Danny's POV

We were now stopped on the hard shoulder, I hated stopping, it didn't help that we were late.

"Charlotte what's wrong" I asked, she hadn't and wouldn't reply to mine and Alice's constant demands.

She looked at us, refusing to get off the grass verge. I had never seen her act like this, it shocked me, and appalled Alice who grew increasingly frustrated with her daughter, until it reached the point, that for the first time, Alice completely lost it with her.

"Charlotte, you're going to tell us just what's going on. I don't know what the hell you think you're doing young lady, but I'm not going to stand for it. You don't want me to stay here, yet you want to act like a... like a spoilt little..." She stopped mid-sentence and composed herself. "Get in the car."

I stood silent, Alice had her hands on her hips, Charlotte began to cry quietly.

Alice's face turned white... she suddenly regretted what she'd said and rushed to her daughter's side.

I heard her whisper something in her ear, but I just stood above them both, but neither of them were going to break the awkward silence.

"Listen, you have to tell us." I said gently.

Charlotte stood up and turned to face us.

"I don't want to go. I don't want you to not be a vet. I said it in the heat of the moment. I don't want to leave Africa. I want to go home." She wailed.

Me and Alice looked at each other speechless. It was wasted money if we went back, but we didn't care, okay, we needed that money and it was annoying that Charlotte hadn't told us earlier, but we didn't hesitate.

"Get in." I smiled pulling Charlotte up.

Alice smiled and kissed me right there on the hard shoulder, in front of Charlotte, in front of a sea of a cars, in front of the world.

"We're going home!" she shouted as we both jumped in.

I couldn't believe it. Dupe must have said something pretty darn amazing to that kid... I don't know what is was, but it worked! Me and Alice grinned at each other.

"Lets get back home. Here Alice, ring the airline, tell them to cancel it all." I said.

She nodded and got on the phone straight away, we were now flying back calmly along the highway, but not to the airport, back to where we belonged Leopards Den.

We drove for miles and miles, we'd come along way, and it was going to take us a while to get back, but it didn't matter, the fact was we were going back.

I was elated, Alice was over the moon, and Charlotte, well she seemed happy too, but very quiet for once.

But the silence was broke as we turned back onto the main road from Jo'burg. The sound of screaming was heard, before a single gun shot was fired. Alice looked up at me, she'd been asleep but harshly awoken by the sound.

"What the...?" she asked... but didn't finish.

Lying in the middle of the road, was a giraffe, but not just any giraffe... no... this was Alice's giraffe.

I threw my foot down on the brake and pulled the handbrake up. Alice was already out of the car and running frantically towards the giraffe.

As I stepped out of the car, grabbing our vet boxes on the way, I told Charlotte to stay where she was. She protested, but stayed where she was.

Alice bit her lip and looked at me. She shook her head. "We have to operate Danny. He won't make it back to Leopards Den. It needs to be done here... now."

I looked at her, I was going to argue with her, it was completely unhygienic and unsafe, but then I saw the look in her eyes. I remembered first getting that giraffe, I remembered how that giraffe had brought us together and how that giraffe had been through everything with us. I wasn't going to lose this giraffe, not without trying to save him first.

"In that case, swab the area and get ready. We're going to operate, right here."

Alice grinned at me as she prepared the giraffe for the operation. I gave him a small dose of anaesthetic , all I needed to do was get the bullet out, stop the bleeding and revive him. This was a time I needed a radio to get Dupe.

As both I and Alice got to work on the giraffe, there was a silence amongst both ourselves and the audience we had gained. Occasionally we broke the quiet air with a few lines of communication, updating one another with the giraffes progress.

As we both completed the procedure with few problems, I began to stitch the wound, but was harshly interrupted by a farmer. He had a shotgun slung over his left shoulder, and stared at us fiercely. He seemed angry and upset.

"Why are you operating on that giraffe? That was shot, to be killed." He growled evilly.

Alice stood up quickly. I stood up too... Alice had a temper when it came to the things she cared about, and I was frightened as to what Alice might actually say.

"That giraffe is our giraffe." Alice exclaimed, keeping her eyes on the farmer. "And I for one wasn't going to let a good for nothing lousy man like you, take his life away."

The farmer's angry ego grew. His face turned red, as he took a step towards us.

"Watch your lip, woman. If you don't shut up, I'll shoot your damn giraffe, and I'll do the job right."

As I went forward to say something, Alice was quicker.

"If you shoot that giraffe, I'll shoot you." She threatened. "You're nothing, but a sad, twisted and sick little man, who has no life, no family and what's more you are hated by the people around you."

The farmer lunged at her with his shotgun, but this time, I wasn't too slow. I threw myself in front of Alice and grabbed hold of his shot gun. He forcibly pushed me as a slaughter trailer came down the road. I saw Alice run to the truck, I gathered she would be arranging transport to get him back to Leopards Den. But for now my mind was on protecting not only Alice, but that giraffe from this deranged man.

I held him in the position. He mouthed words such as I'll shoot you at me, but I took no notice.

"I suggest you quit whilst you're ahead. If you so much as lay one finger on her, that giraffe or the kid, I'll kill you – personally." I snarled as he reached for the trigger, my hand blocking his.

I don't know how long we kept the mad fight up for. He pushed , and I pushed back harder. Sweat dripped down my face, I didn't know how much longer I could keep this up – I was beginning to think I should of slept a little more last night.

Suddenly he lunged harder, and threw me to the ground with force, as I began to get up, he pushed me back down with his gun. I looked at him in fear as I stared up the barrel of his gun, I let my eyes drift towards Alice. She was frozen in motion... was this the end?