‘It’s Boo, actually, Mr Rhone. And yes, that’s fine. But we have had an interesting time to say the least. We’re just taking a look at Toby’s leg, which has copped a bit of a battering over the last couple of days.’ Boo’s voice had lost a lot of its usual friendliness. ‘So, if you can give us a few minutes, the doctor can make sure everything is okay.’
His dad placed his hand on Toby’s shoulder. ‘Yes, please, go right ahead. I’ll make myself scarce. Better check up on how Judy is, anyway,’ he said as he backed out of the room.
‘Of course you will! Do what you do best,’ Toby muttered angrily after his father disappeared.
Boo pulled shut the curtains around the examination table. As Toby lay back, the doctor poked and prodded at his leg. Toby tried to find his brave face, but it was impossible not to wince as sharp, shooting pains like fire flew in all directions.
Boo squeezed his shoulder. ‘You’ll be alright now, Toby, we’ll look after you. You’re getting the best treatment possible. And you’ll find the doctor’s even more of a whizz with a bandage than I am. I better go do my rounds. I’ll be back later.’
‘Thanks, Boo,’ said Toby as he lay back, closing his eyes.
‘You’re quite the wounded soldier, aren’t you?’ the doctor said with a wink. He applied antiseptic with the easy hand of an artist, the cool yellow-orange paint staining the length of his leg from the mountain graze to the glazed blackberry tapestry, and then dressed the cut on his thigh with a wide white bandage.
‘Rest up now. I’m going to make sure you get something to kill the pain, and prescribe some antibiotics for that rather nasty infection.’ His voice was both soothing and authoritative. ‘We’ll keep you in overnight so we can keep an eye on it, but I think you’ll soon be free to resume your holiday. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to check on you.’ He gave Toby another kindly smile, before heading back into the corridor.
Toby lay there on his own, staring at the ceiling. The longer he stared, the more the whole situation with his dad rose up inside him again. The warm-hearted concern of Boo and the doctor stood in stark contrast to his father’s indifference. Long fluorescent tubes threw plenty of light over the small room but little comfort. The light had a green tinge; somewhere a baby cried in pain.
The sound of footsteps among the sound of the beeping of nearby bedside monitors caught his attention. The curtain drew back to reveal his dad’s face. He held up a teacup.
‘Just on my way to get Judy a cuppa. Poor thing, she’s doing it tough. She went in for x-rays yesterday. They think she may have a broken rib ... from the seat belt they say! I guess we’ll find out soon, but she is such a trouper. Funny to think we all ended up here?’
Toby couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘Funny?’ Toby’s pain, faced with his father’s continuing cluelessness, erupted. ‘You think this is funny?’
His dad stepped back, a little surprised, and offered an explanation.
‘Oh, I was just telling you about ...’
‘Judy! Who else? That’s all you ever talk about, or care about.’
‘Toby, you just stop right there a moment,’ his father replied in a forceful whisper. ‘And keep your voice down, she’s just a couple of beds down. I don’t want you upsetting her.’
‘No, Dad! You’re upsetting me, so you stop it.’
The boy and man looked at each other. The boy held his ground.
‘Is this all a joke to you? Do you even care why I’m here?’ Toby’s volume increased as his hurt tumbled out from deep inside him. ‘And yesterday! You promised me we were going fishing ... but then I saw you leave. You didn’t tell me anything about going out. You said you wanted to have a sleep in! I never know where you are and you sure as hell don’t seem to care where I am! Can’t you even think about me for one second?’
‘That’s unfair, Toby. That’s untrue. Things change, plans change. You know that. And I hadn’t forgotten ... we just decided to take a morning drive because Judy had spotted a pottery store that wasn’t that far away. I thought that would be nice, that’s all. You had taken yourself off on a little bushwalk, so I thought we were entitled to have a relaxing morning having a look around as well.’
‘But you never tell me! Not anything! It’s like I don’t exist. We weren’t even here for a minute before you gave me money and sent me away. Why did you even bother to bring me here?’
Toby watched his father’s face recoil, first in confusion, and then in anger.
‘Just hold on, now. How dare you talk to me like that! I brought you down here because you love it. Don’t be so bloody ungrateful.’
His dad was now in full flight. Toby had seen him on rare occasions talk to his mum in this outraged way but he had never experienced it himself.
‘You haven’t the faintest idea of what I’ve done for you. How about the great new house and your wonderful room that Judy has set up for you? We chose to settle in the area we did because there were lots of kids your age there. Honestly, we would’ve been happy with a flat near the lake. Every choice we’ve made has had your welfare in mind, but you can’t see that, can you? We even spent all that time visiting the schools in the area and talking to the different principals to find the best school for you.’
‘Best school?’ Toby scoffed. ‘Great! Where I won’t know anyone? That’s great, Dad.’ He shook his head. ‘I just can’t believe you talked to everyone else about where I go to school ... except me! Did it not even occur to you to ask me where I wanted to go?’
His father took a sharp intake of breath before responding calmly, but coldly. ‘Well ... it’s pretty disappointing that you can’t see the incredible thought and generosity that Judy, and I, have shown you. I mean, really, don’t be so selfish!’
And there it was. It cracked him. The atom bomb of words exploded inside Toby’s mind in a chain reaction of incredulity.
He felt his eyes well up, but he was not going to give in.
‘Selfish? I’m being selfish? I was the one that stayed with you because I didn’t want you being on your own! But then look what happened! Turns out you’re not the one that’s been left on your own all the time, after all? Are you?’ He glared at his father accusingly. ‘Geez, Dad. I feel like you don’t want me here ... now or ever ... Since you are so good at leaving me alone, then just leave me alone! Please!’
Toby slumped back in the bed with a thump, his bleary eyes once more staring at the ceiling, looking at anything but his own father.
The curtain swished back and Boo entered, quickly and quietly. ‘What is going on in here? Mr Rhone, do I have to remind you that you are in a hospital?’
Toby’s dad seemed perplexed. ‘Of course I know,’ he said, sounding uncertain, his eyes settling on a small badge consisting of a boomerang and rising sun, fixed to Boo’s lapel. ‘Is that ... an active service badge?’ For a moment Boo’s eyes sharpened but she didn’t answer. Instead she turned to Toby. ‘You alright, mate? The doctor fix you up?’
‘Yeah, I’m okay, thanks. I think I’m here for the night though.’
‘Oh good, me too,’ she fired back warmly, but then the temperature of her tone dropped to brisk and cold as she looked directly at Toby’s father. ‘Mr Rhone, a word? Perhaps it’s best if we go down to the Nurses’ Station?’
Toby’s eyes followed his father out of the ward, and it was only then that he allowed himself to wipe a tear from his cheek with the back of his hand, still shaking from the confrontation. He found himself yawning so widely that a small spray leapt from his mouth. Words and sounds floated around him. Across the ward, someone began coughing, and he could just make out the sound of his father saying ‘You were there?’ and Boo responding, her voice still stern. ‘We’ve more pressing matters to discuss, Mr Rhone.’
For once, Toby was glad he was on his own. And as he settled into the bed, turning on his side where he would be pain free, his hands that he had been holding tight into a fist without even knowing, finally uncurled as he let go of this day an
d fell into a deep dark unconscious ocean of sleep.
The throbbing pain in Toby’s leg drew him back from the depths to a foggy awareness. He looked around the small cubicle, and it all came flooding back to him.
Beside him, in a chair, sat his dad. He seemed calm.
‘Hi, Toby, welcome back.’
‘Hi, Dad.’ Toby’s tone was cautious. ‘How long have I been asleep?’
‘Oh, a couple of hours. The nurse said you might wake when the painkillers wore off.’
‘Ah, yes, my leg hurts.’
His dad nodded and rose to his feet, signalling across to the Nurses Bay. He pulled the curtain back to allow Boo to enter.
‘G’day, buddy, how are you feeling?’
Toby grimaced. ‘Hi, Boo, it hurts still.’
Boo grabbed the wooden clipboard hanging on the end of his bed. ‘Right, you are due for another dose. This will help with that.’ And before he knew it, she pushed up his short sleeve, rubbed his arm and then he felt the swift prick of the pain-relieving needle. ‘There, done.’
The pain in his leg almost immediately disappeared.
‘They should be bringing some food around for you soon. You could use a feed, I’m sure.’ She looked meaningfully at Toby’s father, but said nothing further. She swished the curtain back and, closing it again with great precision, left the two of them alone.
His dad cleared his throat. ‘So ... about before ...’ he began.
Toby braced himself, ready for his father’s sharp-tongued response to his earlier words.
‘Toby, I owe you an apology.’
Toby’s mind swam in disbelief. ‘I’m sorry?’ he stammered, surprised.
‘No, mate, it’s me that’s sorry. For many things, but in particular, the way I’ve treated you for a while now.’
Relief spread quickly to Toby’s heart. At a loss for words, he responded simply. ‘Thanks, Dad.’
‘I think you might owe that thanks to your new friend here. Some very plain speaking from Boo while you slept has made me realise that I have let you down. And, well ...’ He broke off for a moment, and cast his eyes down as he resumed. ‘I haven’t meant to hurt you. But I have. I know I’ve been a bit off the air at times. It’s hard to put into the right words and I think that has been one of the problems for the past few years. It’s all too clear now that I wasn’t coping with what happened when I was over there ... in Vietnam.’
Toby realised that his dad was addressing him in the same way that Boo had talked to him – acknowledging that Toby could understand, that he was affected by the situation, not just a bystander.
His father shook his head and pinched at his neck underneath his jaw and briefly looked up, his eyes misting.
‘I wasn’t coping, mate, but I tried, stupidly I now realise, to push it all down, pretend it wasn’t there ... be like a man ... but I ended up losing my footing and well, I’m afraid that caused a lot of damage and I am so dreadfully sorry for that.’
Toby hovered over whether to apologise for his words earlier but his dad continued. Slowly, calmly and mostly while looking down at the shining floor.
‘I love you, Toby. That’s never changed. Even though I might have been pretty hopeless at showing it. And from what I’ve heard from the nurse about the events that have been happening while I’ve been in here, I have to tell you that I’m also really proud of you. Really proud of you,’ he repeated.
Toby’s eyes had grown misty too.
His dad reached out and brushed Toby’s hair back, then placed his hand on his shoulder. ‘Throughout this awful time, one of the most important things that I’ll remember is that ... you stuck by me.’
‘Well, I love you, Dad,’ Toby said quietly, moving his hand up to rest it on his father’s extended forearm. ‘And I’ve missed you.’
The two looked at each other, and Toby noticed the similarities in their closed mouths, raised cheeks and crinkled-eyed smiles.
‘I’ve been giving it a bit of thought while you’ve been out to it,’ his dad said, moving from the chair and sitting himself down on the hospital bed. ‘I seem to have botched up a few things that are going on for you, so let’s talk about what you want, starting with, where would you like to go to school?’
Toby shrugged, surprised at the well of emotions that this simple question stirred. ‘I suppose I’d like to go to high school with my friends from primary school, but it’s a long way to travel, I know that.’
‘I’ve thought about that too, and I think I might have an answer, if you want to hear me out. It’s up to you, though.’
‘Of course, Dad, what’s your idea?’ Toby recalled how his dad, before, could come up with solutions to the trickiest problems, seemingly out of the blue. Mum used to jokingly call him ‘Brianstein’, after the brilliant scientist.
Judy’s smiling face abruptly appeared, poking around the curtain. ‘How are you both? I’m back on my feet again so I thought I’d say hello.’
Toby lifted his hand in a small wave.
Toby’s dad lifted his hand too, but the way a policeman does when directing traffic. ‘Hello, love. So good to see you up and about. But, just now, we are in the middle of discussing where Toby goes to school.’
Judy looked surprised ‘Oh, I thought ...’
‘No, on reflection, I don’t think the plan we made is going to work. Toby is old enough to be part of these decisions now. After all, he’s made some pretty extraordinary decisions already, haven’t you, mate?’ he said, turning back towards Toby.
Judy looked from Brian to Toby and then nodded her head in a way that indicated she was impressed. ‘Yes, of course. Should I go?’
‘No, you should be a part of this too. I was just about to suggest to Toby that we could talk to his mum and perhaps he could go to the high school back with his old mates, and he can come over and stay with us on the weekends.’
Toby looked at his father, wide-eyed with gratitude. ‘Can I? Dad, that would be great! That is, if Mum doesn’t mind.’
Judy stepped forward, her tone sympathetic. ‘Mind? Toby, dear, I think your mum will be over the moon. And we really should have your brother and your sister over as well some weekends.’
Toby’s dad hadn’t thought of that, but looked pleased.
‘Look, I had a quick talk already with your mum, just letting her know you were in here. She was keen for you to call her once you woke up. You up for that now, mate?
Toby sat up straight. ‘Yes!’ he said, suddenly feeling a lot better.
His dad lifted the pale blue plastic dial phone off the wall and placed it on Toby’s lap.
‘It’s all yours.’ He winked. ‘I’ll be back in five.’
After a couple of rings, his mum answered in her familiar ‘telephone’ voice.
‘Hi, Mum, it’s me.’
‘Oh, Tobes! How are you? Are you okay?’ Toby could hear the concern in the tightness of her voice. ‘Your dad called before and told us what’s been going on.’
‘Everything’s okay, Mum. Sorry if I gave you a scare.’
‘Well, more of a surprise, really. It’s usually Danny that ends up in the emergency ward. But as long as everything is alright?’
‘It is. But, Mum ... I just wanted to ask ...’ Toby felt slightly anxious but more excited and optimistic about the future than he had in a long time. ‘I’ve been talking with Dad about school and stuff and, well, I really want to move back with you ... even if it’s just through the week ... so I can go to high school there.’
He heard his mum breathe in.
‘Oh, Toby, you don’t have to ask, it’s your home. I’ve missed you, my darling dugong. So much. I just want anything that would make things easy for you. I know it hasn’t been.’
Toby rested back against the pillow, emotion surging out of him again in a wave of relief. ‘Oh, thanks, Mum.’
‘Don’t you worry about a thing,’ his mum continued. ‘Your dad and I can make all the plans we need to.’
Toby suddenly heard h
is brother’s familiar insistent call of ‘Mum! Mum! I wanna talk to him!’ through the phone line.
‘Danny! Stop it, oh what? Okay, but quickly. Sorry, Toby, Danny wants to talk to you.’
‘Hello?’ his younger brother said.
‘Did you see a shark?’
For a moment Toby had thought his brother might have been worried about him, but smiled when he realised what Danny really wanted to know.
‘Yes, I did, they brought it up onto the wharf but ...’
‘Did you see it open its mouth and go RARGHHH and show all its jaggedy sharp teeth?’ Danny asked, excitedly.
He heard his mum saying, ‘Okay, that’s enough, it’s a long-distance call! We can talk to Toby later. Here, give me the ...’
There was the sound of the phone being wrestled with and then his mum was back on the line. In the background he heard his brother once again, walking away yelling ‘RAARGGHH’ to himself.
Toby laughed.
‘Toby, it’s so good to hear you happy. You take care of yourself. And give us a call later when you can.’
‘I will, Mum. Soon, I promise. Thanks, Mum. Bye.’
The phone call ended with several pips.
Toby leant back as relief flooded his body and he burst into a joy-filled grin. He closed his eyes and savoured the moment. Then, taking the cue from his little brother, he let his eyes grow large and his mouth grow wide and gave the quietest but almightiest ‘RAAARGGHHH!’
He heard footsteps and then his father and Boo talking in the corridor outside. His father’s voice was now full of concern. ‘You said the SES are involved in the search for the missing girl?’
‘Oh, yes, thank goodness. The search so far hasn’t turned up a trace of her. I can’t fathom where she’s got to. But she’s been somewhere, on her own, for two nights now. We don’t really know if she’s lost or if she meant to run away. If she did, I only hope she had the good sense to take some supplies with her, but who knows what she was thinking?’
‘It’s such an awful situation,’ his father said. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
The Days of In Between Page 9
