Читать книгу From Orchards to Outback - Tracey Friday - Страница 12

“Righto ladies, back on the road,” said Mrs Heppler as Maggie started to pack away.

“There is no road, Ma…”

“Alright smarty trousers, I grant you that there is no road as such, but I know perfectly well where we are and that invisible track out there is our road. Come on...”

“Ma, I don’t feel too good, I feel faint…” Emily suddenly clutched her stomach.

“My cooking isn’t that bad love,” said Mrs Heppler but when she looked at Emily’s face she knew something was seriously wrong. “Put the shade back up Maggie,” she said hurriedly as she held Emily, “think we’ll be staying put for a little while longer.”

Maggie quickly reassembled the tarp and then laid some blankets underneath. As she and Mrs Heppler helped Emily lie down they noticed that she was bleeding. Maggie knelt beside her and held her hand while Mrs Heppler relit the fire and put a pot of water on to boil. “Maggie, get the medical box from behind my seat please.”

They looked at one another with worried expressions on their faces. Then Mrs Heppler knelt beside Emily and gently brushed the hair from her face. “What’s going on love?” she asked as calmly as she could.

“Been feeling a little off since you first stopped by the house,” Emily said weakly.

“That was days ago!” exclaimed Mrs Heppler. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Just wanted to get out of there Ma and I didn’t feel unwell all of the time.”

Mrs Heppler had an inkling, but she had to ask. “Do you know what’s causing you to be feeling like this?”

“Oh Ma,” Emily winced in pain, “I think I had a miscarriage shortly before you arrived. Wasn’t too far gone but it was unusual for me to be late, so it must have been.”

Maggie returned with the medical box, her heart felt like it leapt into her mouth when she heard what Emily had just said.

“Did you see a doctor?” asked Mrs Heppler, now knowing that they were in serious trouble.

“No.” Emily began to cry.

“Why on earth not?”

“He would have known, Ma. He would’ve found out and got angry that I miscarried. He wants me to get pregnant. And if I lost our baby… he would never have forgiven me. And now I am being punished for leaving him.” She sobbed into her mother’s arms.

“Don’t do this to yourself Emily, what’s done is done. We need to get you as comfortable as we can. How are you feeling now?”

“Not as bad as before, it comes and goes. I feel very tired, perhaps if I have a little sleep before we move on?”

“You rest up, I know it’s hard but try not to worry too much.” She smiled reassuringly as Emily drifted off to sleep.

Mrs Heppler and Maggie walked to the front of the truck where Maggie whispered, “How bad is it do you think?”

“Bad,” Mrs Heppler whispered back. “I’m no doctor but the only thing I can think of is that she’s developed an infection. Perhaps her body didn’t get rid of everything. If we really push it, we could make it back to the Station early tomorrow evening.”

“She doesn’t look up to travelling,” said Maggie.

“We have no choice, Maggie. We have to keep it together and get out of here because I fear if we stay here she may die.”

Maggie gasped and as she looked at Mrs Heppler she saw the fear in her eyes.

“The journey will be rough, Maggie but the more she sleeps the easier it will be. She’s sleeping naturally now, but once we get started on the track she’ll wake up, so just before we leave, I’ll give her an aspirin for the infection and also a sleeping tablet. They are Mrs McKinnley’s and not too strong. I’ll be able to drive a little quicker if she’s knocked out. I’ll only give her one sleeping tablet and see how she goes. It’s a bloody big gamble and I don’t even know if I’m doing the right thing, but if we stay here and something happened… I’d never forgive myself.”

“Is it safe to take the aspirin with the sleeping tablet?”

“Christ, I bloody well hope so. I have no other option.”

“I agree.” Maggie nodded.

“Right,” said Mrs Heppler, “We’ll use this time to organise ourselves. Emily will need to lie down so let’s clear some space in the back of the truck and put up a makeshift shaded area. The items we move from the back will have to come up front in the cab. I would say that we could take it in turns to drive but it’s so damn easy to get lost out here. You’ll have to keep a close eye on her, check her pulse regularly and let’s hope and pray she makes it to the Station… What do you say?”

“I say that we have no choice. I’ll start with clearing some room for her.”

When Emily awoke, Mrs Heppler gave her a cup of water to take both the aspirin and sleeping tablet then after a while the women assisted her into the back of the truck. Once she was settled Maggie sat beside her under the makeshift shelter out of the sun. Then they were on their way.

Maggie was very relieved when they took a short break after three gruelling hours of driving as fast as the terrain allowed. The bumpy ride had made her feel extremely nauseous, but she tried not to show it in front of Mrs Hepper. Emily’s pulse wasn’t as strong as before and she had started to develop a fever. They dabbed Emily’s brow praying that her temperature wouldn’t climb any higher and Mrs Heppler silently feared that she had indeed made the wrong decision.

She knew that it was dangerous to drive at night for a number of reasons: kangaroos could jump out from anywhere causing an accident and serious damage to the vehicle, and pot holes were harder to spot in the dark. She drove as far as she could and stopped just prior to sunset. This was enough time to get the truck ready for the night, light a fire and get some food on the go.

While Emily was sleeping, Maggie and Mrs Heppler tried to stay awake to keep checking on her, but they both drifted off at some point. Just before sunrise Emily awoke in pain. Mrs Heppler quickly calculated the distance and time that it would take to reach the Station and when Emily last took her tablet and thought it would be safe enough to administer the same dose again.

Maggie stoked the fire and made billy tea and breakfast while Mrs Heppler sat with Emily. She placed a handkerchief dipped in lukewarm water on Emily’s forehead and frequently dabbed her face. Emily was still bleeding although it had eased. She hadn’t felt like eating but her mother persuaded her to have a couple of mouthfuls and to drink some water, hoping that would give her some strength to fight the infection.

As soon as the sun came up they were ready to go. Mrs Heppler prayed that they would come across no other misfortune allowing them to get to the Station in good time. What should have been a thrilling adventure had quickly turned into a medical emergency.

Mrs Heppler drove hard for three long hours before they stopped for a short break while Maggie filled the tank and then they drove for another three hours before stopping again. Maggie was quite concerned as Mrs Heppler seemed to have aged ten years since they had set off that morning and they were both feeling strained and tired. Mrs Heppler reassured Maggie that all she needed was for Emily to be better and to have a good night’s sleep in a real bed, then she would be ‘right as rain’. Amen to that, Maggie thought.

“How’s she doing do you think?” asked Mrs Heppler.

“I believe she is as comfortable as she can be given the circumstances, she still has a fever and I have been dabbing her brow with water but she’s still sleeping.”

“Thanks Maggie. I reckon that given another hour, we will be at the point where we can turn back onto the main track. The road is quite straightforward then and even though it is still a dirt track, it’s plain to see where to drive. Perhaps then you wouldn’t mind taking over the wheel while I sit with Emily? I could do with the break. And besides, we’ll need to recheck the engine water and refill the tank.”

“Of course, no problem at all.” Maggie welcomed the chance to drive for a while as she found the pressure of sitting with Emily very stressful and hoped that she had been monitoring Emily’s condition correctly.

Maggie took to driving the truck very well. She was expecting it to be temperamental, but it turned out to be a sweetie. Driving over pot holes and uneven ground while being jolted from side to side reminded Maggie of the times she used to sit with her father on the tractor as he drove slowly over the deep ruts in the orchard. How she used to shriek with laughter as they swung to and fro like a slow pendulum as she held the steering wheel.

It was a lovely memory, but all she wanted now was to get Emily to safety. After a few hours, her wishes were granted as they bounded ahead towards McKinnley Station homestead. Around 100 yards in front of her was the welcome sight of the Station sign. It stood boldly, twenty feet in the air, supported by a sturdy wooden frame.

“WE’RE HERE!” she shouted joyfully to the women in the back. “Just coming up to the McKinnley sign… but where’s the house?”

“That’s just the boundary sign Maggie,” Mrs Heppler shouted back with a hint of laughter in her voice, which was good to hear. “We’ve around another hour’s drive before the homestead comes into sight.”

“An hour? … Blimey.” Maggie took in the scenery around her. This is home and work and what I wouldn’t give for a long bath and to wash my hair right now, she thought.

One more hour then her journey would be complete and who would have envisioned that her arrival would be under such fraught conditions? She felt like she had been travelling forever after four weeks at sea and then these last few days, and as they were now on the home stretch Maggie sensed with immense relief that help was just around the corner.

She was still in awe at the vast empty land around her and how mesmerising the horizon was as it seemed to pulsate in the late afternoon sun. Yes, she was used to open spaces but nothing like this. The English open spaces were filled with green fields aplenty in richness of soil and fruit. In comparison was the sparse greenery here and mile upon mile of red earth and desert, not forgetting those damn pesky flies. And the ants? Maggie couldn’t believe the size of the ants, they were giants compared to the ones back home and they looked like they had a nasty bite to them as well.

She silently chastised herself: I must simply stop comparing. This is home now.