Page 12 of On the Edge

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

Lauren looked up.‘Just that we all have choices.’

Nel waited for her to say more, but she didn’t.

Lauren shut the album and tossed it aside.‘I have to go.’

She took her mug into the kitchen, then disappeared down the hall and out the front door.

Good riddance, Nel thought as the door slammed behind her.She pushed the album aside and stared into the fire.When did her sister become so overbearing?She’d always been bossy—in a typical, firstborn-girl kind of way—but now she was completely insufferable.Was she like this with everyone, Nel wondered?Or was it something to do with her?Everything she said seemed laced with disapproval and irritation.

‘I thought I heard Lauren.’

Nel looked up to see Cath standing in the doorway.

‘You did,’ Nel said.‘She dropped off some groceries.’

‘Have you sorted out the photos?’

She nodded and passed her mum the photo she’d selected for the cover.‘We thought this one would be nice on the front of the booklet.’

Cath looked at it for a long time, then put it down on the coffee table.‘I was thinking of one from just after we were married.’She reached for the shoebox and started shuffling through the pictures.‘He was sitting on a beach.Have you come across that one?’

Chapter 8

‘“The night Max wore his wolf suit, and made mischief of one kind or another, his mother called him ‘WILD THING!’and Max said, ‘I’LL EAT YOU UP!’so he was sent to bed without eating anything.’”

Sophie waited as Harvey coughed, his little body convulsing with the force of it.There was a rattling sound in his chest that made her wince.

His cold had got worse.Mrs Penning from the school office had called around midday and asked Sophie to pick him up.When she’d arrived, her heart had lurched at the sight of him slumped on the vinyl chair outside the office.

‘I assume you’ll be taking him to see a doctor,’ Mrs Penning said with a tight smile.‘All sorts of nasty things are going around.Whooping cough, bronchitis, Influenza A …’

Sophie had given her a nod, although she probably wouldn’t.Ryan was a bit funny about doctors.

‘And while I think of it,’ Mrs Penning went on, ‘Miss Clyde asked me to remind you that Jasmine needs to bring in her materials for the rocket-building activity they’re doing in science tomorrow.I was just about to send you an email.’

‘Rocket building?’

‘Cardboard boxes, toilet rolls …’

‘Right …’ Sophie bit her lip.Was Jaz meant to have told her about this?

‘And I haven’t received Charlie’s permission form for the geography excursion either.They were due back last week.’

‘Okay.’Sophie couldn’t recall hearing anything about an excursion either.How did she always miss these things?

‘It’s fifteen dollars,’ Mrs Penning added.

Sophie nodded, glad it was only Tuesday.She would have the money.She took Harvey’s hand and hurried to the car before Mrs Penning could raise any other parenting failures.

After listening to Harvey cough all afternoon, she’d decided to go ahead and make him a doctor’s appointment.She’d worry about Ryan later.

‘Of course,’ Viv the clinic receptionist had said.‘She can see you tomorrow afternoon.’

‘She?’Sophie asked, confused.Then she remembered the sad news about Rob Foley, which had slipped her mind.‘Sorry, who’s the doctor Harvey will see?’

‘Doctor Foley’s daughter, Nel,’ Viv said.‘She’s a GP from Sydney.She’s kindly agreed to see patients until we can arrange a locum.’