Chapter Four – Uncertainty

Emma walked up to stand next to the fence at the large pasture and watched over the barren landscape. The recent drought had paid no mercy and had left little as a grow ground. There was nothing except for a few strands of grass for the animals to eat. Several horses stood in a cluster under a lone tree, hiding from the sun, eyeing her wearily. Emma glanced around until her eyes caught sight of the paint horse she used to ride. He lifted his head and steadied his gaze at her as if to greet her. Emma's mouth twitched and her lips curled upwards in a dazzling smile as she remembered the day Sam had finally managed to teach her to ride.

When he'd pulled her close something had sparked in her and, at first, it had surprised her but then the more time she spent with Sam the more she liked him. They were just mates of course. She wasn't to fall for the handsome pilot; at least that was what she'd been telling herself. She loved his company though. However, after what happened on the flight back home from Webster's clinic she slowly realized it wasn't just friendship between them. When Sam in his delirium had told her he'd always loved her from the first time he'd seen her she thought her heart would break. She had told him she loved him too and she'd meant it. Because the truth was that she was starting to do just that even though she'd done the best she could to deny it.

Emma was confused as she stood there alone outside the pasture. She'd always been an independent woman, always done what had been on her mind and she was stubborn to a fault. To become a mechanic had been a lot of fun, given her a lot of friends and a lot of admiration from the guys. She had had to work hard to prove to some that she was a capable mechanic and that she could do a good job despite the fact that she was a woman, and a pretty woman at that, but she'd made it. Of a sort she was somewhat of a pioneer in the business, at least outside the city.

Emma had enjoyed life, it had been simple and fun. She'd enjoyed innocent flirting and loved the attention the title 'Queen of the Outback' had brought her. Unfortunately, in the middle of things, she'd lost a very good friend in Dave and had been temporarily forced to realize that life is precious. However, sometimes the memory is short and things settle back in normal routine quickly. She and Violet had only to come home from England before she met another half-crazy pilot full of life and mischief.

Sam Patterson was kind and, of course, she had to admit that he didn't look all that bad either. He always seemed close to a laugh or a joke but she never felt any real attraction to him in the beginning. He wasn't like the other guys around. He had a solid education, he didn't impose himself on her or wanted to have her for a night just to brag to his friends. Over a short period of time the young pilot became one of her best friends.

She remembered when some of her female friends had started talking about the guys in town on a girl's night out and when his name came up she'd actually been upset that they wanted to kiss him and touch him, to feel his lean muscles under that sexy uniform. It stirred something up inside her to hear that. He wasn't theirs to have, Sam was hers. That thought had both shocked and upset her for the rest of the night. Because Emma Plimpton wasn't going to fall for a man, not for anyone. She didn't need one.

A low neigh brought her out of her musings and she glanced up to see King's Drover walk slowly toward her. His ears carefully turned forward in curiosity and his eyes twinkled as he stopped in front of her on the other side of the fence and gently sniffed at her hair.

She smiled at him and reached out with her hand to gently scratch him behind his ear. "Hi boy," Emma said kindly. "I'm sure your master would have loved to come and see you."

OOOOOO

Geoff sighed and then let out a large yawn as he shrugged into his doctor's coat to start the evening's ward round.

An older nurse greeted him warmly as she appeared at the nurses' station. "Good evening Doctor Standish."

"Hello Alice," he replied with a smile of his own. "Haven't I worked long and hard enough around here yet?"

She raised an impeccable eyebrow in wonder at him, waiting for him to explain further.

"Why don't you call me Geoff?" he suggested.

"Oh," she said softly. "Frank would never have approved of such things. The doctor was above everyone else."

He glanced at her seriously yet with a smirk. "I don't know Sr. Hampton. I've heard you mastered him pretty well at times," he said lightly.

She laughed.

"We do see each other every day. And as the head nurse you also work for the RFDS in some ways. You're responsible for coordinating between the local hospital and our base," he reasoned. "We work in a team."

"It's not every District Hospital that have the RFDS next door and can benefit from their resources," she admitted. "I have been meaning to ask you, since you're in charge of the base, RFDS don't usually run hospitals. I thought there would be someone to take over Frank's position."

Geoff shrugged. "As long as we can have a full complement of nurses and junior doctor's in training on location and Doctor Bakersfield on stand-by if both Doctor Randall and I have to go elsewhere-" he trailed off and shrugged . "I don't see the point of taking in another contractor."

Alice laughed softly. "John Bakersfield, he's an old charmer but he doesn't do much. Henry Sinclair had a few words to say about him. Besides, there'll come a day in the near future when he will be forced to retire," she pointed out.

"What happens then I don't know," Geoff reasoned. "We might expand our service. We could use a pair of extra hands. Another doctor and perhaps a nurse."

"Right now I understand you need a pilot?" she stated innocently.

The doctor sighed and nodded. "Yes, my colleagues have all deserted me at the moment, one way or the other," he mused darkly.

Alice gently patted his back. "I'm sure they'll get back. As for your pilot, he would probably like some peace and quiet. I swear the whole village has been to see him and then some. He's a very popular guy. We've had to tell many of them to leave and let him rest."

Geoff raised his eyebrows. "Tell that to George Baxter," he replied. "I'm weary of that man. I fear he might be up to something."

"Shall we set our troubles aside and do the rounds?" Alice asked jovially.

"A wonderful suggestion, sister," he said as they began to walk toward the ward. "Then maybe there is a chance of undisturbed sleep."

Alice smiled, the crow sparks around her eyes becoming visible as she did so. It was the only thing that gave away her age. "I sincerely hope this night will be less eventful than the last," she added.

OOOOOO

Zoe Buchanan got up late and lazily stretched. It had been a long time since she'd let herself sleep in. She felt renewed and eager to start the day. The weather was pleasant and the landscape beautiful outside the window. She suddenly got eager to get out and bring her camera. She hastily walked through the house and back into her room to retrieve the expensive gadget from her backpack but as she unpacked it she hesitated. The camera had been a present from her mother and it brought back unpleasant memories for her, memories that she didn't want to deal with at the moment.

Zoe forced herself to look away from the shining gadget and let out a shaky breath as she left the room and the camera behind. She quickly made breakfast and smiled at the handwritten note Chris had left her on the kitchen table. 'Be back as soon as I can tomorrow. Look after the house for me and have DJ give me a call if you need to talk. There's food in the refrigerator and money in the cookie jar if you feel like going to Vic and Nancy. Don't stay up all night. See you soon.'

The young woman broke into a grin and then gave the letter a mock salute. "When is she going to stop worrying and realize that I'm capable of taking care of myself?" she mumbled.

She had to admit that she'd been surprised when Chris had agreed that she could manage alone for one night while she and Kate was out at the Warara Station. Then she'd come to enjoy the thought of being able to show Chris how exemplary she could be. The doctor never had time to tidy the house and that's why Zoe had decided to start doing just that and surprise her.

After a steady breakfast she rummaged through the LP's until she found a familiar track and put it on the player. She fiddled with the volume and broke into a grin as she cranked up the sound to, as Jack would say, intolerable levels. Swift and effective she mopped the floors, dusted the carpets and did the dishes. Pleased with herself and her work she moved on to dust off the shelves and sideboards. She accidentally knocked over a vase and caused a domino effect in one of the bookshelves and sighed in exasperation as one of the larger albums that Chris kept there fell to the floor.

Zoe went to pick it up but as she was about to put it back she hesitated as curiosity got the better of her. She took it with her to the sofa and sat down to open it. Chris was smiling broadly at her from the first picture, she looked so happy. Next to her stood a tall and dark-haired handsome man with his arm draped around her shoulders. It was with an ounce of jealousy that Zoe came to wonder who he was. The man appeared on several of the photos in the album but not once was his name given. Then came a picture of a tall man in a pilot's uniform with a mischievous look in his eyes and at his feet sat a large dog. Again there was no name, no nothing, causing Zoe to frown before remembering Violet Carnegie's words from the day before. 'You weren't here then but the Royal Flying Doctor Station has had its share of personal tragedies,' she had said.

'Who were these people and what had happened to them?' Zoe mused curiously and then broke into a smile as she turned the page to see a picture taken of Chris, Emma and Kate dressed up in costumes for a parade of some kind. All three of them were smiling happily into the camera. Then there was a promotion picture taken of DJ, Sam, Geoff, Kate and Chris on a charity event for the RFDS. Again all of them were laughing. DJ posed as a patient while Sam and Geoff carried the stretcher with Kate standing next to it holding a stethoscope and Chris a soft Koala bear with googles. Zoe found herself shaking her head with a smile on her lips as she got up from the sofa and gently returned the album to its given place on the shelf.

Feeling pleased with her work she threw the swab in the broom closet, washed her hands and made to turn off the music. As she reached down to put the stereo off a small envelope caught her interest. She frowned wondering why she hadn't seen it before and shrugged as she reasoned it must have fallen from the stash of newspapers and magazines on the bureau.

Zoe wasn't to pry but as she scooped it up a small part of a picture became visible and she suddenly felt her blood run cold as she recognized the man from an old picture her mother had kept. Angered and disappointed she reached into the envelope to retrieve the picture and the following letter. Her mood darkened for every word she read.

OOOOOO

"It's going to be so wonderful to get back home," Kate said gratefully as she let out a sigh of relief slipping into the driver's seat of the car.

Chris smiled at the young children who stood waving happily under a shelter. "I never thought it would end," she admitted.

"And now for the best part," Kate said sarcastically as she pulled into the first gear. "Our journey back to Crossing."

Chris moaned as she let her head fall back against the head rest. "I miss the Nomad," she said miserably.

"I miss Sam," Kate said and then chuckled. "That flying cowboy."

"He'll be fine but he won't be able to fly for a while and I'd go crazy using the car for a month or two," Chris returned seriously.

"We have to get someone soon," Kate mused. "Can't we have Debbie O'Brien? She is a good pilot."

Chris made a face. "She's a woman," she replied ironically.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Kate asked in annoyance.

"I don't know but Sam's got problems with Baxter and that's because he's too young for George's liking so add the part of being female and there will be trouble," Chris said ironically. "Knowing him he is going to claim women can't do the hard work of a RFDS pilot."

Kate snorted. "Maybe we can get our flying postman to take the Nomad out for a spin?" She suggested.

Chris laughed. "Old Frankie boy doesn't know what to do with an aircraft with two engines and he's probably going to complain about the working hours."

"Fine, I give up," Kate replied with shrug of her shoulders.

Chris reached forward to open the window to get some fresh air, perspiration already prickling her skin. "How long till we reach home?"

Kate tilted her head smugly. "Only eight hours."

OOOOOO

George Baxter looked up from the file he'd been studying intently for the last ten minutes and smirked. Captain Sam Patterson was a good pilot, he'd learned that over the last couple of months but the man was young and unafraid to voice what was on his mind when he felt the need to do so and that didn't sit well with George. He wasn't as obnoxious as the former regular RFDS pilot though.

Sam Patterson had returned to his roots and seemed happy about it but George wasn't pleased at all. He got almost no information about the RFDS base nowadays and the doctors were weary of him. He needed to get someone in there, someone he could trust. It would be good for his political ambitions.

There had been a time when he'd enjoyed Sr. Kate Wellings company and she'd told him bits and pieces about the regular day work carried out over at the base but she no longer sought his company. Doctor Frank Turner had long since retired from the hospital but even when he was in charge of the district hospital he wasn't much of a gossiper when it came to the RFDS.

He'd tried to do his lover a favor by getting her son to temporary take over the job as a radio operator, thinking he might get information that way. Information that he could use for his own purpose and interests but that plan had backfired as the man had been unable to carry out the job. He had had no choice but to let the annoying Greek return to his duties.

George liked to meddle in other people's affairs, to show off and give the impression that he ran the community but after the last fiasco with Barry at the radio he was more cautious before he took action. Fortunately, as a local politician and a large contributor to the service, his word still carried some weight to the committee of the RFDS and he intended to use that to his advantage. He needed Sam Patterson out from the local RFDS base before they granted him his permanency and replace him by a seasoned pilot that had no qualms about reporting to him about the daily work done by the service. Come to think about it he needed to replace Standish at the first opportunity as well.

There was a knock on his office door and he curiously leaned back in his chair as he hollered that it was open.

Sgt. Jack Carruthers popped his head in. "Good day George. You wanted to see me?" he said.

The politician nodded. "Yes, I want you to drive out to my lovely neighbor and tell him to get his hands off my sheep," he said sourly.

"Come on now George," Jack complained. "I've got better things to do than to get into your quarrels."

"What are the police for if not to clear up the thefts around here?" he asked sarcastically.

"What are you on about George? The Jensen's are good people. Why would they be interested in stealing from you?"

"Because they've lost a lot of their herd lately due to the heat and I have a feeling they're replacing them by taking some of mine," he returned suspiciously.

"Well if they are that's probably because you fenced in the water next to their property where they usually let their sheep drink," he said dryly. "But all right. I'll drive out there and have a word with them."

"Good, Jack," George said smugly. "I knew I could trust you. When you see the-"

"I'm not your errand boy, George," Jack interrupted unamused as he turned to leave.

The policeman walked over to his car in dismay. He was weary of Baxter, always looking over his shoulder not knowing what the politician decided to throw at him. The worst thing was that George had connections in high places that could complicate things if he wasn't careful. Jack hated to be played as a marionette or to hear that a matter would be discussed directly with his superiors in Broken Hill.

The poor Jensen family did their best to try and survive out there. They didn't need Baxter to accuse them of stealing, they had enough on their plate as it was. The same thing with Anne Wilson who refused to leave her old and run down farm to the west of George's vast property. Rumors had it that George went up there from time to time offering her a disgracing amount of money for it.

It was with a sinking feeling he suddenly remembered DJ's words and briefly wondered if there was any truth to the statement. That George would use his contacts within the committee to put pressure on the RFDS and try to get one of his pilot friends employed in Crossing. The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed to him now. He hoped Sam would be able to get back on his feet soon and retake his position before George butted in. At least if Sam was back at work and continued to perform his duties flawlessly there would be nothing Baxter could possibly do to stop him from becoming a permanent pilot for the RFDS.

Jack shook his head as he pulled the car into first gear. He wouldn't be surprised if George would try and remove him too if he got injured and unable to do his job. He had no illusions that George wouldn't jump at the chance to get a more lenient officer at the little town office. Fortunately so far you couldn't buy the police.

OOOOOO

To be continued

/Thank you for reading and reviewing the last chapter ;)