Litter blew down the street and a young girl with a dirty face and torn clothes sat in the gutter and stared blankly at the ground.
The hopelessness of the area filled him with despair; it was exactly as he remembered it. He was sure the bleakness of his surroundings was part of the reason he had become as desperate as he was back then.That and the war, the injury . . . and Min-Thu.
Ah, Min-Thu. He could still recall the powerful emotion of his first love. How his blood rushed when he saw her, his heart pounding and his palms sweaty. He could still see her smile and hear her quiet teasing. But then, as always, the happy memories were overlaid with others: the grenade blasts, the blood. Min-Thu’s blood. Her unseeing eyes. Those memories were never far away.
He pushed up his sleeve to reveal a faded green tattoo. The initials MT, imprinted forever on his arm. He told everyone they stood for Marshall Transport. No one knew about Min-Thu so nobody could ever understand how he had loved her and how the events in Vietnam had caused him to make the biggest mistake of his life back here in Australia.
He shut his eyes and recalled his nephew as a happy, trusting child – and how he had destroyed that trust. There was no way Sandy should have borne the brunt of his uncle’s anger, pain and frustration. He was back in the small room, which smelled musty and old. He saw the glass moving across the air as if in slow motion, he heard the dull thump as it hit the boy’s head and smelled the blood, which came immediately.
The injury had instantly thrust him back to the grenade attack, he could hear it, smell it and feel the pain again. Min-Thu, he thought he had called out loud.
It was Jimmy’s turn to have tears prick his eyes. He rarely let himself think about that day. The memories from Vietnam faded in comparison to what he had done to his own flesh and blood. How he had let Sandy down. Sandy, who had believed in his Uncle Jimmy more than any other person.
‘I have to put things right,’ he said aloud now. ‘Somehow, I have to put things right for Sandy.’
As he was about to start the car he looked at the little girl again, dug into his pocket and pulled out a twenty-dollar note. He walked across the street and stood in front of her.
‘Have you eaten today, love?’ he asked.
‘I dunno. Can’t remember.’
‘There’s a shop just down the road that used to do a good fish and chips. Go and get some. Get some for the rest of your family too.’ When she looked up, he could see her eyes had already taken on the dead look of the broken. He held out the money and she looked at it warily.
‘Go on, I don’t want anything from you. Take it and get something to eat.’ Jimmy put the money down beside her and walked back to his car.
He drove off without looking back. He needed to leave this place behind. Forget it had ever played a part in his life.
Today he would make amends for the things he’d done wrong. And from today, he could move on with a clear conscience.
Chapter 44
Anna pushed her hair back from her face and rested her head on the edge of the hospital bed, still clutching Matt’s hand.
‘So,’ she said, continuing with the one-sided conversation, ‘there was Ella, dressed in a pair of rubber boots and overalls, a lamb tucked under her arm. She was the spitting image of a country kid at her best. You would have laughed if you’d seen her, Matt. She was just so gorgeous.
‘Rob has had her for a little while and your mum is looking after her at the moment. Sam and Kate have been helping out too. Would you like me to bring her in to see you? I’m sure she’d love to give you a kiss.’ She waited, hoping for a response – anything, even the fleeting squeeze of his fingers.
Nothing.
Anna took a breath, trying to find something else to talk about. She was sure Matt could hear her, hear everything that was said.
‘I bet you’re worried about Jasper.Well you don’t have to be. I’ve asked Jimmy to take care of him until you’re able to come home. It will be nice to have him back with us again. He’s been to the vet and seems to be fine. His ribs are a bit sore where he was hit, but luckily nothing was broken. Maggie is looking after Bindy over at the shop. I bet she’s sleeping in front of the potbelly and being fed tidbits by anyone who walks in. I hope no one reports her being there!’
The door opened and Kate peered in. She waved and motioned for Anna to step outside.
‘Kate’s just popped in, Matt. She wants me for something. I won’t be long.’
Anna gently released Matt’s hand and left the room.
‘Anna, love, how are you going? No, don’t answer that. Stupid question.’ Kate pulled her into a hug then stood back to look at her. ‘Anna, you’ve got to get some sleep. Those bags under your eyes would take you to America for a year!’
‘Oh, thanks, Kate. You’ve made me feel so much better,’Anna said.
‘Sorry, sorry. Bloody hell, I’m making an impression today. Any change?’
‘No, nothing. I keep talking but the doctor said he wouldn’t respond in any way. I’m sure he can hear me, though. I remember reading some article in the paper about a woman who was in a coma for a year and she heard everything – including when her parents and husband had a huge argument in her hospital room. I know he can hear me, Kate, so I just keep talking.’
‘Of course he can hear you. Keep telling him how much you love him and how you need to be together to make your lives whole and he’ll remember every bit of it when he wakes up. Have you eaten? Can I get you a coffee or something?’ Kate reached over and put her hand on Anna’s shoulder. ‘I don’t suppose I could convince you to come to the hotel and have a shower? You need to have a rest.’
‘But I’ve got to be here, Kate. I can’t leave. The doctors might want to bring him out of the coma. I need to be here when he wakes up.’
‘Of course you do. But I’m sure the doctors won’t bring him out without telling you. And they’ll bring him out slowly so you’ll have time to get here. Why don’t you check with the nurses and I’ll take you back to the room for a shower and a decent meal.’
Anna hesitated for a moment, running her fingers through her hair. It felt greasy and she realised she felt dirty and rumpled. A shower would freshen her up and maybe some time away from the hospital would give her something else to talk to Matt about. She’d exhausted her list of topics.
‘Okay,’ she agreed. ‘But we can’t be long.’
‘Excellent. Come on then.’ She pushed Anna gently towards the exit.
‘And I’m only coming if you help me do something,’ Anna said.
‘Sure! Anything,’ Kate answered.
Anna was holding a large blanket over the top of Jasper and he was wriggling.
‘For goodness sake stop it, Jasper,’ she whispered to him.
He whined then stopped moving.
‘How are we going to get past the ladies out the front?’ wondered Kate aloud.
‘They’re always so busy, I’m sure we can get by without anyone noticing. If we can get to the stairs, we’ll be fine. He can run up them and hopefully we shouldn’t see any of the staff. Okay, ready?’ Anna asked as she hoisted the heavy dog further up into her arms.
‘Ready.’ Kate pulled her most determined face and walked casually through the door, making a beeline for the stairs.
‘Excuse me?’ Anna’s heart dropped as she heard a lady’s voice, but she kept walking.
‘Excuse me?’ the lady’s voice called louder.
‘I got it,’ Kate muttered, ‘you keep going.’ She spun around, a brilliant smile plastered on her face.
‘Hello!’ she said loudly.
‘We’re raising money for the hospital. I wonder if you’d be interested in making a donation?’ asked the lady.
As Anna disappeared through the heavy fire escape doors to the safety of the fire escape stairs, she heard Kate exclaim, ‘Well of course I am! Show me how.’
Anna’s heart was pounding as she put Jasper down, but her face was determined. ‘Matt’s been feeding you to
o well, Jasp.You’re nothing but a great big, heavy lump!’
They started up the stairs, but had only gone one flight up when they heard the door slam and echo through the stairwell.‘ Shit,’ Anna swore and quickly shook out the blanket.
Jasper saw what she was doing and ran on further, not letting her throw the blanket over him.
‘Jasper,’ she whispered. ‘Jasper, come here!’
A familiar voice floated up the stairwell.‘It’s okay, it’s only me.’ Kate’s footsteps could be heard clattering loudly up the stairs and Anna let out a sigh of relief.
‘You gave me a heart attack!’ she said.
Kate appeared around the corner. ‘Thought I would. C’mon, only another flight to go.’ She looked over her shoulder, then up the stairwell.
Quickly they ran on until they came to the entry to the ward. Kate opened the door first and peeped out. Gently she shut it again, holding her fingers to her lips. ‘Nurse alert,’ she said softly.
Jasper looked up and whined, then thumped to the floor with a great sigh.
Kate glanced down. ‘Yeah, we’re a funny lot aren’t we, Jasper? First of all we throw you under a blanket and nearly suffocate you and now here you are running up stairs, with not a sheep in sight. Don’t worry, you’ll like where we’re going.’ She opened the door a crack and looked out again.
‘Let’s go.’
Anna dropped the blanket onto a surprised Jasper, scooping him up as he let out a yelp.
‘Shh,’ the girls said in unison. Edging into the corridor, they ran towards Matt’s room and pushed open the door.
Laura smiled at the girls, then saw Jasper. Her face changed and a frown settled on her forehead.
‘Should he be in here?’ she asked.
‘Probably not,’ Anna said, ‘but you know how much Matt loves him.’
Jasper sniffed the air and took a tentative step towards the bed, then backed away. He looked at Anna questioningly.
‘It’s okay, he’s just sleeping. C’mon, Jasper. Get up.’ She patted the bed. Jasper didn’t move. ‘Get up, mate. You can get on the bed this one time.’ Still no movement. Finally she dragged him by the collar, lifted him up and placed him next to Matt. ‘Honey, I’ve brought Jasper for you. Can you pat him?’
Anna took Matt’s hand and placed it on Jasper’s head. The dog licked his master’s hand and without another glance at Anna, settled in alongside Matt, sighed, shut his eyes and went to sleep.
Anna looked at Laura, who smiled weakly at her. ‘Thank you, Anna,’ she said in a low voice. ‘This is all just so hard.’ Her voice broke.
Walking over, Anna put her arms around Laura as her mother-in-law hugged her back. That’s all they could do in this situation: hug.
A nurse bustled in and, without looking at Matt, pulled his chart from the holder at the end of the bed. A wet tongue licked her hand. ‘What?’ She gazed at Jasper in surprise.
The girls looked at each other and all their pent-up emotions suddenly erupted in nervous giggles. The nurse raced for the door, calling for another nurse.
‘C’mon, Jasper,’ Anna said. ‘Back to Jimmy with you.’
Laura put her hand on Anna’s arm. ‘Thank you,’ Anna whispered.
A few hours later, Anna was back by Matt’s bedside. She picked up his hand and stroked it gently with her thumb. She had something she needed to say.
‘Matt, I was so against you looking for whoever stole the fertiliser,’ she began. ‘I guess at first I just thought there wasn’t any point. I couldn’t see how finding out who the perpetrator was would make a difference. Then it was because I really wanted you to focus on something else. I felt that you were destroying yourself by obsessing over it. And to a point, I was right, Matt, because you shut us out, me and Ella. But I was wrong not to support you.
‘I hate what has happened – I hate that you’ve been hurt – but I’m also very proud of you for sticking up for what you believe in. I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you. I miss you, honey. So much! I miss the farm too, more than you’ve ever realised, I think. But I miss you more. I wish we could have talked and worked through it. Oh, Matt, I want to start again, don’t you? Ella needs you, I need you – we belong together and I’ve always believed that. You used to believe it too. Seeing you like this has made me realise how much I do love you. I’ve never stopped.’
A nurse bustled in, ignoring Anna’s tear-stained cheeks, took Matt’s vitals and left again.Ten minutes later the doctor arrived.
‘Anna,’ he said, ‘I’d like to try to bring Matt out of the coma tomorrow.’
Anna, overcome with emotion, put her hands to her face. But she was smiling. It was going to be onwards and upwards from here.
Chapter 45
Matt’s eyes flickered open and he blinked at the bright light.
‘Hi, Matt,’ an unfamiliar voice said. ‘I’m Dr Grant. It’s great to have you back.’
He tried to form words, but his mouth was dry. Someone held a straw to his lips and he drank gratefully. He focused on the person holding the straw and saw it was Anna. She was smiling at him.
‘Hi, gorgeous,’ she said.
He licked his lips and tried to say something.
His mind was spinning. Surely Anna shouldn’t be here – she wasn’t part of his life anymore. But he wanted her here, needed her. He wished he could feel her arms around him. Hear her laugh. He knew she could make everything feel right.
‘What? Where?’ He wasn’t sure why he was here. He tried to move but his body hurt.
‘You’re going to be sore, Matt,’ said Dr Grant. ‘Do you remember what happened?’
‘No . . . yes – someone hit me,’ he said as the memory came flooding back.‘Waiting for Shane. But someone hit me.’
The doctor nodded. ‘Good, Matt. I’ve had you in an induced coma for five days, but you’ve been doing really well and it was time to bring you out.’
Matt felt his eyes closing as he tried to take in the doctor’s words. What did he say his name was again?
Blindly he reached out his hand for Anna. When he felt her soft hand in his a warmth spread through his body and he left himself drift back into the darkness, knowing she would be there when he woke again.
He didn’t know how long he was asleep for but the next time he woke he could feel a pressure on his hand and heard weeping. He frowned as he opened his eyes.
‘Mum.’
‘Matt.’ She stopped crying for a moment, then a fresh round of tears began as she said his name again.‘Oh, Matt.’
Matt looked for Anna to help him, but she wasn’t in the room. Where was she?
‘Anna?’ he asked.
His mother wiped her eyes and smiled. ‘She’s gone to pick up Ella, so she can see you. And your dad is on his way. He’s been here every day, as has Anna. Oh, Matt, I’m sorry, I just couldn’t sit here, seeing you like that, but they did. Anna was just a tower of strength. She barely left your side. She loves you so much, Matt.’
She was interrupted by a nurse coming in to check his blood pressure and temperature.
‘Doctor will be in to see you again shortly,’ she said. ‘But there are some police officers who asked me to let them know when you woke up. They’re quite anxious to talk to you.’
‘Oh, surely that can wait?’ Laura said indignantly.
‘It’s okay, Mum,’ Matt interrupted.
‘But, darling . . .’
‘It’s okay, Mum,’ Matt repeated. ‘I think I’m feeling better.’ He didn’t know why, but he knew he needed to talk to the police.There was something bothering him but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Talking to them might help.
The door flew open and Ian strode in. ‘Matt. Oh, thank God you’re okay.’ He drew Matt’s head to his chest, which was heaving with emotion.
‘Steady on, Dad. I’m a bit sore.’
Half laughing, his father released him. ‘It’s good to see you, son,’ he said, then he turned to the nurse. ‘No police until tomorrow,’ he said so
firmly that no one dared contradict him.
There was a steady stream of nurses checking on him over the next two hours. Matt dozed off and on, and talked quietly with his parents. They had just decided to leave for the night when Anna and Ella walked through the door.
‘Daddy!’ Ella cried.
‘Hello, sweetheart.’ He held out his arms and Ella clambered onto the bed and plonked herself firmly in his lap.
‘Where have you been?’ she asked.
Matt opened his mouth to answer, then stopped. Where had he been? He could remember snatches. A noise behind him, Jasper snarling furiously and the pain.
He remembered soft voices, pressure on his hands, quiet words.
‘I’ve been asleep,’ he said at last. ‘Daddy has been very tired.’
‘That’s what Mummy said. What’s it feel like to sleep for five days?’ Ella looked at him enquiringly.
Matt tried to laugh, but everything still hurt. ‘It’s very tiring.’
After a few moments more, Anna said, ‘Come on, Ella, it’s time for you to go now.’ Then to Matt she said, ‘Kate is waiting outside. We didn’t want to tire you too much the first day.’
‘But you’ll come back?’ he asked.
Anna’s face broke into a huge smile. ‘Sweetheart, I’ll be here all night.’
Matt’s sleep was full of broken dreams. A man’s arm, a phone ringing. Messages that made no sense and threats that were bone-chilling.
He woke to a cool hand on his, soothing words and a warm body lying beside him.
‘Shh, it’s a bad dream.’
Matt struggled to sit up.‘His arm,’ he said.
‘What?’ Anna fumbled for the switch to turn on the light.
‘The bloke who hit me had something on his arm.’
‘What sort of something?’
‘A tattoo, I think. I’m not sure, but I remember he leaned down to pick up something. He had a torch and I saw it in the light.’
‘Okay.’ Anna rubbed her head and Matt could tell her eyes hurt. She was obviously tired.‘Do you want to talk to the police now? I’m sure they’d come. It was only because your dad said they had to wait another day that they haven’t been yet.’
Purple Roads Page 25
