Beyond Frontier - 17. BF Chapter 17

“Buggy two, Anton here. Received your instructions, and on our way. Over,” I replied.

“Buggy one, Michael here. Will do, Over,” we heard from the other buggy, as we changed directions and headed further into the paddock.

About twenty minutes later, I could hear the helicopter, and I was trying to look for it when James shouted. “Hang on,” as he tried to turn to avoid something. We hit a large bump at the same time which resulted in us sliding sideways, then rolling sideways, till we finally came to a stop on our side, uncertain how many times we had rolled. I was quite shaken up and dazed at first. I had hit my head on the side roll bar a couple of times. Luckily the safety harnesses kept us well strapped in.

“Anton, Anton, speak to me buddy. Are you ok?” I eventually heard James say.

“What? Oh yeah, I think so. I hit my head a couple of times I think,” I replied, still a little dazed.

“Can you unstrap yourself and climb out the front?” James said to me. After a little struggle I was free of the safety harness, and I struggled to climb out. James unstrapped, putting his arm out to stop himself falling into my seat, and then he climbed out as well.

As soon as I was out, I staggered a little then sat down hard on the ground. James came over to me and looked at me with a concerned expression before going to the buggy and opening the box. He pulled out the first aid kit and came back to me. “Look straight ahead,” James said to me and he flashed a light in both eyes a couple of times. Then he checked to see if I had any broken bones or injuries. I had a very delicate left arm.

“Buggy two, where are you guys? Over,” we heard on the radio. James went over to the buggy and reached in to get to the mic.

“Code Blue, I repeat Code Blue. We can hear the helicopter just north of us. Over,” I heard James say into the radio mic.

“Roger that, Buggy two. Any injuries? Over,” we heard Ben say.

“Concussion and possible fractured left arm. Over,” I heard James say.

“Roger that. We will be there shortly. Over,” Ben replied.

“Base to chopper, who is injured? Are they ok? Over,” we heard, which sounded like Mrs Sanderson speaking.

“Base, just wait till we get there to check on them. We will report back shortly. Over,” I heard Mr Sanderson say. We could hear the helicopter getting closer, then it circled us, and flew about 100 metres away before landing.

James had retrieved a neck collar and placed it carefully around my neck. He encouraged me to keep my head very still. I heard fast footsteps approach, and James was now ripping open my arm sleeve, so he could look at my injured arm, which was very swollen, and multi-coloured.

“Hi Boss. We rolled sideways about 4 or 5 times. He definitely has concussion. I have put a collar on just in case of a neck injury, and his arm looks like its fractured,” James reported. I saw Ben looking at the buggy.

“Help me get it on its wheels, will you?” Ben said, and James dashed off to help.

“Right. Do you think you can stand?” the boss asked me. I tried to nod my head then remembered the collar.

“I think so,” I replied, as I was helped up. Suddenly I felt all dizzy and started to fall, when the boss caught me and held me up.

“Ben, help me to get Anton to the chopper. Careful of his left arm. Then head back to the buggy and check that James is ok. Insist that you drive, and help the other buggy to get the goats into the yards. Make sure they have access to water. We will come back to them later,” the boss said loudly to his son. Once I was strapped into the chopper, the boss climbed into the pilot seat, and started the motor, and we were soon in the air.

“Chopper to Base, do you receive? Over,” the boss said into the mic.

“Yes, Hamish. Who is injured and how badly? Over,” Mrs Sanderson asked.

“Chopper to base. Anne, it is young Anton. He has concussion, a possible fractured left arm, and possible whiplash, as they rolled a fair bit. Might be a good idea to get the RFDS out here as soon as possible. I have Anton with me in the chopper, and we are on our way back now. ETA about twenty minutes. Over,” Mr Sanderson said.

“Hamish, I have already alerted them. They will be here in two hours from Derby base. I will update them on Anton’s condition, and I will get Sarah to give them some personal history on him. Over,” Mrs Sanderson said.

“Anton, stay awake, mate. Try not to fall asleep. You need to stay awake,” I heard Mr Sanderson say to me, as I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up next, I found that I was in hospital, and a monitor was sounding regular beeps. I groaned at my sore head and arm. “Good morning, Mr Hamilton. You are at Royal Darwin Hospital, how do you feel?” I heard a woman’s voice say.

“Water,” I managed to croak out. I was handed a cup of ice chips, which helped to relieve my dry throat. “Did you say Darwin?” I asked.

“Yes, that is right. You were transferred from Kununurra late yesterday, as you needed specialist surgery. You have three breaks in your left arm, some bruising on your neck, and a nasty big bump on the side of your head. I will just go and get the doctor, to let him know you are awake,” the nurse said to me.

I must have drifted off to sleep again, as I was shaken awake by the nurse. I saw a doctor looking at some charts. “Good morning. Have you any dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, or sore anywhere else?” the doctor asked me.

“A splitting headache, and sore arm,” I replied, and that is when I noticed the plaster on my arm. I had a collar around my neck still, so I couldn’t move it to look properly.

“Ok, we will give you some regular pain killers, and report to the nurse any dizziness or any other pain. You will be in here for about a week. Once we have done another scan on your neck and head, we will know for sure if all is well. Any questions?” the doctor said to me.

“I need to pee,” I said shyly.

“That is taken care of. You have a catheter in place, so go right ahead,” the doctor said, as he put the charts away and left the room.

“There is a bag on the side of the bed, which we will change regularly. Just pee when you need to,” the nurse said with a smile, and she also left the room. I drifted off to sleep again, and woke when I heard the sound of footsteps entering the room. A nurse was carrying a large vase with native flowers. “For me… who?” I croaked, and the nurse gave me a cup of ice chips to relieve the dryness in my throat.

“The card says – ‘Get well soon, love from Sarah, Oscar and Roey’,” the nurse said to me, and I smiled hearing the nickname of my pup.

“There are also two cards that arrived recently. First one says – ‘Sorry that you were injured. Get well soon, Hamish, Anne, family and staff.’ The second card reads – ‘Come home soon, I miss you, Roey’,” the nurse said to me and I chuckled a little but stopped when it started to hurt.

“So, who is this Roey? Your girlfriend?” the nurse asked me, and I smiled.

“Roey, or Roebuck for her full name, is my loyal red cloud kelpie pup,” I replied, and the nurse laughed, as she put the cards back on the bedside cupboard.

“Your lunch has arrived, so I will check on you later,” the nurse said as she left. Another lady walked in holding a tray.

“Hello, Mr Hamilton. Here is your lunch - just soup, orange juice, stewed apples and custard,” she announced to me as she put the tray down. Grabbing a remote she adjusted the front part of the bed so I was sitting up.

The nurse came back in holding a portable phone. “A concerned sounding senior constable Adamson, from WA Police, wishing to speak to you,” the nurse said as she handed me the phone.

“Hello, Anita,” I said into the phone.

“Anton, what the hell happened, and why are you in Darwin?” I heard Anita ask.

“I was in a buggy that rolled quite a few times, when I was out mustering wild goats on a station, near the WA & NT border. Darwin is the nearest major hospital to where I was,” I replied.

“Where exactly were you? And yes, I already know about that bastard Mathew,” Anita said to me.

“Nicholson Station, just inside WA, due south of Kununurra by about 300 kilometres, and east of Halls Creek by about 150 kilometres,” I replied.

“Wow, that is pretty tough country out that way. I haven’t told anyone yet. I just saw the state-wide bulletin calling for family or friends of Anton Hamilton to contact the police. I have cancelled the bulletin, since I know you, and I wanted to get some information before I call Marcus and Jasper,” Anita said to me.

‘Well, I have broken my left arm in three places. I have bad concussion and bruising on my neck. I only woke up late this morning. Last thing I remember was the station boss putting me into his chopper, and him talking to his wife about getting the RFDS. That is all I remember from the station,” I replied.

“Well, if you are in Darwin, you are 1 ½ hours ahead in time difference, so it’s still late morning here. I will call Jasper and Marcus to let them know what has happened, and that you are on the mend. Talk to you soon. Bye,” Anita said, and she ended the call.

I slowly ate my lunch, finding it a little hard to swallow, and as I was finishing, the phone on the table rang. I jumped a little, before answering it. “Hello?” I said unsure who it was calling.

“Anton, thank goodness you are alright,” I heard a very concerned Jasper say.

“Hi, skipper. How are things going with the business, and how is the family? I forgot to ask Anita that,” I replied with a little smile,

“Everyone is fine. Now what the hell were you doing on a cattle station in the Tanami desert, mustering goats?” Jasper demanded.

“After learning about you know who, I just wanted to have some time to myself, so I just left Exmouth. I spent my first night at a station on the road heading east, where I met some German backpackers,” I explained.

“Well you could have told us where you are,” Jasper said angrily.

“I tagged along with them to Karijini, South Hedland and as far as a resort just south of Broome. By then their car had broken down and I had bought a 4x4 Land Rover. They had found jobs at the resort, so, on my own I went to Roebuck Plains, before I headed to Fitzroy Crossing, Halls Creek and then onto the Duncan Highway to Nicholson Station, where I have been for about four or five days, till the accident happened,” I replied.

“Where were you planning to go, and for how long?” Jasper asked me now in a concerned voice.

“I’m not sure about where I was going, but I can tell you that Sarah Nichols and her son Oscar are living and working on Nicholson station, which was a nice surprise,” I replied happily.

“Well, I will let you get some rest. No doubt Marcus knows by now, so you may get a call from him shortly. Just to let you know, Mathew collected his belongings and returned to the city. Neale and Jedd have been asking when you will be coming home, and your gramps and I have organised a two-bedroom transportable cottage for you on the property, just in front of the orchard, for when you do come home,” Jasper said to me and shortly after we ended the call.

The phone rang again less than a minute later. “Hello. Is that you, Gramps?” I said when I answered the call.

“No, it is us, Anton,” I heard my brothers reply.

“Hey, guys. Are you being good for Anita and Jasper?” I responded happy to hear their voices.

“Yes, we are being good, and school is ok, but we really miss you. When are you coming home?” the boys replied.

“Well, I have been in a buggy accident on a remote cattle station, and I am in Darwin at the moment.

So, as soon as I can get back to the station and get my vehicle, I will drive back home,” I replied.

“Ok then. Get better quick, because we want you to come home,” the boys replied.

“I will. Is Gramps there? Can I talk to him?” I responded, and a few seconds later I was chatting to Gramps, assuring him that I was ok, and that as soon as I was well enough, I would come back home. When the call ended, the nurse came in and retrieved the portable phone.

“I think you have had enough phone calls for one day. Time to get some rest,” the nurse said to me as she left the room.