and get him to organise it all?’
‘Yes. Murphy’s Farm. Two patients requiring transfer. Give him the particulars of the injuries and he can organise Phemie and her crew.’
Melissa nodded and made the phone call, giving Dex the particulars, all the while quite excited about her first contact with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. She’d heard so much about the people who ran it—most of the Didja locals heralded them as true Outback heroes—and now she was delighted at the opportunity to meet them. Although she most certainly wished the circumstances were different.
‘Right.’ Joss turned his attention to Melissa. ‘Ready when you are, Lis.’
Melissa came over and knelt down on the opposite side of James, pulling on a pair of gloves. ‘Ready, boss.’
She wanted to ask why they couldn’t move James to a more sterile location. She wanted to know how they were supposed to keep the multitude of buzzing flies away from the patient, the wound and themselves as they treated him. However, Joss was ready to do what he did best, and as he had obviouslydone it quite a few times before, she wasn’t about to question him. She’d come to an Outback clinic, and all of this was about learning how to do things the Outback way. If it meant improvising then they would improvise, and she would learn how.
‘OK. If you can start by putting an IV line in. Saline is in the medical kit. Mindy, we’re going to need something to hang a drip bag on.’
‘I can hold it,’ Mindy offered.
‘No.’ Melissa and Joss spoke in unison.
‘You need to be in the shade if you’re outside, and preferably off your feet. Get me a chair or, better yet, stick a pitchfork in the ground. Anything we can use to hook the bag over but keep it elevated.’
‘I’m on it,’ she called as she waddled off to the shed. By the time she returned Melissa had the needles and tubes in and was ready to connect it all.
‘How are you holding up, James?’ she asked.
‘All the better for looking up at you,’ he murmured, with a silly grin on his face.
Melissa raised her gaze and looked at Joss, who smiled back. ‘I’d say the analgesics are working just fine,’ Joss said.
‘Why? Because he’d have to be out of it to find me attractive?’ She pretended to bristle.
‘No.’ Mortification laced his words, but then he relaxed as he realised she was teasing. ‘I only meant that usually James isn’t one to speak like that—especially to a woman he’s only just met.’
‘He’s right,’ Mindy clarified. She shooed some flies away as she sat down on the ground near James’s head. ‘Mind if I watch?’
‘Not at all,’ Joss replied, and, now satisfied that the local anaesthetic had taken effect and that James was not in anypain, he began the procedure of tidying things up and stitching them closed.
Melissa noted that even with the less than ideal circumstances Joss was being quite thorough. His careful thoroughness suggested that he was an excellent surgeon, and she wondered how many times he’d had to treat patients in such remote circumstances like this. As she took a quick second to glance around, it struck her just how far away from ‘civilisation’ they really were. It was one thing to come all the way to a small Outback practice to try and get to know her brother, but now that she was here there was a small niggling doubt that perhaps she’d bitten off more than she could chew. Would she be able to last twelve months as an Outback doctor? And what would happen after that?
‘That will do him for now. I’ll take a closer look later, once he’s settled at the hospital.’ Joss looked down at their patient. ‘How are you doing, James?’
‘Sleepy.’
‘Any pain?’
‘Nope.’ They all smiled at the way he said the word.
‘OK. I’ll check Andy again, if you wouldn’t mind doing obs on James.’ Joss changed his gloves and crouched down near Andy.
‘How are you doing?’
‘Fine.’
‘No pain?’
‘I’m cool.
‘Yes. Murphy’s Farm. Two patients requiring transfer. Give him the particulars of the injuries and he can organise Phemie and her crew.’
Melissa nodded and made the phone call, giving Dex the particulars, all the while quite excited about her first contact with the Royal Flying Doctor Service. She’d heard so much about the people who ran it—most of the Didja locals heralded them as true Outback heroes—and now she was delighted at the opportunity to meet them. Although she most certainly wished the circumstances were different.
‘Right.’ Joss turned his attention to Melissa. ‘Ready when you are, Lis.’
Melissa came over and knelt down on the opposite side of James, pulling on a pair of gloves. ‘Ready, boss.’
She wanted to ask why they couldn’t move James to a more sterile location. She wanted to know how they were supposed to keep the multitude of buzzing flies away from the patient, the wound and themselves as they treated him. However, Joss was ready to do what he did best, and as he had obviouslydone it quite a few times before, she wasn’t about to question him. She’d come to an Outback clinic, and all of this was about learning how to do things the Outback way. If it meant improvising then they would improvise, and she would learn how.
‘OK. If you can start by putting an IV line in. Saline is in the medical kit. Mindy, we’re going to need something to hang a drip bag on.’
‘I can hold it,’ Mindy offered.
‘No.’ Melissa and Joss spoke in unison.
‘You need to be in the shade if you’re outside, and preferably off your feet. Get me a chair or, better yet, stick a pitchfork in the ground. Anything we can use to hook the bag over but keep it elevated.’
‘I’m on it,’ she called as she waddled off to the shed. By the time she returned Melissa had the needles and tubes in and was ready to connect it all.
‘How are you holding up, James?’ she asked.
‘All the better for looking up at you,’ he murmured, with a silly grin on his face.
Melissa raised her gaze and looked at Joss, who smiled back. ‘I’d say the analgesics are working just fine,’ Joss said.
‘Why? Because he’d have to be out of it to find me attractive?’ She pretended to bristle.
‘No.’ Mortification laced his words, but then he relaxed as he realised she was teasing. ‘I only meant that usually James isn’t one to speak like that—especially to a woman he’s only just met.’
‘He’s right,’ Mindy clarified. She shooed some flies away as she sat down on the ground near James’s head. ‘Mind if I watch?’
‘Not at all,’ Joss replied, and, now satisfied that the local anaesthetic had taken effect and that James was not in anypain, he began the procedure of tidying things up and stitching them closed.
Melissa noted that even with the less than ideal circumstances Joss was being quite thorough. His careful thoroughness suggested that he was an excellent surgeon, and she wondered how many times he’d had to treat patients in such remote circumstances like this. As she took a quick second to glance around, it struck her just how far away from ‘civilisation’ they really were. It was one thing to come all the way to a small Outback practice to try and get to know her brother, but now that she was here there was a small niggling doubt that perhaps she’d bitten off more than she could chew. Would she be able to last twelve months as an Outback doctor? And what would happen after that?
‘That will do him for now. I’ll take a closer look later, once he’s settled at the hospital.’ Joss looked down at their patient. ‘How are you doing, James?’
‘Sleepy.’
‘Any pain?’
‘Nope.’ They all smiled at the way he said the word.
‘OK. I’ll check Andy again, if you wouldn’t mind doing obs on James.’ Joss changed his gloves and crouched down near Andy.
‘How are you doing?’
‘Fine.’
‘No pain?’
‘I’m cool.
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