“I have to get to the hospital.” As soon as the words were out there, I remembered Alan had my car.Fuck.
“I’ll take you,” Nick said immediately.
There was no hesitation, no questions, just a simple recognition of the desperation that poured off me.
I hesitated, thinking about Murphy and recalling Craig’s words about the roads possibly not being clear. “The roads….” I grimaced and looked at his boy before returning my focus to Nick.
“I’ll get you there. Murphy can stay with his daddy.”
It seemed as though that was all he had to say on the matter. He bobbed his head and led Murphy out of the house. The action got my brain working, helping to clear some of the noise buzzing in my mind.
I swiped up my wallet, still clutching my phone in my hand.
By the time I had my boots back on and was outside, George was nodding at whatever his husband was saying to him, his eyes serious and holding warning. A chaste kiss followed before Nick glanced at me and indicated towards his Cruiser.
“What shall I tell Alan and Hazel?” George said, stopping me in my tracks.
Fuck, I hadn’t even thought of them. I pushed aside the sliver of guilt and hollered, “I’ll call them now, see where they’re at. If I can’t get in touch, let them know I’ll give them an update as soon as possible and will tell them if the roads are clear.” I paused outside the passenger door. “Help yourself to whatever you need, and thank you, seriously.”
“No worries. Keep each other safe.”
I swallowed hard at George’s words, feeling his worry like a fresh wave of heaviness. I resolved there and then that I wouldn’t put his husband at risk.
While I needed to get to the hospital, I wouldn’t be the reason to potentially put someone else there in the process.
After a brief nod, I jumped in the Land Cruiser, eyeing the snorkel and hoping that if there was any water, that it would be slow-moving enough for us to not even have to hesitate to get through.
We rode in silence as I called Hazel. By the fourth attempt, I gave up, assuming her phone was either on silent or she’d left it at my house.
“You can’t make this shit up,” I said into the quiet car, my attention ahead, watching the distance for any signs of water.
“What’s that?”
“This.” I gestured with my hands to the world at large. “Non-stop since December. It’s like some sort of disaster movie, but with maybe a C-list cast, making it even more unbelievable.” A humourless snort escaped me as I considered the shitshow. “And to think you’ve just moved back. Hell, maybe you should make a quick escape for it.”
Nick made a quiet sound of not quite agreement but perhaps sympathetic amusement. “If we moved back before the fires, I’d probably think it was a sign for sure.”
I glanced at him, latching onto the distraction his conversation offered. “So knowing about the fires didn’t put you off?”
He didn’t answer straight away. Instead, he gnawed at his bottom lip before releasing it and saying, “We sort of figured that the way the weather patterns and the whole bollocks of global warming is going, it could happen anywhere.” I understood that thought process completely. “Dad died last year, so we decided it was a good time to move back, spend time with Mum. Let her be a grandma.”
There was no sadness evident in his tone, just a matter-of-fact explanation.
“I didn’t hear about your dad,” I said. While we were a small town in the grand scheme of things, there were several thousand inhabitants in our catchment. I’d never known his dad. I didn’t even know his name. “Sorry to hear about your loss.”
Nick pursed his lips and expelled a heavy breath. A flicker of guilt sparked to life in my chest that our conversation had brought him down. “Thanks, but don’t be. He was a bastard.”
Bitterness laced his words, taking me by surprise.
Not knowing what to say, I kept quiet.
“Anyway,” he continued after a beat, “we’re back and finding our feet.”
“How do you like the new job?” A chuckle escaped when I realised how pointless my question was, since the kids hadn’t had the chance to start the new school year yet. “Well, the department?”
His mouth lifted into a small smile. “Everyone seems great. Welcoming.” He cleared his throat. “Even you.”
And there it was, the opening to the topic I wasn’t sure I wanted to bring back to life, despite my curiosity. Aiming to deflect, I gave a light laugh. “That first meeting I give, cutting it short by a good hour is definitely a winner.”
