22. Kate
Kate dedicated all her attention to patching up Elias’ hand. She didn’t want to think about how close she’d come to ruining hers and her baby’s life by tying them permanently to Hugo. How had she not noticed that toxic behaviour before? Admittedly, Elias hadn’t exactly been the epitome of restraint just now, but she could see he had just been trying to protect her. Both literally and metaphorically.
She observed Elias’ burn. It was superficial, thankfully. She gently dabbed on some petroleum jelly and then wrapped his hand with a non-stick bandage.
‘Don’t use your body as a shield again,’ she said.
‘What was I supposed to do? You would have ended up with the tea all over you.’
‘But you got burned!’
‘As would you if I hadn’t stepped in.’
‘Sorry for getting upset. I just…’
She didn’t know how to finish the statement. Pregnancy emotions apparently were a thing, and they were playing havoc with her brain.
‘Hey, hey, it’s fine. I get it. There’s a lot going on.’ He paused and looked at her thoughtfully. ‘I know you just went back to work, but do you think you could take a Friday off? We could go away for a long weekend together. It would be a chance to escape reality for a while and just relax. Get to know each other better too.’
Kate smiled softly. ‘I’d like that. I’ll check with work and see if they can move my schedule around. I haven’t told them I’m pregnant yet, so it might be a little tricky, but I’ll figure something out.’
‘Are you going to be okay?’
‘I should be asking you that. How’s your hand feeling now?’
He looked down, almost as if he’d forgotten what just happened. ‘It’s fine. And you?’
‘Yeah, I’ll be fine. My sister just told me a few things she’d noticed about Hugo’s behaviour that I hadn’t been aware of. I guess I’m freaking out about my judgement.’
‘Well, I hope you don’t question your judgement about me.’ He said it so earnestly, Kate’s eyes welled up again.
‘You continue to impress me every time we’re together.’
He smiled. ‘Good.’
‘Except I didn’t love your behaviour toward Hugo just now.’
He nodded sheepishly. ‘Sorry. Even though the guy deserved it, I should have been more sensitive. Hopefully we won’t have to see him again, but even if we do, I’ll do better. And promise me you won’t arrange to see him without me.’
‘At the very least, I’ll take someone with me.’
‘All right.’ He seemed to realise the atmosphere was getting too heavy. ‘So, where should we go for our weekend away?’
* * *
Kate waslucky one of her colleagues was willing to take her shift the following Friday. Apparently her husband had lost his job, so she was trying to work as much as possible to make up for the financial shortfall. Kate wondered if that would go in her favour over the coming weeks when she had to attend doctor appointments or take the occasional day off to rest. She was still early in the pregnancy, but she was already tired.
And the nausea seemed to be a permanent addition. Not even just in the morning, but for a large chunk of the day. She’d been doing everything possible to avoid throwing up, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to prevent it for the remainder of the pregnancy.
Elias came to collect her on Friday morning. He took her overnight bag and loaded it into the back of his truck before opening the passenger door for her.
‘You know I’m capable of doing these things myself?’ she pointed out.
‘Yeah, but when you have someone to do them for you, why turn down the help?’
‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?
‘Nope.’
‘I’m kind of scared.’
‘Don’t be.’
Kate watched out the window, trying to guess where they might be headed, but it wasn’t until they were at Eagle Farm that she started to realise.
‘We’re not flying anywhere, are we?’
‘We might be.’
‘Seriously?’
‘You don’t strike me as someone who’d be scared of flying, Doc.’
‘I’m not. But are we actually about to get on a plane?’
‘Oh, wait. I didn’t think about whether this would affect your nausea. Is that going to be a problem?’
‘That’s not what I was thinking. How much money did you spend on this getaway?’
‘Don’t worry about that. I promise it didn’t put a strain on my finances. Besides, I created some artwork for the place we’re visiting, and the owners said they’d give me a special deal if I ever wanted to stay.’
‘I’m not sure I believe you.’
‘Believe what you want. But it’s all taken care of, so just enjoy the ride.’
The ride turned out to be a one-hour-and-forty-minute flight to the Whitsundays followed by a helicopter trip across to Hamilton Island.
‘It’s nice to be in a helicopter for pleasure for a change,’ Kate said to Elias through the microphone on her headset.
Elias raised an eyebrow. ‘Why do you normally… ah. The whole doctor thing.’
‘I did a stint for a company that provided emergency services to remote areas. I was usually too distracted to enjoy the view.’
She couldn’t take her eyes off the scenery below. The ocean was impossibly perfect—a pale aquamarine glistening in the sun.
But then she glanced at Elias, and she didn’t want to stop looking at him either. She’d never been the kind of person to fantasise about a man coming to sweep her off her feet, but Elias had done it, and she wasn’t mad about it. But wasn’t this supposed to be a platonic arrangement?
The helicopter landed on a round patch of grass at the edge of the water. Elias helped Kate step onto the ground, and he carried both their bags to reception.
The lobby was like something out of a movie, with dark timber floorboards, a thatched ceiling with lazily rotating fans, and a view out to the bay. The wall to her left contained a large metallic mural with an abstract wave pattern carved into it.
Kate nodded her head in its direction. ‘Is that yours?’
‘Yep.’
‘It’s beautiful.’
‘Thanks.’ He grinned.
They approached the check-in counter, and Elias collected their key. He seemed familiar with the layout of the resort, and Kate wondered if he’d brought other women here before. She hoped not. He’d said he’d never brought a woman back to his house, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t taken someone on a luxury getaway. And then she caught herself. That definitely wasn’t platonic thinking.
Their villa was on the opposite side of the resort, perched on the edge of the water. The entire back wall was open, although there were bi-fold glass doors that could be closed in bad weather. The living area flowed seamlessly to a deck with a plunge pool designed to look like an extension of the ocean.
‘This is beautiful,’ Kate breathed.
‘I’m glad you like it. You feel like a swim?’
‘That would be nice. I’ll go change.’
She opened her bag and removed her swimsuit. She hadn’t put on any weight yet, so it should still fit properly.
The bedroom connected to a bathroom containing an oversize bath and two basins. The toilet was in a separate room, which Kate was pleased to notice as the bathroom didn’t have a door.
She changed into her swimsuit, ensuring Elias remained in the living area, and then wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel.
Just as she was about to head out to the pool, a wave of nausea hit. She knew she’d been lucky not to get sick on the plane or helicopter, but it seemed like she was going to now.
And it wasn’t going to be pretty.