Ecstasy Lake (23 page)

35

I had a dream about a beautiful face that I wanted to touch and could not. It seemed familiar. It seemed sad. And for a long time it was out of reach and kept floating away. It was like a balloon, and I chased it. I really wanted to catch it. I wanted to touch it. I wanted to pop it. Actually I wanted to kiss it. But for a long time it was out of reach.

‘How are you feeling?'

‘I don't know. My throat's dry.'

‘Do you feel any pain?' The voice was matter-of-fact.

‘Yes.'

‘Where?'

‘Everywhere.'

‘Does this hurt?'

‘Yes.'

‘This?'

‘Yes.'

‘This?'

‘Yes.'

‘Good.'

‘Get stuffed.'

Someone laughed. After a while I opened my eyes. My left arm had a drip-line attached to it, but I could move it. The beautiful face appeared. I reached for it, and this time I could touch it.

‘Hey.'

‘Hey.'

‘You've been shot.'

‘Twice.'

‘The doctor says you were lucky.'

‘I feel lucky. Was he just here?'

‘Maybe an hour ago.'

‘He's a dick.'

‘No, he's nice. Tarrant wants to speak to you. When you're strong enough.'

‘I may never be strong enough. I need to close my eyes.'

‘Close them, then.' I closed them.

‘You won't disappear?'

‘No. I might have to go to the bathroom from time to time.'

‘Can't you hold on to it?'

‘Not forever.'

‘Ask a nurse to give you a tube. I think I've got one. It's convenient.'

‘You're an idiot. Rest now.'

I rested. The next time I woke I was less dead. I turned my head and saw Melody sitting in an armchair reading a magazine.

‘Hey.'

She looked up. ‘Hey.' She came to me and stroked my hair.

‘I feel a bit better.'

‘Good.'

‘How did I get here?'

‘A maintenance crew found you in the sewerage works.'

‘Is that why I feel like shit?'

‘They were doing a routine check. They called an ambulance, which brought you here.'

‘How long ago?'

‘It's Friday. You've been here two days. They put you in an induced coma until this morning.'

‘Operation?'

She shook her head. ‘The doctor said you were too weak. Anyway, they didn't need to. The bullet passed through. You won't be able to use your arm for a few weeks. There's ligament damage, he said.'

‘What about Harlin?'

‘No sign of him.'

She was still stroking my hair. She had a nasty bruise on her left cheek.

‘Is that where Harlin hit you with his gun?'

She touched it. ‘Yeah.'

‘You were right when you said it was risky, us getting together.'

‘We knew it wouldn't be easy.'

‘What happened after I took off in the boat?'

‘Not much. I called Tasso, Tarrant and Bert, like you told me. Tarrant organised a search party. The police have a boat. It was a while before it went out, and then they didn't know where to look, so it was a bit hopeless. A chopper went up at first light, but you were found not long after anyway. I guess they're still looking for Harlin. It's been on the news. Tasso and I came here. Last night I stayed in his apartment. I wanted to stay here but they wouldn't let me.' She leaned forward and lowered her voice. ‘Tarrant is desperate to see you. He says he has lots of questions. Apparently the wound in your shoulder had been bandaged.'

‘Harlin did that.'

‘Did he? Well, expect a visit soon. From Tasso, too. He's been here almost as much as I have. He made sure you had the best room in the hospital, and the best doctors.'

A nurse came in. ‘Oh, good. You're awake,' he said.

‘Yes.'

‘I have to check your vital signs.'

‘I hope you find some.'

He checked my heart rate, blood pressure and breathing.

‘Headache?'

‘No.'

‘Any discomfort?'

‘My shoulder is throbbing like hell. And why is my back so sore?'

‘Your back is bruised.' I thought it might have been from when Harlin had dragged me into the tinnie. The nurse showed me how to work the Patient Controlled Analgesia system, otherwise known as a morphine drip. ‘Don't worry. You can't overdose. It's controlled. You can push the button as much as you like but it will lock you out for a few minutes if you try to use too much.'

When Tarrant arrived I was as high as a kite.

‘What's up, dude?' I said.

‘Pleased to see you're still alive.'

‘Ditto, dudo.'

Tarrant looked deadpan at Melody, who had pulled a chair close to my bed. She smiled at him.

‘Tell me what happened when you went off after Harlin,' said Tarrant. I told him about the chase and the short gun battle, and how I had fallen in the water. And how Harlin had pulled me out, brought me to the beach and bandaged my wound.

‘Why would he shoot you and then save your life?'

‘Beats me, dude.'

‘Please stop calling me dude.'

I tried to give myself another shot of morphine but the system had locked me out. ‘I don't know why he saved me. Maybe so I could give you a massage. A message, I mean.' I giggled.

‘He had a message for me?'

‘For the cops, yeah. He said he didn't kill Hiskey.'

‘He said that to you?'

‘Yeah. When we were on the beach. He said he didn't know who did, but it wasn't him.'

‘Did you believe him?'

‘I didn't believe him, I didn't disbelieve him. I was agnostic.'

Tarrant looked at Melody again and I caught her giving him an apologetic smile. He asked me a few more questions but I didn't have much more to tell him. He left, saying that a uniform would be in soon to take my statement. I slept for a while and, when I woke, Tasso was there. I had come down from my high.

‘Jesus, Steve, what the hell did you think you were doing?'

‘I was stupid.'

‘At what point did you realise that?'

‘I think when I got shot and fell in the water.'

‘And Harlin saved you?'

‘He did.'

‘What the fuck for?'

‘Who knows?'

He gazed at me for a moment. ‘You need to stop taking so many risks.'

‘Yeah, I should. But we're having fun, aren't we?'

Tasso looked at Melody. ‘Sarcastic prick, isn't he?' She just smiled. He looked back at me. ‘Anyway, you're the one having all the fun. I've just been stuck in the office.'

‘Must be your turn to get shot, then.'

‘Must be, touch wood.'

‘Any news on the exploration licence?'

‘Not yet. But when you're feeling better we can start planning the drilling program anyway.'

‘Sure. Give me a couple of days. I've been shot, by the way.'

‘I've arranged for you to convalesce at Piss and Crawl's place.'

‘Alright. Good idea.'

Later I gave a formal statement to a cop on the events of that night, and I received a visit from an orthopaedic surgeon. He felt around my wound with experienced, tender fingers.

‘I think the internal bleeding has almost stopped,' he said. ‘We took X-rays while you were under. Overall, you were lucky. The bullet missed the bone and the brachial artery. I think it nicked a ligament. Over time you will get most of your movement back, but you'll probably feel continuing discomfort. Eventually we may need to operate to repair the ligament, but that we can wait until the wound has healed.'

‘How long will that take?'

‘That depends on how well you follow my instructions, but let's say a month, give or take. For the next ten days you should keep it completely immobile. We'll give you a sling before you go. Wear it.'

‘Alright.'

‘A bullet has just bored a hole through your body. You lost a lot of blood. You were very dehydrated. There's still a risk of infection. You're recovering, but you're not out of the woods. Take it easy. You shouldn't do much more than go to the bathroom for at least three or four more days.'

‘Okay, doc.'

Melody was still there and she held my hand and I fell asleep. When I woke she was asleep herself. Luke was standing next to the bed.

‘Good to see you're awake at last. They tell me you'll live.'

‘I guess I will.' It was the first time I had seen him since our telephone conversation. He looked the same as he always did. ‘You okay?'

‘I'm good. Yeah. I'm good. Worried about my brother, but otherwise great.'

‘How are things with your … friend?'

‘Partner is the correct term, Steve. Things are good. Great. His name is Nick.'

‘When do I meet him?'

‘Soon. He almost came along today.'

‘Will I like him?'

‘Yeah, I think you'll like him.' Luke looked at Melody in the chair. ‘Who's she?'

‘Melody.'

‘I like the sound of her name.'

‘Don't be corny.'

‘Where does she fit in?'

‘Partner is the correct term, I guess.'

His eyebrows jumped. ‘Really? Shit, Steve.'

‘Yeah. Shit. It's a recent thing. But it feels kind of serious.'

‘We really need to spend more time with each other. All these life changes.'

‘Yeah. Let's do that, Luke.'

He studied me, looking serious. ‘Can we talk
now
?'

‘Sure.'

He pulled up a chair, careful not to disturb Melody. ‘What's biting you?'

‘Nothing's biting me. I just want to talk.'

‘About?'

‘Anything. Everything.'

‘Nick?'

‘Yeah, sure, Nick. He sent flowers.' Luke gestured to a large bunch of native flowers sitting on the sideboard, out of my peripheral vision.

‘Nick sent flowers?'

‘Yeah. Something wrong with that?'

‘No, it's very kind.'

‘You think it's gay.'

‘Not at all.'

‘It
is
gay.
Nick's
gay.'

‘Sure.' There was a pause. ‘You sure
you're
gay, Luke? I never sensed it.'

‘Yeah, I'm positive, if bisexual means gay. And of
course
you never sensed it.'

‘What do you mean?'

Luke rolled his eyes. ‘Well, for a start, you haven't been around much in the last decade or two. And, second, I did my best to keep it hidden from you.'

‘Why?'

‘Because it's not the sort of thing you like talking about. You don't like talking about personal stuff.'

‘I'm a mining engineer.'

‘See? You always deflect when there's a danger of getting personal, don't you? Make a joke of it.' I didn't respond. ‘You know what I think?'

‘No, Luke, I'm a bloody mining engineer.'

‘I think you closed up emotionally when you were twelve, on account of your mother, and you've never reopened. It's such a shame. It's a shame because in the end it means
no one
gets close to you, no one gets to know your heart, not truly. I think you're lonely. Very lonely.' I still didn't say anything. My shoulder was throbbing. ‘Aren't you?
Say
something.'

‘I'm tired, Luke. Let me think about it.'

‘Sure, Steve. Let's talk in another decade.' He looked at me for a while. ‘I'll see you later, alright?'

‘Yeah.' He turned to go. ‘Luke?'

‘What?'

‘Sorry.'

‘For what?'

‘You know.'

‘I suppose so.'

‘And thank Nick for the flowers.'

I stayed in the hospital that night, but the next morning I climbed into a wheelchair and Bert wheeled me to the car. He took me to Chris and Paul's place.

‘It's beyond me how you managed to get yourself shot,' said Paul. ‘Twice.' He had removed the dressings and was inspecting the wounds. ‘You people are taking too many risks.'

‘It's very strange, Crawl. I've never been shot before, not once in forty-odd years. Then it happens twice in one night.'

‘Did you just call me Crawl?'

‘Sorry, didn't mean to.'

‘It's an old joke. Tasso thinks it's hilarious.'

‘At least I haven't made a similar mistake with Chris yet.'

‘Yes.' He finished his inspection of my bullet holes. ‘Both wounds look fine, anyhow. No sign of infection. You've been on strong antibiotics. We'll finish the course.' He redressed the shoulder wound.

‘How about a bit more morphine, too?'

He growled. ‘The hospital discharged you with some slow-release morphine, but the fact you're asking for it is a good sign you've had more than enough. Paracetamol for you from now on, my friend.'

‘You bastard.' He just smiled.

Melody decided to stay, too.

‘Not so long ago you were the one looking after me,' she said. ‘The tables are turned.' She had been shown to a separate bedroom, but late that night she sneaked into my bed.

‘I feel like a teenager,' she said.

‘You won't find one here.'

‘That's an understatement.'

‘That's harsh.'

She kissed me to make it better.

‘Am I too old for you?'

‘I don't think so. You're in pretty good shape.'

‘Apart from the odd bullet hole.'

‘Apart from the odd bullet hole.'

‘And a few grey hairs.'

‘A
lot
of grey hairs, actually.'

‘Steady on.'

‘Sorry.' She kissed me to make it better.

‘You know I can't move.'

‘So?'

‘So you have to come to me. The tables are turned.'