EMILY FORBES began her writing life as a partnership between two sisters who are both passionate bibliophiles. As a team, âEmilyâ had ten books published. One of her proudest moments was winning the 2013 Australia Romantic Book of the Year Award for SYDNEY HARBOUR HOSPITAL: BELLAâS WISHLIST.
While Emilyâs love of writing remains as strong as ever, the demands of life with young families have recently made it difficult to work on stories together. But rather than give up her dream Emily now writes solo. The challenges may be different, but the reward of having a book published is still as sweet as ever.
Whether as a team or as an individual, Emily hopes to keep bringing stories to her readers. Her inspiration comes from everywhere, and stories she hears while travelling, at mothersâ lunches, in the media and in her other career as a physiotherapist all get embellished with a large dose of imagination until they develop a life of their own.
If you would like to get in touch with Emily you can e-mail her at [email protected]
Dedication
For my fabulous brothers and sisters-in-law:
Andrew, Tim, Michelle, Brigid, Terry, Rebecca, Nick, Alexandra, Duncan, Nick, Rachel, Luke, Danielle, Ben and Kieraâwith love.
Sunday, 14th December
RUBY HAD ALWAYS known sheâd have to grow up one day but sheâd suspected it would be a gradual process, like growing out a fringe or recovering from a broken heart. She never expected to have to grow up overnight.
A few hours earlier sheâd been asleep in her bed. Now she was about to walk into an intensive care unit halfway across the country and she was terrified of what she would find. She didnât know if she was strong enough to deal with this crisis. She suspected she was a flight-not-fight type of personality. In fact, she knew she was. Sheâd always run away when the going had got tough.
Perhaps being able to cope with traumatic situations was a sure sign of maturation. The trouble was she was afraid of what she was about to see and afraid she wouldnât cope.
Maybe this disaster would be the catalyst that forced her to grow up. Maybe it would trigger her development into the sort of person others could depend on, but she really wasnât sure if she had that level of resolve.
She waited as her sisterâs fiancé keyed the security code into the door and held it for her and then she trailed in Jakeâs footsteps as he crossed the room.
Ruby could see her sister, Scarlett, and their mother sitting side by side. Scarlett was holding their motherâs hand and Ruby knew she was comforting Lucy, not the other way around. Scarlett had always looked after all of them, their mother included.
Seeing her family huddled together threatened to damage the wall around the well of emotion that sheâd been trying to keep under control since sheâd left Byron Bay in the early hours of the morning. Throughout the flight to Adelaide, and even on the short trip from the airport to the hospital, sheâd fought to keep her emotions in check. She hadnât wanted to fall apart in front of a plane full of strangers or in front of her sisterâs fiancéâshe didnât know him well enough yet and she couldnât let him see that she wasnât as brave or as strong as Scarlett was.
Scarlett stood up the moment she saw Ruby. She came towards her with her arms open and wrapped Ruby in her embrace. Ruby relaxed into her older sisterâs comforting hug. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and gathering on her lashes ready to spill over as she soaked up Scarlettâs reassurance.
She and Scarlett were of similar height but Rubyâs skinny frame was always a sharp contrast to Scarlettâs curves. Even more so today, thought Ruby as she felt Scarlettâs rounded belly, firm and hard and stretched tight as a drum, pressing into her. Ruby stepped back out of Scarlettâs embrace to take a proper look at her. Scarlett was into the final trimester of her pregnancy and it was the first time Ruby had seen her in several months, the first time sheâd seen her looking pregnant. It suited her.
But seeing Scarlettâs new curves served as another little push to Rubyâs subconscious, another little hint that times were changing and she might have to change along with them. Scarlett had always been there for her. Theyâd always been close because Scarlett had made that her priority. Their relationship had been nurtured, and on occasion saved, by Scarlettâs determination and perseverance. Sheâd been there for all of them at one time or another but now she had another person totally dependent on her. Her fiancé and their baby would be Scarlettâs priorities now.
Ruby knew that didnât mean that Scarlett would abandon any of them. Not her, not their mother and certainly not Rose, their younger sister and the reason they were all here in the ICU, but Scarlett couldnât be expected to shoulder all their worries. Rose needed them and they needed to look out for her.