“Is there anything you want me to do?” she asked.
Philip looked at the reports and worksheets in front of him and looked up at Elsie’s comforting face. “Oh Elsie…that man is going to drive me mad before he goes back to Dallas. Thank goodness he’s going to be away for a couple of days.”
“I don’t suppose you want to look at the worksheets now.”
He flicked through the top one, then laid his hand on top, “Not really Elsie. If it’s all right with you I’m going to see Kate to sort out her trip tomorrow. Then I’m going home to surprise my wife, and relax with my feet up.”
“Good idea…that lot can wait till tomorrow.”
As fate would have it Philip arrived at Kate’s house and found no one was home. He left her a note telling her he had arranged for her to visit Martin tomorrow. As it was a long flight, a car would call for her at five o’clock so that the plane could take off at six. She would stay at the cattle station overnight and if Martin was fit enough, they would leave for Broome the following day. He thought that was enough information for a short note and left out the bit about Martin going to hospital.
CHAPTER 16
At half past three the following morning Jennifer was woken by an unusual sound behind her head. She sat up on one elbow and listened. The sound was coming from her mother’s bedroom on the other side of the wall. It was a clinking sound, followed by grunts and sighs.
Jennifer rolled out of bed, put on her dressing gown and slippers and trudged half asleep out onto the landing. She stood for a moment to make sure it was not a dream that had woken her up and saw a light shining through the gap under her mother’s door. She opened it and stood in the doorway, amazed at the turmoil.
Kate was standing by the wardrobe in her under-wear holding up a dress in front of the mirror. Not satisfied, she discarded it onto the pile of clothes lying haphazardly across her bed.
“What are you doing, Mum?” Jennifer whispered.
“It’s all right, dear. I decided to get up early…”
“Mum…it’s three-thirty,” Jennifer interrupted.
“I know,” she said, discarding another garment onto the bed. “I couldn’t sleep, so I decided to see what I could wear on the flight.”
“You’re going into the bush, Mum. You don’t wear good clothes in the bush.”
Kate flopped onto the bed looking distraught.
Jennifer sat down and placed her arm around her. “It’s all right, Mum.”
“I’m so nervous, Jennifer. I don’t know what I’m going to find when I get there. It’s like your dad’s crash all over again; remember? No one would tell me anything and when I walked into the emergency and saw him lying there with tubes coming out of everywhere, I couldn’t handle it. If it hadn’t been for you and Adam to cling onto I think I would have passed out. Oh, I don’t want to do that with strangers.”
“I wish we could go with you.”
“So do I. I asked, but Philip said the company couldn’t take responsibility for an entire family. They weren’t that happy about me going. It was Philip that argued to get me a seat,” she smiled. “I think Larry Kingston felt guilty too.”
“Who’s Larry Kingston?”
“He’s the big American boss.”
Jennifer jumped up and walked over to the wardrobe and started flicking through the hangers. “Here,” she said. “Wear your linen jacket over a nice blouse and these jeans. Oh, and make sure you wear some sensible shoes; ones with flat heels. You’ll be walking on some rough ground; they don’t have pavements in the bush.”
“You keep saying bush, dear, I thought it was the desert.”
“Bush…desert, it’s all the same, Mum. It’s uncivilised.”
Kate laughed. “You’re right. Thank you.”
“Now get dressed. Five o’clock will be here before you know it,” Jennifer said, turning to leave. “I’ll go down and put the kettle on.”
Kate stood up and walked over and gave her a big hug. “Oh love…I don’t know what I’d do without you and Adam. I bet he’s fast asleep.”
“He is, Mum; I can hear him snoring from here.”
“Leave him. We don’t need to disturb him till the last minute.”
“No. We don’t want him fussing about.”
Kate nodded and started changing into the clothes Jennifer had chosen. She had already showered, packed her overnight bag with a change of under-wear and fresh pyjamas; all that was left were her toiletries and makeup bag. She glanced at the mirror in the wardrobe door and shook her head. “To heck with it,” she said. “I’m going into the desert; who’s going to know the difference out there?” She hesitated, thought better of it and tossed the makeup bag into the holdall.
By the time Kate dropped the bag in the hall and walked into the kitchen she heard the bread jumping out of the toaster. Jennifer had a hot mug of tea waiting and a small bowl of cereal ready for Kate. “You shouldn’t have bothered, dear; tea would have been fine. There’ll probably be something on the plane.”
“Mum, this is not Qantas Airlines. There won’t be air hostesses walking up the aisle serving refreshments. This is a company plane you’re going on.”
“I keep forgetting. I hope I don’t get one of those small planes like your dad did. I would hate that. It looked so tiny and fragile on the runway.”
“I think it will be bigger than that. Not as big as an airliner, but big enough to take those men to Site 21…remember?”
Kate nodded her head and started her cereal.
Without any prompting, Adam walked into the kitchen, said good morning and poured himself a cup of coffee. He was still half asleep. He just assumed the water was hot and sat down opposite Jennifer and his mum.
“I suppose you were going to wake me,” he said, sipping his coffee.
“Is that all right?” Jennifer remarked.
“It’s fine. I like it tepid.”
Kate finished her cereal and buttered a slice of toast. “You know I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to my big boy,” she said, mussing his hair.
It made little difference. His hair looked as if it had not seen a comb in years. He took a piece of toast and smiled at Kate. She looked nervous and kept checking the clock on the wall behind him.
“Five o’clock will be here soon enough, Mum,” he said.
It was four-forty-five. She finished her last piece of toast, washed it down with the tea and leaving the table she placed her dishes in the dishwasher.
“I seem to remember someone doing the very same when they were waiting for their taxi to take them to the airport last year,” Kate rebuffed him.
“I know, Mum…I was just making conversation.”
She walked out of the kitchen and into the lounge and started pacing in front of the window. They followed her; neither one wanting to tell her to calm down. They knew it would make no difference.
“Have you got everything?” Jennifer asked.
“Now you ask me,” Kate replied, running through the items she’d packed into her overnight bag. Then there was her money, although why she would need money out there she had no idea.
Adam walked over to the window. “I wonder what this big black limousine is doing pulling up outside our house.”
Kate turned back to the window. “Where?” she cried out. “Oh my God, look at the size of it! Fancy sending a car like that.”
Jennifer rushed to the door and waited for the man to ring the bell. Then she sucked in a deep breath and opened the door. A smart middle-aged man in a black chauffeur’s uniform was about to ring again. He looked indifferent; not about to become involved in idle banter.
“Is this Mrs Dexter’s bag?” he said, noticing it in the hall.
“Yes,” Jennifer replied, surprised at his brevity.
Without another word, he picked it up and returned to the large black car at the bottom of the drive. Kate and Adam arrived in the hall expecting him to introduce himself and make some comment about their journey.
“Where is he?” Kate said.
“He just picked up your bag and left,” Jennifer said. “I got the impression he was in a hurry, Mum. You had better get moving.”
“All right,” she said, hugging and kissing them both. “I’ll give you a ring when I arrive. By that time I should have calmed down.”
Adam kept quiet. He had no intention of telling her there were no mobile towers in the desert. They said their goodbyes and she hurried down the drive to the waiting car. As she approached, the chauffeur got out of the car and opened the door for her. She looked back with an excited smile on her face and stepped into the luxurious interior. She had the whole back seat to herself. It was warm and she sank into the soft beige leather upholstery.
When the man returned to his front seat he turned and slid the dividing glass panel back. “Fasten your seat belt, Mrs Dexter; we’ll be about half an hour.”
Kate nodded with a cautious smile and looking out of the window, she waved at Jennifer and Adam as he pulled away from the house, turned into Gubinge Road and headed north. The scented fragrance of the car made her want to close her eyes. For once she had no sense of the journey, the roundabouts or the suburbs just passed by. She had half an hour to relax and enjoy the luxury.
It was too short. Before long the car slowed down and she felt the tight right turn and the bump onto the different surface as it entered the AMINCO airstrip. She opened her eyes and glancing out of the window was surprised to find the car was not in the car park, but negotiating some buildings on the edge of an open area. She soon recognised the lighted windows of the lounge she was in when Martin left.
The car stopped next to the embarkation lounge.
Philip was there to open her door and as she stepped onto the concrete she looked out towards the twin-engine plane standing on the runway. Its shiny surface was picking up the first traces of orange light from the rising sun behind the trees in the distance. And despite the difference in planes, she sensed she was experiencing the same feeling Martin had that fateful morning.
“Oh Philip, thank you. You’re here early.”
“It’s what I do, Kate,” he said, taking hold of her elbow and guiding her towards the plane. He handed her a thin folder with the AMINCO logo on the front. “Here’s something for you to read on the flight.”
“What is it?” she said.
“If I told you there would be no point in giving it to you,” he said, stopping at the plane’s steps. “Sorry it’s a rush. Say hello to Martin for me.”
The chauffeur had put her bag on board and was leaving the plane. He tipped his hat and Kate thanked him for a smooth ride. Philip helped her up the steps and she waved goodbye.
Kate’s company taxi did not run to the Lear Jet, but thank goodness it did not mean a dreaded journey in a small tin box either. According to Philip, her transport was a twin-engine Piper Navajo. She was none the wiser, only being used to jets when they went on holiday. The interior was much the same only shorter and the young man, who closed the door, ushered her down the aisle.
The rear of the plane, next to the door, was taken over by a group of young men playing cards. They acted as if this was just one of their usual flights; a bus ride to work in fact. They looked up and smiled and the young man continued on down the aisle to the pair of seats behind the partition with a narrow door in it. Kate chose the window seat and the young man leaned towards her.
“Philip told me to give you this seat. He thought you might want to catch up on your sleep, away from that lot at the back.”
“Thank you. This will be fine.”
“Don’t forget to fasten your seat belt. The toilet is at the back of the plane, your bag is in the overhead compartment along with a bottle of water and if you need anything just push that button.” He pointed to the red button above her head.
The young man turned away and disappeared through the small door into a dark confined space full of brightly coloured lights. She realised she was sitting in front of the engines when the first one on her side roared into life. Then the one on the other side did the same until for a moment there was a high-pitched crescendo.
Kate closed her eyes and relaxed into her seat. It was not a reaction to the small Piper Navajo; she felt the same panic each time she left the ground in much bigger aircraft; it was just one of those things. Martin was the same. But once she was in the air and heard the thump of the wheels retracting into the plane, she felt peculiarly at ease again.
As soon as she felt the plane rise steadily above the trees at the end of the runway she opened her eyes and looked out of her window. The top edges of the woodland below were tinged with orange from a sunrise she could not see until the plane began its slow turn to the south. As it did, the low fiery ball gradually moved from window to window along the left-hand side of the plane until it disappeared beyond the window alongside the young men playing cards.
They seemed oblivious of the event, other than masking the momentary glare from their cards. As she turned away to read the report Philip had given her, she heard a voice calling her name. She looked round and caught sight of a young man in a blue nylon windcheater and matching trousers. On closer inspection she could see it was a uniform. Not a military uniform; more like that of a security guard.
When he stopped at her seat and reached out his hand, she noticed a large round badge on his upper arm, but could not read what it said.
“Hello,” he said. “I’m Chris Isles, the paramedic that’s going to travel back with your husband to the hospital.”
“Oh…” Kate exclaimed, as she shook his hand.
He took her by surprise for the moment, and as he dropped into the seat next to hers, she found it difficult to acknowledge what he said. She had no idea Martin warranted a paramedic, let alone that he was going back to a Broome hospital. Then she glanced at the shiny folder on her lap and realised that must be part of the information Philip had supplied in his report.
“I’m sorry Chris, you caught me by surprise. As you can see I was just about to read what AMINCO has in store for my husband. I had no idea they included you escorting him to a hospital on our way back.”
“I won’t pre-empt your read. It’ll be a good way to spend the next couple of hours. But I will say AMINCO has a strict procedure regarding injured personnel. It’s all to do with insurance. You know what the Americans are like about covering their arses when it comes to possible liability. So…my job is to check your husband out when we reach the cattle station, not interfere with the doctor of course, but simply record everything that has taken place, including the crash and subsequent time in the desert. That will mean I might have to commandeer some of his time, I’m afraid. Then if I think he is capable of making the flight back, I shall monitor him all the way to the private hospital in Broome.”
“Private hospital?” Kate exclaimed.
“Oh yes. AMINCO’s insurance caters for the best.”
“What I meant was, why does he have to go back to a hospital?”
Chris pointed to the folder on her lap.
“As I just said…the insurance demands he is physically fit and has no subsequent underlying problems. They’re very thorough.”
“So if my husband is fit enough to travel, what happens then?”
“Since there will only be three of us returning to Broome, they’ll be able to knock down two seats into a bed for your husband. And when he lands, there will be an ambulance waiting to transport him to the hospital.”
“I’m amazed the company are going to so much trouble.”
“They’re very good like that. As I said…they have to be.”
“Have you contacted the doctor? Do you know how my husband is?”
“That’s out of my province. I know there’s been some contact, but I won’t know any more until I speak to the doctor. Like you, I’ll know when I get there.”
“I suppose something’s been arranged for our stay tonight.”
“All I know is the station owner has th
at organised.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I feel a lot better.”
The young paramedic stood up and turned to leave. “I’d get on and read that report if I were you, Mrs Dexter; then you can settle back in your seat and try and catch up on that missing sleep.”
“Thank you, Chris…and by the way, my name’s Kate.”
He nodded and moved back along the aisle to where the other men were deeply engrossed in their card game. She turned back to the folder and decided she had better read what Philip had put together for her to digest during the flight.
She opened the stiff cover and immediately saw that it was the work of a good secretary like Elsie. She may not have been the author, but she most certainly was responsible for laying it out. There was a short introduction outlining basically what he’d said to her before she boarded the plane, followed by a personal note that he hoped Martin was on the mend and her unusual flight was a good one.
The contents list that followed surprised her; it seemed to cover everything: from the plane’s flight to Site 21 where they would drop off the young men, a short stop and off again to the cattle station. It went on to list the people she was to meet before spending time with Martin, her stop overnight at the owner’s homestead and the preparation to take Martin back to Broome the next morning. That, of course, depended on whether he was fit enough for the journey.
She was a little confused that there was no mention of the hospital. She flicked through the following pages until she reached the section about the preparation to leave and there, in the last paragraph, Philip mentioned the private hospital Martin would be taken to on his arrival in Broome. As Chris had said, there was the usual statutory blurb regarding the requirements of the insurance company and that it was compulsory for the patient to be checked over before he was discharged.
Being a Senior Civil Servant, Kate was quite familiar with the complexities of insurance claims and the fear of being sued. She smiled and returning to the front of the report again, she thought she had better read every word.
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