Precipice of Doubt

by Mardi Alexander

  Charlie gathered Pip in her arms and encouraged her to lie down. She tried to connect with Pip’s consciousness on some level in an attempt to soothe her by running shaky fingers through her soft hair.

  When Pip’s breathing slowed and lengthened, Charlie lay back and tried to be as still as possible, breathing slowly in an attempt to slow her own heartbeat down and to bleed away the adrenaline rush the effort had cost her. She had removed a third of her bandages and needed to stay still now, more than ever. In order to keep Pip safe, she had compromised her own safety. There had been no other choice.

  As the first fat, heavy drops of rain began to fall, Charlie squished her eyes shut against the wet onslaught. Pip lay oblivious to the change in conditions. Charlie tightened her arms and pulled Pip as close along her body as she could manage, to try to preserve both of their core temperatures. She raised her head and kissed Pip on the forehead. “Jodi’s getting help. Not long now, love. Just hang on for me. Rest. Not long now.” With nothing else to do, Charlie lay back and closed her eyes as her headache tightened around her skull with every pound of her heart.

  Jodi woke with a start. She remembered closing her eyes when she’d started to warm up, thanks to the space blanket. Her muscles had finally relaxed when the cold had relinquished its hold on her and her teeth had stopped chattering. She ached all over. Somehow she’d managed to keep her ankle immobile and for the first time in hours felt only a dull throb.

  But she’d never meant to fall asleep. Cole had said help was on its way. It was up to her to direct them to Pip and Charlie. She was the only one who knew where they were. Worry wormed itself through her. Guilt tightened her chest and rose painfully to the back of her throat. She was warm and had shelter. They were no doubt out in the open and cold to the bone. Tears spilled down her cheeks. She should’ve gone back.

  Pale white mist floated lightly around the truck. Jodi suddenly realized it was nearly dawn. The rain had stopped, but clouds still darkened the sky, making it difficult to judge how close daylight was. How long had it been since she’d spoken with Cole? Was help on the way yet? Jodi turned the ignition key to power the radio. She took the mike out of the holder and pressed the send key. “Cole? You there?”

  “Yes, yes,” Cole answered immediately.

  Jodi smiled at the familiar voice. “Were you sleeping?”

  “Not exactly. Let’s just say this radio makes for a horrible pillow. How are you, sweet?”

  “Better now that I’m warmer. What time is it?”

  There was a short pause. “Nearly five thirty.”

  “It’s been what? Almost three, four hours? Where’s the SES? Charlie and Pip are still out there.” Panic rose sharply in Jodi’s chest.

  “They should be there anytime.”

  “They’ve been out there too long. I have to go to them.”

  “Jodi, no. Stay put. Give me a minute and I’ll ring Garry to get an update. I’ll be right back.”

  It felt like hours before Jodi heard the telltale static of the radio coming to life.

  “Babe? Sorry it took me so long. Garry and the crew should be close. The weather held them up a bit. The good news is that a helicopter’s on standby and will be flying in as soon as Garry can give them coordinates of where Charlie and Pip are.”

  Jodi sighed in frustration. The urge to leave the Rover and go looking herself was so strong she nearly gave in to it.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  Jodi shook her head. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

  “After all these years, you really need to ask?”

  Jodi snorted. “No. I guess not.”

  The inside of the Rover was suddenly engulfed in white light with flashes of yellow and blue. Jodi looked in her rear-view mirror and was blinded by a vehicle’s headlights.

  “They’re here. Baby, I gotta go. I love you.”

  “Okay. Let Garry and his crew do their job. And, sweetheart? Don’t raise a fuss when they want to look you over.”

  “Yes, dear. I’ll try to call you as soon as I hear something.”

  “I love you, Jodi. I’ll be waiting.”

  Jodi swung the Rover’s door open just as the four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicle pulled up alongside her. Ambulance Service NSW was lettered in red on the side. A folded gurney was strapped to the roof racks. Two white and orange SES four-wheel-drives drove up. Orange jumpsuited men and women piled out of the vehicles, strapping on helmets and donning backpacks as they disembarked. A short stocky man in orange with several pips on his epaulettes walked towards her.

  “Jodi? I’m Garry.”

  “You’re here.” Nearly disbelieving, she took a step out of the truck, faltered, and grabbed onto the door for support. She gave up trying to stand and rested against the seat.

  “Don’t move. One of the crew will help you.” Garry was a muscular, short man with eyes that gleamed. His roundish face sported a thin dishevelled moustache that stuck out from under the tip of a rigid nose.

  “I’m fine. You need to find my friends.”

  Garry handed her a topographical map of the area just as another off-road four-wheel-drive ambulance drove up behind the convoy. “Can you give me an idea of where you think they are?”

  Jodi quickly pointed to Surveyor’s Swamp. “Best guess is that they’ve made it this far. If you can get yourselves to the marsh, I’ve marked the trail from there. I just couldn’t…” Her voice faltered and cracked.

  Garry put a meaty hand on her shoulder. “You’re the reason we will find them. One of the ambos is going to examine you while the rest of the team search for your friends. I’ll send word back when we’ve located them.”

  Jodi’s throat was so tight with emotion that she couldn’t speak. She nodded quickly.

  Radios crackled and six men and women organized themselves in preparation for the long trek in. With packs at the ready, the blue jumpsuited paramedics and the orange suited SES team were gone in the span of only a handful of minutes.

  “Hi, Jodi, I’m Dan. How about I have a look at you while we wait for the others to get back?” A complete opposite to Garry, Dan was clean-shaven, tall, and lanky.

  “I sprained my ankle.”

  “Okay. Let’s get you into the back of the ambulance and I’ll have a look at it.”

  A short while later, Jodi lay on a stretcher with an IV drip in her arm to treat her for dehydration, pain, and shock. Dan had cut her shoe off and stabilized her swollen and discoloured ankle with a pillow splint.

  “It doesn’t look like you’ve broken anything, but I can’t rule out a fracture. You’ll be going to the hospital for an X-ray for that.”

  “Can we wait until we’ve heard something?”

  Dan smiled at her compassionately. “Your vitals are all good, so yeah, we can wait. But if anything changes, we’re outta here. Deal?”

  “Thank you.” Jodi started feeling groggy with the pain meds on board. She finally gave in to sleep.

  Jodi woke to gentle rubbing on her shoulder. She blinked heavy-lidded eyes and worked her tongue in her dry mouth. She suddenly became aware of where she was, and worried, she searched Dan’s eyes for answers.

  “It’s okay. It’s okay. They found your friends. A chopper is on its way to take one of them out.”

  “One?”

  “Yes, Garry is bringing the other out. That’s all I know. I have instructions to transport you to the hospital. Your friends will be taken there as well.”

  “I need to radio Cole.” Jodi tried to sit up, but Dan applied pressure to her shoulder. She was too tired to offer much resistance.

  “Is that the person who raised the alarm?”

  “Yes.”

  “She’s been notified by dispatch. She’ll undoubtedly be waiting at the hospital for you.”

  The sound of frogs reverberated painfully in her raw brain. Shut up. Charlie groaned. Even thinking hurt. Behind closed eyelids she thought she could discern a light but was not prepared to brave any more pain by
opening her eyes. Her tongue felt swollen, there was a strange metallic taste in her mouth, and her lips were dry and cracked. Her stomach rolled with nausea and intermittent cramps. On a scale of one to ten, she felt a miserable eight. Everything seemed to hurt. She was soaked and cold, her thoughts slow and unclear.

  Charlie wanted to sit up and check on Pip but she couldn’t move. The weight was still heavy on her chest, so she guessed Pip was still there.

  Her mind wandered, words and thoughts falling hopelessly away, finding no connection to anything substantive. She thought she heard voices but couldn’t be sure. She tried to move her head in the direction of the noise but quickly stopped when her headache increased to the screaming point. She licked her lips and tried to dispel the coppery taste on her tongue.

  The noises got closer.

  “Found them!”

  Air moved around her. The weight was lifted from her chest. She took a deep breath and instantly regretted it as her stomach contents rose within, bile burning the back of her throat. She turned her head to the side and spluttered wetly. Hands were on her and rolled her gently to the side which helped stop her feeling like she was going to choke on her own spit. She chanced cracking her eyes open and was greeted by blood-flecked spittle. She moaned weakly at the sight knowing it couldn’t be good.

  “Shh, it’s all right. We’ve got you.”

  “Pip.”

  “She’s right here beside you. The guys are helping her too.”

  Snatches of conversation washed over her. A doctor. Ambulance. Something about a basket and priorities. She barely registered the IV line going in, with brief conscious hints of her hand rising and falling and the touch of fingers on the back of her hand.

  “Seizing!”

  Charlie turned her head to the side and saw people crowded around Pip.

  “Pip.” Her voice barely registered out loud. She could see Pip’s legs shaking but not much else for the crowd around her. “Pip.”

  A soft hand brushed against her forehead and a woman in a blue uniform smiled at her. “Your friend’s having a diabetic seizure, but a doctor is with her. They’re loading her up with IV glucose. See? She’s settled again. Oh, hey, look, up in the sky—looks like you’ve drawn a crowd. There’re two eagles circling us. How cool is that?”

  “Big Bird.”

  “They’re big all right. Amazing.”

  Charlie didn’t really have the time or energy to correct the paramedic so she let it go and revelled in the fact that the eagles were still with them. “He is.”

  Charlie thought she detected a soft moan from Pip. “Pip,” she called, her voice raspy. But there was no answer.

  She closed her eyes to shield herself from the increasing light and movement around her. Hands up and down the length of her body lifted her and settled her back down again. A wonderfully warm blanket was wrapped around her, and she felt the pressure of straps being tightened across her body.

  “Charlie, can you hear me?” A man’s voice broke through her rapidly fogging awareness. “My name’s Allan. I’m one of the paramedics. In a few minutes it’s going to get a bit windy and noisy because you and I are going to go up on a hoist and go for a helicopter ride. In a minute, I’m going to put some glasses on you so you don’t get dust in your eyes. I’ll also put some earmuffs on you to shield you from some of the noise when the helicopter comes in. I’m going to be with you all the way.”

  In Charlie’s mind, Allan’s head seemed overly large, but then she realized he was wearing a helmet. Her mind wobbled back and forth over what this meant. It was all so surreal. She needed to mentally hang on to what she could. “Pip.” Charlie tried to raise a hand to point to her partner, but her arm was strapped down.

  “The SES boys and girls are going to carry her out to an ambulance that’s waiting back down the track where your friend is.”

  “Jodi?”

  “Uh-huh. She says hi by the way, and See you soon.”

  Charlie’s lips quivered. Good. Help. Jodi made it. Thank you. Charlie heard another louder moan from Pip and some mumbling.

  “Pip.”

  “Okay, time to put your glasses on, Charlie.” Allan slid the plastic frames over her ears and settled them across the bridge of her nose just as the wind began to pick up and her hair blew back and forth across her face. The radio sounded from his helmet and Charlie winced at the loudness of his voice as he responded to someone. “It’s time to go, Charlie. All you gotta do is just lie back, close your eyes, and relax. I’m right here.”

  Dirt and dust whirled around them as the helicopter appeared above. A cable crawled down from the hovering beast. She saw Allan reach up for it, finally grasping it and clipping it on them both and on the lift wire attached to the basket she was strapped in.

  As Allan bent to put her earmuffs on she heard Pip’s raised voice. She shook her head away from the earmuffs, unable to use her hands to push them away.

  Pip’s voice grew louder. She was screaming now. “Don’t touch me. Hands off me. Don’t. Charlie…Charlie!”

  Charlie strained against her bindings. She needed to get to Pip.

  Earmuffs slapped down on her head. Allan frantically waved his hands in an up signal.

  She couldn’t leave Pip. She tried desperately to sit up only to feel Allan pull the bindings tighter around her. But all Charlie’s efforts achieved was to make the basket spin in mid-air as the hoist on the helicopter pulled them up into the bright blue sky. Her eyes and taxed mind couldn’t cope with Pip’s cries of help still ringing in her head, the world spinning violently around her, and the brightness of the day stabbing through her eyes, straight into the deep recesses of her brain. The stimulus was too much. And with the echoes of Pip screaming out her name imprinted forever in her mind, she was blessedly kidnapped by an encroaching darkness.

  Chapter Twenty

  “I think, Ms. Bowman…”

  “Jodi.”

  “All right, Jodi. I think you would feel more comfortable in a cast.”

  “Can’t swim in a cast. If you can just strap my foot, then I’ll be out of here.”

  The young orthopaedic registrar sighed.

  Jodi couldn’t blame him. He’d given it his best shot, but she just wanted the hell out of the hospital. Or more correctly, she wanted out of the room and to find out what had happened to Pip and Charlie. “Can you do me a favour?”

  The registrar folded his arms and squinted at her. “Depends.”

  “Can you find out how my friends are doing, and see if I can see them? Please?”

  “On one condition. You agree to let me strap your foot and put you in a moon boot. With crutches. And I want to see you again in three days.”

  Jodi waved a freshly bandaged hand at him. “Fine. Yes. Can you find out about my friends first?”

  He grinned at his victory. “I’ll make some calls, then come back and strap you up while we wait for some more information.”

  Jodi grunted softly. “Fair trade.” She lay back on the pristine white sheets of the hospital bed and waited as the young doctor made some phone calls from a discreet distance away.

  It was a fine line between trying to rest and giving in completely and falling asleep. She knew that one of the girls had come in via the rescue chopper and one had followed behind her in the second ambulance, but which was which she wasn’t sure. The fact that all of them had to be rescued and shipped out bothered her, but she put her personal thoughts aside. Right now, she just needed details. Details and answers.

  She felt around in her trouser pockets. She had no idea where her mobile ended up. She wanted nothing more than to call Cole. It felt like forever since she had talked to her and seen her. Cole could help her find Pip and Charlie, and then maybe they could all go home.

  The doctor returned and told her he was waiting on a call from his colleagues upstairs where Charlie and Pip had both been rushed for intensive treatment.

  “Can I ask one more favour? Can I borrow your phone for just a minute? Pl
ease?”

  He sighed, handed over his phone, and then busied himself with setting up a tray with several rolls of tape, foam padding, and bandages.

  As she dialled Cole’s number, Jodi ignored what was going on at the bottom of the bed as the doctor measured her foot, presumably for the protective boot he was going to lumber her with.

  Jodi’s heart hitched as Cole hesitantly answered the phone. “Cole. It’s me. I’ve borrowed a friend’s phone.”

  Jodi smiled sweetly at the surprised look on the doctor’s face at her reference to him. She winked at him and looked away. “Where are you?” Jodi nodded. “Hang on and I’ll see if they can buzz you through.”

  The doctor swivelled on his stool and asked an attending nurse to let Cole into the emergency treatment area. Jodi mouthed a thank you to him. He smiled and went back to the task at hand.

  “They’re gonna let you through. See you in a bit.” She hung up and held out the phone. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  “You know, despite being a pain in my side, I heard about what you and your friends went through. I figured you could do with a break.”

  Jodi accepted the gift he offered solemnly. She wasn’t ready to replay and digest the past twenty-four hours. She needed to gather all the facts first, see what the situation and prognosis were, and then go from there.

  A buzz sounded from the other side of the bed curtain as a door opened. Within a breath the curtains were parted and Cole poked her head through. As soon as they made eye contact, Cole’s face lit up. Two steps and Cole was pulling her warmly into her arms. Safe arms. Arms that told her she was home even though she was in a foreign, far from ideal environment.