Intensive Care: Escape to the Country

by Nicki Edwards

  She drove slowly with her headlights on and made her way to the car park Joel had described. He had explained that a track wound itself in a twelve kilometer figure-of-eight loop along the banks of the Macquarie River. By crossing at a walk bridge, the run could be cut in half. Kate arrived early and sat in the car for a few minutes with the heater and fan on high, blasting the car with warmth. As she waited for Joel, she wondered what sort of a runner he would be. She hoped he was up for the full twelve kilometers. She hadn’t been able to get out as often as she liked since starting her new job and she wanted to do a long run that morning.

  Just after seven o’clock Joel pulled up, the engine of his Toyota Land Cruiser sounding loud in the foggy stillness. He shut the car off and the deafening silence seemed to close in around her like noise-canceling headphones. As he stepped out of his car Kate was pleased to see he was wearing proper running gear that looked great on his tall, lean body.

  Even he was wearing a beanie.

  “Nice headgear,” Kate called out as she walked over to where he had parked his car.

  “I could say the same about yours, City Chick.” Joel’s voice had a mocking lilt to it. “You look like a mushroom.”

  “At least I’m warm!” Kate retorted as she rubbed her hands together. She had just lied. It was freezing. She wished she’d thought to wear gloves.

  “You sure about that, love? You don’t look that warm to me.”

  “How far do you want to go?” Kate asked, ignoring his teasing.

  “It’s up to you, Kate. What would you normally do?”

  “I’d like to run the whole twelve k loop if that’s okay with you.”

  “Fine with me,” Joel replied.

  “What sort of pace do you usually go?”

  Kate’s earnest expression made Joel laugh. “Kate, it’s not a competition. Don’t take it so seriously. Let’s just run, okay. I’m sure I can keep up with you.”

  And with that, he took off without even bothering to stretch and warm up.

  Kate felt the rush of adrenaline as she raced to catch him and they quickly settled into an easy jog. She found him an easy running partner, matching his longer stride to her shorter one, but still maintaining an enjoyable pace. Quickly the cold weather was forgotten as Kate warmed up, and it wasn’t long before she was almost regretting the beanie. As they ran, she stripped off her outer layer and tied the jacket around her waist. For a while the only sound was their feet crunching on the path. Their rhythmic breathing caused their breath to come out in short, sharp bursts.

  “How long have you lived in Birrangulla then?” Kate eventually asked.

  “I grew up here, but left to go to university. I only came back a year or so ago.”

  Kate heard something in his voice, but his face remained impassive. Maybe she’d just imagined it.

  “Mum and Dad have lived here since we came over from Ireland. They’ll probably be buried here. They love the place.” Joel chuckled.

  “What about siblings?”

  “One of each.”

  “Were you all born here or in Ireland?”

  “Born in Ireland. We moved here when I was fifteen. My sister was only six.”

  “But you still have such a strong accent. I would have thought living here for so long you would have lost it.”

  “Oh love, what are yer sayin’ then? You can’t understand me?” Joel teased her, deliberately putting on a heavier accent.

  “I actually love the accent,” Kate said. “So, have you been back to Ireland since?”

  “I nearly did once. I was going to do the whole gap year thing after I’d finished year twelve and just bum around the UK and travel and work in pubs but me mum got sick so I stayed here instead to help me dad out. Not that either of them really needed me! I think I got in their way more than anything else.”

  “Is your mum okay now?” Kate asked.

  “Yeah. She’s not long been given a clean bill of health. She had breast cancer but she’s ten years cancer free now. She was having one of her regular check-ups when I met you that day in Sydney. They say she’s one of the survivors.”

  “That’s awesome,” Kate said, genuinely pleased for a woman she hadn’t even met.

  “So, Kate, what about you? What brings you to Birrangulla?”

  Kate kept looking straight ahead as she ran so she couldn’t see the expression on his face, but she heard his inquisitive tone. His question caused her already pounding heartbeat to grow louder in her ears. Her thoughts became a scrambled mess as her brain sifted rapidly through the memories of Marcus and his betrayal. Once again she was assailed with feelings of shock, anger and hurt. There was no way she could tell Joel about Marcus yet.

  “You haven’t finished telling me about yourself yet,” Kate replied, wanting to deflect his questions.

  “What else is there to tell?” Joel asked.

  Are you single? The question pinged around inside her head.

  “As I said, I hung around here for a year or two while Mum went through her treatment, then I went up north. It took me five years to complete a three-year commerce degree. I worked for a bit as an accountant but I hated it. Plus I hated the heat of Queensland. All I wanted to do was study agriculture and run my own farm. Unfortunately Dad thought I had more in me than just putting my hands in dirt and worms all day. At least that’s how he put it. So I stuck with the course and got the degree.” He laughed to himself. “I certainly can’t imagine myself as an accountant working behind a desk all day.”

  Silently Kate agreed that he didn’t look the accountant type. She couldn’t picture him in a suit and tie stuck in an office all day. Like Marcus.

  “Then how did you end up working in a café?” Kate was curious to know the link.

  “I finally quit the accounting job and spent a year or so traveling up and down the east coast trying to decide what to do with my life. I headed south and hung out in Melbourne for a few years, enjoying the whole coffee culture thing. I worked in a few cafés down there and just loved it.”

  Something about the way he spoke caused Kate to glance at him. There was a rawness to his voice and she felt there was much more he wasn’t telling her. His answer sounded slightly evasive as though he was holding something back, but she didn’t push him for more information. She didn’t really know the man well enough to do that.

  “I’ve heard that Melbourne has the best coffee in Australia. Is it really true?” Kate asked.

  “I think it is,” Joel replied. Out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw Joel turn his face toward her. “Haven’t you ever been to Melbourne?” Joel seemed genuinely surprised.

  “No. We didn’t travel much around Australia when I was growing up. Just up and down the coast a bit on family holidays. Mum and Dad liked to take the caravan and just park it at the same spot each year. We did that for years while I was at school. Then after school I did the obligatory trip to the Gold Coast for Schoolies and other than that, I haven’t traveled at all,” Kate explained.

  For a while Joel didn’t answer and they ran together in an easy silence, their feet keeping time with each other on the black asphalt path. Occasionally they moved to one side to let other lone joggers pass, but mostly they had the track to themselves. The fog was gradually lifting and the sun was beginning to rise. Kate could already tell it was going to be another glorious winter day with blue skies, no wind and not a cloud in sight. Days like this made her feel alive. They jogged in silence for a while longer until Kate spoke again.

  “You didn’t explain why you moved back here and started working at the café.” Kate wanted to keep the conversation going and she didn’t want Joel to ask her again why she had made such a big move herself.

  “When I moved back here there were no good cafés and no good coffee. A mate from Victoria was into the whole organic coffee thing and we got chatting. The whole idea of opening up a café and selling his organic beans kind of just happened. So I opened the Bean Counter.”

  She looked a
cross at Joel, embarrassed. “Oh I’m so sorry. I just assumed you worked there. I didn’t realize the café was yours.”

  By now they had almost covered the full twelve-kilometer distance and Kate’s legs were reminding her that it had been a long time since she had run that far, but Joel looked like he could have kept running for hours longer.

  “What are your plans for the rest of today then?” Kate asked as their cars came into sight and she slowed her pace slightly.

  “Work today. I’m open in the morning ’til midday unless it’s quiet, then I close up a bit earlier and head out to the farm.”

  “Farm?”

  “Ah, I suppose that will have to be a conversation for our next run, City Chick,” Joel teased. “If you’re not going to tell me anything about yourself, I’ll have to keep boring you with all the details of my life.”

  Kate knew she’d been caught out, but didn’t want to admit that Joel was right.

  “Well I’m off to work this morning too. I’ve got so much paperwork to catch up on I thought I might head in there on my day off. But I’ll have to stop and grab a coffee first.” She paused for effect and then teased back, “You don’t happen to know anywhere I could get a decent one do you?”

  By the time they had finished stretching, the sun had broken through and the fog was almost gone. Kate half expected Joel to make plans for another run together. She was disappointed when he stepped into his car and, with a wave out the open window, drove off, leaving her alone, surrounded by black fumes from his diesel engine.

  Chapter 12

  An hour later Kate had showered and was dressed in her favorite denim jeans, a long-sleeved blue and white striped T-shirt and a navy blue cable knit cardigan. She was wearing a brand new coat and had wrapped a thick scarf around her neck. Checking herself in the mirror, she was pleased with the casual ensemble. She left her hair loose and the ends curled slightly with a natural wave. It felt nice not having to tie it up for a change.

  She had to circle the block twice before she eventually found a park close by the laneway that led to the Bean Counter. It was a busy morning in town with people filling the streets. There was a buzz Kate hadn’t noticed during the weekdays. It was as though everyone came out to shop on Saturday mornings. After only a short time living in Birrangulla, Kate finally understood what the locals meant when they said their Sydney cousins were missing out. She had to agree with them.

  With a spring in her step Kate headed inside to get her coffee. The café was packed. She noticed the same young woman working alongside Joel behind the machine. They looked comfortable standing together and there was a familiarity about the way their arms occasionally brushed against each other as they worked. Surely she’s too young to be his girlfriend. Kate shook her head. Where were these thoughts coming from? Joel O’Connor might be cute, but she wasn’t interested in another relationship. And she certainly didn’t want to get things confused and start thinking of him as anything other than a friend. If Joel was going out with someone, that would make things so much easier for her. She enjoyed their daily chats and had enjoyed running with him that morning, but she didn’t want to read anything into it that wasn’t there. He certainly wasn’t sending off any signals that he was interested in her. After all, he hadn’t even made another time to catch up.

  Her thoughts spun around her.

  Although the café was busy, Joel looked as relaxed as usual. When he saw Kate he smiled and waved in her direction. She stood patiently in line, waiting for an older couple to make their decision and place their order. When it was her turn she was pleasantly surprised when Joel handed her a freshly made coffee in a brand new reusable cup.

  “This one’s on the house, City Chick,” he said. “Keep the cup for next time. And thanks for the run this morning. We’ll have to do it again.”

  Out of the corner of her eye Kate was sure she saw the young woman frown in her direction. With a “thanks” to Joel and what she hoped was a casual wave, Kate left the café and headed toward the hospital.

  *

  By the time Kate arrived home from work later that afternoon, heavy, dark clouds filled the sky, threatening rain and she stumbled around in the shadows trying to fit her key into the front door lock. While she wasn’t usually spooked by stormy weather, living in such an isolated area had caused her to become a little more jumpy than usual. She seemed to have an increased sensitivity to every sound or change in the environment, especially at night. Although she wasn’t scared, she made a mental note to call April the next morning and arrange for an outdoor light with a sensor to be installed. When the lock finally turned and the door opened, Matilda greeted Kate with her usual exuberance as only a Burmese cat can, winding between Kate’s legs, reminding Kate that her company had been missed all day. She stooped down and picked the cat up in one fluid movement, rubbing her chin on the cat’s head, comforted by her purr.

  “Did you miss me, Till?”

  Flicking on the light switch with her elbow, Kate answered her ringing phone with her spare hand, not recognizing the number displayed on the screen.

  “Hello, Kate Kennedy speaking.”

  “Kate, we need to talk.”

  The voice on the other end was quiet and deliberate. It was a voice Kate knew and loved well. A voice she had managed to avoid up to this point. Immediately she felt her body tense and her heart felt like a knife had been twisted deep inside. Kate unceremoniously dumped Matilda on the couch. “I have nothing to say to you and I don’t believe there are any words I want to hear you speak to me,” Kate answered, her voice wavering slightly as she began to pace through the house. She flicked lights on in each room as though hoping the light would push away the darkness that was rapidly closing in on her heart.

  “Katie!”

  “Don’t ‘Katie’ me, Marcus. How did you even find me? Who gave you this number?” Kate was furious.

  “I called and asked one of your colleagues. Or should I say one of your former colleagues. Mackenzie Jones I think her name was. I had to drag it out of her. Have you seriously left your job and moved to the country? That’s what she was saying. Or is this some temporary thing? You’ve never mentioned wanting to change jobs. And where the hell is Birrangulla?”

  “I’ve already told you, I don’t want to have this conversation with you.”

  “Kate, you have to at least tell me what I’ve done wrong. Why did you leave? You haven’t answered a single one of my messages. Have you even listened to your voicemail?”

  Kate scoffed. “Oh you have to be kidding me, Marcus. Are you serious? If you even try to deny it I’ll hang up right now.”

  “Kate. Honestly. Honey, I have no idea what you’re talking about. All I know is that I came home from work one night and you were gone. You haven’t returned my texts or calls. I’ve been frantic with worry. You obviously weren’t at your parents’ house because I drove past and your car wasn’t there. Your brother refuses to speak to me when I call him. Then yesterday I find out you’ve got a new phone number. I just want to know where you are, why you ran away and when you are coming back home. We can work this out, Kate. Whatever this is.”

  The problem with trying to have an argument with a lawyer is that you never win. Kate had learned that fact early on in her relationship with Marcus. If they ever got into a disagreement, whether it was a major issue or something trivial, things always worked out better if she kept her mouth shut and her head pulled in. Marcus wasn’t a bad person, he just liked to be the alpha male. It didn’t usually bother her, unless they got into an argument. Trying to keep her voice controlled, Kate matched his quiet intensity as she deliberately considered her next words.

  “Marcus. I will say this once and only once so please listen to me without interrupting. It’s over between us. You have broken my heart and I am doing whatever it takes to find peace and healing in a new place. Yes, I resigned from my job and yes, I have taken another position at the hospital in Birrangulla. But of course you already know that. Please
just leave me alone. Don’t call me again. Don’t text. And do not try to find me,” Kate stated emphatically. She knew her face was flushed and she was glad he couldn’t see her – she would have been in tears. Inside, her stomach was churning. She hated confrontation.

  There was silence at the other end for so long that she began to wonder if the call had been accidentally disconnected. Finally she heard Marcus sigh. It wasn’t his usual sigh of exasperation when things didn’t go his way, but more a sigh of defeat and Kate wasn’t sure how to interpret it.

  “Katie, I can’t fix this unless you tell me what I did wrong.” Marcus’s words were a plea for understanding but Kate was confused and still angry.

  “Marcus,” Kate sighed in exasperation, “why don’t you just ask Cindy? I’m sure she can tell you that it’s something that just can’t be fixed.”

  Kate hit the end button on her phone and burst into tears. She felt her body go limp as a wave of fatigue that she hadn’t felt in months overwhelmed her. She thought she had been doing so well in moving on and forgetting Marcus, but all it had taken was one phone call and the memories came flooding back. She barely had time to wipe the tears when the phone rang again.

  “I just told you not to call me again!”

  “Kate?” It was a female voice.

  “Yes? I’m sorry. Who is this?”

  “It’s Debbie. From work.” The unit receptionist.

  “Oh Debbie I’m sorry. What can I do for you?” Kate tried to gather her thoughts and hoped she sounded apologetic. Debbie must think she was incredibly rude but she didn’t want to have to try to explain.

  “There’s been an emergency. I know it’s Saturday and you’re not rostered on, but we can’t get any staff and we’re getting an unexpected admission.”

  “Give me twenty minutes,” Kate replied. “I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

  Chapter 13