Chapter FIFTEEN
JACK paced to the open doors of the station. Banks of sull en, charcoal clouds pressed down over the hills. Wispy fingers of dingy grey trailed threateningly towards the earth. The atmosphere was oppressive and still.
Behind him the tankers were ready to go, crouched on the concrete floor of the shed. But it was unlikely they were going to be needed today with the high humidity.
He spun on his heel and strode back into the station.
‘Any calls?’
‘Nup.’ Danny looked up from the sports section of the newspaper. ‘Not since you asked five minutes ago. What’s the problem?’
‘Liz.’ Jack sighed, feeling his frustration grow as he ran a hand down his face. ‘She’s gone out to visit Aunty Peg and Uncle Ron. She wanted to do it before the baby arrives.’
He stalked over to the large wall map. His eyes traced the winding road around the terrain contours to the McLeods’ from Patrice’s place, picturing in his mind the lowest points. The road was almost a private one through to the McLeods’ and then not much more than a fire track after that. The only other dwelling was Ernie Thomas’s weekend shack about halfway between the two gull ies. If the storm broke while Liz was out there…
Where the hell was she?
And how was she?
The last couple of weeks had been tough for her. She’d been grumpy and trying so hard not to show it. Didn’t she think he could take it? He smiled tightly. Compared to his mother in a savage mood, Liz was a honey.
He knew she was struggling physically, not sleeping properly. He’d been waking regularly to find her wandering the house. He knew she tried hard not to disturb him. And she didn’t. A sort of sixth sense alerted him when she wasn’t in bed. He’d offered to sleep in the spare room again if it’d make it easier for her to rest, but she’d been adamant that she didn’t want him to move. He’d been gratified to know she wanted him close.
Because that’s exactly where he wanted to be.
‘Give her a ring,’ said Danny, interrupting his thoughts.
‘I’ve tried.’ Several times. He’d tried Aunty Peg as well, but the line had been engaged. He turned away from the map. ‘Her mobile’s out of range or turned off.’
He’d got through to her mother, spoken to the charming Patrice. He knew approximately what time Liz had left there. She should be well and truly at Aunty Peg’s by now. Maybe even on her way back.
But what sort of mood had she been in after visiting her mother? Patrice had been typically unhelpful. Though he had learned that Liz had been asking questions. Personal, impertinent ones that had definitely ruffled his usually cool, controlled mother-in-law.
So, how was Liz?
Jack hated the thought of her running around the countryside upset after a confrontation. He cursed himself for not taking more notice of her distraction that morning. She’d seemed uncertain, almost…guilty? Had she been planning then to tackle her mother about those personal questions? If so, he had the feeling that she’d already begun doubting the wisdom of her intentions.
He checked his watch again. Great. Another ten minutes had passed.
His adorable, dedicated, serious wife wasn’t the sort to take stupid chances. But perhaps the scene with her mother meant she hadn’t been thinking clearly. Add that to her advanced pregnancy and lack of sleep—she needed to be cared for, damn it, and he had the growing sense he was failing to do that.
He huffed out an impatient breath and glared at the map again as if that might help him see her location. The impotence of not knowing where she was, how she was, drove him crazy. If there was no problem, he was going to throttle her when he got hold of her for worrying him like this.
Enough. He wasn’t going to hang around wondering what the hell was happening. He’d try Aunty Peg’s number again and then he was going out to hunt for Liz. The phone in his office rang as he reached for it. He snatched it up.
‘Dustin Fire Station.’
‘Jack?’
‘Aunty Peg. Is Liz there?’ Jack was aware of the station radio crackling into life in the room behind him.
‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Jack.’ It was a measure of his great-aunt’s anxiety that she didn’t chip him about his abrupt greeting.
His own sense of dread rocketed higher. ‘She left here a wee while ago and I’ve no’ been able to raise her at home. It’s been teeming down for the last half an hour. I’ve been trying to get our Ian, but he’s away up the hill. You know what those gull ies on our road can be like in the wet. She’s no’
long to go now till the bairn and I’m worried about her. No’ that she was compleenin’, but I thought she seemed a bit poorly. She’s a stubborn wee thing, your darlin’ wife.’
‘She is,’ he said grimly. ‘I’m on my way.’
‘Och, that’d be a load off my mind. I’ll no’ keep you, then. Let us know when you’ve found her.’
‘I will, Aunty Peg. Thanks.’ He cut the connection and punched in the number for the station’s stand-by volunteer.
‘Jack?’ Danny appeared in the doorway, a sheaf of papers in hand, his face creased with concern. ‘Didn’t you say Liz has gone up to the McLeods’ place?’
‘Yes.’
‘A flash flood warning has just come through for that whole area.’ He glanced at the papers again. ‘Supercel activity has caused big dumps in the high country. And the system’s coming this way so we’re in for a hammering.’
‘Right, thanks.’
Danny hovered in the doorway as Jack outlined the situation and his plans to the volunteer.
‘Bill ’s on his way in.’ Jack tried Liz’s mobile number one last time as he spoke. No reply. He crashed the receiver back into the cradle. His wife was going to be the death of him.
‘Yep, no problems. We can hold the fort.’ still talking, Danny followed him out of the station house. ‘Don’t you worry about anything this end. Go and find your missus.’
‘Thanks.’ Jack slid behind the wheel of his vehicle.
‘Stay in touch and let us know if we can do anything.’ Danny shut the door, his fingers gripping the sill of the four-wheel drive’s open window for a moment as his face screwed into a grimace. With a quick hard nod, Danny released the door. ‘Good luck, mate. You just bring her home safe.’
‘I will,’ Jack vowed.
A malignant yellow glow tinged the early afternoon light as Jack drove through town. He was just passing Patrice’s place when rain started lashing the car. It got steadily worse as he travelled closer to the hills.
He’d feel like an idiot if he battled his way up to the McLeods’ and Liz was tucked up at home with a good book. But a deep, primal urge pushed him on to find her. His mate was in peril and he had to forge his way to her side.
Hunching forward, he drove with grim concentration, negotiating the winding road as quickly as he dared. The wipers worked hard to sweep away the water sluicing across the windscreen.
No sign of Liz. He’d been half expecting, half hoping to find her broken down at the side of the road.
At last, Green Gully. Murky brown water swirled sluggishly across the road. A huge gum tree, which had fall en into the gully downstream, slowed the current. He stopped at the edge, staring across the expanse as he reviewed what he knew of the road. As he watched, he was dismayed to see the level rise unmistakably. If he was going to cross, it had to be soon.
He swore softly. Where the hell was Liz? Had she already crossed? At least it appeared she hadn’t tried to get through here while the level was high. The hand he lifted to wipe his face shook slightly, making him realise just how afraid for her he was.
The rain stopped, suddenly giving him clearer view in the rapidly dimming light.
He had to go.
Now.
Slotting the vehicle into four-wheel drive, he took a deep breath and released the handbrake. The vehicle rolled slowly forward and began the painstaking crawl through the water. He could feel the tug on the steering as the pressure of the current pushed against the panels. Using all his self-discipline, he kept the engine revs constant. The temptation to hurry was nearly irresistible.
His heart lurched and his hands tightened on the wheel as the rear slewed slowly sideways. A split second later the front wheels gained traction and he began to climb the slope at the other side.
Once clear of the water, he stopped and exhaled the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. Liz’s sedan wouldn’t have coped with this sort of treatment at all.
Where was she?
He was committed now. There’d be no way back for hours with the way the water level rose behind him. If she wasn’t on this road, he had to accept he’d be isolated for no good reason.
His vehicle was kept well supplied for emergency situations.
But his concern was for Liz. She needed him—he knew it.
The temperature dropped steadily and thunder rumbled, deep and threatening, in the distance. The slick road ahead was littered with leaves and debris picked out by his headlights as he wound steadily onwards.
He rounded a tight corner.
There was her car. Hazard lights flashing, rear wheel in the ditch.
His quick relief was short-lived. No one in the driver’s seat.
Surely, she hadn’t tried to walk for help in her condition. He grabbed the torch and ran across to her vehicle. The beam speared into the dark car.
She was there, kneeling on all fours on the back seat.
Thank God.
His knees were suddenly weak. He yanked open the door, heard her breathing coming in small puffing sounds. She wasn’t aware of him at all.
‘Liz?’ He touched her shoulder.
Her head shot up.
‘Jack? Oh, God. Jack!’ A few ragged sobs escaped before she grabbed control of her breathing again.
She reached out to latch onto his hand. He winced as her fingers gripped the tips of his. Even in the subdued light he could see her delicate knuckles standing out, white and bony.
His heart sank. She was in labour. Thoughts crowded in. How long had she been out here, alone and in pain? Wasn’t it too soon for her to have the baby? What had she said this morning? Three weeks to go? He did a quick calculation. Thirty-seven weeks. Hadn’t Julie said normal delivery could happen any time after that?
But out here, in the middle of nowhere…
He swallowed.
‘How long have you been in labour, darlin’?’ he asked when she sagged back against the seat.
‘I’m not sure. I’ve been feeling rotten all day.’ Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Backache and nausea. But I thought it was other things. I didn’t realise it was the baby. Oh, God, Jack. I’ve been so stupid.’
‘No, you haven’t, sweetheart.’ He kept his voice level, soothing. The last thing Liz needed was to see the panic surging through him. He slipped into the seat and put his arms around her. All the things he’d learned at the prenatal class about the stages of labour completely eluded him, but maybe Liz could tell him if he asked the questions calmly. ‘How long have you been having the contractions? How close are they?’
‘D-definite contractions for about an hour. But I think I’ve been in labour much longer.’ She sniffed, wiping her cheeks with her hands, before she laid her head on his shoulder. ‘They’re about th-three minutes apart, maybe a bit shorter.’
He kissed her forehead. ‘So what stage is that?’
‘Early labour.’
‘Okay. So the baby’s still a little way off making her grand appearance?’
‘Y-yes, I think so. And my waters haven’t broken.’
‘That’s a good sign, isn’t it?’
‘Mmm-hmm.’
‘I don’t think we’ll try to get up to Aunty Peg’s now.’ He pictured the control-room map in his head. Ernie Thomas’s weekender was going to be their best bet.
‘No. I had to turn back from both gull ies. This is the highest point between them so I though it’d be safest here.’
‘Good thinking.’ He was proud of her resourcefulness.
‘Except I skidded and the wheel ended up in the ditch.’ She sounded tired, but then, ‘Oh, my God.’ She pushed away so she could look at him, her eyes fierce with accusation. ‘How did you get here? Jack! You’ve come through Green Gully. You could have been killed.’
‘Hey, I’m too ornery to let a little bit of water defeat me.’ He gave her a quick smile. ‘Come on. Let’s get you over to the four-wheel drive. I know where we can go for shelter.’
He helped her out of the car and then, despite her protest, carried her over to his vehicle. With her settled on the back seat, he grabbed his sleeping bag and shook it out.
‘What do we need from your car?’ He tucked the bag around her. ‘I’ll get your medical bag. Anything else?’
‘Aunty Peg’s present. It’s on the front seat. She’s given us some nappies. We can use them for—for…’ Her voice tailed off, her expression drawn.
‘Sure. They’ll come in handy.’ He cupped her cheek and leaned over to give her a kiss. ‘We can do this, Liz.’
‘Yes.’ The word was little more than a whisper.
‘Just think of the stories you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren.’
She gave him a wan smile. ‘About how their granddaddy gall oped through storms and flooded rivers to deliver their mother?’
‘Yeah, those stories.’ He grinned at her. ‘Work on that image. I fancy being the hero of the hour. I’ll be back in a flash.’
He walked across to her car, taking the opportunity to give himself a pep talk. He had to push his own fear back. Providing encouragement and support for the birth were the only things he could do for his wife. He was going to do them bloody well.
Back at his vehicle, he found Liz in the grip of another contraction. He dumped the gift and the box of produce on the front passenger seat and slid into the back beside her to wait out the pain.
When her breathing steadied and she opened her eyes again, he said, ‘We’ll head to Ernie Thomas’s weekender. The turn-off is just around the corner.’
‘Okay.’
Back in the front seat, he lifted the handpiece of the CB and turned to Liz. ‘I’m going to call Danny and let him know what’s happening.’
The unit gave a static crackle.
‘Danny? I’ve found Liz. Over.’
‘Copy that. How is she?’
He reached over and took her hand, giving it a quick squeeze as he held her eyes with his. Projecting all the confidence he could into his voice, he said, ‘Next time you see us, we’ll be parents.’
Just saying the words had a fresh wave of panic crashing over him. He fought the instinct to look away from Liz. Hell, he couldn’t hide from her at this critical point. He had to do better. She had no choice but to have the baby now and his job was to help her. They were in this together.
Danny’s raw oath ripped through the air, summing up Jack’s feelings exactly. Then came a more moderate, ‘Good luck.’
‘Thanks.’ He swallowed. We’ll need it. But he didn’t let the words escape. ‘It’s too risky for us to try to come back into town. Green Gully’s getting pretty deep. Ernie’s shack is close so that’s where we’re headed now. Can you put Tony Costel o on standby up at the hospital in case we have any problems? Over.’
‘Will do. I’ll let the McLeods know you’ve found Liz, too. Peg’s been on the phone.’
‘Thanks, Danny.’
‘Sarah sends her love. Me, too. Over and out.’
Jack signed off and hung up the handset. ‘Set, gorgeous?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good girl.’ He lifted her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to her chilled fingers. ‘It’s not far.’
A few minutes later he turned into the concealed driveway and wound up a steep drive to brake in front of a ramshackle miner’s hut. A chimney flue poked out of the rusted iron roof, promising the possibility of warmth within.
‘Here we are, sweetheart. Home sweet home for the next few hours. I’ll go and open up.’
‘Won’t it be locked?’
‘Minor obstacle. I know where Ernie keeps a spare key.’
‘Under the mat?’ Liz murmured.
‘How’d you guess?’
She rewarded him with a small chuckle. ‘I know Ernie.’
Jack’s breath steamed in the frosty air as he crossed the short distance to the hut. Dry wood was stacked to the eaves under the verandah, despite his past advice that it was a fire hazard. Thank goodness Ernie was a stubborn old beggar who didn’t listen to well-meant advice from his local firebrigade chief.
The air inside was a little musty, but the single room was tidy and a box of kindling stood beside the pot-belly. And he knew the steel cabinet always held a good supply of securely stored tinned food. He lit the gas lamp and trimmed the wick to provide a comfortable light. Then he found a foam mattress rolled up in a sealed box and laid it out on the bed.
Liz had her eyes closed when he went back to the car. ‘Okay, darling, your palace awaits.’
She looped her arm around his neck as he scooped her off the seat, still bundled up warmly in the sleeping bag. She was so small and fragile.
How on earth was she going to manage the task before her? He clenched his jaw, hugging her close as he carried her inside to put her on the bed.
Stepping back, he curled his hands into fists in an effort to dissipate his fear. ‘Sweetheart, I’m going to get the fire going.’
‘Okay.’
He could hear her breathing her way through another contraction as he brought in some wood and prepared a bed of kindling in the firebox.
Soon the comforting crackle of burning logs filled the cabin.
‘That should do it.’ He dusted off his hands and turned to catch Liz watching him with dark, sombre eyes. He smiled with an assurance he was far from feeling. ‘Okay, what can I get you? A cuppa? Warm compress?’
‘Please. To both. With some sugar if Ernie has it.’
‘Ernie has everything.’ He set a billy full of water on the small portable gas stove. ‘God bless him and his comfortable weekends away from Mrs T. in the bush.’
‘Yes.’ She sounded subdued. ‘Jack, I’ll need a mirror so I can check progress later.’
‘Okay.’ He walked to the door.
‘Wh-where are you going? You’re not going to leave me? Are you?’ The panic-filled words tore his heart.
‘Hey, darlin’, no way.’ He crossed to the bed in two strides and gathered her into his arms. ‘I’m just going to be outside. All you need to do is yell if you need me. I want to get the rest of my kit while it’s not raining and I’ll check Ernie’s bathroom for a mirror. Okay?’
‘O-okay.’ But her arms came around him and she hung on tightly for a long moment. When she pulled back slightly she managed a small smile, her eyes clinging to his through a veil of moisture. ‘I guess there’s no chance now of that epidural I was s-so adamant about n-not having, is there?
Or a Caesarean.’
‘Hey. You’re not going to need them. You can do this.’ He brushed her damp hair back from her face and kissed her forehead. ‘We’ve been to all the classes and we know what to do, don’t we? We’re just going to take all the time we need to get this right.’
‘But wh-what if I can’t do it?’
‘You can. You know you can, Liz.’ He swallowed.
Another contraction hit her. She slid to kneel on the floor as the pain demanded her concentration for long seconds. He moved with her, holding her hands. Her fingernails dug sharply into his palms as she puffed. The discomfort gave him a tiny, welcome respite from his own anxiety.
When her breathing eased, she looked at him again, worry etched sharply into her features. ‘What if you’re right? What if the baby’s too big?
What if she’s breech? What if she gets stuck? What if—?’
‘Stop it, Liz. She won’t get stuck,’ said Jack decisively, as if willing it could make it so. Seeing her like this, so vulnerable, wrenched at him.
She was always so in control, so capable. ‘Remember what you told me. Remember what Julie said? Nature works these things out.’
Her eyes were black holes of fear and he could feel her trembling. He swallowed hard, grabbing for control, desperately searching for something to say that might help her.
‘There’s been no indication there would be a problem on any of your scans, has there?’
He waited until she shook her head. ‘Your body’s ready for this.’
She was relying on him to stay calm, but the truth of the matter was, he was terrified. He couldn’t let it show. The birth was going to happen here and now. The only way he could help was by convincing Liz that they could do it. All of his misgivings about a natural delivery had to be put aside.
He had no choice— they had no choice.
‘I shouldn’t have gone out today,’ she moaned, her voice thick with unshed tears. ‘Oh, God, what if I’ve put our daughter at risk by being so bloody-minded?’
‘You haven’t. Liz, you have to let go, let your body do the job. Trust yourself.’
Her eyes closed. Was she shutting him out?
God, if he couldn’t convince her that she could deliver their daughter, he’d have failed her. If she didn’t relax, she was in for an even more difficult time. What if she really couldn’t do this? What if he lost her, lost them both? He couldn’t let that happen. Wouldn’t let that happen. But he’d never felt so powerless in his life.
‘I trust you, darlin’.’ His voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion. ‘You can do this.’