Chapter Two – Shattered Emotions

"Nick!" Annie hollered out.

The young nurse frowned as there was no reply. She glanced around the office and storage compartment, both where empty. With a sigh she walked around the car on the lift and bent down to see if he was beneath but had no luck in finding him. Annie bit her lower lips in frustration, silently wondering where he'd got to. She walked out the back and hollered again. "Nick!"

"Looking for me?" he asked softly and amusedly watched her jerk around at the sound of his voice.

"Don't scare me like that," she admonished with a tight smile.

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I was looking for you earlier."

"That's why I'm here, silly. Clare told me," Annie explained. "What have you got? A carburetor that needs to be fixed?"

He snorted. "You make it sound like it's the most boring thing in the world," he said.

"Isn't it?" she teased him lightly as she crinkled her nose.

"Actually, I was thinking perhaps you'd like to take a ride with me later on?" he said hopefully. "Sam and Emma promised I could take a ride anytime since I take care of the garage for them."

Annie frowned in confusion. "Did they leave everything behind when they left?" she asked curiously.

"It's a little complicated to take two outback horses to Sydney don't you think?" he offered. "They're back at the old place with Wallie and Alice who bought the place. They're an old and nice couple. You'd like them."

"Okay, you've talked me into it," she said lightly.

"Good. We'll have to leave soon because it's a two hour drive there," he replied casually.

"Nick!" Annie protested. "I'm on duty for another two hours."

OOOOOO

"And I think it's outrageous," an older woman said dryly. "I mean a woman in her age should now better."

Vic sighed as he moved over to where his wife stood behind the counter and listened to a few old ladies gossiping. "Excuse me," he said politely as he moved over to tap a beer.

"That poor baby," another one of the women said.

Vic leaned in to whisper in Nancy's ear. "Don't they have anything better to do?" he muttered.

She plastered smile on her face as the women turned toward her. "They're paying customers Vic," she replied in a subdued voice. "Let them ventilate their opinions for a while."

Vic huffed. "Why don't you tell them to shut up and drink what's in their glasses instead and then do something useful with their lives," he drawled.

"Pardon me?" one of them women asked in offence.

"He was just talking about the weather, dear," Nancy assured her sweetly. "You've barely touched your drinks, didn't you like them?"

OOOOOO

Jeremy Rodgers stretched lazily in the chair next to the RFDS pilot and glanced at the clear blue sky. "You know, when I was young," he began and then snorted amusedly. "You can't picture me ever being young, can you?"

Gerry shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. The old man was growing on him. "Could it have been during the war?" he guessed.

Jeremy harrumphed. "Nah, sunny. It goes even further back," he admitted with a toothy grin. "I haven't been telling a lot of people this but I flew bombers."

Gerry instantly turned serious at the dark edge to the old man's voice.

Jeremy got something hard and cold in his eyes as he went on. "It was a horrible job, killing innocent civilians, but of course the military called it a necessary sacrifice, casualties of war, collateral damage, you name it," he explained wearily.

Gerry followed his gaze toward the horizon.

"When it was over I didn't know what to do with myself. I was a lost soul back then. I didn't own much so I took my bag and went out to hitch hike across the country in order to try and gain perspective on life. Then John Hodges father, Ben, took me under his wings and offered me a job as a ranch hand and station manager. I've been here since then," he explained sadly. "I've come to terms with the blood on my hands."

"Have you never regretted laying off flying?" Gerry asked carefully.

"Of course I have, son. I've packed my bag occasionally but every time I was about to leave this tranquil place my gut failed me. I've been treated well here and had anything I've ever wanted. Except for the freedom of flying," Jeremy answered as he turned to fix the pilot with his deep brown eyes.

Gerry made a face and glanced around the immediate surroundings. It was a nice farm, kids where running around playing before them while ranch hands worked cattle at a small distance. It seemed to be an idyllic place to be yet dull at the same time.

"Pardon me for saying so, son. But you don't look like someone that's received the certificate through the military," he stated curiously.

Gerry sighed. "No, I am afraid the requirements for being able to fly the doctors and their patients are a bit different from the single or dual engine fighter jets," he explained curtly.

Jeremy nodded sheepishly. "Of course, my mistake," he said apologetically. "You have one of those-" he trailed off, looking thoughtful for a moment as if searching his memory. "Commercial Pilot's License."

The RFDS pilot nodded and smirked. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to take on passengers. And what good would it do just to fly the doc's around without being able to pick up the poor patients."

Jeremy suddenly laughed. "People call you a glorified bus driver at times don't they?" he asked amusedly. "I know for a fact that it takes a lot more to get certified for flying than for bus driving."

Gerry shook his head. "I use to think they are jealous," he let on. "Simply put, to obtain a CPL you must have at least 250 flying hours under your belt in total. 100 hours must be as a pilot in command. In addition you must hold an instrument rating to be able to fly in bad weather without visual sighting. Then, out here, you'll need bush strip education and emergency maneuver training."

Jeremy gave a low whistle. "How old are you, son?" he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "By the sound of that you must be at least thirty."

"Add another year or so," the pilot suggested.

"It would be nice to see the sky up close one more time before turning six feet under," the old man pondered somberly.

Gerry shrugged. "I think that can be arranged. Why don't you head back to Cooper's Crossing with us, for a medical checkup or something? You can sit up front with me," he suggested cunningly.

Jeremy grinned. "You're a clever man," he said approvingly as he got out of the chair and motioned for the pilot to follow him. "Come on, there is something you should see."

OOOOOO

Walking across the main street on her way to the hospital Annie briefly wondered whom she could trade her next shift with so that she could go out to the Patterson Property with Nick. It wasn't as easy as Nick thought to swap places. First of all, Annie was employed by the RFDS and therefore a flying nurse. There was a lot of scheduled clinics and educational tours planned for the next few days. Trips that the nursing staff at the hospital didn't participate in. Luckily she had no commitments outside the hospital the next day so she might be able to solve the problem anyway but that meant she had to be back at least till noon in order to prepare for the flight the day after tomorrow. Smiling brightly she entered the hospital building and set course for the nurse's station.

"You look awfully cheerful," David said as he glanced up from a file he'd been studying.

"Been planning a little trip," she let on enigmatically.

"You too?" he asked.

"Sorry?" she asked in confusion.

"I'm going away to climb a mountain this weekend," he explained.

Annie shuddered. "Sounds like a suicidal trip," she replied.

He chuckled. "Where is your sense of adventure?" he asked.

"Must have lost it somewhere?" she returned cheekily.

"By the way, shouldn't you be preparing for radio school?" he wondered aloud.

"What?" she asked and then groaned as realization hit her. "No, don't tell me that was tomorrow morning?"

David nodded amusedly. "Would that spoil you plans?"

"Something like that," she muttered.

OOOOOO

Gerry let his eyes wander over the old and dilapidated barn and hesitated at the doorstep. "Look, Jeremy. Are you sure this is such a good idea?" he asked cautiously. "This place looks like it's coming apart anytime."

The station hand snorted. "Nonsense, I keep my tools here. It's my own sanctuary, my workshop. It's all right as long as you don't go upstairs," he said confidently. "That old floor structure is made up of rotten logs."

The pilot hesitated and made a face as he followed the old man through the door.

Jeremy proudly walked up to a workbench and picked up a small model of a homemade aircraft, crafted in steel.

Gerry nodded in appreciation. "Not bad," he mused as he took it in his hand.

"Not bad?" the station hand echoed as he cocked an eyebrow. "It's brilliant."

"Have you ever considered selling it?" the pilot enquired curiously.

He chuckled ironically. "In the beginning, but when I asked John about it he asked who in their right mind would buy this piece of junk."

Gerry frowned and gently put it down on the bench, his eyes trailing the room. "What is all this stuff?" he asked.

"Some of them are my own inventions," Jeremy let on with a grin and walked over to what looked like a large spiky wheel. "This is an old cultivator that I've made some modifications too. Works wonders in the garden."

The pilot chuckled at old man's enthusiasm.

Then suddenly several children rushed in to play hide and seek. They shouted and laughed at each other as they ran around the station hand and the pilot.

"Hey!" Jeremy shouted sternly. "I've told you, you're not allowed to be here."

"Get lost grandpa," one of the older boys replied cheekily as they ran the old stair and up to the hayloft.

Jeremy shook his head in exasperation. "Kids nowadays, nothing but small monsters," he mumbled.

Gerry bit his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud.

The old man angrily began to walk toward the stair. "Get down from there you lot!"

"Why don't you come and make us!" A child's voice taunted him from above.

"I'll take care of it," the oldest son of the Maple Hodges said with certainty as he appeared in the doorway and rushed up the stairs.

Gerry glanced upwards forebodingly as he heard a crackle. He yanked the old man by the elbow. "Come on, we better get out of here before it's-" The pilot never had time to finish the sentence as the floor above them gave away.

OOOOOO

To be continued