‘Flynn. Flynn, I’m fine.’ Her hands were on his face. ‘The fire’s out. We’re all safe.’
‘No, no, she’s not.’ He managed to push off her this time, to stumble to his feet, knee protesting loudly, but he didn’t care. Didn’t care. Someone’s hands were on him, steadying him. He turned. Reid. ‘Reid. It’s coming down.’
‘What’s coming down?’
‘The branch. It’s going to crush her.’
Reid glanced up and then back down, his gaze steady, his hand firming on Flynn’s shoulder. ‘It’s not coming down, Flynn. It’s safe here in the clearing.’
Clearing? Flynn looked above him. The purpling sky of twilight hazed a little spread directly above them. There was no ghost gum, its unstable limbs spread above them, threatening to come down. In fact, the closest ghost gum was the far side of the clearing they stood in and apart from some singeing around its base, looked remarkably intact. He gazed around him, lost, head thumping sickly. ‘How?’ He’d seen it. He was sure he’d seen it. About to come down on Prita’s head as she moved through the bush, cleaning up after the fire.
His gaze found her again. She’d risen from the ground, picking up her helmet and the pack she’d had on her back. It wasn’t a spray backpack. It was a normal backpack. He frowned. What the …? ‘Where’s your pack?’
She blinked rapidly. ‘This?’ She held up the black backpack. ‘I put my first aid stuff in here. It was easier to cart around than my doctor’s bag. Flynn, I think you need to come and sit down.’
‘I … you were …’ He blinked rapidly, his eyes hazy, his skin prickling all over. What was happening? What the hell was happening? He was dizzy and his head was thumping so painfully now as was his knee. There was a roaring in his ears, a gurgling tumble in his stomach and a bitter taste in the back of his throat.
Prita moved cautiously towards him, her voice low, hands raised. ‘Flynn. It’s okay. Nobody is hurt. The fire has been put out. Nobody was hurt.’
‘The branch …’
‘It’s okay. Nothing has fallen.’
‘But I saw it.’
She glanced at Reid and shook her head when he went to open his mouth, then looked back at him, her gaze capturing his, demanding he look at her and only her. ‘It didn’t touch me,’ she said, voice low, soothing, in the same way that he spoke to a spooked horse. Why was she talking to him like that?
‘I saw it,’ he said.
She gestured at herself. ‘I’m fine. It didn’t touch me.’
He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain in his head and the brightness of the light. Why was it suddenly so bloody bright? It was twilight, wasn’t it? Then he felt her hands on his face, cool and sure and calming and he opened his eyes and looked at her.
‘You’re okay.’
‘I’m okay.’
‘What’s going on, Doc?’ Ben asked.
She didn’t answer, her gaze still on Flynn, and said in that slow, quiet tone, ‘Mac, do you want to get everyone to move off and do what they’re here to do? Reid and Nat, I’m going to need your help.’
‘Okay, Doc.’
Mac turned and shouted out some orders. The noise made Flynn flinch, but not enough so he didn’t notice the way he and the others glanced at him as they moved off. As if they were shocked. Worried. Why were they looking at him like that? He’d been trying to save them. Hadn’t he?
‘What’s wrong with him?’ he heard someone ask as they moved away.
‘Prita? Barb sent me to see if it’s safe to bring the kids back from the paddock? What do you want me to tell her?’
It was Chandra and his boyfriend. They looked worried, gazes skating from him to her.
Prita took his hand, squeezed. ‘Thanks for coming to help Barb and my papa.’
‘Of course.’
‘And yes, you can tell Barb it’s safe.’ She let go of him. Good.
‘Can we help you with him?’ Chandra stepped forward, reaching out to touch Prita. Flynn wanted to slap his hand away but couldn’t seem to lift his arm.
‘I’ve got this, Chandra. I need you to go back to Barb and tell her to send the kids with Diarmuid to Nat’s house and then meet her at her house. Can you do that?’
His gaze moved from her to Flynn but he didn’t move. Why wasn’t he doing what Prita asked?
‘Come on, Chan,’ his boyfriend said as he grabbed Chandra’s hand. ‘We need to go help Barb and the others. Let Prita look after her man.’
He wanted to say, ‘damn right’, but his lips were numb and everything was shaking. Why was the ground shaking? No, it wasn’t the ground. It was him. Shaking violently, his legs jelly, his breath coming in fast, gasping pants. What had happened? Why did his head feel like it was going to split open?
Prita’s cool hands moved across his face, across his forehead as she gazed into his eyes. ‘It’s going to be okay, Flynn. I’m going to make sure everything’s okay.’
There was something in her voice. Something that made his chest ache in a different way, a lump of something difficult, painful almost, and yet wanted, rising in his throat. He nodded, unable to make himself say the words he wanted to say.
She smiled and brushed his sweaty hair back from his head—thank god she was touching him. It helped him to feel like he was still there—as she turned to Reid. ‘Can you help him to the ute? And, Nat, can you get some bottled water and a cloth?’
Reid began to manoeuvre him over to the ute. Flynn didn’t have the strength to stop him. Reid opened the cab door and turned him so he could sit on the passenger seat. ‘It’s going to be okay, Flynn.’
Why was Reid talking to him like that? What had happened? The tree! He looked wildly. There was no tree, no falling limb, no danger to anyone. Why had
