Down Outback Roads (28 page)

Kree awoke to the suffused glow of a bedside lamp, a killer headache, and the smell of antiseptic. Fractured memories flooded back. The reflection of the kangaroo’s eyes from the side of the road. The bounce of its curved tail as it leaped in front of the ute. The desperation on her brother’s face as he jerked the steering wheel. The taste of fear as the ute hurtled towards the tree.

Seth
.

She struggled to sit. Gentle hands cupped her shoulders. ‘Kree, it’s okay. You’re okay. Seth’s okay.’

She relaxed into the soft bed.

Ewan
.

Her heavy lids closed. Oblivion erased her pain.

When Kree next opened her eyes, daylight flooded the room, conversations hummed from the corridor beyond her door and she smelled fresh coffee. She blinked open her eyes and carefully turned her head. Ewan sat in a chair, reading a
newspaper and sipping from a take-away foam cup. His hair was tousled, stubble softened his jaw and tension dug lines beside his mouth.

It was as though she were seeing him for the first time, at the command post when jet lag had pounded in her head and the terror of losing Seth had parched her mouth. And just like then, something moved deep inside her. A feeling, a recognition that Ewan was no ordinary man and that whatever happened from here on in, her life wouldn’t ever be the same.

Ewan glanced up. His grey eyes were as dark as slate.

‘Kree?’

Newspaper rustled as he set the paper and coffee on the floor beside his chair and he moved to sit on the side of her bed. The tanned skin of his throat rippled as he entwined his fingers with hers and kissed her hand.

‘I’m not sure …’ she said in a frail, croaky voice that sounded nothing like her own, ‘if it was a dream or not, but did you tell me Seth was okay?’

‘Yes, he’s fine. You’re both fine.’ Ewan’s haunted eyes didn’t leave her face. ‘God, Kree, I thought I’d lost you.’

She managed a smile. ‘I’m not going anywhere. We have to talk, remember?’

Ewan took a second to speak. The grooves beside his mouth deepened. ‘We do, but not now.’ His unsteady hand brushed the hair away from her brow. ‘Let’s just focus on making sure you’re all right.’

She nodded, and then groaned as pain sliced deep. ‘I shouldn’t have moved my head, should I?’

‘No. Try and keep your head still.’ A fleeting smile shaped his lips. ‘Just wait until the boys see you. The bruise where your forehead hit the dashboard is pretty impressive. But thankfully, your head CT scan was clear.’

She pulled a face. ‘I’m guessing airbags would have come in handy?’

‘And anti-locking brakes, so the ute wouldn’t have hit the tree quite so hard.’

‘It wasn’t Seth’s fault.’

Ewan’s breath shuddered, his thumb caressing her hand. ‘I know. But he’ll have to get himself another ute, and this time I’m going with him.’

She searched Ewan’s face. ‘Is he really okay?’

‘Yes, he’s down the hallway nursing a few cuts and bruises, but going off the amount of young nurses going in and out of his room, he’s doing fine. It seems they remember him from his last visit.’

Kree laughed, stopped and pressed her fingers to her temple. The drip line attached to the back of her hand lifted from off the bed covers. ‘Please don’t make me laugh, it’s worse than nodding.’

Ewan again kissed the hand he held.

‘How are you doing?’ she asked softly. ‘You’ve been here all night. And you would have heard the crash on the phone.’

Ewan briefly closed his eyes and when he spoke his words were hoarse. ‘I’ve had a coffee, so I feel almost human. And just as well I was on the phone, as I knew exactly what happened and where you were.’

‘Thanks.’ Her eyes misted. ‘You’ve saved Seth again, as well as me.’

‘It was a team effort. I didn’t know Old Harry could move so fast.’

She squeezed his hand as she struggled for words. She knew without Ewan saying it that the accident had ended the tourist centre opening celebrations.

‘Please thank everyone for me,’ she managed, ‘and apologise for ruining what was a great party.’

‘No one would think twice about the party ending early. Everyone’s simply glad you and Seth are okay. Even before people knew you were Mary Ellen’s children, you’d become part of the community.’ The corner of his mouth curved. ‘Besides, you could be home before you know it and can thank everyone yourself.’

‘I can go home … soon?’

Ewan nodded. ‘The doctor said possibly this afternoon. He’ll check on you during his next round and he’s optimistic he can then give you the all clear.’ Ewan paused. ‘The bad news is he’s already said he wants to keep Seth under observation for a little longer.’

Her grip on Ewan’s right hand tightened. His gentle fingers touched her cheek. ‘There’s nothing to worry about, Seth really is okay. He just hit his head in a different place to you. I’ll come back and collect him when he can leave, which should be tomorrow. He’s said he’s more than happy to stay.’

‘Now, why does that not surprise me? After having his food delivered by pretty nurses, I don’t think he’ll ever want to leave.’

Ewan smiled and eased himself off the side of her bed, still keeping hold of her hand. ‘Why don’t you have another sleep? It will be a while before the doctor visits. I’ll head to a mate’s house for a shower and a power-nap, and then that way, if you’re right to come home, we’ll be good to go.’

He bent to kiss her. The tenderness of his mouth brought tears to her eyes.

The day passed in a sleepy blur. The doctor visited and, after a stern word about not flying in the immediate future due to her concussion, he was happy for her to be discharged. She’d then thanked everyone who’d taken such good care of her and now was sitting in a chair in Seth’s room, waiting for Ewan to return. She’d texted him on Seth’s undamaged phone that she had the green light to go home. Her own cracked phone was in the backpack Ewan had made sure accompanied her to hospital. She slipped off Tish’s wedges and tucked her feet beneath the teal skirt of her dress. It seemed a lifetime ago, instead of six weeks, she’d been here visiting Seth in the very same room.

He now sat propped up in the bed before her. While he was pale, and she knew his head must pound as much as hers did, he did indeed appear fine.

He glanced up from his phone screen where he’d been surfing the web. ‘There’s one for sale here in Dubbo.’

Kree allowed her frown to speak volumes. ‘Seth Garrett, you’re not going out to look at a new ute. You’re in hospital, remember?’

His blue eyes twinkled. ‘Ewan said he’d take me to check out any that looked okay.’

Kree risked a small shake of her head. ‘At least wait until you’re out of hospital.’

Seth grinned. ‘You could come, too?’

‘Me, go shopping for boys toys? I don’t think so. I’d rather stay here.’

‘What did I tell you?’ Seth said to Ewan as he entered the room, his tone pained. ‘Still no appreciation for boys toys.’

Ewan returned his grin and handed Seth a pile of glossy car magazines. ‘That’s all right, mate, it means we don’t have to
go shopping with Kree when she buys shoes. Tish texted to say Freckle’s found Kree’s new boots.’

‘Just. Great.’ But her groan ended in a grin. The camaraderie and respect between Ewan and Seth dulled the pain of wearing Tish’s high wedges until she could get her sore feet into a second pair of new boots.

She slipped on the offending wedges and carefully stood. She’d learned on the short walk to Seth’s room that moving too quickly intensified the hammering at her temples. Ewan came to her side, concern erasing the amusement in his eyes. She answered his unspoken question with a smile before making her way over to Seth and dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

‘Behave, little brother. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

Despite the support of Ewan’s arm linked through hers, what had once been a quick stroll from the hospital sliding doors to the car park now seemed endless. She slid into the passenger side of his ute and closed her eyes to quell her dizziness. She felt the brush of her backpack against her bare leg as Ewan placed the bag at her feet, and breathed in the fresh scent of soap as he leaned in close to fasten her seat belt. The driver’s side door shut, before the ute engine sounded and the cool waft of air-conditioning washed across her face.

‘Berridale, here we come,’ she said softly as Ewan clicked his phone into the hands free cradle.

‘About that …’

Kree opened her eyes to look at him. His serious gaze caught hers. ‘Tish has your room ready at Marellen, plus one for Seth. Don and Maureen did end up catching an earlier flight and
arrived in Sydney last night. They caught the red-eye plane to Dubbo this morning where their daughter collected them. They send their best wishes and huge thanks for the great job you’ve done.’

She stopped herself from nodding. ‘That’s wonderful they’re home.’

She closed her eyes again as Ewan navigated his way around the roundabouts leading out from the hospital and the world again spun. She couldn’t dwell on the fact that with the Tylers back, she no longer had an official reason for staying in the district. At least, thanks to her concussion, she was now grounded. The talk she and Ewan had to have mightn’t happen today, or even tomorrow, but there now would still be time. She could only hope the outcome didn’t then break her heart.

‘Tish went over there this morning and collected anything you and Seth had left.’ Ewan’s quiet words broke into her thoughts.

Kree risked opening her eyes again. They were passing over the bridge that spanned the wide and tree-lined Macquarie River, and a straight road stretched before them. ‘Thanks. She’s such a sweetheart.’

‘She also delivered Fudge and Freckle. Don and Maureen can’t believe how much they’ve both grown. And also how well-behaved they are.’

‘I’m not sure they’re any better behaved than when Don and Maureen left, but I’m still going to miss them.’

Ewan chuckled. ‘I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’ll miss them, too.’

Ewan’s phone suddenly blared into life with the strains of ‘Going to the Chapel’. Ewan muttered under his breath and pressed the phone’s green button.

‘Hi, Harry, you’re on loud speaker and Kree can hear everything you say. We’re heading home now.’

‘You’ve taken a while?’ Old Harry’s gruff words filled the car.

Ewan spoke quickly. ‘We had to wait for the doctor to check Kree over.’

‘So, no talking to missy, then?’

Kree turned to look at Ewan. Had he just ground his teeth?

‘No.’

‘I’m not getting any younger you know, and neither are you.’

‘Harry, now’s not the time –’

‘Why not? A promise is a promise, isn’t it, missy?’

Kree laughed and then pressed a hand to her head. ‘Hi, Harry, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, but yes, a promise is a promise.’

‘See, Ewan.’

‘
Bye
, Harry.’ Ewan ended the call.

‘He sounds full of beans. I wonder what’s got him so excited?’

Ewan shrugged. ‘Sometimes it’s better not knowing what makes Old Harry tick.’

‘I thought you didn’t do promises,’ she said, darting a quick glance at his profile.

‘Thanks to Harry, I now do.’ He briefly met her eyes, worry creasing his brow. ‘You’ve gone pale again. Why don’t you sleep? We’ve still got a ways to go.’