Desert Air - 55. DA Ch 55 - Callout

A solar powered generator located on the roof of the complex, will power the waterfall and all recirculation pumps fro each quarter, plus the misting sprays that will be around the tropical garden quarter.

The complex itself will be enormous, with the front narrow administration area, having a large central reception waiting room, with a reception office adjoining. There will be two large consulting treatment room, with supplies storerooms, and a hallway on each side leads to visitor bathrooms, and the entry hall to the rest of the building.

This section has two levels, with the ground level having one more smaller consulting room and a radiology room and lab, with store rooms, medical store and equipment store, a large staff lounge room.

There is also big administration office and two private offices, staff bathrooms, a recovery care areas for dogs and cats, and finally stairs and a small lift to get upstairs, plus doors to the rest of the warehouse.

From the lift or stairs, there is a large waiting lounge, plus there is the ICU Office, staff bathroom and the ICU Ward, the pre-post op room, bathrooms and change rooms, a pathology laboratory and the surgery theatre.

Leading off the waiting lounge is the hallway into the living quarters, which consists of a kitchen and pantry that back onto the waiting lounge, and an adjoining dining room. Opposite the main living room, are the master suite and guest suite, each with their own bathrooms and walk in robe, and finally there is a recreation room, and a huge verandah, that covers the full width of the building, and is about five metres deep.

Beyond the administration area are two doors that lead to the rest of the warehouse, which will have a cat and a dog cage room on each side of the building, adjoined to these areas are two long enclosed animal exercise areas, and near the back wall is the feed storage shed.

In the centre of the warehouse near the front are eight small and three medium-sized reptile cages, each with their own temperature controls for the heat lamps, behind these are six large and three medium-sized bird cages, all which are three metres high for the reptiles and four metres high for the bird cages, so they have plenty of flying space, as they recover.

After some thought, I informed Mum that I would fly back to Kununurra on the same day as the mail plane, and return when it is time to take the kids to the Kununurra Airport, for their flights to school.

The next day, I spend a lot of the morning in the office, speaking to Auggie and Marcus, with Marcus informing me that he had received a call about an unusual sight at the old vet clinic at the Marble Bar Airport, which I now leased out for secure storage space.

Marcus informed me that an echidna and a frilled neck lizard have been making regular visits to the clinic, and some of the locals cannot quite work out why this is happening, but they have been leaving food and water for them once or twice a week.

I burst out laughing on hearing this; it had to be the two that I had brought back to good health, “Do you think it is them two that you looked after when you first set up shop over there?” Marcus asked me.

“I am certain it is. I’m a little surprised, but I bet that it is them, probably looking for me,” I replied. “What are we going to do about it?” Marcus asked me.

“Leave it to me, I will be flying back in a few days time, I will deviate and check to see if it is them, and if it is I will bring them back with me to Kununurra,” I replied. “By the way, the Broome Vets are really not impressed with us, for working on their turf, and the vet who has usually been coming to Derby for those two days a fortnight, has been none other than Jessica Harris,” Marcus informed me.

“Well it is their own tough luck for only providing a basic service to the area, maybe if they were there two days a week, then maybe I would have left that area along,” I replied, “I agree with you there boss, and I have been flat out the days that I am here, with three full days and two half days, and just as busy when I drive to Fitzroy River, with a full day, and sometimes the following morning there as well.

Auggie has been doing the trip to Halls Creek each week, as well as Wyndham, all day Tuesday and Wednesday morning, with the rest of the time in Kununurra, and we both have been getting calls from station managers and owners, asking when the flying vet is going to be available,” Marcus said.

I chuckled when I heard this, “tell them as of Monday next week I will be available, but I want to keep it down to two full days a week maximum, and don’t advertise it, just mention it to any stations that call from now on, ok?” I replied. “Sure boss, will do, and it is great that you are coming back to work,” Marcus said happily.

“Thanks mate, and by the way, I have decided that it may be a good idea that all three of us take it in turns spending time at Derby, if that is ok with you, maybe a three month rotation. What do you think?” I announced, “Good idea. I will be glad to have a bit of variety in the job,” Marcus replied.

After watching Jennifer and her twins depart the station in the mail plane, bound for Katherine, with many tears from the twins, and their siblings, and a very ordinary expression of Jennifer’s face for the whole time, I decided to stay one more night, to make it a little easy with so many goodbyes’ happening.

The 284 kilometre journey to Kununurra would take me 1 ½ hours to do, so I was pleased that it is just a short trip, and I left after lunch the following day, allowing me plenty of time to get to Kununurra before sunset, and I was glad to be staying at the resort once more, which is very comfortable.

I decided to not go to the vet clinic once I had arrived, instead I retrieved my vehicle from the long term parking and headed straight for the resort, so I could just relax, and I dozed on the bed for about an hour before having a shower and changing into fresh clothes, and I headed to the restaurant for an early dinner, as I was quite worn out from all of the events of the past few weeks.

I was awoken up the next morning by my mobile phone, and sleepily I answered, “Hello?” I croaked, and I heard a chuckle on the other end, “Marcus, what time is it?” I asked, “Bright and early, I spoke to your Mum last night, she told me that you had flown back to Kununurra, so I thought I would give you a wakeup call,” Marcus said.

“What the hell for?” I asked sounding a little grumpy, “Oh, you have got out on the wrong side this morning. I am sorry too call you but this is actually an emergency call, I cant get in contact with Auggie for some reason, and a vet is needed in your area, give the Kununurra Police a call, they will give you the details, bye” Marcus said before ending the call.

I headed to the bathroom to wash my face to try to wake up a bit more, and on returning to the room, I saw that the time was just after 4 am, as I quickly dressed, before calling the police station. “Good morning, this is Dr Jexon Kendrik; I have been informed that a vet is required?” I said when my call was answered.

“Yes, we need your assistance at the junction of Thompson Spring Road and Victoria Highway, just 3 kilometres west of the NT border, a truck has swerved to miss a vehicle and gone off the road and scattered all of the cattle in the back,” the officer replied. “Right, I will be on my way in five minutes, bye,” I responded before ending the call, I grabbed my keys and wallet, and dashed out the door, and a few minutes later, I arrived at the vet clinic.

“I quickly let myself in and turned off the alarm, before heading to the store room, to collect my 303 rifle, ammunition, and then I headed into the main consulting room, and grabbed my veterinary bag and loaded it up with some supplies.

“Who is there, reveal yourself or I will hurt you,” Came a shout behind me which made me jump in fright. “Crikey’s Auggie, give me a heart attack why don’t you,” I responded, as I tried to slow my heart rate, “Oh, sorry boss, I didn’t know you were back, I got in late last night, had a few vehicle problems on the way back from Halls Creek,” Auggie said.

“Did you know that the police and Marcus have been trying to get in contact with you, there is an accident out of town near the border involving a cattle truck,” I informed Auggie, “Give me a second to get dressed and I will come with you,” Auggie said before he dashed off to go to the apartment.

By the time, Auggie returned, I had all the supplies I needed loaded into my vehicle, and the rifle and ammo are secured, and we jumped in and headed east for the border. Just over twenty minutes later as we were rounding a corner; we saw the flashing lights, of multiple emergency services vehicles, and I slowed down and activated the hazard lights, before pulling over behind a police vehicle.

Over the next two hours, we had to humanely destroy twelve cattle, and treat half a dozen more with cuts, while the rest were rounded up and kept close together, as they were pushed gently along a fence line away from the accident scene.

Once we had finished what we could, we packed up our gear and headed back to town. “So what was it really that kept you away for half of the night?” I asked as I was driving, and Auggie chuckled, “I knew I couldn’t pull the wool over your eyes…” he replied and I smiled.

“So what was it that kept you? A hot chick that you are chasing after,” I asked just as Auggie was taking a drink of water, of which most of it ended up on the inside of the windscreen. “If you must know, a hot chick is the wrong sex for my liking,” Auggie replied, “I had already guessed that, I just wanted to see what your reaction was to what I said,” I said smiling.

“Just as well you are my boss, or I would have given you a good hiding?” Auggie commented, “In or out of leathers? And does it involve a whip?” I asked, and Auggie just laughed aloud. “Sounds like you may have had some experience with those items?” Auggie queried, “Nah mate, I don’t like leathers or hairy men, I prefer men my own age or slightly older with no funny stuff,” I replied.

“What! Really?” Auggie said asked surprised at my confession, “Yes mate, I’m into guys… and girls, and I sussed you out on that night we were alone on the island,” I stated, and looking over towards Auggie, I could see that his face had turned a shade of red, which made me laugh.

“By the way, I have a couple of patients that I would like you to have a look at, when we get back to the clinic, I need a second opinion on them both,” Auggie said to me, and he would not elaborate what the two patients were, as his face returned to a normal colour.

As I opened the clinic door, with my vet bag and gun in hand, a flash of something racing towards me, caught my attention, but before I could react, it clambered up my leg and stopped on my shoulder, I was about to try and brush what ever it was on my shoulder.

When I saw another object wadding towards me, and it was then that I realised what was on my shoulder, as I looked sideways and came face to face with the frilled necked lizard, and the echidna was now trying to climb up my leg, but fell down and rolled away.

Placing the gun and bag on the floor, I went down on my knees, and the echidna came up to me, as I leaned forward, and in response I received sticky licking from the echidna’s long tongue, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.