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willing to pay is going to come in handy if
we have to put her into care. I don't know if you would be able to match
it."
    Gathering all the
strength she could muster, Rooney smiled and squeezed his hand while forcing
down disappointment and the need to scream in frustration. "It's alright,
Pete. You needed to do what's best for you and Julie. Between the two of you,
I’ve had the best foster family I could wish for."
    She ran her fingers
over his brown speckled hand, taking note of the tremors running through his
body. His pain was greater than hers would ever be and she understood his reasons
for letting someone else buy what she needed. "You helped me through all
my problems and pushed me into university to get my degree when I needed it. I
don't begrudge you selling the practice to someone else. You have enough on
your plate without having to worry about me."
    "I hoped you would
understand, Rooney. I've sung your praises to the new owner and I'm confident
he will keep you on when he takes over next week."
    "Let me worry
about that. You look after yourself and Julie, that’s what’s important right
now. I'll pop over and see her on the weekend then, okay?"
    "She would love to
see you, you know that." He stood and opened his arms wide. Rooney stepped
into them, doing her best to keep her emotions under control.
    "If you need me,
I'm here, okay?"
    "Thanks, Rooney
you're a good girl."
    Pete gave her a sad
smile and opened the door. With a small wave of his hand, he walked away back
to the reception room.
    Rooney gripped the
armrest of her chair and fell down into it. She dropped her head into her hands.
Julie was the sweetest person she knew and to be knocked down with Alzheimers
was a terrible blow. Her heart was breaking for them both. Pete and Julie had
taken her in when she found herself with nowhere to live and helped her through
so much. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for them.
    Not showing how gutted
she was about not being able to buy the business would be one thing she could
do. All during her uni days Pete had told her the business was hers when she
could afford it. She had scrimped and saved her heart out to put money aside
for that very reason. To own her own business was the dream that kept her going
on the days when things got too much and the study, along with the wailing of
her toddler, threatened to derail her.
    Now it was gone. Everything
she had worked so hard for was being ripped away, leaving her with a pounding
heart and an empty ache. What was she going to tell Tam? Having a secure future
for her baby was the one thing that kept her focused.
    "Rooney, are you
okay?" Tara leaned on the door, a frown on her forehead as she looked in.
"Pete told me the news."
    "Um, yeah, I'll be
fine."
    "But I know how
much you had your heart set on this place. You've wanted it ever since I can
remember."
    "I know, but
what’s happening to Julie is so much more important right now. Let's focus on
what we can do to help them and I can worry about my career after we meet the
new owner next week." Rooney thought of the spring bulbs she’d planted at
the front door last week and wondered if she would be here to see them burst
into bloom.
    "Sure, but if you
need me, I'm here. You know that."
    "Thanks. Now, what
time is our next appointment? I might try and grab a quick break if I have
time."
    "You do. Free time
for around forty minutes, then the afternoon rush starts."
    "Great. I'm going
for a walk to clear my head. I'll have my phone if you need me." She stood
and took off her white coat, hanging it on the back of her office door before taking
her running shoes from the closet. Rooney slipped them on, stood up and picked
a cap from the collection she kept on the hook inside the closet. "Back in
half an hour."
    She managed to get out
the door and part way down the street before the tears overflowed. Walking was
her saviour, it always had been. It had started as her way to distance herself
from the real world when it