Jodi joined her at the counter and peered in, catching a whiff of Cole’s scent and feeling the warmth of her shoulder against her own. She smelled like sunshine and rose geranium. She surprised herself by thinking she actually liked it. “You’ve already fed that one and that one. I’d feed those two next as they’re hungrier.”
Cole looked at her incredulously. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Can I ask how in the hell you can tell?” She offered nuggets of insectivore to the birds that Jodi had indicated. The birds grabbed at the morsels in the tweezers and eagerly gulped them down.
“Have a look at them. See any differences?” Jodi leaned her hip against the counter to put some space between her and Cole.
“Aside from the fact that one has poop on its wings and another on its feet, they all look black and white to me.”
“Look at their gapes.”
Cole squinted and studied the fledglings. “Mm. Most are pinkish, but two have beet red mouths.”
“Uh-huh. Those are the two you need to feed next.”
“Ah, the proverbial light bulb just went off. The hungrier they are, the brighter red the gape.”
Jodi pursed her lips and nodded. “That’s how the parents figure out which of their brood needs to be fed.”
“Interesting.”
“Interesting enough to venture into the bush for a hike one day?” The words were out of Jodi’s mouth before she could stop them, knowing full well what the answer would be.
Cole huffed. “Not that interesting.”
Her brief musing about not minding Cole’s company ended quickly. “While you’re feeding the hordes, I’ll have a quick look at the schedule and ring Pip and Charlie.” Jodi quickly turned and walked towards the front of the clinic, puzzled at the unexpected new interest in wanting to spend time with Cole outside of work, and the flash of disappointment at her offer being shut down.
* * *
Jodi put the phone on speaker to free up her hands while she flipped through the patient files.
“Hello. Pip speaking.”
“Hey, Pipsqueak. Whatchya doing?” Jodi put a file down and leaned back into the chair.
“Hey, Jodes. Charlie and I are heading out to pick up a possie.”
“Good, you’re on the road then. Will you be anywhere near Yamba?”
“We could be. Why? What do you have?”
“What makes you think I have anything?” Jodi bit her lip in amusement.
“Could be that I heard the mischief in your voice because you’re more than likely biting your lip.”
“Okay. Busted. I have a box of magpies for you.”
“A box. Of magpies.” Pip paused. “And how many maggies constitutes a box?”
“Six.” Jodi worked hard not to giggle.
“Six?” Charlie and Pip said at the same time.
“It was like an assembly line today. There were two left in a box by the front door when Cole got here this morning. Four different people came in nearly right behind one another.”
“Christ,” Charlie grumbled.
“I know,” Jodi said. “I commend people for wanting to do what’s best for wildlife, but this year they seem to be all too keen, picking creatures up too soon.”
“All right. We’ll be there after we finish the possie rescue.”
“Plan on a cuppa when you get here.”
“Will do.”
Jodi heard Charlie say something. “Hey, Charlie. What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”
“Hi, Jodi. Yeah, sorry. I asked Pip what you meant by too soon.”
“Pip, do you want to explain?”
“No, no. You go ahead. I want to see if you’ve been listening to me at all.”
“Right. I’ll give it a go. So, it’s normal for magpies to leave the nest without knowing how to fly yet. They spend a while on the ground, and that’s where the parents feed them. People don’t realize the parents are still caring for them during this time. The fledglings hop onto low branches and begin experimenting with their wings. They ultimately grow tail feathers and start following one of the parents around, begging for food. People see the babies on the ground, assume they’ve fallen out of the nest, and become intent on rescuing them. What they actually achieve, in most cases, is taking away the babies from their best caregivers, their parents. How’d I do, Pip-smartarse-squeak?”
“Not bad, Stretch. We’ll see you in a while.”
Chapter Two
“I’m stuck.” Charlie Dickerson’s muffled voice echoed from the darkened recess beneath the weatherboard house.
Pip Atkins bent over and squinted in an attempt to see what was wrong with her partner. “What do you mean, you’re stuck?”
“Oh, you know, as in can’t go forward and can’t go back kind of stuck.”
“Oh. Well, why didn’t you say so?” Pip grinned when she heard Charlie’s groan.
Native wildlife rescuers, Pip and Charlie had received a call for help just after breakfast from the elderly lady who owned the house, who had called them about a possum her terrier had chased under the house. “Mrs. Billings, would you mind holding this towel for me please? As soon as you see the cage come out from under the house, if you could drape the towel over the top to block out the light and stop the possum from getting any more frightened, I would be most grateful.”
“Of course, my dear.” Mrs. Billings accepted the towel from Pip with her gnarled, lived-in hands. “Only too happy to help.”
Pip touched Mrs. Billings lightly on the shoulder. “Thank you so much.”
“A pleasure, my dear.”
Pip lowered herself flat onto the ground. She commando crawled behind Charlie. “Hey, Yank, any chance you can move to the left just a smidge?”
“Well, I would if it wasn’t for that stuck thing we were talking about a minute ago.”
Pip half smirked. If Charlie’s humour got any drier she’d light a fire. “Not to worry. Just get ready to get a bit squeezy in a minute.” With a few grunts and twists, Pip pulled herself along the ground until she was wedged in right up against Charlie and one of the house supports. With a slight incline of her chin, Pip leaned forward and kissed Charlie. She smiled as a small sigh escaped Charlie’s lips. Sliding half a foot past Charlie, Pip looked back and saw that Charlie’s belt was caught on a metal hook supporting some electrical wires. “Ah, I see the problem.” She moved enough ahead to turn around until she faced Charlie and could reach the snag. With a twist and pull she managed to free her and steal another kiss. “Better now?”
“Much. That’ll teach me to be so gallant and come under the house first instead of you. Stuff the possibility of meeting up with a snake. Next time it’s all yours, short stuff.”
“Well, if there were any snakes in here, I reckon you’ve probably scared them off by now. What say you head on out and help Mrs. Billings and I’ll pick up possie.”
“I’m happy with that. I’ve got more than enough dust up my nose for one day.”
As Pip surged forward, Charlie dragged herself back out.
Ten seconds later, Charlie’s brief gasp stopped Pip still. “Thank you, Mrs. Billings,” Charlie said, “but we might save the towel for throwing over the crate when it comes out.”
Pip stifled a giggle as she pictured Charlie’s head covered in the bath towel.
Pip surveyed the ground ahead. The possum’s eyes reflected off her headlamp. She retrieved Charlie’s catch pole, and after several missed attempts, managed to loop the noose around the possum’s head and shoulders. She pulled the growling and hissing creature towards her while dragging herself backward towards the more spacious area under the house where the possum cage waited. She sat up and swung her knees underneath her. With a firm grip and a deft swing and stuff motion, she manhandled the cranky struggling beast into the cage and snapped the lid shut.
Pushing the pole and cage ahead of her, Pip crawled out from under the house, squinting at the harsh onslaught o
f bright sunlight. She was pleased when Mrs. Billings successfully covered the cage, as opposed to capturing another rescuer.
Pip stood and slapped her pants legs. She coughed as plumes of dust wafted in the air and tickled her nose and throat.
Charlie patted her on the back. “Man. You really did get down and dirty, didn’t you?”
Pip grinned. “I have a magnetic ability when it comes to dirt.”
Charlie dusted her down some more. “So it would seem, sweet.”
“Would you two like a cup of tea?”
Charlie shook her head. “Thank you all the same, but we might take this little one back and get started on his assessment. If it all goes well, when he’s recovered, maybe we could take you up on your offer of tea when we bring him back for release.”
“Oh, that would be most suitable. Thank you again, girls. You have both been quite marvellous.”
“You’re very welcome.” Charlie picked up the cage and Pip the pole, and together they packed the gear into Pip’s white Toyota Hilux dual cab ute. Pip threw Charlie the keys.
They drove in companionable silence for a bit, appreciating the spectacular view of the mighty Clarence River that ran parallel to the road. Charlie pulled the truck onto the river ferry and turned off the engine. When the other waiting vehicles joined them, the ferry pulled out onto the water.
“Thanks for unhooking me.”
“No probs. Did you like the rescue technique, by the way?” Pip got them each a fresh bottle of water.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a little used practice.”
Charlie looked puzzled as she took a sip of water.
Pip bit the inside of her lip trying to keep a straight face. “Mm. It’s called the Billings Method.”
Charlie sprayed water all over the inside of the window. After she left the ferry, Charlie turned left onto a drive that spread out into a staging area for cane trucks. She scowled at Pip.
“Would you please hand me a towel? I need to wipe the window down so I can see.”
Pip reached behind her seat and pulled one from a rescue bag. “Here you go, my darling.” She batted her eyes innocently, grinning inwardly because Charlie now got her Aussie jokes at least half the time.
“You need to eat something.” Charlie handed Pip the muesli bar she retrieved from the centre console.
Pip’s Labrador nosed her shoulder and whined softly. “You’re getting nearly as good as Chilli.”
“Your face tells all when your sugar is getting low.”
Pip held the vet surgery door open as Charlie carried the possum cage inside.
Jodi and Cole looked up from the service counter. “Ah. If it isn’t the dynamic duo.” Jodi winked at them.
Pip scrunched her nose up. “I’ll swap you—a possum for some magpies.”
Charlie lifted the cage to show Jodi. “Possible dog bite.”
“Why don’t you take it on through, Charlie? You know the way. Cole’ll give you a hand getting things set up. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Charlie nodded just before she headed down the corridor. The hissing, wriggling cargo let everyone know that it was not happy. Cole followed right behind them.
Jodi rounded the counter and gave Pip a hug. “We’ve both been so busy since the flood that we haven’t had much of a chance to catch up. You doing okay, my friend?”
“Yeah. I’m good. We’re both good. Thanks to you. That beer I owe you? I reckon I might need to make it a case. Thanks for, well, setting us straight.”
“As long as you’re happy.”
Pip kissed Jodi on the cheek. “I am. How about I go and freshen up the jug while you and Charlie see to our none-too-happy guest?”
With an affectionate squeeze of her hand, Jodi headed out the back, leaving Pip to make the familiar way to the surgery’s kitchen. So much had happened in the space of a few short months, changes she had never envisaged, let alone believed were possible. She, an intensely private and confessed loner, had been paired up with an exchange work program person from the States for a whole year by the head of the Wildlife Rescue and Education Network. She had gone from objecting to Charlie, to enjoying her company, to finally—after months of working together, the drama of an ex-girlfriend, and a major flood event—admitting she was falling in love.
She stirred a spoonful of sugar into Jodi’s coffee. Thanks to Jodi’s intervention, well… Pip tapped the spoon on the edge of the sink and carried the steaming mugs over to the table. Theirs could so nearly have been a very different story altogether. Yep. Jodi easily deserved that case of beer.
Pip sipped her tea and waited for the rest of the team to join her. Easy laughter preceded their entry into the room. She pulled a chair out for Charlie and received a touch on the shoulder in response. “How’d your assessment go?”
“He has a couple of small, not very deep puncture marks between his shoulders and a bit of bruising. Jodi’s given us some antibiotics, just in case, but thinks they should heal well in the next few days.”
“Uh-huh. And your box of maggies?”
“One still has a touch of down on it, but the others have feathered up. A variety of ages, but all close enough.”
Pip rubbed her eyes. “Well, I suppose it’ll make release a bit easier as they’ll have already formed a group.” Pip couldn’t help but notice that Charlie was a tad quiet. She took a guess that it might have something to do with the upcoming release of her eagle, Big Bird.
Charlie sipped her coffee quietly, smiling and nodding at the appropriate times while the others conversed. Big Bird’s release weighed heavily on her mind. Yes, she’d been attached to other raptors in her care at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Service in Cody, Wyoming. She’d never before stopped to think about why she favoured the bald and golden eagles, but it was more than likely due to the intensity of their personalities as well as their power. However Big Bird topped them all in those qualities, and in size as well. His wingspan was wider than she was tall, and he was simply magnificent. To bond with such a majestic creature and have him show affection was a high compliment and a gift from the gods. And now she had to make plans to release him back into the wild.
“…party, Charlie.”
Charlie looked up from her empty mug. “I’m sorry. I was kind of lost in my thoughts.”
Pip nudged her with her shoulder and laid a hand on her thigh. “I think we should have a Big Bird release party. What do you think?”
“Oh.” Charlie lifted one shoulder non-committally. “Sure.”
“I know you’re going to miss him. It was clear right from the beginning that you two shared a special connection.” Jodi smiled with empathy.
Charlie nodded. “He’s a very special bird. Pip knows I’ve been struggling with having to release him.”
“All the more reason to have a party when we get back. Hopefully it’ll help take your mind off it.” Pip patted Charlie’s forearm. “What do you say, sweet?”
Charlie sighed. “Okay. I knew I’d have to do it eventually. Maybe a few drinks afterwards will help.”
Jodi giggled. “If you put all the maggies together, they’re sure to make a big bird.”
“Funny, Jodes.” Pip chortled. “Hey, do you want to come along? You have some investment in him as well.”
“I’d love to. I’ve never seen you release anything, and it’d be an honour to have it be Big Bird. This’ll all have to be on a Sunday, though, if that’s okay.”
“Perfect. Cole, you’re invited as well,” Pip added. “After all, you’re the one who rescued him in the first place. Want to go for a hike?”
Cole threw her head back and laughed. “I think I’ll pass. The wilderness and I do not at all see eye to eye.”
“That’s for sure,” Jodi said. “She called me one night after work because a green frog was sitting in front of her door and supposedly wouldn’t let her in.”
“He wouldn’t,” Cole squeaked. “Every time I’d take a step forward, the monster wou
ld jump at me. Stop your laughing. He had mean eyes. It was quite scary at the time. Besides, all that exercise thing, traipsing around in the bush, running into spiderwebs and stepping on sticks that all look like snakes. Until they’re not sticks. No, thanks. Just let me know what Sunday you pick. And now I’ve got to go get the surgery room prepped. The boss gets kind of cranky if it’s not set up beforehand.”
Jodi swatted her leg. “You love your job and you know it.”
Charlie saw the affectionate softening of Cole’s face when she smiled at Jodi.
Cole cheerfully replied, “I do, and there are several reasons why, but mainly the fact you don’t make me clean the toilets here.” She cringed and shuddered.
“Ah, but that could change.”
Pip and Charlie left the clinic with the possum and box of magpies while Jodi and Cole playfully bickered with one another.
Charlie tossed the truck keys to Pip. “Your turn to drive.”
“You okay?” Pip got in and slid the key into the ignition. She reached over her shoulder and ruffled Chilli behind the ears.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I have a load of work to do on my immigration application when we get home. Think later on we can look at the map and decide on a release location?”
“You bet, lovely.”
When they got home, Charlie went directly to the massive aviary that housed Big Bird. Pip had had it built for her as a present last year. He greeted her with excited chirps and feather fluffing. “Hey, beautiful boy. Let’s have a look at you.” She slid a heavy leather glove onto her left hand and entered the cage. “Come on. You can fly to me.”
Big Bird continued chirping as he crouched, spread his wings, and glided over to Charlie’s outstretched arm. After he had folded his wings close to his body, she rubbed the feathers behind his head. The eagle bowed his head lower to give her better access to where he liked to be scratched best.
Charlie carried Big Bird to the training perch in the middle of the aviary, the open roof of which they’d erected under the tight but high canopy of gum trees. Not only was the location shaded from the intense sun, but also Big Bird couldn’t see any other birds of prey flying overhead, which could cause him unneeded stress. Once she’d looped the tether around the perch, she removed her glove and watched him settle.
Precipice of Doubt Page 2