CHAPTER 9 #2
“Yeah,” Shadrack answers with a resigned sigh, and when he tells us why, I understand his despondence.
“At some point, a snare caught her, but she managed to get free. She was old, injured, and hurting. I think it was her that attacked the buffalo, and when she couldn’t bring it down, she then went for the offal we dragged away but couldn’t get past the scavengers to feed, so she came back to where the buffalo was and found us instead.
She stalked us for quite a while, which is why Skinny and I felt like we were being watched.
I know I saved Skinny by shooting her, but it breaks my heart,” Shadrack murmurs before shaking off his melancholy and continuing, “Anyway, I wanted to say goodbye and thank you for all your help before I leave. I’m going to work with the Sanctuary guys to clear the bush where we broke down and get rid of any snares we find. ”
He holds out his hand to Josie, enfolding her one hand with both of his and thanking her again. “Thank you for all you did last night.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiles at him before reminding him, “And don’t forget to come to us when you’re ready to be a guide; we could do with someone who is as knowledgeable as you are.”
Smiling, he promises, “I won’t forget.”
Turning towards me, he shakes my hand and is gone to make good on his word to rid that part of the bush of any snares they can find and maybe put a dent in the poaching in that area.
Once he’s gone, Jett turns towards us, passing an assessing eye over both of us.
“Let me have a quick look at you both, although neither of you seems worse for wear. Then we’ll get you down to maternity so that we can have a look at the baby and you can both go home. I’m sure you’re ready for your own bed.”
“Very ready,” Josie agrees fervently.
“Well then,” Jett says, standing up and taking a small torch from out of his pocket. “Let’s check on the concussion patient and then get you out of here.”
Twenty minutes later, we’re following him down a passage towards the maternity ward.
Josie squeezes my hand, and I look down at her as she worries her lip.
“What’s wrong, sweets?” I ask.
“What happens if something’s wrong?” she asks worriedly, her eyes filling with tears.
Stopping, I turn and wrap her up in my arms, “Hey, nothing’s going to be wrong, but if by chance there is, then we’ll deal with it like we deal with everything. Together, and we’ll lean on our family while we do that.”
Josie tilts her head back, chin resting on my chest, damp eyes searching mine. Cupping her cheeks, I wipe at a tear. “Okay?” I urge.
“Okay,” she agrees with a wobbly smile.
“Everything okay?” Jett calls to us.
Turning towards him, I take Josie’s hand and pull her along with me. “Everything’s fine. Well, it will be once we have a look at our baby to put Josie’s mind at rest.”
Jett’s gaze softens, and he reaches out and squeezes Josie’s shoulder, “I’m sorry, Josie, I didn’t realise you were worried. I’d have had the scan done sooner if I’d known. Come on, let’s get your little one checked out so that you can relax.”
Jett hustles us into a room housing the scanner and gets Josie situated on the bed with her shirt tucked up under her breasts and a paper towel tucked into her shorts, protecting them from the gel he spreads over her lower abdomen that he looks at with an assessing gaze, making a humming noise before he picks up the transducer and moves it slowly over her abdomen.
We hear a whooshing sound, and Josie relaxes with a small smile, wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
It’s only when she reaches up a hand and wipes at my face that I realise I’m crying right along with her.
Bending over, I press a quick kiss to her lips before standing and waiting for Jett to stop doing whatever he’s doing.
He makes another humming sound, then starts to smile before he chuckles. Josie and I share a ‘What the fuck look?’
“Sorry,” he apologises with a wide smile as he turns the screen towards us, “I realise that wasn’t very professional, but maybe you want to tell Noni to check the water on your side of the country too.”
“Oh,” Josie says, and starts to laugh as soon as she looks at the screen. She’s laughing so hard that she ends up snorting. Jett is laughing just as hard and wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. As the only one with no medical knowledge, I’m confused as to what I’m looking at.
“What’s going on?” I want to know.
“There are two heartbeats,” Josie chortles. “Noni’s going to shit a brick.”
It’s dawning on me what she’s just said, and I feel the room tilt as I go cold and my knees go weak. I’m hanging onto the bed as hard as I can, trying to keep myself steady, but I can’t seem to stop myself from lowering to the floor.
My head jerks as I blink my eyes open and look up into Josie’s concerned gaze as she hangs over the side of the bed.
Jett is looking amused. “That was the most elegant faint I’ve ever seen,” he grins at me before getting serious.
“I managed to grab you before you hit the floor, but let me check you over and make sure it’s not the concussion and just the shock of becoming a father to twins. ”
“Twins,” I mutter hoarsely as I suffer through yet another examination. “Holy fuck, baby. Twins!” I say in a shocked tone.
“Yeah, honey, twins,” Josie answers, running her fingers through my hair where I’ve got my head leaning against the side of the bed while Jett does his thing.
“You’re fine,” he concludes, standing and offering me his hand to pull me up. When I’m steady on my feet, he claps my shoulder, teasing, “You’re going to do great in the delivery room, aren’t you?”
Josie snorts another laugh at his teasing as I glare at him.
Ignoring me, he’s still chuckling as he goes to the scanning machine and presses a few buttons, printing off some pictures for us. Taking the one he hands me with trembling hands, I look at it, hardly believing what I’m seeing.
“Fuck,” I whisper, swiping a hand over my suddenly dry mouth, as I finally realise that I’m going to be a dad to twins. I can’t wait to get home and tell Bull, Bond, and the rest of the family.
Wrapping my arm around Josie, I press my lips to her temple. “Thank you, Tiger.”
Josie squeezes me back. “Are you ready to go home?”
“Fuck yes,” I respond, helping her off the bed. “Are we good to go?” I ask Jett.
“You are,” he replies. “Congratulations to you both. If you want to know at the next scan, we’ll see if we can tell what you’re having. Let’s get you out of here. Blaze is here to pick you up. I moved his last check-up to today so that we could kill two birds with one stone.”
“Thank you, Jett,” Josie says, hugging him quickly. He smiles and pats her gently on the back.
“You’re welcome, Josie. Let’s get you two out of here.”
It doesn’t take long to discharge us. We have an account set up with the administration here that we pay into monthly.
If our stay costs more than what we have in the pot, they’d send us an invoice.
Blaze is waiting for us outside, sitting on a bench.
He stands when he sees us, immediately hugging us both.
“Fuck me, brother, it’s great to see you guys. Everything okay?”
“It’s all good, brother,” I assure him. “Ready to get home, though.”
“Let’s go then,” he agrees. Then he nods towards Jett, saying, “Later, Jett.”
“Later, brother. You two take care of yourselves now,” Jett responds with a wave as he walks back into the hospital, leaving us standing in the scorching sun.
“Come on,” Blaze says, walking away towards the car park, “the vehicle’s over here.”
Ten minutes later, we’re loaded up and pulling out of the hospital car park and onto the main road that is heaving with traffic.
An hour later, we finally make it to the outskirts of town and out onto the open road. Looking over my shoulder, I see Josie has the pillow that Blaze handed her as soon as she got in the vehicle tucked between her head and the window and is fast asleep.
I relax properly for the first time since we’d left home close on four days ago now, I think, I’m not really sure; I’m a bit lost as to what day it is.
I’ve never been so happy to turn onto the road that takes us to our small town. A sense of homecoming fills me as we drive up the street past the veterinary clinic, then the service station with the towing company, Cairo’s machine shop, the grocery store, and then the shops that we rent out.
When the hotel comes into sight, I’m once again blown away by its beauty.
I guess a brush with death makes you feel differently about everything.
Blaze takes the road that leads to our privately owned homes at the rear of the hotel, and as we drive through the gate, I catch sight of all our family gathered in Bull and Noni’s garden waiting to welcome us.
As we’re pulled from the vehicle and surrounded and hugged like we’ve been gone for months, not a few days, it makes me realise how lucky we are that we have this when many don’t.
My heart is full. It’s good to be home.