Page 82 of Prognosis Bad Timing

Carrie cleared her throat. What was wrong with this oaf? Couldn’t he see that Charlie was specialising? ‘With all due respect, Dr Wentworth, community medicine is a specialty and a very worthwhile one, too.’

Her voice shook and Charlie’s father was regarding her like she’d just answered the headmaster back but she pushed on anyway.

‘And your son is a brilliant doctor. He may not cut open chests or find cures for cancer, but he’s the life force in this community. He’s the man these people come to if they’re sick, if they’re dying, if they’re beaten, if they’re in trouble, if they’ve got nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat or even if they’ve just lost their way. He’s got grand plans for this place and he’s just the visionary these people need. You want him to forge a brilliant career? Well, he is. It may not be in a glamorous field but you’d better believe he’s the best there is. Any father should be proud to call him his son.’

Charlie was speechless. So was Ignatius. They both stared at her. There was silence in the room for a few moments. Ignatius recovered first.

Ignoring Carrie, he said, ‘We will talk about this at dinner on Sunday.’

‘No, Father. We won’t.’

Ignatius glared. ‘You’re refusing to come?’

‘No. I’ll be there all right. And so will Carrie and so will Dana. You get one chance, Father. One. You will be polite and respectful. If you so much as raise the subject of my career or Veronica, I will never come to dinner again. Ever. My days for tolerating your speeches, of keeping the peace, of taking the easy road are over.’

For a moment Ignatius turned redder and Carrie thought he was going to explode. But then she saw a light dawning. Ignatius was taking it in — the determination in his son’s eyes, the firm grip Charlie had on her, their apparent solidarity.

Her pulse hammered madly in her throat. Was Charlie just using her to get to his old man?

‘Very well. Of course we would be delighted to have guests on Sunday.’

Carrie wasn’t fooled, it was said too stiffly. But she was playing some bizarre part here where she hadn’t been given the lines so she decided gracious acceptance was the way to go. ‘Thank you, Dr Wentworth,’ Carrie murmured.

Ignatius managed a sniff and a quick nod in Carrie’s direction before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

It took a few seconds but then Carrie sagged against Charlie, the tension seeping out of her shoulders as the door shut. ‘Well, that was —’

Charlie cut her off with a kiss. His lips were urgent and hard against her mouth and she opened up to him with greedy fervour. It had only been days but it had felt like a year. His kiss was hot and hungry and she grabbed hold of his shirt as her world shifted on its axis.

‘God, I’ve missed you,’ he muttered, pulling away to rain kisses on her face and down her neck.

‘Oh, Charlie,’ she whispered against his mouth, before he obliterated all words, all thoughts with another mind-scrambling kiss. She knew she shouldn’t be complicating their separation any further, but it had been too long.

Charlie wanted to kiss her forever but he knew there had to be words first. Talk first - kiss after.

Never stop kissing her.

He pulled away reluctantly. ‘I reckon, apart from me, you’re the only person I’ve ever seen stand up to my old man like that.’

Carrie shrugged. ‘He was belittling the man I loved.’

The words kind of tumbled out unchecked but Carrie didn’t regret them. She had reacted to Ignatius Wentworth the same way she would have reacted to someone attacking Dana.

Like a mother bear protecting her cub. She couldn’t believe that Charlie’s father was so blind.

‘Love?’ Charlie’s world stopped. Surely she wouldn’t jest about something this serious?

They looked at each other for a few moments. Carrie nodded. What the hell. It was out now. She wasn’t taking it back.

‘Thank God!’ He drew her into a fierce hug. ‘I love you, too.’

She pulled away, hardly able to believe her ears. Hardly daring to believe. She shook her head. After two years Rupert still hadn’t loved her.

‘You...you do? But this is so fast.’

He chuckled. Her whiskey gaze was muddy. Confused. And then he kissed her mouth and was gratified to feel her instant surrender, her pliant lips beneath his causing heat to pool in his groin.

‘I’ve learnt the hard way that life’s short and things can happen that you don’t expect. Thanks to you, I made up my mind recently to start living my life again. And every cell in my body tells me that includes you.’

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