Taming the Outback (14 page)

She crawled up the driveway at a snail’s pace and pulled up outside the shearing shed, looking for anyone. A head appeared at the window when she slammed the door shut and bolted for shelter of the shed.

“Libby, what’s going on?” Molly came out to greet her. “Nathan’s not here.”

“I know, but I couldn’t stay at home.” Her voice was starting to shake. “Tom and Holly are missing. We think they crossed the creek, and when the boys came back, they couldn’t find them. Nathan’s gone looking for them.”

Molly came forward and took Libby in her arms, and the dam holding back Libby’s tears finally broke.

“Nathan will find them,” Molly said. “Come in and sit with me for a bit. I’ll put the kettle on, and we can keep an eye out for them from here.” She guided Libby to a chair by the window of the shearer’s kitchen.

“Was that your boys who came by a little while ago thundering through here like the devil was on their tails?”

“Yeah, it was. Did they go out with Nathan?” Libby asked.

“I think it was the other way around. They went bolting past as Nathan brought the cows in, and one of the boys talked to him, and the next thing I saw, there was Nathan storming off in the truck after them. Now I understand why.”

Molly handed Libby a mug of coffee, and they both watched for any sign of life coming from the direction of the river where they thought Tom and Holly had crossed over.

_***

Nathan drove as fast as he could through the heavy rain toward the bottom paddocks where he thought Tom would have crossed the creek. The window was down in the truck, and the rain poured in, soaking him. His hat was pulled firmly down on his head as he scanned the paddocks for Tom and Holly.
How could any mother let her child go out in this kind of weather? Typical city folk, they have no idea of the force of Mother Nature.

Through the sleet, he spotted a dark shape, and he cursed Libby again as he drove toward it. Tom’s horse stood with its back to the rain, and Puddin’ was tucked in beside it. Throwing open the door, Nathan jumped from the truck, his eyes scanning the paddock for Holly and Tom.

Putting his hands up to his mouth, he looked around before he called out. “Holly, Tom. Tom, answer me, damn it.” Nathan pushed through the soaked, long grass to where the creek was a raging torrent of dark, churning water. “Tom, Holly,” he yelled, trying to see through the thick curtain of rain.

He stood, hands on hips and listened, hoping they were close enough to hear him.

“Help, please, help me,” cried a child. Nathan’s stomach clenched, and he ran toward the voice. Holly was sitting at the edge of the water, clinging desperately to Tom, the pressure of the water pulling at his legs.

“Back up, honey; I’ve got him.” Nathan nudged her out of the way and leaned down to slide his hands under Tom’s shoulders and pull him further up the bank.

Tom screamed in pain, and Nathan heard Holly whimper beside him.

“Sorry, mate, just hang on.” Nathan lay the man on the grass. He knelt beside him, checking for blood before pulling Holly into his chest and stroking her wet hair, trying to calm her. “Hell, Tom, what happened?”

The older man grimaced in pain, his face gray and drawn. “Damned calves. They bolted into the river...ahh...thought we were gonna lose them. Sorry, Nathan. Shoulder...pulled it out when the horse shied.” He closed his eyes and groaned.

Holly moved in Nathan’s arms and looked up at him. “Tom’s horse threw him in the water. I had to get him out, and I tried really hard, but he’s too heavy for me.”

“You followed him into the water, Holly?” Nathan tried to keep the anger from his voice, remembering how it scared her.

“Yes. He’s my best friend.” She leaned down and put her hand on Tom’s head, stroking his brow. “I couldn’t let him drown.”

“I don’t know whether you are the bravest little girl I know or the silliest for putting yourself in danger.” Nathan cupped her face in his hands. “Tom is lucky he has you, Holly.”

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I know that.”

Nathan shook his head and grinned in spite of the situation.
Life through a child’s eyes is so much less complicated.
“Can you stay with Tom while I bring the truck down, Holly?”

“Of course, I will, but don’t be long. I’m cold, and Mum will be worried.”

Your mother is going to get the biggest rocket of her bloody life when I get Tom sorted.
“I’ll be as quick as I can. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Silly man, where would I go?” Holly looked up at him with the running down her face as she clutched Tom’s hand. In that moment, Nathan was lost. Somewhere in his empty, burned heart, this brave little girl had nicked a vein and carved her name in capital letters. Libby really had no idea what Nathan was going to do to her. She had some serious explaining to do, letting this child go so far from her in this weather.

Nathan ran back to the truck and carefully backed it up to Tom. He opened the back doors and arranged empty feed sacks into a makeshift blanket.

“Tom, mate, you’re going to have to help me here. I can’t get you into the truck by myself.” Nathan helped him sit up with Holly holding his arm still. Once Tom felt steady enough to stand, Nathan put his arm around the man’s back and leaned Tom into his body, lifting him to his feet. “Steady mate,” he said as Tom blanched. “Holly, climb in the back, and when I lift Tom up, I want you to hold his head so he doesn’t fall back, okay?”

“I can do that.” She scrambled into the back of the truck and held her hands out, while Nathan hoisted Tom onto the tailgate. Once they had him resting comfortably, Nathan got in the front and started the engine. Slowly, he drove up the bank and headed for home.

The thunder of horse’s hooves made him slow down. Winton and Josh pulled up alongside the truck, grins of relief on their faces when they saw Holly and Tom in the back.

“We went right past here and didn’t see them, Nathan,” Winton said.

“They were farther down on the edge of the river. Hard to see. Go and grab the horses and take them back, will you? They’re back just a little ways. I’ll have to take it slow, but tell your mother I’ve got them. I think Tom has dislocated his shoulder, but Holly is okay. She pulled him out of the river when his horse shied, chasing bloody calves.”

“Sure thing.” Josh nodded, and he and Winton headed off to collect the horses and give Libby the good news.

_***

For what seemed like an eternity, they sat and watched for any signs of life. Two dark shapes appeared through the rain in the darkening afternoon as Libby was cradling her now cold coffee.

She jumped up from her seat as soon as she spied them in the distance. With a cry, Libby looked out to see, the boys leading two extras horses, Puddin’ and Tom’s big bay horse.

Her heart in her throat, she ran to Josh and Winton, clutching at their wet clothes, touching their faces to reassure herself they were standing there. “Where are they? Are they okay?” she begged for news.

“Tom’s hurt, Mum.” Josh was quick to reassure her. “Not seriously, I don’t think, but Holly’s okay.”

“Nathan is bringing them back in the truck,” Winton said. The boys headed to the shed and dismounted while Libby followed them, but kept turning in the direction they had come, looking for Nathan’s truck and the rest of her family.

“What happened?” She wiped the rain from her face as she helped them dismount and tie up the horses.

“Tom was chasing a couple of calves that bolted across the creek, and his horse shied and threw him. Nathan thinks he’s dislocated his shoulder,” Josh declared.

“Where was Holly while this was happening?” Libby asked.

“Don’t know. Nathan found them. He was on his way in when we saw them,” Josh said. “She was sitting in the back of the truck beside Tom, holding his hand.”

Libby spun around at the sound of the truck creeping through the rain toward them. She rushed over and pulled open the door before it came to a stop, ignoring the rain running down her face. The back seat was down, and Tom was lying propped among empty grain bags, his face gray with pain. Holly was sitting with him, holding his hand tight, and whispering softly to him.

Libby put her hands to her mouth, the words not coming. She was so relieved they were both safe. But what stunned her was the way her baby was looking out for Tom.

A door slammed, and a familiar figure stood behind her. A strong arm slid possessively over her shoulder, pulling her close to his chest and making her breathing jump up a notch as her drenched body leaned into his.

“Don’t you ever listen, sweetheart?”

She could only shake her head as her eyes filled with tears. Her baby was safe. That’s all that mattered right now.

“We need to get him into Charleville Hospital,” Nathan informed her. “I’m just going to go check and make sure the roads are clear and not flooded before we leave.”

He let her go and ran to the house. Libby put her hand out and stroked Holly’s hair, just relieved to be able to touch her again.

“It’s okay, Mum.” Holly’s face was serious. “The doctors can fix it, you know.”

Tom opened his eyes.

“Sorry, Libby.” He groaned. “Didn’t mean to worry you like this.”

“Shh, Tom,” Libby replied. “Don’t talk. We need to get you fixed up before we do anything else. Nathan is just checking the roads, and then we can go. Lay back and rest.”

She turned as Nathan came running back, throwing his hat on the seat beside him as he jumped into the truck. Libby shut the back door and went to climb in the front beside him. Looking over his shoulder, he spoke to Tom. “You okay, mate? Doc said he’ll be waiting for us. He’ll fix you up.”

“What are you doing?” he asked, turning back and looking over at her as he started the vehicle.

“If you think I’m staying here, you are sadly mistaken,” she said. “This is my family, and I’m going with you.”

“Molly,” he called out of the window, “look out for the boys. We’ll see you back here when we can.”

He drove out of the yard, going slow so as not to jar Tom’s shoulder.

“The roads are clear for now, but the water is coming up fast.” He looked at Tom in the rearview mirror. “Doc Harvey is waiting for us. We may not be able to get back home if this water keeps coming up as fast as it is though.”

The water was coming up higher over both sides now, and the only clear patch was in the center of the road. The water almost topped their wheels, but none of it worried Libby. She took it in stride now that she knew Tom and Holly were safe. It took them a long thirty-five minutes to get to the hospital. As Nathan drove through the red brick pillars of the old medical building, he slowed the vehicle and let out a large sigh.

Libby looked over at him and noticed the tight, white line around his mouth.
Of course he’s anxious
. He had known Tom for most of his life while she was the new kid in town. Her heart went out to him. She realized she hadn’t even thanked him for finding them.

Before she could get her words of thanks out, he was pulling up at the front door and leaning on the horn.

A side entrance door opened, and a man wearing blue scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck sprinted out in the rain to the truck. His tousled, gray hair and black-rimmed glasses gave him a serious look. Nathan got out and opened the door closest to Tom. Libby turned in her seat and watched as the Doc quickly assessed the older man.

“I’d like to give him some morphine before we move him, Nat,” the doctor said. “The pain would be too much otherwise. I think you’re right about it being dislocated though. Hang on there, Tom, I’ll get you some pain relief and then get you inside.”

The doctor ran back inside and came out a moment later with a small, covered dish in his hands. Ripping open a sterile swab and wiping it over Tom’s wrist, he inserted a cannula and taped it down to hold it in place. Taking a small bottle and needle from the tray and holding it up to the light, Doc drew clear liquid down into the syringe. Next, he gently inserted the syringe into the cannula and deployed the plunger. Taking a pen from his pocket, he wrote figures on the tape holding the needle in place and waited as the morphine took the edge off Tom’s pain.

“Ready to go, my man?” he asked.

“Sure, Doc, when you’re ready,” Tom mumbled.

Doc Harvey signaled to a nurse in the doorway who promptly came out to the vehicle with a gurney. With Nathan’s help, they maneuvered Tom out of the car and onto the waiting stretcher. Libby followed with her arm around Holly while Nathan was by Tom’s side, helping the doctor guide the wheels over the rough road to the entrance of the ER.

C
HAPTER
N
INE

They whisked Tom through to the examining room, and Nathan showed Libby to a chair where he sat down beside her, his head leaning back on the wall. She sat with Holly on her knee, arms wrapped around her tight. Having everyone safe made her feel weak with relief. Tom was not seriously hurt, and for that, she would be eternally grateful. Once his shoulder was put back in, he would be as good as new.