Page 7 of Fury

“What the hell, Tim? I’d grab some of those from you, but I don’t think my ribs could take it.”

“I’m sorry, Doc. I got carried away with shopping for you. I also took some of your bedding to the laundromat so it would be all fresh smelling. Not that I thought it wasn’t just that it would be nice to come home to. Not that I’d been sniffing around either…Oh damn…”

“Tim. Stop there. If that hole gets any bigger, we’ll see the Sydney Opera House in it! I get what you’re saying, and I appreciate the thought.” Squinting at him, I can’t resist adding, “But if there are any of my underwear in those bags…”

“HELL NO!” Tim cries out, and I can’t keep a straight face. “Doc! That was downright uncalled for.” The heat from his cheeks could warm the house if there were a frost outside.

“I didn’t know you were coming here to stay, so I tried to cover every eventuality. If you’re going to be here a while, I’ll have to keep checking on your home because I filled that fridge up before I knew you were coming here. For here, I got fresh and frozen foods in, done some laundry, cleaned right through every room, and put air fresheners in all the rooms except the kitchen. I don’t like them in kitchens in case they get too strong and taint the food, you know?”

“I’ve got fresh coffee. What say we put this stuff away and have a coffee together? You can get me up to speed on what I’ve missed at the practice.” I smile at him, and his face falls.

“Hell no! Molly has already put me on notice as to what she’ll do to me if I talk shop with you. I got too much respect for my man parts to tell you anything except what the weather is like. No, ma’am, uh-huh.”

Shaking my head, I delve into the shopping bags on the table as he takes the bags with clean laundry away. I’ve put all the shopping away, worked up a sweat, and made my ribs ache anyway, all before he returns with his arms loaded with more laundry in bags.

“I’ve put the fresh bedding on your bed. I was trying to get it done yesterday before you got released, but I got carried away with the landscaping at the practice and ran out of time. I’ll get this done and return it tomorrow, if that’s okay?”

“You know that there’s a utility room in the garage, right?” I raise my eyebrows at him and tilt my head towards the kitchen door at the rear.

“Hell no. I didn’t go out to the garage. I didn’t see a washer in here, so I just went to the laundromat.” He looks a little crestfallen, so I cut him some slack and get him seated at the table.

“Hell no seems to be quite the saying for you, huh? Don’t worry, Tim. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. It’s great, and thank you. Now, let’s have a coffee and you can at least tell me about the landscaping you're busy with. That doesn’t come under my work umbrella, so you’ll be safe from Molly.”

We spend a pleasant hour as he tells me all about the planting he’s been doing and the beds he’s created. New pots near the entrance, raised beds in front of the building to stop vehicles overshooting the parking spaces and encroaching on the walkway that we had built there. Window boxes too. He’s been busy and must surely be almost worked up.

He offers to do some work at the house if I needed it, and I think I might take him up on that. There’s only so much that can be done for the practice, and I want to keep him busy and on the books. Maybe I could even send him over to work his magic at Molly and Breaker's. It would be a nice way of saying thank you for all their help.

Once Tim has left, I decide to get dressed properly and take a walk to check out the practice. As long as I don’t try to do any actual, real-life work, I don’t see that it will hurt. Molly will just have to suck it up if she doesn’t like it. I’m the darn boss, after all!

Making sure I’m dressed for work, but not dressed to do any work, I take a steady walk over to the practice. Walking up the path to the main doors, I see the work that Tim has done, and for the first time in a while, I stop to take a good look. This hasn’t all been done in the last couple of days, this has been done over a period of time. I realize just how often I’ve been in and out of here without appreciating what’s changed for the better. I need to do something to say thank you for the hard work and thought that he has put into this.

Walking into the reception and waiting area, the first thing that catches my eye is the vase of cut flowers to the side of the counter. They are lovely and give off a real homey vibe.

Seeing Barbara on duty, I give her a big smile as she looks up. Smiling back, I see her eyes light up as she recognizes me as not just another customer. Jumping to her feet she rushes around the counter and grabs me in a hug, then grips my arm as she turns me around.

“No, no, no, no! You can’t be here. It’s great to see you but you have to go before…” She doesn’t get any further before we both hear…

“What on earth are you doing here? Three days minimum rest and recuperation, nothing less. Barbara, what were you all told to do if Jamie turned up?” Molly does not sound happy or impressed to see me.

“Shit. We were supposed to tell you right away. I was trying to turn her around before you caught her.” Barbara looks like a naughty schoolgirl caught smoking.

“Oh, crap. That’s not good.” Tom, one of the doctors, walks into reception, spits that comment out, promptly turns tail and goes back to where he came from.

“My God, Molly. What have you done to everyone? They are all scared witless of you.” I slip my arm out of Barbara’s grasp and look her in the eye.

“I put them all on notice what would happen to anyone who let you through those doors before the fourth morning of your sick leave.”

“I’m the boss here…”

“Not until you’ve had your time off, you’re not. Now, as you’re already through the doors that Barbara was supposed to be watching, you can have a coffee, say hi to everyone, and then go home. No shop talk. No asking about any patients. Just small talk and pleasantries.” Molly motions to me to follow her and as soon as her back is turned, I cross my eyes and stick my tongue out at her.

“If the wind changes, you’ll stay like that, madam.”

Barbara stifles a laugh but manages to blurt out, “How does she do that? She knows everything!”

“Just remember that. I am all-knowing, all-seeing. There is nothing you can say or do that I don’t know about.” Molly gives us a wink, and I follow her to the kitchen area where I sit, and Molly makes us both a fresh coffee.

Chatting for a few minutes about nothing I open my mouth to ask about Mr. Phillips, yet before I say a word I’m shut down.