Forty-nine
The next few weeks passed in a blur for Jamie as he spent as much time at Rory’s bedside as he could, besides conducting those fishing charters he’d been unable to cancel. He and Erica spent every night together, and her company and closeness were a great comfort to him. He didn’t know how he’d have coped without her calm presence and her warm body close to his. She also managed to pop in to see Rory every day during her breaks, and it was a consolation to Jamie to know she was right there in the hospital should anything go wrong when he wasn’t around.
After four surgeries, during which flesh from his stomach had been used to repair his thigh, Rory was making what the doctors described as a good recovery , though his leg would never be the same, and Jamie worried about his mental health after such an ordeal.
Today, like any other day, he’d popped in to see his son early, before heading out with his charter, and now the day was over he was home to shower and change before making another visit to the hospital. Erica had called in the middle of the day to tell him Rory seemed brighter, and he was looking forward to seeing him. She had her book club tonight and had promised to pop in again on her way to Gill’s apartment where her meeting was to be held. The hospital staff were very flexible with visiting hours, allowing him and Gary to visit when they were able. Mandy often visited Rory during the day too, taking along Archie who was growing fast and whose presence helped cheer Rory.
Jamie was feeling optimistic when he pushed open the door to Rory’s room. Gary was there, and the two men were looking at something on Rory’s iPad. They stopped when Jamie walked in and put it down.
‘Good news, Dad,’ Gary said. ‘Rory, tell Dad what the doc said.’
‘Seems I’m ready to get out of here and go to rehab. I’ll be up and about in no time.’ He grinned.
Jamie wished it was true. He knew it would be some time before Rory would be walking again, and that he might never be able to walk unaided. Fixing a smile on his face to hide his heartache, he said, ‘That’s great news, son.’
‘Only one problem, Dad.’
‘Oh, what’s that?’ Were they going to send him off to rehab in Brisbane where Jamie wouldn’t be able to visit?
‘Mum’s here.’
‘Where?’ Jamie glanced around the room, almost expecting Cindy to pop up.
It was Gary who answered. ‘She’s in Pelican Crossing, arrived this afternoon. There’s no room at our place and she and Mandy aren’t the best.’ He coughed and reddened. ‘She’s staying in a hotel, says she’s going to visit this evening.’
‘How did she…?’ Jamie remembered Gary saying he’d called her after the accident, but that had been weeks ago. He’d thought if she was coming, she’d have come then, not waited till now. But Cindy had never acted predictably.
‘I’ve been keeping her filled in,’ Gary said, flushing. ‘She is our mum,’ he added, when both Jamie and Rory groaned.
‘Why now?’ Rory asked. ‘I wish you’d told me you were in touch with her, Gary. You know Mum and I…’
Gary shifted from one foot to the other. ‘She wanted to know. I thought…’
‘Does she have that slimeball with her?’ Jamie asked. ‘The one she brought to your wedding.’
‘No, she’s here on her own. Give her a break, Dad. Can’t you forgive and forget?’
Jamie tensed. He didn’t want to argue with Gary, not with Rory lying there, but Cindy had done nothing to earn his forgiveness. Gary might be able to forget how she’d abandoned him and Rory when they were in their teens, but he never could. And the way she’d behaved towards him at Gary’s wedding… A leopard didn’t change its spots. But he wasn’t going to allow her to chase him away from his son’s bedside.
‘Look at this, Dad.’ Rory held up the iPad he and Gary had been looking at when Jamie walked in and turned it so Jamie could see the screen. ‘I’m famous!’
Jamie stared at the screen and read the article headed: Shark Attack in Tourist Town. Man Saved from Untimely Death. It went on to describe how local man, Rory Whittaker, had escaped death from a shark attack, saved by the local mayor who used his dog’s lead to stem the bleeding. There was a photo of Rory with his surfboard, taken a few years earlier at a surfing event down the coast, and one of Joe with Coco. Jamie’s blood ran cold as he read the details. Even though he was well aware what had happened, seeing it posted on the internet brought back the horror of that day.
There was no need to wonder where they had got the story. The week it happened, Finn had covered it in The Echo , along with first-hand accounts from both Gary and Joe. It had prompted another debate about the wisdom of removing shark nets, much to the annoyance of all those who believed they were harmful to other sea creatures. Rory himself was vocal among those, saying that the shark had more right than he had to be in the ocean, and it was just bad luck they were in the same place at the same time.
They were still discussing the article, with Rory speculating how he could capitalise on it, perhaps offer to be interviewed on the regional television channel, and Gary teasing him that he would go to any lengths for this sort of recognition, when the door opened, and Cindy walked in.
The atmosphere changed immediately, the happy mood disappearing to be replaced by an awkward silence. Then Cindy rushed to Rory’s bedside to hug the reluctant man, saying, ‘My poor boy!’ in a tearful voice, while Jamie looked on, grinding his teeth.
*
Erica was feeling buoyant as she parked her little Mazda in the hospital car park. Rory was recovering, albeit slowly; she’d heard today that he was ready to be moved into rehab, she had her book club this evening, and she would be sleeping with Jamie afterwards. All was right with her world. She was even beginning to think she’d agree to Jamie’s suggestion she move in with him. The thought of being with him every day, of waking up beside him every morning, was becoming more and more tempting. Maybe she’d tell him tonight and they could celebrate that along with the next step in Rory’s recovery. She’d worry about Kieren and Briony later. Surely they’d accept her and Jamie were a couple when it was a fait accompli ?
She was smiling as she made her way to the orthopaedic ward, to the room which had been Rory’s home for the past few weeks, cheerfully greeting those of the nursing staff with whom she’d become familiar on the way. She pushed open the door to Rory’s room and stopped in her tracks.
The sight which greeted her was such a shock she couldn’t speak. Instead of seeing Jamie and Rory, there was what appeared to be a closeknit family group, not only Rory and his dad. Gary was there too, and… Cindy, who turned at the sound of the door opening and glared at Erica. ‘Who are you?’ she asked.
‘I…’ Erica gazed at Jamie who seemed speechless too. ‘I’m sorry. I made a mistake.’ Her eyes filling with tears, she turned and fled, unheeding of Jamie calling her name.
She didn’t stop till she was back in her car, then she tried to process what she had seen. Why hadn’t Jamie told her Cindy was here in Pelican Crossing? Had he invited her? It was only natural, she supposed. Rory was her son. If it was Kieren lying there Erica would have wanted to be by his side, regardless of what he might have done. She tried to remember what Jamie had said about his ex, about why they had broken up, but all she could recall was that she’d left when the boys were teenagers. But she had come to Gary’s wedding, so they were still in touch. Why hadn’t it occurred to her that Cindy would be here? Why had it taken her so long to come to see Rory? But she was here now and had more right to be here than Erica. But how could Jamie have hidden her arrival from her? Did he still hold a candle for her? Where did this leave Erica?
Although tempted to go straight home, drink herself into a stupor and go to bed, Erica pulled herself together and drove to Gill’s apartment and the book club, determined she wasn’t going to let another man ruin her life.
‘Are you all right?’ Gill asked, when she opened the door to Erica, clearly seeing her drawn expression.
‘I will be,’ Erica said with a tight smile. ‘How are you, Gill?’ she asked, hugging her.
‘I’m fine, but you look as if you’ve seen a ghost.’
‘Not exactly, just a family gathering, and family is so important, isn’t it, especially in times of crisis?’
‘I guess,’ Gill said, seemingly mystified.
Erica didn’t enlighten her but went inside to where the other members of the book club were already seated, and took a gulp of the wine Gill handed her. She immediately felt better, though it was as if there was a void where her heart used to be.
The discussion about the book began, as members took turns to give their impressions. When Erica’s turn came around, she had trouble remembering what the book was about and merely repeated what some of the others had already said. The rest of the evening passed in a blur, with Erica castigating herself for being so foolish as to trust Jamie, to trust herself. Briony had been right. It was too soon. It might always be too soon.
The meeting over, Erica was about to leave when Gill pulled her aside. ‘Stay for a bit,’ she said. Reluctantly, Erica agreed and followed Gill into the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the high stools while Gill made coffee, and dreading the questions she knew were going to come.
‘Now,’ Gill said, when she had joined Erica and they both had large mugs of coffee – Erica was sure hers would keep her awake all night, but after what she’d seen at the hospital, she was unlikely to get any sleep anyway, ‘tell me what’s up. Don’t say, “Nothing” because I know you too well. You haven’t been yourself all night. You told me last week how much you were enjoying this month’s book, but tonight you hardly said anything about it.’ She peered at Erica and waited.
Erica knew Gill wasn’t going to be sidetracked by some glib explanation. She sighed. ‘It’s Jamie. When I went to the hospital tonight, his ex was there. They all looked so close. I felt…’ her eyes moistened, ‘… I felt so humiliated.’
‘What happened? What did Jamie say?’
‘I didn’t wait to find out. I left.’ As she spoke, Erica remembered hearing Jamie call her name, but she’d been too intent on getting away to pay attention. ‘He didn’t tell me she was in town.’
‘Oh, Erica. You should at least have given him a chance to explain.’
Erica shook her head. ‘No, it’s best this way, Gill. I can’t go through it all again, the lies, the deceit. I thought Jamie was different.’
‘He is. Has it occurred to you that you may have misinterpreted what you saw, that the closeknit family might not have been as close as you thought? I didn’t handle his and Cindy’s divorce, but I heard a few things at the time. It wasn’t as amicable as he likes to make out. I think he almost persuaded himself it was… for the boys’ sake. But I do know from what Joe’s said that there’s no love lost between him and Cindy. I didn’t think she and Rory got on well, either, so it’s a bit odd for her to turn up now.’
‘Well, whatever. She’s here, Gill, and I have no intention of getting in the way if she wants to patch things up with Jamie. An incident like the one that happened to Rory can bring a family together. I see it often enough in the hospital. And family is so important. I need to focus on mine right now, work out how I can help Kieren and Briony, for their sakes and for little Ava.’
‘How do you intend to do that? I thought you said Briony wouldn’t listen to you?’ Gill sounded weary, as if she couldn’t believe Erica’s change of heart. Erica could scarcely believe it herself, but it was what was going to get her through the next few days and weeks, until she could get Jamie Whittaker out of her thoughts.