Outback Exodus (7 page)

We settle Caren and the other children when we get back to the tents. I then sit by the fire with the other adults. Conversation is limited during this quiet time as we all need to think and plan. Sandra makes tea for everyone in a billy can over the fire. Nothing like a cup of billy tea in the quiet of the night, the only sounds that we can hear above the crackling of the gum logs as they burn are the quiet chirps of crickets and the occasional sonar beep of the fruit bats as they head into town on their nightly raid.

Sandra looks up at the fruit bats as they fly overhead and sighs. “We really have to do something about getting what fresh fruit and vegetables we can ready for the journey. The non-fiction part of the library has stood up so far, so I am going to go in and get any books I can on preserving, drying and keeping things for longer periods.”

“What a great idea, Sandra. I hope you will be careful though. I am not sure how strong the rest of that building is and we don’t want a repeat of today.” Paul tells his wife.

I will go in alone; I know where to look for these books so will be in and out as fast as I can. I do want to get some other books to help with the teaching of the children too. We can’t forget that they will still need an education when we are settled. I do need some books to be able to teach them with.” Sandra is very emphatic about the need for books and there is no dissuading her from her self-appointed task.

We arrange for Paul to stand outside the library as receiver and watcher over his wife while she is in there. Paul will be able to get the books from Sandra, pile them up and also keep watch over the building. It is the best we can do under the circumstances.

“Paul, do not go in alone if anything goes wrong.
Get help as fast as you can, but don’t try to do it alone mate.” Rhys says and Paul nods his head in agreement. We have learned a lesson from last night and today that none of us will ever forget.

Krystal and I are to take over at the tent hospital at 2am so we decide to rest as much as we can and head off to our tents to sleep for a couple of hours. The others sit around the fire talking quietly. No more sleeping under the stars for us for the time being. Tents and tarpaulins had been found and erected during the day. A little comfort for us at last and some shelter from the sun and the rain too.

I must have slept, though I felt as if I had just closed my eyes, when Carrie one of the other nurses came to wake me for my shift. My eyes are gritty from the dust and my muscles scream at me as I roll from my sleeping bag and head off across the hill to the hospital tent. Krystal doesn’t look much better and we smile grimly at one another as we walk.

“I feel like a walking hay stack.” Krystal says as she walks. “My hair is a mess, my skin is dry and I ache like mad all over.”

“I don’t feel much better.” I tell her as I pull the ripped sides of my flannelette shirt around me against the cold. “I think we are going to have to look at clothing for everyone soon too. The weather is changing and summer will soon head into autumn and with winter coming on we have to make sure that we have enough warm clothes for everyone.” I continue, making a mental note to bring it up later tonight at the meeting.

Krystal and I stagger across the hill, weary legs not wanting to move too fast. It was going to be a long night after a very full day. Neither of us had slept for more than three hours, so we were going to have to keep each other awake.

Dr Helen meets us at the door, tired eyes gaze out of a very pale face. Helen looked just like I was feeling and her voice showed the strain of long hours and little rest as she briefed us on our patients. During the few hours we had been away three patients had been discharged into the care of relatives as they were well enough not to need nursing care. Two had become a lot sicker with infection and were now on the critical list. Two more had died of injuries sustained during the hospital collapse. The sad news was greeted by Krystal and me with solemn nods. We told Helen to go and lay down on an empty mattress for a while so that she could rest and our shift began.

This night shift was like no other I have ever done during all the years I was a nurse. Most of the patients were bedded down on mattresses on groundsheets. There were very few beds or trolleys from the hospital that were able to be used and these had been reserved for the sickest of the patients. The conditions were much worse for nursing than they had been in the old hospital, but were much safer than the old building for us and our patients. Moans and groans penetrated the quiet of the night due to the lack of pain killers. The only pain relief we had in abundant supply was paracetamol and for some of our patients this just did not help very much.
What little of the stronger medications we had was reserved for the sickest of the patients.

One of my patient
s, James, a frail eighty year old, was a joy to care for though. His faded blue eyes twinkled with humour although his body was letting him down. He always has a kind word for the nurses and can always find a joke to tell. Every time I went to check on him I would find him awake with a smile and a joke. Patients like this make the night go faster for us. I don’t think that I heard him complain at all during the night even though he was in immense pain from the cancer that was eating his body. Some people just cope and James was one of those wonderful people. He had been prescribed the stronger pain relief, but had rejected it so that the younger ones could have medication. James told me that his time was limited and that it should be used for those who will be able to make the future and not wasted on an old man who was dying anyway. The selflessness of this brought a lump to my throat. James was one of nature’s gentlemen and earned my love and respect that night. I hoped that he would not suffer too much over the time he had left on this earth.

The night passed quickly and soon it was daylight. Helen was awake and looking a little better than she had last night. Even two or three hours sleep can help extreme
exhaustion; Helen had managed to sleep for 4 hours a wonder in itself.

Our shift ends at 10am and we talk to the team that are taking over and then head off back to the campsite to rest up before tackling the next tasks allotted for the day.

The campsite has now become a much larger place and there are people and tents dotted all over the hill side. Campfires burn brightly and wonderful smells issue from pots hung over the flames. Colours are vibrant against the stark brown of the baked earth; it looks to be a cheerful place from a distance. It’s only when you get closer and see the fear on the faces of the adults that you realize that this is not a holiday park, this is something quite different.  The younger children race between the tents, calling and laughing and seem to lift the mood of the place.

We make our way over to the place where the bright red of the Fire Truck stands sentry and after a few words with Sandra and hugs for the children head off to sleep for a couple of hours. There is much to be done, done quickly and sleep is a luxury that is caught in small snatches.
It is finally time to take our boots off and rest for a while.

Two hours race by in sleep; I am not even sure that I closed my eyes. Even the noise of the children playing around the tents has not penetrated my dreamless sleep. Exhaustion must have taken over. Sandra has come into the tent to wake me and the smell of coffee drifts from the steaming mug in her hand.

“I managed to get some fresh milk this morning; one of the families has a few cows that they have brought in and they are hand milking them. We are sharing the milk between all of us. We don’t get much, but what we get will help with the children.” She smiles as she says this.

“Oh coffee, thank you so much, just the pick me up I need.” I reply, taking the hot mug from her hand and sipping as if my life depends on it. “Did a bus run over me while I was asleep?’ I ask as I struggle from the ground, my body aching as I stand.

“Not that I saw, but I feel like that too, I think it’s from sleeping on the ground. Our bodies are not used to it yet.” Sandra laughs.

“At 36 I shouldn’
t feel like I am 96!” I laugh with Sandra. It feels so good to have something to laugh about. Sandra nods her head and leaves the tent still giggling as she takes Krystal her coffee.

I stretch my aching back and hang onto the coffee mug, sipping it slowly and savouring the smell and taste. Coffee and tea are just two of the things that are going to be difficult to give up when they run out.
I do love my coffee and a day is not right unless I’ve had at least one when I wake up. I sigh as I think about the deprivation of my favourite beverage. I resolve then and there to round up every last grain of coffee and every last tea leaf to go with us. Milo and hot chocolate will be for the children too. We need to make sure that there are some treats for all of us.

I push my aching feet into my boots, dust down my jeans and throw the tattered shirt towards the pile of washing accumulating in a corner of the tent. It is more than warm enough for the singlet top I am wearing, so I put my Akubra hat on my head and walk out of the tent to face the day.

Clothes, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and milo, this mantra runs through my head as I walk across the grass towards the fire. Rhys is there, his dark head resting against the downy softness of Caren’s head and a gentle faraway look in his deep brown eyes. He hears me coming and looks up smiling as I approach. “Good Morning Jenn, did you sleep well mate?” he asks as I walk up and sit on a log on the ground beside him.

“What little I’ve had was good; I was out like a light as soon as I lay down.” I said
as I made myself comfortable on the log and touch Caren gently. “Good morning little smiley.” I say as her tiny face lights up when she spots me.

“I have had a couple of thoughts for your supplies lists Rhys.” I mention.

“Go ahead Jenn. Bet I’ve thought of them though.” Rhys says as he pulls out some paper and places Caren in my lap.

“Okay, this is what I’ve come up with so far.” I start. “We are going to need clothes for everyone, not just summer clothes, but winter one’s too. Who knows what we will find when we get to the coast. We will also need plenty of blankets too. Warmth will be a problem with the older folks
.” Rhys nods for me to continue as he scribbles a few quick notes. “I would like to find all the coffee, tea, hot chocolate and milo that we can and keep it for treats, the same with sweets too. We have to give everyone something to look forward too.” I finish.

“Great idea Jenn.”
Rhys says as his pen skims quickly across the page. “You have been putting in some thinking time. I had thought about clothes, but you are forward planning too, and I had not thought that far ahead. Now I have to work out how to pack all this extra stuff onto the semis. Thanks for the input though.” He smiles crookedly at me as he finishes speaking. I’ve just given him more work to do in a short space of time.

My next visit is to be to Raymond to see how things are going mechanically with the fleet of vehicles, so I stand and stretch again, say goodbye to Rhys and Caren and head off towards the township. Ray’s mechanic’s workshop is still partially standing and Ray has a huge pile of spare parts and tools ready
to load aboard the trailer. Tyres are stacked neatly ready to be loaded and there is a great mountain of bottles of oil, brake fluid and other liquids. Raymond is covered in grease and grime from working his way through the damaged building to retrieve the tools and equipment he will need to keep our vehicles running. His smile shows through the grime on his face as he sees me walking across the car park. “G’day Jenn, how are you doing today?” he asks as I draw close.

“Not too bad really Raymond.
Nothing that a few hours’ sleep in a decent bed won’t cure.” I reply. “How are we doing with all the spares, tools and equipment that we are going to need?” I ask.

“
Pretty good, I think, have plenty of spares for most of the vehicles, tyres should be okay, as long as we don’t need too many for the semis, and I’ve only got eight spares for them. Oil and other stuff should be okay and I can raid other garages along the way too.” He laughs as he says this. “As long as the computers hold out we should be fine, I can’t replace more than two or three of them from spares that I have at the moment and no one will answer a phone to send us more.” He jokes. Raymond has always been a good friend and his sense of humour has always appealed to me. To have someone cracking jokes at this time really does help with the stress.

“You are doing a great job mate!” I tell him. “Making jokes now is something that sure is a help for me too, I need to be able to have something to laugh at.” I smile broadly as I say this. “Seriously though, is there anything that you need at the moment?” A big question, there are so many things
we will need, but we probably won’t be able to get half of them. That realization hits me out of the blue and for a few seconds my brain cannot take in the enormity of that fact. 

“What’s up mate?” Raymond asks concern on his face as he watches me process this unwelcome thought. “You look like you just saw a ghost.” He states.

I look at him for a few seconds before I reply, my mind turning over and over with thoughts and not sure if I should tell him my thoughts. I certainly don’t want to put this stress on him right now, so I decide that it is better kept to myself. “I’m okay mate, just the tiredness setting in a bit.” I tell him. “I’m not going to get much rest today though as there is a fair bit to do. I had better go and find Gavin and have a natter with him. Catch you later though.” I smile at Raymond and head off further towards the centre of town where Gavin has set up a tarpaulin where the old Police Station had stood for many years. It was not standing now however, the massive pile of masonry where it had once been is crumpled in mute testimony to the past.

Gavin has a sofa and coffee table set up under the tarpaulin. Another table holds a primus stove, coffee, powdered milk, sugar and a selection of cracked coffee mugs. He is sitting on the sofa pouring over a pile of papers when I approach. I clear my throat gently to let him know I am there. I don’t want to disturb his concentration on the lists he is checking over.

Gavin looks up and smiles as he takes his glasses off and rubs at his reddened eyes. “Hey Jenn.” He says as he stands up and hugs me. “You look exhausted mate.” He continues. “Bad night at the hospital?” He asks.

I hug him back and feel comforted as his head rests gently on top of mine. “Mate, I am shattered, stuffed and tired, in that order.” I tell him. It’s nice to be hugged and feel just for a moment that there is support there.

“Well we had better get on with it.” Gavin says as he drops his arms from around me and turns for the primus to make coffee. “This is a pretty massive undertaking.” He states as he spoons coffee, powdered milk and sugar into the cups. “The count is 203 people, 85 men, 75 women and 46 children. There are 16 older men, 10 are frail and 69 who are fit and healthy. 30 of the women are elderly and ten of them are frail, that leaves 45 healthy women. Of the children there are 21 teenagers, 15 aged from three to 12 and 10 under three years old, three of them are babies. We also have four pregnant ladies in the 30 healthy ones; one is due to have her baby any day now.” Gavin starts to fire figures at me quickly as he makes the coffee.

“Sit down before you fall down, girl.” He says gesturing to the sofa with a coffee cup in each hand. I promptly do as I am instructed.

“Does that include the committee?” I ask Gavin, a cheeky grin on my face.

“Of course it does.” Gavin grins back and our old bantering starts to ease the tension under the tarpaulin.
“Bloody cheek of you!” he laughs and cocks a fist at my chin.

“Do we have enough vehicles to take that lot?” Gavin asks.

“We do, four buses should take most of the older people, the children and the pregnant ones. We can also fill the seats with the younger healthy ones too. We can mix them up in most of the buses so that there are enough younger ones to help out with the children and fetch and carry for the elderly too.” I’m rattling facts off at a huge rate and Gavin is taking notes quickly. “We will need car seats fitted to the buses for all the children under 5 years old, but I think that I will keep Caren, Robin and Tammy with me, but I can also take another two adults with me as Rhys will be driving a semi for the trip.”

“The nurses will go in the ambulances with the patients from the hospital and so will Helen.” Gavin says, quickly anticipating my next words. I nod in agreement. “Drivers are not a problem for the ambulances either.” He states.

“We will have four of the group of older teenagers out on trail bikes scouting ahead all through the day. Most of them can’t wait to do it either.” I smile as I think of the older kids faces as they argued as to who was going to ride first shift this morning. “There are eight of them old enough to do this and they will take in turns throughout the day.” I say, still smiling as I remember their enthusiasm.

“That cuts four seats down in vehicles then.
” Gavin says. “Did you see how excited the kids are to be doing this?” He asks me. I nod and smile at him.

“We will need a further four vehicles though.” I tell him
. “I know that the Police vehicle will be going and can be filled with supplies too, but we also need extra room for a few more people, there is always the possibility of finding others along the way and we will be able to fit in more supplies.” I state. “This is about as far as I have managed to get at this point; I’ve been fairly busy what with one thing and another.” I state with a wry grin. My thoughts wing back to yesterday and all that had happened. I must have pulled a face that showed my thoughts, because Gavin reached out and hugged me.

“It’s okay Jenn, you are doing a fantastic job in the time you have had. No one could ask more of you, you have always asked more from yourself than anyone could ever expect.” Gavin held me tight and his bass rumble filled my ears.
Tears sprung to my eyes as my pent up emotions from the last few days start to overflow.

Gavin hands me a ragged and grubby handkerchief as my sobs subside. “Blow your nose girl and wipe your eyes. Do you feel better now that you’ve had a good cry?” He asks gently.

“I’m not sure about better.” I gulp, “But I think that I did need to let some of it out.” I say as the sobs subside. I look down and Gavin’s shirt and see the tear stains there. “Sorry mate, I made a wet mess of your shirt.” I say with a wry grin.

“Not t
he first time though is it mate?” Gavin reminds me as we sit companionably on the sofa.  The soft rumble of his voice takes me back to the last time I cried like this on his shoulder and I look at him and nod my head.

“The night that you came to tell me Ken had died in that car accident. I remember, I don’t think I will ever forget your kindness then. You were a rock when I needed something solid to cling too. I don’t think that I’ve ever thanked you for that either, not properly anyway.” I can feel the sadness in my voice, the apology
and thanks though are very genuine. “With everything that has happened recently it feels such a long time ago. I feel so much older than I did then. When I think back it was only five years ago.” My voice sounds weary even to me as I say these last few words.

“Jenn, no thanks are necessary for what I did. I have been there too, as you already know. When Steph
anie died in that accident fifteen years ago I went through a lot of the same things that you did. I understood and only did what others did for me.” Gavin continued. “I think though that you should head back and get some more rest. You still have the meeting tonight and a shift to put in at the hospital, mate.” Gavin finished speaking and stood up, pulling me to my feet at the same time.