“Aw sir!” Blake grumbled. Then the engine of the safety boat roared and Tina was pressed back into the seat as it accelerated. She felt a great surge of relief now that the adults had things under control and her safe. Despite that, her anxiety stayed high as she worried about Andrew and the wounded Ranger.
As the safety boat raced across the glassy surface of the lake Sub Lt Mullion began examining Andrew’s head. Lt Ryan began calling the emergency services on the satellite phone the unit had hired for safety. There seemed to be some difficulty in getting this to work and Andrew pointed to the boat’s marine radio.
“Try the radio sir,” he suggested.
“I have,” Lt Ryan replied. “No luck. The system is designed for the open sea,” he explained. “Here we are surrounded by mountains which would screen the transmissions.” He then concentrated on using the satellite phone and to Tina’s intense relief he made contact. After explaining the situation he kept the phone to his ear.
Petty Officer Evans who was steering the boat looked around. “We could activate the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicator Beacon- a radio transmitter which worked via satellite) sir,” he suggested. He turned back to steering the boat and divided his time between looking ahead and glancing at the map on the chart table next to him.
Lt Ryan shook his head. “Not worth it. We will be at the dam in fifteen minutes at the most. How is he Mary?” This to Sub Lt Mullion about Andrew.
“He’s got at least two bullets in embedded in the back of his skull,” she replied.
Andrew shook his head. “Pellets Miss, not bullets,” he corrected.
“I don’t care! You are a very lucky boy!” she snapped angrily.
“Yes Ma’am.”
Lt Ryan grunted. “Huh! Thick skull and no brain probably,” he commented. “How is Tina?”
“I will look at her now. Andrew, you get that buoyancy vest and shirt off. You too Tina,” she ordered.
When Tina realized the implication of what the officer had said she blushed and opened her mouth in dismay. “Oh Miss! I can’t take my shirt off! There are men here!”
“Oh don’t be silly girl! They won’t look! Now get it off so I can do some First Aid!” Sub Lt Mullion ordered.
With trembling, fumbling fingers Tina undid the buoyancy vest. Sub Lt Mullion helped her and Lt Ryan helped Andrew. Then Sub Lt Mullion said, “And the shirt! This is no time to be coy.”
“Miss!” Tina muttered, blushing again. She looked at the men but they all stood in front of her facing the front of the boat. Hesitantly she began undoing the buttons. Her reluctance came not only from a natural modesty but from the fact that she was wearing a sheer nylon bra and it was almost transparent. As it was she was highly embarrassed to have the female officer seeing her. Very slowly she undid the buttons and then slipped the shirt half off, hoping that would do.
“Oh, all the way for heaven’s sake!” Sub Lt Mullion cried. “I’ve got two daughters dearie. It’s hardly a novelty to me.”
“It is for me!” Andrew quipped.
Tina saw his head half turn as he slipped off his own shirt. “Don’t you dare look!” she cried, although she had often fantasized about Andrew seeing her that way. Now she found her heart hammering very fast and the blush warmed her neck and cheeks.
Then she forgot about herself when she saw Andrew’s back. It was peppered with a dozen tiny bluish marks. Blood was still trickling from a couple. She also noted that the back of his buoyancy vest was riddled with a dozen holes. ‘He must have been in great pain while we were trying to escape,’ she thought, her admiration increasing.
Sub Lt Mullion had Tina turn around and began washing and then wiping her wounds with antiseptic. That stung and Tina gasped a few times.
“Sorry, but it has to be done,” Sub Lt Mullion replied.
“How is she?” Lt Ryan asked.
“I can see three wounds in her left arm and shoulder,” Sub Lt Mullion replied. “I don’t think any are life-threatening. The bleeding has almost stopped.”
“What about Andrew?” Lt Ryan asked.
“At least a dozen. Let’s see. He’s got seven, no eight, in his left arm and shoulder and three more in his back, and the two in his head,” Sub Lt Mullion reported. She then turned back to Tina and placed anti-septic pads on each wound and began bandaging.
All the while the boat had been roaring across the water, occasionally slapping into a small wave as the first of the morning breezes began to ruffle the surface. They raced close past three jungle-covered islands and skirted several stands of dead timber, then straightened out.
“Five kilometres,” Petty Officer Evans said. “Ten minutes at most.”
Sub Lt Mullion finished bandaging and patted Tina on the shoulder. “Ok Tina, put your shirt back on,” she instructed.
Tina tried. She easily slid her right arm through that sleeve but when she tried to pull on the left sleeve she found her arm and shoulder really hurt to move. “Ouch Miss!” she cried. “Help me please,” she asked, hotly aware of her cleavage and of the cool wind on her bare skin.
Sub Lt Mullion turned to help her. Tina knelt on the back seat and moved across to allow her more room. The officer said, “You could just leave it draped over your shoulders.”
“Miss!” Tina cried in embarrassment. “I couldn’t do that!”
“The ambulance people will probably just take it off again,” Sub Lt Mullion said, but she helped Tina slide the left sleeve on while saying, “I don’t know what you are fussing about. You probably wear less at the beach!”
Tina didn’t but did not say so. She pulled her shirt around her and began to fumble with the buttons. As she did she glanced down and got a shock. The wounded Ranger had opened his eyes and was looking up at her.
“Miss! He’s awake!” Tina cried.
Then she realized she should have made sure of her shirt first because all of the males spun round to look. She gripped her shirt across her front, hotly aware that had gaped open. However the others had eyes only for the wounded man. Lt Ryan and Sub Lt Mullion knelt and blocked Tina’s view. She briefly met Andrew’s eyes and she saw his flick down to her bulging front for a fraction of a second before he looked away.
“He’s passed out again,” Lt Ryan said, straightening up.
“He’s lost a lot of blood. His pulse is very weak and his skin is ice cold,” Sub Lt Mullion commented.
That caused Tina’s heart to flutter with dread and she experienced a wave of nausea. To keep steady she sat down again and looked away. There was nothing she could do to help except pray and she did that. She also found her gaze wandering to Andrew, who had sat side on to her near the chart table.
‘Oh, he’s handsome!’ she thought, taking in his tanned skin, fair hair ruffling in the breeze, and the strong muscles. ‘I do hope he notices me now!’
That gave her the impish thought that if she let her shirt fall open he would be more likely to notice, but the very idea made her blush and she quickly buttoned it up. It also made her anxiously jealous about the stories she had heard about the busty blonde named Letitia that had apparently let Andrew see plenty during holiday trips to Townsville. ‘And probably more than just a few looks!’ she thought, half-angrily, half-wistfully.
Tina had never allowed a boy to touch her breasts and now she bit her lip and wondered what she would do if Andrew did notice her and wanted to. That got her all anxious again and she then became dizzy and shivered. She shook her head and put that down to the wounds and shock.
“There’s the dam wall,” Petty Officer Evans called as the boat began turning to port around yet another jungle-covered headland.
“Oh thank God!” Tina muttered. She strained to see and when her eyes detected the cluster of tiny buildings a few kilometres ahead she sat back and closed her eyes with relief.
CHAPTER 4
SUSPICIONS
Because it was isolated Koombooloomba Dam had no resident staff and very few facilities. There was no proper boat ramp,
only a rough gravel vehicle track which led down through a belt of trees. To Tina it all looked somewhat hostile and forbidding. As the launch approached the ‘boat ramp’ at the end of the western arm of the lake she studied the dark wall of trees and shivered. The anxious thought that the men might be there waiting for them crossed her mind.
To add to her depression it began to drizzle. Glancing up she noted with surprise that low cloud now covered much of the sky. ‘I hope that doesn’t prevent the rescue helicopter from reaching us,’ she thought. She was now feeling very stressed and sick.
As soon as the safety boat reached the boat ramp Lt Ryan jumped out and raced up through the belt of trees. As he did he took the satellite phone with him and Tina saw that he was also casting anxious glances at the overcast. She and Andrew were helped out and then used their good arms to assist in lifting out the badly wounded Ranger. Feeling the man’s clammy flesh made Tina nauseous again and she quickly sat down.
It was obvious the man was in urgent need of medical aid as blood was trickling out of his mouth and his pulse was all but gone. ‘What a dreadful shame!’ Tina thought. The man looked to be only in his twenties and she judged him to be quite handsome.
Petty Officer Evans then backed the safety boat out and headed back along the lake to rejoin the canoes –‘In case they need a motor boat.’
Being left lying on the wet gravel beside the boat ramp with just Andrew, the wounded Ranger and Sub Lt Mullion got Tina all anxious again. ‘What if those men come here?’ she wondered. All the while she became sicker and sicker, her own wounds throbbing and a headache growing by the minute.
To her great relief Lt Ryan returned five minutes later with his station wagon. He reversed this down to where they waited and then quickly climbed out and opened up the back. Tina saw this was now empty of its usual clutter of camping and sailing equipment. He gestured to the back. “Let’s lift this fellow in out of the weather,” he said.
Despite feeling nauseous Tina stood up and helped, being told to hold the man’s ankles. As they lifted the wounded Ranger gently into the vehicle Andrew asked, “Are the ambulance on their way sir?”
“I’ve been on to the police and the emergency services. They are sending a helicopter from Cairns and said a policeman was on his way from Ravenshoe.”
“But that will take half an hour at least!” Sub Lt Mullion cried.
Lt Ryan nodded. “A bit less I hope,” he replied. He checked his watch. “It is now about twenty minutes since I first contacted them.” He then turned his attention to making the wounded ranger comfortable. That done he climbed in to the driver’s seat. “Walk up to the car park. That is where the helicopter will land,” he said.
Andrew glanced upwards. “If it can,” he added gloomily. He then held out is arm to Tina. “Lean on me if you need to,” he said.
Despite her dizziness and dread Tina felt a thrill of happiness. ‘He is so thoughtful!’ she told herself. Helped by Sub Lt Mullion she and Andrew made their way up the track the hundred paces to the large flat clearing which was a combined camping ground and car park. This was just a clearing in the forest with no facilities. Apart from the cars and mini-bus of the staff the place was deserted.
Then all they could do was wait, anxiously monitoring the wounded Ranger’s steadily failing vital signs and watching the cloud thicken overhead.
First to arrive, after about half an hour, was a uniformed police sergeant who had driven from Ravenshoe. Seeing the car with its red and blue lights was an enormous relief to Tina and she sobbed with emotion. Next was an ambulance a few minutes later. That made her even more relieved. Two paramedics set to work on the wounded Ranger with obvious professional competence.
To Tina’s surprise they did not put the wounded Ranger straight into the ambulance and set off. That got her all worried till she heard that they were waiting for a rescue helicopter to come from Cairns. While they waited the ambulance man inspected her wounds and then Andrew’s. As Sub Lt Mullion suggested she had to slip her shirt off, but she was able to turn her back on the males and only slid it down enough to expose her shoulder blades.
The ambulance officer studied what had been done and decided it was satisfactory. “That looks fine,” he said. “I’ll leave it as it is.”
He then moved to talk on the radio in his ambulance. To Tina’s relief she heard him talking to the rescue helicopter but it was another five nail-biting minutes before it arrived overhead. There was then a few anxious moments while the helicopter descended slowly through the layer of cloud. Tina saw that this was not as thick as she had thought. But it was still enough to wet her with another sprinkle of drizzle and that set her shivering again.
As soon as the helicopter was on the ground there were a few minutes of rapid work by the adults to transfer the wounded Ranger to it before it lifted off and headed for Cairns. Only then did Tina really begin to relax.
As she was led towards the waiting ambulance she asked the policeman if he had seen a brown 4WD towing a boat. He shook his head but took note of the details. She was then ushered in to sit beside Andrew in the back of the ambulance. She liked that and gave him a shy smile, dearly wishing she could hug him and have him hold her. Instead he chattered away to the paramedics about the adventure.
Sub Lt Mullion got in as well and the ambulance set off. Tina did not enjoy the drive. Because there were no windows and as the road had so many curves she quickly became car-sick. Only by lying down did she manage to control her now empty stomach but it was an unpleasant trip. It took nearly and hour and a half as the nearest properly equipped hospital was in Atherton.
On arrival at the hospital she and Andrew were helped inside and taken straight in to be seen by a doctor. Andrew was judged to be the more seriously hurt so went in first. Tina was seated in a waiting room and a no-nonsense Sister took her details. By then Tina knew her parents had been notified and Sub Lt Mullion informed her they were on their way.
They had not arrived by the time Tina was taken in to the doctor. By then she was feeling feverish and exhausted. The doctor was a nice young man and that got her all anxious about her modesty again. He insisted she take off her shirt but as the Sister was there to help and gave her a slip-on gown to wear on her front Tina was quickly set at ease. The doctor then gave her a needle. This was local anaesthetic and caused her left shoulder to go numb.
Half an hour later the doctor had extracted the four shotgun pellets and placed them in a small plastic container. “Birdshot,” he said, “If it had been larger pellets you could have been seriously injured, or killed.”
After being helped on with her shirt by the Sister Tina was taken out to the waiting room. Waiting for her were her parents and her little brother Garth. There were tears and hugs from her mother and anxious smiles from her father, who then embarrassed her by handing her teddy bear to her. Tina blushed as she tucked the big brown bear under her arm but no-one else seemed to be concerned.
“Is Andrew alright?” she asked Sub Lt Mullion as soon as the introductions were over.
“Yes, but they are keeping him in overnight for observation because of the head wound,” Sub Lt Mullion replied.
“Who is Andrew?” Tina’s mum asked.
Tina blushed and mumbled. Sub Lt Mullion answered for her, “The boy who was with Tina in the canoe. She thinks he is just wonderful.”
Now Tina flamed with embarrassment and she hotly denied this, all the while conscious of her little brother’s teasing smirk and her mother’s knowing smile. “It’s not like that!” she insisted. “Now, can we go home please?”
“The police want to interview you first,” Sub Lt Mullion said. “That is if you feel up to it.”
Tina nodded. Better to get it over with, even though she really felt drained and just wanted to sleep. So the next hour was spent at the Atherton police station answering questions and making a statement. Before she left she asked if the wounded ranger was safe and was immensely relieved to learn that he had reached Cairns
alive and was being operated on.
“His condition is very serious but the hospital is hopeful,” the policeman said.
Then it was home to Cairns. Using her bear as a pillow Tina slept most of the way. The drive took a bit over an hour and she was sick and feverish when woken on arrival at her home. Despite this she did not go immediately to bed. First she ruffled the ears of ‘Puddles’, the family dog, a yappy little Wire-haired Terrier. Then she made her way through to the back yard to where her pet cockatoo was kept in a large aviary.
As soon as the cockatoo saw her it fluffed up its crest and began to squawk. That made Tina feel instantly better. She went up to the wire mesh and poked a finger through.
“Hello ‘Beaky’. Are you glad to see me? I’m very glad to see you,” she said.
The cockatoo bobbed up and down and squawked loudly, then gently nibbled at her finger. Pleased at the bird’s display of affection Tina leaned closer and put the fingers of her other hand through to lightly stroke the feathers of his neck. “Good bird!” she cooed. Then she tugged backwards. “Oh, naughty bird!”
That was because Beaky had leaned across and seized the fluffy left ear of her brown teddy bear. The bird latched on and began to worry the ear. Tina pulled the bear free and waggled her finger at the cockatoo, who screeched his displeasure.
“Oh, naughty Beaky! Are you jealous?” Tina said. Then she had to laugh at the cockatoo’s reaction. To settle him down she offered him a cracker from the packet on the nearby table. Mollified, the cockatoo began crunching the biscuit into pieces. As he nibbled and gulped at the crumbs Tina again stroked his neck feathers, this time making sure to keep Brown Bear safely out of sight behind her back.
Satisfied her pet was safe Tina went back inside and was immediately ordered to bed by her mother. This time she did not resist. Within ten minutes she was securely tucked between the sheets, her bear snuggled against her left side. Her mother sat with her and gently stroked her hair while she relaxed. Then reaction set in and with it bouts of tears and shivering.
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