Australia Outback Fantasies

by Margaret Way

  ‘So, what do we have?’ Jake asked as they headed back to the town a few minutes later.

  ‘A young couple have arrived at the hospital.’ Maxi outlined what Loretta had passed on. ‘The woman is twenty-nine weeks pregnant, torn membrane and amniotic fluid leak.’

  Jake’s mouth compressed. ‘Could be iffy.’

  Maxi beat back a feeling of unease. Seeing their lack of high-level neonatal facilities, iffy didn’t even begin to describe what lay ahead of them.

  Once again they were flying by the seats of their pants.

  Loretta met them at the nurses’ station. ‘Oh, good, you’ve both come,’ she said, as if seeing them as a couple was no great surprise.

  ‘What can you tell us, Loretta?’ Jake’s voice was clipped.

  ‘Our patient is Alex Vellacott, husband is Zane. Apparently they’ve been on the road for several weeks while Zane looks for work.’

  ‘He could have chosen a better time,’ Jake muttered. ‘Or gone on his own, instead of dragging his pregnant wife around with him.’

  ‘These are hard times, Jacob,’ Maxi reminded him quietly. ‘Just let’s see what we can do for Alex, shall we? Is Sonia around, Loretta?’

  The charge shook her head. ‘In Sydney for the weekend—her mum’s sixtieth.’

  Maxi sent a trapped smile in Jake’s direction. ‘So, it’s just us, then.’

  ‘I’ve put Alex in the treatment room for the moment,’ Loretta said. ‘And I’ve alerted the CareFlight chopper for her transfer to Croyden.’

  And there didn’t seem any doubt a transfer to the larger hospital would be needed, Maxi decided after she’d examined her patient. The trickle of amniotic fluid hadn’t stopped and was, in fact, stimulating intermittent but painful contractions.

  Maxi held a mini-consult with Jake and then they both went to speak with the couple.

  ‘Can you do something for me and the baby?’ The young mother-to-be looked at them with wide, fearful eyes.

  Maxi placed a comforting hand on patient’s shoulder. ‘Alex, if it were just a matter of bed rest and monitoring you for any infection, we could keep you here.’

  ‘But it’s not—?’

  ‘No, Alex, it’s not,’ Jake came in gently. ‘The amniotic sac is leaking. That means you could go into premature labour over the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. We don’t have high-tech neonatal equipment here and if your baby was born now, he or she would be unlikely to survive. I’m sorry to have to be so blunt.’

  ‘No, it’s OK,’ Zane came in quickly. ‘We’d rather know.’ His throat convulsed as he swallowed. ‘W-what should we do, then?’ He reached for his wife’s hand and held it tightly.

  ‘We’ll transfer Alex by air ambulance to Croyden,’ Jake explained. ‘You’ll be able to go with her. The chopper’s already on its way so it should get here within the hour.’

  ‘But what if I have the baby mid-flight?’

  Maxi heard the trepidation in her patient’s voice and hastened to clarify the situation. ‘It’s a relatively short flight, Alex. You’d be very unlikely to deliver the baby during the journey.’

  Alex bit down on her bottom lip. ‘If the baby does come early, would it have a chance at the bigger hospital?’

  Maxi nodded. ‘Your baby would be placed in a special neonatal intensive care unit so it would have every chance of surviving.’

  ‘And if you can hang onto the pregnancy for even another couple of weeks, the chances of your baby having no ongoing problems would be lessened even further,’ Jake added.

  The young woman’s face crumpled. ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to. I can feel another contraction …’

  ‘What can I do to help, babe?’ Zane muttered through pinched dry lips.

  ‘It’s fine.’ Alex hiccuped a jagged laugh. ‘It’s gone already. Only a light one. And I hadn’t had one for a while.’ She cast a determined look at her husband. ‘We’ll make it, Zane. We have to …’

  ‘Just thought you’d like to know—chopper’s ETA is fifteen minutes.’ Loretta popped her head in.

  ‘Thanks, Loretta,’ Jake acknowledged. ‘We’ll go ahead and prepare Alex for the transfer.’

  Maxi stood beside Jake, steeling herself against the shudder in the air as the helicopter took off. How she wished she could have done more for Alex and her baby.

  As if he’d tuned into her thoughts, Jake said quietly, ‘We’ll just have to pray the baby is a little battler.’

  Maxi sent him a quick look as they turned and began making their way back to the hospital car park. He seemed subdued, even a bit grim. Perhaps, like her, he already had a mental picture of the infant, born far too early—translucent, fragile, so delicate. ‘Under-developed lungs will be a problem.’

  ‘Along with myriad others. If the team at Croyden can buy some more time, it might give the baby a fighting chance. I guess that’s all we can hang on to at the moment.’

  ‘Alex told me she’d had hardly any prenatal care,’ Maxi said bleakly.

  ‘And it’s not our fault, Max. She could have been living in the heart of Sydney and this could have happened anyway,’ Jake pointed out. ‘As a doctor, you should know by now you can do only what you can do given all the circumstances.’

  ‘But out here …’

  ‘Out here, what?’ Jake stopped, a frown notching his forehead as he took her hands, linking his fingers through hers and tightening their hold.

  ‘When it comes down to it, medically, there’s so little we can do. It’s so harsh, so raw. So far from everything.’

  Her words, so heartfelt, so desolate-sounding, bombarded Jake like shrapnel. An uneasy chill traversed the length of his spine. Was she ready to chuck it all in and leave him? Just when they’d found each other again? He sighed. ‘You can’t compare it with working as a GP in England, Max.’

  ‘I know …’ Maxi tried to make light of her mood, tried to smile, but her mouth got all out of shape in a jumble of emotions. ‘I know.’

  ‘What’s that you have there?’ Jake asked. It was Sunday afternoon and they’d slept in their separate bedrooms last night. Maxi had said she wanted an early night and disappeared and he hadn’t liked to presume anything. Now he wondered if the intimacy they’d reignited was already a one-off in her mind. Were they back to being merely housemates? His chest tightened.

  But he wasn’t about to beg.

  ‘I’m collating stuff for my men’s health seminar.’ Maxi turned her head up, meeting his questioning look as he leaned over her shoulder. ‘Dave thinks we can get a room at the pub to hold it. Bron’s helping as well.’

  ‘Great. Like my input?’

  She blinked. He’d sounded brisk, impersonal. But she wasn’t about to quibble. ‘I would,’ she said simply.

  ‘OK, then. ‘He yanked up another chair to the outdoor table and dropped his length beside her. ‘Tell me what you have in mind.’

  ‘It’ll probably be nothing like yours.’ Maxi shielded her A4 pages defensively.

  He shot her a wry grin. ‘Let’s hope not. Mine wasn’t exactly a roaring success, was it? Come on, then,’ he coaxed.

  ‘You’ll probably think it’s quite unsuitable.’

  ‘No, I won’t. Show me what you’ve got so far.’

  Maxi took a deep breath. ‘Well, originally, I thought it would be good to separate the information into age groups, say, young, middle age and then fifty and upwards, and finally sixty-five plus. But then I thought it’d be better to keep it general.’

  ‘Probably,’ Jake agreed. ‘In the first place, we’ve no idea how many will turn up, let alone their age groups. So, yes. Let’s keep the information general. Go on,’ he encouraged.

  ‘I think we should emphasise the importance of a yearly check-up, even if the men are feeling well,’ Maxi said, gaining confidence. ‘Make the guys aware of the things that can impair men’s health in general.’

  ‘OK, but let’s not make it too daunting.’ Jake rubbed a hand thoughtfully over his chin. ‘First we need t
o get them along to the surgery and then the rest will follow—with a bit of persuasion on our part.’

  Maxi nodded. She could see his point. ‘So, we’d explain tests for cholesterol and BP are simple and straightforward, but necessary. And I’d like to stress the need for a skin exam every year, especially for those men who have high exposure to the sun in their working day. And with their very physical lifestyles out here, we should include a review of their immunisation status—for instance, tetanus.’

  ‘Sounds fine. What else?’

  ‘Well, it goes without saying they need to know they can discuss anything with their doctor in strictest confidence.’

  ‘Of course. That’s a good point. Stuff like relationship difficulties, drug and alcohol issues and so on.’

  Maxi twirled her pen in her fingers. ‘And I really don’t think we can ignore speaking about male-related cancers. Testicular is more prevalent in the eighteen to thirty age group than we like to imagine. And prostate, of course.’

  ‘We don’t want to frighten the daylights out of them, though,’ Jake warned. ‘But I agree the subject has to be addressed.’

  ‘I’ve some excellent stuff on disk I can show them,’ Maxi said enthusiastically. ‘It’s in cartoon form, non-threatening, and I think it will get the message through. I brought it with me from home.’

  A beat of silence.

  ‘It sounds like you’re well prepared, then.’ Jake hadn’t missed her emphasis on home. If her heart and her loyalties were still back in England … He clamped down on the bleakness of his thoughts.

  ‘I’ve yet to decide when to hold the session.’ Maxi looked thoughtful. ‘What time of day do you think would suit most of the men?’

  ‘Not sure. Have a chat to Ayleen. She’s usually got her finger on the pulse.’

  ‘OK.’ Maxi nodded. ‘I’ll do that.’ She got to her feet. ‘I think I’ll marinate some chicken pieces for an early dinner. Suit you?’

  ‘Uh, count me out.’ Jake spun off his chair and replaced it neatly at the table. ‘I want to go over to the hospital. I need a word with Dave. And I want to catch up on some paperwork as well. I’ll grab a bite to eat somewhere.’

  In other words, he didn’t want her company.

  A knot of uncertainty tightened in Maxi’s stomach. Life, her life, had seemed so good yesterday. And now her thoughts were all muddled.

  ‘I wondered …’ She bit her lip and went on, ‘Would be in order for me to call Croyden and find out how Alex is doing? It’s been twenty-fours hours …’

  ‘Of course,’ Jake said with complete professional detachment. ‘Better still, I’ll make the call from the hospital and let you know.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she replied huskily, and held up two crossed fingers.

  With Jake gone about his business, Maxi decided she wouldn’t bother with cooking dinner. If she was forced to eat alone, she’d open a can of baked beans.

  With this bleak thought in mind, she went along to the room Jake reserved as an office and began to transfer her written notes to her laptop. After half an hour, she stopped and sighed. She just couldn’t get into it.

  Alex and her baby were on her mind.

  Out of nowhere, Maxi imagined herself in the same predicament. How awful it would be. Miles from specialist care, her child’s life in jeopardy. A lump came to her throat. She couldn’t bear it.

  Oh, get a grip, her saner self protested. Jake would be the only man you’d consider having a baby with and he wouldn’t let anything untoward happen to you. Or your baby.

  But sometimes things just … happened. Maxi knew that better than most. Things you had no control over. When her mobile rang, she jumped back to reality. It was Jake.

  ‘Alex is holding her own,’ he said carefully. ‘She’s on a drip, of course, and they’re monitoring the baby closely. So far the scan shows it’s still viable.’

  Maxi let her breath go. A tiny ray of optimism shone inside her. ‘I guess that’s the best we can hope for, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, it is.’ His voice deepened. ‘I’ll be a while. Don’t wait up.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘I KNOW we decided we wouldn’t take patients without appointments any more,’ Ayleen said apologetically. She’d come quietly into Maxi’s surgery on Monday afternoon, closing the door behind her.

  ‘What is it, Ayleen?’ Maxi looked up from her computer.

  ‘I have sixteen-year-old Lily Carpenter in Reception. She’s come straight from school and asked especially to see you.’

  ‘Is she already a patient?’

  ‘She is.’ Ayleen proffered the file.

  Maxi got the message. The youngster obviously wanted to see a female doctor. Well, that was what her role here was all about—to give the patients a choice. ‘It’s no problem, Ayleen. I have a short list today. I’ll just take a sec to run through Lily’s notes and then I’ll come out and call her in.’

  Maxi speed-read the file. There was nothing out of the ordinary to cause concern and nothing outstanding that needed follow-up. So possibly the young woman needed a chat about something personal.

  Maxi’s first impression of Lily was that her patient was a very pretty girl, with dark blonde hair that was thick and shiny. Her demeanour was polite but any semblance of a smile was entirely missing. It put Maxi on her mettle, raised her doctor’s antennae. ‘So, Lily,’ she encouraged. ‘How can I help you?’

  ‘It’s a bit of a long story,’ Lily said awkwardly.

  ‘That’s all right. You’re my last patient for the day. Take whatever time you need.’

  ‘Well …’ Lily linked her fingers tightly across her midriff. ‘I’m staying at the student accommodation at the CWA hostel at the moment. Mrs Maynard said I should come and talk to you.’

  Liz. Maxi raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s fine. Go on.’

  ‘I’m not getting on with my mother. In fact, I think she hates me.’

  ‘That’s a very strong statement, Lily.’

  ‘Please, don’t put it down to teenage angst.’ The youngster’s throat jerked as she swallowed. ‘It’s been going on since I can remember. Nothing I do seems to please her and when I achieve at school, and I do, you’d think she’d be over the moon …’

  ‘But she’s not?’ Maxi pursued gently, thinking they were about to open a Pandora’s box here.

  Lily shook her head.

  ‘What about your dad?’

  ‘He loves me to bits.’ Lily’s mouth trembled infinitesimally. ‘And that just makes Mum even more jealous. Lately, I’m finding it hard to get to sleep and when I do I have nightmares—awful ones where I’m trying to find my way to somewhere and every way is blocked and I walk and walk …’ Her voice became husky. ‘And when I wake up, I’m so scared.’

  ‘I see …’ Maxi said slowly, dragging together every counselling skill she’d ever acquired. ‘Lily, I have to tell you at the outset I’m not a therapist but we’ll talk a bit more and then perhaps we’ll be able to come up with some strategies to help you.’

  Lily gave the semblance of a relieved smile. ‘Mrs Maynard said you’d be able to.’

  Thanks a bunch, Liz! Maxi shrugged mentally. I only wish I had such confidence in me. Rising from her chair, she went to the cooler to get herself and her patient a glass of water. It was going to be a long session. ‘Tell me a bit more about your mum,’ she coaxed.

  ‘She was adopted when she was a baby.’ Lily took a mouthful of water and set her glass back on the desk. ‘She’s always been quite bitter about the fact her real mother didn’t or couldn’t keep her. Dad said when I was born she doted on me.’

  ‘And when did that change?’

  ‘I can’t really remember but I know I felt a bit … hemmed in around Mum even from when I was a little kid and I guess I’d run to Dad instead. That just made Mum angry and she and Dad would row. I remember once she yelled that he’d stolen me. I didn’t understand it then but as I’ve got older I’m starting to understand Mum needs help …’ She swallowed and t
ears brimmed.

  Undoubtedly. And Lily had obviously decided it was time to be pro-active, which only went to prove her maturity for one so young. Maxi put her practical hat on. ‘When did you move out to the hostel?’ she asked.

  ‘Couple of weeks ago. Dad arranged it. It’s good ‘cos I’ve got more time for study and after-school stuff.’

  ‘So you live out a bit, then?’

  ‘Twenty-five K’s. It’s a small farm. Isolated. Dad runs a few head of cattle but he works away a lot and Mum was getting on my case more and more so he just upped and moved me out. I really wish I could go away to school.’ Lily lifted a hand, agitatedly, curling a strand of blonde hair around her finger.

  ‘And that’s not an option?’

  ‘Dad couldn’t afford it. About Mum …’ She brought her gaze up, drawing in a long shaky breath. ‘I can’t help wondering if I did something wrong to make her so unhappy with me …’

  Oh, lord. Maxi’s intuition sharpened. She had to find the right words here or Lily would be left feeling even more confused. ‘You did nothing wrong, Lily. Your parents possibly had a complex relationship even before you came along. We don’t know what emotional issues either or both brought to the marriage. That would be for a skilled professional to work through with them.’

  Lily’s pretty mouth flattened in resignation. ‘Mum wouldn’t have a bar of that.’

  ‘Not yet, perhaps,’ Maxi said gently. ‘But in the meantime, you’ve done the right thing in trying to get help for yourself. And that in turn may lead your parents to take stock.’

  Lily began blinking fast. ‘I feel sad for Mum …’

  ‘Of course you do. Possibly, a crisis in her own past meant she needed your love desperately for reassurance but something in her caused you to turn to your dad. It’s complicated but it’s certainly no one’s fault.’ Maxi felt the youngster’s anguish and got a mental picture of this mother living in some kind of quiet desperation. But until she was ready to seek professional help, no one could force it on her. ‘Would you feel you could write to your mum explaining why you felt it best to move out?’