Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Two weeks later, Matilda was very ready for Christmas Day to arrive.
She’d finished the last of her Christmas shopping when they were in Helen for the weekend.
She found some kitschy souvenirs and knickknacks she thought her family would like and that wouldn’t be heavy in the mail, and she’d already purchased a leather La-Z-Boy for Ryan.
It was covered up in the garage, waiting for her to figure out how exactly to get it under the tree.
It was her last week at work prior to the holidays, and she wouldn’t come back after that, since the new owners had already taken charge.
She would do a handover this week and then say goodbye to the place forever.
She couldn’t wait, even if she did feel a little sad about it. The relief outweighed the sadness.
She wasn’t seeing patients this week, since there was so much paperwork to do and so many meetings to attend with the new manager and staff.
But she’d come to work feeling out of sorts.
It was Monday morning, and she’d overeaten the day before.
She and Ryan had ordered pizzas and she’d fallen victim to the picture of a chocolate lava cake on the menu, which she’d regretted as soon as she’d consumed the final bite.
Ever since then, her stomach hadn’t felt right.
Her desk was covered with scattered papers. The computer screen was bright, and a headache thudded at the base of her skull. She pressed both hands to her head and massaged it gently. She had to get through today and then she could collapse in bed with a wet cloth on her forehead and go to sleep.
There was a knock at the door, and Tracey, the new manager, poked her head through the opening. “You free?”
Matilda swallowed, hoping to banish the sickness with a positive attitude. Mind over matter, as her dad had always said. She stood up and beckoned Tracey into the room.
“Yes, I’m free. Come in. Take a seat.”
Tracey sat in the chair opposite her and crossed her ankles. “I love what you’ve done with the place. It really is delightful.”
“Thanks so much. I know you’ll love it here.”
“Do you mind me asking, was there a reason you wanted to sell?”
Matilda hadn’t been ready for such a blunt approach. Generally, Southerners came at their questions in a roundabout way. “Um… well.” She cleared her throat. “I found it to be a lot of work. I’m sure you’ll be fine, though.”
“I know what you mean. I’ve managed two other clinics before this one. It can be hard.”
“I didn’t really have anyone to share the load with me. I mean, I had my staff, but I felt pretty alone, and I realised I’m just not that person. I don’t think I’m an entrepreneur at heart.”
“Well, the way you’ve set this place up, I’d probably disagree with you on that. You really nailed the branding. And the procedures you have in place make it run so smoothly. You’ve got a knack for business—there’s no questioning that.”
Matilda looked around her carefully but simply decorated office and smiled. “Wow, thanks. That’s so kind of you. It makes me feel a little better, actually.”
“I’m glad. But you should know, when a corporate group owns the clinics, like the one I work for, they make sure you have administrative support in everything you do.
You really should’ve had a full-time administrator with the number of patients on your books.
You were trying to do too much. That was the problem, in my opinion.
Don’t be hard on yourself — it’s not that you’re bad at it, or that you can’t cope with it.
It’s that you were overworked. It happens to most people the first time they step out on their own.
They don’t know how much they could be delegating because it’s hard to give up the reins like that. ”
Matilda sat with that for a moment. Tracey was right. She should’ve let someone else in. She’d felt alone in running the clinic because she was. Why hadn’t she looked for more help? “I guess I didn’t think I could get help with those things. But you’ve given me a lot to think about. Thanks.”
“I didn’t want you to give up on yourself. That’s all.”
Matilda looked at Tracey with a new level of respect. The woman’s red bob and sparkling green eyes gave her a bouncy, happy look. But there was more depth to her than she’d seen.
“Thanks. That means a lot to me. More than you know.”
They went over the books together. Matilda shared with her all of the changes she’d made to the way the clinic operated and ran her through their procedures.
She’d already gone over these things once before, but now she did it in detail.
She wanted this clinic to succeed, even if it would be without her at the helm.
She loved the staff and the customers. It was a good little community they’d become part of and then built together over the time she’d owned the place.
She would miss it more than she’d let herself realise before when she was too run-down and overloaded with work to think clearly.
By the time she was done for the day, her entire body hurt.
She felt like she had a fever, and even though she’d snacked on a little bit of this and that throughout the day, she still felt sick to her stomach sporadically.
She must’ve caught some kind of flu. Or could food poisoning feel like that?
Surely she’d have had a more violent reaction if it was food poisoning.
She’d experienced it once before after eating sushi from a grocery store on the Gold Coast. She’d never do that again.
It’d traumatised her for life. She couldn’t even look at grocery store sushi anymore without feeling a wave of nausea wash over her.
At the house, Ozzie greeted her with ten minutes of violent tail wagging and ferocious licking.
She couldn’t help laughing at his antics.
He treated her like a long-lost love every single day when she got home, as though he’d thought he’d never see her again.
It was nice to be so well-loved. He’d given up on chewing his way through her shoes and had turned into a well-behaved and sweet-natured dog just so long as Ryan took him for a long run every morning to wear him out.
As an Australian Shepherd, he had a penchant for herding the neighbour’s chickens.
But otherwise, he followed the rules pretty well, and she loved his company.
Ryan wasn’t home yet, so she checked her phone messages.
There were a few texts from various friends and family.
Stella had texted to ask her about Christmas plans.
But she’d answer the messages later. Right now, she needed to lie down.
She drank an entire glass of lemonade, hoping it would help her stomach recover, then lay in bed with Ozzie curled up on the floor beside her.
She’d lie still and close her eyes for a few minutes. Maybe it would help her feel better.
The next thing she knew, she was opening groggy eyes in complete darkness. Ryan stood in the doorway. He flicked on the light switch and stared at her in surprise.
“Oh, sorry, honey. I didn’t know you were in here.” He switched off the light and sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair. “You had a nap?”
“I lay down for a little rest. What time is it?” She could barely get the words out. There was a wet patch on the sheets beneath where her mouth had been. She’d really been dead to the world.
“It’s eight o’clock.”
She sat up. “I slept for four hours?”
He laughed. “That’s okay. You’ve been tired lately. Maybe this is what you needed.”
She swung her feet to the side of the bed and rubbed her hands over her face. “I never take naps. I can’t believe I slept so long. I was feeling sick… and I do feel a little better now. Maybe you’re right—I needed to sleep.”
“Do you want some dinner?”
“Yeah, I’m starving. But I haven’t made anything.”
“That’s okay. I’ll go pick something up. I won’t be long.”
He returned about twenty minutes later with a huge stack of Chinese takeaway containers.
In the meantime, Matilda had showered, dressed in her PJs, and was seated on the couch with the TV on.
She still couldn’t quite wake up. Her mind was a blur.
She was confused about how she’d managed to sleep soundly for so long in the afternoon.
But at least the flu seemed to have abated somewhat.
They watched a wildlife documentary together, with the food laid out on the coffee table.
Matilda filled her plate with beef and black bean, chicken and cashew, shrimp chow mein, fried rice and spring rolls.
She loved Chinese food, but especially tonight.
It really hit the spot. She enjoyed every bite.
“How did it go today at the clinic?” Ryan asked around a mouthful of rice.
“It was great. Tracey is the new manager, and she was so nice. Very kind and encouraging. She said I’d done a great job in setting up the place to run smoothly, but that I overloaded myself with responsibilities and that’s why I felt overwhelmed.”
“That makes sense,” he said. “And I told you that you’d done well there. The place was in need of a lot of TLC when you started.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I feel really good about it now. I did it well, and now it’s time to move on and do something new.”
“You’ll be great at whatever you tackle. You’re a hard worker, and you’re really cute, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “My cuteness has nothing to do with my work skills.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” he replied with a wink.
She leaned over to kiss him, then frowned. “Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t kiss you. I’ve been sick all day. I thought I was coming down with something, but maybe I’m not. I don’t know now.”
He shrugged. “I’ve got a strong immune system. I’m sure it’s fine.”