Deception - 33. Dec Chapter 33

With the short amount of time before boarding the Canadian flight, the lads took me to some Airport Duty free shops, where they helped me to by some northern hemisphere winter clothing, with the remaining amount of cash I still had on me. I had not used my credit card since withdrawing $8,000 cash in Adelaide, with all my flight purchases being made by cash. After all the clothes shopping in at Tokyo Airport, I only had $600 cash remaining, hopefully enough till we get to Alberta.

The Lads had told me that they had driven to Vancouver, with their car in a secured parking area at the airport, so they would be making the 11-hour drive back home once they arrive at Vancouver. With a small suitcase full of new clothes and some of them I was wearing for the final stage of the journey, I was now really looking forward to this short holiday, especially with everything the lads were telling me about their home state and home town.

Once again I had a business class seat, and I was seated on the plane well ahead of the lads, and having my laptop with me for the whole journey, I spent the first few hours of the flight doing research on Alberta, Edmonton and the hamlet of Blue Ridge, with a population of just 240 people, which I was a bit surprised at how small it is. I watched a movie and did some reading, before I eventually fell asleep, waking up when I felt the plane starting to slowly reduce in height.

Not long after we were informed that we were approaching Vancouver, where the weather is clear, and the current temperature is 16 degrees Celsius. I saw no sight of the lads when I stepped into the international terminal, and I was glad that I remembered to get at least one of their mobile numbers. When I arrived in immigration, they asked me about my travels to Canada, I explained to the immigration officer that my trip was not planned and was a last-minute decision to join my new friends back to Canada for a few week’s holiday.

I showed them the $600 Australian dollars in cash and the balance of my credit card, showing that I have ample amount of money to pay for my holiday, and an open date return ticket back to Australia via Japan. This was enough to convince them that I was just visiting Canada, and not intending to remain here on a long-term basis, and I was granted a 6-week tourist visa and allowed to continue to customs, for a baggage check.

With both of my bags just containing clothing, a toiletry bag, my laptop computer and a couple of books, I passed through customs quickly, and passed through the doors into the main arrivals area of the terminal, where I found a seat and waited. About 45 minutes later Hugh Lindeman passed through the doors, and after searching for a few moments he spotted me and smiled broadly as he walked towards me.

“Welcome to Canada my friend, how long is your visa for? he said as he gave me a sideward hug, “I’ve got a 6-week tourist visa that’s it” I replied warmly, although I was feeling rather cold thinking of the temperature outside. Another ten minutes later Marcus appeared and twenty minutes later Rhys finally arrived, and we caught a transit bus to the carpark where the lad’s car is parked. “What is the time, I need to change my watch and mobile times” I asked guessing that it is early morning.

Marcus smiled and showed me his mobile, and I adjusted the time to 9.12am on my watch, and I worked out that it is 16 hours, a day later or 1.12am in Sydney. The weather was definitely a lot colder, as we jammed all of our luggage into the car, and began the over 11-hour drive to Blue Ridge, with an estimated time of arrival being 10pm Mountain time, which I learnt is an hour more that Pacific time in Vancouver. The lads took it in turns to drive, in 2-hour shifts, so as not to get too tired, especially after the long-distance air travel, and we all chatted, listened to the radio and sang along to the music to keep entertained. Hugh had informed me that he had call ahead to home, to let them know of the extra guest, and that I would be staying at his place in the guest bedroom, next to his room, in the basement of the house.

After 3 ½ hours of driving, we stopped at a place called Kamloops for a toilet break and food, Hugh rang his parents again, to let them know where we are, and that the roads were in good condition, and that he will call again in over three-hour’s time, when we arrive in Vale mount BC, which I was told is well into the high mountains. At the late afternoon started to arrive, we had passed through two road construction areas, which I found quite scary and I was pleased that I wasn’t driving, especially when it’s on the opposite side in Canada, and I was glad when we made our second stop for refreshments and to stretch our legs a bit.

Once again, Hugh made a telephone call home, and with it now being close to 4pm, he was estimating that we would arrive at Blue Ridge at 9.30 local time, as they would be passing over a time zone on this last section of the journey, where we will be passing through Jasper National Park. One of the local men informed us that there are four more road construction sites on way to Edmonton, and some of them are a little dicey, which I really didn’t want to hear.

The first construction site was not far out of Valemount, and we passed through it easily, but the second one just out of Jasper, after crossing into Alberta, was really bad, I was very scared and so I shut my eyes and tried to relax as best as I could, and we managed to get through ok, and I was able to relax some more, which along with the long travelling made me fall asleep.

When I woke to the sound of shouts and screeching tyres, we suddenly found ourselves being tossed around in the car, as it rolled down a ravine. Everyone including me had seatbelts on, but I had loosened mine to get comfortable to sleep, and I was tossed around a lot more than the others. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed with tubes and wires attached to me, and after a moment of looking around with my eyes, as it hurt too much to move my head, I saw a nurse looking at me and smile before I fell asleep again.

I’m not sure how many times I did this, but I vaguely remembering waking up with a nurse and doctor present, and again with just a nurse sitting nearby. When I woke up the next time, I was connected to just one tube in my arm, and as I tried to speak to ask for water, all I did was croak like a frog. The nurse came up to me and gave me a small cup of ice chips, and I sucked on these while she disappeared out of the room, returning with a doctor.

“Good afternoon Mr Langton, it is good to see that you are finally awake, we have been starting to get a bit worried about you, do you remember anything?” the doctor said to me, and I tried to shake my head but found I couldn’t, and I managed to say no. “You and your friends were in a nasty car accident just north of Jasper, your friends are all ok, they stayed here for a bit of patching up and observation for a few days before being discharged.

For some reason you copped most of the damage, you have been unconscious for over five weeks now, do you have anyone we can contact for you, your phone was destroyed in the crash, so we don’t have any contact numbers” the doctor added, I tried to say something but all I could do was cry softly, and the doctor left the room, and the nurse tried to comfort me, and I eventually fell asleep again.

The next time I woke up, a nurse stepped up to my bed with a small cup with a straw, and I took a sip and began coughing, “Take just small sips Mr Langton” she said to me softly and with a smile, and I tried again and was able to swallow that water without coughing. “Thank you” I managed to say quietly and I tried to sit up but felt dizzy, the nurse helped me to sit up slightly, adjusting my pillows to suit.

I was now able to move my head a little to have a look at the room, which was like any typical hospital room, bare white walls, but on a shelf and bedside cabinet, there were vases full of flowers, I also notice that my right arm was in a caste, as was my right lower leg and foot. The nurse must have guessed what I was thinking as she spoke up, “You have a clean break in your upper arm, a hairline break in your tibia, two cracked ribs, and a fractured ankle on the same side” she said to me with a smile, when I looked at the vases of flowers again, the nurse collected the cards from each of the three vases.

“They all say - To Gres, we are so sorry, please get well soon, and they are from Hugh and family, Marcus and family and Rhys and family” she said as she read the cards to me, and I smiled knowing they were ok and thinking of me. The doctor walked in shortly afterwards, followed by another man, who I learn was a specialist surgeon, and after looking at my medical chart, the smiled and left, leaving me a bit annoyed, and the nurse noticed, as she stood up and looked at the medical chart.

“You are going splendidly, and the doctors have noted that you can eat solid food now” she informed me, and I smiled to her for letting me know. “How long did the doctor say I have been in hospital?” I asked softly, still feeling sore in the throat. “It’s been 5 ½ weeks today” the nurse replied to me, and I frowned as I realised that my tourist visa was about to run out in a few days’ time. “I need to speak to my friends urgently” I said to the nurse, worried that I might get in trouble for over staying, and she nodded her head and left the room.

Moments later I was surprised to see Marcus, Hugh and Rhys appear with big smiles “Hello buddy, we heard you were awake at last, you have had all of us very worried. Now what’s this urgent business you need to talk to us about” Hugh said as they walked in. “My visa, it runs out at the end of this week” I said to them softly, “No worries, as you say in Australia, with the help of a social worker, with a doctor’s report, we had your visa extended until you are fit enough to travel home” Marcus said to me happily and I breathed a sigh of relief.

More people appeared at the doorway, and Hugh turned to look, before facing me again, “let me introduce you to my parents, Harry and Sue Lindeman, Marcus’s parents, my Uncle Brian and Aunt Julia Lindeman, and Rhys’s parents, Andrew and Jessica Strathorn” he said to me and I gave a short wave to them, not sure which was who from the introductions.

One of the ladies stepped forward and placed her hand on Hugh’s shoulder, “We have talked with the doctor here at Edmonton General Hospital, your travel insurance is covering all of your medical bills, and if all goes well, when you are discharged mid next week, you will be staying with us, until your strong enough for the long-haul journey home” she said to me and I smiled and nodded to her.

“Now what about your family, is there someone we can contact, to let them know you are ok” one of the men said as he stepped forward, and I nodded my head, as I turned to the bedside cabinet, where a pad and pencil were located, and I wrote down the name and contact number for Sam Yeoman. “Sam is my family lawyer and friend, he will know what to do once he knows I’m ok and where I am, as far as I know, he doesn’t even know that I’m out of Australia” I said as I handed the note paper to the man I presumed is Hugh’s father.

“I am a Barrister, so that will be easy to sort out, now that we have a contact number” Harry Lindeman said with a smile, “Actually Sam is a Federal Magistrate in Adelaide, so you may not get through to him directly, just mention my name and he will get back to you, depending on the time difference which is 15 ½ hours” I replied to him. Harry announced that I needed my rest, and so they all said good bye to me, and left, and soon after I fell asleep again. When I woke up again, my stomach began to grumble due to the lack of food, and I hear a soft chuckle, and a nurse appeared and place a food tray in front of me.

Shepherd’s pie and an apple crumble with custard, which actually tasted really good, and I ate every bit of the meal, including the orange fruit juice, with a loud burp escaping me after I had finished, I blushed a little and said “excuse me” with a cheeky grin, and the nurse chuckled as she took the tray away.

The nurse came in a few minutes later, announcing that I had an international call from Australia, and the phone beside my bed rang, making me jump a little, before I reached for it. “Hello, this is Gres speaking” I said softly, as my throat was still a little sore, “Oh thank god you are ok, we have been so worried about you, what the hell are you doing in Alberta. Canada?” came a concerned voice on the other side, which I recognised to be Sam Yeoman.