Commitment

Part 74

Gray was still in the kitchen, making a groceries list for her when the door opened. He could help the growl. "I understand Dr Mcmahon told you to say in bed!" He got to his feet and came towards her.

Regan ignored him and moved past him and into the kitchen and she grumbled beneath her breath. "This is my home. This is my kitchen. I can do whatever I want!" More loudly she said, "I am sure Tony didn't mean I had to go hungry!" She thought Gray had left when the doctor arrived. And she definitely heard a car leaving, so she assumed she was on her own. It took her a few seconds to steady enough to get to her feet and was tempted to stay in bed. But she thought with some food, it might stop the pangs of hunger. She knew Tony had prescribed antibiotics probably for a bacterial infection, resulting in her nausea, her fatigue, and she, and he, recognised that her immune system needed help to fight off the infection.

"Hungry?" Gray snorted. "You don't have any food in your fridge!" He reached for a chair, he ordered firmly. "Sit!"

"I have milk!" She said as if that was enough and plopped onto the chair. She continued to glare. She was still dizzy. At least the contractions had ceased. Now she was just battling the dizzying spells. She thought if she took her time, she could handle the dizziness. And was pleased when she reached the kitchen without any problem. Albeit she had leaned against the walls on her way to the kitchen. At least she was still on her feet, not in a puddle on the floor in the corridor, she thought as she planted her elbows on the table and braced.

He gritted, "You can barely stand." He quirked a clearly disbelieving look at her .

Tightlipped with pique, she snapped, "That is not true."

"Really?" He began to glower fiercely at her.

She stammered into speech as she banked her frustration, "I walked to the kitchen, as you can see." What was he doing here? He has a job. A proper job with a decent wage. Surely he should be back at work. Or he could loose his job.

"Fuck." He flicked her a silent pugnacious look. "You are a bloody stubborn. A shame I did not realise it before." He sighed loudly.

She narrowed her eyes, "Great. Now that you recognise that, what are you doing here? You have a job, remember." She reminded him with a hint of a challenge. "And I don't need your help. And can I remind you, you do not work here." She scowled with revisited discord. "I am sure your employer is waiting for you. You will loose you job." She squared her shoulders. She sighed, remembering the event as if it had happened a few minutes ago, "Thank you for help." She mumbled in a distracted voice as thinking about her situation brought her problems to the surface. What was she going to do about the herd? Tony had signed her off from the centre, and was not expecting her at work for at least five days, but she could not leave the dairy herd un-milked for five days. She could not find workers when she was healthy, how could she find workers with her stuck in bed for the next five days? Just thinking about the situation was enough to spin her already spinning world. Her mind reminded her, common sense, you just need to use a bit of common sense.
She could see if there was a local job agency with rural workers on their books. Perhaps someone with some experience. She looked at Gray and wondered if she had the guts to ask him if he knew about a job agency with farm-workers on their books? She did not want to have a conversation with him about her ability to pay temporary workers given he now knows her circumstances. Her brain replayed the conversation she was having with him and wondered if she could take the risk, just ask for help? She peered up at him. He looked in command, totally unflustered, quietly confident. Confusion mounted and she shook her head in an attempt to clear the haze. She calmed down. She could not ask him for help. Her face mirrored her concerns and fears. She firmly steered the conversation toward a less stressful topic, "Thank you for phoning the doctor, and now, you know I have seen the doctor, so you can leave. I am fine."

"Rubbish! He said stay in bed." He said bluntly, and he went from elation to consternation in two seconds flat. "You might be a great doctor, but you are a terrible patient." He ran his fingers through his hair and watched her eyes. Something was not right. She seemed a touch wary about him or there was something else on her mind.

Regan glared and feigned composure, but beneath the surface she was rattled. And said firmly, "I have seen the doctor and in any case my condition ..."

Gray interrupted, "You do not have just indigestion. You are bloody ill. Not just a stomach ache! Ill enough to warrant antibiotics." Muttering angrily beneath his breath, he inhaled, hoping to rein his temper.

"Tony told you?" She threw him a reprimanding look. Why would Tony tell him that? What happened to patient confidentially?

Gray watched her eyes and saw that she was not happy. "No. He asked me to arrange a pick up for your antibiotics."

Relief, mingled with astonishment, coursed through her system but she was momentarily flustered, "Oh." She then added, "Thanks." She had forgotten about that. She needed antibiotics, but assumed that Tony would drop them off when he has time. Probably later this evening.

"So obviously not just a stomach ache. Probably unlikely because you do not have any food, at all, so probably not eaten at all, to cause any indigestion!" He quirked a brow at that, but she shrugged noncommittally. "Hence the painful contractions. The gnawing, no doubt. Your gut's pain. So probably did not eat breakfast. You are probably dehydrated. Is it depression? Or stress?

"Not your business!" Her voice had held a definite trace of apprehension. "But thanks for your help." She said quietly, her self-assurance fading. But she wondered if he was going to stay around. "I assume you will collect the prescription. I am sure that Tony will leave the prescription at the pharmacy."

"Loretta will collect the antibiotics. Dr Mcmahon said he would tell the pharmacy that your prescription would be collected on your behalf by either me or Loretta. I phone Loretta as she was working in town and she said she would collect it."

"Oh. Well, please thank her for me." Regan chewed on her lower lip. She was flustered which made matters worse. She was beginning to sound like an idiot even to her own ears. But he was being nice to her. Why? And why now? She huffed, "Closed the door on your way out!"

He grinned. "Nice try!" He watched a heap of emotions flash through her easily readable eyes.

She huffed. "Can you please just leave!" She wrapped her arms around her waist.

He told her candidly. "No!"

She glared. He snorted but refrained from saying anything. Instead he walked towards the pantry. There must be something she could eat.

Regan was momentarily flustered when he returned with a packet. Obviously he would see the condition of her pantry.

Gray asked calmly, "I guess you will eat this." A packet of macaroni cheese. Just macaroni cheese. There was nothing there apart from this packet. Flour, rice, some noodles. He knew she had bread, butter and milk in the fridge and bananas in the basket on the counter top. "And the bananas?" He flicked her an anxious look. What if she refused to eat?

She looked him straight in the eye, saying with assumed equanimity, "Just, one banana." She could not afford to argue with him, not when she was running on energy vapour.

"Just one?" Gray put the packet on the counter top and retrieved the banana. She nodded. "What about something to drink?"

"Just tap water." There was tea and coffee, and milk.