Chapter Twelve - Preparations

Vic walked outside the pub and crossed his arms over his chest as he glanced around the area. He chuckled smugly as his eyes settled on Hurtle sitting on the pavement next to the gate with a brush in hand. He shook his head and strode over the main street toward the garage.

"Did Violet catch up with you, mate?" Vic asked jovially, secretly enjoying the moment.

Hurtle mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. "More like hurricane Emma," he added sarcastically.

"Listen mate. Apparently she's managed to get that bicycle race over here in a few days and I'm going to run out of beer," he said.

"That's not good," Hurtle mused as he concentrated on the paintjob he was doing. "I thought you ordered a special delivery?"

"I was about too but never got around to actually do it. The problem is that the delivery truck has already been here. I was wondering if you could do me a little favor."

"Sure, everyone else seems to be meddling in my affairs at the moment," he said testily. "Emma has ordered some spare parts from Broken Hill for tomorrow. If you can make that order fast, maybe the driver can squeeze it in."

"Sure, I'd do anything mate if that works," Vic said happily as he began to count money in his head.

Hurtle brightened. "Good, I'll give the freight company a ring," he said and got up. "Here's the brush."

The bar owner made a face.

"Vic!" Nancy hollered from across the street. "The rooms need to be cleaned!"

He grinned and waved at her from a distance. "I'm busy, Nance!" he hollered back and began to whistle lightly. Suddenly it felt good to do some paintjob.

OOOOOO

Sam grimaced as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and bit his lower lip. His chest exploded in a raging fire of pain and he forced himself to take shallow breaths.

"What on earth are you doing?" A stern but familiar voice asked incredulously.

The pilot opened his eyes to see Doctor Standish briskly walk up to him. Sam couldn't help but to smile faintly. "Well, if it isn't the flying postman," he teased softly.

Geoff rolled his eyes. "It wasn't a pleasant ride," he confessed. "I'm sure Frank is fine flying around with the mail but he shouldn't start up a flying taxi service anytime soon."

Sam chuckled and then grimaced. "Don't lure me to laugh, doc," he wheezed.

The doctor pursed his lips into a thin line of displeasure and made to place a hand on the injured pilot's shoulder. "Sam, you really should lie down," he cautioned.

Sam seemed disappointed. "I just-"

"Too soon," Geoff interrupted. "Those ribs are not mended."

"But I'm going crazy," he whined.

"Trust me when I say I would like nothing else than to certify you fit for flying. However, that will take weeks, maybe even a month or two," Geoff reasoned.

Sam threw him a dejected look. "You sure know how to cheer someone up, doc," he said morosely.

"Tomorrow," he said cryptically.

Sam raised a curious eyebrow.

"If everything seems fine tomorrow then maybe we can let you up for a little while," he said.

The pilot broke into a satisfied grin.

"I said maybe," Geoff cautioned. "And I'll tell you what mate. You might not look so happy about it after a few steps."

"So, when's Debbie coming?" he asked curiously.

"I see the word does travel fast around here," Geoff mused with a cautious grin and added. "Tomorrow."

"Congratulations," Sam said. "I hear George, our lovely local politician, has been butting in.

Geoff ran a hand through his hair and made a face. "I called the head office yesterday to give them a piece of my mind. Do you know what they said?" he asked in astonishment.

Sam shrugged.

"They said they'd suggested a relief pilot from Point Cook but that the transfer had been questioned by a department member," he said, trying to keep his voice down.

Sam frowned. "Would that be George by any chance? But how could he-"

Geoff waved his hand at him to forestall any further questions. "Apparently, George have somehow befriended someone at the recruiting department at the central office in Sydney and managed to meddle in our affairs without my knowledge or the directors consent," he informed sourly.

Sam let out a low whistle. "Sometimes you'll have to admire his methods," he said.

"He's indirectly playing with people's lives," the doctor returned, visibly upset.

"Relax, doc. I'm not applauding what he did," Sam assured him. "It makes me wonder about another thing though."

Geoff frowned curiously.

"If George have that kind of power in the committee then he's likely to cause problem when it comes to my permanency here. I know I've stepped on his toes a few times, most of them unintentionally I might add," Sam said with a smirk.

Geoff's upper lips twitched slightly in amusement.

"If I was George then I'd try to get my hands on a contract with one of those old and stern types with silver grey hair and commanding voice," Sam let on. "Those guys are usually by the book, takes no chances and likes to have a say or two in everything – of course the latter might cause George trouble."

This time the doctor laughed and then turned serious as he fixed his colleague and friend with a poignant look. "Now, don't even think about getting out of this hospital bed without my approval. I don't want any setbacks to your recovery. You have to face the facts, Sam. An injury such as yours takes time to heal from. Given the circumstances you're lucky to be alive."

The pilot raised the hand that wasn't strapped to his chest in a gesture of surrender. "Point taken, doc," he said in a subdued voice. "Believe me I don't want to experience that kind of pain again."

Geoff studied the younger man before him for a moment, he was still pale and weary but he was getting better for every day. If he kept still, only doing the exercises Chris had gotten him from the therapist, then the real danger was over. As it was the ribs, in their early stage of mending, were still fragile and the bruising of the lung had yet to subside. The doctor finally nodded, his eyes darkening and he involuntarily shuddered as he could only imagine the kind of pain the pilot was talking about.

"Get some sleep, Sam," he ordered kindly.

The pilot made a face. "Feels like that's the only thing I'm doing," he murmured unhappily.

"I can give you something-" the doctor offered.

"No, thanks," Sam replied hastily. "No more needles."

Geoff couldn't help it, he broke into a grin at the pilot's whining voice. "Don't be such a baby," he teased.

"Off you go doc and I'll promise to stay put," he said smugly.

Geoff nodded and gently pulled the curtain tight behind him.

Sam gently sunk back on his pillow and closed his eyes.

OOOOOO

Chris gently took Joanne's pulse and the gently laid the slender woman's hand back down. She nodded at her husband, who'd just arrived by car, to come with her outside of the cubicle.

Mick followed the doctor worriedly. "Will she be okay, Dr. Randall?" he asked.

Chris nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. "She'll be fine. Her arm is broken, thereof the odd angle you saw when you found her. She's also nursing a concussion, she's lucky the helmet took most of the force of the impact or her skull would have been crushed."

Mick inhaled sharply at the news.

"She's sustained two broken ribs as well but she's responding well to treatment and providing she keeps till for a few days and then take it easy she'll be as good as new," Chris informed him.

"Thank you," he whispered. "I was so worried, you have no idea."

"That is natural, Mick," she assured him.

"Can I sit with her some more?" he asked hopefully.

Chris smiled. "Of course," she said. "Do you want me to fix a room for you over at the Majestic?"

He nodded gratefully.

"Then I'll see you around," she said and turned to leave.

As the doctor stepped out into the corridor she spotted her colleague at the other end. Breaking into a mischievous grin she briskly made her way over to him.

"I hear both you and the patient survived the trip," she teased.

Geoff harrumphed. "I've never been so afraid in my entire life," he muttered. "The man is a flying disaster."

Chris chuckled. "Then I'm sure you'll like this. Debbie called in earlier. She's delayed by two days," she said.

Geoff rolled his eyes. "Then the next call will be yours," he said with a smirk.

"I have more news for you," she let on enigmatically as she stuffed her hands in the pocket of her doctor's coat.

"I'm not sure I want to hear," he complained.

"There is going to be a race in the race," she said.

He raised an eyebrow at her as they began to walk down the corridors of the hospital.

Chris amusedly placed a hand on his back, pushing him forward. "The bicycle race is coming here and the committee has decided that we're to take part in the competitions last few miles-"

"We?" he questioned forebodingly as he stopped and turned to fully face her.

"You," she replied innocently. "I might have suggested that you seemed better suited for such a race and Violet had no complains."

"Thank you," he replied sarcastically. "By the way, that makes you the perfect candidate for the posting at the Women's Association's tent. They've always wanted a real RFDS member to help them sell souvenirs."

Chris smirked. "Thank you," she returned ironically.

"You should show a little more enthusiasm," he said amusedly. "So, who else from the RFDS is going to take part in the race within the race?"

"Mr. Enthusiastic himself," Chris said.

Geoff nodded. "DJ," he deduced.

OOOOOO

Emma hesitated at the curtain to Sam's cubicle and took a deep breath. She cursed Violet silently as she gently drew the curtain aside and walked in. The pilot was asleep, he looked even younger than his twenty-seven years and he looked at peace finally. She quietly padded up to him and took in his appearance. He certainly wasn't a bad catch but was she really ready to commit? Did she want to commit to anyone? She wondered.

"Didn't you mother tell you it's impolite to stare?" he asked with a soft smile.

Emma chuckled. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to wake you," she said. It was close to the truth anyway.

"So, are you going to compete in the race?" he asked curiously.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know about that do you?" she asked.

"You'd be surprised at what they don't know here," he let on with a smirk.

For a moment Emma was afraid Violet had talked to him about getting married but she pushed the thought aside and chided herself for being silly.

"Try me;" she encouraged him teasingly.

He made a face. "Half the hospital thinks Violet is going to compete in the race and old Wallie is convinced aliens have landed at Cover Creek," he said casually.

Emma burst out laughing.

"Now, what are you standing over there for?" he asked with a slight tease. "Are you afraid I'm going to bite you?"

She made a face at him and shook her head. "Of course not," she said confidently as she walked up to him and sat down at his bedside. "How are you feeling today?"

"Do you want my standard reply to that or should I-"

She waved lazily at him and smiled cunningly.

"So, are you?" he asked again.

"Am I what?" she wondered aloud.

"Competing in the race, silly," he answered cheekily.

"I think the 'Queen of the Outback' has too, don't you?" she returned half-heartedly.

"You don't sound very excited about it. DJ sounded like it was the happening of the year. He's even bought a new bicycle," Sam said.

"I see," Emma replied cunningly. "So he thinks he's going to win?"

"Something like that," Sam let on. "Mrs. C had high hopes of getting one of the doctors to compete as well."

The smile on Emma's face vanished at the thought of the older woman.

Sam frowned. "Something I said?" he enquired softly.

"As much as I love Violet, I hate her," Emma let on enigmatically.

"You don't have to listen to everything she has to say," Sam suggested kindly. "She means well."

The smile on Emma's face returned. "I heard she wanted to take you home," she said amusedly.

"Well, like I said, you don't have to listen to everything she says or wants," he said. "Stop talking about Mrs. C. Don't you have any news?

Emma was just about to open her mouth to answer as the curtain opened to reveal a smiling Kate Wellings. "I thought I heard voices in here," she chided jovially. "Don't you know what time it is?"

Sam and Emma shared a dumbfounded look and then turned their heads toward Kate.

The nurse chuckled. "It's almost dinner time and before that the patient needs to be checked out," she explained.

Sam hung his head.

Emma broke into a grin at his expression. "Don't look so miserable. I thought you liked full service?" she teased.

He made a face at her.

The mechanic slowly stood up from where she'd been sitting at his bedside and turned around to give him a quick peck on his cheek.

"Are you coming tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

She chuckled. "If that's what you want fly-boy," she said enigmatically.

OOOOOO

To be continued