by Emma Nichols
‘Those sweets sure ‘ve saved me,’ he said, with a wink.
She had placed one on his pillow every day. ‘Just sharing the love,’ she said, her cheeks flushing.
‘Well maybe ya need t’ go ‘n’ get the love,’ he said, nudging her in the ribs.
She held his gaze. ‘And you?’ she asked.
‘I’ll talk t’ Kate when we get back,’ he said, his eyes sparkling.
‘Good. Now let’s go and empty that surge tank, rig down, and get the fuck out of here,’ she said.
‘Yeah boss,’ he teased.
*
‘What are you making?’ Niomi asked, looking at the charred pencil shaped pastries on the flat tin.
‘Choux buns,’ Iman responded her hands resting on her hips, biting her lip as she assessed the catastrophe she had just removed from the oven. ‘And then I’m going to make crème pâtissière to go inside them,’ she added, squinting at the tray.
‘Hmmm.’
Both women stared, from the picture on the recipe sheet back to the tray.
‘Are they supposed to look like that?’ Niomi asked, pointing to the image.
‘Yes,’ Iman said, poking a fork into one of the lifeless forms. The mixture stuck to the prongs, and she couldn’t pull it free without lifting the cake from the tray on which it was stuck.
‘Hmmm.’ Niomi said again, staring blankly. ‘I think something’s gone wrong,’ she added, stifling a laugh.
‘Yes,’ Iman said, holding her head in both hands, pondering the steps she had taken. ‘I need to start again,’ she said, lifting the tray and throwing the buns into the bin.
‘Is it some kind of special cake?’ Niomi asked.
‘Yes. I need to know how to make choux buns before I go on the training course.’
‘Oh!’ Niomi pondered. ‘I thought it was a course to train you how to make them,’ she said.
Iman looked up and frowned at her. ‘I need to have some basic knowledge,’ she said. ‘And I’ve never made them before.’ She wandered around the kitchen, collecting more flour, butter, and eggs.
‘Wouldn’t be for someone special, would it?’ Niomi asked, with a twinkle in her eye.
Iman flushed. ‘I thought it would be nice for them, after their time away,’ she said, with a coy smile.
‘Them eh?’
Iman placed the water, butter and sugar into a pan on the stove and waited. ‘I’m sure Zack wouldn’t say no,’ she said, with a mischievous grin.
‘Can I make them with you?’ Niomi asked, excitedly.
‘Of course! When that mixture boils put this flour in,’ she said, handing over the weighed ingredient. ‘And then stir like crazy with the wooden spoon. It has to be the wooden one. Got that.’
‘Yes,’ Niomi responded, skipping over to the hot pan. She watched it closely. ‘I’m so excited,’ she said.
‘Me too,’ Iman responded, reaching for a vanilla pod and stripping it. She couldn’t deny the fact that the thought of seeing Ash again caused her insides to tingle and dance in a funny way. The heady feeling hadn’t abated either. Thankfully the sadness had shifted a fraction, with her determination to focus on her career. Maybe she and Ash could be good friends.
*
‘Okay, water should be settled by now,’ Ash said. ‘Let’s pump the oil to the flare.’ She stepped to the side, and Zack stepped in. She slapped him on the back. ‘Thanks, Zack.’ He didn’t respond. ‘You okay?’ she asked. His eyes were glazed and his cheeks bright red. She waved a hand in front of his face. ‘Zack,’ she called.
He looked up, squinted, and then fell to the floor.
‘Get me some water and towels,’ she yelled through the walkie-talkie. ‘I need the medic, now. Zack’s collapsed at the surge tank, looks like heat.’
‘Medic’s on his way,’ the voice came back from the lab cabin.
She pulled him into the only shade there was and undid his coveralls. She didn’t need to feel his forehead to know he was burning up. His skin was red and dry. ‘Looks like you’ve got heatstroke,’ she said.
Zack’s eyes opened then closed again. ‘My head’s fucking killing me,’ he mumbled. He was starting to shake.
‘It’s okay, hang on in there,’ she said.
Tarek arrived with wet towels and started placing them around Zack’s neck, across his forehead, and under his arms. ‘You’ll do anything to get out of this place early?’ he teased. Zack groaned; his hands clamped to his head.
‘Right, let’s get him onto this,’ Elias said, dumping the stretcher to the ground. He took one look at his patient. ‘We need to get him to the hospital,’ he said. ‘Keep the towels wet.’ He stuck a thermometer under his tongue. ‘Thirty-nine point eight,’ he said, shaking his head.
‘I’ll get the car,’ Ash said, rushing towards the lab cabin. Tarek and Elias followed her, carrying Zack on the stretcher.
Craig met Ashley at the door, keys in hand. ‘Is he okay?’ he asked, his eyes wide with concern.
‘I hope so! We need to get him to hospital ASAP though. I’ll take him,’ she added.
‘Sure,’ Craig nodded. ‘Aww, hell,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘You get goin’ ‘n’ I’ll fill out the accident report.’
‘He just went down like a brick,’ Ashley said. ‘Looked a bit vacant then bam. He’s complaining about headaches and is a bit shaky. Temperature 39.8,’ she said, relaying the details for the report. ‘We’ve got wet towels on him, and I’ll try and get more water down him in the car.’
‘Got it. I’ll call the hospital ‘n’ let ‘em know yer on the way,’ Craig affirmed.
Ashley raced towards the row of parked cars, flicked the lock, opened the back and lowered the seats. It would be a bit cramped, but he could lie out across the back, with his feet stretching into the boot space.
‘We need you to stand to get into the car.’ Elias spoke calmly, supporting Zack under one arm, Tarek holding the other.
‘Dizzy,’ Zack mumbled, raising his head off the flat surface.
‘Won’t be long mate.’ Tarek said.
The two men eased him into a sitting position. Ashley came in through the other side door to help him to lie down then the two men swung his legs around into the boot area and shut the door. She tucked another wet towel under his head, put freshly wetted sheets under his arms, and stuffed another set down his pants legs.
She handed him a bottle of water. ‘Small sips, okay!’
He tried to nod and moaned.
‘Take these,’ Elias said, handing him two small white pills. ‘500mg of Paracetamol,’ he said, for Ashley’s benefit.
She nodded and turned up the air conditioning. She would most likely freeze in the next hour, but it would help Zack. Putting her foot down hard, a wave of dust chased them along the road.
*
Ashley pulled up outside the hospital’s main entrance, abandoned the car and ran into the reception area. Her favourite man sat at the desk, pondering the computer in front of him and she rolled her eyes, hastily stepping towards him. Before she had reached the desk, two orderlies with a wheeled-bed were approaching the reception, and he pointed them towards her. She smiled briefly and directed them to the car.
‘We’ll take it from here,’ the taller of the two men said. They eased Zack out of the back seat and onto the bed.
‘I’ll park up,’ she said. The tall Syrian man nodded towards her. He had a kind smile and very focused coffee-brown eyes.
‘We’ll take him through to the emergency room. If you wait in the reception someone will come and get you,’ he said. ‘He’ll be fine,’ he added.
The shorter man nodded and smiled.
‘Thanks,’ she responded. Her legs suddenly seemed to struggle to hold her weight as she made her way to the car. She breathed deeply and sat for a few moments, before turning the engine and parking up.
*
Ash sat in the waiting room, sipping at the hospital coffee, pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted. She’d always thought
it tasted awful, but not by comparison with the commercial coffee they used at the rig.
‘Hello.’
She turned and smiled wearily at the short wavy hair and brown eyes, dressed in doctor’s scrubs. ‘Hi.’
‘You can’t keep away eh?’ Giselle smiled. ‘You look tired. Are you here for yourself this time?’ she asked, assessing Ashley for evidence of an injury.
‘No. A colleague. Heatstroke. We were on the rig,’ she said, finding it hard to string sentences together.
‘You certainly don’t look like you were here for that drink you promised me,’ she said, squinting at the state of Ash’s coveralls and boots.
Ashley laughed. ‘I need to find out how he is, so I can get back to the rig,’ she said.
‘Ah, I’ll see what I can do.’ Giselle turned to leave.
‘Zack Leighton,’ Ash said.
‘I’m guessing he’ll be in a blue coverall,’ she said, smiling warmly.
Ashley smiled and relaxed back in the chair. ‘Yes,’ she said, but the chirpy doctor was already out of sight. She continued sipping her coffee, memories of her last visit to the hospital leading her to thoughts of Niomi. Niomi! Someone needs to let her know.
*
‘Right,’ Giselle said, as she approached. Ashley stood. ‘He’s been taken to the ward and will be kept in overnight. He should be released tomorrow, or maybe Saturday,’ she said. ‘They will do some tests just to be sure there’s no internal damage, but that’s more precautionary at this stage.’
‘Can I see him?’ she asked.
‘You can, but I imagine he’ll be sleeping for a good few hours. We’ve got him under observation, so he’s going to be fine,’ she added.
‘Maybe I’ll just get back to the rig then.’
Giselle nodded as if to say she was making the right decision.
‘Thanks. I’ll be back tomorrow.’
‘We’ll still be here,’ Giselle said, with a warm smile.
Ashley grinned. ‘Do you ever get time off?’ she asked.
‘Not often.’ Giselle stood, politely, her comforting gaze on Ashley’s tired eyes.
Ash stood, staring.
‘I’m sorry, I need to…’ She indicated with her hand to the emergency bays.
Ashley jolted out of the sleepy trance. ‘Sorry, sure! Thanks again,’ she said, heading for the car.
*
Ashley walked towards the boundary. She hadn’t stopped since taking Zack to the hospital, and her body was feeling the strain. She slumped down, assessing the half rigged down mess. The flare had ceased, but the sound impression was still present. She rolled the paper around the slither of tobacco, licked the seal, closed the roll-up, and released her shoulders. Lighting the end, she sucked down on the cigarette, spitting out the residual tobacco, and the dust that dried her mouth. As hard as the work was, she would still miss it. Tomorrow they would be heading home. Home! The rig was home too. Zack was right this could be a lonely place. The camaraderie that formed over a few weeks of working closely together felt so good at times. But then what? She drew the smoke into her lungs and blew out softly, pondering.
Standing, she stomped on the paper and wandered back to the lab cabin. She needed to talk to Iman.
19.
Ashley jumped into the passenger seat and flopped back. ‘Aahhh, thank fuck that’s over,’ she said, grinning ecstatically. Craig inhaled the cigarette between his fingers and turned the engine. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. ‘Soooo tired,’ she added, yawning again.
‘Yep. But,’ he said, with a mischievous grin plastered across his rugged face. ‘It’s party time.’
Ash groaned. ‘Right.’ She gazed out the side window at the passing dunes and swirling dust. Iman’s image appeared, and she glanced at the empty sweet tin on the seat. The light vibrations in her stomach expanded up and into her chest.
‘What’s that grin ‘bout then?’
‘Eh?’ She started to chuckle.
‘That smile,’ he pointed at her rosy cheeks. ‘Haven’t seen that ‘n’ in a while. It’s ya reeal happy, special, smile,’ he added, sending his eyes back to the road.
‘Fuck off,’ she said, but her cheeks had darkened, and her smile was widening with every kilometre closer to home.
‘Iman’s a good ‘n’,’ he said, rocking his head and sucking through his teeth.
Ash squirmed in the seat, suddenly struck by the possibility of rejection.
‘What if she’s not…’ she said, with concern.
‘Ah huh. I knew it.’ He drummed on the steering wheel repeatedly, unaware of her growing apprehension. ‘I knew it.’
‘I am really attracted to her,’ she admitted, massaging her fingers through her hair. She slumped back into the seat, groaned, and picked at her fingernails.
‘She sure ‘s a looker. If she didn’t bat for your side, I’d have swept her ‘way… Well, if Kate wasn’t on the scene I mean,’ he added.
Ash’s eyes widened, and she sat up. ‘How do you know which side she bats for?’
Craig frowned at her, one side of his mouth upturned. ‘Zack,’ he said, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I thought ya knew. Fuck, ya been workin’ on the rigs too long,’ he added, bringing his focus back to the road.
Ash rolled her eyes and slumped back again. ‘What does Zack know?’ she asked, dismissively.
‘Niomi told him, apparently.’
The butterflies taking flight in her stomach lifted her up in the seat again. She stared out the window, trying to distract her mind from the sensations riding her body. The tingling feeling had shifted to burning and was trying to burst through her chest, and her hands were sweating. Her heart was pounding, and the trembling in her stomach was causing her to shake. The truth hit her squarely between the eyes and landed with a thud. It would be impossible. ‘It’s forbidden,’ she said, trying to bring her thoughts back down to earth.
‘Fuck that,’ Craig countered instantly, his determination jolting her out of the sabotaging thought. ‘Might be forbidden Ash, but she’s out t’ Niomi, so don’t look t’ me like she’s gonna hide ‘way that easily.’ He nodded to himself. He was right.
Ash pondered, suppressing the joy that came with hope with the fear of rejection. Her heart ached. But what did she have to lose? Then again, what if something terrible happened to Iman as a result? She couldn’t put Iman in that position. She writhed in the seat, tormented by her logical thoughts competing with her heart's desire. And her heart was screaming. Maybe she should take leave, go somewhere and cool off. Her head was winning the battle. Her heart would recover; it had before. She pressed her hand to her chest. Fuck, it hurt.
*
Niomi stepped tentatively across the squeaky floor. Third bed on the right, the nurse had said. She couldn’t stop her eyes from straying to the other beds in the room. Men lay still, curtains half drawn. It was surprisingly quiet, but the chemical smells, and a subtle hint of something she couldn’t name irritated her nose. Her hand rose to block the odour but dropped away quickly as she locked onto Zack’s bright-blue eyes.
‘Hey,’ he said, pulling himself up and leaning against the large soft pillows.
His beaming white smile caused her stomach to flip. ‘Zack!’ she said, suddenly overcome with emotion. She rushed to the side of the bed and cupped his face in her hands.
His smile shifted a fraction, and he quickly assessed the other occupants’ reactions to the open display of affection. He breathed a sigh of relief, took her hands in his, and lowered them from his face. ‘How did you know?’ he asked.
‘Katherine. I saw her at the base,’ she said, with confidence in her voice.
‘You look…’ His eyes started watering, and she rubbed away the tear that had escaped down his rosy-cheek.
‘You need a shave,’ she said, her fingers tracing tenderly over his stubbly chin. ‘I can’t stay long,’ she added, knowing there would be consequences if someone she knew spotted them together.
‘Close the curtains.’
She did.
‘Come here.’
She sat on the bed and leaned towards him, capturing his mouth with urgency. Pulling back, she wiped at her swollen lips and flapped at her flushed cheeks. ‘I’m so glad you’re safe,’ she said.
The depth of Zack’s unwavering stare caused her to quiver. ‘Marry me,’ he said.
She gasped, her hands rushed and covered her mouth, the sparkle in her eyes giving him the answer he needed.
‘I’ve been thinking about it all the time, out there,’ he said. He pulled her towards him and kissed her hard.
She pulled away. ‘But, my parents,’ she responded, struck down by the challenge they both faced.
‘We can talk to them. We’ll find a way, together.’ His intense gaze reached into her soul and she started to shake. ‘Will you, marry me?’ he asked again.
‘Yes,’ she sniffled, the smile on her face wiping away the concerns they would need to deal with on another day. Niomi stood, her legs weak beneath her slight frame. ‘I’ve got to go,’ she said. She walked shakily, in stunned silence, breathless. Had that just happened, or was she dreaming?
Zack rested his head back on the pillow and sighed. He was still beaming from ear to ear when his eyes shut.
*
Reversing into the parking space outside Craig’s house caused the fire in Ashley’s stomach to intensify to the point of pain. Excitement and anxiety mirrored her thoughts, and her legs struggled for balance when her feet hit the ground. Righting herself, she stood tall, stamped her feet on the ground, grabbed her bag from the back of the vehicle, and strolled the short distance to her house. ‘Catch you later, bud,’ she said, remembering Craig.
‘Eight ’clock,’ he shouted.
She waved a hand but didn’t look back.
The shadow that had been cast over the house the night before she left for the rig had left a faint impression. At least Katherine was now in her place, two doors down. She sighed, opened the door, and stared into the emptiness. Her heart sank as she crossed the threshold and shut the front door quietly behind her. The latch clicked. She ambled up the stairs and into her bedroom, her mood lifting as she became reacquainted with her private space. At least her bedroom remained untainted. She dropped the bag and headed for the en-suite.