Page 49 of Doc Rock
To berate her?
To tell her he hated her?
To tell her he still loved her?—
She pushed that last errant thought down. That is not what he would be saying.
She stepped into the shower, lowering the temperature to help cool her flushed skin, giving herself some time to think about how to reply.
She wanted to say yes, but was that a dumb thing to do? Then, she asked herself,why say yes to Clara sending him her number if she didn’t want toseehim?
Wrapping her towel firmly around herself, she picked up her phone and replied.
‘Yes. We have a lot to discuss.’
She read her message a few times before hitting send. Then she resisted the urge to keep her phone clutched in her hand until he replied and placed it back down on the bathroom sink while she got dry and dressed in her comfiest pyjamas.
When her phone rang, she lunged for it.
“Hello,” she answered breathlessly.
“Sie,”a deep voice said.
Mai deflated when she realised it wasn’t Ford.“Hi Donnie.”
“Good to speak to you again, Sie,”Donnie said dryly.
Mai sighed.“Yeah, sorry about that. I freaked out when Isawyou.”
“You’ve been hiding for a long time. It must have been a shock. I hardly believed it myself. When Isawyou at the concert, I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.”
“So you stalked me to work,”Mai whispered.
“Yes. You’re a tough woman to find. The easiest way was through the hospital website.”
Mai rolled her eyes. She hadn’t wanted her picture online when she had spent so long in anonymity, but the hospital exec insisted that as a Consultant in Burra Creek Base Hospital, she needed to be on the website.
“I waited in that corridor for two days before you showed up.”
Mai pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at it.Had he really just said two days?When she put it back, he was still talking.
“Iftherewas even a small chanceit wasyou, I couldn’t let you slip through my fingers. Ford needs closure. He’s a good man. He deserves that from you.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. Ford wanted closure. Of course he did. After what she did to him,therewas no way he would want anything else. And that was okay. She needed it as well.
Or maybe a new start.
She shoved that errant thought away. That was not something that shecouldhave. It wasn’t something that she deserved.
“I know Donnie.”
“Good. Now?—“
Mai cut him off.“Before you continue. I need to tell you something.”She waited for him to reply.
“I’m listening.”
“I will never be able to apologise enough for the way I left. I won’t try and justify to you what I did, but I want you toknowthat not a day has gone past when I haven’t regretted the decision I made at twenty-two. I thought so many times about getting in touch, but fear paralysed me. Donnie… I’m sorry. Iknowmy words will never be adequate, but I needed to tell you.”
