Leah searched every storage space in the dual cab for a fly net. When she couldn’t find one she wrapped a triangular bandage from the first-aid kit loosely around her mouth and nose and planted her sunglasses firmly in place.
That kept the flies from crawling all over her face, but it didn’t stop every surface being covered with a fine layer of red sand. Buffeted by the wind, she sat in the 4WD and ate a lonesome lunch: a gritty cheese sandwich and an over-ripe banana washed down with a bottle of tepid water.
By the end of the day, she was sweaty and short-tempered; she had a headache and was covered in grime. What she wouldn’t do to get out of the daily debrief and go to her room for a long shower and an early night. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with Alex and Frank and the others.
Alex looked up when a windblown Leah stalked into the office laden with safety signs and rolls of red-and-white-striped bunting.
‘Bad day, huh?’ he said, and smiled.
She threw him a startled look and dumped her armful of gear onto the desk. ‘You could say that.’
‘Anything I need to know about?’
She shook her head, disentangling her sunglasses from where they sat on top of her head. ‘Wind, dust, flies . . . Awful for the blokes rolling out cable. I expect I’ll be doing a few eye washes later. You know how it is.’
‘I do,’ he said, swamped by a sudden urge to go to her, put his arms around her and hug her. He missed touching her; he missed their easy camaraderie on the job and her witty commentary on the goings on around the camp. Mostly he missed the tantalising glimpse of an alternate future she’d given him.
She’d lost weight; her jeans didn’t sit as snuggly on her perfect backside and her face was thinner, her eyes shadowed. In the close confines of the room he could smell her perspiration, dust from the day, and a faint whiff of the body lotion she used. His body stirred at the memory of her smoothing the creamy moisturiser onto her skin after a shower. He didn’t dare budge from the chair.
‘Leah —’ he said. Her hands stilled on the bunting she was packing into a plastic storage crate. ‘Rose phoned earlier today.I happened to be in the office.’
The colour drained from her face. ‘Sasha?’
‘She’s fine. She’s with my dad.’
‘Fergus? Why? Where’s Rose?’
‘Her daughter went into early labour so Rose is flying to Brisbane to look after the other grandkids. Something about her son-in-law being stranded in far north Queensland.’
‘Why didn’t she put Sasha in the kennel? That’s the arrangement we have . . .’
‘They were full and she didn’t have time to find someplace else.’
‘Right,’ Leah said. She glanced at her watch. ‘Well, it’s too late for me to do anything today. I’ll find another kennel tomorrow.’
‘Why? Dad is more than happy to look after her. In fact, it’ll give him something to do.’
She looked doubtful.
Alex stood up. ‘Heather took everything down to Dad’s: Sasha’s bed, her toys, enough food to last her a month. Sasha will be well cared for —’
‘I’m not worried about that,’ she said. ‘I’m more concerned whether Fergus is up to it. She needs a long walk every day or else she goes completely feral. I’d hate for her to dig up his yard or something.’
‘Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll work it out. We always had a dog when we were kids. And anyway, you’ll be home again in a few days.’
‘Did Rose say how long she’d be away?’
He shook his head. ‘I suppose that’ll depend on how soon her son-in-law gets home.’
‘I guess so. I hope her daughter’s okay. Rose never mentioned any problems with the pregnancy.’ Leah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. ‘Damn. What am I going to do about —’ She stopped. Her eyes opened, colliding with his.
‘Your other job? Quit is what I’d suggest, or at least take a break. You’re wearing yourself out, Leah. Three weeks without a break and then to go home and work night shifts in the busiest A&E in Adelaide . . .’
‘You know why I do it. Not that it’s any of your business.’
‘It is my business given I’m your supervisor while you’re here.’ He paused. ‘And I’m concerned about you.’
‘Why? Am I not doing my job satisfactorily? Has someone said something? Oh, let me guess, Frank has complained because I pinged one of his blokes for not filling out his logbooks. My three month probation is nearly up and —’
‘Leah, for god’s sake, this has nothing to do with Frank, or your probation.’
The back door opened and Ben’s voice boomed, ‘Where is everybody?’
‘Bloody hell,’ Alex muttered. At last they were talking; their first conversation in three weeks. He silently cursed Ben for interrupting.
Alex grabbed what he needed for the daily debrief and edged around the desk. Leah looked up from where she was cramming the cardboard safety signs into the gap between her desk and the wall.
‘I’ll be there in a minute,’ she said without making eye contact.
As he walked out the door he heard an angry grunt from Leah, followed by the sound of something tearing.
Saturday and Sunday Leah went about her work, and stewed. Alex had arranged at very short notice for his father to look after her dog, and she hadn’t even thanked him. Instead she’d been rude. No matter what had happened between them, she knew there was no excuse for that. Sunday night, after she’d packed her suitcase ready for the morning, she went looking for him to right her wrong.
When he wasn’t in the office she went to the wet mess. It was packed with noisy drinkers but there was no sign of Alex.
Ben was serving behind the bar, barely keeping up with demand. ‘Haven’t seen the boss since the debrief,’ he said when she asked.
On her way out, Syd called her over for a game of chess. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘Give an old bloke a chance to win back his reputation.’
‘Spare me the sob story, Syd. I’m sure your reputation is quite secure.’
He grinned and set the pieces out. ‘At least I get a real game with you.’
She slipped off her jacket and sat down. Alex might come into the bar while she had a game.
Half an hour later, Syd lifted his hand from the board and smiled. ‘Checkmate!’ he said quietly but confidently.
‘There you go,’ she said.
Syd laughed, his face a contour map of lines. ‘Ah, Leah, I sense that your heart wasn’t in the game tonight.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ she said, glancing around the bar in the hope that Alex had come in. There was still no sign of him.
‘You wanna go again?’ Syd said. ‘Prove me wrong?’
‘Nah, thanks anyway. I think I’ll hit the sack.’
Syd gave her a quizzical look. ‘Are you okay?’
Leah nodded. ‘Thanks for asking,’ she said, and dragged her jacket off the back of the chair.
Syd drained his Coke. ‘I’m going to get another drink and then it’s my turn behind the bar.’
‘Good luck with that,’ Leah said. ‘I’ll catch you later.’ She took one last look around and navigated her way through the crowd towards the door. It was after nine and the regular patrons had been drinking steadily since the mess opened at seven. Maybe tomorrow morning would be a good time for another random breathalyser. Then she remembered she was going home and this lot would be Steve’s headache for the next six days.
After the stuffy bar, the cold air was a blast of freshness. She took a moment to adjust to the gloom. The usual smokers and those tough enough to brave the chill were scattered around the outdoor tables, only just visible in the dim lighting.
She heard Ruby laugh, and then call out, ‘Early night, Blondie?’
Leah stopped by Ruby’s table. ‘Syd thrashed me at chess again.’
‘You’re a beggar for punishment, girl. I wouldn’t play with him, even if I knew how.’
The hairs on the back of Leah’s neck stoo
d up and she turned in time to see Frank Ballard slide past with another man, hands jammed into his jacket pockets.
‘Well, what do you know? Romeo’s having an early night too,’ Ruby said loud enough for him to hear, then dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘Haven’t seen him around much the last few days. Haven’t seen Dee either.’
‘You really are a stirrer, Ruby. Dee has been working late most nights. On her own,’ Leah said. ‘She tells me she has a new job in Port Augusta and this is her last week here.’
‘So I hear. Phil’s brother-in-law is taking her place. That should be interesting. Bet the wife’s sent her brother to keep an eye on Phil.’
Frank’s shadowy figure had disappeared around the end of the camp office. Leah said goodnight to Ruby and headed towards the other end of the camp office, past the admin block. It wouldn’t hurt to have one last look to see if Alex was in their office.
The building was in darkness and, with a heavy sigh, she slogged on towards her room. The lighting was poor but Leah was familiar with the path. Gravel crunched underfoot. If the light was on in his room, would she knock on the door? No. Stick to business, she told herself. Her probation was nearly over. She had an appointment with personnel after she touched down tomorrow. As her supervisor, Alex would have been asked to provide a report. Why risk it all in a moment’s weakness?
With an ‘Oof’ of surprise, Leah’s teeth suddenly snapped together and her scalp burned. She was dragged backwards by her hair, stumbling before slamming hard into her assailant. An arm like a steel band clamped around her middle. She felt hot, beery breath on the side of her face a second before a voice sneered, ‘Think you’re too fucking good for me, don’t you, Blondie.’
Frank. Leah’s heart pounded in her throat. Tilting her head back as far as she could, she tried to ease the strain on her hair.
‘You’re drunk, Frank. Let me go now and I won’t say anything,’ she said, surprised at how normal her voice sounded, and by what she’d said.
He laughed; a low, ugly sound. ‘Yeah, like I’d believe anything you said. You’ve had it in for me since day one. Think I might have myself a little taste of what you’re giving the high and mighty Alex.’
‘I’m not giving him anything, Frank.’
‘What, you’re making him pay?’ He sniggered at his own joke and fumbled with the front of her jacket. She tried to make herself go limp, wishing she was fitter, stronger; that she’d done a self-defence class.
Frank’s hand snaked inside her jacket and squeezed her right breast. She yelped, more in surprise than in pain.
‘Ah, a nice handful,’ he leered, and red-hot fury shot through her. She lifted her leg and, with all the strength she could muster, stomped on his foot, grateful for her steelcapped boots for the first time ever.
If he’d had on boots instead of sneakers, her foot wouldn’t have connected with his instep the way it did. He swore, his grip on her hair loosened, and his hand dropped from her breast. While she was on a roll, she raised her right elbow and rammed it backwards into his stomach.
He grunted, as his breath whooshed from him. ‘You fucking bitch.’
Leah lunged out of his grasp and pivoted around to face him. He lashed out, and the back of his hand caught her a stinging blow across the side of the face.
Leah stumbled, eyes watering, spots dancing in front of her vision. She could taste blood and her face was on fire.
Frank hunched against the camp office block, breathing hard.
Her system flooded with adrenaline, Leah bent down, fighting off a wave of dizziness to scoop up the baseball cap he’d been wearing. She flung it at him.
‘You make me sick, Frank. Go back to your room and sober up.’ She spun around and stalked off.
It took only a dozen steps for her to reach the first-aid room. She felt in her pocket for the keys, marvelling that her hand was steady enough to unlock the door. Ice, she thought. She needed to put ice onto her face. There were icepacks in the freezer compartment of the drug fridge. Feeling for the light switch, she clung onto that thought.
After a late and solitary dinner, Alex had one pressing report that needed to be written. He’d put it off until the last possible minute, but there hadn’t been a waking hour that he hadn’t drafted and redrafted it in his head. A person’s career balanced on what he wrote, or didn’t write.
To say Crawley had hounded him about Leah’s probation wasn’t entirely correct, but it had felt that way. Alex was self-aware enough to accept if it was about anyone other than Leah, he’d have respected Crawley for doing his job. But it was Leah, and it was proving to be the hardest report he’d ever had to write.
Getting personally involved with her had put both their jobs in jeopardy; hers more than his. If anything had come to light about their affair, Leah’s professionalism and credibility would have been put under the microscope; her job would be made impossible, her role as a safety advisor ineffectual.
The irony was, giving Leah a negative report would benefit Alex. Leah would lose her job, and any conflict of interest brought about by them being personally involved would cease to exist. But Leah was a skilled and intelligent safety advisor, and a great nurse. She had good intuition and commonsense. With more field experience, she’d be up there with the best. There had to be another way.
Ruby called out to Alex as he walked past on his way to the office. He waved. When he reached the back door he glanced down the path, surprised to see a wedge of light around the door of the first-aid room.
He hadn’t seen Leah since the debrief. If she had an after-hours patient, she should have fetched him, or Ben. That was their agreement.
He strode towards the first-aid room. The door was ajar. He paused on the step but couldn’t hear voices. It was unlike Leah to leave the room unlocked and unattended. He pushed the door open, peered in and found Leah hunched over, retching into the sink. The pithy reprimand he’d been rehearsing died on his lips.
There was an icepack and a wad of bloodstained tissues on the bench beside her. She lifted her head and the air was driven out of his lungs. One side of her face was swollen, her lip split, and blood was splattered down the front of her shirt. Her eyes were red and puffy; she’d been crying.
‘Christ, Leah. What the hell has happened?’
She turned away and spat into the sink, then twisted the tap on full blast. Filling a disposable cup with water, she rinsed her mouth.
‘Leah?’ He came into the tiny room and gently gripped her shoulder, turning her around to face him. She trembled, shrugging out of his grasp.
‘Who did this?’ he demanded.
She gave her head a slight shake and dabbed at her lip with a fresh tissue.
He closed his eyes, willing himself to keep cool, and shut the door and locked it. He went back to her and coaxed her into his arms. He felt her body shake while silent tears coursed down her cheeks.
When she’d calmed down he sat her on the edge of the examination bed and lifted the icepack to her cheek.
‘Leah, you’re going to have to tell me what happened. Who’s responsible for this?’ He sifted through the names of the men he’d seen in the bar earlier. Sober, they were all reasonable blokes. Full of booze, well, who knew what they were capable of.
He stilled. Ice trickled though his veins. ‘Do you need to see a doctor?’ His voice cracked.
‘No, I wasn’t sexually assaulted, if that’s what you’re asking.’ Leah closed her eyes.
‘Thank god.’
She sniffed, took the icepack away and dropped it onto the bed beside her. ‘He was drunk and I didn’t give him the chance.’ She gingerly explored her split lip with the tip of her tongue. ‘If I’d been a second faster —’
‘Bloody hell, Leah.’ Alex stared at her, reining in his emotions. He wanted to hit something, or someone.
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ she said, standing up. She dropped a handful of soggy tissues into the bin.
‘You do? And what is
that?’
‘That if I hadn’t been here in the first place, something like this wouldn’t have happened. It’s your worst nightmare, Alex. You said so yourself.’ She soaked a couple of paper towels with water and dabbed at the blood on the front of her shirt.
‘No, I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was thinking that I’m going to kill the bastard who did this. Who was it, Leah?’
She kept dabbing furiously at the stains.
He stood up, raising his hand to rub the frown lines on his forehead. ‘If I hadn’t seen the light on and come down to investigate, you wouldn’t have told me anything, would you?’
When she hesitated, he knew he was on the right track.
‘I don’t believe it!’ He paced restlessly in the confined space before coming to stand beside her. ‘Why?’ he said, the word loaded with the frustration he felt.
She wouldn’t look at him. Her bottom lip trembled. ‘I guess I didn’t want to hear you say, “I told you so”, just yet. My probation interview is tomorrow. I don’t want to lose my job.’
Alex studied her bowed head and knew he’d failed her, in more than one way. The admission gutted him.
They both jumped when a fist pounded on the door and someone shouted, ‘Leah, are you in there? Are you all right?’ It was Ben. The handle rattled as he tried the door.
Alex and Leah’s eyes met, and her hand went self-consciously to her mouth.
‘Hang on,’ Alex called and went to unlock the door, looking back over his shoulder as he did. ‘It’ll be okay,’ he said, opening the door.
‘Alex? What the hell is going on, man? Frank came back to the bar, ranting and raving about someone tripping him up in the dark. Where’s Leah?’
Her face hurt and she felt bruised and battered all over. All Leah wanted was to go to her room, crawl under the covers and pretend tonight had never happened. Then in the morning she’d go home and hug her dog. For six days she wouldn’t have to think about this place, or see Alex, as much as that would hurt.
No Job for a Girl Page 27
