Page 15 of Sharing Forever in Hope Creek (Hope Creek #2)

‘Coo-ee!’ Liz, Mitch’s aunt, called from the front door of the homestead.

‘Come on in, Liz!’ Margaret called back. ‘We’re here in the kitchen.’

Callie, Margaret and Stella were busy baking mini pavlova bases for the wedding. A catering company had been hired for the rest of the courses and to top the pavlovas, but Margaret had insisted on making both the wedding cake and the pavlova bases for the dessert.

‘Hi, ladies. Ooh, don’t they look fabulous!’ Liz exclaimed at all the rows of trays spread out on the wide kitchen table and all along the kitchen benches.

‘Almost done, too,’ Margaret told her. ‘The last batch is about ready to come out of the oven.’

‘Hello, love.’ Liz put the huge box she carried down on the floor and gave Stella a kiss on the cheek. ‘How’s my soon-to-be niece holding up with two days to the big event?’

‘Great. Everything’s on schedule.’

Liz beamed a self-satisfied smile because she’d been a master manipulator and credited herself with getting Stella and Mitch back together again.

Callie believed the teenage and college sweethearts would’ve found their way back to each other one way or another, but it was true Liz had sped things along.

‘Kade is absolutely beside himself with excitement,’ Liz told them happily.

‘No sign of the sore throat developing into anything more then?’ Margaret asked as the oven timer went off and she went to remove the last of the bases.

‘Nope. All good on that score.’

‘That’s a relief,’ Stella said.

‘What’s in the box?’ Callie asked.

‘Food for you all.’ As Margaret began to protest, Liz raised a hand to silence her.

‘Everyone knows you’ve been in this kitchen from dawn until dusk the last few days, so some of the ladies have cooked up some casseroles to get you through the next couple of dinners.

They’re hoping that this way you won’t be too exhausted to enjoy yourself at the wedding. ’

‘Oh, bless them. That’s very kind,’ Margaret said.

‘No less than what you’d do for anybody else,’ Liz declared staunchly.

‘Well, I really appreciate it.’

‘We knew you would, but—’ Liz rolled her eyes theatrically, ‘—don’t tell Blue you didn’t do the cooking. He’s been spoiled rotten living here with the best cook in the district.’

‘I’m surprised he’s not already at the back door now you’ve mentioned food,’ Callie said. ‘We’ve always thought he’s got a sixth sense where food is concerned.’

Amid the laughter, Stella asked, ‘How are the table centrepieces going, Liz?’

Liz and their neighbour June Lynch ran the highly acclaimed craft stall at the Country Women’s Association fair each year.

Stella had asked them to use gumnuts and leaves to make very classically Australian centrepieces for all the tables at the reception.

The sample Callie had seen looked fantastic and was sure to impress everyone—especially the international guests.

‘I have boxes and boxes of them in the car. June and I finished the last of them yesterday afternoon. A couple of the other neighbours will be over mid-morning Saturday and they’ll help us add sprays of wattle and flannel flowers at the last minute so they stay as fresh as possible for the evening. ’

‘ Brilliant!’ Stella cried. ‘I can’t wait to see them all set out on the tables. You’re the best! Thank you so much, Liz.’

‘We’re all excited to play a part,’ Liz said warmly. ‘This is such a happy time!’

Stella got up from the table and gave Mitch’s aunt a hug. ‘I’ll help you bring them in, then I’ll call June and thank her.’

The phone rang, and Margaret directed, ‘Callie, can you get those last pavs off the trays and onto the cooling racks for me please,’ before she went off to answer it.

Callie busied herself with the task, grateful her morning sickness had settled down.

Even last week the nausea had persisted throughout the day and she’d found it very difficult to function at work.

Now she was only queasy in the morning, but she made sure she ate a dry cracker before she got out of bed and that seemed to settle her stomach.

‘Kade went with the men to Lancaster to pick up his suit?’ Stella was asking Liz as the women came back into the kitchen, arms laden with long boxes.

‘Yes. Phil arrived late last night so they all went off to have their final fittings.’

‘It was a good idea to have the wedding during the school holidays,’ Stella said. ‘Kade’s been a great help getting the barn ready.’

‘He knows he’s getting the ideal stepmother,’ Liz said. ‘He’s keen to help wherever possible.’

‘Should these boxes go straight out into the barn rather than cluttering up the house?’ Callie wondered aloud.

She didn’t get an answer as Margaret came back into the kitchen wearing a worried frown. ‘What’s up, Marg?’ Liz asked.

‘That was Morgan’s boss from the RFDS base,’ she said. ‘He wanted to let me know that Morgan’s had a tough day. He said she was pretty traumatised but insisted she was able to drive herself home.’

‘Is she okay?’ Callie asked at the same time Stella said, ‘What’s happened?’

‘There was a horrific accident with a threshing machine on one of the farms further out west. There were a few injuries and apparently Morgan needed to help the medics.’

‘Oh no.’ Callie was afraid she could guess what was coming.

Stella was on the same page. ‘Don’t tell me her patient didn’t make it?’

Margaret nodded sadly. ‘She was applying pressure to an arterial bleed when he went into cardiac arrest. The doctor and nurse had their hands full, so poor Morgan had to try to do CPR with one hand while still trying to staunch the blood flow with the other hand.’

Liz let out a curse. ‘Poor Morgan. Poor man, of course, but God, if it had to have happened to anyone, what a curse it happened to soft-hearted Morgan.’

‘The boss said she’s taking it very hard,’ Margaret said. ‘He sent her home as soon as she got back to base, but he wanted to let me know she needs some comforting.’

‘How on earth did she hold it together to fly the plane back to Lancaster?’ Stella wondered aloud but Callie knew the answer.

Morgan was an absolute professional. If there were others who were injured, Morgan would’ve dug deep, stayed focused and got them to the hospital in Lancaster, or Melbourne, safely.

It was only then that she would’ve allowed herself to fall to pieces.

‘I can stay and help the girls finish up here while you drive to her place,’ Liz offered.

‘If I know Morgan, she’ll be on her way here and she shouldn’t be driving.’ A note of anger had crept into Margaret’s voice. ‘One thing to call me and let me know what’s happened, but that man should’ve driven Morgan here himself or arranged for someone else to drive her.’

Callie could understand Margaret’s disgust. She knew Morgan’s boss had only started in the role a fortnight or so ago.

He’d moved up from Melbourne, acting temporarily in the position while the regular base manager was recovering from a heart attack.

It would take this new guy a while to adapt and learn community expectations.

Nobody in Hope Creek would’ve left Morgan to drive home after what she’d gone through.

‘It’s only a short distance from the base to her apartment in Lancaster. Surely she’ll go there?’ Liz asked.

‘No.’ Margaret looked at her wristwatch, and every line her face had accumulated over the years seemed to deepen. ‘I’m guessing she’ll be here in the next ten minutes or so because she’s probably driven here automatically.’

Callie believed Margaret was right.

Hope Creek Station—or, more correctly, the Richardsons—had always been the safe space for Morgan, Stella and Callie, their sanctuary when life got tough.

Morgan wouldn’t even think of going home to her empty apartment.

Like the wounded animals she so often cared for, she’d come straight here to find refuge.

‘In that case, we’d better get the rest of the boxes out of the car super quickly, then I’ll make myself scarce,’ Liz said. ‘I know from experience that Morgan doesn’t like people to see that sham of her tough exterior come crumbling down.’

‘As long as they’re not too heavy, I’ll help as well,’ Callie said.

‘They’re pretty light,’ Liz confirmed.

‘You guys will be quicker up and down the stairs than I would be, so I’ll put the kettle on and get the tissues ready,’ Stella said as Margaret went out to help as well.

With team effort, the boxes were stacked against a wall in the lounge room. Liz left and Callie was sitting in the living room with Margaret and Stella with the teapot and cups at the ready when Morgan walked in.

‘Hello, darling. Your boss rang and told me what happened,’ Margaret said gently.

It was just as well he had phoned and prepared them because Morgan looked dreadful. The white shirt of her pilot’s uniform had dirt and blood stains on it and looked as though she’d been through a war zone. Meanwhile, Morgan was red-faced and puffy-eyed.

Margaret stood up and walked towards Morgan with her arms outstretched. ‘Oh love, I’m sorry you went through such trauma.’

It was as though a dam broke. Tears streamed down Morgan’s face as her shoulders jerked with great gulping sobs.

Callie jumped to her feet to join in the hug and Stella was only seconds behind.

‘I’m sorry. I’ve had people on board before who …

haven’t made it, but …’ Another sob racked her body.

‘The medical staff were so busy and I had to be hands-on with this guy and hold the compression bandage while they attended to others,’ she cried, pouring out part of the story that they already knew.

Callie and Stella stepped aside to let Margaret take Morgan fully into her motherly embrace. ‘I know you. You would’ve done everything you could to save that poor man.’

‘It wasn’t … I didn’t do enough,’ she sobbed. ‘He had a wife and … three k-kids.’

Callie’s heart broke for her sister as she listened to the despair in every word.

‘Oh Morgan!’ Stella said. ‘You did your best.’