Killarney, p.12
Killarney, page 12
Dana scanned her mind for information on what to do if your house became flooded then gave up and used her common sense. ‘Get to the highest part of the house and take Brooke with you. Is there a manhole up through the ceiling?’
‘Yes, but I don’t know how to get into it. We can’t get there. The water’s coming up too quickly, I—’ The call cut out.
Dana’s heart was in her mouth but luckily the phone rang again. It was Amber, breathing heavily into the phone.
‘Amber. What’s happening?’
‘We’re on the kitchen bench. I’ve got some water and food to keep with us in case the water comes up.’
‘Okay, okay, take a deep breath. How is Brooke?’
‘She’s here with me but she won’t stop crying. I’m worried she’s going to end up with pneumonia again. She was premature. She’s got weak lungs. I don’t think she’ll cope if we get stuck here.’
‘Just hold the line. I’ll go and speak to someone to get you some help.’
‘Okay, thanks, but hurry. Please.’
Dana rushed out into the crowded dining room and located the SES co-ordinator talking to a group of volunteers.
‘We’ll be sending rescue teams from the police station and the school is going to be used as an evacuation centre to house people who’ve been displaced from their homes,’ he was saying.
Dana waved at him urgently and he held a hand up to his audience and turned to her.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
She explained Amber’s situation and he pulled a phone from his pocket and made a call. Dana rushed back to the phone to let Amber know that someone was on their way. As soon as she’d hung up another call came through and she was speaking to another women in need of assistance. She spent the rest of the afternoon answering calls and ferrying messages back and forth to the SES coordinator.
When she finally returned to the bar a few hours later it was packed with people. The radio was on full volume and playing the latest news bulletin.
A severe flood warning has been issued for the Condamine River. Major flooding is occurring along parts of the river between the Loudoun Bridge and Cotswold. Evacuation orders have been issued to residents in these areas and police are urging them to make arrangements as soon as possible. For flooding emergency assistance call the SES on 132 500. For life-threatening emergencies call triple zero.
There was a strange buzz in the air, a mix of fear and excitement as a crack of thunder ripped through the sky. At the far end of the bar, a piece of paper with the words Doctor scrawled across it had been stuck to the wall under a set of bull’s horns. Beneath it a man with a shock of silver hair was talking to Cynthia’s son, Brian, while helping to bandage his wrist. There was no hospital in Killarney and judging by the man’s age she assumed that a retired GP was the next best thing. A line of people sporting various cuts and grazes snaked out the door.
Dana searched for Cynthia and found her by the dartboard in the middle of an argument with a man whose chin was dotted with white stubble.
Cynthia grabbed the man’s arm as he went to leave. ‘It’s just not safe at this point to go back home. Take a look outside.’ She pointed out the window. ‘Your health’s not good these days, Frank. You should not be traipsing through a storm.’
He stabbed a bony finger at her. ‘George is my best mate. I’m not going to abandon him!’ He turned and hurried out the front door.
Cynthia shouted after him. ‘Don’t expect me to save your seat for you!’ She gave Dana a withering look. ‘He’s a regular, comes in every morning and today he decides to be a hero.’
The crowds parted as a teenager with a baby in her arms made her way towards them. Dana gasped in shock.
‘Are you okay?’ Cynthia asked Dana.
‘It’s just that he looks like …’ The resemblance to her son, Oscar, was uncanny. His blue eyes, the chunky folds of his upper arms.
‘He’s hungry.’ The teen’s face was panic-stricken. ‘I tried giving him the bottle but he won’t take it. He just keeps crying. I think he wants his mum.’
‘Where’s his mother?’ Dana asked, alarmed. The noise in the room had suddenly risen a few decibels. Before she knew what she was doing she’d stepped forward with her arms out.
‘She came in here a few hours ago, dropped the baby off, then went straight back out to find her husband,’ said the girl.
The baby’s cry ramped up to a full-blown wail as a fight broke out on the other side of the room. The couple beside them began to argue with a tall, bearded man who was jabbing his index finger into the woman’s shoulder.
Cynthia stormed over to the bar, yanked a stool from beneath the counter and leapt onto it. She put her fingers into her mouth and gave an ear-splitting whistle. A stunned silence fell over the room; even the baby was startled into silence. ‘Listen up, everyone. For the next few hours we need you all to remain calm. We’re all safe here, nothing’s going to hurt you as long as you stay under this roof. But we have a baby up the front here and for its sake and everyone else’s we need you to keep quiet. We do not need you screaming at each other and making the situation any worse.’
Cynthia jumped off the stool, beaming as activity resumed at a more subdued level. She took the baby from the teenager and handed him to Dana. ‘If you take the bub to the office you should be able to get some peace and quiet in there.’ She turned to the girl. ‘It’s fine now. This woman works for the Department of Families, so the baby’s in good hands. Thanks for taking care of him. You don’t have to worry anymore.’
The relief on the girl’s face was palpable as she passed a shoulder bag to Dana.
Dana cradled the baby in her arms feeling as though she was having an out-of-body experience. The infant continued to cry, his face red with distress, and she pulled herself together, weaving her way through the crowd to find the office as she racked her brain trying to remember what she’d done to calm Oscar down when he was upset.
Once she was safely inside, she grabbed a clean bottle and the baby formula from the bag and rushed to the sink. Using leftover water from the kettle, which she presumed was sterile, she used her spare hand to add a scoop of the powdered formula to the bottle then poured in the water and shook it. Cradling the baby in her arms she was relieved when he started sucking the teat as though his life depended on it, staring up at her with his marble blue eyes. There you go, sweetheart. That’s better.
She searched the room for somewhere for him to sleep. Improvising, she slid one of the drawers from the desk, lined it with a blanket, then paced up and down the room, rocking the baby gently. When she was satisfied he was asleep, she placed him in the makeshift crib, gently kissing his warm forehead. ‘I’ll just be gone for a few minutes – just to find out if your mum’s come back,’ she whispered.
Cynthia was behind the bar filling a jug of water. ‘How’d you go?’
Dana sat down and rested her elbows on the bar mat, quickly pulling them away once she realised it was soaked with beer. ‘He’s fine. I fed him a bottle, made up a crib, now he’s fast asleep.’
‘I knew he’d be in safe hands.’
‘Any news on the mother yet?’
‘Nope.’ Cynthia grimaced. ‘But she’s a state swimming champ so she should be able to handle herself.’
Lachlan staggered into the pub, his hair wild and face streaked with mud. Dana caught a glimpse of dark water on the street before the door slammed shut. He slumped on the stool beside her, a musty and putrid smell wafting from his clothes.
‘How was it?’ Dana tried not to wrinkle her nose.
‘Intense. I’ve never seen so much rain. The SES crew has been helping as many people as possible, but I don’t know how much they’ll be able to do after the sun goes down.’
Sean collapsed on the stool next to his brother and Dana was relieved to see that he’d made it back safely. ‘Just heard that some guy’s in trouble. He was calling out for help. They were about to pick him up in the boat, but he got swept away. They’re out searching for him now.’
Cynthia was on the other side of the bar. ‘That bloody old fool. That stupid bloody idiot.’ She pressed her eye sockets. When she removed them a tear was tracking down her cheek. ‘I begged him not to go and now—’
Dana reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘We don’t know who it is – it could be anyone.’ Her bigger concern was that Jayden may also be out there and caught up in the worst flood in a decade. She sent up a prayer that it wasn’t him.
She was about to return to the baby when there was a loud bang. A cry of horror went up from the crowd as the room was plunged into darkness.
‘We’ve lost power.’ There was fear in Cynthia’s voice. ‘We’ll have to try and get the generator going. Normally Peter would do it but he’s out with the SES.’
‘I’ll give it a go,’ said Lachlan. ‘Is it still in the same place?’
‘Yes, are you sure you can fix it? Peter makes it sound extremely complicated.’
‘You were a carpenter for years, weren’t you, Lachy?’ one of the men asked.
‘I should be able to work it out,’ said Lachlan.
‘You might be able to use the light from your mobile to see what you’re doing,’ Dana said, taking her own advice and removing her phone from her pocket so she could find her way back to the office.
She turned right using the dim light of her phone to guide her up the hallway. When she reached the office she spent a few tense moments trying to get the key in the door. Finally, she heard the noise of the lock turning and was able to let herself in. When she shone the light over the baby’s crib, she was relieved to find him still fast asleep. She sat down beside him, her hand on his chest and sat quietly, enjoying his gurgling and murmurs as he dreamed and the peaceful time alone with him. It was almost 7 pm and the sky outside was dark and shadowy.
Half an hour later the lights flickered on and a loud cheer went up from the bar outside. The baby woke with a startled cry and she gathered him up and took him outside to see what was happening. Lachlan was standing in a group, being patted on the back, a schooner of beer in his hand. She smiled and gave him a thumbs up. A woman in her late twenties came towards Dana from the other side of the room, her eyes wide.
‘Oh my god, Teddy! Thank god you’re alright,’ she said, putting a hand on the baby’s back and staring into his face. She stood back and a man appeared beside her. ‘I’m his mum, Kathleen. This is his dad, Tom.’
‘He’s been no problem whatsoever.’ Dana glanced at Oscar’s doppelgänger. A lump formed in her throat as she cuddled him tight, then handed him back to his mother.
Kathleen held the baby against her chest, her arms strong and brown beneath her mud-splattered singlet. ‘Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.’
‘It’s Dana, Dana Gibson.’
‘Thank you so much. I’m so grateful. Is there anything we can do for you?’
‘Honestly, the pleasure’s been mine. He’s so beautiful.’ She hoped Kathleen didn’t notice the tears in her eyes.
‘There must be something. At least let us buy you a drink.’ Kathleen wasn’t about to be deterred.
‘A whiskey would be great.’
‘I’ll make sure it’s the most expensive one in the pub.’
Dana propped herself up at the bar with her single malt whiskey and a packet of peanuts.
Lachlan came over and sat beside her. ‘What a relief, hey? I tell you, when I heard that she was out searching for the father I had a bad feeling it was going to end in tragedy.’
‘All’s well that ends well. And such a gorgeous baby.’ She took a sip of her whiskey.
‘Don’t tell me you’re getting clucky.’
The front door flew open with a roar of intense rainfall and the crowd parted like the sea. A police officer staggered forward, his expression grim as he held a lifeless body. Dana strained to see who it was, thinking only of Jayden. The policeman laboured towards them, scanning the crowd. Cynthia ran out from behind the bar, a look of panic registering on her face.
‘I need a doctor!’ The policeman called out, laying the body on the floor. For the first time Dana saw that it was another man and not Jayden.
The GP elbowed his way through the crowd towards them. He knelt, putting his ear close to the man’s mouth and nose, then sat up and ripped the buttons of his shirt open. The doctor interlocked his hands, positioned himself over the man’s body and began chest compressions. After thirty seconds, he tilted the man’s chin, pinched his nose and gave him two short sharp breaths. The doctor looked up. ‘Ryan. I need your help down here!’
Dana recognised the name and realised that the policeman was Lachlan’s friend, the officer who’d spoken to them on the phone about drug trafficking. The GP kept pumping the man’s sternum while Ryan blew into the man’s mouth. For a moment he spluttered. Dana held her breath, willing him to wake up.
The doctor’s glasses slipped down his nose, perspiration dripping from his chin. ‘Come on, Frank!’ His voice was laced with despair as he slapped the man’s cheek. ‘Please, mate!’
Dana glanced over at Lachlan, who now had tears in his eyes. It occurred to her that Lachlan was bound to have known Frank well, given he had grown up in Killarney.
When she looked back to see what was happening with Frank, the doctor was sitting back on his haunches. He glanced up at Cynthia and shook his head.
He said something unintelligible to her and she burst into tears. For the first time, Dana noticed the kelpie. A man from the crowd tried to grab the dog’s collar, but it snapped at him and stood by Frank’s side.
An eerie silence descended over the pub. The only sound was the wild swirling of the rain lashing against the windows.
A couple of SES workers helped lift Frank’s body and took it down the hallway, taking their directions from Cynthia and the doctor, who followed behind.
Ryan stood up and turned to Lachlan. ‘We’ll have to find out who we need to notify. Cynthia said we can use the phone in the office.’
After they’d been gone for twenty minutes, Dana was in the grips of a crushing anxiety. She’d been left in the lurch and desperately needed to know what was happening.
When she knocked on the door of the office the policeman opened it, towering over her.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but my phone and handbag are in here.’ She peered through the gap in the door, knowing Lachlan wouldn’t want her to make a fuss.
The officer looked down, unsmiling. ‘I’m sorry, but you can’t be in here.’
Frank’s body was in the middle of the room, the blanket she’d used for the baby was now draped over him. The kelpie was on the floor, its head on the hand of its fallen master. The dog lifted its nose briefly, then lay back on the carpet.
The rain continued to lash the window, with rivulets running down the pane as though they’d never end.
10
Dana woke to the chirping of birds and the warmth of the sun on her arms shining through the blinds. She’d managed to get a few hours’ sleep on a couch beside the pool table, but her neck had cricked and she winced as she pulled herself into a seated position. She stepped carefully over the sleeping bodies on the floor and made her way outside to the verandah.
The street was eerily calm, light glinting off the murky water that covered the street in front of her. Aside from the stench of raw sewage she could have been looking onto a brown river, the water eddying below her. A polystyrene box floated by. A child’s doll came next, its unblinking eyes staring up at the sky. A profound sadness washed over her as she remembered Frank’s kelpie. Its refusal to give up on its master, who was never coming back.
Inside, people had started to stir. Cynthia was behind the bar pouring coffee, a bright red scarf tied around her head. She offered Dana a mug then reached down and produced a plastic bag. Dana peered inside and found a fresh t-shirt and a folded pair of jeans.
‘These are for you.’ Cynthia smiled. ‘I reckon we’re about the same size and I figured you’d feel much better once you were in clean clothes. Sorry I couldn’t come up with something more fashionable.’
‘That’s so kind.’ Dana reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. ‘I don’t suppose we’ll be getting out of here before tonight?’
‘That’s a definite no. Some of the locals can head out to the school – the SES have organised for a boat to help them out. I’m going to let the out-of-towners stay here free of charge,’ explained Cynthia. ‘Some of them, like Craig Towns and his mates, I’d rather not have hanging around, but in a situation like this we’re going to have to love each other – warts and all.’
The day passed quickly as Dana helped Cynthia clean up one of the back rooms of the pub that had been inundated with water. Sean and Lachlan had rejoined the SES and were responding to calls for assistance. It was 6 pm when they all met up back in the bar. The men she’d seen arguing the day before were getting drunker by the minute. A few of them had made a game out of kicking an orange to each other. A man laughed as his friend’s thong flew off his foot and across the room.
Dana tried to catch Sean’s eye as he was buying a round of beers, but her stomach dropped when he looked straight past her and paid for the drinks. Once again, she found herself doubting his feelings and wondering if their kiss at the waterfall had meant anything to him.
Blair Hadley staggered into the pub, soaked to the waist. He wandered over to their table and pulled out a stool. Sean joined them at the high table.
‘Jeez, mate, where’ve you been?’ asked Lachlan.
‘When I heard that the area was being evacuated I wanted to check that none of the boys were in the butter factory, but I got stuck on my way into town. I took shelter on the verandah of an empty house and luckily a kid in a tinnie came by and rescued me about an hour ago. I had no idea how bad it was going to be. I desperately need a drink of water. I’ll be back in a sec.’
