‘I don’t believe you.’
‘Yeah, well, given the stuff you believe in you might need to take a reality check.’
Yes he was harsh, and perhaps a bit mean, but he couldn’t just stand there and accept her apology. It was far easier to push her away.
He didn’t want to forgive her, because then he might have to love her, and Cort just wasn’t ready for that.
‘HERE‘s to Ruby’s last night!’ They were all made up, sipping wine, doing each other’s hair and getting ready to head down to the Stat Bar. Ruby would have given anything to be joining them and told her friends so.
‘We’ll take you out tomorrow,’ Jess said. ‘We’ll have a little celebration. Just think—you’ll be done!’
She would, Ruby realised.
Somehow she’d got through, not just the work but being alongside Cort. She didn’t blame him for not accepting her apology, but she was beginning to realise that it had probably been her only chance to offer one. She was back at uni in a couple of weeks, then exams. There was little chance of seeing him and realisation was dawning that it wasn’t just her time in Emergency that would be finally over with by morning.
‘Good luck.’ Tilly gave her a hug at the door.
‘What about …?’ Ruby’s voice trailed off. She’d been over and over it with Tilly, had been over and over it with herself, and no matter what positive spin she tried to put on it, she and Cort had only known one another for two weeks, which meant not a lot of history to fight for—an elongated one-night stand that didn’t stand up to the scrutiny of day.
The full moon was rising as she drove the short distance to Eastern Beaches—the same moon she’d wished on to get her through her time in Emergency, and somehow she knew that it would do its job. Come what may, she’d make it through tonight and then never have to set foot in the place again.
Strange that it made her feel like crying.
God, she hated Adam’s car—no matter how she judged it, the seats were so low and she was so short that as she pulled up at boom gates, she couldn’t reach to swipe her ID and had to put it in neutral, pull on the handbrake, take off her seat belt and hang out of the open car door to get it to beep. As she turned and gave the queue of cars behind her an apologetic wave, it had to be Cort’s car behind hers. Cheeks burning, she promptly stalled and then jerked her way through the gates, but thankfully she found a space easily, cursing quietly to herself as she delved into the tiny boot for her massive bag that contained clothes, shoes and toiletry bag, so she could speedily change for church in the morning. Cort pulled up in the space beside her and she would have dashed off but it was Adam’s car, which meant even as she turned to walk, Ruby had to turn back and check again that it was locked and that the handbrake was on.
For Cort, it was impossible to ignore her—aside from all that had happened, she intrigued him. What was it with the bag on her shoulder and why had she parked here?
‘This is the doctors’ area.’ Cort saw her tense as his words reached her. ‘Senior doctors.’
Ruby spun round, unsure if she was being told off. ‘There’s hierarchy even in the car park?’
‘Especially in the car park,’ Cort replied, and Ruby glanced over to see a line of cars all battling for a few spots. ‘I think night staff are Area D.’
She drove so rarely it had never entered her head but, come to think of it, she vaguely remembered being given a map when she’d had her security photo taken for Emergency.
‘Are you going to move it?’ Cort couldn’t care less whether she did or not, it was just conversation as he fell into step beside her.
‘God, no,’ Ruby replied. ‘I’d rather face wheel clamps than Sheila’s wrath if I’m late. And,’ she added, ‘it’s not for emergencies, just to save your poor legs.’
Cort almost smiled, but falling into step with her, with anyone, came not too readily to him, but he was determined to try, to not just nod and walk on as he so often did. Cort almost admitted to himself that he missed her and if it had to end, he didn’t want it to end on the sour note that had played out last night. ‘How have you found the nights?’
‘Awful,’ Ruby admitted. ‘But this is the last.’
‘Oy! Wait!’ Connor half ran to catch up with them and Cort deliberately chose not to make excuses as to why he was walking with Ruby, but to his surprise it was Ruby who offered a reason.
‘Mr Mason was telling me I’d parked in the doctors’ area.’
‘You’ll be shot at dawn,’ Connor warned. ‘Or wheel clamped.’
‘Fantastic,’ Ruby breathed. ‘Then I’ll miss out on church and Sunday dinner with my family—it’s a win-win.’
‘How was the traffic?’ Cort asked Connor, when really he wanted to ask Ruby much more.
‘Hell,’ Connor said. ‘All the traffic’s diverted for the festival, we’re going to have a shocking night—brace yourself, young Ruby,’ he warned as they reached the emergency entrance.
‘Already braced.’ Ruby smiled, but Cort could hear the high note to her voice, could feel, even though he didn’t turn his head to look, her back straighten as they walked through the waiting room. As they entered they saw two sets of police officers alongside two soon-to-be patients, and a pumping waiting room. For her last night, Emergency had turned it on and there was a temptation, a strange urge, a protectiveness almost to take her by the hand and walk her out, tell her she didn’t actually need to be there.
It was the busiest she’d ever seen it. Inebriated patients lay on mattresses on the floor, every trolley was full and for once Sheila didn’t seem to mind Ruby’s willingness to trudge up and down to the wards to hand over patients if it freed up a cubicle. Still, when a stabbing came in, Sheila hauled her into Resus to watch as Jamelia inserted a chest drain.
‘Excellent.’ Cort was encouraging. Ruby could see Jamelia’s confidence growing and wished hers would too.
‘Can I grab Ruby to do some obs?’ For once, Ruby was glad to hear Siobhan’s voice, especially when Sheila agreed to release her student. ‘He’s bipolar, hypermanic, we’re just waiting for Psych to come and admit him. Jamelia, can you come and take another look when you’ve got a moment?’
‘Go.’ Cort nodded. ‘I’ll stitch this.’
‘Bill!’ Ruby recognised the patient as soon as she opened the curtain.
‘You know him?’ Jamelia asked.
‘I do some bank work on the psychiatric ward,’ Ruby explained. ‘He was in a few weeks ago.’
‘How are you, Bill?’ Ruby asked. ‘How have you been?’
‘Not good, not good, not good.’ He gripped Ruby’s hand as she went to wrap the blood-pressure cuff. ‘This isn’t, isn’t, isn’t …’ he said. ‘I’m not …’ Ruby frowned as Bill struggled to explain himself. ‘I’m not manic.’
‘It’s okay, Bill,’ Ruby said, carefully checking his obs. She spoke to him some more. ‘We’ll take good care of you.’ She turned to Jamelia. ‘His blood pressure’s high.’
‘I know,’ Jamelia said, ‘but he’s extremely agitated. I’ve just given him some diazepam. Psych shouldn’t be too long.’
‘Doctor, doctor, doctor,’ Bill begged, but Jamelia didn’t understand what he was saying.
‘I’m a doctor, Bill,’ Jamelia said. ‘And you’re going to be fine.