Amy's Touch by Lynne Wilding Page B

Sundays. Every second day he was at his surgery, or doing home visits, and on the other days he was operating at the Royal. As well as this he was a member of the hospital’s medical board. ‘I thought you liked to be busy, Father.’
    ‘When your mother died, keeping busy and looking after you and your brother kept me sane. But she’s been gone almost ten years, andwith Anthony…’ he paused, shook his head, and the expression in his eyes behind his glasses was sad, ‘…not coming home, there isn’t a lot to keep me in Adelaide. I’ve been debating the possibilities of buying a country practice.’
    She blinked twice. ‘Where?’
    ‘Somewhere in the Flinders Ranges. There are two practices for sale, one at Gindaroo and one at Hawker.’ He took another sip of tea and looked across at her. ‘I see that my proposal has caught you offguard, but considering the break-up with Miles, I thought that moving elsewhere might hold some appeal. We’d both be starting afresh, so to speak.’
    ‘We’ve never lived in the country, Father, and I don’t want to give up nursing. It’s important to me.’
    He sighed, almost as if he had expected her to say something like that. ‘I understand, my dear. I’d hoped you would assist me in the surgery and in the performance of small operations. I’m leaning more towards the Gindaroo practice because there’s talk in the shire that a cottage hospital to accommodate war-wounded and those convalescing from other illnesses is planned for the outskirts of that town.’
    And Gindaroo, or close by, was where young Danny McLean and his brother lived, wasn’t it? What had made that surface in her mind? But the next instant her concentration returned to the topic of moving to the country. It would be a big change from the bustle of her father’s practice near Glenelg Beach to the peace and quiet of a country town. Were either of them capable of adjusting to such a different environment?
    ‘I talked it over with Meg. She’s willing to come with us, and she’s of the opinion that it’s a good idea.’
    That was good. Meg Barnaby had been their housekeeper for nearly fifteen years. She was well acquainted with their wants and needs, and tolerated their idiosyncrasies. The middle-aged, loyal Meg had been a tower of strength when Amy’s mother had sunk into a state of depression over two miscarriages and had begun to drink and neglect herself and her children. Meg had stepped in, done her best to control their mother’s embarrassing behaviour, and, as Amelia Carmichael’s condition worsened, become a surrogate mother to Amy and her brother.
    And what was the alternative if Amy decided not to accompany her father? She could continue nursing in town, but she would haveto find suitable accommodation, be by herself, and because her father was the only close relative she had—her mother’s family were in Melbourne and scattered around regional Victoria—there would be no family close by.
    Amy’s father finished his tea and put the cup back on its saucer. ‘I know it’s a bit of a surprise, and you most likely want to think about your options. Why don’t you sleep on it?’ He stood and picked up the tray to take it to the kitchen. ‘We’ll talk about it again in the morning.’
    Still having difficulty digesting his proposal, Amy gave him a thoughtful smile. ‘That’s a good idea, Father.’
    The study door opened and a round-faced Meg, her hair pulled back in a tight, common-sense bun, bustled into the room. ‘I’ll take that, Doctor,’ she said, and promptly took charge of the tea tray.
    ‘Right. Meg, I won’t be in for dinner. I’ve a board meeting at the hospital at six o’clock.’
    Meg acknowledged his words with a nod of her head and the doctor slipped out the doorway into the hall. ‘Well,’ she looked at Amy. ‘He told you, I suppose, about his plan to move?’
    ‘Mmm, something quite unexpected. I thought, had assumed, that Father was content with his life