The Outback Doctor

by Lucy Clark

  They were all yawning by the time the plane touched down. Penny had decided to send Ian directly back to Adelaide and had called on ahead to make the arrangements. Dave wasn’t too happy with Shenae. Although she was holding her own, she would still require immediate surgery.

  An ambulance ferried them back to the hospital, and the instant they walked in, Dave started barking orders. ‘Blood transfusion, stat. Rose, get her anaesthetised and ready for surgery the instant she’s out of Radiology. Penny, come into Theatre with me so we can patch her up before you take her on to Adelaide.’

  While she had the chance, Rose went and had a quick shower before getting dressed in theatre garb, hoping she had time for a cup of tea before Shenae was back from having X-rays done.

  When she arrived in Theatre, Shenae’s condition had improved dramatically because of the blood she’d been receiving. Everyone was ready for Rose to anaesthetise and when Dave walked into Theatre, the scent of him flowed past her, making it difficult to concentrate for a moment.

  Rose kept a close eye on her dials, forcing herself not to snatch glimpses of just how well Penny and Dave worked together. How dared he kiss her if he was involved with Penny? Just because Penny had been out of town, did he think he could use anyone as a substitute? No, not anyone—the new girl. The new girl who didn’t know about his relationship with Penny. The main factor that stuck in Rose’s throat was that, unlike herself, Penny was a brunette.

  Stop it, she berated herself. Concentrate.

  The operation went well and Dave was happy with the status of Shenae’s internal injuries, as was Penny.

  ‘I’ll want the pelvic fracture to “rest” for a few days before I decide exactly how I want to approach it. Invasive or non-invasive remains to be seen. Her other fractures are stable and can be fixed back in Adelaide. How soon can I move her, Dave?’

  ‘Give her an hour or two and then she’s all yours,’ he remarked, as Shenae was wheeled to Recovery. Rose went with her, wanting to stay with her until she either woke from the anaesthetic or was taken to Adelaide.

  She stayed by the young girl’s bedside until her mother was brought in to see her. Dave came with her, introducing her to Rose.

  ‘Is she going to be all right, Dave?’

  ‘It’s not going to be easy, Libby, but at the moment she’s definitely holding her own, which is a good sign.’

  ‘But she’s…she’s…unconscious.’

  ‘It’s mainly due to the anaesthetic,’ Rose told Libby. ‘I’m hoping she’ll come around before she’s transferred to Adelaide.’

  ‘But all those tubes and things.’

  Rose smiled compassionately. ‘I guess it does look a little scary but Shenae’s doing a good job of recovering on her own. Her body’s been through a terrible trauma and right now it needs time to regenerate and recover.’

  ‘What about Ian?’ Libby asked, turning her worried gaze to Dave.

  ‘I’ll call through to Adelaide and get an update for you.’

  ‘John, my husband,’ she said to Rose, ‘has flown down there in our little Cessna. He called me when he got there but I haven’t heard anything else.’

  ‘I’ll get a call through right away,’ Dave reassured her, before walking off.

  ‘Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?’ Rose asked, feeling empathy for the distressed mother. Libby didn’t answer. Instead, she came closer to Shenae and held her daughter’s limp hand.

  ‘I feel so responsible.’

  ‘How could you have known?’ Rose asked. ‘From what we’ve learned, no one knew that mine shaft was even on your property. It’s been over a hundred and fifty years since people were mining that part of the country. You weren’t to know.’

  ‘I know, but I’m their mother. I’m supposed to look out for them. When they were little ’uns, we were always so careful of their outdoor boundaries. We had fences everywhere but now…now they’re so…’

  ‘They’re so much older and you don’t feel you have to watch out for them as much—and they wouldn’t let you anyway. From my experience with teenagers, they know everything and no one, let alone parents, can tell them any different.’

  Libby smiled a watery smile and nodded. ‘That’s true.’

  ‘They were both taken unawares. It’s not your fault, Libby, and you’ll do neither Shenae nor Ian any good if you start blaming yourself. They’ve both been found and they’re both going to recover. It won’t be easy but once Shenae regains consciousness, we’ll have a better idea of how her recovery will progress.’

  ‘I have the update and it’s all good news,’ Dave said as he returned. ‘Ian is still in Theatre but I managed to get through on the phone and Sam, the orthopaedic surgeon who’s taken over Ian’s care, said that everything is going like clockwork. He’ll give the hospital a call once he’s finished and let us know what’s happening. I spoke to John as well and he said to pass on that he loves you.’

  ‘Oh!’ Libby started to cry. Dave didn’t hesitate and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

  ‘Cry it out, Lib. Cry it out. Your babies are doing fine.’

  Rose came around to the other side of the bed to check the readings from the machines once more. ‘She’s coming around,’ she whispered, and, sure enough, a moment or two later Shenae’s eyelids started to flutter. Another moment and they were open, staring unseeingly up at the ceiling.

  ‘Hi, there, gorgeous,’ Dave crooned.

  ‘Shenae? Shenae?’ Libby queried anxiously. ‘Mum’s here, darling.’

  ‘This is Rosie,’ Dave introduced her to Shenae. ‘She’s just going to check your eyes.’

  ‘I won’t be a moment, Shenae,’ Rose said softly, as she shone the medical torch briefly into the teenager’s eyes. ‘Pupils equal and reacting to light, as previous.’

  ‘Mum?’ Shenae whispered, but choked on the word.

  ‘Let me give you some ice chips.’ Rose quickly spooned a few into Shenae’s mouth and when the girl tried to speak again, Dave told her not to worry.

  ‘Rest now. The rest will do you good.’

  ‘They’re going to move you soon,’ Libby told her. ‘We’re going to go to Adelaide, which is where Ian and Dad are. We’re going to be together as a family and we’ll get through this,’ Libby told her daughter with determination. ‘Ain’t gonna be easy but we’ll do it.’

  ‘That’s the spirit,’ Dave said as they all watched Shenae drift off again. The nurses came over to perform their observations while Rose continued to monitor her patient’s pain relief. An hour later, they were taken back to the airstrip and, with Penny in tow, Libby and Shenae headed off to Adelaide.

  Rose had another shower at the hospital, knowing by the time she made it home, all she’d want to do would be to crawl into bed and sleep the rest of the night away. She forced her legs to work, putting one in front of the other as she walked towards her car.

  ‘So that was Monday,’ Dave said as he caught up with her. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘A lot better, thank you.’ Her tone was polite and dismissive.

  ‘I wanted to catch you before you left to say that I’m really proud of what you faced today. It couldn’t have been easy.’ Dave obviously wasn’t taking the hint. Usually her body language and polite tone got the message across to most males. Obviously, Dave wasn’t most males.

  ‘It wasn’t, but it’s over.’ She stopped at her car and unlocked the door.

  ‘Until next time,’ he pointed out. ‘Rosie, I am concerned about this. It was stated on your job description that flying in a small aircraft would be necessary. Why did you even apply for this job?’

  ‘My reasons for applying for this job have nothing to do with you. I didn’t think it would be as much of a problem as it has been, but I promise I’ll work on it and the next time there’s a call-out, I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

  ‘And if you’re not? I can’t have my staff crumbling to pieces in an emergency situation.’

  ‘It won’t happen again,’
she said with slow deliberation.

  ‘It had better not.’ His voice was firm and brooked no argument. He was a professional and he did his job accordingly. ‘I’m responsible for the retrieval team and it’s a job I take seriously.’

  ‘And rightly so.’

  ‘Then take this as a warning, Rose. If what happened today happens again, I will have no hesitation in terminating your contract here at Broken Hill Hospital. Understood?’

  ‘Perfectly,’ she replied, fighting the lump that was rising in her throat and the angry tears that threatened to spill over her lashes. There was no way in the world she’d let Dave have the satisfaction of seeing her this upset.

  With a brisk nod, he turned and strode away. Rose climbed numbly into her car, knowing full well that he’d meant every word he’d said. Not because of the tone of his voice, or his body language, but because he’d called her Rose.

  CHAPTER SIX

  DAVE dropped into a chair at the kitchen table and slumped forward. He felt like a first-class heel for bawling Rosie out like that, but she’d got him so mad with her ice-maiden attitude he’d felt like throttling her.

  He sat up and shook his head in disbelief. One minute she’d been smiling at him and the next snarling. Perhaps it had just been delayed shock? She’d been through enough and he didn’t blame her if she felt a little overwrought. Maybe that’s all it had been and she’d simply been venting her frustrations at her own inadequacy on him.

  He allowed himself to believe it whilst he stood and grabbed a long cool beer from the fridge, accidentally kicking against a chair on his way back to the table. He only drank light beer as he never knew when he’d be needed at the hospital or at an emergency, but right now the coolness of the liquid was what he wanted most.

  ‘Can’t you keep it down?’ Mick mumbled from the doorway. ‘It’s after three in the morning.’

  ‘Sorry, bro’.’

  ‘Tough night?’

  ‘Yeah. I suppose you’ve heard,’ Dave said. The locals had an amazing grapevine. In fact, it was worse than any hospital he’d worked in previously. The thought made him smile. Their concern was always genuine and they could always be relied upon to help out in any emergency. Here in the outback, it was often man against the elements.

  ‘Yep. Libby and John’s kids. How are they doing?’

  ‘They’ll get through.’

  ‘Both off to Adelaide?’

  ‘Yes. Thankfully Penny had just finished her operating list when the call came in so she was able to come out on retrieval with us.’

  ‘She’s back in Adelaide now?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Sam will be pleased. Oh, hey, did you manage to get that piece of artwork Penny was after?’

  ‘Yes. She was ecstatic when I told her, and Sam will love it when she gives it to him.’

  ‘Yeah. Hope my wife is as devoted as Penny is to Sam. How did you get the artist to part with it? I thought it wasn’t supposed to be for sale?’

  ‘Let’s just say he owed me a favour or two,’ Dave replied, tapping the side of his nose.

  ‘Most of the people in this district owe you a favour or two.’

  ‘Happens when you save their lives.’

  ‘And now you’ve got Libby and John to add to the list.’

  ‘It would seem that way.’ Dave grinned at his brother before finishing his beer. ‘Think I’m about done in.’

  ‘I guess this means you won’t be getting up in two more hours to give me a hand with the cattle?’

  ‘You’ve got it, little brother.’ Dave smiled at him and headed towards his room.

  ‘Hey—I almost forgot,’ Mick added as he trailed after him. ‘Mags called.’

  Dave stopped in his tracks at the mention of his ex-wife and turned to face his brother, all traces of humour gone from his face. ‘What does she want?’

  Mick hesitated.

  ‘Spit it out.’

  ‘All right, but don’t shoot the messenger.’

  Dave nodded.

  ‘She said she’s getting married on Saturday and wants you to know she’ll be putting Mel into an exclusive boarding school so the fees will be more expensive than before.’

  ‘What? While she’s on her honeymoon? It’s school holidays! How long is she going away for?’

  Mick shrugged. ‘Not sure, but from what she said, it sounds as though it’s going to be quite a few months. Her new husband, Julian Moncrief, will be working overseas for a while.’

  ‘Mags is marrying Julian?’ Dave was astounded and then wondered why he should be surprised.

  ‘They deserve each other. Two peas in a pod.’

  ‘How can you say that, Mick? You only met him once.’

  ‘Twice,’ Mick corrected. ‘And he was a creep both times.’

  ‘The first would have been at our wedding. When was the second?’

  ‘When I came to Sydney one time. It wasn’t long before you and Mags separated.’

  ‘Why don’t I remember?’

  ‘You were working all sorts of hours, trying desperately to block out Mags’s continual manipulations. I remember you came home one night—aw, it was probably around three or four in the morning and you were dead-dog tired. We sat on the floor on your very expensive rug and just talked. Mags came out just after five and told us both to shut up or get out.’

  Dave nodded. ‘That I remember. Soon, I was back here on the farm.’

  ‘Where you belong, mate.’

  ‘Exactly. So when did you see Julian again?’

  ‘He picked Mags up for work. She said her car was on the blink and as his office was across the road from hers, he was…you know… “helping her out”.’

  Dave didn’t miss the underlying meaning. ‘Typical.’

  ‘Surprised?’

  ‘I knew about ’em, mate. I confronted her, she didn’t deny it, we separated. I’m also sure Julian wasn’t the only one.’

  ‘Hurt?’

  ‘Way past it, bro’.’ Dave thought for a moment. ‘Julian was married then.’

  ‘To his first wife?’

  Dave nodded. ‘Perhaps you’re right, Mick. Perhaps they do deserve each other.’

  ‘And good riddance to them.’

  ‘Yeah, but what about Melody? She’s my daughter, too. If Mags thinks she’s going to dump Mel into a boarding school, she’s got another think coming!’

  ‘What else should she do?’

  ‘Mel can come here.’

  ‘To the farm?’ Mick asked. ‘It’s no place for a kid, Dave. You know that. The last few times Mel has been here, she’s been miserable.’

  ‘No, she hasn’t.’

  ‘Yes, she has, Dave. If you want Mel to come here for a few months, you’ll need to move closer to town.’

  ‘We’re only twenty minutes from the town centre and this is my home, too.’

  ‘Mel needs to be with other kids her own age, and if she’s coming here to live for a while, it’ll take you for ever to get her to school in the morning before you’re due at the hospital.’

  Dave nodded and rubbed his fingers along his temple ‘What exactly did Mags say?’

  ‘She said she’d be putting Mel into the school in the next few days as she had too much to concentrate on with the wedding.’

  ‘This is so like her.’ Dave slapped his hand against his thigh. ‘She fought for custody of Melody when I would have had her at the drop of a hat but, no, Margaret had to have everything her way and couldn’t possibly have people thinking she wasn’t a good mother. This isn’t being a good mother and I object to not having a say in what happens to my own daughter. I won’t pay those fees.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because Melody’s coming to Broken Hill and that’s final.’

  ‘You think that’s wise? You know, to rip her out of her environment?’

  ‘She’s six years old, Mick. Kids adapt. You and I adapted when our dad walked out on us.’

  ‘Yeah, but we had Mum. We still had a constant in our
lives.’

  ‘Don’t you remember what mum was like when he left? She fell to pieces,’ Dave growled. ‘She crumbled into a woman half her previous size and never fully recovered. That’s not the point. I won’t let Margaret dictate like this. Melody is my daughter, too, and I’ll go to court if I have to. I’ll do whatever it takes, but I will not have my daughter thrust aside in some snotty boarding school, growing up with the belief that neither of her parents wanted her. I want her and, believe me, mate, I’m going to get her.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I’ll call Mags first thing in the morning and arrange to fly up there in the next few days to pick Melody up.’

  ‘That’s the Dunbar fighting spirit,’ Mick added, then stopped and looked thoughtfully at his brother. ‘You don’t think this is what Mags originally wanted? That she’d want you to get on your high horse and demand to take Mel?’

  Dave felt his anger rise at Mick’s question. He was right. Mags was more than likely manipulating him again. Well, if she wanted to play the game, then it was going to be played by his rules. ‘If she persists in going through with this, I’m going to file for full custody and I’ll fight her with everything I’ve got.’ He clenched his jaw in determination. ‘Mel is my daughter and I love her, Mick. She may not like coming to the farm but I know for a fact that she also loves me.’

  ‘And me! I’m her favourite uncle.’

  ‘You’re her only uncle, Mick.’

  His brother grinned at him. ‘You’ll need to get a nanny as well. Or a housekeeper or something. You work such odd hours, mate, you’ve got to think about Mel’s needs.’

  Anger surged through Dave at the way his ex-wife still managed to get to him. ‘I can’t believe Mags would be so…so…Ugh!’ He thumped his fist into the wall and was surprised when it went straight through the old plaster-board.

  ‘That was smart,’ Mick remarked ironically, as Dave cradled his hand. ‘Get it under some water.’

  ‘It’s fine.’

  ‘Don’t be a drongo, Dave.’