Close enough now to read his mouthed words, I frowned, my eyes travelling his form. Something was amiss. It was then he turned. His arms were full, heaped with his protective coat, which appeared to be covering something.
“Shh,” he hushed, jiggling the lump in his arms. “It’s fine. I’ve got you.”
Finally before him, I huffed out heavy breaths. “What’s going on?” I nodded towards the moving form in his arms.
“I just happened to spot her when I wasn’t far from the shed.” He shifted a little, repositioning what I assumed was a creature of some sort, before reaching out and shifting the side of the coat. “She still has her baby with her. We need to get them to the vet.”
I peered into the coat, my eyes widening at the soot-coated grey fur. “A koala?”
Ross bobbed his head as we fell in step towards the ATV a few metres away. “Yeah. She has a baby clinging to her but didn’t give me much of a fight when I managed to swoop the pair of them up.” He climbed in, and I settled behind the wheel. “Shit, the pump. I’m so sorry.”
Relief that he was okay eased into me. A smile formed on my face. He was okay. “No worries. You did the right thing. Everything’s in control.”
Ross exhaled, his own smile lifting his lips. “Thank you. You can fill it up while I make some calls to find out the best place to take her to be looked at. Can you grab my phone out of my pocket?”
I side-eyed him, giving him a small grin. It didn’t matter that I was shattered, that we’d been battling fire, that he was snuggled up with a koala. There was always time for my thoughts to gothere.
He rolled his eyes and snorted before looking at his bundle and clamping his mouth shut.
I started the engine and drove to the dam. “Was she injured?” I asked, wisely changing the subject from the one about me putting my hand in his pants—pocket… whatever.
“I think so. Not badly, or at least I don’t think. She was sort of hobbling, so maybe burnt paws.”
“Most likely. Your brother managed to rescue a possum yesterday.”
“The thought of how much we’ve lost is terrifying.” His voice dipped, and sadness filled it. I got it. We—us, Australia, the land—had lost so much. It would be a while before we knew the real cost or the ramifications of so much loss. I could only hope that we, as a people, a country, did what we did best and rallied.
“I know. We just need to keep doing our part,” I said as I parked.
After pulling out his phone and patting myself on the back for only offering a small wink in the process, I filled up the pump while I heard Ross speaking on the phone. All set, I headed back to the shed, waiting to hear what Ross said and determined to finish this final soak.
The sound of a familiar engine had me looking at the drive. A smile quickly formed, and I waved, spotting Frank behind the wheel.
The cavalry was here.
I switched off the engine and peered at Ross, who smiled and indicated I should head on out as he continued his call. I did so, but not until I leaned over and dotted a kiss on his mouth. His eyes widened a fraction before they softened. Following up with a wink, I headed over to Frank and the crew, who were stepping out of the fire truck.
“Frank,” I greeted, reaching out and shaking his hand. “Good to see ya.”
“You too, though I’m sure you wished your shift had been over, right?”
I snorted at that. “No such shifts, really, this season.”
“True that,” he answered before nodding to my right and greeting Tom.
After a few exchanges and the words “fully in control” and “no fresh spread,” I exhaled loudly. Weight eased and fell away from my shoulders while my adrenalin waned.
“You doing all right there, Dan?”
Frank’s voice pulled me out of my stupor. “Huh?” I glanced at him, not realising I’d zoned out so completely. My limbs felt heavy, and my brain struggled to catch up.
“Right, new plan,” Frank said. He glanced over my shoulder, and I followed his line of sight, startled to see Ross standing just a little behind me. Concern marred his features. “Ross, take Dan with you before he falls on his arse and we have to scrape him up. Go do what you have to do with the koalas you found, then take him home and make sure he doesn’t drown in the shower or something.”
“Hey,” I finally managed, my brain trying to catch up. “I’m good to finish off with the—”
“Benny is already on it.” Frank quirked his brow at me in challenge, and I looked over and realised Benny did, in fact, have it.
“No worries. I’ve got Craig too and will drop him off on the way to the vet’s. It’s on the way. I’ll take my truck, and we can sort out Dan’s tomorrow.” Ross reached out and placed his hand on my forearm, giving a small tug.
