The plane touched down into the June heat of ninety-two degrees. A haze hung over the airport and as soon as the door of the private jet opened, Caris’s breath was sucked from her lungs.

“I’m so overdressed.” She pulled at the collar of her shirt, then undid the cuffs and rolled them as far as she could.

Andy looked her up and down. “Yeah, jeans weren’t a good call.”

“You’re wearing jeans,” she pointed out.

He shrugged. “Basically, it’s my uniform.”

A damn fine uniform it was too. The jeans hugged his thighs and backside. His shirt was sticking slightly to his broad chest and the rolled-up sleeves were bursting with his upper arms. Her heart skipped a beat.

“You must be hot, too?” The words came out in a slight croak, but Andy was oblivious.

“Not really. I think I’m acclimatized.”

She snorted. “How’s that possible? We’ve only this minute arrived.”

“Haven’t you heard? I’m a Texas boy.”

“Really? I would have said you were a city boy these days.”

He took the bags and headed to the terminal. “I work in and around San Francisco, because of your family, but I’m still a Texan.”

“So, you’d rather live back in Texas?” She was almost jogging to keep up with his long, purposeful strides, and now worried about his answer.

“I’m not sure. I’ve thought about it a lot since I grew up. Roots and all that. But, it would be hard not to be a few miles from the Knights.”

Caris felt her heart pick up another notch. Did he mean all the Knights, in the same way? “I feel the same.”

He stopped on the tarmac, dropped the bags, and turned to her so fast she smacked into his chest. He took hold of her arms. Perhaps it was simply to steady her, but she shivered at his firm touch.

“You’re thinking of moving away?”

“I might have to if I want the sort of residency that will fast track my learning. I need to be in the best place for that, and I’m not sure San Francisco General is it.”

“Where then?”

“I’ve applied for spots at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Massachusetts General, and San Francisco Medical Centre, as well as several others.”

He let her go and picked up the bags, marching ahead to the doors of the small airport. But not before she’d seen the hurt on his face. It wasn’t right for him to feel hurt when he pushed her away every chance he got. Like last night, when becoming lovers would have been so easy. Instead, they had returned to their separate rooms to ‘work’.

How could she work when she knew he was on the other side of the door? If it was friendship he wanted, then it was best that they be long-distance friends.

They picked up the car keys from the rental company and this time they drove a sporty 4X4. It was quite new but not showy, so at least they’d blend in. Andy keyed the address into the GPS for his mother’s last known address from a piece of paper he’d pulled from his pocket then stowed it in the glove compartment.

“When do you leave?” he asked, his voice cool.

“I don’t know exactly. It depends on where I go. If I move states, then I’ll need to set up another flat or buy a small house. That’ll take time, so I’d go earlier.”

“You must have start dates.”

“First of the month.” It had sounded a long way off before this trip.

There was a very long pause.

“Next month?” he asked. His hands gripped the wheel tight enough for his knuckles to turn white.

“Yes.”

“I see. Thanks for finally telling me. It would have been nice to know this before.”

“Andy, you can be as annoyed as you like, but this is my career and we haven’t exactly been close enough to have the conversation. Anyway, what is the point of staying nearby when you clearly don’t want me.”

They’d only been driving for a few minutes when he swerved to the side of the road. He smacked the steering wheel before turning to her. “Look, as much as we need to get this out in the open, I can’t do it right now. I can’t talk about us until I know about me. But, never think I don’t want you.”

They stared at each other, and Caris could feel herself moving towards him. Their eyes locked for a moment then he put the car into gear and pulled back onto the road.

She was in limbo, as she turned to look out her window. All these words, so uncharacteristic of him, didn’t say enough. But that look had. She would have to be patient, even if it meant choosing at the last minute the hospital she’d work in. If she could have Andy, she’d work anywhere he was.

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the address on the edge of town. ‘Happy Valley Retirement village’ the sign read. It looked anything but happy. It was badly run down if the outside in any way reflected the inside. From the weed-infested driveway and the cloudy windows to the sagging portico, the place just looked sad.

Andy parked in the potholed parking lot and by the way he yanked on the brake she knew he wasn’t happy. This was not a good start.

The hallways were dim and the place needed paint and carpet. They waited for an age at the unmanned reception desk, even after they rang the bell a few times. Finally, Andy nodded down a corridor and they followed the sound of plaintive voices, walking slowly so that Andy could check each room.

Caris screwed her nose up at the smell of urine and feces. As part of her training, she’d spent time in nursing homes and couldn’t say they were all perfect, but this was something else. This place needed a bulldozer. The thought did not change as they got further and further into the building.

Through open doors, they could see residents in bed or sitting on chairs. Some had televisions to watch, others simply stared at blank screens. A couple looked hopeful and then disappointed when they passed on by.

Eventually, they reached a room which seemed to burst with old people. There was a hum of voices, interspersed with a few yells. All the chairs were taken, with wheelchairs and walkers filling the spaces.

They were listening to a young woman in a faded uniform, who had been showing them a few exercises, which a few were attempting. As soon as they realized they had visitors, every face turned their way.

The young woman carefully squeezed past her audience to greet them with a sunny smile. “Good morning. Can I help you?”

“Do you run this place?” Andy asked.

“Gosh, no. I’m only an aide.”

“Where is the owner or manager?”

The smile faded. “The manager is in the staffroom. She’s having a meeting.”

“So, you’re the only one looking after the patients at the moment?” he pressed.

“Yes.”

Andy shook his head in disbelief and took a walk around the room. He looked more upset with each person he passed.

The woman was younger up close than Caris had imagined. She’d looked worried about her admission and didn’t seem inclined to locate the manager for them.

At that moment, Andy’s patience ran out. “Okay. I need to speak to someone in charge. Can you at least point me in the right direction?”

She nodded down another corridor and whispered. “The staff room is at the end.”

“Thank you.”

Andy handed Caris a picture of his mom. “You stay here and look for her. I’m going to talk to the manager.”

“Take it easy, Andy, you’ll get more help if you don’t yell at anyone.”

He hesitated. “I can’t promise, but I’ll try.”

She smiled in encouragement, while her fingers crossed automatically, remembering from her childhood that Andy in a temper was not particularly pleasant.

Caris turned back to the young woman who was fidgeting, and looking at the residents as if they might revolt at any moment. Most of them were fascinated by the goings-on. Perhaps it was a novelty to have visitors?

“What’s your name?”

“Rebecca Daniels.”

“Rebecca, do you know this woman?” Caris handed her the photo.

“I think this must be a very old photo, ma’am?” she nodded at the sea of wrinkled faces behind them.

Point taken. Andy was over thirty now, so his mother would have to be over sixty since a late in life baby had been an unwanted surprise to her and Andy’s dad, or so the drunk had been heard to say whenever he got the chance. Not that Andy had told her this, but adults as well as children talk about things like that.

Sixty-something still wasn’t old, but she’d had a rough life by all accounts, and would almost certainly look different.

“My name’s Caris Knight, and that man is Andrew Carlile. This is a picture of his mother, Patsy.”

“Patsy Carlile? Why yes, she’s still here.”

Caris would have called after Andy, but he’d disappeared into a room at the end of the corridor. Perhaps she should take a better look at their audience, who were watching the proceedings with varying degrees of interest.

“No, she’s not in the room. She’s bedridden.”

“Is she hurt?”

“Not really. She stopped eating a few days ago.”

The girl sounded apologetic and sad. Caris was pretty sure that Rebecca wasn’t to blame for any of this. By the looks of things, she was doing the best she could in a bad situation.

Loud voices were heard from Andy’s direction, and several heads popped out of doorways along the corridor. She hoped he’d managed to keep his temper in check, but by the sound of it, her hopes were in vain.