The Outback Nurse. Carol Marinelli

hands.

      ‘That doesn’t worry you?’

      ‘I’ve had more than my share of moody, difficult doctors, I can assure you. I’m not going to collapse in a heap if he barks at me. I can give as good as I get. As long as Dr Clemson can cope with that, I can manage his tantrums.’

      Miss Lever looked at Olivia’s determined face and the fiery red hair. She had no doubt she could.

      ‘You sound as if you don’t want me to take the position,’ Olivia added.

      ‘On the contrary...’ Miss Lever smiled ‘...I just want to be sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for. I’m not too keen on being on the receiving end of the formidable Dr Clemson’s temper if I send someone unsuitable. I actually think you’ll do very well—you’ve got a marvellous résumé. Three years in charge of such a busy casualty department must prepare you for just about any eventuality.’

      ‘Just about,’ Olivia agreed.

      ‘Look, why don’t I go and rustle up some coffee and leave you on your own for a few minutes to think it over?’

      ‘Thank you, I’d appreciate that.’

      Miss Lever walked to the door and, turning to ask how Olivia took her coffee, thought better of it, seeing her brimming eyes as she fished in her bag for a handkerchief. Closing the door quietly behind her, she shook her head. It was most unlike Miss Lever to put someone off a job— usually she was just interested in the commission. But there was something about Ms Morrell, a vulnerability behind that rather brittle exterior that made you not want to add to her troubles. She obviously had enough already.

      Olivia leant back in the chair glad to be alone. Under normal circumstances she’d have had hysterics at the thought of a job out in the bush, with only a bitter old doctor as her colleague. But, then, who’d have thought, she reflected, she’d ever be in this situation, practically begging for a job? Sister Olivia Morrell, always so immaculate and in control. How happy she had been—a job she’d loved, Unit Manager in the emergency department at Melbourne City Hospital, wonderful friends and, to cap it all, engaged to Jeremy Forster, Surgical Registrar, dashing, successful and good-looking.

      Closing her eyes for a second, Olivia flashed back to the fateful day when Jessica, a dear friend and trusted colleague, had come into her office and asked for a private talk. How clearly she remembered the disbelief and horror as Jessica had gently told her that Jeremy was having an affair with his intern, Lydia Colletti.

      At first Olivia had thought it must have been some sort of sick joke, a ghastly mistake, but, seeing the pain in her friend’s eyes, she’d known she’d been hearing the truth. Looking back, it all seemed so obvious. Jeremy’s mood swings, the exhaustion, the constant criticism. She had put it all down to the pressure of his work. He was due for a promotion soon to junior consultant and the competition was stiff. If they could just get through this, she had reasoned, surely he would be happier?

      To add insult to injury, despite knowing the long hours and close proximity Jeremy shared with Lydia, she had never once felt threatened. She had trusted him. What a fool, what a stupid trusting fool.

      Painfully, Olivia recalled their final row. She had confronted him, of course, and he’d sung like a bird, telling her in all too great a detail her faults, but Olivia had refused to take the blame for his infidelity.

      ‘How could you do this Jeremy? How could you make love to her and then me?’ she demanded, but Jeremy was unrepentant.

      ‘Oh, come on, Olivia, when did we last make love? Our sex life is practically non-existent.’

      ‘And that’s supposed to be my fault?’ she shouted, her anger welling to the surface. ‘It’s you who’s always too tired or too busy. And now I know why, don’t I? You were too damned exhausted after being with Lydia!’

      ‘Well, at least she enjoys it Olivia. With you it’s like making love to a skeleton, and about as lively.’ He spat the words at her, his guilt and desire to end the discussion making him brutal.

      Until finally, exhausted and reeling, all that was left to do was to throw a few hastily grabbed items into a bag and get out with as much dignity as she could muster, desperate to put some space between them.

      It seemed that everyone except her had known about the affair. She couldn’t go back to face the sympathetic stares and embarrassed silences. The only solution was to hand in her notice, which unfortunately meant surrendering the city apartment she leased from the hospital. Jessica’s spare room provided a welcome haven but they both knew it was only temporary.

      ‘Sorry I’ve been so long.’ Miss Lever placed a cup and saucer on the desk in front of her and Olivia forced a smile, suddenly remembering where she was.

      ‘I took the liberty of ringing Dr Clemson and telling him about you. You are still interested, I hope?’

      Olivia nodded.

      ‘Good. He was very keen.’

      Olivia took a deep breath. ‘How soon would he want me to start?’

      ‘How soon can you get there?’

      * * *

      Hauling her suitcases off the train onto the platform, Olivia noticed she was the only passenger getting off at Kirrijong. In fact, the train only passed through once a day. Not for the first time, it hit her just how isolated she was. Gradually the city and suburbs had faded into endless bush, the lush green grass paling into sunburnt straw, acre after acre of dry cracked land. She had heard how the drought and dry winter had affected the farmers but, seeing for herself the parched bush and emaciated livestock, it made her realise the drought was far more than just a news bulletin or a page in the newspaper. Times were really tough here.

      ‘G’day there, I’ll get these. You must be Sister Morrell,’ a friendly, sun-battered face greeted her, his eyes squinting in the setting sun. ‘Jeez, how many cases have you got?’

      Olivia blushed. It did seem a bit excessive, yet most of her clothes were still back at home. Throwing caution to the wind, Olivia had sold the car Jeremy had bought her as an engagement present, freeing up some cash. Jeremy would be furious. Blowing some money on a wardrobe more suited to the bush than her designer Melbourne gear had been a good tonic, at least for an afternoon.

      Olivia was slightly taken back by the warmth of the man’s welcome, having expected, from Miss Lever’s description, a far more aloof greeting. Judging him to be in his mid-fifties, wearing dirty jeans and faded checked shirt, with a battered akubra shielding his face, Dr Clemson certainly didn’t look the ogre Miss Lever had predicted. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr Clemson.’ She offered her hand, startled when he started to laugh.

      ‘Youse didn’t think I was the doctor? I can’t wait to tell the missus. I’m Dougie, Dougie Kendall. My wife Ruby is Clem’s housekeeper. I do a few odd jobs around the place, help out with the land.’ He started to laugh again.

      Olivia seethed. Did he really find it so funny? It was an obvious mistake. ‘Well, Mr Kendall,’ she said evenly, ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you.’ It wouldn’t do to get the locals offside quite so early.

      Climbing into his dusty ute, Olivia winced as Dougie carelessly threw her expensive suitcases in the back. All the windows were wound down, forcing her to shout responses to Dougie’s continual chatter. He pointed out the various residences as he hurtled the ute at breakneck speed along the dry, dusty road.

      ‘That there belongs to the Hunts, a beaut family. Just had a baby, a little fella, so no doubt youse’ll be seeing them soon. And the land from now till the crossroads belongs to the Rosses.’

      Olivia looked at the vast acreage and huge brick residence, far more formal than the weatherboard homes they had passed.

      ‘They own a lot of land—mind, not as much as the doctor. Their daughter Charlotte is a model, well, that’s what she calls herself anyway, I could think of a few other things.’ He looked over at her, awaiting a response, but