by Janet Gover
Her heart was racing as she gathered her legs under her to climb off the obstacle. In the corner of her eye she caught movement between the logs. Instinctively she jerked away, but she wasn’t fast enough. The pain in her leg lasted only a moment then she lost her balance and fell. Her head smashed against the hard dry timber and blackness claimed her.
CHAPTER
57
Mitch’s anger dissipated as quickly as it had come. He hadn’t seen Liz since the night of that wedding at Willowbrook, but he’d thought about her a lot. He had thought—hoped—that she was softening towards him. But he was obviously wrong, and his disappointment was overshadowed by his anger at how she had responded to seeing him with Sue. All he’d done was kiss Sue’s cheek, as he would any friend. He’d ended their relationship, but Sue had taken it like the good-natured adult she was. Sue was still his friend. But Liz—Liz was quite a different proposition. And he was beginning to think he’d been a fool for hanging around all these years.
I’ve had enough. He’d spoken the words in anger and without thought, but maybe they were truer than he’d suspected. He’d told Liz that he had moved on. But had he really?
He was as much to blame for this mess as Liz was. Moving back to the Hunter Valley hadn’t helped either of them. It might be time for each of them to make some tough decisions.
But first there was the King of the Ranges.
They each needed to win their classes, and for reasons that weren’t that dissimilar. He and Liz had always been alike. That, at least, had never changed.
Still thinking about Liz, he decided to walk the cross-country course. On Saturday, he was going to have to guide his young horse over two kilometres and twenty obstacles. He wanted to get it right.
The course started behind one of the camping areas and it was easy to follow the flattened grass path created by other riders. He was glad to be walking alone. He wanted to clear his head of the turmoil Liz created every time she came near him, so he forced himself to focus on the course, on the jumps and the best way to approach them. How to guide his young horse to a good result. But try as he might, his thoughts never strayed all that far from Liz.
He was thinking about Liz and Deimos as he approached a wide jump on a slight downhill slope. It was a tough test, but he knew they were up for it—although he wasn’t so sure about his mount. Instead of climbing over the fence, he walked around and turned to look at the landing. At that moment, he heard a rustle in the long grass and caught a glimpse of an orange vest.
A few long strides brought him close enough to see the figure lying face down on the ground. He dropped to one knee and gently rolled the person over.
‘Liz!’
Her face was pale, except for the dark blood covering her forehead. Blood also stained both her clothes and the grass where she had been lying. There was a deep gash at her temple and her eyes were closed.
‘Liz?’ He gently touched her cheek. Her chest rose and fell with slow, laboured breaths.
He stood up and looked around. There was no one else to be seen. He automatically reached for his pocket, but then stopped. He didn’t carry a mobile phone most of the time when he was riding, and hadn’t thought to grab it before he left the campsite. It was quite likely there’d be no signal here anyway. He dropped back to his knees beside Liz.
Blood was seeping from her head wound. She must have hit her head as she fell, but that didn’t account for the state she was in. A terrible thought struck Mitch. Careful not to move her, he pushed her jeans up her legs as far as they would go.
There it was. The small red wounds might have been mistaken for scratches, but Mitch knew better. He’d seen a snake bite before. Liz’s leg had several livid red marks surrounded by a smear of drying blood. The snake had bitten her more than once. Only king brown snakes were that aggressive, and if it was a brown then that was a lot of venom. If help didn’t come soon, a bite from a king brown would be fatal.
Mitch heard voices and leaped to his feet. Two people were approaching the jump.
‘Hey!’ He waved an arm to attract their attention. ‘Have either of you got a phone?’
One of the men reached into his pocket. He looked at the phone for a few seconds and shook his head. ‘No signal.’
Damn! On the ground, Liz stirred. Mitch crouched beside her, holding her leg steady. She mustn’t move it.
‘Jesus! What happened?’ The two men had reached them.
‘Snake,’ Mitch said.
‘You need a tourniquet. And a knife.’
Mitch knew better than that. He shook his head. ‘No way. I need one of you to go get help. And I need to immobilise this leg. I need a couple of branches to make a splint and a pressure bandage.’ He glanced up. ‘You—that T-shirt will help. I need it now.’
‘Sure.’ The man removed the shirt while his companion set off at a run.
Mitch folded the T-shirt into a thick pad, which he placed gently over the bites, then began pushing down firmly. He had no way of knowing how long it was since Liz had been bitten, but every moment counted.
Liz moved her head and moaned softly.
‘Liz, hang in there. Help’s on the way. Stay with me, Lizzie.’ He would have held her in his arms if he could, but he had to keep her leg steady and keep pressure on the wound.
‘Will these do?’ His helper had found two reasonably straight branches.
‘Good.’ Mitch removed his shirt. ‘Now tear my shirt into strips so we can tie this on.’
They were just finishing the makeshift splint when they saw a four-wheel-drive ute making its way across the paddock. An ambulance officer leaped out and raced over. He took one look at Liz and grabbed a radio at his belt.
‘Woman, age about thirty. Left leg. Multiple snake bites in the calf. I’m bringing her in now. Alert the hospital.’ He turned to Mitch. ‘You did the splint?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good job. Did you see what sort of snake it was?’
‘No. It was gone before I got here. But from the look of the bites I’d guess a king brown.’
‘Okay. Let’s get her in the back. Carefully now. We need to keep her as immobile as possible.’
Mitch could not have been more gentle had Liz been made of eggshells. The other men dropped the tailgate of the ute and Mitch gently laid Liz flat on the edge of the tray. The ambulance officer leaped into the back of the ute and took her shoulders, gently pulling her further in as Mitch guided the splinted leg onto the hard metal surface. The ambulance driver laid Liz down, and then banged his hand on the roof of the cab. The ute drove away, leaving Mitch standing alone in the middle of the paddock.
CHAPTER
58
‘Now what?’
Kayla put down her coffee and reached for the phone. It had been a hectic day and she desperately needed a moment of peace and quiet. But it appeared that the brides of Sydney could not manage so much as fifteen minutes without calling on her for something critically important, like querying the colour of the napkins they had chosen or to ask again if 2016 was really the best year for the Hunter Valley cabernet sauvignon. At this moment, she longed for the peace and quiet of Willowbrook.
‘Hello. Elite Weddings.’ She sounded annoyed, but that was nothing compared to the way some of her bridezillas sounded at times.
‘Kayla? Is that you?’
‘Mitch?’
‘Yeah. Look, I’m sorry to do it like this—’
‘Do what? Mitch, what’s wrong?’
‘It’s Liz. She’s been bitten by a snake.’
Kayla’s hand clenched around the phone, and her heart began to beat a little faster. ‘Is she …?’
‘She’s in an ambulance now, on her way to Tamworth Hospital.’
‘What happened?’
Kayla listened as Mitch relayed what he knew. She had been so caught up in her work, she had forgotten that this weekend was the King of the Ranges competition.
‘People recover from snake bites all the time. She is goin
g to be all right, Mitch, isn’t she?’
There was a silence at the other end of the line.
‘Mitch?’
‘To be honest, Kayla, I don’t know. I think she had been out there a while before I found her.’
Kayla knew what that meant.
‘And she must have hit her head on the jump as she fell. It didn’t look good.’
‘All right. I’m on my way. Where are you?’
‘I’m still in Murrurundi. At the showgrounds.’
‘I’m on my way,’ Kayla said.
‘Don’t worry about Willowbrook, or the horses. I’ll take care of all of that. You just go straight to the hospital.’
‘Thanks, Mitch.’
‘And when you see her, tell her …’
Kayla waited for him to continue. But he didn’t. For the thousandth time she wondered what had happened to tear Mitch and Liz apart. It was obvious they still cared deeply for each other.
‘I will. I’ll see you soon.’ She hung up.
Across the room, Pascale was looking at her, concern evident in her face. ‘What’s wrong?’
Kayla struggled to tell her, as if it wasn’t real until she spoke the words out loud.
‘Go,’ Pascale said, coming out from behind her desk. ‘I’ve got everything at this end. Just go.’
Kayla gave her a brief hug and then hurried from the office.
She didn’t bother going back to her flat. She had everything she needed for a couple of days stored at Willowbrook. And she would only be there a couple of days. Because after that, Liz would be home.
She would be all right.
During the past few months, Kayla had become accustomed to driving from Sydney to Scone. Once she got out of the city traffic, she quite enjoyed the drive. It gave her time to think. But today the last thing she needed was time to think.
Every child growing up in the bush knows about snakes. As far back as she could remember, her father had taught her to be careful. Her mind filled with images of scaly creatures slithering through the long grass or emerging from the feed shed. She remembered watching one of her father’s dogs confront a brown snake. Far from trying to escape the dog, the snake had struck at it again and again. She remembered the dog’s pain-filled cries and the fear in Kath’s voice as she had yelled at her daughters to stay away. Kayla now knew that killing the snake was illegal, but she was glad Sam had done it. Watching the poor dog die had haunted her. For weeks afterwards she had woken in the middle of the night, her heart hammering in fear, tears on her cheeks.
Living in the city, she hadn’t even seen a snake for years, but today those memories were very, very real.
And today the drive to Scone took forever.
As she continued north along the New England Highway, she thought briefly about stopping at Murrurundi to find Mitch, but she had no idea if he was even there. He’d probably taken Liz’s horses home. It was more important for her to get to the hospital. She kept driving.
Tamworth Hospital was a sprawling collection of buildings and in the dim light of the early evening, Kayla found it difficult to read the directions on the signs. After a couple of minutes of frustration, she simply parked and dashed into the nearest building.
‘I’m looking for Elizabeth Lawson,’ Kayla said to the woman at the reception desk. ‘She was brought in by ambulance this afternoon. Snake bite.’
‘Just one moment.’
The woman started tapping on the computer in front of her. She seemed to take an age, and a couple of times paused and frowned at the screen as if she was struggling with the technology. Kayla wanted to scream with frustration and go behind the desk and look herself.
‘And you are?’
‘I’m her sister, Kayla Lawson.’
‘I see. Well, I think you need to go to the emergency ward, they can help you.’
‘How do I get there?’
The woman in the emergency ward reception wasn’t more helpful.
‘Please take a seat in the family room.’ She indicated a door. ‘The doctor will be with you shortly.’
As she paced the small, pale green room that smelled strongly of disinfectant, Kayla began to wonder about the definition of ‘shortly’.
At last a doctor appeared. ‘Miss Lawson?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m Doctor Marsh. I’ve been treating your sister since she arrived this afternoon.’
Those words brought a rush of relief. At least her sister was still alive.
‘How is she?’
‘She was bitten three times by an eastern brown snake. There was a lot of venom. It also appears she suffered a fall. She has a nasty head wound, although we are more concerned about the snake attack.’
‘But you’ve given her anti-venom?’
‘We have, but it was quite a long time before she got to us. We need to keep a close eye on her for at least another day or two.’
‘She’s going to be fine, right?’
‘I hope so. It’s rare for people to die of snake bite. She was very lucky. Whoever found her didn’t try anything stupid like opening the wound or a tourniquet. They did just the right thing and may even have saved her life.’
Thank you, Mitch. ‘Can I see her?’
‘She’s sedated now and sleeping, but I’ll take you to her.’
Kayla felt like she was looking at a stranger as she stood beside the bed where her sister lay. Liz had always been the strong one; she had always glowed with life and energy. Even when they had been fighting, Kayla had admired her sister’s courage and determination. Her big sister was her hero.
The woman lying on those starched white sheets looked tired and frail. She looked like a shadow of the sister Kayla had always loved and, to some extent, envied. Her face was almost as white as the sheets and a large dressing covered part of her forehead. Her hands lay still as a tube dripped into the vein on her arm. She looked helpless and hopeless and defeated. Kayla wanted to cry, seeing her like that.
Instead she pulled a chair to the side of the bed and carefully laid her hand over Liz’s.
‘Liz?’
There was no sign that her sister had heard her.
‘I’m here, Liz. I’ll look after you.’ She paused. If Liz could hear her, there was something else she needed to know.
‘Mitch is looking after the horses. He’s taking care of Willowbrook too. And he sends his love.’
CHAPTER
59
The movement at the campsite started before it was fully light. Mitch hauled himself out of his sleeping bag and rubbed his face as he reached for his phone. The screen glowed, empty of any message. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. Reception here was a bit hit and miss. Maybe Kayla didn’t have his phone number. But he knew she did. He typed a message and hit send, half in hope of the reply and half in dread.
He stretched his cramped muscles. He was beyond tired and he didn’t want to be here. More than anything, he wanted to be at the hospital in Tamworth, but that wasn’t where Liz needed him to be. Last night he had driven to Scone to check the horses at Willowbrook. For a long time he had considered just driving all the way to the hospital, but in the end he’d returned to the competition grounds and made his camp. Liz wasn’t alone. And after the things he’d said to her yesterday, she was better off without him.
The campsite was getting busier as competitors went in search of breakfast and coffee. Horses were fed and so were their riders. Mitch took care of his horses before going to Liz’s campsite. Deimos was standing in his portable yard, Zeke dozing next to him. Mitch collected feed for both horses and refilled their water buckets. He stood next to Deimos, rubbing his neck as he checked his phone for a reply from Kayla.
Still nothing.
‘That’s Liz Lawson’s horse, isn’t it?’ One of the other competitors paused as he walked past. Mitch knew him a little. He was a breeder from Victoria who competed in all the big events.
‘Yes.’
‘I heard she wa
s hurt yesterday. Snake bite.’
Mitch hid the fear that was lurking inside of him. ‘Yeah.’
‘She okay?’
‘I’m just waiting to hear.’
The man nodded. ‘She’s had a rough time of it. I heard that the old stallion died. He was a good horse. I was thinking of sending a couple of mares to him next season.’
‘This is his son,’ Mitch said. ‘I think Liz is planning to stand him next season. Top bloodline. You could do a lot worse.’ As he spoke, Mitch unbuckled the rug covering Deimos and pulled it off to give his companion a good look at the horse.
The man studied him for a bit.
‘Good-looking colt,’ he said. ‘It’s a shame he won’t be in the field today. I’d like to see him under saddle.’ The man wandered off.
Mitch ran his hand over the horse’s back. ‘Damn it,’ he muttered as he stroked the animal. ‘Liz needs this.’
Deimos started as Mitch’s phone beeped. He pulled it out and read the message.
Dr more confident. She’s still asleep. Haven’t talked to her. Will let you know when I have news.
Not the news he had feared, but also not what he had hoped for. Liz was in the best place she could be, getting the treatment she needed. There was nothing he could do to help her.
He began idly combing Deimos’s mane with his fingers. Competitions like King of the Ranges took months of training. Horse and rider had to understand each other, to work together almost without effort. It was crazy to even contemplate competing on a horse you didn’t know. A horse that didn’t know you. But he and Liz had been taught their horsemanship by the same man—Sam Lawson. They had ridden and trained together for years before the accident. And Mitch had ridden Deimos. Only once for a couple of hours, but it was better than nothing.
The colt lifted his nose from the now empty feed bucket and nudged Mitch gently.
‘What do you think?’ Mitch asked, rubbing the horse’s ear thoughtfully.