Heart of The Tree - 6. Part I - Who is The Heart? Chapter 4

Cynthia woke up as the sun streamed through the window. The songs of a bird filtered into the room, underpinned by the rumble of a truck heading down the street. In a routine she’d been doing for many years, she stretched out her left arm and patted the empty space next to her.

“It’s time to get up, Andrew,” she said as she clambered out of bed.

Slipping a pale pink dressing gown on over her white lace nightie, she walked over to the empty fireplace at the end of the room. As always, it was spotlessly clean. The last time a fire had been lit there was several years before her husband had passed away.

She looked up at the sepia-coloured photograph that was hanging from the brickwork above the fireplace. It showed a young man in an Australian Army uniform, the slouch hat framing the grinning face underneath.

“What did you think of Matt Sterling?” Cynthia asked the portrait. “He reminds me a lot of you when you were younger. He’s got that same light-hearted banter that’s covering up a depth that a young woman could drown in.”

Turning away and heading to the dresser nearby, she continued her one-sided conversation.

“I have no doubt he’s the one. There are too many coincidences for it not to be him. There are differences, too, but that’s to be expected. Yes,” she said, as she started opening drawers and pulling out clean clothes, “Matt’s the one. But I still don’t know who’s the new Heart. I thought I knew all the young people around here, but I can’t think of a single girl who could be feeling the pain that you rescued me from, Andrew.”

Her concern and worry made her falter as she straightened up. For the first time in her life she was feeling the weight of her years. She took the few steps required and sat down in front of the classically carved table where she kept her makeup.

“I still remember the day you brought this table into the house,” she whispered. “You were so proud of yourself. It was the first major piece you’d made that you hadn’t sold on, but you kept it as a surprise anniversary present instead. I know it was one of your joys, watching me use it every day, but, after the children, my favourite present from you has always been the chairs.”

Commencing her normal routine, Cynthia fell silent as she started to apply her makeup. Her mind was on The Tree, and the six unique chairs she had in her shop, which her soldier-turned-craftsman husband had made from wood he’d pruned from The Tree. Another of Andrew’s many surprise presents, Cynthia had always imagined she could feel herself being held gently and comfortingly by both The Tree and her husband, every time she sat in one of those chairs. That was why she had them in the store, so she could experience that love every day. The seventh and last chair in the set was the one she was sitting on. Andrew had been disappointed that there wasn’t enough wood to make one more for a set of eight, but Cynthia had never minded the odd number. As with the material they had been so lovingly made from, the number of chairs was just another unique part of the gift she had been given.

When she was finally dressed and ready to go out, she paused once more in front of the fireplace. Gently, almost meekly, she reached out and touched the edge of the picture.

“I don’t think it’ll be long, Andrew. I need to see this through and make sure the new Heart is happy, and then I’ll be free to join you. Until then, please keep guiding me the way you’ve been. I love you, Andrew; that hasn’t changed and it never will.”

She blew a kiss at the portrait and turned away. The glow in her eyes hadn’t faltered since the day almost sixty years earlier when she’d gazed up into those sparkling brown eyes and said, “I do”.

With a thin cardigan across her shoulders to keep the crisp morning air at bay, she stepped out of the house. She was reaching towards a rose bush when she paused. On impulse, she turned away and walked around the side of the house. There, she found a purple bearded iris in full bloom. She smiled as she picked the flower and reverently carried it back to the front of the house.

“A change of flower for a change of time,” she whispered as she opened the garden gate and stepped out onto the street.

She turned towards the centre of town and started walking, as she’d done so many times before. There were few people around at that time of the morning, but Cynthia had never been one to lie in bed when there was something she could be doing.

While walking along the road, she heard a shouted greeting. With a smile, she waved back at Mark Loring as he passed, hanging on the back of a garbage truck. She had a soft spot in her heart for the young man, one of her two honorary grandchildren

When she reached the corner of the park, she turned left and headed up to the cemetery. It was a trip she’d done daily for the last eight years, though she’d made the trip many times before then. It had started in the late sixties, when her eldest daughter had been killed in a car accident, but it had become a daily trip after her husband had died of a heart attack.

Everything was still and quiet when she arrived at the graveside. Gently, she placed the iris at the base of the headstone and picked up the rose from the day before. She didn’t say anything, as to her that was just the resting place of Andrew’s body. His spirit still followed her around and wasn’t tied to that place.

She paused at her daughter’s grave, but still stayed silent. That day had been the darkest day she could remember. If there was any regret in her long life, it was not being able to see Evonne grow up.

Resolutely, she headed towards the grave of Gary Ross. It was there that she spoke her first words since leaving her home.

“Oh, Gary,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know what you went through, but Matt gave me enough hints last night to know your life wasn’t easy. Andrew, look after Gary for me, please? He needs our love.”

After pausing for several long seconds, as if she was trying to divine some secret, Cynthia turned away and headed back into town.

It didn’t take her long to get to her shop, but instead of opening it up, she walked next door to The Treasure Coffee Shop.

At the sound of the old-fashioned bell that rang when the door was opened, another old lady looked up to see Cynthia entering the shop.

“Good morning, Aunt Cynthia. What would you like today?” the lady asked, coming out from behind the counter to greet her customer.

“Could I please have a pot of tea and a toasted sandwich, Belinda?” Cynthia asked, stepping forward to give her old friend a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Of course. The usual for the sandwich?”

“Yes, please.”

Cynthia sat down while Belinda Cordhill busied herself preparing breakfast.

“Now, what’s the latest news regarding The Tree?” Belinda asked.

Cynthia shook her head. “The Tree’s not important.”

Her old friend and one-time bridesmaid paused and looked up in shock.

“Not important? What do you mean? The Tree is dying!”

“The Tree isn’t the important thing here, Belinda. It’s the new Heart that we have to watch out for. She’s the one who we need to concentrate on. You know what I went through. I wouldn’t like anyone else going through the same.”

“Yes, of course. And, preventing that will fix The Tree at the same time,” Belinda said, nodding her head in agreement as she returned to making her friend’s breakfast.

Cynthia shook her head sadly. There was no point in correcting her. She just hoped she could make sure the young folk, the ones who’d need to do all the hard work, would concentrate on the people, and not on The Tree. Despite being reminded, Belinda still couldn’t appreciate what Cynthia was saying. It would be sacrilege to many in the town, but Cynthia would prefer that The Tree die than for someone to go through the pain of being The Heart of The Tree.

She was sipping the last of her tea, having eaten her tomato and cheese toasted sandwich, when the door opened and Mia and Matt walked in.

“Hi, Aunt Cynthia,” Mia said cheerfully.

“Hi,” Matt said, the half smile on his face disappearing as if he wasn’t sure how to address her.

Cynthia smiled up at him. “I told you last night, young man, to call me Aunt Cynthia. If you don’t, I’ll start calling you Mr. Sterling, and you told me that makes you feel old.”

“Okay, Aunt Cynthia,” he replied, looking self-conscious at calling an old lady he hardly knew by such a familial term.

“Matt’s just checked out of the hotel, and I brought him down here for breakfast,” Mia explained as she sat down next to Cynthia.

“That’s right,” Cynthia said to Matt with a nod of the head, “you’re going to set up a tent in the caravan park.”

“Yeah, for a few nights, at least. I should be heading back to Dubbo after that.”

He didn’t notice Mia’s look of panic at that statement, but Cynthia did. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to work out what her concern was. That wasn’t a lot of time for them to find the new Heart and introduce her to Matt.

“Are you doing anything on Saturday week?” Cynthia asked him as she raised her cup to her lips. A single glance across at Belinda passed on the message that another pot of tea was needed.

“No,” Matt replied. “Why?”

“That’s the local Cattlemen’s Christmas Party. I thought you might like to go, since you come from a cattleman family.”

Matt grinned.

“I haven’t been to one of those in years. Are the ones here anything like the ones back home?”

“Well, I can’t answer that, as I don’t know about what they do where you’re from, but it’s drinking, dancing and the odd games.”

“Don’t forget the ladies’ whip-cracking,” Mia said.

Matt laughed. “Sounds like the same thing. I remember Mum used to be good with the whip. Okay, you’ve sold me. That’s the week before Christmas, isn’t it? I’m not doing anything special that weekend and it’s only a couple of hours from Dubbo, so I’d love to come back here for the Christmas party. Where do I go to get a ticket?”

“Leave that to me,” Cynthia said. “I’ll have it all organised in the next couple of days.”

“You’ll need someone to go with,” Mia said.

Matt looked startled. He started to gnaw unconsciously at his lower lip as he stared at Mia.

“Um... can’t I just go as a single? I don’t really know anyone around here I can go with.”

“You can worry about that later,” Cynthia said, jumping in as she realised that Matt might be thinking Mia was being pushy. “Yes, it’s fine to go by yourself, but I’m sure there are lots of young ladies who’d love to have you take them. But that’s your choice and I can understand if you would prefer to go as an eligible young bachelor. It’s often more fun that way, anyway,” she finished with a cheeky grin.

“I’d prefer to go by myself or with a group, if that’s all right. I don’t know anyone here well enough to go out on a date.”

“I’m sure Mia and her friends you met last night would love you to join them. That way, you can go unattached but still have people to mix with.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Boyle.”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Sterling.”

Matt laughed. “Okay, Aunt Cynthia. I’ll try to be good.”

Cynthia reached over and patted the back of his hand. “That’s better. We’ll have you house trained in no time.”

The relaxed and happy grin he gave her made her turn away for a moment. A long-forgotten pain had hit her hard. She prayed that Matt would find the new Heart quickly.

* * *

“Matt’s sure popular,” Bobby said, nodding at the crowd of girls that surrounded the guy. The flickering light from the bonfire made them look like a tribe of amazons circling their prey.

“I think all of them want to be the next Heart of The Tree,” Vince replied. “It looks like practically every single girl in town is here. Mia did a good job of organising this, considering the short notice.”

Bobby nodded his head. “Yeah. Once I learnt my uncle was going to be having a bonfire, it seemed a perfect opportunity for an impromptu party and to introduce Matt to more people.”

“It helps that your uncle is the captain of the local R.F.S. That made getting the permit to burn off during bushfire season easy,” Vince said.

“True,” Bobby said, a broad grin showing his pleasure.

It’d only taken one phone call to the Rural Fire Service and his uncle had told him to leave it all to him. The bonfire, which had originally been planned for the following weekend, was organised, along with the associated party, in a matter of hours.

“Uncle Kevin was pretty good with the party side, too. He managed to get a couple of kegs of beer on short notice, with the only proviso that any proceeds go back to the R.F.S.”

“Which would be great if either Rhys or I were drinking,” Vince said. “But, I suppose it’s the thought that counts.”

“You’re welcome to stay the night,” Bobby said. “That way, you can drink if you want to.”

“No. Thanks anyway, but I need to get home. We’ve got a number of cows due to calf any day now.”

Rhys rolled his eyes. “Don’t start the farm talk, Vince! We’re here for a party and to make sure Matt gets to meet people.”

They looked back to where Matt was being mobbed.

“Twenty bucks says that he won’t be going home alone tonight,” Rhys said, showing a sly and slightly envious grin.

“I’ll take that bet. I don’t think he’ll pull,” Bobby said.

“Of course he will! Look at those girls. Most any one of them would jump into his bed in a second if it made her the new Heart,” Rhys said, rounding on Bobby in surprise.

“You might be right, but I think Matt will turn them all down.”

“Why would he do a stupid thing like that?” Rhys asked.

“Because if he’s the one who’s going to be the mate for the new Heart, he’s not going to be the sort to jump into bed with anyone who’s available,” Bobby said.

Rhys raised a hand and opened his mouth to argue, but then turned away without saying anything. He looked back at the group of girls around Matt.

“Why do I feel that I’ve just been had?” he asked.

He pulled out his wallet and got out a twenty-dollar note.

“Here you are. You’re right. If it turns out you’re wrong, you can give it back, plus your twenty,” he told Bobby.

Bobby grinned and pocketed the money. He hadn’t known Matt for long but he believed he already had a good feel for his character. He read the new guy as one of those good souls who doesn’t like hurting anyone.

At that point, Matt eased himself out of the group of girls and headed over to join the guys.

“I don’t believe it,” he said, looking dazed. “What’s with the girls in this town? They’re crawling all over me. Are all the guys here gay or something?”

Vince laughed. “Nah. They’re just being friendly because you’re new, good looking and single. We’re all old news as far as they’re concerned.”

“Yeah, there aren’t any poofs around here,” Rhys said. “If there were, they’d get run out of town quick, anyway.”

“Why do you say that?” Matt asked.

“Well, who could trust them? You’d never know what they were going to do, or if they’d make a move on you. There’s no way I’d have anything to do with them, I can tell you,” Rhys replied.

“It’s not true, about no poofs, though,” Bobby said. “There’s Patterson and McKaylee.”

“Oh yeah, them,” Rhys said, rolling his eyes.

Bobby scowled at his friend. It was not the first time that Rhys had made some sort of homophobic comment. They were never hateful, but Bobby still didn’t like the attitude.

“Who are they?” Matt asked.

“Craig Patterson and Leo McKaylee are a couple of young lawyers who moved here from Sydney about three years ago. From what we’ve heard, they met in law school and have been together ever since,” Bobby said.

“They keep pretty much to themselves,” Vince said. “Rhys is right about the general attitude, though. Those two are tolerated, but most of the town still considers them to be outsiders.”

“If this place is anything like where I grew up, you’re an outsider until you’ve been living there for more than ten years, and sometimes even then,” Matt said.

The other guys laughed.

“Yeah, that’s pretty well true here, too,” Rhys conceded.

“Hey, did you hear the joke about the gay lawyers?” he asked, then continued without waiting for a response. “When they screw you, it’s not only your wallet that feels it!”

“Not funny,” Bobby said without a smile. He stretched his body up to give himself that little bit more height from which to glare down at Rhys. “I’ve met them and they’re just a pair of normal guys. They’ve been doing some work for my dad and doing it well, from what he’s said.”

“Lighten up,” Rhys said. “Okay, it wasn’t that funny, but you don’t have to be so serious. How did we get onto the subject of poofs, anyway? With all these single girls around, that should be the last thing on our minds!”

“I started it,” Matt said. He gave Rhys a sly grin. “I was wondering why the girls are ignoring all of you guys, remember?”

“Well I can say definitely that I’m not gay! I don’t want anything to do with something like that. I’d prefer to be in your shoes, surrounded by a horde of girls who want a piece of me.”

“Well, I needed to get away so I could breathe. I was being smothered over there!” Matt replied.

“How did you get away?” Bobby asked. “From the looks of things, they weren’t going to leave you alone for a second.”

“I told them that I needed to speak to you guys, bloke-talk. They weren’t happy, but they let me go... for the moment,” Matt said, throwing a worried glance back at the mob.

That was a mistake. Three girls immediately headed towards him. Bobby recognised Susie Young, a twenty-year-old brunette who worked as a saleswoman at the Mourton Wineries, and Angela Reuben, a blonde nineteen-year-old assistant at the local pre-school. He frowned slightly as he stared at the other blonde girl. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place her.

“Help me!” Matt pleaded quietly, a look of panic on his face.

“Come on, guys,” Vince said to the others. “Time to defend our friend from the approaching barbarians.”

“I don’t know,” Rhys muttered. “I just might surrender and take my chances as a prisoner. It could be fun.”

“Don’t keep him all to yourselves!” Susie said when the girls joined them. “He was telling us about some of the things they’ve had to do in his vet course.”

“That sounds interesting,” Vince said. “I think I’ll join you.”

“Me, too,” Bobby said, before turning and staring challengingly at Rhys.

“As long as you don’t start talking about bulls,” Rhys said. “If you do that, I’m out of there. Vince tries to give me an inferiority complex every so often by talking about how well endowed his family’s bulls are, and I’m not interested in going through that tonight.”

Matt laughed. The relaxed nature he was showing contrasted with the panic he’d expressed only moments before. Bobby wondered how much of it was an act.

“Okay,” Matt said, draping an arm across Rhys’s shoulders. “No stories to embarrass Rhys, though I could tell tales about the exploits one of my family’s bulls that would put him off for a couple of weeks.”

“But I like bull stories,” said the girl that Bobby hadn’t recognised.

“Of course you do, Pat,” Rhys replied. “You’re as much a farm girl as Vince and Matt are farm boys. You need to get out more and mix with real people for a change.”

She stuck her tongue out at Rhys, before sidling up next to Matt on the other side and brazenly slipping an arm around his back.

“Ignore him, Matt. He doesn’t understand,” she said.

“You think he might be jealous?” Matt asked her, giving Rhys a cheeky grin as they started to head back to the rest of the girls by the bonfire.

“Probably. I’ve heard rumours...” she said, raising an eyebrow challengingly at Rhys.

“I’ve never had any complaints,” Rhys replied loftily.

“That’s because your hands can’t speak,” she shot back.

Bobby nodded to himself as he worked out who she was. Patricia Bryson had caused a minor scandal four years earlier when she fell pregnant at the age of sixteen. Her boyfriend at the time, Colin Thackery, had said he wanted to marry her, but when she miscarried, his family moved east and he hadn’t been seen since. She must’ve arrived at the party with her brother, Sean, who Bobby could see chatting with a girl near the bonfire.

Vince grabbed Bobby by the arm, delaying him from joining the others.

“I haven’t seen Pat for so long that I didn’t recognise her at first. Do you think she might be the one?”

“What makes you think that?” Bobby asked.

“She seems happy enough, but I’m wondering if losing the baby, and then her boyfriend, is enough for her to be a possible Heart of the Tree. She’s been keeping pretty much to her family’s farm, so she’s not getting any chances to meet guys. I think this is the first time she’s been out and about for a long while; just in time to meet Matt.”

Bobby considered Vince’s idea. It certainly made sense, but he was too cautious to jump into things.

“She could be, but let’s just keep an eye on it. If we see some sort of spark between them, then we can quietly encourage it. Otherwise, just let things happen. We don’t want to mess anything up by being too pushy.”

“Fair enough. Let’s join the others and see what happens.”

With the addition of the extra three guys into the group, the girls gave Matt more space than they had earlier. While the new guy was the centre of most of the attention, Rhys and Vince did their bit to ensure he didn’t get swamped. Bobby stayed his usual quiet self. He preferred to let others dominate the conversation, only getting involved when he felt he had something to contribute.

It was about thirty minutes later when the sound of a mobile going off resulted in several people diving into bags and pockets to check their phones.

“Mine,” Vince said, grinning, holding up the culprit before hitting the call button and putting it to his ear.

“Vince,” he said.

Everyone nearby kept the noise down for him.

Vince frowned. “What’s wrong, Dad?”

Bobby wondered what the problem was. A quick glance around showed that most of the others had caught the tone, and the light-hearted atmosphere was replaced by one of concern.

“When’s Doc Broadford showing up?” Vince asked, moving the phone to his right hand so he could get his car keys out of his left pocket.

Bobby saw Vince grimace. It didn’t take much to work out that the answer was bad news.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Vince told his dad and hung up.

“What is it?” Bobby asked, getting in just before Rhys.

“We’ve got a calf that’s breech and I need to go home. The vet can’t make it in time to help. Sorry, I have to go.”

“I’ll go with you,” Matt said. When Vince looked at him in surprise, he added, “Three years of vet training, remember? I’m not fully qualified, but I might be able to help.”

Vince gave him a smile of appreciation. “Come on, then.”

“Bye, everyone. Thanks for the party,” Matt called back over his shoulder as he followed Vince towards the cars.

As the two guys jogged away, Bobby and the others called out their goodbyes, which Matt acknowledged by a wave of the hand. Vince didn’t appear to have heard them.

When he glanced around, Bobby noticed that while most of the group were starting to chat again, both Susie and Pat were looking speculatively in the direction where Matt had disappeared.

* * *

“Thanks for this,” Vince said, striding quickly to his ute. “I really appreciate it.”

“No problem, mate,” Matt replied. “It’s what I want to do for a living, plus it gets me away from those girls for a while.”

Vince gave a short snort of laughter at the way Matt sounded so relieved, but the seriousness of his own situation sobered him almost immediately.

They got into the car and Vince started to manoeuvre the ute out to the road. Once they were on their way, Matt spoke up.

“I’ve got a few things in my car that may be useful. Do we have time to go to the caravan park?”

“What sort of stuff?” Vince asked. He didn’t want to go out of their way by too much. His dad had sounded desperate. He didn’t know how much time they had.

“Full arm gloves, lubricant, stethoscope, thermometer and a couple of other odds and ends. It’s all in one bag.”

“Okay,” Vince said. “Hang on.”

He put his foot to the floor. He knew the roads well and while he was normally a safe driver, different rules applied in an emergency. If he got caught, Rhys’s dad would understand. He’d still get the ticket, but would probably get an escort home, too.

The first part of the trip was made in silence. Vince was concentrating hard, while Matt was holding, white-knuckled, onto the handle above the side door. Vince appreciated that despite travelling at well over a safe speed, his passenger wasn’t complaining.

The tyres screeched as Vince pulled up outside the caravan park. He glanced at Matt.

“Over there,” Matt said, pointing. “The red Falcon.”

Vince started the ute moving again and stopped next to the indicated vehicle that was parked near a streetlight. Matt got out quickly and opened the boot of his car. He picked up a bag, then hesitated. Vince started to drum his fingers on the steering wheel as he watched Matt stick his head into the boot and start to rummage around. It was only seconds later that he straightened, holding something in his other hand, but Vince was still irritated at the delay. Once Matt was back in the ute, Vince spoke up.

“I thought you said you only wanted one bag,” he said, frowning, as he started moving without waiting for Matt to put on his seatbelt.

“I did, but then I saw something else that’ll be useful. I’d forgotten I had next year’s books in my car.”

He smiled and held up the extra item.

“The Reproductive Studies textbook. Now, if you don’t mind putting on the inside light, it’s time for some quick study.”

Vince grinned with relief. He reached up and pushed a button above the rear-vision mirror. A light came on and shone into Matt’s lap.

“Map light,” he said curtly, before returning his attention to his driving.

Vince didn’t speak for the fifteen minutes it took to get home. He overtook several cars – travelling at dangerous speeds on the wrong side of the road at times – but the police were elsewhere that night. Vince heard Matt muttering to himself, but couldn’t make sense of what was said.

Matt didn’t look up until Vince pulled into the driveway and started speeding down the dirt track.

“We’re almost there,” Vince said.

“Okay. I don’t think I can do any reading while we’re bouncing down this road, anyway.”

Vince pulled up outside the large shed and stockyard complex near the house. The lights were on inside, so he assumed his dad would be there. Otherwise, he’d have to ring to find out where to go.

His guess was right. His father was inside, pacing. The cow was lying on a bed of straw in a small enclosure. The fluorescent lights illuminated the area brightly. Patches was squatting quietly nearby. She gave a short bark of welcome when she saw Vince, but stayed where she was.

“About bloody time!” Tony Aster said when Vince entered the large room. He frowned as soon as he spotted Matt. “Who’s this?”

“Dad, this is Matt. He’s a vet student and he thought he might be able to help,” Vince said as he walked up next to his dad. He stared anxiously at the prone cow. “What’s the latest?”

“Hello, Mr. Aster,” Matt said, putting the bag down next to him. He looked around for a place to put his textbook. Not seeing anywhere more appropriate, he put it on top of one of the posts that formed the enclosure around the cow.

“We need to turn the calf. I’ve been pushing it back in each time it comes out too far, but I don’t have the strength to do more,” Vince’s dad said. “I don’t think we can do it safely. I’ve been putting off breaking the calf’s back, hoping you’d get here in time. I’ve given her a sedative, hoping that will slow down the labour. If nothing else, it’ll keep her calm.”

“I got here as fast as I could,” Vince said defensively.

“I’ll try it, if you don’t mind,” Matt interjected. He reached into his bag and started pulling out various items. “I know the theory, but I’ve never done it.”

“I know you did, Vince,” Tony Aster said, more gently. “Thank you, Matt. I’ve done it before, but I’m not as strong as I was then.”

“Vince, you make sure she doesn’t move too much,” Matt ordered. “Mr. Aster...”

“Call me Tony.”

“Okay, Tony. You give me advice. I was reading the textbook on the way here,” Matt said, indicating the book with a tilt of his head while he slipped a full arm glove onto his right arm and then started to smear lubricant over it with his left hand. “But you’ve got the experience.”

“Thanks, Matt. How much study have you done on this?”

“Just the ride here,” Matt admitted. “This is one of next year’s subjects. I’ve helped my dad at our farm, but I’ve never done one myself.”

Tony looked worried, but didn’t say anything about Matt’s lack of experience.

“You need to gently push the calf back into the uterus, and then turn it. If you can do it without breaking its back, great, but if you take too long, you’ll kill the mother. We can’t afford that.”

“I push back between contractions, right?”

“Yes. You also need to make sure you don’t tear the lining at the same time. If you have any doubts, kill the calf and save the mother,” Tony said, gnawing at his lower lip in worry.

“Let’s see what I can do, first,” Matt said. His hands were trembling as he went to the back of the cow and knelt down behind her.

“What about a caesar?” Vince asked.

Matt glanced at Vince’s dad, who shook his head. “Unless Matt’s got more in that bag of his than he’s showing, we don’t have the right stuff to sew her up afterwards and keep her from getting infected. No, a caesarian’s our absolute last choice. We’d probably lose both if we tried.”

“Okay. I'll try to turn the calf first and hopefully that’s all that’s required,” Matt said. “Here goes!”

The next hour was tense. Vince stayed mainly silent, only speaking up to announce when he sensed a contraction. He thought Matt had enough to concentrate on without doing that as well. Neither Matt nor Tony said anything about it, so Vince took that as approval to keep going. Matt and Tony kept up a constant stream of comments and questions, Tony attempting to pass on a lifetime of pragmatic lore in a few short minutes.

The other two winced when Matt said, “A bone just broke.”

Vince could see that Matt was upset. The way he’d been interspersing his conversation with Vince’s dad with soothing comments to the cow indicated how dearly Matt loved animals.

“That’s it, then,” Tony said, shoulders slumping. “Get it turned around and out of there as quick as we can. The cow’s been in labour longer than it should be.”

“I don’t think it was the back,” Matt said. “I’m still being careful.”

A few minutes later, he withdrew his arm and straightened.

“It’s turned around. It’s up to the mum, now.”

“We can help her,” Tony said. “When the head appears, pull. Just don’t do it too fast or you’ll rip her insides out.”

Matt looked at the older man. “Do you think we should? I don’t want to mess things up at the last moment.”

“She’s been in labour too long, she’s getting weak. Work with the contractions to help it along. It’ll be fine,” Tony reassured him.

They were getting ready when some classical music started playing. Tony leapt up and grabbed his phone.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Twenty minutes? Okay, thanks, Doc. I think it’ll be over by then, but I want you to check things out. I don’t know what state the cow will be in. See you soon.”

He turned back to the younger guys. “Doc Broadford will be here in twenty minutes. We can’t wait for that, so just keep going. He’ll check out the cow afterwards so don’t worry if there are any small tears.”

A couple of minutes later, Matt leant forward.

“The head’s coming out!”

“Okay, time to help. Just get the body out and put it to the side. We’ll bury it later,” Tony told them, disappointment threaded through his voice.

Matt was reaching forward when Vince yelled, “Wait, not yet!”

Matt looked up at Vince, surprise written across his face.

“The next contraction is due soon. Pull with the contraction.”

Matt nodded and returned his concentration back to the job at hand. “Just let me know when it’s starting.”

It seemed like no time at all before the small calf popped out. Covered in pieces of a thin, grey, film-like bag, it’s right back leg was hanging limply and one side of the face looked deformed, with a bloody mess where the left eye was supposed to be. To everyone’s surprise, it was alive.

Vince was startled when the cow clambered to her feet. He’d seen it before, but he still felt awe at how the mother helped the calf so soon after birth. They were watching the calf take it’s first feed when Doctor Broadford entered the stables.

“Where is she?”

Tony pointed at the mother and baby. He had a tired but pleased smile on his face.

“It looks like you did an okay job without me,” Doctor Broadford said, as he started to check out both of the animals.

“Thank Matt for that,” Tony said. “He did all the hard work.”

“Matt?” the vet queried. He looked up at the one person in the place he didn’t know.

“Hello, sir. I’m Matt Sterling. I’m studying veterinary sciences at the Charles Sturt University in Dubbo.”

“Well, congratulations, son. You’ve done a good job. If the calf is feeding, then that’s a positive sign.”

“Yeah, Matt. You’ve done great. Your help has been a bloody miracle,” Tony said.

“It’s what I want to do for a living,” Matt replied, blushing. “I’m sorry about the injuries to the calf, though.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Tony said, waving a hand. “The leg can be splinted, and the calf can survive with only one eye. It’ll never be a show winner, but who cares?”

“Have you done your clinicals yet?” Doctor Broadford asked while he continued his examination of the mother and baby.

“Not yet.”

“Let me know when you do and I’ll take you on, if you like.”

“Thanks, Doc!”

“And if you need a place to stay, we’ve got a spare room here whenever you want it. Regardless, you’re welcome here at any time,” Tony said.

“You look exhausted, Matt. Stay here tonight and I’ll take you back in the morning,” Vince suggested.

Matt grinned sheepishly. “Thanks, Vince. Yeah, that was pretty tiring work.”

“Put him in Warren’s room, Vince. Now, you two go. Doc and I will finish up here.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“No, thank you, son, and you too, Matt. Now go, before you collapse.”

When they were outside, Vince noticed that Matt wasn’t walking in a straight line.

“Here, mate, lean on me.”

Matt gave him a smile of appreciation. “Thanks. It’s just reaction, I think. That and having been on my knees for however long that was.” He put an arm across Vince’s shoulders and the younger guy slipped an arm around his back to support his weight.

“You’re not going to last long as a vet if this is how you are after each patient,” Vince said cheekily as they made their way towards the house.

Matt chuckled. “True. But then I don’t expect to be doing things without being trained, either. Seriously, I’ve never been that responsible for a patient before. I think it’s mainly first-time nerves.”

“You did well. Dad and I didn’t expect the calf to live, and you pulled it off. You can be proud of yourself.”

“You know, I am!”

Matt straightened, no longer leaning on Vince. The two of them entered the house, smiling widely.

* * *

“Thanks for the ride in,” Matt said as he got out of the ute.

Exiting on the other side, Vince stared at him sardonically over the top of the vehicle. “And how were you planning on getting back to the caravan park if I hadn’t given you a ride?”

“Hitchhike, I guess,” Matt replied. “Though after that breakfast your mum served up, I probably wouldn’t’ve been able to walk down to the road.”

“After what you did last night, we’d be ungrateful if we hadn’t given you a decent feed. Now, stop being stupid, grab a change of clothes from your tent, and let’s get going. Dad’s given me the day off to show you around and we’re wasting valuable daylight!”

Matt was wearing an ill-fitting mismatch of one of Vince’s shirts and a pair of his brother’s pants. Kirstie Aster, after seeing the stains from the calving, had insisted on washing Matt’s clothes and had promised to have them delivered, cleaned and iron, later that day. That meant that the two guys first stop was the caravan park so Matt could get changed into something more comfortable. While Matt was only slightly shorter than Vince, he was a lot stockier, so there was no way he could’ve worn a pair of Vince’s pants without risking them ripping, so he wore a pair of oversized jeans instead. Vince’s T-shirt was tight across Matt’s shoulders, but both guys had said they didn’t think much of Warren’s taste in clothes.

Everyone had been up with the dawn. Matt wanted to see the calf and cow before he had his breakfast, and Vince went out with him. Doc Broadford had splinted the calf’s broken leg and cleaned up the eye, which made the calf look a lot better than it had the night before. As they watched, the calf hobbled over to its mother and started to feed. Neither guy said anything, but Matt’s pleased smile told Vince how much that scene meant to him.

“What the...!”

Matt’s exclamation startled Vince out of his reminiscing. They were at the tent, and Matt had just squatted down and opened it up. A feminine squeal came from the tent.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Vince bent down to see what was going on. Inside the tent, a startled Susie Young was holding a shirt over her chest. Her lower body was inside the sole sleeping bag. A few other pieces of her clothing were lying on the ground nearby.

Matt stood up, turned his back and took a couple of steps away. His fists were clenched and his body was tense with anger.

“Get the fuck out,” Vince ordered, resisting the temptation to reach in and drag Susie out by the hair.

“I was just waiting for Matt to come back,” she said, her eyes looking nervously everywhere except at the two guys.

“I don’t care. Get out now!”

“Close the flap, please, so I can get dressed first?”

“Why should I? Everyone deserves to see what a slut you are. Now, get out now!”

“Let her get dressed, Vince,” Matt said, still with his back turned.

“We’re going to get a cup of coffee,” Vince told Susie. “You’d better be gone when we get back. It’d also better be a long, long time before we see you again.”

Vince pulled the tent flap closed, wishing it were possible to slam it shut, instead.

“Come on, Matt. Let’s go down to the shop.”

Spotting a loose rock nearby, Vince stepped forward and kicked it hard, vainly trying to expel the rage that was building up inside him.

They walked in silence down to the caravan park’s shop. Matt started to go inside, but Vince stopped him.

“No, I’ll get them. You sit down and I’ll join you in a sec.”

“Okay,” Matt said, dropping into a white plastic chair by one of the outside tables. He placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands. Vince left him staring vacantly out into space.

When Vince got back, Matt was still in the same pose.

“Here you are.”

Matt looked up and then sat up straight. “Thanks, Vince.”

There was silence for several seconds while both guys sipped their coffee. Neither looked at the other, each wrapped up in his own thoughts.

“I’m going to pack up and go home today, I think,” Matt said. “After last night with the girls, and then this morning, I don’t think it’s a good idea to stay here.”

Vince stared across the table in shock. Matt was going away and he didn’t think he’d be back.