Page 86 of On the Edge

Beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep—

Poppy jolted on the bed, her eyes open now, a strange, strangled sound coming from her as she pulled at the endotracheal tube.

‘Press the emergency button!’Nel ordered, pointing to the red button behind the bed.

Lauren lunged at the button as Nel held Poppy by the arms, looking into her terrified eyes, speaking firmly.‘Poppy!It’s okay, Poppy!Look at me!’

Chapter 55

Sophie drove into Parkes as the sun was setting and stopped at the first caravan park she saw.She’d packed the tent to save money but she spent $120 on a ‘basic cabin’ instead—it was the first night, after all.They followed the route drawn on the colourful map by the no-nonsense woman at the reception desk to a tiny room with a double bed and a fold-out sofa.Once the kids were settled in front of the TV, she locked them inside and went to get dinner.

‘How big are the pieces of fish?’she asked the woman behind the counter at the takeaway shop, wondering if she could get away with sharing two between the four of them.

‘Decent,’ the woman said, shrugging and estimating with her hands.

Sophie ordered twelve dollars’ worth of chips and two pieces of fish, and paid in cash.While she waited, she tried to focus on the travel show on the TV above the counter, but she kept looking at the door, imagining Ryan walking through it.She was desperate to know what had happened in Carrinya.Had they searched the house?Found the ring?Arrested Ryan?She had so many questions, but there was no way to find out.Even if she had a phone, it would be too soon for anything to reach the news.

‘Just visiting, are you?’

It took a moment for Sophie to realise the woman was talking to her.She nodded politely, hoping to discourage further conversation.

‘Stopping here or shooting through?’

‘Just … passing through,’ Sophie said, scrambling to work out where to say she was going when the next question came.Why hadn’t she thought of a story?

‘Where you off to then?’

God, this woman was persistent.‘Ah, Canberra,’ Sophie said.‘Visiting my folks.’

That seemed to satisfy her curiosity.

‘There you go, love,’ she said a few minutes later, passing Sophie a warm paper package.

Sophie thanked her and hurried back to the cabin, which still smelled of fish and chips hours later when she crawled into bed beside Jasmine.She lay there, listening to unfamiliar sounds.The hum of the fridge.The whistle of wind.A scraping noise on the wall behind the bed.A branch perhaps.Her hands rested over her belly where her tiny baby was curled up inside her.

She thought of her conversation with the woman at the takeaway shop.She would have to be careful, she realised.Make sure she had a story, and that the kids knew it too.

‘Mum?’Jasmine murmured.

Sophie thought she was already asleep.The boys had crashed quickly.She could hear the gentle rhythm of their breathing.

‘Yeah?’

‘Where are we going?’

‘Somewhere safe.’

‘What about Dukie?’

Sophie swallowed the lump in her throat.‘He’s going to stay with Dad.’

A long silence.

‘Will we ever go back home?’

Sophie sighed.‘That wasn’t a home, Jaz.’

‘It wasn’t?’