Chapter forty-twoTwo months later I did something I swore I would never do. I moved out of home and into a small flat with Shane, three months after we had started dating.
“That’s the last of the boxes,” I said, walking into our very nice unit, closing the door behind me with my foot.
“Wow, you have a lot of stuff for one person.” Shane said, taking the box from my arms. He placed it on the floor next to us.
“I don’t have that much,” I protested as I looked around us and took in the scattered boxes of my stuff littering the floor. “Ok well, maybe I do, but most of them are medical books!” I said with a sheepish grin.
“Sure…” Shane teased, pulling me into his arms.
He kissed me, not letting me protest anymore, not that I wanted to. All thoughts of boxes and unpacking flew from my mind as he picked me up and walked towards the bedroom so we could ‘christen’ our new home.
Shane and I had been living together for four months when I got the invite. I wanted him to come with me. It wasn’t that I was scared to go alone, but he was my boyfriend and I wanted to share it with him. Besides, I wanted to create new memories, especially since I didn’t like the old ones.
I snuggled into him one morning, naked and blissfully sedated and was about to ask him the question when he got one of his own in first.
“Hungry?” Shane asked me.
“Starving,” I answered him at the same time my stomach rumbled.
“Well, I think I have been told,” He said, glancing down at the noisy offender. “If you were that hungry why didn’t you say something before I made love to you?”
“It sounds worse than it is, besides, I wasn’t about to spoil the mood.” I said with a sexy grin.
“You keep looking at me like that and the
mood will be created again,” He replied with a wink. I lost my grin and looked at him stony faced. “I think you are in the wrong career, you should have followed your Mum and sister into acting!” He laughed as he got up off the bed, grabbing his PJ bottoms before heading for the kitchen.
Smiling myself, I got off the bed after he’d disappeared through the door, remembering the first time he met my family, my famous family as I threw on some pj’s. I started giggling as I followed him into the kitchen.
I plonked myself onto one of the stools and watched him grab out eggs and other things needed to make omelettes. “Shane…” I began as I watched him move around.
“Yeah honey?” He asked, slightly distracted.
“Can I ask you something? You can say no, I will understand.”
He looked up at me and smiled. “You know you can ask me anything.” He said before going back to what he was doing, though I knew he was listening to me.
“I got an invite the other day, from my Uncle in Australia. He is finally getting married to his long time girlfriend slash fiancé and I want to know if you will come with me for the wedding. As my date?” I asked him, a slight worried frown crossing my face. I never told him about Jace. In fact I hadn’t told anyone. I know it was kind of crazy. But I didn’t want anyone to bring it up either. I was scared that if I didn’t bring someone along with me, then someone over there surely would.
“I would love to!” He grinned as he stirred the egg mix in the bowl. “Just let me know when so I can take time off work.”
I was relieved. “Really?”
“Of course Indi, it will be great to meet the rest of your extended family, and what a good excuse. I have always wanted to see Australia.”
“Oh Shane,” I blurted, getting off my chair. I rounded the counter and threw my arms around him. He put down the bowl and crushed me closer to him in a tighter hug.
“Wow, remind me to say yes to you more often.” He said with a laugh before kissing me, breakfast forgotten.
Shane and I were together for another year and a ½ before we broke up. Like most of my relationships, the spark had fizzled out. I was glad he had come with me to Oz for my Uncle’s wedding. It was nice to be able to create new memories with him, but the old ones still intruded, especially when I saw some of the old places that I saw with Jace when I first was in Oz. The 17 and 20 year old girl in me was still hurting over his betrayal.
Shane and I remained firm friends after our break up, and he continued to remain a wonderful help to me through the rest of my uni days. He was a godsend when it came time for my last finals, as he helped me study. I was sure it was because of him I came out with top marks. That allowed me to work in one of the best hospitals around. However, once I became an intern, my social life went from bad to worse. I became a shift worker, but I wouldn’t have swapped any of it for the world. The only person I really saw when I had the time was Leif. There were plenty of times when Shane came into my hospital with a patient, and I had fun reminding him of the times he said he would avoid the hospital I worked in. He just grinned and teased me saying that I needed the experience.
I was so happy for him when he got engaged to a wonderful girl, he deserved the best. She was a co-worker and they had fallen for each other quickly. It was really romantic.
I couldn’t help being a little jealous though. I had dated a few more guys after Shane, but once again, it was no one all that special. I seemed to be doomed when it came to finding ‘the one’. I was happy where I was though, I was only 26. There was no rush and I was sure that
‘the one’ would find me one day.
“Doctor Anderson,” A nurse called out to me as I was about to pick up the phone after my shift to call security to take me to my car. Amy never came to work with me. We had tried for a few days at the start, but because I was never stationary, it was easier if she didn’t come with me. Instead I would get security to walk me to and from my car, especially at night time when there was no one around.
“Indiana or Indi.” I said in response to the nurse’s call.
“What?” She asked when she reached me.
“Call me Indiana or Indi, please.” I said with a smile, noting she was new.
“Oh,” She said quickly before giving me her own smile. “Would you mind seeing to a patient before you go? I wouldn’t normally ask but no one else is available and he is in terrible pain.”
I put the phone back down. “Oh yeah, sure.”
When was finished, I walked to a phone and rang security, but there was no answer. I sighed and rubbed my tired eyes as I hung up the phone and looked down at my watch. It read 3 am.
I looked around the quiet ward, only the nurses were talking quietly at their station.
I gave them a smile and headed for the lift. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ I thought to myself as I pressed for the lift, though a strange sense of dread passed over me, I ignored it and headed for my car.
It’s funny how chain of events can change a person’s life forever.
If only the nurse hadn’t called me to help. Then I could have called for security just 5 minutes earlier so that one of them could have accompanied me to my car. Instead, there was not one available because one of the mental patients had a syringe full of blood on the floor above mine and was threatening everyone with it. It just so happened that all hands were needed to take care of the situation.
If only I had stayed to talk to the nurses for a few minutes more.
If only I had just waited instead of making my own way to my car in a dark and deserted car park.
If only I had thought to find an orderly or a few free nurses to come along with me.
‘If only’ was the thing that kept running through my head along with the panic I felt as I tried to scream for help as the the person behind me slammed a hand against my mouth, meshing my lips into my teeth, making me taste my own blood. Not only did the hand cut off my breath but it didn’t allow me to scream for help.
‘If only’ was the last thing I thought as I started to pass out from lack of oxygen.