Rather to her surprise, Jonas didn’t follow suit. Instead, he stopped dead, and watched her flying figure in the moonlight, racing up the sandhills toward his waiting car.
And his smile slowly died.
‘I wonder if I’m being really, really stupid here,’ he asked himself-but there was nothing but the moon and the surf to answer him.
Jonas had been right.
Anna was terrified and ready to back out, and it took his and Em’s combined persuasion to keep her on track.
‘We’ve made the appointment.’ Jonas went through it slowly and surely. ‘And we’ve organised everything else that needs to be done. You drop Sam and Matt at school and take Ruby to Lori’s, and then I take you to Blairglen for the tests. If we’re delayed-if you need more tests than a mammogram and biopsy-then Lori will collect the children and give them their dinner.’
‘But they’ll put me straight into hospital. If it’s cancer-’
‘They won’t,’ Em said strongly, and put her hand out to cover Anna’s. The woman was trembling. This fear was the culmination of a month’s imaginings, Em thought. How much better it would have been if she’d just confronted the thing head-on when she’d first found the lump, rather than wait until it had built into this icy terror.
‘Anna, a few days now will make no difference to the outcome at all,’ she told her decisively. ‘No matter what the results of the tests are, there’s time to come home and think about it. Savour the feeling that it’s just a cyst. Or come to terms with the fact that you have an early breast cancer before you need surgery. Either way, no one’s going to rush you into something you’re unhappy with.’
Anna looked desperately from her brother to Em and back again.
‘But Jonas has already spoken to Lori about taking the kids long-term.’
‘That’s just so, if the worst comes to the worst, you know you can face it,’ Em told her, and received a grateful glance from Jonas for her pains. ‘Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It’s my personal creed and I remember it every time my phone rings.’
There was a pause while Anna thought that through. Then…
‘That must be terrible,’ Anna said slowly, for the first time looking at Em and really seeing her. ‘I hadn’t thought about it before, but now… It’s the not knowing that’s the worst, and in your job all the time there’ll be not knowing. Like that awful tractor accident last week. You had to deal with that, didn’t you?’
‘It was dreadful,’ Em said gently. ‘At the time it was frightening. But once I knew what I was dealing with, the fear faded as I worked through what had to be done. That’s exactly the same as you. Tomorrow you’ll know what you’re dealing with.’
‘I don’t know how you do it,’ Anna whispered, and that was the cue for Jonas to take her other hand.
‘Anna…’
To Em’s surprise she pulled away from her brother. ‘Don’t!’
‘I just wanted to say that I’m here for you. I’ll take you for the test tomorrow, but I’m staying on in Bay Beach.’
His words obviously shocked her. ‘Why?’
‘For you,’ he said promptly, but Anna shook her head at that.
‘No way, Jonas. I don’t need you.’ She bit her lip and stared at the table. ‘I’ve never needed you-just like I never needed Dad and I never needed Kevin. You’re not to stay on my account.’
What was behind this? Anna thought, puzzled. There was more history here than a brother antagonistic toward a sister’s partner.
But Jonas was shaking his head, and smiling at his sister as if he was reassuring her that he really didn’t want to intrude-that things were as she wanted them.
‘I’m not staying because of you-Stoopid,’ he told her.
‘I wish you’d stop calling me that silly name.’ Unconsciously Anna’s hand clenched so that the whites of her knuckles showed through her skin. She was too thin, Em thought. Too young and too tired and too battered by life.
‘OK.’ Jonas’s smile died. He stood and, surprisingly, he moved to stand behind Emily. His hands dropped down to grip her shoulders but he still spoke to his sister. ‘I won’t call you Stoopid any more.’
‘Fine. And you don’t have to stay.’
‘I do have to stay,’ he said gently. ‘Because Em needs me.’
‘Em?’
‘I couldn’t believe what Em was facing this morning,’ he told his sister, with his big hands still resting lightly on Emily’s shoulders. ‘You saw yourself what a strain she was under, and it knocked me sideways. I know I’m due to leave for overseas, but I’ve decided to put it off. I’m staying put.’
‘With…with Dr Mainwaring.’
‘With Emily,’ he corrected her. ‘With one of the most hard-working, beautiful, desirable lady doctors I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Em and I have it all worked out.’
‘I don’t believe this.’
Neither did Em. Heavens, the way he talked-the way he was holding her-the man sounded as if he was in love with her!
And he did exactly nothing to change that impression.
‘Em and I have spent the last two hours on the beach,’ he told Anna. ‘We’ve been working things out. It may be sudden, but it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.’ The grip on Em’s shoulders tightened-either in affection or as a warning. Even afterwards, Em couldn’t quite figure out which.
‘I’m not leaving Emily,’ he told his sister. ‘We’re partners.’
‘I-’
‘So I’m here for you as well,’ he told her, his voice brooking no argument. ‘But mostly I’m here for Em. And I’m here for as long as she wants me. Whether you want me or not.’
‘Jonas-’
‘Leave it, Anna,’ he told her roughly. ‘For now let’s just get these damned tests done. But I’m staying in the town-with Emily-for as long as it takes. And maybe even longer.’
‘You’re nuts!’ Back in the car, Em looked at the man beside her as if she were regarding a lunatic. ‘You’ve implied it was love at first sight between us.’
‘I did it beautifully,’ he said smugly, and she could have slapped him.
‘You did it intentionally?’
‘Sure.’
She sat back and gazed straight ahead. Doctor encountering lunatic and wondering where the nearest strait-jacket was. How was she supposed to react to this?
‘Um…do you have a reason?’ she asked finally, and her voice came out sort of as a surprised squeak. It didn’t sound in the least like a doctor soothing a lunatic. He heard it and he grinned.
‘There’s no need to take this personally.’
‘Oh, sure.’ Still the squeak. Em coughed and got her voice back under control-almost. ‘Sure. You imply to your sister that you’re in love with me and I’m not supposed to take it personally.’
‘Do you have any more work to do tonight?’
‘Stop changing the subject.’
‘No, but do you?’ Jonas was gently insistent. ‘Because if you have any more calls, I can take you there before I drop you back at the hospital.’
‘So you can fit in a spot of love-making on the side,’ she said nastily, and the twerp actually laughed.
‘Hey, there’s an idea.’
‘A very bad idea.’ She glowered.
‘You don’t approve of love-making?’
‘With men I like and trust,’ she retorted, and he winced at that.
‘Ouch.’
‘So there you go. Take me home.’
‘You do know I have my reasons,’ he said slowly, and she was forced to nod.
‘I guess I do. You can’t be totally unhinged or they’d never had given you your medical degree.’
‘There is that.’ His smile faded and he looked at the road ahead. ‘Em, you know Anna won’t let me close. I’ve battled every inch of the way to get her this far, and it’s only because she’s terrified that she let me come with her this morning. She was ready to clutch anyone. Once Anna has her head sorted again, I’ll be thrust back on the sidelines. She doesn’t want me.’