Stormbound Surgeon

CHAPTER ELEVEN

JOSS spent the first night in Bowra. First there was a long appointment with Henry, Malcolm’s father. To his relief Henry was no Malcolm. The old lawyer was intelligent and interested, and once he learned what Joss intended he couldn’t do enough to help.

‘God knows, that woman has suffered enough,’ the old man told him. ‘When I think of how my stupid son has treated her… And now there’s Charlotte, of all women. I know Charlotte-she’s the daughter of friends of mine. How the hell he managed to keep their relationship secret…

‘By the way, you needn’t worry about Charlotte,’ the old man added grimly. ‘I’ll see to it that Malcolm marries the girl if that’s what she wants. And if she decides not to-and who could blame her? Well, Malcolm will provide for her anyway. He’ll do it if I personally have to cut off his inheritance to see it done.’

‘I think we’ve had enough of inheritances,’ Joss told him, and the old man agreed.

‘Well, let’s sit down and see what can be done about this one. This idea of yours… I never thought- It’ll take courage.’

‘More than courage,’ Joss told him. ‘But do you think it can be done?’

Then there was a meeting with Doris, the Bowra doctor, who greeted him at first with suspicion and in the end with excitement.

‘If you can pull it off…’

Another person wishing him joy.

His father was working on the Iluka council members, and as Joss left Bowra and headed for Sydney he rang David on his cellphone, pulling over to the side of the road to take the call.

‘Here are the figures you asked for,’ his father told him. ‘Hell, Joss, it looks good. It looks great.’

‘And the bridge?’

‘We reckon we can do it.’

Now there was only the medical side to contend with, Joss thought as he steered the Volkswagen back onto the road. And the bank.

And the government authorities.

Only.

It was a month before Joss returned. He’d hoped it would be sooner but his plans had been extensive. No half-measures would do and he wanted to be sure.

Now he was as sure as he could be. The old lawyer in Bowra was chuckling to himself in huge delight. Amy’s stepfather would be turning in his grave, he decreed, and he couldn’t think of a better fate for the man.

Joss’s father had taken the train to Sydney and was following behind in the pink Volkswagen. Joss was driving something better.

The rebuilding of the bridge hadn’t been started yet-they still needed to use the ferry-but once the work started Amy would guess what the plan was and he wanted to be the one who did the telling. He was as sure as he could be that they could pull this thing off. It was time she was told.

So Joss put his brand-new Range Rover-with a strange new sign on the driver’s door-on the ferry, and then drove it around the cliffs where he’d crashed a month before and pulled up outside the Iluka nursing home. Bertram was out of the car the moment he opened the door, flying in to find all the friends he’d made on their last visit.

Joss followed.

Amy was in her office. She heard the twittering from the living room, she heard the mah-jong set clatter as it hit the floor, and then the big red dog burst into her office. He came bounding up to greet her, his paws landed on her shoulders and she darned near fell over.

Bertram!

David will have brought him back from Sydney, she told herself, fighting down the sudden surge of stupid hope. David and Daisy had told her they were going to Sydney to collect the Volkswagen. What could be more sensible than them bringing the dog back home for a visit?

Joss wouldn’t be here.

She glanced out the window to see a gleaming new Range Rover parked at the entrance. It had a sign on the door. ILUKA

HEALTH RESORT.

It didn’t make sense.

But before she could fully take it in, Joss was standing in the doorway. He had an absurd expression of hope on his face, like he was Bertram and he wasn’t sure whether he’d be kicked or hugged.

‘Joss…’

Her voice faltered. She’d made such resolutions. He’d come back to visit his father occasionally, she’d told herself, and she had to greet him as a friend. Nothing more.

But he was still looking at her, his expression was just the same and it was too much. She was across the room and hugging him, kissing and being kissed, welcoming him with all the love in her heart. ‘Oh, Joss.’

‘Amy.’ He was beaming and beaming, putting her away from him so he could take her all in. ‘You haven’t changed a bit.’

‘You’ve only been away for a month.’

‘I thought you might be pregnant.’ There was a gasp behind them and Joss’s beam widened. ‘Hi, Kitty.’

‘H-Hi.’ The secretary rose on feet that were decidedly unsteady. She was choking on laughter. ‘Pregnant, huh?’

‘I am not,’ Amy told him indignantly. ‘After one night-what do you think you are?’

‘You reckon it’ll take more than a night? What a good thing I’m back.’

‘Joss…’

‘I’ll leave you to it, shall I?’ Kitty managed, and sidled out of the door. She very carefully didn’t close the door behind her.

‘Amy.’ Joss kissed her again and from outside the door there was a collective sigh. Iluka’s residents en masse.

‘Um…’ Somehow she pushed him away.

‘Um?’ He was smiling down at her, with the smile that had the capacity to make her heart do handsprings all on its own. ‘Is that all you can think of to say?’

But she was recovering, just. Friends. She had to greet him as a friend. What she was feeling was the way of insanity.

‘Joss, I can’t…’

‘You can’t what?’

‘Love you.’ There. The thing was said, She waited for him to take it on board and step back.

He did no such thing.

‘You can’t love me?’

‘No.’

‘But the future I’ve planned is founded on just that.’

‘What?’

‘The fact that you love me.’ He looked deeply concerned. ‘Are you sure you can’t? If you try very hard?’

‘Joss…’ She was torn between tears and laughter. It was so good to see him again. It was wonderful.

‘Maybe you can just pretend,’ he told her. ‘You see, I don’t think I can stay here as Medical Director of Iluka Health Services if I don’t have a wife to support me. A man of such importance needs a wife.’ He was grinning at her like a fool. ‘All those opening ceremonies, all that ribbon-cutting-a man needs a wife, if only to hold his handbag.’

‘You,’ she said slowly, ‘are being ridiculous.’

‘Nope. I’m proposing.’ He delved into a back pocket and produced a tiny crimson box. He flipped the lid and there lay the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. A band of gold held a magnificent central diamond, twinkling and sparkling in the morning sun coming in from the window by the sea, and a host of tiny sapphires surrounding it.

‘Oh, Joss.’ It took her breath away.

‘Do you like it?’

‘It’s…it’s beautiful,’ she told him, and he grinned.

‘Yep. And it’s bigger than Malcolm’s.’

She looked up at him then and gasped in indignation. ‘Of all the-’

‘Wonderful men?’

‘Conceited, arrogant-’

‘Wonderful men,’ he repeated, and lifted the ring from the box. ‘Can I put it on your finger?’

But she hung back. ‘Joss, you must see that I can’t.’

‘No.’ His smile faded and he took her arms in his and held them. His eyes were on hers, and what was in his eyes made her catch her breath. Love and care and trust.

Love…

‘Amy, I’ve organised us a life. If you’ll listen.’

She thought about it. She’d give him the benefit of the doubt, she thought. She’d indulge herself as well as him. Pretend for a few short minutes that they had a future.

But Joss had released her. He crossed to the door and flipped it open and there were no fewer than fifteen faces and one dog crammed into the doorway. Grinning, he took a folder from his father and closed the door-but not completely. The fifteen noses would have been squashed. Then he marched over to the desk.

‘This,’ he said, unfolding a huge blueprint onto a desk, ‘is the plan for our future.’

Amy stared at him. Then she stared at the plan.

And gasped.

It was a map of the bluff-the tract of land that held the nursing home. The nursing home took up about five per cent of the available land. But now…

The plan included the nursing home but much more. There was a hospital, about twice the size of the nursing home. There were a score of houses dotting a park-like setting and overlooking the sea. There was a row of shops-more than a dozen with places earmarked for more-plans for a cinema, an indoor heated pool, a remedial health centre, doctors’ surgeries. A hotel named ‘Iluka Coastal Life’. There was even a school! A school labelled ‘Educational Facility for Children of Resort Staff’.

‘What is this?’ she gasped, and he beamed.

‘The whole thing’s the Iluka Health Resort,’ he told her. ‘What else?’

‘I don’t…’

‘You don’t understand?’ He lifted the plans and folded them away, then took her firmly in his arms again. ‘Amy, your stepfather put caveats on all this land-except the bluff. The caveat on the bluff simply says that it’s to be used as a nursing home. But he specifically states that the nursing home is to be built as a resort. Now, my lawyer and I…’

‘Your lawyer?’

‘Henry,’ he told him. ‘Malcolm’s father. We spent a bit of time looking at resorts on the internet, and nearly every resort we found had shops. And swimming pools. And lots of commercial extras. The big ones even had medical facilities. We looked a bit further and we found resorts like this one will be. A health resort with an acute-care hospital and all the ancillary things. Pharmacies, physiotherapists…you name it, we can have it here. Your stepfather left enough money to build the nursing home itself, but as it is it’s not a real resort. So we approached the bank.’

‘You approached the bank.’ Amy was almost speechless.

Joss beamed. ‘Yep. I even wore a tie, and Henry came, too. They were really nice to us. Especially when Henry outlined the financial foundations this place is built on. You have a mansion worth millions and a great nursing home and incredibly valuable land-and you own the lot.’

‘But-’

He was brooking no interruptions. ‘You know, in six years you stand to be an obscenely wealthy woman. This place is worth a fortune, and it’ll be worth much, much more if you develop it. And with what’s here already-the climate, the place-Iluka is the best place in the world to recuperate in. We’ll attract clientele from around the globe.’

‘But I can’t afford-’

‘Yes, you can,’ he told her. He was holding her then, cradling her in his arms and enjoying her confusion. Or enjoying just holding her. Life had been cruel to this woman for far too long. This was his gift.

As Amy was his own sweet gift.

‘We’ve done our homework and the bank sees this as a really viable investment,’ he told her. ‘It won’t all be done at once, but as every stage works out we’ll go on to the next. We have provision for a wonderful little town, whose main industry will be a state-of-the-art health resort. Its centre will be the hospital. This place is a gold mine, and the finance people agree. The bank will do very nicely out of it.’

‘I don’t understand.’ She was so confused she was almost speechless, and his enjoyment grew. This felt…wonderful!

‘We’ll attract medical people from everywhere,’ he told her. ‘In fact, we already have. This district is screaming for decent medical facilities. When the council builds a new four-lane floodproof bridge and improves the road to match…’

‘A bridge?’

‘The council’s agreed to build a bridge, and they’ve already negotiated government assistance. They see-like me-that this is a goer. And it is! Amy, I’ve already sounded out four doctors who have been aching to find somewhere like this to settle. So far there’s two physicians, an anaesthetist, a gynaecologist-and me. We have everyone behind us. The government authorities are more than eager to have a major medical centre established in this area but until now they haven’t had anywhere that would attract doctors. Doris in Bowra is so overworked she’s near to collapse and she almost fell on my neck when I ran this plan past her. So…’ He smiled and held her back at arm’s length. ‘How does that sound? For a beginning?’

‘I…’ She stopped, unable to go on. ‘It sounds unbelievable.’

‘It’s not.’ Joss’s eyes were lit with excitement, aching to share his wonderful dreams with her. ‘It’s entirely believable. And workable. As part of the resort we’ll build smaller cottages to house all the new workers, plus specialist houses for people like Marigold and Lionel who need help but want to stay in their own homes. We’ll build a huge workshop for activities-we’ve even designed a shop-front for it so that Lionel can sell his kites and all those matinée jackets can find a home. Anything that’s part of the resort can be as commercial as we like. By the way, the place will be big enough to need part-timers-volunteers-so people like Marie and Thelma will be able to do as much or as little as they like. Oh, and Malcolm…’

‘Malcolm?’ Amy was no longer breathing. She didn’t need to. Who needed to breathe with this joy?

‘I’ve spent some time with Malcolm in Sydney,’ he told her. ‘He’s recovering but he’s one very sorry boy.’

‘As he should be.’

‘Charlotte’s been to see him, too, and laid his future on the line. If he wants to marry her then he comes to live here because Iluka’s full of people who care. That’s what she said. And he’s desperately worried about how you’ll take it, but…’

‘But?’

‘Well, the man is a decent accountant, even if he is a dope where relationships and boats are concerned. In fact,’ Joss said grudgingly, ‘despite his dopiness where boats are concerned, he’s really quite clever. He worked out all the financial stuff. We do need a competent accountant, and he’s incredibly excited about the project. So if you think you can bear seeing him again…’

‘Why could I not bear to see him?’ She was breathing again, but the joy within was threatening to overwhelm her. ‘Why on earth not?’

‘He betrayed you.’

‘He betrayed Charlotte and she loves him. If she can forgive him, who am I to be judgemental?’

‘You don’t still love him-just a little bit?’ He was looking anxious. That was crazy, Amy thought jubilantly. Crazy.

‘How on earth can I love Malcolm-when I love you?’

‘You love me?’

‘I’d better,’ she said. ‘If you’re going to be Medical Director and cut ribbons then I don’t see that I’ve got a choice but to stick around.’

‘You’re going to be Director-In-Chief, and you can cut ribbons, too.’

‘I thought I got to hold the handbags.’

‘I’ll leave my handbag at home,’ he said magnanimously. ‘If that’s what it takes.’

‘Gee, thanks.’

‘But it could work.’ He was still anxious, she thought. He was gazing at her with all the hope in the world. Like Bertram asking for someone to give him a ball.

No.

Not like Bertram.

Like Joss, asking her to give him a future.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them he was still looking at her with hope.

‘Amy?’

‘Mmm?’

‘Will you marry me?’

There was a long indrawn collection of breath and Amy glanced toward the doorway. How many heads could fit around one door?

‘Can I have a puppy?’ she asked.

‘Ten.’

‘Can I have a baby?’

‘Ten.’

And she was laughing, joy and love and wonder all struggling for supremacy.

Love won. It always did.

‘Of course I’ll marry you,’ she told him as he gathered her into his arms and held her close. ‘Of course I’ll marry you. Oh, my love… Now and for ever.’

The entire population of the Iluka nursing home broke into applause-and Amy and Joss didn’t even notice.

Iluka was as it should be.

Almost as soon as the new bridge was built people started drifting toward Iluka. There were things going on here. Jobs were being advertised. Construction was starting on the new hospital.

People came and saw and fell in love.

The day had been sun-soaked and beautiful. Families were packing up on the beaches. The ice-cream van had closed for the day. There were elderly couples walking on the beach, catching the last of the sun’s rays.

It was the end of another glorious day in paradise, as a cluster of Iluka’s long-term residents stood on the sand to watch Joss Braden and Amy Freye exchange their vows.

‘Come prepared for wet feet,’ the wedding invitation had stated, because Joss and Amy knew where they wanted to be married. So this motley assortment of wedding guests hoisted their skirts and rolled up their trousers. Their bare toes were soaking in the shallows.

Amy and Joss stood on their rock above the waves, and the last of the sun fell on their faces as they faced each other with love. And certainty.

And joy.

‘Do you take this woman…?’

‘I do.’

‘And you, Amy. Do you take this man…?’

‘I do.’

There was such love here. Who could not wish this couple all the joy in the world?

In the last few months they’d transformed Iluka into the paradise it had always promised to be. There were a few disgruntled millionaires, but even they had been known to wander down when no one was watching and buy an ice cream from Mr Whippy. Their children played with Lionel’s kites on the beach.

One of Lionel’s kites was flying now.

No. Not one. Two of Lionel’s kites. Huge box kites, being manoeuvred by children on the beach. They must have been primed by Lionel, because Lionel himself was knee deep in water, holding hands with Marigold, and beaming and beaming.

Everyone was there.

Daisy and David. Charlotte and Malcolm and tiny Ilona- Charlotte holding tight to Malcolm with a proprietorial air that said Malcolm had better not put another foot wrong if he knew what was good for him.

The look on his face said he knew very well what was good for him and he’d found it right here.

Bertram was here, though he wasn’t venturing out into the water. He had enough to contend with-a brand-new springer spaniel puppy was trying to chase his tail and the dogs were spinning in circles of delight in the sand.

Who else? So many. Mary, Sue-Ellen, Marie, Thelma, old Robbie who’d been installed as head gardener-all the people they loved were here. It was just perfect.

The ceremony was over.

‘I now pronounce you man and wife.’ The celebrant beamed as Joss lifted Amy into his arms and kissed her.

‘My wife,’ he whispered. ‘My love.’ The whole world seemed to hold its breath as their kiss sealed their vows.

Above their heads the kites intertwined-only now there were three. Three box kites spun against the sunset, each painted crimson with huge white lettering. They’d been painted in an act of love from all the residents of Iluka Nursing Home.

One spelled JOSS.

The second spelled AMY.

The final kite spelled FOR EVER.