I’d love to see it,’ Candy said, ‘unless explaining me makes things awkward for you.’
‘I never feel the need to explain myself,’ he said, and then he amended that slightly. ‘Actually, I did cancel dinner with my parents tonight, you would have taken some explaining.’
‘Oh, sorry,’ Candy said, ‘I didn’t want you to change your plans for me.’
‘I was more than happy to change them. I’m moving closer to them in a few weeks.’ He turned and smiled again. ‘Though not quite close as you are to yours, but they’ll be seeing more of me than they do now.’
‘What are they like now?’
‘They’ve mellowed,’ Steele said. ‘They’re much nicer as old people. Though I have to admit that when they start asking questions about my life, my love life, I’m often tempted to tell them to back off, given that they showed little interest in me when I was growing up.’ He gave a roll of his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t do that to them, though.’
Candy knew that he wouldn’t. He was too nice.
‘You like old people.’
‘I do,’ he said. ‘I don’t like all old people. It’s not a free pass to being a good person but I like how they’ve let go of the stuff that’s not important. I like how they say what they think and share what they know. I like it even when my patients drive me mad with their stubbornness. I learn something every day, every single day, from how to put a brass doorknob on a house I’m renovating to how to face death.’
They arrived at the hospital and Steele shook hands and introduced her to Reece, a consultant who’d clearly had a lot of input into the new wing.
‘Any chance of you starting sooner?’ Reece joked. ‘Emergency is full.’
‘No chance.’ Steele smiled. ‘I don’t need you to show me around if you’re busy.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Of course.’
‘I’ll see you at the meeting, then.’ Reece nodded. ‘Make sure you put a hard hat on.’
‘I feel like a builder,’ Candy said as she put hers on.
‘Come on, Bob,’ Steele said, and he took her through the building. It was near complete in parts and the roof was going on in others. ‘This is going to be the acute geriatric unit,’ he explained as he showed her a huge area where the wiring was going in. ‘Very high-tech computer system,’ he said. ‘It has its own occupational therapy assessment area.’ He took her in. There were two kitchens and various sets of stairs being built, as well as showers and baths of various heights so that patients could be assessed on how they would manage at home. ‘I’m aiming for a forty-eight-hour admission time. Either home afterwards with support or admitted to the correct ward, but most of my patients will first come through here—well, that’s the plan.’
‘Forty-eight hours isn’t very long.’
‘Best time frame,’ Steele said. ‘It gives us enough time to put proper support in place for when they return to their homes.’
Steele showed her the other wards—a palliative care ward and also the acute medical unit—and then he opened a door and they stood in a huge empty space.
‘This is the dream,’ he said. ‘It’s not happening yet. We’re facing lots of obstacles and red tape, insurance issues and things, but I’m hoping this space will be a gym.’ He smiled. ‘Actually, I’m not allowed to call it that. I’m hoping this space will be utilised for healthy living …’
‘Sorry?’
‘Well, I always feel a bit of a bastard when I know someone’s lonely and that a cream cake at three in the afternoon means not only a cream cake but a walk to the shops and some conversation too. Instead of asking them to give it up, I’m hoping that they can come here and have a chat with friends and maybe a bit of exercise. I’m hoping for a slimming or exercise club or something like that. It’s all a bit of a pipe dream at the moment, but at least we have the space earmarked for it, if we ever do get to go ahead.’
‘How long’s your contract for?’ Candy asked.
‘Two years,’ he said. ‘They wanted five but I wouldn’t agree to it.’
‘Because?’
‘Because I’ve never stayed anywhere for more than two years. I like fresh starts. I like putting everything into it and building things up …’
Or rather he had.
They drove to a pub and had a lovely lazy lunch overlooking a huge village green.
‘Gorgeous, isn’t it?’ Candy said, and he nodded.
‘Even if we don’t get the go-ahead for the gym, I’ll probably start a walking club over there.’
‘You’re going to go start a geriatric walking club!’
‘Yep, I walk with my dog every morning that I can. Why not have company?’
‘You have a dog?’
‘I do.’ Steele smiled. ‘You have me pegged as a loner— no friends to go to the movies with, no pets. I have a dog, I have nice furniture and I have, when I’m not sleeping with Nurse Candy, a very busy social life.’
‘Where’s your dog now?’
‘At my parents’,’ he said. ‘He’s a chocolate Labrador called Newman.’
‘Newman?’
‘You’ll …’ Steele stopped. He had been about to say she would see why when she met him but that wasn’t what today was about. No pressure, he reminded himself. Today was doing her good, he could see that already. Her cheeks were pink and she seemed more relaxed than she had since … well, since Macey had opened her mouth and knocked their worlds off their axes, but they were starting to spin again, tentatively, though. ‘He’s got blue eyes,’ Steele said instead. ‘And he’s the love of my life and he knows it.’
‘Does he sleep on your bed, Steele?’
Steele shook his head. ‘He sleeps on his bed for about seventeen hours a day and graciously lets me share it at night.’
After lunch they walked across the green and Candy laughed as she looked at it through what she imagined were Steele’s eyes. ‘I have this vision of all these old people doing Tai Chi …’
‘So do I.’
She stopped walking. ‘And then you’ll leave.’
‘That was the plan,’ he said. ‘Though this is a huge project …’ He looked around. Since his divorce he had never been able to imagine staying in one place for very long. Here, though, he was close, though not too close to his parents; here was the job he had been working towards his entire career. He looked over as a car pulled up and a man got out and gave them a wave as they walked over to him.
‘That’s
