Just what the doctor ordered

Awake not-so bright but definitely early, we made the 45 minute walk to the medical centre both feeling tired after a bad nights sleep in a cold and gloomy room. Hoping for a quick visit, Rach went to see Dr Tan first (half an hour before Rich) hoping for a quick prescription of antibiotics to clear up her foot which was now looking rather orange! Dr Tan was helpful and rather funny even though he didn't mean to be. When showing him the lotion that the pharmacist had given us Dr Tan replied, 'Why are you showing me that?' He also shyed away from looking at Rach's foot instead insisting on very strong antibiotics and a NEEDLE! This is when Rach stopped finding Dr Tan and his big office so funny. Pushing her out of the room and towards a nurse's room that doubled up as a hospital ward complete with beds and lollies (jelly beans to us) for 'brave' people. Not being the biggest fan of needles Rach went (extra) pale and was told she couldn't leave the doctors until she was better and was tucked up under a sheet on a hospital bed with a selection of nurses peering at her.

With no knowledge of Rach's whereabouts, Rich was now in with Dr Tan himself doing squats and various exercises and was told he was okay to leave no closer to the cause of his strange knee activities. With no sign of Rach, Rich wondered if she had taken his 'meet you in the smoothie place down the street' literally.

After a hidden 'lecture' about the importance of breakfast from the nurse and a chat about England, Rach was being 'fed' jelly beans. Rach asked the nurse to go find Rich but she returned twenty minutes later with no sign of Rich and a string of patients that Rach had been apologising to after she accidently told them: 'oh the nurse is off looking for my boyfriend'. Feeling uncomfortable Rach decided to go hobble out looking for Rich herself but he was nowhere. Eventually the nurse returned saying she couldn't find Rich which set Rach's mind racing with thoughts of where he had been carted off to.

Insisting that she was fine, Rach hobbled to the reception desk asking if the receptionist knew where Rich was. The receptionist claimed Rich had just paid and left...nice! On hearing that Rach settled her rather large medical bill after having to pay for the priviledge of an injection that she wasn't sure if she actually needed.

On entering the pharmacy across the hall from the doctors, Rach asked the pharmacist if she had seen a English guy in a yankees hat and a blue shirt wandering around. She hadn't... With another bill for two lots of antiobiotics, Rach left in the search of Rich with the nice pharmacist offering to send Rich in her direction if she came across him.

On the search for a phone to try and ring Rich, we bumped in to each other, both happy to see in each other but wanting to know where the other one had been.

Finding out that Rach had been poked, prodded and patched up, Rich treated Rach to a cake and a drink before comparing their horrors stories. Despite the pain of Rach's leg, the images of Rich squatting in the serious Dr Tan's office kept her spirits up :)

With that we decided to skip our plans and get some shopping from Woolworths (the local supermarket) and Rach felt really sick so went to bed while Rich went for an explore round sunny but windy Cottlesloe.

We had a big lie in the next day to find Rach's big foot was now a normal size 5 1/2. However, her whole body was covered in lumps (an allergic reaction to the antibiotics)! Grabbing a taxi outside the hostel, we returned to the surgery pharamacy who confirmed that Rach's body was having a reaction stating the doctor would have to change her medications. Darting in to the surgery. we were informed Dr Tan had just finished for the day but the receptionist (a nicer one today) rang through and he agreed to see Rach quickly. He was a lot chirpier today and wrote down everything he said and changed her tablets. .It was nice of him to see Rach so she thanked him and he kindly charged half the normal fee. Just got to keep our fingers crossed that this works...