Page 20 of Anxious Hearts
Finn finally wrenched his feet from the floor. He tried to push back the pain and the shaking and the nausea. It took a supreme effort to stand before Ashley with a forced smile and casual tone.
‘Yeah, I’m fine,’ he said. ‘I just realised I wore the wrong shorts, so I was going to duck back to my apartment to get changed.’
Ashley looked down at his shorts. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. ‘They look fine to me.’ She smiled up at him. ‘I think they’re cute. Come on, let’s get started.’ She placed her hand on Finn’s arm and her touch was like a cool breeze on his hot skin.
He didn’t recoil. He didn’t feel the contaminants. He only wished she hadn’t taken her hand away so quickly. He wanted her to touch him again. To calm him, soothe him, let him know it was going to be okay.
Until now, Kelly had been the only person who’d ever been able to do that.
Chapter Twelve
Wednesday 25 January
Kelly was bone-tired, the way she always was at the end of a shift. She scuffed her feet as she trudged out of the hospital. She’d perk up after a shower and something to eat but getting to that point felt like trekking across the Nullarbor. She unlocked her car and tossed her bag into the back. Just as she was about to dip into the driver’s seat, she heard her name.
‘Kelly! Kelly!’
She didn’t recognise the voice but, when Kelly looked up, it was Juliana who was shouting across the underground car park. The communications adviser was running towards her and waving a piece of paper above her head.
What now? Kelly wished she’d made it out five minutes earlier.
Juliana arrived at the car, her chest heaving against her tight black dress.
‘You might want to think about active wear next time you go for a run,’ Kelly said with a smile.
‘You fucking nailed it,’ Juliana gasped.
Kelly flinched. Despite being a prolific swearer herself, it was like a slap across the face to hear it from Juliana in place of a greeting. But it also made Kelly begin to like the unpredictable communications adviser.
‘Nailed what?’
Juliana slid the piece of paper across the roof of Kelly’s car. Kelly trapped it with her palm and picked it up. It was a typed, double-sided A4 page. She read the headline and subhead:Compassion, Courtesy and Care: How one young doctor is turning bedside manner on its head.
‘Fuck,’ Kelly whispered.
‘I know, right?’ Juliana said.
Kelly read on. Evan had painted her as a kind, considerate and exceptionally skilled doctor. He even went as far to say that the reputation of the medical system was being slowly shifted, one doctor at a time, with Kelly at the forefront of a new breed of young healthcare professionals.
‘He’s basically sainted you,’ Juliana said.
Kelly’s gut churned and her face grew hot. It was embarrassing to read such effusive words of praise, and she knew this would make her a target of derision among her exam cohort. Some would be good-natured, others would be gunning to bring her down, jealous of her favoured status and improved job prospects.
But that didn’t bother her. She could handle jealous fuckwits – she’d been dealing with them all her life. Her gut churned for a different reason. An unfamiliar reason.
When she read Evan’s words, she felt valued. Appreciated. Recognised. She felt like she was doing enough.
Kelly was mortified at the sting in her eyes that signalled the onset of tears. She quickly wiped them away and looked up at Juliana, who was beaming like a proud parent at a school concert.
‘It’s brilliant publicity for the hospital. Now that nobody gives a shit about COVID, journos have stopped writing about us. This will switch the dial back in our favour.’
‘When will it be published?’ Kelly asked.
‘This Sunday. Print and online. The photographer’s coming out on Friday.’ Juliana waved her hands vaguely in Kelly’s direction and grimaced. ‘So do something interesting with your hair and maybe wear a bit of makeup.’
‘Doesn’t that undermine the whole point of this exercise?’ Kelly said. ‘It’s not a beauty contest.’
Juliana rolled her eyes. ‘It’s not a dichotomy, Kelly. You’re allowed to be hotandsmart, you know.’ She shrugged. ‘I mean, look at me. Everyday genius and basically a supermodel.’
