Remote Rescue Read online

‘The ice is here,’ said Dawson into the speaker. ‘I’m going to put the phone down.’

  ‘You do that,’ answered Wendy. ‘I will be waiting.’

  Dawson placed the phone on the ground, noting how often Wendy used the same careful phrases. She must give out advice like this a lot, he thought. She really knows what she’s talking about. ‘Thanks,’ he said, reaching to get the ice, which Burt had wrapped in an old stained tea towel. ‘I don’t suppose you’d have a couple of cushions, too, for Dad?’

  ‘Can do,’ said Burt, turning around and heading off again.

  Dawson held the ice to Dad’s knee. Dad took a sudden, sharp breath.

  ‘Sorry,’ said Dawson.

  ‘It’s okay,’ gasped Dad.

  Dawson went for the phone, but Burt had already returned with two cushions – a big firm one and a smaller flat one.

  Dawson placed the flatter cushion under Dad’s head. He raised Dad’s injured leg as carefully and gently as he could, but it still made him cry out. Quickly, he slipped the other cushion under it. Dad let out a long breath as his leg was lowered.

  Dawson then held the ice pack against Dad’s knee and used his free hand to pick up the phone. ‘I’ve got a pillow under his head and another under his leg. And I’m holding the ice pack on his knee,’ he said to Wendy.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Wendy. ‘Now, I will explain to you what will happen.’

  ‘Sure,’ Dawson answered.

  ‘There is an ambulance about to leave from Marree, about fifty-five kilometres away. It should get to you within the hour. There will be a nurse who can treat your father on the scene. And the ambulance driver can help get your father out of the cellar.

  ‘Once he is in the ambulance, he will be driven to the Leigh Creek Aerodrome. That is about seventy kilometres to the south of you. The trip should take about an hour. One of you can travel in the ambulance with your father. But I understand that there are two other children.’

  ‘Yes,’ replied Dawson, biting at his lip. ‘My sisters.’

  ‘The people who own the satellite phone,’ continued Wendy, ‘would they be able to drive your sisters to the aerodrome?’

  ‘Hang on, I’ll ask.’ Dawson looked up at Burt pleadingly. ‘Can you take us to Leigh Creek with the ambulance?’

  ‘Of course,’ called Burt.

  ‘Okay,’ said Dawson into the phone. ‘They can do that.’

  ‘Excellent. There will be a Flying Doctors aeroplane waiting there to take your dad to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.’

  ‘What about us?’ asked Dawson, anxiety creeping into his voice.

  ‘There will be room on the plane for one other person. And we will assist with working something out for the other children. Do not worry. We will take care of all of you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Dawson, feeling reassured.

  ‘Now,’ said Wendy, ‘can I please speak to the owner of the telephone again?’

  Dawson passed the phone up to Burt, who moved off as he talked to Wendy, and came back to sit with Dad.

  Dawson drew in a long breath, held it, then exhaled slowly. His hands were still shaking.

  ‘You did well, son,’ rasped Dad. ‘Real well.’

  Dawson noticed how tired and strained Dad’s voice sounded, and hoped that the ambulance would get there quickly.

  ‘Mum,’ called Dad suddenly, his eyes snapping open. ‘Good grief … we’ve got to … let her know.’

  Dawson gasped. How could I have forgotten about Mum?

  ‘Phone … left-hand pocket,’ said Dad. ‘Get it.’

  ‘There’s no reception here, remember?’ Dawson reminded him. ‘We lost it long before we got to Farina.’

  ‘Yes, but check it anyway.’

  Dawson fished the phone out of Dad’s pocket and held it up. There was a diagonal crack from one corner of the screen to the other.

  ‘Blast!’ Dad spat the word out in a mixture of anger and frustration. ‘Upgraded it too … just before we left Adelaide.’

  Dawson stared at the phone in his hand. There’s nothing to lose, so I may as well give it a go, he thought. He tried switching it on. Not a flicker of life. He sighed and popped it into his pocket, disappointed.

  ‘What about thingummy’s … satellite phone?’ asked Dad, the strain in his voice getting worse. ‘Sorry … can’t remember … name.’

  ‘Burt,’ said Dawson. ‘Yeah, I’ll go get it. You rest.’ He struggled up through the doorway and glanced back down at Dad. His eyes were closed. He looked weak and vulnerable. It was upsetting for Dawson to see his dad like this.

  Dawson headed outside.

  Burt and Gwen were telling Sam and Em all about their Land Rover, and the pop-out caravan that was attached to the back of it. They turned towards Dawson as he quickly approached. Sam didn’t look impressed, but Em stared at it in awe, as if it were a spaceship or something.

  ‘Excuse me,’ he said to Burt. ‘Could I please use your phone again? I really need to call my mum and let her know what’s happening.’

  ‘Mummy!’ cried Em.

  ‘Sure thing.’ Burt handed over the phone.

  ‘Yes, Em,’ said Dawson, ‘we’re going to ring Mummy.’ He looked back at Burt. ‘Thanks. I think talking to Mum will help Em. This is all kinda hard on her.’

  Burt nodded his understanding.

  Sam and Em clustered around him as Dawson entered the number. Then he crouched down and held the phone a little away from his ear so that his sisters could listen in.

  Ring, ring.

  They looked at each other in suspense … waiting … hoping. Then –

  ‘Hello. You have reached Stacey Liston-Miller. I can’t take your call right now, but if you leave a message I’ll get back to you when I can.’

  Beep!

  The three siblings all started talking at once until Dawson stood up and backed away, holding out his hand. As Sam and Em quietened down, he spoke into the phone.

  ‘Hi Mum, Dawson here. We’re in Farina and we’ve had a bit of an accident. Dad’s got a broken leg. But he’s okay. There’s an ambulance on the way that will take us to the airport, and then the flying doctors are going to get Dad to hospital in Adelaide –’

  Beep!

  ‘Voicemail ran out,’ said Dawson, entering the number again. His fingers fumbled over the buttons, misdialling. With a grimace and a frustrated sigh, he tried again. After Mum’s message, he continued.

  ‘Dawson again. The plane taking Dad to Adelaide only has room for one passenger. There’s a nice couple helping us out right now, but we need to get all of us back home. Can you give us a ring on this number? The people who own the phone are named Burt and Gwen. And don’t worry, everything will be –’

  Beep!

  Dawson stared at the phone for a few moments before handing it back to Burt. ‘Can we try again later?’

  ‘Sure thing,’ answered Burt, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

  ‘I’m going back to Dad,’ announced Dawson abruptly.

  ‘Me too,’ declared Em.

  ‘Ah, Em,’ said Sam, taking her hand, ‘it might be better to let Dad rest. Daws can look after him. Why don’t you stay here with me.’

  ‘Camping gear.’ Dad’s eyes snapped open again. ‘Didn’t finish packing it up.’

  ‘Don’t think about that now,’ said Dawson. ‘I’ve rung Mum, but I keep getting her voicemail. I’ve left a couple of messages, so hopefully she’ll ring back on Burt and Gwen’s phone soon.’

  ‘Okay. But … can’t just leave stuff out in the open,’ insisted Dad. ‘Left car unlocked. Got to … pack away … lock car.’ Dad’s voice was becoming more panicky.

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.’ Dawson nodded and stood up. ‘Keys?’

  ‘Right … pocket.’

  Dad groaned as Dawson fished the keys from his pocket. He closed his eyes as Dawson headed out of the cellar.

  Outside, Burt and Gwen were talking in low voices by their Land Rover, while Sam and Em were playing noughts and crosses in the sand. They all turned around as Dawson appeared.

  Dawson looked to his older sister. ‘Sam, do you and Em want to keep Dad company while I go and pack up our stuff?’

  Sam nodded. Em jumped up.

  ‘Do you need a hand?’ asked Burt.

  Dawson shook his head.

  ‘You sure?’ he asked again.

  ‘Yes,’ snapped Dawson, immediately regretting it. ‘I’m sorry,’ he added, lowering his voice. ‘I … I didn’t mean … I just need a bit of time on my own.’

  ‘Then we’ll stay out here and wait for the ambulance,’ said Gwen, putting a hand on her husband’s shoulder.

  ‘Thanks.’ Dawson turned away, a little embarrassed, and went off at a brisk walk.

  Somehow, Farina seemed a lot more desolate and lonely now as Dawson made his way along the main street. Knowing that Dad was lying injured in one of the buildings, waiting for help to arrive, made everything feel wrong. Dad was the one who should be looking after things, getting him and his sisters out of trouble, fixing everything. Not the other way round.

  Entering the campground, Dawson saw that their things were mostly packed up. The tent was in its bag, the chairs and table were folded up and the camping stove was already in the car. He opened up the hatchback and started putting everything inside. The only trouble he had was with the tent, which was quite heavy. He had to drag it over to the car, stand it on its end and lean it up against the opening. Then he lifted it from the bottom and heaved it into the boot.

  Dawson took one last look around to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. Rummaging in the back seat, he pulled out his wallet. Can’t leave this behind, he thought before stuffing it into his pocket.

  Turning to leave, he saw Burt striding up the
path.

  ‘I’ve been thinking,’ said Burt, ‘it’s not a good idea to leave the car behind. Gwen can drive our Land Rover behind the ambulance, and I can take your car. That way everything will be at Leigh Creek.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Dawson then hesitated. He felt like he should say more but he was having trouble forming words. He swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘And thanks for everything else, too. You know, stopping and calling the RFDS and …’ His voice trailed away.

  ‘No worries,’ said Burt. ‘It’s what people in the outback do. They help each other when help is needed.’ He put his hands in his pockets and looked off into the distance. ‘Australia’s a great country. But it’s also dangerous. And when you’re out in the middle of nowhere like this, you stick together.’

  Dawson nodded and handed the car keys to Burt.

  ‘Look,’ said Burt, ‘Gwen and I have done a lot of travelling. Overseas when we were younger but now mostly around Australia. We’ve seen people in trouble and helped when we could. We’ve got into a few scrapes ourselves.’ He smiled at his memories. ‘But things have always turned out okay. It’s important to keep a cool head. And do what needs to be done.’ He gave Dawson a reassuring look. ‘And you’ve handled things extremely well.’ Burt finished by putting his hands on his hips.

  It was a gesture that reminded Dawson of Dad. He imagined that Mum and Dad would end up just like Gwen and Burt – spending their retirement travelling around. He found the thought comforting.

  Dawson and Burt walked back to town in silence.

  As they strode along the main street, Dawson spotted a cloud of dust in the distance.

  His heart skipped a beat.

  The ambulance pulled up outside the building, the red on white a beacon of hope for Dawson. He thought it looked more rugged than an ordinary ambulance – a white Land Cruiser with just one line of stripes along its centre. It had lights and a siren, but they weren’t on.

  A woman dressed in blue shorts and shirt jumped out of the driver’s seat and went straight to the back of the ambulance, opening the double doors. Dawson thought the large spare tyre hanging off the vehicle’s left door looked out of place. But he realised it was a necessity out here on unsealed roads in the middle of nowhere.

  A man carrying a black bag came out of the passenger side and approached Dawson and Burt. His hair was cut so short, it almost wasn’t there. He wore pale blue shorts, a shirt with orange dust stains and a pair of chunky, battered brown boots. A shark-tooth necklace hung around his neck. An image of a toothless shark in the desert flashed briefly into Dawson’s mind.

  ‘I’m the nurse,’ said the man. ‘Can ya take me to the patient, please?’

  ‘You’re the nurse?’ Putting his hands on his hips, Burt looked at the guy with some scepticism.

  ‘Too right, I am,’ he said. ‘The name’s Bruce. Now can I see the patient?’

  ‘My dad’s this way,’ said Dawson, heading for the Transcontinental Hotel.

  He led him into the building, leaving Burt and Gwen behind, and indicated the doorway. Bruce jumped carefully into the cellar. Dawson remained up top, looking down. Without a word, Sam took Em’s hand and stood back out of the way. Bruce nodded to them, then knelt down beside Dad and did a quick examination as he introduced himself.

  Bruce took Dad’s blood pressure the old-fashioned way – pumping up the armband and listening to his pulse through a stethoscope as he checked the gauge. He waved a little light in front of Dad’s eyes, then asked lots of questions about vision, nausea and how his head felt.

  ‘Are ya allergic to any medications?’ asked Bruce as he put his equipment away into his bag.

  ‘Nope,’ answered Dad, his voice weak, and his face pale and sweaty.

  ‘Well then, I’m gonna give ya a little something for the pain.’ Bruce produced a syringe from his bag and swabbed a spot on Dad’s leg. ‘Just a bit of morphine,’ said Bruce, jabbing the needle into his leg. Once the injection was done he added, ‘Don’t ya worry about a thing, mate. We’ll have ya outta here in a jiffy.’

  Then he was on his feet, scrutinising the surroundings. He took a quick look at the blocked stairs and the second doorway, then kicked some of the debris away from the floor near the main door. Glancing up, he saw there was no ceiling or roof, the blue sky clearly visible.

  ‘Picked yaself a nice spot,’ he quipped, before springing up into the doorway and heading out. With his shark tooth and heavy Aussie accent, Dawson thought Bruce looked like that guy from those old Crocodile Dundee films. A few minutes later he was back with the driver and a complicated-looking stretcher – one with straps and wheels and things. But it was all folded up.

  Bruce jumped into the cellar again. The driver pushed the stretcher along the ground so that one end hung out over the cellar, then she edged past it and jumped down as well.

  She grabbed the overlapping end and pulled the stretcher into the room, Bruce gripping the other side before it could fall. They carried it over to Dad and laid it down beside him. Dawson marvelled at the fact that they did all this in a matter of seconds.

  ‘This here is Jen,’ said Bruce with a grin. ‘Fastest ambo driver this side of the big rock.’

  Dad actually yelled out when Bruce and Jen shifted him onto the stretcher.

  ‘Sorry, mate,’ said Bruce.

  Em clutched onto Sam, scared by Dad’s obvious pain, and whimpered. Sam put her arms around her younger sister and stroked her hair.

  ‘Don’t worry, luv.’ Bruce winked at her. ‘He’ll be right.’

  Em nodded uncertainly and clung tighter to Sam.

  Bruce and Jen lifted the stretcher to the doorway. Then Bruce hoisted himself up through the opposite doorway and jogged around to the stretcher, pulling it through. Jen followed.

  With the experts now taking care of Dad, Dawson suddenly felt a bit useless.

  Sam passed Em out of the cellar to Dawson, then jumped up. The three of them followed the stretcher out to the ambulance and watched as Bruce and Jen loaded the stretcher into the back, Bruce hopping in after it. Dawson wondered how many times the pair had done this before. Countless times, probably.

  ‘Who’s coming with us?’ asked Jen, heading for the driver’s seat.

  ‘I will!’ said Dawson and Sam at the same time.

  ‘Sorry, only got room for one,’ said Jen.

  ‘You’ll be better at keeping Em calm,’ Dawson said to Sam. ‘So I should go with Dad.’

  Sam nodded.

  Dawson could see the disappointment and frustration on his sister’s face. It was obvious that she really wanted to go with Dad. But this arrangement made more sense.

  He was trying to think of what else he could say to her, when he heard a vehicle. Turning, he saw their car making its way up the main road from the camping site. Burt stuck his head out of the window. ‘I’ll follow the ambulance in your car,’ he said. ‘And Gwen will follow in ours. Now, what about you kids? Which car are you going in?’

  ‘Do you want to come with me?’ Gwen asked Em.

  Em shook her head and clung on to her older sister. It was all getting a bit too much for her.

  ‘I think we’ll both go in our car,’ answered Sam.

  Dawson saw the change of expression on Sam’s face. She knew that she needed to stay with Em.

  ‘Sure thing,’ said Gwen.

  Everyone got into their vehicles, and the convoy moved out.

  It was a long drive. The car sped along the seemingly endless road, the stream of dust in the ambulance’s wake making it difficult to see anything. Burt eventually slowed a little, allowing the ambulance and its dust cloud to pull ahead.

  Sam looked at Em, huddled down into her seat, knees up, arms wrapped around them. She looked miserable. I’ve got to do something, thought Sam.

  She undid her seatbelt and got up on her knees, leaning over the back seat into the boot of the hatchback.

  ‘Oi!’ called Burt, glancing in the rear vision mirror. ‘Seatbelt.’

  ‘Hang on,’ mumbled Sam, digging through her dad’s bag, pulling out smelly socks, extra jeans and endless t-shirts. Was this bag bigger on the inside? she wondered.

  Finally, she found what she was after. She sat back in her seat holding an iPad.

  Dad had brought it along and filled it with guide books and maps before the trip. According to him, the iPad wasn’t supposed to be used for game-playing while on this ‘old-fashioned’ holiday, saying things like, ‘We never had devices like that when I was young,’ and ‘If I could go on holiday as a kid with just some books and the view out of the car window, so can you’.