Nurse In Need

Amy sailed back into the house, through the conservatory towards the drawing room. Jennifer was standing in the breakfast nook near the entrance to the kitchen. A waiter stood beside her holding a large silver tray covered with bite-sized savouries.

‘What’s in the little round ones?’ Jennifer was asking.

‘Satay chicken.’ The waiter seemed to be enjoying the attention.

‘And the triangles?’

‘Sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and olives.’

‘Have you found Noel yet?’ Amy asked Jennifer.

‘No, but I forgive you anyway, Amy. These things are delicious. Have some satay chicken.’

‘I’m not hungry,’ Amy stated. She eyed the mass of humanity visible through the double doors of the drawing room. Nigel’s face appeared. He frowned at Amy. Amy sighed loudly.

‘What’s the matter?’ Jennifer spoke around a mouthful of filo pastry. She grabbed another savoury from the platter as the waiter moved towards the door. He nearly collided with Nigel.

‘Amy, where on earth have you been? Lorraine’s waiting to make the announcement.’

‘I’m sure she can wait a bit longer,’ Amy said evenly. ‘Or is it getting a bit close to dawn?’

Jennifer sputtered over the remains of her pastry. Nigel’s frown deepened.

‘What?’ His expression changed to one of calculation. ‘How much have you had to drink tonight, Amy?’

‘Not much,’ Amy lied. ‘In fact, I think I’ll have some more.’ She reached out and collected a full crystal flute from the silver tray another waiter was taking into the gathering. Goodness knows what she’d done with the bottle and glass she’d been holding a few minutes ago.

‘I think you’ve had enough,’ Nigel told her.

‘Amy’s quite capable of deciding when she’s had enough to drink,’ Jennifer informed Nigel.

‘That’s right.’ Amy nodded. ‘To tell the truth, I’m getting a little bit fed up with other people deciding things on my behalf.’

‘Good for you, Amy,’ Jennifer said encouragingly.

‘Yes, good for you,’ a voice echoed.

Amy swivelled sharply. There he was again! In the kitchen!

‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Nigel queried coldly.

‘That’s just what I was going to ask,’ Amy said in surprise.

‘Shut up, Amy.’ Nigel was glaring at the intruder.

‘I beg your pardon? You can’t speak to me like that, Nigel.’

The man nodded calmly. ‘Damned right he can’t. You tell him, Amy.’

Jennifer grinned at the stranger. ‘I think I like you,’ she announced.

The catering staff had all paused in their tasks. They were staring openly at the scene unfolding before them in the breakfast room.

Nigel took hold of Amy’s arm. ‘Come with me,’ he ordered curtly.

‘No,’ Amy protested but her legs were too wobbly to cooperate. She found herself being pulled across the hallway and into the throng of guests. Her support team had vanished. She was in enemy territory again. Gaps appeared in the crowd as Nigel moved purposefully forward. Greetings and conversational openings were acknowledged merely by a brisk nod from Nigel. Then the progress halted abruptly. Nigel’s registrar, Noel Fenton, was standing in front of them.

‘Noel,’ Amy said happily. ‘Jen’s been looking for you.’

‘Jen? Who’s Jen?’

‘Never mind,’ Nigel snapped. ‘Listen, Noel. Amy needs to go home. She’s over-indulged a little. Can I leave it to you to—?’

‘Jennifer Bowman, my flatmate,’ Amy told Noel earnestly. ‘She’s very keen to meet you and I promised—’

‘Amy!’ Nigel gave her arm a shake.

Amy jerked away from his hand. ‘Don’t shake me, Nigel,’ she warned sharply. ‘And don’t tell me to shut up again either.’

Lorraine glided into view. Her voice was deceptively light. ‘Goodness me! What is going on?’

‘I’ll tell you,’ Amy volunteered. ‘Nigel thinks I’m a sort of puppet. He can shake me and I’ll do whatever he thinks I should do.’

‘Nigel?’ Lorraine’s tone carried a distinct ‘please explain’ message. Amy was delighted to see the composure crack.

‘Nigel thinks I’m going to live in Sydney,’ she told Lorraine. ‘He thinks my job doesn’t matter a damn and I’ll just give it up. Just like that!’ Amy tried to click her fingers but the result was unsatisfyingly muted. She tried again.

Lorraine glanced around them. Several nearby people had fallen silent and were pretending not to be watching. She gave an apologetic laugh. ‘Really, Amy. I think you might be overreacting.’

‘You would think that,’ Amy agreed. ‘But you’re just as bad as he is. You’ve even got my wedding all planned and you didn’t bother talking to me about it, did you?’

More people were listening. The first group had given up any pretence of not being fascinated. They had been joined by Jennifer and the stranger in the leather jacket.

‘I have an announcement to make.’ Amy took a breath, hoping that the loud buzzing in her head might dissipate. She handed her glass to Noel who looked like he was trying his best not to smile.

‘I’m not going to marry you, Nigel,’ Amy said loudly. ‘I’d rather…’ She paused as a wave of dizziness threatened her upright posture.

‘Go, Amy!’ Jen crowed.

Amy smiled lopsidedly. ‘I’d rather go home and stick needles in my eyes,’ she told Nigel.

‘Definitely preferable,’ the stranger agreed. He and Jen exchanged a grin.

‘Going home is certainly a good idea,’ Nigel said coldly. ‘I’ll drive you myself.’

‘No way!’ Amy wagged a finger at Nigel. ‘You’re not doing anything for me, Nigel Wesley.’ She could feel herself swaying. ‘You know what I think you should do, Nigel?’ Amy didn’t wait for a response. Her voice rose triumphantly and she enunciated with dramatic deliberation. ‘I think you should marry your mother!’

Only Amy seemed to find this funny. The silence in the room was now absolute. Even the string quartet in the conservatory had stopped providing any background music. Jennifer and her companion exchanged another glance. Then the man stepped forward.