Page 33 of Ruby’s Outback Love

Cam stepped from the building as she reached us.

“Good morning. Ready to go, Cam?”

“Give me five and I’ll be with you.” He disappeared back indoors to help Drew with the last of the files and a couple of laptops we carried with us.

Linda and I stood leaning against the side of the vehicle, Elouise in front of us.

“How was your week?” I asked.

“I’ve enjoyed taking care of James and Finn’s routine flights, something a little different. When they return I’ll be covering the area further south.”

“Why the transfer from Charleville?” I asked.

Elouise shrugged. “They needed someone in Dubbo and I don’t really mind where I live.”

“Busy week, many emergencies?” Linda enquired.

“A couple, it was pretty quiet according to the office. How were your clinics?”

“No iss…..”

Linda stopped mid word and when Elouise and I followed the direction she was staring in. We saw a man running towards us – a young girl in his arms was screaming. Hairs on the back of my neck rose.

The three of us sprinted towards him. I recognized him as one of Marge and Rex’s stockmen.

Elouise started making observations of the young girl. “What happened?”

“She complained there was pain in her side and she feels like she wants to puke. It started last night but got really bad about half an hour ago.”

The man explained he’d thought the team would have left, but then he’d seen the plane and came for help. He didn’t think his daughter would make it into town.

“I’m a trauma surgeon.” Elouise’s statement shocked Linda and me.

Why the hell was she flying a plane, I wondered? She snapped into doctor mode. “Ruby, there’s a black bag in the cockpit under the co-pilot seat. It contains surgical instruments which are already sterilised and ready for emergencies like these. Can you fetch it, please? Linda, can you tell Cam we need to set up for an emergency appendectomy?”

There was no doubt in any of our minds that the young girl had an acute case of appendicitis. The signs were clear – clutching at her side, legs drawing towards her tummy in an attempt to ease the obviously excruciating pain. Sweat poured from her reddened face, indicating a fever was present.

I raced to the plane, found the bag and rushed to where Elouise and the man were about to enter the clinic building. The girls screams had reduced to gut-wrenching groans as she drifted close to unconsciousness. I hurried ahead to the room we used for surgery and began setting up Elouise’s instruments.

“Who’s doing the surgery?” Cam asked as everyone on the team worked together to get ready.

“I guess if it can’t wait I’ll be doing it,” Drew replied.

“No, Elouise is a trauma surgeon, she’ll be operating.” The two men were as shocked by Linda’s announcement as we’d been when we were told.

“What the hell is she doing flying planes?” Cam asked. “I would have thought she’d be much more valuable in a hospital.”

Elouise entered with the man and his daughter as Cam asked the question. “I enjoy flying and have used my skills in many an emergency.”

She sounded a little pissed by Cam’s attitude and I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment, his reaction had been no different to what I’d asked myself.

Elouise and Cam scrubbed up in preparation while Linda and I lifted the girl from her father’s arms. We managed to get a weight on her before he lifted her back into his arms and laid her onto the operating table. The concerned father leaned over, whispered something in her ear and kissed her forehead before stepping back.

“Please take care of my daughter,” he pleaded.

“We will,” I assured him. “What’s her name?”

“Kirra, she’s twelve years old. I’m Michael Vaughan.”