The Country Practice by Meredith Appleyard

Author:Meredith Appleyard
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781743485026
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2016-01-04T16:00:00+00:00

In the empty car park the next morning Julia took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She would make a conscious effort to leave personal issues at home and focus her flagging energy on the job. Her first task was to rejig the afternoon’s appointments so she could get away early. She’d rung Milt at home and he’d agreed to see her and Harry last thing that afternoon. Reassured by her routine and the peace and quiet of early morning, she vacuumed and tidied the waiting area, restocked the consulting room and packed medical supplies into plastic boxes for the men’s health clinic the following morning. By nine-thirty there was no sign of Meghan.

‘Oh damn!’ she cursed when she remembered. She was getting as bad as Harry. Heaven forbid.

‘Sorry, love,’ she said ten minutes later. Meghan was sitting on the steps at the front of the hospital talking on her mobile. She limped around the car and climbed in.

‘It’s okay. I knew you’d eventually remember. I would have walked but my knee isn’t quite up to the distance yet.’ Meghan put her seatbelt on. During the short drive they went through the arrangements for the following morning.

As they pulled into the medical centre car park Julia said, ‘I have to go by three-thirty this afternoon.’

Meghan turned and looked at her. ‘Is everything all right?’

Julia forced back the tears that seemed these days to be forever lurking at the back of her eyes. ‘Harry’s not himself. He’s finally agreed to see Milt and he can fit us in last thing this afternoon.’

When Meghan’s brow furrowed, Julia laid a hand on her arm. ‘Milt has always been our doctor. I’ve always liked to keep our private business as private as I can – you know how it is.’

Meghan looked at her intently. ‘I do know how it is, Julia, and I don’t blame you for not wanting to see the GP you work with. But if there’s ever anything I can do . . .’ she said gently and Julia nodded because she couldn’t trust herself to speak.

Julia took a deep breath as she climbed out of the car and slammed the door. She was frightened that if she started crying, she wouldn’t be able to stop.

‘Everything is organised for tomorrow morning,’ she said, changing the subject. ‘All the gear is in two plastic tubs in the other consulting room. You’ll just have to cart it down in the morning. I hope the blokes turn up.’

‘Don’t worry, they will,’ Meghan said. ‘Why wouldn’t they?’

In the morning sunshine Meghan’s curls were a riot of fiery red. Her skin was fresh and clear, its interesting dusting of freckles more visible than ever. Her brown eyes sparkled and her smile was a mile wide. With a pang Julia realised just how much she’d miss Meghan when she left.

Forgetting her own problems for a moment, Julia relaxed. ‘Yes, why wouldn’t they?’

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