Alice's POV
As I sat down outside on the veranda at the outside table, I realised this was probably going to be the last time I sat here for a long time. It made me feel quite moved inside. So much had happened in the year and a half I'd been with Danny, and the conversation around this table had never been anything short of interesting.
As Nomsa brought a traditional South African dish to the table on the same white plates we always ate off, I looked across at Danny. He seemed remote, deep in his distant thoughts.
"Thanks Nomsa, I'm sure gonna miss this excellent cooking" I smiled.
"Not as much as we'll miss you." She replied before hurrying off. I looked down at the floor, I felt uncomfortable. I didn't want to leave Leopards Den, not for one minute. This was the only place I felt I belonged, and loved. But I had to get these thoughts out of my mind, I had to concentrate on Charlotte, at least Danny was coming with me.
We all had our final supper. The table was filled with sadness. I would miss this happy place. I would miss everyone, even Olivia, and I would miss everything that happened, even Dupe's scruffy, arrogant and forgetful ways. I would miss it all.
I was the first to finish, and after excusing myself from the table, I went and sat in our room. This was the final night I'd spend in here. I sat on my bed, looking through photo albums of me and Danny and our life we had shared together. I looked at the phone. I hadn't even told Rowan I was going. My hand crept its way to the receiver, I put in the number of Mara.
"Hello is Rowan there please?"
Apparently he was out in Jo'burg with Vanessa. I thanked the man on the other end, and threw the phone down. Well it wasn't my fault, I'll tell Rowan once we've gone, I doubt he'll care. As long as he's happy that is what matters.
My thoughts were interrupted by Danny. He came slowly through the door and sat down on the bed next to me. He looked at the photos with me, we went through them page by page of the photo album, but he put his hand on mine and stopped me going past one page. I looked at the picture in more detail. It showed me and Danny, laughing and smiling with my giraffe, the photo under it, showed me and Danny kissing, and the one on the opposite page showed me and Danny dancing together.
"I love you Alice. Remember that." He said patting my hand allowing me to turn the page. But I didn't turn the page. I threw the albums down and forced myself at him. He opened his arms and took me in a magical, passionate embrace. Our lips touched and all at once I was higher than all of this. We were soaring above the sky, lining every cloud, reaching every star. We were now led next to each other still in our thrilling and supernatural embrace.
As we kept up our perfect embrace, I knew this evening was going to be memorable. We were going to make our last few hours in Africa special. Even if it meant, we would be tired in the morning. It would be worth it. Well worth it.
(It's the next morning, after a long night of love, Danny and Alice are waking up, its the day they leave Africa.)
As I awoke, I felt Danny's strong grip holding me into his chest. I was facing him, he looked peaceful and seemed to have a slight smile on his face. I didn't know if it was a pleasant dream or me being there with him, either way, I felt mean having to wake him up.
"Wake up handsome." I said, patting his bare torso. I looked on the floor. It was a mess, yesterday's clothes were thrown everywhere. It was usually much tidier.
Danny yawned and stretched, he was not the easiest person to get up.
"Come on!" I persisted as he rolled over.
"Oright Oright. Good Morning Beautiful. Ready for the journey?"
I looked at him, no, I wasn't. I didn't want to even go on the journey. But I had no choice in the matter.
"Hmm... Come on get ready, we'll be late if we don't hurry up. I'll get changed and go get Charlotte up"
"Kiss first." Danny teased.
I giggled at him, before passionately clinching him and kissing him. He smiled at me before slowly getting up and getting ready himself. I sighed, as I looked around our room. I wondered if our room in Scotland would be quite as nice.
As I awoke Charlotte she seemed in a bizarre mood, she wasn't sad, but not happy. She seemed thoughtful, but at the same time occupied. She insisted she was perfectly fine, but I knew my daughter and she wasn't, but I decided not to annoy her, or "nag" her in Charlotte's words. This was a huge change, of course she'd feel weird.
I walked back to our room, Danny was dragging the suitcases out to the front. I took two off him and helped him put them into the Jeep. I looked around me, I would miss all this, I was living in the most beautiful surroundings, and to think I'd be in a matter of hours back in a crowded, ugly city bursting with horrific sounding monsters all over the roads, scared me.
"I'm going to go have a last look round. I'm going to miss this place, I want to just look, quickly before we go." I said looking at Danny. He nodded.
"I'll come with you." He said quietly. He wasn't very loud usually, but today he seemed even quieter. He looked smart in a casual shirt and jeans, his wrist watch glistened in the sun and his eyes seemed a brighter shade of green.
As we strolled into the hospital, a single tear fell from my eyes, Danny too looked as though he may cry as we stood staring at the place we had saved and lost so many lives, the place we had shared many tears, some of joy and laughter, some of pain, hurt and loss. The place we had shared a number of miraculous and perfect embraces. This one lonely mound of bricks arranged in a perfect sequence, held memories, tears, love and more. It felt strange knowing I wouldn't be operating on a lion or a zebra for a long time.
I couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment, leaving this place, was like leaving a necessary piece of my life behind. But before I could summon any more of these feelings, Danny crashed his lips on mine, taking me by surprise. I responded immediately, I loved his kisses, I loved feeling his arms holding me to him, I loved his hands, running through my hair like a flesh and bone hairbrush. It was perfection.
When we finally broke the kiss, I looked at him. He grinned at me and took my hands.
"No matter what Alice, we'll always be together." He said as we began to turn away, ready to say our goodbyes.
I beamed a huge smile at him.
"You bet." I said, as we laughed, and for the last time shut the hospital doors. As we slowly spun round to face the house, there standing perfectly still was my giraffe. The giraffe who had done so much for Leopards Den. I would always be thankful to that giraffe, eternally. He saved Danny's life, he was there when I first felt his lips on my own, he was there through it all. I stroked his nose, I would miss this fella too.
I couldn't say much. My eyes watered, and my throat was so tight it felt like someone was strangling me. As me, Danny and Charlotte said our goodbyes, hugging and kissing everyone in turn, I suddenly realised that this place was more than a home to me, and that the people around me were more than a family. I couldn't describe how amazing they were, how all the things in this place were. They seemed almost supernatural.
As we jumped into the Jeep for the last time after many tears and goodbyes, we set off slowly down the old dust track. Charlotte was quiet, Danny was concentrating quietly on the road ahead, and as for me, I stared at the passing countryside.
We finally got on the highway, as we sped along, it seemed ages since we had said our goodbyes at Leopards Den. It suddenly all seemed real. We were really leaving Africa, going to the freezing cold, joyous place of Scotland. I would miss everything about this place. It had provided me with so much, a home, a family, a job, a man who I love more than anything in this universe... my thoughts were suddenly interrupted though.
"STOP!" I spun round quickly, Charlotte looked straight ahead. I stared at her in confusion , before looking across to Danny who shrugged his shoulders as he pulled into the hard shoulder.
"What's wrong Charlie?" Danny asked looking deep into eyes. "Are you feeling ill?"
I watched expectantly at Charlotte, she didn't suffer from travel sickness. What was she doing? I didn't have long to wait.
