The Australian's Bride

‘Is the door locked?’

‘You think I didn’t try it?’ The tone was scathing. Susie’s heart tripped but then her hackles rose. There was no reason for this man to have any power over her and any emotional involvement she was feeling came from the notion that he needed her. Maybe he wasn’t so helpless after all.

Then Alex shook his head wearily and his expression squashed any doubts. ‘Sorry, but I’ve tried everything. The window’s closed and too opaque to see through. The door bolts from the inside so it’s no use sending for a skeleton key. Short of breaking the damn thing down—and, yes, I did consider that—the only thing I’ve been able to do is try talking to her.’

‘And she’s not answering?’

‘No.’

‘You don’t think she’s hurt herself, do you?’

‘No. She’s been crying but it doesn’t sound as if she’s in physical pain.’

‘Have you got any idea what’s upset her so much?’

Alex sighed heavily, spreading his hands in an eloquent gesture of frustration. ‘I have absolutely no idea. I’d told her she could wear what she wanted to the disco.’ His gaze travelled over Susie, as though only just registering what she was wearing. She saw him swallow with what appeared to be something of an effort. ‘I said I hoped she was going to have a great time. And that… that if that boy didn’t think she was stunning, he had rocks in his head.’

Susie grinned. ‘You said that? Really?’

‘Really.’ Alex returned the smile and the heavy lines of his face softened. ‘She…I…I feel as if I’ve stepped onto a new planet here, Susie. I sent a little girl away to camp and I came here to find a young woman. One that seems to think I’ve suddenly become the enemy.’

Susie was still smiling. ‘I do understand, Alex. Don’t worry. You’re feeling like every parent of every teenager has felt at some point.’ She turned towards the closed door on the far side of the living area. ‘Right. I was a teenager myself once. I’ll see what I can do.’

‘She was so happy when she went in there.’ Alex stayed where he was, still close to the ranch slider, watching Susie. ‘I simply don’t understand this.’

Susie tapped on the door. ‘Stella?’

No response.

‘It’s Susie,’ she continued. ‘Are you OK, hon?’

Stupid question. No wonder it provoked a muffled sob.

‘I can help,’ Susie offered, hoping fervently that the statement was accurate. ‘Whatever it is that’s bothering you.’

Silence again but Susie had the feeling that Stella might be listening.

‘It’s just me,’ she added. Turning, she flapped her hand at Alex and he hesitated for only a moment before giving a curt nod and stepping out onto the veranda, sliding the door shut behind him. ‘I’m not going anywhere, Stella. You can talk through the door if you want, but it might be better if you let me come in.’

Susie had to bite her lip to allow the next silence to continue long enough for Stella to think it through. Finally, when it seemed she might have failed already, she heard shuffling sounds and then an odd thumping on the door.

‘What’s happening? You haven’t hurt yourself, have you?’

‘I’m using my crutch.’ Stella’s voice was thick. She had been crying long enough to make it sound like she had a heavy head cold. ‘To open the lock.’

Another thump then a bang and then Susie heard the metallic clink of the bolt moving. She tried the handle of the door and it opened.

‘Lock it again,’ Stella ordered.

‘OK.’ Susie obliged after a quick glance at the girl sitting on the floor in the space between the toilet and the bidet in the well-appointed bathroom. She looked exhausted and upset but not injured.

Having locked the door, Susie closed the lid of the toilet and sat down, leaning forward to try and make eye contact with Stella.

‘What happened, sweetheart?’ she asked carefully. ‘Why didn’t you go to the disco?’

Stella burst into tears again and Susie reached out automatically. And then Stella’s head was in her lap and all she could do was stroke the sparse dark hair under her hand as the teenager sobbed uncontrollably.

‘It’s awful,’ she choked out finally. ‘My new skirt is ruined…’

‘What’s wrong with it?’

‘It’s…it’s…’ Stella’s voice dropped to an almost inaudible groan. ‘The blood!’

Susie’s heart skipped a beat. Stella had hurt herself. Then something clicked into place. No wonder Alex hadn’t been welcome.

‘Is it your period, hon?’

Susie’s jeans were wet from tears and now Stella’s nose was being rubbed on her leg as she nodded miserably.

‘Your first one?’

‘They said…it might not happen for ages because of the chemo. I didn’t think it would happen on camp. And not tonight!’

‘No.’ Susie went back to stroking. ‘It sucks, doesn’t it? I’m so sorry you missed the disco.’

‘I bet Lauren was there.’

Susie smoothed back fine wisps of hair from Stella’s face. ‘It’s you that Jamie likes,’ she said.

‘How do you know that?’

‘He came here, didn’t he? To check that you were going to the disco?’

Stella had stopped crying. She raised her head enough to give Susie a suspicious glance.

‘I’ll tell you a secret,’ Susie continued. ‘Boys only use a nickname for girls they really like…Star.’

‘He won’t like me now.’

‘He’ll be disappointed that you didn’t make it tonight but he’ll get over it.’ Susie smiled. ‘Playing hard to get isn’t always a bad move, and at least he got to see you wearing your new clothes.’

Stella pushed herself upright. ‘You reckon he’ll still talk to me?’

‘Go to the beach in the morning. Smile and see what happens.’

‘But I can’t!’

‘Why not?’

‘Because…of…you know.’

Susie shook her head. ‘Periods are a nuisance but they don’t need to stop you doing anything you want to do. Let’s get you sorted.’ She eyed the vanity unit. ‘These bathrooms come stocked with just about everything. I wouldn’t recommend trying tampons this time round but there’ll be something else. And why don’t I go and find your pyjamas? You can give me your skirt and knickers and I’ll get them washed and back to you tomorrow as good as new, I promise.’

‘Thank you so much.’

Susie accepted the glass of red wine and sank back onto the comfortable veranda chair. ‘My pleasure. I’m just happy I was able to help.’

‘Which is probably directly attributable to the amount of time you’ve spent with my daughter in the last week.’ Alex was pouring himself a glass of wine. ‘You’ve obviously built up quite a rapport.’

‘She’s a great kid. You must be very proud of her.’

‘Of course.’ Alex put the wine bottle down. ‘You sure she’s all right now?’

‘She’s sound asleep. I’ll check in on her in the morning but we’ve had a good talk about everything.’ Susie’s smile escaped as she tried to make it sound as though she had tackled the situation in a professional manner. ‘She has an action plan.’

Alex folded long limbs to sit down on the adjacent chair. ‘It didn’t even occur to me that it could be something like her period.’

‘Why should it? You’re a bloke.’

‘That’s no excuse. I’m a single parent. I’m supposed to think of everything.’

‘You get more than your fair share of things that need thinking about. Don’t beat yourself up, Alex.’ It was getting easier to use his name. Nothing like a bit of a crisis to get to know someone. ‘Even if you had thought of it, Stella would probably have been excruciatingly embarrassed. Maybe even more than she already was.’

‘Is it always like this? The first time, I mean?’

‘Depends.’ Susie took a thoughtful sip of her wine. ‘Mine wasn’t great. It was one of the only things I beat my twin sister Hannah at, but we were on a school camp at the time. I was only twelve and didn’t have anything with me and it was a girls’ school. There was this weird philosophy that only losers went to ask the teachers for help.’

‘What did you do?’

‘Coped. With wads of very scratchy toilet paper.’ Susie hurriedly took a larger swallow of her wine to try and wash away an inward cringe. Why on earth was she sharing a piece of history that personal with Alex?

‘Not something teenage boys have to deal with, thank goodness.’ Alex was sounding far more relaxed. He still hadn’t combed his hair or changed his shirt or shaved but, instead of looking like a distraught parent, he now looked rather deliciously dishevelled. ‘I guess the closest I got would have been my first—’

He stopped abruptly, his gaze flicking up to meet Susie’s and his eyes widening enough to let her know he had spoken without thinking and was disconcerted, to say the least, at what he’d been about to confess.

She knew what it was. The jolt into puberty that a boy’s first wet dream represented.

The unspoken words hung between them, creating the most astonishing sexual awareness Susie had ever encountered.

Oh, help! The heavy tropical darkness surrounding them was suddenly devoid of oxygen. Closing in on them like a blanket.

Wrapping them up.

Both of them.

The loud night song of the frogs, the rustle of small creatures and the flap of wings from owls and bats vanished. Susie could hear a faint humming sound.

The sexual energy crackling around her?

More like the pulsing of her own blood, which had quickened rather noticeably. That would also explain the flush she could feel colouring her cheeks. Thankfully, it was too dark for Alex to have noticed.

She drained her wineglass. ‘I’d better go.’

Good grief! She had to clear her throat to get rid of an embarrassingly obvious huskiness. She scrambled to her feet. ‘It’s a big day tomorrow, with the opening and everything. Did you get your speech written?’

‘No.’ Alex followed her example and stood up. ‘I’d better get on with it now.’ He also cleared his throat. ‘Sorry,’ he murmured. ‘I didn’t mean to…’

What? Embarrass her by talking about things normally kept private?

Or make her achingly aware of just how attractive she found him?

Susie shook the thought away with a flick of her head. ‘It’s fine,’ she interrupted dismissively. ‘Not a problem.’ She stepped back as Alex took a step towards her. An unconscious reaction, as though her body knew there was some kind of magnetic pull going on and the only sensible thing to do was to stay out of the danger zone.

‘Good luck with the speech.’ Susie headed for the steps. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

The sighting didn’t come as soon as she might have expected.

Or hoped for?

Susie had to give herself a good mental shake due to the level of disappointment she experienced on finding the Vavunis cabin deserted at 8:00 a.m. the next morning.

Even being careful not to make any new assumptions about Alex, it seemed unlikely that he would have chosen to share the noisy, crowded camp dining room in order to have breakfast with Stella. More likely, they had taken a cart back to the hotel to sample the astounding array of food available in the main restaurant or something simpler in one of the cafés that had provided the superb cup of coffee Susie had indulged in.

They could easily have gone past her unnoticed. Susie had left her bicycle in the rack outside the medical centre, choosing to walk along the beach, carrying her sandals so that she could enjoy the wash of the gentle waves. She’d been careful not to wade out too far and dampen the only really decent pair of shorts she owned.

The denim cut-offs of yesterday had been discarded in favour of these sand-coloured cargo shorts that came almost to her knees. No skimpy singlet top, either. In order to look as professional as possible, Susie had donned her brand-new ‘official’Crocodile Creek Camp T-shirt. It was white and featured a picture of the latest camp mascot—a brown toy dog that had arrived with Beth a few weeks ago. It had spaniel’s ears, a top hat, black boots and a white-topped cane. With the flick of a switch, he could tap dance to the tune of ‘Putting On The Ritz’ and he never failed to make children laugh. The real camp dog, Garf, was in danger of being toppled from his position of leading the popularity stakes.

Susie had hoped it would make Alex smile. It certainly made a lot of the children smile when she went into the dining hall.

‘We want Ritzy,’ a small girl told her. ‘Can he dance on our table today?’

‘That depends,’ said the aide in charge. ‘He will if our group is the first to finish breakfast and we all remember to put our dishes onto the trolley.’

Susie was scanning the room. There were lots of adults—parents who were here with their children, camp leaders, instructors for special activities and medical personnel like the nurse Benita Green, who was here with the group of children suffering from cancer.

There was no sign of Alex but Stella was at a nearby table. Sitting beside Jamie, no less.

‘Hi, Stella!’ Susie was deliberately casual. ‘What have you done with your dad?’

‘He’s gone to meet some guy from the medical centre. That one in the wheelchair.’

‘Dr Wetherby.’

‘Yeah. They’re having breakfast and a meeting. I’m supposed to go and have lunch with him at the hotel.’

‘That’s cool. We’ll have finished our session well before that.’

Stella shook her head. ‘I don’t want to go to lunch. I’m going to the beach.’

‘I’m helping with surfing lessons for some of the older kids,’ Jamie said. ‘Not that there’s anything like a real wave up here, but they can practise trying to stand on the boards and maybe catch a tiny wave. Hey, Star, you could have a go. Body-surfing, anyway.’ He spoke as though missing part of a limb was simply an inconvenience rather than an obstacle. Susie beamed at him.

‘I might just watch,’ Stella muttered. ‘Dr Miranda asked if I could help judge the sandcastle competition the little kids are having later.’

‘Let’s get your session done now,’ Susie suggested. ‘I need to get back to the medical centre myself soon and see how the sick kids are getting on.’

Stella was using her crutches as they left the dining hall but Susie was pleased to see she wasn’t putting much weight on them. An insurance policy, perhaps?

‘I like the way you’re walking,’ she said. ‘And that you came to breakfast and sat with Jamie. You really are a bit of a star, aren’t you?’ Susie smiled at the girl hopping beside her. ‘I think I might start calling you that myself.’

‘Jamie came to sit with me,’ Stella confided. ‘He said he was worried I was getting flu or something, like the other kids, and that was why I hadn’t shown up last night.’

‘What did you tell him?’

‘That I just had a guts ache.’ Stella sounded defensive.

‘True enough. Did…um…your dad say anything this morning?’

‘No. He was really good.’ Stella sounded surprised now. ‘I thought he’d be mad at me for swearing at him. Did you tell him not to be?’

‘No. He probably understands more than you think. Or maybe he’s just a nice guy.’

Stella snorted. ‘He’s just Dad. Hey, what’s the hotel like?’

‘Gorgeous. The bed’s so big I could sleep sideways.’

Not that Susie had slept much at all. Far too much of that odd energy had stayed with her and made for a wakeful night haunted by images of Alex. Of his black eyes and tousled hair. The sound of his voice and—most of all—that appealing vulnerability she’d seen for the first time.

A glimpse of a real man under the image and reputation. A man that clearly blew every other male on the planet out of the water as far as being attractive went.

‘There was champagne in an ice bucket and a big bowl of tropical fruit,’ Susie continued. ‘Chocolates on my pillow and brochures about all the cool stuff you can do at the resort.’

‘Like what?’

‘Ooh, luxury stuff. Like day spas and personal trainers in the gym. Scenic flights in a seaplane or helicopter. Paragliding, scubadiving, private picnics on a deserted island. You name it, they’ll make it happen. Oh, and a really good laundry service, too. Your skirt’s in a bag on the veranda chair at your cabin.’

‘Thanks.’

‘No sweat.’ They had reached the part of the administration building Susie used for her physiotherapy sessions. The equipment was minimal but adequate and included a set of parallel bars for standing and walking practice. ‘How about leaving those crutches by the door, Stell—I mean, Star. If you can do as well as yesterday, we might head out and try the track. Maybe even some steps or sand.’

‘You’ve done the right thing, admitting her.’

‘Not… We’re not overreacting?’ asked Jill Shaw. She was the woman responsible for the little girl on whom Alex was just completing the neurological examination Beth had asked him to do. Charles’s partner. Apparently Lily was their ward. Jill had a sticking plaster on a reddened cheek, which looked odd, but this was no time to ask her what had happened.

‘Not.’ Alex put down the reflex hammer but kept Lily’s leg bent at the hip, supported by his arm. ‘Can you straighten your leg for me, Lily?’

She could and that was good. A negative Kernig’s sign. Alex put the leg down and pulled the cover back over the sick little girl, whose eyes were closing again.

‘She started showing these symptoms yesterday, is that right?’

‘Yes.’ The word was almost a growl from Charles, whose wheelchair was positioned right beside the bed that was in what passed for the medical centre’s emergency room. ‘But it looked like any run-of-the-mill viral illness. She had a bit of a temperature. She was a bit sniffly. That’s all.’ He sounded defensive.

Jill said nothing. She was standing at the head of the bed, holding Lily’s hand. Alex caught the look she directed at Charles. Tentative. There was an undercurrent of tension between these two. Understandable, of course. They were worried about Lily and Alex was only too aware that he might not be able to allay those fears. Not yet, anyway.

‘Beth says she was having nightmares.’

‘More like hallucinations,’ Jill whispered.

‘It was a nightmare,’ Charles interrupted Jill. ‘I told you she was upset by that dead bird she found the other day.’

‘But she saw it flying around the room.’

‘She’s running a temperature. She’s in a strange place.’

Lily had opened her eyes again. She looked from Jill to Charles and back again. Her bottom lip wobbled. ‘I want to go home,’ she said plaintively.

Alex leaned closer and smiled at the frightened child. ‘We’ve got you here so we can all take extra-special care of you,’ he said. ‘Do you remember my name, Lily?’

She shook her head. The over-brightness of her eyes and the two red spots on her cheeks were indicating the high temperature she was now running. It was the listlessness and drowsiness that was more of a concern right now, however. Alex had the impression her level of consciousness was down a point or two.

‘How’s your neck, poppet?’ He slipped his hands behind Lily’s head. ‘In here.’

‘It hurts.’

‘It’s just her glands,’ Charles said sharply.

Alex caught his gaze. They both knew better than that. ‘Let’s not take that as read,’ he said mildly as he straightened. ‘Let’s step outside so we can let Lily go back to sleep,’ he suggested. ‘Marcia, can you stay with Lily, please? She could have that dose of paracetamol now.’

The nurse, Marcia, nodded, moving closer to the bed as everyone else filed out.

‘Beth’s right,’ Alex said, as soon as the door closed behind them. ‘On the positive side, we’ve got no rash and a negative Kernig’s sign, but we can’t rule out meningitis without a lumbar puncture.’

There was a moment’s silence as the implications sank in. Meningitis was a scary word, even to the kind of highly trained medical professionals these people all were.

Charles broke the silence. ‘I’ll do it.’

‘No.’ Beth spoke firmly. ‘You can’t. You know you can’t. You have one of the country’s top paediatric neurosurgeons right here. How many lumbar punctures have you done on children, Alex?’

‘I can’t say. A lot.’

‘I’d be guessing it’s a lot more than Charles or I have done,’ Beth said. ‘I’m sorry, but it’s a no-brainer. You’re her daddy, Charles. You get to hold her hand.’

‘I’m staying with her,’ Jill said quickly.

For just a moment Alex’s attention was being diverted. Further along the corridor they were in, Susie was entering the medical centre. She looked almost prim this morning, with her hair tied back in a ponytail. And she was wearing long shorts and a demure T-shirt with a silly picture on it.

No hint of those endless tanned legs, blonde curls brushing bare shoulders or the lace-covered cleavage that had taunted him as he’d tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep last night. Curiously, the way she was covered up this morning only seemed to spark an even more noticeable ripple of attraction.

Especially when she smiled.

Alex caught himself staring at Susie’s mouth. Fortunately, her attention was on Beth.

‘Sorry to interrupt,’ she said, ‘but have you seen Miranda?’

‘She’s in with Jack,’ Beth told her.

Susie was looking at Charles now. And then at Jill. ‘Is everything all right? What’s happened to your cheek?’

‘It’s nothing. But, no, everything’s not all right.’ For a second it looked as though Jill might lose the extraordinary control she seemed to have. ‘Lily’s sick. She’s about to have a lumbar puncture.’

‘We could use your help, if you’re free,’ Alex said to Susie. ‘We might need extra staff to help position her.’

‘Oh…’ Compassion made her eyes an even darker blue, but Alex couldn’t afford any further distraction. ‘Not our Lily.’ She hugged Jill.

‘Let’s get on with it,’ Alex said brusquely. He didn’t want to stand there watching Susie hug people. No wonder Jill was looking ill with worry. Reminding her that Lily would have to be restrained to make the procedure safe hadn’t exactly helped, had it? He gave her a sympathetic smile.

‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘Let’s assume this is a needless test, taken to be on the safe side. I’ll use plenty of local and make it virtually painless. With so many people around who know and love her, she’ll be just fine.’

A few minutes later Alex was gowned and gloved. So was everybody else in the now crowded room. Lily stared at them all, wide-eyed and frightened. The tension was palpable and the sooner they got this over with, the better.

‘What gauge needle have you got there, Beth?’

‘A twenty.’

‘Does the stylet fit the barrel?’

‘All checked. We’re good,’ Beth assured him.

‘Right. Lily, let’s get you lying on your side, sweetheart. We’re going to do a test on your back that’ll help us find out what’s the matter with you. It’ll tell us which medicine is right for you. OK?’

‘OK…’

‘Jill, you stay close to her head and hold her hand. Charles, can you keep a hand on Lily’s hip and the legs? Marcia? Legs for you, too, and Susie, I’ll get you beside me with extra support for Lily’s chest and arms.’ He gave them all a significant nod. They would be responsible for holding the child absolutely still.

Beth swabbed the area of Lily’s lower back with disinfectant and Alex pressed along the spine, counting carefully. He knew Susie was watching him.

‘I’m looking for the space between the third and fourth lumbar vertebrae,’ he told her. ‘Have you seen a lumbar puncture before?’

Susie shook her head.

‘It’s not too major.’ Alex spoke very quietly, and Lily was turned the other way, listening to something Jill was saying. ‘The local’s the worst bit.’ He raised his voice. ‘Small scratch,’ he warned Lily.