Free The Virgin Bride (The Australians) by Miranda Lee Page A

weather, the tourist season was on the move again, and the Princes Highway was always busy.
    â€˜I’ll miss you,’ she said softly. He glanced over his shoulder at her and their eyes locked. Hers were like large, shimmering green pools, and he felt himself dissolving. Her mouth looked soft and inviting, as did her whole body, clothed as usual in one of her softly flowing feminine dresses. It was a simple and sweet style, with tiny mauve flowers all over it.
    He wanted to rip it to shreds.
    â€˜I’ll miss you too,’ he returned, but stayed with his packing. Hell, if he kissed her now…
    She fell silent, and he glanced over his shoulder a second time. Her hands were in her lap and she was twisting her engagement ring around and around. The diamond sparkled in the sunshine which was coming in the window and slanting across the bed. It wasn’t a huge diamond, but it was what she’d chosen. Four smaller emeralds flanked the shoulders, the same green as her lovely eyes. He planned on giving her a matching eternity ring on their wedding night. The jeweller had secretly made it up for him after she’d chosen her engagement ring and he was to collect it next week.
    â€˜Is there something wrong, Emma?’ he asked.
    She looked up and smiled a taut little smile. ‘No, I suppose not. I’m being silly. It’s just that I had this feeling. You know…like someone was walking over my grave? A premonition. You…you will be careful,won’t you, Jason? I mean, driving around those busy Sydney roads.’
    He came over and sat down beside her, taking her by the shoulders and looking deep into her eyes. ‘I’ll be very careful,’ he promised. ‘Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to stop me coming back to you.’
    â€˜You promise?’
    â€˜You have my solemn oath.’
    Her sigh was deep. ‘That’s all right, then.’
    Without kissing her, he rose and returned to his packing.
    Â 
    The trip up was a nightmare. Too many cars and trucks, and too many hold-ups. The road being dug up in too many places.
    And then it started to rain.
    It was well after dark by the time he turned his car into the hospital car park, later by the time he found Jerry’s ward. His new watch said ten to nine as he strode up to the ward work station where he introduced himself as a doctor as well as Jerry’s brother, thereby stopping any officious nonsense about it being after visiting hours. Then he asked if he could speak to the specialist in charge of Jerry’s case.
    The sister, who was an attractive woman in her thirties, smiled at him and said that unfortunately he wouldn’t be able to speak to that particular doctor till morning. But Jerry’s GP was somewhere in the building. Also unfortunately, they’d given his brother a sedative not long before, and he was probably asleep. But he was welcome to sit by his brother for as long as he liked. He was in 4F, last room down on the left.
    Jason walked down the highly polished corridor to 4F, a long thin room which had six beds, though only four were filled. Jerry was lying in the furthest bed from the door. He had a window with a view over the city, but Jerry wasn’t seeing any view at the moment. He was sound asleep.
    Adele, Jason saw with some relief, was nowhere in sight. But he had no doubt she would show up soon. The thought rattled him somewhat.
    He found thankful distraction in his brother’s condition, inspecting Jerry’s pupils and taking his pulse. When he read the chart at the foot of the bed, Jason felt momentarily nauseous at how touch and go it had been. Jerry’s blood pressure had been appallingly low at one time, his temperature sky-high. He’d had seizures during the night as well.
    No doubt he should have been in an intensive care unit, but he was a non-paying public patient, so what could you expect? Not presidential treatment, that was for sure. Still, things