He needed a moment himself. He walked to the kitchen that was part of the open-plan area and eyed the bottle of beer he’d uncapped just before the doorbell had sounded. With a sigh of regret he screwed the cap back on and put it back in the fridge. It would have to wait until after the joy ride and by then he might need something a good deal stronger. He took a sideways glance at the small boy, who was still staring at the view with rapt attention.
A small boy’s dream, having something like this to watch on tap. Was that why he loved it? Had he never really grown up? Sarah’s stinging words were still sounding in his head.
Grow up and take some responsibility.
Maybe she had a point.
With an inward sigh this time, Rick pushed himself to walk closer to Josh. It felt incredibly awkward, which was weird because he was good with kids, but this was different. Hugely different. Unprecedented. It became slightly easier when he wasn’t looking directly at Josh. They stood side by side to admire the view.
‘Pretty cool, huh?’
‘What’s that little boat doing?’
‘That one’s a tug. It’ll be going out to the heads to guide another big ship in. The one over there is the coastguard boat. They go out for rescues sometimes in really rough weather. That’s fun to watch.’
Josh nodded but was busy watching massive logs being taken off the back of a truck. A crane was attached to chains in the middle of the logs and they tipped like a seesaw. ‘What happens if they drop them?’
‘It could cause a nasty accident, I guess. But they know what they’re doing. I’ve never seen them drop any yet.’
Josh looked as though he could happily stand there for a long time but Rick was feeling edgy. Too aware of this small person standing so close. Of the fact that they were alone together. That he might have to talk about the fact that he was Josh’s father.
‘How ‘bout that ride, then?’
‘OK. But I don’t mind waiting. If you’re busy or something.’
‘Nah. We can’t go too far, though. It’ll be getting dark before too long and I don’t want you getting too cold or anything.’
‘Where’s your bike?’
‘There’s a garage space underneath here. The stairs are over by the kitchen bit.’
‘Do you live here by yourself?’
‘At the moment, I do.’ Rick led the way to the internal stairwell. ‘Max used to live with me and so did Jet.’
‘Who’s Jet?’
‘You sat beside him at Max and Ellie’s wedding. He was holding the baby.’ The memory cheered Rick up but it also reminded him of the moment he’d set eyes on Sarah. Still being mad at her didn’t seem to diminish his appreciation of the way she looked. She was gorgeous. Her sister had probably been gorgeous as well but to his shame Rick had no concrete memory of her. As he’d had to concede she would have been one of many in that period of his life he had no desire to remember in too much detail.
‘Where is he now?’
‘He had to go back to the army. He works as a doctor for the soldiers sometimes. Rides around in helicopters and rescues people and stuff.’
‘Wow. That’d be cool.’
‘Bikes are cool, too. See?’ Rick stepped into the garage. This was another big space. His SUV for routine travel was parked on one side and on the other his bike stood in solitary, gleaming black glory. ‘It’s a Ducati,’ he told Josh. ‘Sportclassic GT1000. Not bad, huh?’ He stroked the seat. ‘Jet’s got a Superbike, which is over there under the tarp while he’s away. It’s a bit more powerful but this is my baby.’ He pulled his hand away from the machine with a final pat and then looked up to find Josh looking at him rather intently. Curiously.
As though he was behaving in an unexpected way. Was it possible Sarah had told him that she thought Rick had a lot of growing up to do?
‘We’ll need to give you a jacket and helmet,’ he went on hurriedly. ‘We’ll use Jet’s, he won’t mind. They’ll be miles too big for you but we can pad up the helmet and that’s the most important bit of protection.’
Josh looked like a little kid playing dress-up by the time Rick had him kitted out to his satisfaction. His hands were lost in leather mittens and barely emerged from the sleeves of the jacket. His head was equally lost in the helmet and all Rick could really see was a pair of dark eyes staring at him as he rolled the bike out of the garage.
‘Sarah says that motorbikes are horrible, dangerous things,’ he informed Rick.
‘Sarah’s not a boy,’ Rick responded, as though that excused her.
She wasn’t a girl, either, he thought as he helped Josh climb onto the back of the bike. She was all woman, was Sarah. He was still puzzled as to why she was allowing this ride to go ahead. She’d be terrified that Josh would get hurt. The fact that she could put her own fears to one side to let Josh do something he wanted to do said a lot about her strength of character.
That she was letting him be the one to give Josh the ride said a lot about how much she was trusting him. Rick wasn’t about to let her down.
‘Put both arms around my waist and hang on tight,’ he instructed Josh. ‘Don’t let go for any reason, OK?’
‘OK.’
‘We’re not going very far. We’ll get a bit closer to the wharf so you can see the ships and then we’ll go up the hill but that’s all. And we’re not racing anything. Got it?’
‘Yep.’ Josh’s skinny arms came around Rick’s waist and the grip was reassuringly strong. ‘Let’s go.’
They went.
Sarah wasn’t any closer to getting home.
She was still sitting in her car in the lay-by but she wasn’t crying any more. Staring out at the choppy, grey water of the harbour was soothing. Knowing that she was still close enough to Rick’s apartment to go and rescue Josh in a matter of minutes was even more comforting.
Besides, she had a lot to think about. She could make a mental list of everything she needed to get done in the next couple of days. Washing and ironing so that Josh could pack everything he would need to move into the bone-marrow unit. Sorting the games and books and DVDs he’d want for the next few weeks. Shopping for treats. Arranging schoolwork, perhaps. And then there were all the other things that were a level away from Josh but still vital. Stuff that needed doing around the apartment. Going to the bank to try and arrange another loan. Paying the bills that were mounting up by the day.
She had to go back to work soon. A lot sooner than she might have chosen to but they weren’t going to survive financially if she didn’t. The trip to the States and then staying in Auckland had virtually wiped out her savings. If Josh settled well enough in the unit she might be able to start doing some shifts at night while he was asleep. It could be the ideal time in some ways, because he would have expert care when she wasn’t around.
That wouldn’t be on tap when he came out. Even if the bone marrow took successfully, he wouldn’t be able to attend school normally for months yet. Paying someone to be with him while Sarah worked might take so much out of what she’d be earning that it would be pointless.
One day at a time.
The mantra arrived automatically these days, when the spiral of thoughts and worries threatened to overwhelm her. All that mattered right now was tackling this next, huge hurdle. When they were through it would be the time to worry about what was going to happen next. Sarah was practised in reversing the time telescope. She shrank it from the months ahead to weeks. Then into days and finally only hours.
Josh was with Rick. He was probably on the back of some horribly big motorbike while she was sitting here watching seagulls bobbing on tiny waves. She hoped he was hanging on tight. She certainly would be.
In fact, she could imagine it. Pressing against the solid back of Rick’s body, her arms around his waist and the hum of a powerful engine beneath them. Bizarrely, the notion wasn’t nearly as alarming as it should be. Instead, it had an appeal strong enough to quicken her pulse and send a curious warmth into her limbs.
A
huff of laughter escaped Sarah. If she went any further down that track, it would be her begging for a ride next. But at least the awful tension was easing and she felt better. Not relaxed enough to want to drive the fifteen kilometres or so to her apartment in the city but more than enough to start wondering if she’d been a bit too hard on Rick.
Had she really told him he needed to grow up?
That he owed her something because she’d been doing his job as the sole parent figure for Josh?
That was unfair, given that he hadn’t known of his child’s existence.
He was a bachelor. One with a demanding job and probably precious little free time to enjoy other things like his bike. Or his home. Sarah hadn’t taken much notice of her surroundings in finding Rick’s address but now she found herself curious. Why did he choose to live out here? In what looked, from the outside, like an old warehouse? The whole area had given an impression of being old. Kind of rundown, which didn’t quite gel with the image she had of Rick being a glitzy, playboy type.
It wouldn’t hurt to go back, would it? To drive around and see if she’d missed something? She might find a café somewhere that could provide a good cup of coffee and, heaven knew, she could do with a caffeine boost. It would distract her for a while, too. If she hadn’t received a ‘come and get me’ text from Josh within the next hour or so, she could assume that the visit was going well and then she would drive home and throw herself into some housework or something.
Sarah checked the road in both directions, put on her indicator and did a U-turn.
For the first time ever, Rick was feeling nervous about riding his beloved bike.
Good grief…even when he’d had his first solo ride when he’d been fifteen he hadn’t felt like this. So aware of the unforgiving tarmac laid out beneath the speeding wheels. Padded leather could only do so much to protect skin and flesh and wasn’t much protection at all when it came to broken bones. And how many head injuries had he dealt with over the years resulting from accidents involving motorbikes?
If Jet could see him riding this cautiously, he’d be grinning from ear to ear. Making some smart remark about him trading in the Ducati for a walking frame. But Jet had never taken a kid as a pillion, had he?
It felt weird. Nothing like any of the girls Rick had taken for a ride. Weightwise, he could have been alone so it made no difference to cornering or anything. He was acutely aware of the arms around his waist. A sensation that had always been a bonus with a pretty girl on the back, but this was a kid.
His kid.
Those tiny arms felt like prison walls. Starting to close in and trap something that was unrecognisable but important and Rick had the sinking feeling that it could be a big ask to ensure its freedom. The sooner this was over with the better.
They went as close to the wharf as they could get and went past acres of stored containers. He took them along the coast road for a mile or two after that, heading for Carey’s Bay. Traffic was light and the road conditions were good and Rick found himself relaxing a bit. If they had more time, he thought, they could have gone a lot further. There were some fabulous beaches out this way, like Long Beach and Warrington and Murdering Beach. Surf and huge sand dunes that you could bodysurf down.
What was he thinking? Josh was nowhere near well enough to go swimming or play in sand dunes and he didn’t want to spend hours in his company anyway. He turned them around and headed up a hill to give them a good view of the harbour and the bush-clad hills and crowded streets of Port Chalmers and then headed back.
The seaport was really a suburb of the city of Dunedin but it was more like a quirky little township in its own right. Industrial, thanks to the busy port, but it was also trendy for those wanting a slightly alternative lifestyle. It attracted artists and musicians. Very close to all the city amenities but most definitely outside its limits. On the edge, and Rick loved it.
He took them along Beach Street and then George Street, through the small town centre with all its cafés and galleries. He felt Josh loosen his grip around his waist. Fortunately, he was coming to an intersection when he needed to stop and give way. Before he could turn and tell Josh to hang on tightly again, he felt a small fist thumping his back.
‘What’s up, buddy?’
‘That’s Sarah’s car,’ Josh shouted.
‘What? Where?’
Josh pointed. Then he waved.
With a sinking heart, Rick looked from the small car to the window of the café it was parked in front of. Sure enough, sitting on a high stool in front of a counter in the window was Sarah. Staring back. Looking as though she’d been caught out. Completely busted, no less.
The reddened cheeks and guilty expression made a nice change. Put Rick back on the moral high ground, even. He revved the bike engine gently. Just enough to give him the momentum to turn and roll into the vacant spot beside Sarah’s car. It was too tempting not to rub her nose in it just a little.
‘Let’s go and say hello,’ he suggested to Josh. ‘I could do with a coffee.’
Sarah had known it was them as soon as she’d seen the bike rolling past the café window, slowing down for the intersection. Her heart had skipped a beat, seeing the reality of the small figure on the back of the black monster of a bike.
Josh had spotted her and there had been that awful moment of waiting for Rick’s head to turn, knowing that he would think she was hanging around, spying on his lifestyle if not his person.
Her discomfort increased when she saw him turn the bike and park beside her car. Then he got off and pulled off his helmet and she saw this rugged man in his leather jacket and pants and heavy boots. The dark hair all tousled from the helmet removal. She couldn’t drag her gaze away as he stripped off his gloves and stuffed them into the helmet. He wasn’t smiling as he reached to lift Josh from the back of the bike but, perversely, that only made him seem more attractive.
A bad-boy biker. Dark and dangerous. But she could see the care he took in lifting Josh. The way he made it seem no big deal and not a putdown because of the boy’s size or physical capabilities. Sarah’s breath caught in her throat somewhere. She hardly knew Rick but she was getting the distinct impression that he was something rather unique. Special.
Josh looked tiny in his oversized clothes, needing both arms to carry the helmet inside, but there was something about them being dressed alike. It was more than the clothes, as it had been at the wedding. Something about the way they walked, maybe. An air of owning the space they were moving through. Sarah had the strange feeling that she was merely a guest in their café. That she was privileged to be here, in fact. Even the smiles that the man and boy greeted her were oddly similar.
I did it, Rick’s said. See? I’m not as bad as you think I am.
I did it,’ Josh’s said. See? It’s not as dangerous as you thought.
Rick ordered a short, black espresso and didn’t add any sugar. The remains of Sarah’s sweetened cappuccino suddenly seemed frivolous and feminine. Josh opted for a milkshake but Sarah shook her head when he asked if he could have some food from the cabinet.
‘It’s not that long till dinnertime,’ she said, despite feeling like a party-pooper. ‘You need proper food, not cakes.’
‘What’s on the menu, then?’ Rick queried.
They had taken the other stools at the counter and sat in a row, with Josh in the middle, but the boy was leaning forward, intent on holding his straw with no hands so Sarah and Rick had an almost clear space between them. Close enough to touch each other if they reached out, Sarah surprised herself by noticing.
‘Whatever Josh fancies,’ she said hurriedly. ‘As long as it’s real food and not junk.’
‘A hamburger,’ Josh said. ‘They never give you hamburgers in hospital.’
‘Hmm.’ Sarah put off having to debate the nutritional value of Josh’s choice. She smiled at him instead. ‘How was the ride, short stuff?’
‘Awesome. We went really fast.’
She couldn’t help firing
an accusing glare at Rick but he was shaking his head slowly, unseen by Josh. The wry smile made it perfectly convincing.
‘I like the jacket.’
‘It’s Jet’s. He’s away rescuing soldiers in a helicopter.’
‘Wow. That sounds exciting.’
‘You should see Rick’s house, Sarah. He gets to watch the ships and cranes and everything. It’s cool.’
‘Is it?’ Sarah avoided looking at Rick this time. He might think she was angling for an invitation to visit his home. And she wasn’t. This was about him and Josh. She was only involved as a facilitator and that was fine by her.
Absolutely fine.
Had he said anything to Josh about their relationship? Unexpectedly, Rick saw the question in her gaze, as though he could read her thoughts. He looked uncomfortable and the subtle movement of his head was negative. Sarah jerked her gaze away, disappointed.
A silence fell. Josh’s initial enjoyment of the milkshake had waned and he seemed to become aware of the silence around him.
‘I have to go back into hospital on Monday,’ he announced.
‘I know,’ Rick said.
Of course he did. He would have an appointment to have his bone marrow collected within days of Josh’s admission. He was watching Josh at the moment, his expression curious.
‘Do you know what’s going to happen this time?’
‘Yeah. I’m gonna get radiated. I’ll prob’ly go green and start glowing.’
Rick grinned. ‘Maybe you’ll get a superpower at the same time and be able to hear stuff from miles away.’
‘Or go invisible.’ Josh nodded. ‘Or fly. That’d be cool.’
‘Sure would. Closest I get to flying is going fast on my bike.’
‘Like we did.’
‘Mmm.’ Rick’s glance at Sarah assured her he was only agreeing so he didn’t shoot Josh down. ‘Do you know why you’re getting the radiation?’
‘To kill my bone marrow,’ Josh told him. ‘I’ve got ALL. D’you know what that is?’
‘Tell me,’ Rick invited.
The Honourable Maverick / The Unsung Hero Page 20