Emergency Echo (7 page)

Alice was finishing off her jelly when a nurse bustled into the room. She was savouring every spoonful, but it was almost gone. And she was still hungry.

‘Hello there,' the nurse said cheerily, then checked the chart that hung on the end of the bed. ‘Now, what do we have here?' she mumbled to herself as she read. ‘Appendix, huh?'

It was a different nurse again. Alice noticed that they seemed to change quite regularly. This one wore a nametag that said ‘Pam'.

‘Ah,' said Pam. ‘Looks like we're going to get you up and about properly today.'

Alice groaned. She didn't feel like getting
out of bed. Moving around was still uncomfortable.

‘Best to be active as quickly as possible,' said Pam. ‘It actually helps with the recovery and gets your bowels moving, which is really important. Don't want to get constipated. Pushing and straining isn't good when you've had a tummy operation.'

Alice felt her face getting hotter as the nurse kept talking.

The nurse began to do the regular checks – checks that seemed to happen way too often, as far as Alice was concerned. Even during the night, nurses kept waking her up every few hours to check her temperature, heart and blood pressure, and to ask her if she was feeling okay. She would have felt a lot better if they'd just let her sleep.

Pam moved the tray-table aside as she checked the dressing.

‘How does it look?' asked Alice.

‘Healing nicely. Want to see?' Pam held back the dressing and Alice caught a glimpse of puckered skin, rough stitches and dried blood before she turned away with a squeal.

‘Will I have a horrible scar?' she asked.

‘No.' Pam laughed. ‘You had key-hole surgery, which involves three tiny little incisions. So you'll only have three tiny little scars. Hardly noticeable. The days of long scars across the tummy are gone.'

Alice wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed. A big scar might've been interesting. A sort-of trophy to show people. Then again, maybe it was better this way.

Her first solo walk was painful and awkward. Alice didn't get very far. She shuffled from one side of her bed to the other, the IV drip on a tall metal stand that had to be wheeled with her.

The nurse seemed happy with her movement. Then she asked Alice about her ‘bowel motions' again.
Why is everyone so obsessed with poo?
Alice wondered.

The nurse came back not long after and got her out of bed again.

And again.

And again.

Each time the nurse asked about her bowels. When Alice finally went to the toilet for a poo, she half expected the nurses to throw a party.

By the end of the day, Alice was wandering up and down the corridors on her own.

The morning after, a nurse came in to remove the IV needle from the back of her hand. Alice closed her eyes. It was funny … she'd had an operation, but it was this needle that bothered her the most.

And then she was discharged, in a taxi with Grandad and then getting on a bus.

‘I've had enough of planes,' said Grandad. ‘Besides, the bus is cheaper.'

Alice would have preferred otherwise. She had decided that she liked planes. If she could survive a flight in a storm – with appendicitis – she could handle anything. And she definitely wanted to fly again.

‘Welcome home!' everyone shouted as Alice and Grandad walked in the door.

The lounge room was full of people. There were streamers and balloons, and a handwritten sign with mismatched letters that said WELCOME HOME, ALICE. Also on the sign was a strange brown squiggly object after her name. She wasn't
sure if it was supposed to be a deformed sausage or something.

She had barely gone two steps in before Mum was hugging her. It was a little too strong a hug given that she'd just had an operation, but she didn't complain. She just hugged her back.

She watched over Mum's shoulder as Grandad headed towards the armchair. She mouthed the words ‘Thank you' as he looked back at her before sitting himself down. He nodded to her.

‘Oh, I've missed you so much,' Mum said.

‘It's good to see you, Mum,' she said quietly. ‘It's good to be home.'

Suddenly something attached itself to her legs. She glanced down to see Lewis, his arms wrapped around her. He looked up at her and
grinned, before tearing off around the lounge room. That was about as good a welcome as she could expect from her little brother.

Mum finally let her go and stood back. And there was Ben, standing awkwardly to one side. He looked uncomfortable, with his hands behind his back.

‘Got you a welcome home present,' he said.

‘Yeah?' said Alice, raising an eyebrow.

‘Yeah!' said Ben. ‘It's behind my back.'

‘Cool,' said Alice. ‘Can I see it?'

Rather than bring his hands to the front, Ben slowly turned on the spot till he was facing away from Alice. Balancing in his hands and leaning up against his back was a set of metal cricket stumps –
bright pink
cricket stumps.

‘Wow!' gasped Alice, her face lighting up.

Ben tried to turn back around, lost his balance and dropped the stumps. They fell onto the carpet with a thud.

‘That's fantastic!' said Alice.

‘I've fixed them up properly,' admitted Ben. ‘Sanded off the rust, then put on a treatment. And painted them with proper outdoor metal paint. They'll be pink for a long time.'

‘Thanks, Ben,' said Alice.

‘And Ben also made the sign,' said Mum.

‘Great!' said Alice, looking at Ben. ‘But, um, why did you draw a burnt sausage on it?'

Everyone started to laugh.

‘What?' asked Alice.

‘I guess I won't be taking up art, then,' said Ben.

‘Poo!' shouted Lewis, pointing up at the sign.

There was more laughter. Alice groaned. She'd had enough talk about poo to last her a lifetime.

‘I'm sure it's not meant to be poo,' said Alice to her brother. Then she looked at Ben with concern. ‘Is it?'

‘No!' He held his hands to his chest in a theatrical gesture, as if horribly offended. ‘It's meant to be your appendix.'

Even more laughter filled the room and Alice blushed.

‘I looked it up online,' said Ben. ‘That's what an appendix looks like … sort of … I guess …'

And then everyone was crowding in around Alice, hugging her, patting her on the back and welcoming her home.

A little later, Grandad fired up the barbecue and people started to move outside.

‘I brought some roo sausages,' said Ben's mum jokingly, as she went out. ‘'Specially for Alice.'

Alice glared at Ben. He'd promised not to tell his mum that she didn't like roo. He shrugged and went out with the others.

Mum came and took her hand. They sat down on the couch together.

‘I hate hospitals,' said Mum. Her voice sounded tight and her eyes were glistening. ‘Last time one of the family had to go to hospital, it was your dad … and … and he …'

‘I know,' said Alice, putting an arm around her shoulders.

And then Mum was hugging her again,
tears in her eyes. ‘I was so worried you wouldn't come back.'

‘I love you, Mum,' said Alice, sniffing back her own tears.

‘And I love you.'

It was a little while before they finally let go of each other.

‘I've got something to return to you,' said Alice, reaching for the necklace.

‘Oh no,' said Mum. ‘That's yours now. I think your dad would be happy for you to have it.'

Alice nodded. Mum squeezed her hand.

‘The RFDS were amazing,' said Alice, wiping at her eyes.

‘I'd hate to think what would have happened to you without them,' agreed Mum.

‘Doctor Helen was great,' Alice went on.
‘She was on the plane with us and she told us this amazing story about her grandfather.'

Alice paused to think about her own grandfather. He'd proven himself to be very useful. More than useful. He'd got her through the whole experience.

‘And Grandad was terrific too,' said Alice, looking at Mum. ‘He took care of me. Sat with me the whole time. Talked to me. Told me stories.'

‘He's a good man,' agreed Mum.

Alice nodded and fell silent.

‘Come on,' said Mum, getting up. ‘We should go outside with everyone else.'

‘Hey Mum,' said Alice thoughtfully. ‘You know how every cloud is supposed to have a silver lining? Well, it's true – I got a silver lining.'

‘What's that?'

‘I flew in a plane.' Alice smiled. ‘I'd like to do it again. But without the storm and without the appendix.'

Mum nodded. ‘Well, if you do fly again, it will definitely be without the appendix.'

‘Haha,' said Alice, rolling her eyes. ‘But I think I'd like to travel when I'm older.'

‘Where to?' asked Mum.

‘Dunno,' said Alice. ‘Somewhere. Anywhere. In a plane.'

‘Your father always wanted to travel,' said Mum with a faraway look in her eyes. ‘But he never really got the chance. He'd like it if you did.'

Alice reached up and touched the gold nugget.

‘If you go to Lord's, I'll go with you.'

Alice looked over to see Ben leaning in the doorway to the kitchen. Mum patted him on the shoulder as she squeezed past. ‘You're a nice boy,' she said quietly as she headed outside.

‘Lord's … what?' asked Alice.

‘Lord's Cricket Ground,' said Ben, as if he were talking to an idiot. ‘In England. It's where the Ashes are kept. You know, as in
The
Ashes. The test cricket series between Australia and England?'

‘Oh.' Alice smiled.

‘Bill Ponsford played there in the 1930 Ashes test series,' said Ben excitedly. ‘Australia won that year.'

‘Whatever,' teased Alice.

‘And you call yourself a cricket fan.' Ben shook his head.

‘I call
you
a cricket fan,' corrected Alice. ‘I just like playing it. And only with pink stumps.' Both she and Ben laughed. ‘But I'll go there with you … one day.'

Ben turned to go outside.

‘Hey!' Alice called after him. ‘Um …' She hesitated. ‘What colour are your eyes?'

He turned back and looked at her, a little surprised. ‘Duh! Don't you know?'

Alice shrugged.

‘I know yours are blue,' he said.

‘And I know that your hair is black, your skin is brown and your nose is kinda squishy,' she said in a big rush. Then paused. ‘And I know your eyes are dark. But I can't work out the colour.'

Ben reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He grinned
as he put them over his eyes. ‘Here's the deal,' he said. ‘If you haven't figured it out by the time we get to Lords, I might tell you.'

And then he was off, out into the backyard.

Alice laughed, holding a hand over her dressing as her tummy twinged. ‘Deal!'

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) began as the dream of the Reverend John Flynn, a minister with the Presbyterian Church. He witnessed the struggle of pioneers living in remote areas with no available medical care. Flynn's vision was to provide a ‘mantle of safety' for these people, and on 15 May 1928 his dream became a reality with the opening of the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service (later renamed the Royal Flying Doctor Service) in Cloncurry, Queensland.

Over the next few years, the Service began to expand across the country, and by the 1950s was acknowledged by former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies as ‘perhaps the single greatest contribution to the effective settlement of the far distant country that we have witnessed in our time'.

Until the 1960s, the RFDS rarely owned its own aircraft. Progressively, the RFDS began to purchase its own aircraft and employ dedicated pilots and engineers.

Today, the Royal Flying Doctor Service is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world. Using the latest in aviation, medical and communications technology, it delivers extensive health care and 24-hour
emergency service to those who live, work and travel throughout Australia. The RFDS has a fleet of 63 aircraft operating from 22 bases located across the nation and provides medical assistance to over 290,000 people every year.

 

Did you know? The RFDS helps a person in Australia every two minutes!