‹ Prequel: Going Bush
Going Bush 2: Suburbia
106
Trent sat and watched television as they waited for Nate to return. Taylor tried not to imagine what he’d be in for when Nate found out what he’d done, but with nothing else to concentrate on his mind was happily tormenting him.
When they heard the car returning, Taylor looked up as Trent turned the television off. As Trent moved to open the door, Taylor finally drew the courage to pull himself up so that he was sitting.
“What the heck?!” came Trent’s surprised voice.
Taylor frowned as he heard a struggle outside, and an unknown man’s voice as well as Nate’s. Trent darted out, and a moment later someone was thrown inside the trailer so forcefully that he hit his hands and knees. Nate followed him in, setting a briefcase onto the table.
“Get up,” Nate ordered, standing over the man.
Taylor watched worriedly as the man – who looked a little older than Nate – struggled to pull himself to his feet. When he took a few steps back from Nate, Nate indicated Taylor. He spun and faced Taylor for the first time.
“Oh dear God…” he breathed, a rough Texan accent slipping out.
Taylor’s eyes shot to Nate, as he began to realise what was happening.
“He’s sick,” Nate announced, “I want you to make him better.”
“Excuse me?” the doctor turned back to him.
“We put him under a general anaesthetic yesterday and he hasn’t come out of it properly,” Nate brushed over, “and now he’s throwing up whatever I give him. Fix him!”
When all the doctor did was look at him incredulously, Nate sighed and drew a pistol from his belt.
“Okay! Okay,” the man raised his hands, indicating for Nate to hand him his briefcase.
Nate did so, and the doctor sat beside Taylor on the bed.
“May I?” he checked with Nate before removing Taylor’s gag.
“I am so sorry,” Taylor shook his head sincerely, “I had no idea-“
“Shut up,” Nate scorned, “just tell him what’s wrong.”
The doctor gave Taylor a sympathetic look as he shifted his legs and sat up further.
“Well I’ve been vomiting, a few times,” Taylor offered, barely able to look the doctor in the eye, “and… sweating. And my body temperature has been up and down all night.”
“When’s the last time you ate anything?” the doctor leant forward to feel his forehead.
“Yesterday,” Taylor glanced at Nate, “I had a sandwich which didn’t stay down. Before that I hadn’t eaten in days.”
“And water? How often do you drink anything?” the doctor looked concerned.
“I had some water this morning, and last night,” Taylor offered, “but before that I’m not sure. Again it would have been a few days. But it rained so I got some of that, I guess…”
The doctor looked confused, but held back from asking anything.
“General anaesthetic, you say?” he looked up at Nate.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
The doctor paused for thought, then opened his briefcase. He pulled out a blue solution, shaking it before asking Nate for a glass of water. When Nate obliged he added the solution to the water and carefully helped Taylor to drink it.
“This will help replace some electrolytes,” the doctor offered, “but you are severely malnourished and dehydrated. You need to get to a hospital where they can give you an IV.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Nate denied instantly.
When they heard the car returning, Taylor looked up as Trent turned the television off. As Trent moved to open the door, Taylor finally drew the courage to pull himself up so that he was sitting.
“What the heck?!” came Trent’s surprised voice.
Taylor frowned as he heard a struggle outside, and an unknown man’s voice as well as Nate’s. Trent darted out, and a moment later someone was thrown inside the trailer so forcefully that he hit his hands and knees. Nate followed him in, setting a briefcase onto the table.
“Get up,” Nate ordered, standing over the man.
Taylor watched worriedly as the man – who looked a little older than Nate – struggled to pull himself to his feet. When he took a few steps back from Nate, Nate indicated Taylor. He spun and faced Taylor for the first time.
“Oh dear God…” he breathed, a rough Texan accent slipping out.
Taylor’s eyes shot to Nate, as he began to realise what was happening.
“He’s sick,” Nate announced, “I want you to make him better.”
“Excuse me?” the doctor turned back to him.
“We put him under a general anaesthetic yesterday and he hasn’t come out of it properly,” Nate brushed over, “and now he’s throwing up whatever I give him. Fix him!”
When all the doctor did was look at him incredulously, Nate sighed and drew a pistol from his belt.
“Okay! Okay,” the man raised his hands, indicating for Nate to hand him his briefcase.
Nate did so, and the doctor sat beside Taylor on the bed.
“May I?” he checked with Nate before removing Taylor’s gag.
“I am so sorry,” Taylor shook his head sincerely, “I had no idea-“
“Shut up,” Nate scorned, “just tell him what’s wrong.”
The doctor gave Taylor a sympathetic look as he shifted his legs and sat up further.
“Well I’ve been vomiting, a few times,” Taylor offered, barely able to look the doctor in the eye, “and… sweating. And my body temperature has been up and down all night.”
“When’s the last time you ate anything?” the doctor leant forward to feel his forehead.
“Yesterday,” Taylor glanced at Nate, “I had a sandwich which didn’t stay down. Before that I hadn’t eaten in days.”
“And water? How often do you drink anything?” the doctor looked concerned.
“I had some water this morning, and last night,” Taylor offered, “but before that I’m not sure. Again it would have been a few days. But it rained so I got some of that, I guess…”
The doctor looked confused, but held back from asking anything.
“General anaesthetic, you say?” he looked up at Nate.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
The doctor paused for thought, then opened his briefcase. He pulled out a blue solution, shaking it before asking Nate for a glass of water. When Nate obliged he added the solution to the water and carefully helped Taylor to drink it.
“This will help replace some electrolytes,” the doctor offered, “but you are severely malnourished and dehydrated. You need to get to a hospital where they can give you an IV.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Nate denied instantly.