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Natalia squeezed her mum tight as they stood outside Jackson Villas. ‘I hope we see you again soon.’
‘You can count on it. I’m so pleased you’re moving in with Adam. But what’s happening with this place?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘Do you think I could take it?’
Natalia blinked. ‘What?’
Nadia laughed. ‘I can’t stay in Sydney while you and Ana are here raising my grandbabies without me.’
‘Well, I can’t speak for Ana, but there’s no need to rush as I’m not having babies anytime soon!’
‘Either way, you and Ana are all I have. So, if you don’t mind ...’
‘Not at all!’
When Ana and Liam arrived, Nadia shared her news and Ana squealed.
‘Oh, Mama! You’ll love living here!’
Grinning, Natalia waved them off as they left for the airport, then decided she better get packing. But she didn’t even make it off the driveway when Adam returned from wherever it was he’d needed to go so secretively. He jumped out of the ute, raced towards her, and lifted her off her feet.
‘Righto, I got all I need.’
‘You can’t just take me! I need my stuff!’
He sighed heavily. ‘If you insist. Good thing I got a ute. Let’s get you out of here.’
It didn’t take them long as Adam upended drawers into boxes with little finesse. Alone in the bathroom, Natalia packed up the cupboards, then picked up her rubber duck. Holding him in both hands, her throat clogged as she stroked his yellow head. ‘This is it, Surge. This time, we’re going to our forever home.’
Joy erupted through her as she placed Surge on top of the basket and carried it downstairs. Then she tackled the rest of the packing with the same vigour as Adam until the unit was void of her belongings. She shoved the last of her things onto the backseat of her Rav-4, climbed behind the wheel, and followed Adam out of the driveway. After the detour to pick up Steph and Louis, they headed home to Shadow Creek.
Parking outside the picturesque house overlooking the water, Natalia couldn’t shake the smile from her face. Living here wasn’t so scary. With acres of bush surrounding her, their own creek, and no neighbours for miles, she’d spend her life in pure bliss with her man. Her strong, respectful, and gorgeous man.
Her smile widened as Adam led Steph and Louis into the backyard, then strolled over and wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘Welcome home, Natalia.’
‘I can’t believe it.’
‘Neither can I, but I’ve never been happier. And I’ve got a present for you.’ He led her into the shed and picked up a potted plant, his eyes gleaming as he offered it to her. ‘Your frangipani tree.’
Natalia’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Went and grabbed it this morning after pleading with the nursery owners to open for me. We needed to do something to celebrate you moving in.’
Tears prickled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck, squishing the plant between them. ‘You are the most thoughtful man I’ve ever met, Adam Maguire.’ She kissed him. ‘And I love you.’
He beamed. ‘I love you too. So, decide where you want it. I’ll grab the shovel.’
* * *
Elanora sat in Natalia’s office, her eyes bright as she said, ‘I have an appointment at the fertility clinic next week.’
Natalia grinned. ‘That’s wonderful. Has Shane finally come around?’
‘He said he’d come and it seems like he’s accepted that it’s the next step for us. But then ... I don’t know.’ Elanora sighed. ‘Over the past few days, he’s been distant again. He’s supposed to be here now, but I don’t know what’s keeping him.’
Natalia had wondered as they’d both been scheduled into the appointment book. ‘Maybe he got held up at work?’
‘Maybe. I’ve messaged him, but he hasn’t answered. I made this appointment mainly for Shane because the clinic wants him to get blood tests done, which he got quite defensive about. I assured him that it’s standard procedure, but he insists there’s nothing wrong with him.’
Natalia nodded slowly. ‘And there may not be, but I’m glad he’s coming around.’
‘Well, he was until last week when—’ Elanora frowned at the same moment Natalia heard raised voices in the waiting room.
‘No, I can’t see her. Can you call Joanne in?’
Natalia sighed. Great. Another person who refused to see her. When would this stop?
‘Paul, take me to Mareeba. We’ll go and—’
A cry of pain echoed through the building and Natalia and Elanora leapt to their feet.
‘That sounds like Jordan,’ Elanora said, her eyes widening as Natalia crept towards the door and opened it a crack.
‘I’ll speak with Nat.’ Footsteps approached and Natalia stepped back as Grace slipped inside the consult room and closed the door behind her.
Natalia twisted her fingers together. ‘Is she ...?’
‘Abdominal pain. Not sure if it’s serious. I’ve called Emma, but she’ll need a doctor.’
Nodding slowly, Natalia let out a deep breath. What was she going to do? Of all the days for Joanne and David to take advantage of the school holidays to go strawberry picking in Atherton, Jordan Kelly needed urgent care.
Natalia ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn’t supposed to talk to Jordan while the complaint was being assessed, but what choice did she have?
‘Do you want—’
‘It’s fine.’ Natalia turned to Grace. ‘I can see her.’
Conflict of interest be damned. This was a small town, she was a doctor, and despite what Jordan Kelly had put her through, the woman needed medical attention.
Natalia turned to Elanora. ‘If you don’t mind waiting—’
‘Not at all. I’ll just check on her.’
Natalia didn’t stop her as Grace opened the door and Elanora hurried over to her sister. Then with an encouraging smile from the nurse, Natalia strode into the waiting room. Harrison paced while Paul and Elanora sat on either side of Jordan, who hunched over in a chair.
She glanced up as Natalia approached, her eyes wide. ‘Don’t touch me. I don’t want to see you.’
Paul’s jaw clenched. ‘Jordan, come on.’
‘No! She’ll probably help me miscarry!’
‘No, she won’t,’ Harrison said.
Taking a deep breath, Natalia crouched in front of Jordan and met the woman’s terrified eyes. ‘I hear you, Jordan. Emma is on her way and she will check out your baby. But you are in pain and something may be wrong. You have come here for care, which you can refuse, but I am a doctor and I can help you if you let me. That is my only job right now. So, will you come with me or do you want to go to Mareeba?’
Natalia didn’t break their gaze. She didn’t want to do this and if she were anywhere else, she wouldn’t have to. But this was what she’d signed up for. She was it. And she’d take care of Jordan even if it killed her.
‘Jordan, go with the doctor,’ Elanora said kindly.
Jordan’s eyes closed and shoulders slumped. ‘Fine.’
Natalia shot to her feet and stepped out of the way as Nikki helped Jordan into a wheelchair. She entered the ward where Grace was setting everything up.
‘Good job, Nat.’
Natalia’s heart pounded as she washed her hands. ‘No one is to leave me alone with her. How far away is Emma?’
‘A few minutes, I’d say.’
The midwife was there by the time Nikki and Grace had Jordan in the bed. Natalia wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Jordan’s arm, asked her questions, and made notes in the chart. She left Emma to do most of the examination, grateful more than she could say for her help.
‘Is my baby okay?’ Jordan asked as they observed the small ultrasound. It wasn’t great for pictures, but the heartbeat echoed steady and strong.
‘The baby seems happy and healthy,’ Emma said with a smile.
Jordan exhaled and fell back against the pillow. ‘Good.’
The genuine relief in Jordan’s tone almost made Natalia smile. ‘Based on your examination, I think you may be experiencing some stretching of the uterus or early Braxton Hicks contractions. There’s nothing to indicate that either of you are in any danger.’
‘You must think I’m pretty stupid,’ she muttered.
‘Not at all. You don’t know what these things are until you experience them.’
‘I guess.’ Sheepishly, she met Natalia’s gaze. ‘Thank you though. For not turning me away.’
Natalia interlocked her fingers below the bed where Jordan wouldn’t see. ‘I could never do that. I take care of people, no matter what.’
‘Yeah.’ Then as quickly as it had appeared, the gratitude vanished from Jordan’s eyes. ‘So, can I go now?’
‘In a minute.’ Natalia’s spine steeled as she gazed down the small ward to where Emma was making a show of being busy. Adam might have wanted to talk to Jordan, and while knowing that he was out of Jordan’s clutches for good was enough for Natalia, as a medical professional, she couldn’t pass up the chance to help. Jordan may not deserve her compassion after the misery she’d caused, but that didn’t matter. This was her job.
Natalia cleared her throat and forced a soft smile to her face. ‘Jordan, I’m worried about you. I believe that the story you’re telling people about your baby’s conception may get you into trouble.’
Jordan frowned. ‘How? I didn’t do anything wrong.’
‘No?’
‘I know you don’t want to hear it, Natalia, but I screwed Adam that night.’
‘After you spiked him?’
‘Look, if he took anything, that’s on him. But we—’
Natalia’s hands clenched. ‘Jordan, you know he didn’t consciously take anything. And I’m concerned that if you had sex with Adam while he was that intoxicated, then you risk facing sexual assault charges.’
Jordan snorted. ‘What? You think I—’
‘Raped him. Yes.’
‘That’s ridiculous! He was drunk. We had sex. It wasn’t the first time.’
I took all of Natalia’s strength to remain calm. ‘You’ve already stated you were quite sober.’
‘I’d had a couple of drinks. And it was just sex. You ... you can’t ...’
Natalia raised her eyebrows. ‘Can’t what? Rape a man?’
Jordan opened her mouth, but no words came out as she ran her hands down her rounded belly.
The tension in Natalia’s shoulders eased. ‘Jordan, rape isn’t always a violent act. The definition is “being made to penetrate”. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of consent and a person needs to be in a sound mind to give that.’
‘Yeah, but it’s Adam. He always wants it. And you know men, they—’
Natalia’s fingernails dug into her palms. ‘Jordan, you and I both know that men can have erections they don’t control. Ones they don’t plan to use. But that doesn’t mean you jump on and take a ride!’
The colour drained from Jordan’s face. Natalia gave her a moment, then took a steadying breath. ‘So, my concern is this: did you rape Adam or—’
‘Fine!’ Jordan threw her hands in the air. ‘We didn’t have sex!’
Natalia barely resisted her smile. ‘I know that. So why lie?’
‘Because I had no other choice! I wanted to tell the real father, but then everyone would hate me. Adam was the perfect solution until you came and fucked it up.’
‘So, you wanted revenge by lying about me to the Health Ombudsman? Because you and I both know I didn’t tell Adam anything. He came to you that day with no knowledge of your pregnancy and we can prove it.’
Jordan’s lips curled into a snarl. ‘I guess it won’t do much. You won’t leave town even if you do get deregistered.’
Natalia raised her eyebrows. ‘Is that what you want? Because, no, I won’t. I’ll stay in Elizadale whether I’m a doctor or not.’
Jordan hopped off the other side of the bed. ‘Fine, I’ll retract the complaint too. Then will you and Adam leave me the fuck alone?’
Natalia unclenched her hands. ‘I would be very grateful.’
‘Good. Anything else?’
‘Did you spike him?’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake.’ Jordan ran her hands through her hair and pulled. ‘Why can’t anyone accept he was just drunk?’
‘Jordan.’ It took all of Natalia’s effort to remain calm. ‘We know you gave him the bottle of rum. Adam remembers most of the night until meeting up with you and a person is far more likely to suffer amnesia by mixing substances than on alcohol alone.’
‘And what? That’s your “medical” opinion?’
‘Yes.’ Her voice rose a notch. ‘It is.’
‘Then Adam’s lucky he has someone so smart like you.’ Jordan shoved her feet into her shoes. ‘But you can’t prove anything, so I’m leaving.’
Since she had no medical reason to hold Jordan there, Natalia didn’t stop her as Jordan strode across the room and yanked open the door. Natalia followed, watching as the Kellys rose from their chairs. Strangely enough, Elanora reached for Jordan first.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked. ‘The baby?’
‘I’m fine. So’s the baby.’
‘Good. I’m glad to hear that.’ Elanora glanced at Paul and Harrison. ‘Will you two take Jordan home? Shane and I have an appointment, but he’s not here yet.’
‘Sure,’ Paul said. ‘Everything okay with you two?’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Elanora said before glancing back at Jordan. ‘Can I come and see you later? To chat and see if there’s anything you need?’
‘Ah ...’ Jordan glanced uncertainly between her siblings. ‘If you must.’
Natalia smiled softly, proud to see Elanora was trying. It wouldn’t be easy for her. With any luck, she too would soon be on her way to becoming a mother and Natalia was keen to continue that conversation. But since it was almost five o’clock and Shane was nowhere to be seen, Natalia began to doubt that he shared his wife’s commitment to their family.
* * *
Hope filled Adam’s heart as he drove to the surgery to pick up Natalia. He might not have all the answers, but he had the ones that mattered. He would talk to Jordan this week, tell her he knew the truth, and give her one more chance to confess to the spiking. Since he couldn’t prove it, he doubted she’d suffer any consequences, but that was a problem he’d discuss with Cade later. For now, all he wanted was to pick Natalia up and take her home.
Adam strode into the surgery with a spring in his step. But instead of finding the waiting room empty and staff getting ready to leave like usual, he was met by the hard glowers of both Kelly brothers.
‘Now you show up,’ Paul sneered. ‘Great timing, as usual.’
‘Do you know what you’ve done to my sister?’ Harrison yelled, gesturing towards Jordan.
Adam glanced past the Kellys to where Natalia stood in the doorway of the treatment room. What had he walked into? But as she smiled softly and nodded, strangely enough, he understood what that meant. Somehow, she’d begun to set things right. So, Adam placed his hands on his hips and glanced at Paul, Harrison, and Jordan. He almost blinked at the sight of Elanora standing behind them. ‘I’ve done nothing.’
‘Damn right! You’ve done nothing to help her! Or care! Some man you are when you can’t own your fuckups and leave a woman to fear for your kid’s life alone!’
‘Harry—’ Jordan said, but Harrison paid her no attention.
‘You say you don’t remember that night, but you only have yourself to blame,’ Paul said, advancing on Adam. ‘Next time, you might think about how your actions can hurt other people.’
Adam stood his ground. ‘Thanks to a friend, I do know what happened that night. Just like you do, Paul. So, let’s put an end to this once and for all. I am not the father of Jordan’s baby.’
Paul rolled his eyes. ‘Bullshit, you were—’
‘He’s right.’
Paul spun towards Jordan. ‘What?’
‘He’s not the father?’ Harrison asked. ‘But you said—’
Jordan threw up her hands. ‘I know. I wanted Adam to be the father, but he knows we didn’t have sex that night and now it’s all fucked up. So, I’m going before—’
Paul held up his hand. ‘You lied to us?’
‘Jordan!’ Harrison cried.
‘It was better than telling you the truth! Now, I really must—’
‘I think you owe us an explanation,’ Adam interrupted. ‘Or me, at least. Why did you try to trick me? You put me through hell, Jordan! And for what?’
Jordan crossed her arms over her chest. ‘You’d have accepted the story if that city bitch hadn’t showed up.’
Adam’s eyes narrowed. ‘You don’t think I would have questioned it? That I wouldn’t have thought you’d taken advantage of my intoxicated state?’
She held up her hand. ‘I’ve already had the third degree from your stupid girlfriend. I don’t need it from you too. You only have yourself to blame after you decided you could ditch me like that.’
Adam’s jaw clenched. ‘Is that why you spiked me?’
‘Like I’d need to spike you.’
‘You said it yourself, Jordan. I kept turning you away, so you needed to do something to get me back. But from what I heard, I still said no even when I was doped up. So, you tried to use me to cover your arse with this pregnancy! Why?’
Adam’s heart pounded, but he held her gaze. He wanted answers and this time, he was going to get them.
‘And why did you lie to us?’ Harrison asked as Paul sank into a chair.
‘Because! It was the only way I wouldn’t hurt you! Not that it fucking matters now. Adam went and lost interest in me and then—’
‘So, you spiked me with fuck-knows-what?’
‘I didn’t spike—’
‘Diazepam,’ Paul said, and everyone stopped shouting. Jordan stilled. Harrison stared at his brother while Adam exchanged glances with Natalia. Her eyes widened.
After what felt like an age, Paul rose to his feet, his steeled eyes on Jordan. ‘You laced that rum with diazepam,’ he said, anger lacing his tone.
All Adam could do was blink.
Jordan opened her mouth. Closed it. Cleared her throat. ‘You can’t prove that.’
‘Yes, I can,’ Paul said, approaching his sister. ‘I woke that morning sick as all shit and left Maguire there thinking he deserved to sleep off whatever crap he liked to party with. I went to the doctor and was bloody furious to find I had diazepam in my system, but I figured it was my fault for sharing drinks. But Adam wasn’t to blame, Jordan. You spiked him! Spiked both of us! Maybe Claire and Sven too!’
Jordan’s mouth twisted. ‘I didn’t mean to spike you!’
‘For fuck’s sake, Jordan!’ Paul roared. ‘Don’t you see your actions have consequences? Now tell us! Who is the father?’
‘None of your business!’
‘Jordan,’ Elanora said calmly, moving towards her sister. ‘We respect your privacy, of course, but I think you owe Adam and Paul an apology for spiking that rum.’
‘Where’d you get it? The diazepam?’ Natalia asked, frowning.
‘Oh, please.’ Jordan rolled her eyes. ‘Not all doctors are as perfect as you. Pay them a few favours and they’ll prescribe anything.’
‘Jordan!’ Harrison cried. Elanora gasped and Adam’s eyebrows shot up. Natalia didn’t look surprised.
Paul cleared his throat and turned to Adam. ‘I don’t know what you want to do, but can you give me some time before you take the spiking further? I’ll need to think about this.’
Adam nodded. He could hardly believe what he’d just witnessed, but he knew one thing. ‘You’re the one with the proof, so just let me know what you decide to do.’
Paul paused. ‘Thanks.’
Jordan snorted and crossed her arms. ‘You won’t press charges.’
Paul slowly lifted his finger her way, his eyes heating. ‘Don’t you test me.’
‘We’re all witnesses, Jordan,’ Harrison said. ‘You committed a crime—’
‘Several, I’d say,’ Natalia interjected.
‘—but I still want to know why you lied to us.’
Paul nodded. ‘Tell us now or later, but I want to know who the father is.’
The doors opened behind Adam and Shane Campbell strode in. ‘El! Good, you’re still here. We need to ...’ His gaze drifted from Kelly to Kelly. ‘What’s going on?’
Elanora moved towards him. ‘Where have you been? Our appointment was an hour ago!’
‘Aren’t doctor’s always late?’
‘No, but it’s okay because Natalia had to take care of Jordan. She was in pain.’
‘Shit.’ Shane was at Jordan’s side in a few quick strides. ‘Are you okay? The baby?’
Jordan’s eyes lowered. ‘We’re fine. I just want to go home.’
Shane glared at Paul. ‘Then take her. Or I will. El?’
She nodded. ‘Yeah. Maybe we can all go because Jordan needs to explain why she lied to us.’
‘About what?’
‘Adam’s not the father,’ Elanora told Shane before turning to Jordan. ‘But it’ll be okay, Jordan. If you tell us, we’ll help you. Right?’
Elanora glanced at her brothers, so she didn’t see the look on her husband’s face as he asked Jordan, ‘You were going to tell them?’
Adam’s eyebrows shot up. Paul stepped forward.
Jordan scoffed. ‘No ...’
Shane spun to Elanora. ‘Maybe we should go—’
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ Paul growled.
Everyone stilled. Elanora glanced at her husband. Then she turned to Jordan.
And screamed.