“Uncle Salty said that, did he?”
Ellie nodded. “How was your day, Dad?”
His interaction with Salty hadn’t been quite as productive. One of the nurses had been persuaded to supply him with a screwdriver, probably in an attempt to keep him quiet, and Rick had found him dismantling everything he could find in his room, including his wheelchair. Salty clearly liked to run a tight ship, and he’d been cleaning everything until it shone. Rick had confiscated the screwdriver, but he suspected that Salty would figure out how to get it back within the hour.
But Fleur had been the highlight of his day. She hadn’t taught him a dance, but her smile had left him humming a tune as
he’d made his way to his next patient.
“I saw Fleur too. I’m helping her do some exercises to make her leg better.” He lifted Ellie back up onto her stool.
“Fleur says you’re the best doctor in the whole clinic.”
“Does she?” Fleur hadn’t confided that thought to him.
“She says you know it all.”
Rick choked on his coffee. That sounded a bit more like it.
“Well she’s right. I do know it all. Don’t forget that, kiddo.”
* * *
Fleur had worked hard. A little too hard at one point, when she’d heard that Mollie Gardener had threatened to resign from the library fundraising committee if Fleur continued her involvement with the Fright Night. Rick had found her on one of the exercise bikes in the gym, trying to pedal her way into unfeeling exhaustion, and ordered her back to her room, staying with her to talk it all through and persuade her that she’d come too far to go back now. And Pamela had called in on Mollie, and told her she was sorry to hear that she wouldn’t be on the fundraising committee anymore.
But the hours of exercise, the sweat and the tears, had borne fruit. When Fleur had swapped her crutch for a walking stick, Rick had enlisted Ellie’s help, after work one evening, and the three of them had built a snowman outside the windows of the children’s wing, adding a hat, scarf and the now unused crutch.
She’d enjoyed seeing Rick every day, feeling that he was watching over her. Going into town with him and Ellie on his days off. Fleur supposed that would all end now that she was leaving the clinic.
Because Rick was all about the work. He might be inspirational, and she might feel as if he was the best friend she’d ever had. But when she was no longer his patient, then someone else would be feeling that.
She’d packed up her clothes, and the ever-growing quantity of things that she’d put together for the Fright Night and she was ready to go. Her father would be coming to collect her soon, and she had her discharge notes. There was no sign of Rick and it seemed that he was going to forgo the goodbye that Fleur had hoped for.
“So...” When she heard his voice behind her in the doorway of her room she jumped. “Seems I’m not your doctor anymore. I’m really going to miss our fights.”
Fleur took a moment to wipe the wild grin of joy from her face before she turned. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else to boss around.”
“I don’t know about that.” He was holding something behind his back, and when he moved she could see that it was a long, thin package, wrapped up in pink paper. “This is from me and Ellie.”
“A present...?” Fleur felt herself flush. He’d got her a present...
“Yes. Just a little something to remember us by. Ellie chose the paper and wrote the tag.” He laid the parcel down on the bed.
Ellie had drawn a picture, a figure with hair down to her feet, which vaguely resembled a mermaid. And then, in a spidery hand, she’d written “Ellie + Dad” underneath. “That’s beautiful, thank you.”
“You haven’t seen what it is, yet. You might want to whack me around the ears with it...”
“Really? Something to whack you round the ears with.” Fleur jokingly imitated Rick’s accent. “That’ll be useful.”
He chuckled and she tore the paper. Inside was a walking stick. Nothing like the one she’d been given to take away with her, the bone handle was shaped to follow the contours of her hand. And between the handle and the dark wood shaft there was a gold band, engraved with something. Fleur looked a little closer, spelling out the evenly spaced letters.
“‘D... E... F... O...’”
“Start with the F.” Rick seemed suddenly unsure of himself, watching her intently.
“‘F... O... R... Fortitude.’” She smiled at him. “Thank you. It’s beautiful, and I love the thought, too. I’ll use it all the time...”
He nodded, smiling suddenly. “No, you won’t. The one the clinic’s given you is just for when you’re tired, or you want to walk a long way, and so is this. I just thought you might like something that’s a bit less of a walking stick and a little more of a fashion accessory.”