Emergency Echo
Authors: George Ivanoff
A high-octane adventure series for children written in partnership with the Royal Flying Doctor Service
It's a race against time and the destructive forces of nature!
Twelve-year-old Alice lives in the outback mining town of Mount Magnet. One morning, she is struck down with acute appendicitis. To make things worse, the nearest hospital is hundreds of kilometres away and Alice's appendix could rupture at any moment. An urgent call is made to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and a plane is despatched. But as a massive storm approaches, the pressure is on for the RFDS to get to Alice and transport her to the hospital before it hits.
For the women and men of the RFDS, past, present and future.
My thanks to good friend Wendy Purcell for appendectomy information (her info, but my mistakes should there be any); and my wife, Kerri, for brainstorming and beta reading.
â G.I.
Alice hit the ball but then doubled over in pain. She dropped the cricket bat and groaned as she clutched her stomach.
Ben ran over to her. âWhat's wrong?' he asked.
âTummy ache,' answered Alice. âI'm okay.'
She took several deep breaths and sat down on the yellowed grass. Ben gazed at
her, concern in his eyes. As the pain eased, Alice looked up at her best friend. She didn't like showing weakness around him. It worried her that, if she did, he might not want to hang around with her. So she was determined to be every bit as tough as he was. She was twelve years old, after all.
âI'm okay,' she repeated, as if saying it again would make it true. âMust've been something I ate.'
Ben finally grinned. âYou been eating roo again?'
Now Alice smiled. She didn't like the taste of kangaroo â it was too strong. And it just seemed wrong to eat one of the animals from the Australian coat of arms. The only time she'd ever had it was over at Ben's place when his mum had served it up and she ate it to be polite.
âYeah,' she said, mockingly. âThink I might try emu next.'
âI could ask Mum?' offered Ben with a shrug.
âDon't you dare,' said Alice in horror.
Ben grinned again. His shadow blocked out the harsh sun and made him glow around the edges.
She stared up into his dark eyes. What colour were they? They were dark. Darker than his brown skin.
âWhy are you looking at me like that?' asked Ben.
âNo reason.' Alice shook her head and eased herself up onto her feet. She felt a twinge of pain, but was careful not to show any sign of it to Ben.
âYeah, whatever,' said Ben, going off to fetch the ball.
Alice picked up the bat. She was pretty good at cricket, but she was no match for Ben. He lived and breathed the sport.
Shielding her eyes, she looked at the sun, low in the sky. They'd come out early to beat the worst of the heat. Australian summers were hot, but they seemed harsher in a small outback town. Alice was slathered in sunscreen, but she knew that her fair, freckled skin would get a beating if she stayed out too long.
She positioned herself in front of the rusted set of metal stumps she'd found in the hard rubbish collection a couple of years ago. She smiled at the flaking pink paint and remembered the lecture Ben had given her. He had complained she had used the wrong kind, and that she had painted over the rust
instead of sanding it off and treating it first. He had warned her that it wouldn't last. He was right, of course.
Alice watched as Ben positioned himself in front of the pitch and gave her his best âI'm gonna bowl those stumps over' look.
She flicked her brown hair from her eyes and waited. She wondered if the haircut had been a mistake. This new style was too short to tie back and it kept getting in the way.
Ben tossed the ball from hand to hand, rubbed it on his black shorts, then began the run up. He bowled a spinner, the ball changing direction slightly after bouncing on the pitch.
Alice swung and missed.
CLANG!
She closed her eyes and groaned. The ball had knocked over the stumps.
Another twinge of pain stabbed at her and she dropped the bat.
Opening her eyes, she saw Ben punch the air as he shouted âYES!'
Alice wanted to scream. Instead, she righted the stumps before retrieving the ball. Lining up at the far end of the pitch opposite Ben, she felt another spasm in her tummy but ignored it.
Alice thought she might try a spinner. She concentrated as she ran up.
But pain sliced into her stomach and she released the ball early. The ball went wide and she doubled over again, clutching her arms around her middle.
Ben was at her side in seconds. âYou okay?'
âFine,' Alice snapped.
Ben stood by awkwardly as Alice straightened up and glared at him. The pain was beginning to worry her â but that was no reason to take it out on Ben. Her expression softened. âSorry,' she mumbled.
âNo more cricket today,' said Ben. âYou should rest.'
Alice nodded casually. But she was quietly relieved that they were stopping, as the pains seemed to be getting worse.
âCan we watch telly at your place?' Ben asked.
âYeah,' Alice answered.
Then Ben came up close beside her, shuffling awkwardly.
âWhat?' she asked.
âDo you need help?' he asked, not looking directly at her. âWant to lean on me or something?'
âNah.' Alice smiled at Ben. âIt's just a bit of a tummy ache. It's better already.'
The pain had eased from a sharp stab in the right side to a dull, all-over ache. She would never admit it to Ben, but it troubled her. She'd never had this kind of stomach pain before.
As Ben got the ball, stumps and bat, Alice looked up at the sky and frowned. The sun was fierce and the day was bright. But she could feel something in the hot air. Something ominous. It was like a crackle of static electricity, signalling that things were about to change ⦠and not for the better.
It was only a short walk down a few streets to get to Alice's house. Ben chatted most of the way, which helped to lift Alice's mood. The pain was almost gone by the time they got there and she was beginning to think everything would be okay after all.
Alice fished the key out of her pink shorts and let them in. It was only morning, but the
house was already hot. It had been a still night, so even though Mum had left all the doors and windows open, the house did not get the chance to cool down. Not for the first time, Alice wished that they had air-conditioning.
Ben plonked down on the sofa, grabbed the remote and flicked on the television while Alice headed for the refrigerator in the kitchen.
She peered into the dim interior. In amongst the half-filled takeaway containers were a whole lot of soft drink cans. She pulled out two and sighed. Diet creaming soda! She was sick of creaming soda. But Mum's milk bar was overstocked with the stuff, so that's what she brought home.
She tossed a can to Ben as she came into the lounge room.
âHey, don't do that,' complained Ben. âIt'll explode in my face when I open it.'
Alice laughed as she sat down next to her friend, sinking into the soft cushion. She held her can out towards him as she opened it. A light spray of fizz hit Ben in the face.
âRight! That's it.' He howled, shaking up his can. âYou asked for it.'
âNo!' giggled Alice, trying to get off the couch. But halfway up she dropped the can and clutched her stomach, groaning in pain as she sunk back down. The creaming soda glugged out onto the threadbare carpet.
âAlice?' Ben dropped his unopened can. âAlice?'
âI think I'm gonna be sick,' she moaned, placing a hand over her mouth.
âTry to hold on,' said Ben, jumping to his feet. âI'll get you a bucket.' He returned to the lounge room just in time, holding a faded blue pail out to Alice as she vomited.
This morning's breakfast cereal and orange juice splashed out. She gripped the rim as if her life depended on it. Finally, when she was sure there was no more, Alice put it down into the soda puddle, groaned and flopped back into the couch.
âSorry,' she muttered.
Is there anything more embarrassing than puking right in front of your best friend?
she wondered.
Wincing at the smell, Ben moved the bucket out of the way and picked up Alice's can. âPuke and creaming soda,' he mused. âNot a good combo.'
Alice wanted to laugh but didn't have the energy.
âI'll get you some water,' Ben said, racing out again. He was back seconds later with a glass of lukewarm tap water.
Alice took a little sip, swirled it around her mouth and spat into the bucket. Then she took a second sip and swallowed. âThanks,' she said, handing him the glass and lying back. She closed her eyes. Her face was pale and her skin was clammy.
Ben placed the glass on the table before reaching out and touching his hand to Alice's forehead. âYou feel warm.'
Alice opened her eyes and smiled wanly. âYeah, well, it's hot in here.'
Ben touched a hand to his own forehead. âYou're warmer than me. I think you might have a temperature.'
âMaybe,' conceded Alice.
âI'll ring your mum,' said Ben, heading for the kitchen.
âNo,' Alice called after him. âShe's busy.'
Mum has enough on her plate
, thought Alice. She worked so hard keeping the milk bar operating. And she had to look after Lewis while she did it. Childcare was too expensive. It was really tough for Mum now that Dad wasn't around. No, the last thing Mum needed was a phone call about a sick daughter.
Ben stopped in the doorway and looked back. âWhat about your grandad, then?'
âNo, not him either,' said Alice. âHe's old and, well, what's he going to do?'
Grandad was nice enough, but she saw him as being a bit useless. He never seemed
to do much these days, other than watch television in the little granny flat out the back of their house. He'd been like this since Dad died. No, she didn't want to disturb him.
Alice swung her legs over the edge of the couch and sat up. âAnyway, I'm feeling better.' She wasn't, really, but she needed to reassure Ben.
âYou don't
look
better,' said Ben. âYou're kinda pale and you seem shaky.'
âI'm fine,' insisted Alice. âLike I said, it was probably something I ate.'
âHang on.' Ben headed for the bathroom, returning with a packet of paracetamol. âTake a couple of these.'
âThey're for headaches,' said Alice. âI don't have a headache.'
âThey're not just for that,' asserted Ben. âThey'll help with the temperature. If you're not going to call your mum or grandad, then I reckon you should take 'em.'
âOkay, okay,' said Alice, holding out her hand.
Ben popped two tablets out of the foil and gave them to her with a glass of water. Then, wrinkling his nose up at the smell, he took the bucket out of the room. Alice took a gulp of water with the first tablet and swallowed. She gagged a little, but the tablet went down. The second one made her cough and splutter. She hated tablets.
âHappy?' She glared at Ben as he came back with a tea towel and the bucket, which he'd rinsed out.
âYes,' he answered, cleaning up the spilled soda.
Alice leaned back into the coach, feeling exhausted.
Finished, Ben tossed the towel up onto the coffee table and looked over at Alice. âYou know, you're looking real tired,' he said. âI reckon you should have a rest. Lie down and take a nap.'
âNap?' Alice looked horrified. âI don't do that. I'm twelve. My brother naps. He's two.'
âFine,' said Ben. âSleep then. Snooze. Doze. Whatever.' He grinned. âTake forty winks.'
Alice couldn't help but smile back. Ben could always make her smile, no matter what. She nodded, propping her feet up and lying down across the length of the couch.
Ben grabbed the television remote off the coffee table and sat in the armchair. âI'll just stick around and make sure you're okay.' He turned up the sound.
Alice closed her eyes. Her tummy still ached, but it wasn't too bad. And she had a slight pukey taste in her mouth, which was making her feel a little nauseous. She tried to swallow away the taste and think of something else.
Ben. She and Ben had been friends for years. He was tall for his thirteen years, and stick-figure thin, with an explosion of wavy black hair.
He was always trying to help â even when help wasn't needed or wanted. But at times like this, she was happy to have him around. He and his family lived two doors
down â his mum, three younger sisters and an older brother. His dad had done a runner after baby number five was born. Ben had been seven at the time. They lived mostly on welfare and whatever his older brother could get for doing odd jobs. There wasn't much work in Mount Magnet, a small mining town in the middle of Western Australia's outback nowhere.
Ben's life was tough. But you wouldn't know it from the way he behaved. Always laughing and carrying on. Forever playing cricket.
âI'm gonna play proper cricket some day,' he was always saying, âjust like Bill Ponsford.'
Ponsford was some famous dead cricketer. At least, that's what Ben reckoned. Alice had never heard of him before, even though
Ben insisted that he used to play here in town.
Thoughts of Ben and his cricketing swam through Alice's head as she dozed off.
Alice woke to see Ben's smiling face looking down at her. âLooks like you had that nap. It'll be lunchtime soon. You hungry yet?'
Alice felt her stomach churn and dived for the bucket. Not much came out this time. She groaned.
âThat's it,' said Ben, concern in his voice and on his face. âI'm calling your mum.'
As he ran from the room, Alice didn't have the energy to protest. She was not feeling good. The nausea was still there and
the pain in her stomach had got worse. She hated to admit it, but it looked like she really was sick.