

  “I must say I’m a bit surprised.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s not your usual type.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Most of the women you date are blondes.”

  “Not always,” he lied.

  “Well I think she’s absolutely stunning and if you don’t pursue her, you’re an idiot.”

  “Tell me what you really think, Kenz.”

  Joel laughed and Liam turned to face him. “Whose side are you on?”

  “I’m with her,” he said, pointing. “You need to do whatever it takes to make sure Poppy doesn’t get away. If you don’t, like Mackenzie said – you’re an idiot.”

  *

  Later that day Liam popped over to Jenni’s to see how Isaac was going after his surgery and hospital stay.

  “I had hoped to catch up with Poppy again before she left,” Jenni said as she ushered Liam inside.

  “You and me both.”

  One corner of Jenni’s mouth lifted. “I wondered if I was imaging it or if I’d detected something going on between you two.”

  “Yeah, I think we both felt it, but it doesn’t matter, she’s still gone.”

  “She had to go to Queensland to see her mother,” Jenni said.

  “Yeah, I know, but then she’s going back to America.”

  “That is where she lives now.”

  He followed Jenni into the kitchen and perched on the stool at the bench.

  “Had you ever met her before the funeral?” he asked as he accepted a glass of water.

  “No. Bill tried for years to get in touch with her but she never replied. Bill’s deepest regret was walking out and leaving Poppy with her mother.”

  “Why did he do it?”

  “I don’t think he thought he had a choice. He was old-fashioned about some things and one of those things was he thought a child should live with their mother.”

  “Sounds like Poppy had a crappy childhood.”

  Jenni nodded sadly. “Before I met Bill, he was working long hours and there was no way he would have been able to raise a teenage daughter and work fulltime on the force. At the time he thought he’d made the right decision.”

  “What about after you two met? Poppy could have come to live with you.”

  “I suggested it and he tried, but Poppy’s mother wouldn’t even discuss it. Every time Bill made contact with her, she’d move house and he’d have to go through the process of tracking her down again.”

  “Does Poppy know any of this?”

  Jenni shook her head. “I’d planned to tell her over lunch after the funeral but Isaac got sick and I never had the chance. Maybe one day I will. At least she kept all the letters he sent her over the years.”

  Liam’s mouth fell open. “She kept them?”

  Jenni nodded. “She told me the day she came for lunch. Unfortunately she hadn’t read them yet. She was waiting for the right time.” Jenni sighed heavily. “It’s a shame it all happened this way. I never pictured it would take her dad’s death to bring her back home.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard all of this is on all of you,” he said. “You’ve lost the man you adore—”

  “Yes, but Poppy’s lost a man she never had the chance to know. That’s why I intend to do whatever I can to make sure she knows she’s welcome as part of our family. I know it won’t change her past, but I want to be part of her future if she’ll let me. Plus, I want the boys to grow up knowing their sister. I’m not sure how I’m going to stay in touch with her, but I’ll try my best to reach out and hopefully she’ll respond.”

  “You’re a remarkable woman, Jen, you know that?”

  “I was married to an amazing man.”

  “You must miss him like hell.”

  She nodded and tears formed.

  Liam touched her hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “It’s okay. Some days are harder than others. When I met Poppy I saw so much of Bill in her. Perhaps it’s selfish of me, but I want to get to know Poppy better. I feel like that will keep a part of Bill alive in my life.”

  “I don’t think that’s selfish,” he said.

  One of the greyhounds rubbed herself against Liam’s leg. He absentmindedly stroked the dog’s smooth coat.

  “How are the boys coping?”

  “Not too bad. I think Isaac’s surgery took their mind off things a bit.”

  “How do they feel about Poppy?”

  “They’re understandably hesitant, but they’re teenage boys and she’s a lot older than them. I don’t expect them to become close siblings, but I’d like them to get to know her. And I want her to know them too.”

  “How do you plan to do that if she’s living in America?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” She smiled. “Perhaps she’ll fall in love with you and move here.”

  Liam laughed. “You’re worse than Mum. All I mentioned was I thought Poppy was amazing and Mum started working on the guest list for the wedding.”

  “How’re they doing? I’m sure your dad must miss Bill too.”

  “He doesn’t talk about it too much.”

  “Please tell them not to be strangers,” Jenni said.

  Liam sighed. “I think Dad partly blames himself.”

  “Goodness, why? I told both you and your dad that I’m grateful you did everything you could to try to save him.”

  Liam swallowed past the thick lump in the back of his throat. Memories of the night Bill died surged and he shoved them back.

  “Thanks, Jenni. We did what we could.”

  They were both silent for a long time. Eventually Liam stood. “I probably should let you get back to whatever you were doing.”

  “It’s okay. I was sorting through some of Bill’s things. The interruption was timely.”

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  She chewed her lip for a moment then looked up into his eyes. “Actually, there’s two things you can do for me.”

  “Name them.”

  “Be around for my boys. They’re going to need a male role model in their life.”

  “Done. You know I love them.”

  Jenni nodded. “I do. Thank you.”

  “And two?” he asked.

  “Do whatever you can to convince Poppy to come back home. My door is always open for her.”

  “That might not be as easy.”

  “You’re resourceful. I’m sure you’ll figure something out. If you have to, use that Irish charm.”

  He laughed. “I’ll try.”

  Chapter 21

  Poppy drove the entire way to Birrangulla. It wasn’t that Terri couldn’t drive, it was that she wouldn’t. Plus she no longer owned a car. Poppy hadn’t known that until she arrived and realized her mother rarely left the house these days and had sold her car years earlier.

  Terri alternated between napping and reading and barely spoke a word for the whole trip. It didn’t bother Poppy. She inserted her earbuds, cranked up the volume and let the music carry her far away.

  No matter how hard Poppy tried, her thoughts kept coming back to rest on Liam. Every two hours when she stopped for a break she checked her phone and there was always another message from him. Chatty messages with the occasional selfie. She even sent a few back to him. More than once she consi
dered telling him she was on her way back to Birrangulla but that conversation wasn’t one she wanted to have via text message and she couldn’t call him and tell him what was happening with her mother sitting beside her in the passenger seat. In the end she figured she’d wait until her mother was settled then call him and tell him she was back. It didn’t change anything anyway, because her flights were still booked for the end of the month.

  With breaks, it took over six hours to reach Port Macquarie. For some reason Terri insisted they travel along the longer coastal route to Sydney then turn west and head over the Blue Mountains toward Birrangulla, rather than driving inland the whole way. Poppy didn’t bother to ask why. Her mother had plenty of strange ideas and questioning them wasn’t worth the cost of the lecture.

  They pulled into KFC for dinner and after seven hours’ sleep in another characterless motel room on a lumpy mattress, they were awake again and getting ready to go before Poppy had even wiped the sleep from her eyes.

  They still had another seven hours of driving ahead of them.

  *

  “We’re almost there,” Poppy announced as they passed a sign welcoming them to town – Birrangulla: Gateway to the Blue Mountains.

  The words were hardly out of her lips when a loud popping sound was followed immediately by the thud-thump, thud-thump, thud-thump of a flat tire. Poppy immediately took her foot off the accelerator and gripped the steering wheel tight as the car veered left of its own accord. She pulled over slowly, cursing her bad luck and poor timing.

  Terri shifted in the passenger seat and opened her eyes, blinking slowly and stretching like a fat cat waking up. “Why’ve you pulled over?” she asked.

  “We’ve got a puncture.”

  Terri grunted, closed her eyes and relaxed back against the seat again. Clearly she wasn’t going to offer to help. Not that Poppy needed help. She’d changed tires before.

  Climbing from the car, Poppy shivered as the damp, cool air hit her bare arms. She pressed a button on the dash and the trunk snapped open. Going around to the back of the car she began hauling out boxes and bags so she could reach the spare tire. By the time she had removed it from its compartment and replaced the flat, she’d worked up a sweat.

  “Need some help?” a man called out.

  Poppy knew immediately who the voice belonged to without turning around. A wave of goosebumps exploded down her arms. She dropped the tire iron and it clattered on the road. Standing too quickly, a wave of dizziness came over her and she lost her balance, crumpling in a heap on her backside. She laughed at her clumsiness.

  When Liam slid his glasses off, her face heated under the intensity of his gaze. In less than twenty-four hours she’d somehow managed to forget how good looking he was.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “I thought you were in Queensland.”

  “It’s a long story,” she said, getting to her knees.

  “Here, let me help you up.”

  “I’m fine,” she replied, refusing his outstretched hand and standing and brushing the dirt off her palms.

  “What happened?”

  “What does it look like?” She flicked her eyes towards the tire lying on the side of the road.

  “Do you need help?”

  “Does it look like I still need help?” she asked.

  His eyebrows shot up and she immediately regretted snapping at him. He didn’t deserve her frustration, but after less than two full days with her mother Poppy’s tolerance levels were rock bottom.

  “Should I answer that?” he asked.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bite your head off. I’m just exhausted.”

  “Apology accepted,” he said. He rolled up his sleeves. “I’m happy to give you a hand, make sure the nuts are tight.”

  She sighed heavily. “It’s okay. It’s fine. I might look like I’m a damsel in distress right now, but I’m really not.”

  He raised his hands, took a step back and bowed. “Okay my fair maiden. I shall gallop off on my white horse now to see if there’s another princess around the corner waiting to give this frog a kiss.”

  He angled his cheek for a kiss but when she couldn’t even dredge up a tiny smile, a frown crossed his face. “Are you okay Poppy? Other than the flat tire?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s been a crappy week. You haven’t met me at my best.”

  He took a step closer and reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her pulse raced when his hand grazed her cheek.

  “You had some grease on your face,” he said. “It’s all gone now.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I was wondering how I was going to see you again. I didn’t expect it to be like this.” Gazing around, Liam’s eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the bags and boxes strewn on the side of the road. He lowered his voice. “So what’s with all this stuff and what’s it doing on the road?”

  “The trunk was full and I needed to get to the tire.”

  He turned to face her, his eyes twinkling. “Trunk? Are you still in America Dorothy?”

  She stuck out her tongue. “Boot. Trunk. Same thing. You knew what I meant.”

  She glanced behind him and saw his car. Bending over, she picked up the tire iron and changed subjects. “Not driving the ambulance today I see?”

  “I’m not on duty today.” He smiled at her and his dimples deepened again.

  Butterflies exploded deep in her gut. “Well I’m sure you have somewhere you need to be.”

  He gave a little shrug. “Nope.”

  “Really? Shouldn’t you be out – I don’t know – rescuing people or something?”

  “Isn’t that what I’m trying to do now?”

  She laughed. “I suppose so.”

  “So why are you back?” he asked. “I thought you were going to Queensland.”

  The passenger door opened and Poppy groaned. Perfect timing.

  “She is what brings me back. My mother.”

  He frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Before Poppy had a chance to explain, or warn him, Terri sidled up to Liam and flashed her biggest one hundred watt I’m-pleased-to-meet-you-smile. To his credit, Liam’s face didn’t change but he took a tiny step backward.

  “Who’s this?” Terri asked.

  Poppy gently edged her mother sideways with one hip. Her mother’s idea of personal space wasn’t the same as most people’s.

  “Just a guy. He’s offered to help fix the tire.”

  “Just a guy, hey? I thought we were friends now,” Liam said, pretending to look wounded. He stuck out his hand and turned on his own charm. “I’m Liam O’Connor. Nice to meet you Mrs …”

  Terri cut him off. “Friends, eh? Good. We need someone to help us. Can’t trust Poppy to know what she’s doing. My daughter’s never been one for responsibility or making sure a job’s done properly. I’d hate for the tire to fall off because she hasn’t tightened the bolts.”

  “Nuts,” Liam corrected.

  “I’m not nuts.”

  Liam’s eyes widened.

  Poppy gave him a tight smile before glaring at her mother. Was it bad of her to wish Terri would burn on the spot?

  “Hop back in the car, Mum. I’m almost finished here and we can get going.”

  Terri snickered. “Typical. A gorgeous young man with a cute accent offers to help and you turn him down. No wonder you’re still single.” She turned to Liam. “She’s always been too bloody independent for her own good. Wouldn’t know a good man if he bit her on the bum.”

  Poppy prayed the ground would open up and swallow them both whole.

  She dumped the tire into the trunk but because she hadn’t put the jack in properly the tire wouldn’t lie flat. She pushed and shoved at it a few more times, cursing under her breath, then gave up. She’d have to pack the bags and boxes around it as best as she could.

  Terri stood on the side of the road watching in silence. Suddenly, as though a switch had been flicked she began her rocking dance – backward
first, then forward. Heel to toe. It looked like she was riding a rocking horse. Unexpected tears of embarrassment pricked and Poppy brushed them away.

  “Please don’t ask me what she’s doing,” she silently begged. Trying to explain her mother was like trying to explain a cyclone to someone who’d only ever experienced gentle sea breezes. Thankfully Terri got in the car and slammed the door shut. Poppy breathed a sigh of relief.

  She caught Liam’s gaze and saw his eyes soften in sympathy. She turned away, not wanting him to see her cry. She was surprised though. Not many guys were that intuitive. Most ran a mile when they met her mother – probably fearful that her mother’s craziness would rub off on them or something. The stigma around mental illness was massive.

  Without a word, Liam walked to the back of the car and began loading the boxes and bags back into the boot for her.

  “Thank you,” she said, “for everything.”

  “My pleasure. Would you mind if make a suggestion?” he asked softly.

  “Sure.”

  “Follow me into town and I’ll take you to my mechanic. He can fix the puncture.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll do it tomorrow or the next day.”

  She needed space. Right now her emotions had taken a rollercoaster ride without her permission and she needed to regroup.

  She was about to get back in the car when he spoke again. “Can I make another suggestion?”

  Poppy turned to face him. What was he going to say? “I guess so,” she replied hesitantly.

  This time his eyes flashed cheekily. “Dust the dirt off your backside before you get in. Unless you’d like me to do it for you.”

  Poppy bit down on the inside of her mouth to stop the smile that threatened to escape. She climbed into the car and it took all her willpower not to brush off her rear end first before she slammed the door.

  “I’ll call you,” he mouthed.

  She nodded before turning the key in the ignition. With a quick glance to make sure the road was clear of traffic, she pulled out slowly.

  In the rearview mirror she caught sight of Liam standing there watching her, a goofy grin on his face. She couldn’t wipe the matching one from her own.

  *

  Liam watched Poppy go with a grin on his face. She was back. This unexpected change in her plans might not be what Poppy wanted, but it was exactly what he wanted. Liam had no idea how long she’d be staying, but the main thing was, she was here. And that meant two things. He had a second chance to get to know her better. And he had a chance to prove to her that he was worth hanging around for.