"Bluey?!" TJ's frightened voice quavered.
"It's okay, TJ. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you." Bluey's hand rested across TJ's back bringing comfort to the frightened girl and slowly she too, drifted off, feeling secure in Blueys reassurance.
*~*~*~*
Chapter 8
Bluey had been awake for some time, listening to the wind howling outside and watching the grey dawn turn the darkness into discernible shapes. The fire had gone out and the inside of the hut was well below freezing but the shelter he'd put together with the mattresses had worked a treat and it was warm inside the sleeping bag. He contemplated getting up, but that would wake the peaceful sleep of the two ladies. The more sleep Hannah got now the less pain she would have to endure during the daylight hours.
Bluey turned his thoughts to Hal and his doomsday predictions about the pass; the wiry old man had been right all along and now, he was faced with a dire dilemma. Hannah couldn't walk because her ankle was most probably broken. She needed medical assistance and they were stuck on top of a mountain pass in a blizzard, 3,000 feet up and fifteen miles from anywhere. They had no way of calling for help and the only way out was to walk. Bluey momentarily considered leaving the girls in the hut while he walked for help and then quickly dismissed the idea. Leaving two vulnerable women alone in such a harsh unprotected environment would be inviting disaster.
Laying in the warmth, he did some calculations in his mind and reasoned their only hope was for him to carry Hannah out, but Hannah had to regain her strength before they could attempt anything and the blizzard had to die out completely. One positive thing: it was all downhill.
Hannah squirmed and began to moan, redirecting Bluey's thoughts back to the hut. TJ yawned and then realised her mother was awake and most probably in pain.
"How are you feeling, Mum?" TJ asked.
"My head is throbbing, my throat is dry and my foot feels like it is broken. Apart from that TJ, all is well," Hannah sighed painfully and then squirmed, trying to lay flat between TJ and Bluey. "I believe we owe you a debt of gratitude… Bluey, is it?"
"Yes it is Bluey, but you owe me nothing, Hannah."
"What, sir? Do you think the life of my daughter and myself is nothing?"
"I..I didn't mean it like that." Bluey felt cornered.
Hannah's face lit up in a beautiful impish smile and her blue eyes reflected like two deep pools. "I was only kidding you, Bluey. I'm afraid my keen sense of humour catches people off guard."
Bluey smiled a playful smirk; he too could be funny when needed. "I like your sense of humour, Hannah. You’ll need it when I dress your foot shortly."
Hannah's smile disappeared and a look of concern took its place.
"My turn to be humorous," Bluey’s expressionless face was deadpan but then broke into a gentle grin.
Hannah locked eyes with him for a moment and in those few seconds, she saw the same compassion and kindness she had been drawn to in her husband's eyes. "I trust you with my foot, Bluey. I can see the warmth and compassion in your eyes."
Bluey glanced away at her comment, unprepared for the way Hannah and TJ could see right through him. "Well, we need to feed you up so we can walk out of here in a couple of days," Bluey instructed, trying to deflect Hannah’s gaze.
Climbing out of the warm sleeping bag and being careful not to injure Hannah further, Bluey tucked the sleeping bag back around her, sealing in the warmth but shivering uncontrollably in the cold as his breath immediately condensed into visible humid clouds hanging in the cold environment while he attempted to get the fire going again.
Peering out through the foggy window, as he donned all the extra clothing he could find in his bag over the thick layers he already had on, the snow had piled high against the outside of the hut, directly into the wind. During the gales of the night, more snow had been blown in through the window frame gaps, making a small mound on the floor between the bunk beds and near the rear wall. The howling wind had momentarily dropped to a brisk breeze, but it still had a lethal chill factor and the invisible hammer blows would develop from nowhere, hitting the hut with breathtaking force.
Reaching into the supply pocket of his pack, he pulled out two chocolate bars and gave one each to the women. "Here, eat these; they’ll give you energy and kick-start the healing process."
Hannah and TJ took his offering gratefully and before long, Bluey had the fire raging in the hearth and a small pot bubbling with an awful brew of survival coffee. It was hot and bitter, but the ladies were appreciative of its warmth.
"You're an army man aren't you, Bluey?" Hannah offered, her small hands wrapped around her coffee mug and studying the big man's frame.
"Yes, Hannah. How did you know that?"
"Military rucksack, military boots, shirts, rations," she tilted her head while she answered.
"I paid for all of them; nothing belongs to the military!" Bluey replied defensively.
"I didn't say you stole them. I just noticed you were very familiar with them and seemed comfortable with these... yummy rations," she teased, smiling straight at him while her innocent, deep blue eyes toyed with his heart strings.
"Is your mum always this perceptive, TJ?" Bluey confided, looking to her for support.
"Only when she likes that person," TJ replied, shrugging her shoulders and then throwing her arms around her mum. The two women laughed, ganging up on Bluey.
Hannah’s laughter suddenly changed to a excruciating groan as a pang of pain shot through her head and down into her foot. Bluey was there immediately checking out her discomfort and realising she had overtaxed her healing with her laughter.
"That'll teach you for ganging up on me. Now settle back down while I take a look at your foot."
Hannah obediently did what she was told and now it was time to confirm the depth of her injuries and see how much mobility she had. Carefully examining the injury site, Bluey noticed the swelling had gone down a little but an angry looking bruise concerned him. He gently turned Hannah's foot, supporting it with his big hands, checking the extent of her movement and her pain. He stopped when she suddenly winced.
"I think it's broken, Hannah."
Striding for the firewood storage room, Bluey found some kindling to make a makeshift splint, bandaging it tightly and immobilizing the foot from further damage. As Bluey worked, Hannah watched him with silent fascination.
"You’re so gentle for such a big man."
"Nah, you haven't seen me when I lose it," Bluey replied, hoping to divert any more revelations of his character.
Outside, the wind had dropped again and the snow was starting to fall downwards instead of sideways, but the cloud still hung heavily over the pass. Bluey remembered there was a small lake to the far side of the hut and had an idea. TJ watched Bluey in amusement, cutting open a pack of dehydrated vegetables and picking out a handful of dried corn. Then he reached into his pack, searching for a canvas repair kit used to repair his haversack and smiled when he found what he was probing for: a length of nylon twine wrapped around a cotton reel. He tied a piece of corn onto the loose end of the thread and then unravelled the reel and tied the other to a small piece of kindling.
The two women peered at Bluey with concern as he moved the stack of wood from the doorway and then opened the door.
"Stay here. Am I understood?"
Both women nodded from the warmth of the sleeping bag and watched him disappear into the falling snow.
*~*~*~*
Time passed slowly and Hannah was becoming concerned, continually glancing at the door when Bluey hadn't returned after an hour.
"Should I go and look for him, Mum?" TJ asked.
Just then, the sound of boots pounding on the porch outside put their minds at rest. Bluey shook the snow from his jacket and pushed the door open and then quickly shut it behind him, leaving the extreme cold outside.
"We were starting to worry," Hannah confessed.
But then, an amazed expres
sion crossed both ladies’ faces and their eyes opened wide, stunned by what Bluey held... two large trout, one in each hand.
"What...? How...?!"
Hannah couldn't believe her eyes and TJ could only say, "W-o-w!"
"Fresh trout for mesdames," Bluey proudly held the fish up.
The shelter filled with the smell of cooking trout slabs while their stomachs growled with hunger; and once the tender meal had been placed in front of them, the women hungrily devoured the fresh fish. Bluey ate his fill too, cleaning up the remains and when he’d finished, he placed the scraps outside in a plastic bag and tied it to a beam on the porch. Hannah and TJ, with full stomachs, began to feel sleepy and before long had drifted into a mid afternoon nap.
As nightfall approached, Bluey stoked the fire to near raging in the metal hearth but as darkness closed in over the shelter, the wind started to howl again without warning, followed by an occasional screeching hammer blow to the structure. The temperature began to drop fast, nullifying the fire’s intense heat and then a monster gust hit the little shelter that rocked the tin roof, causing it to screech in the growing dark while snowflakes, forced in through the window frames, began to fly around inside the shelter.
Woken by the noise, Hannah started to shiver and the pain in her foot went out in sympathy with her shivers. TJ unzipped the sleeping bag, pointed to her mother's back and Bluey crawled into the space next to her.
As Hannah started to warm up in between her two hot water bottles, she shakily responded, "Thank you."
Bluey was trying to find a place to put his arm that was comfortable without presuming on the two trusting women he was growing more and more fond of. Hannah knew Bluey was trying not overstep his boundaries and she reached up to his arm tucked uncomfortably under his head and lowered it down over her and TJ.
"Thank you for being a gentleman and for looking after us," Hannah whispered in the dark.
"You're welcome," Bluey replied softly.
*~*~*~*
Chapter 9
The door rattled violently as a red faced policeman held up his arm and pointed to his wristwatch. "Tabbie, open up. I've gotta get Casey back and then attend to other matters."
Casey was leaning back against the lounge, her eyes lost in a distant adventure and following Aunt Tabbie's story.
"My goodness, what is the time?" Tabbie wondered.
"Does it matter?" Casey replied, wanting more of Tabbie's story.
"Apparently, we are out of time for today," Tabbie announced.
"Aww!" Casey responded. "I want to hear what happens."
"Tell you what, I'll arrange for you to come again tomorrow and we can pick up our place, okay?"
Casey’s face beamed, "Yeah!"
Abruptly standing up from her place seated on the lounge, Casey walked over to the glass door and unlocked it, then turned to face Tabbie and was about to say something, but the moment passed and she waved a cursory hand at Tabbie instead.
"Casey?!" Tabbie called after her.
"Yes?!"
"I just want you to know there are no mistakes in God's Kingdom. No matter what you have done or what has been done to you, Father knows and He sees. He will put the wrongs right again if you’ll let Him. He planned you and your future life; and you are valuable."
Casey's face took on a questioning expression but before she could speak, Constable Palmer pushed opened the door and interrupted.
"Come on, Casey. We have to get you back!"
"Until tomorrow, dear one," Tabbie called out as Casey was herded up the corridor and out of view. Tabbie sat for a while in the quiet, staring out of the lounge room window and down into the colourful garden. She tried to move her feet, but they wouldn't move.
That's odd, she thought, feeling exceptionally weak.
Earlier in the afternoon, the nurses had been buzzing around the locked door every few minutes and from time to time, waved to check on Tabbie and Casey. They knew Tabbie was encouraging the girl in a way only Tabbie could and didn't interrupt them. A nurse abruptly came into view and Tabbie called her over.
"Would you mind taking me back to my room, dear?"
"Of course, Aunt Tabbie. Are you okay?" the worried nurse asked.
Tabbie nodded and then smiled. "Just tired, dear."
*~*~*~*
Matron Miles was doing her rounds at the end of her shift and had had a day of it, feeling tired and looking forward to a hot bath and relaxing at home. Doctor Martin Bruce accompanied her, wanting to speak with Tabbie on an important matter but due to Tabbie's insistence on not being disturbed while talking to Casey, the doctor had had to come back at the end of the day. Doctor Bruce and Matron Miles found Tabbie lying on her bed, resting.
"Tabbie, can we speak?" Doctor Bruce enquired.
"You always look so serious, Doctor. Such a young man should not carry so many cares," Tabbie chided.
"What I have to say is serious, Tabbie," the doctor quietened and sat on the end of her bed. "You have MND. Motor Neurone Disease."
"My, that sounds like a real privilege, Doctor," Tabbie joked.
"Tabbie, it’s life threatening and I am afraid you are well advanced. There isn't much we can do for you."
Tabbie suddenly realised why she couldn’t move her feet and the doctor’s explanation made sense. She unsteadily rose up on an elbow and looked the doctor straight in the eye. "My times are in the hands of my Heavenly Father, Doctor. If it is His time for me to come home, then I welcome it. I am a Christian and death brings hope, not sadness. Do you know my Jesus, Doctor?"
The doctor shuffled uneasily. "No, Tabbie, I don't."
"You need to take the time to get to know Him, so that when your time comes, you will not be afraid of death, either," Tabbie challenged gently.
The doctor took Tabbie's gnarled hand. "I can see Him in your eyes, my love, but I am afraid He is not for me."
"Then I am sad for you, Doctor. In today's world of so called scientific intelligence, it blinds man to the need for a Saviour. Just remember, you are an eternal being and you get to choose where you spend it. In eternal beauty with Jesus; or eternal suffering with Satan."
Tabbie's words hit the young professional hard and Matron found somewhere else to be.
She didn't like this kind of talk.
The doctor patted Tabbie's hand affectionately. "We will make you as comfortable as we can," he consoled and then stood to leave.
*~*~*~*
Constable Palmer couldn't believe the change in Casey from yesterday. As he closed the police car door and locked it, Casey had already started walking towards the doors of the nursing home. "Wait up, Casey!" Palmer called after her.
"Come on then, slow coach. I want to get back to Aunt Tabbie."
Palmer shook his head in disbelief. Tabbie was weaving her magic on a young wounded heart and as they walked up the corridor together and rounded a corner into the lounge room, Tabbie was patiently waiting for Casey. When Tabbie recognised the young teen, her brilliant blue eyes lit up like searchlights and a smile, warm and inviting, drew the young girl like a moth to a lamp.
Casey slammed the glass door in Palmer's face and locked it, making Tabbie laugh infectiously at the girl's antics. Palmer waved at Tabbie through the locked glass door and held up a book, pointing to a nearby chair. Tabbie acknowledged his intention to sit and read with a wave of her hand.
As Casey sat down across from Tabbie, Tabbie greeted her, "Hello, beautiful lady."
Casey beamed back. "Hello, Aunt Tabbie."
Tabbie noticed the Greyton uniform had been replaced with a neat t-shirt and tidy blue jeans. "My, you are a pretty young woman," Tabbie encouraged.
Casey coyly smiled and settled back against the lounge.
"Now, where did we get up to?" Tabbie pondered, looking to Casey for a prompt.
"The blizzard and the shelter," Casey offered.
"Yes, that's right. By the time morning came..."
*~*~*~*
Chapter 10 r />
END OF MAY, 1965
Bluey awoke with a start. Something was different. He moved slowly from his position at Hannah’s back and lifted the mattress gently, trying not to wake the sleeping women and peered around the dawn lit hut. Then the gravity of the situation struck him.
It was quiet and the howling wind had ceased.
From his position holding up the mattress cover, he could see through one of the windows. The cloud had lifted; clear blue skies pervaded everywhere and not a falling snowflake to be seen. Even the excited sounds of the native weka calling enthusiastically, confirmed the sun had finally returned and calm pervaded the mountain top. Inside the hut it was still bitterly cold, however they needed to make a move and get out of the pass while the weather permitted. Bluey slowly peeled back the zip and opened the warm sleeping bag, causing an unimpressed complaint from Hannah as her hot water bottle moved, exposing her many layers of clothing to the biting cold.
"Ermm!" she objected.
"Time to get up! We need to move while the weather holds," Bluey instructed, his frozen breath hanging in the freezing hut. "TJ! Up and at 'em."
TJ's bleary eyes opened slowly, shaking the sleep from her mind and yawning loudly. "What's up?"
"The weather has broken and we need to get out of here while we can."
TJ sleepily crawled from the mattresses while Bluey stoked the fire in the hearth, sending warmth into the frozen shelter. Then he carefully lifted Hannah and deposited her on the table near the fire and wrapped the sleeping bag around her, being careful of her injured foot. He mused for a few moments, devising some kind of plan.
"I’m going to empty my pack, taking only what is absolutely necessary for us to survive. TJ, you’ll have to carry the lightened pack and Hannah, you will have to ride on my back."
"No!" she objected. "It's too far for you to carry me, Bluey."