‘What have you got?’ Anna asked as she crossed the driveway towards the car.

  ‘Koala. It has burns.’ Carol removed a cardboard box from the back of her car.

  Anna opened the wildlife hospital and waited for Carol to bring in her new patient. When Anna looked into the box, a pair of unfocused eyes blinked up at her from a face ringed with singed fur.

  ‘You poor thing,’ Anna said as she carefully lifted the koala out of the box and unwrapped the sooty and bloodstained blanket. She reached behind her to get a bottle, which she filled with water, pressing a soft lid on it. She squeezed gently and water spurted through a hole in the lid. She handed the bottle to Carol, who knew exactly what to do with it, holding the bottle near the injured animal’s nose to let water drip onto its face. Within seconds, the koala was lapping up the drops as fast as they fell.

  Anna examined the koala. Her ears had been burned, but her thick fur had protected most of her body from the fire. She looked at her paws. The pads were burned and it was likely she’d lose some of her claws.

  ‘No tree climbing for you for a little while, my girl.’

  There was some burned skin on the koala’s back legs, and it was bleeding in places where the skin had split. Anna checked the animal’s pouch, but there was no sign of a joey. That was probably a good thing. The koala would need all her strength to heal.

  ‘She’ll recover,’ Anna said.

  Carol didn’t reply and Anna cast a quick look at her. The woman seemed to be running on automatic as she continued to minister to the koala. Her face was rigid, her eyes staring at the wall, as if, in the distance, she could see something that Anna couldn’t see. There was a hint of tears in her eyes, and streaks in the soot and ash on her face that suggested these weren’t the first tears she had shed.

  ‘Carol? Are you all right? You weren’t hurt, were you?’

  Carol started, as if the sound of Anna’s voice had torn her from some other place.

  ‘No. No. I’m not hurt.’

  ‘Are you sure you’re all right?’

  ‘Yes.’ Carol’s voice trailed off. She looked at Anna with such a mix of fear and joy that Anna almost took a step backwards. ‘I’m just a bit shaken.’

  ‘From the fire? I keep telling you to be careful out there.’

  ‘So did he.’

  ‘He who?’

  ‘My son. I saw him today. At the fire.’

  Anna blinked in surprise. ‘I didn’t know you had any kids.’ The two women weren’t close but they saw enough of each other that Anna would have expected to know if Carol had family. Anna had always assumed she was alone.

  ‘I have boys. Twin boys. I haven’t seen them for fifteen years. We … we lost touch when they were seventeen.’

  ‘And they were at the fire?’

  ‘I only saw Justin. The oldest. He’s a firefighter.’ There was something like awe in Carol’s voice. ‘Ben was probably there too. They are inseparable. Or at least they were as kids.’

  ‘Did you speak to him?’

  Carol half grinned. ‘He yelled at me for putting myself in danger to rescue this little girl.’

  Anna pushed her long hair back behind her ear with one hand, brushing the scar with the back of her fingers. She had a similar memory of her father saying the same to her as he struggled with the shock of the injuries her foolishness had caused.

  ‘Just like my dad. It was his way of telling me he loved me.’

  Carol’s face fell. ‘I’m pretty sure that’s not the case with Justin. But at least I know he’s fine. That’s some comfort.’

  Anna lifted the koala into a large cage and placed her in a blanket-lined basket. ‘That’s all we can do for her for now,’ she said. ‘She’s going to be a very sad and sorry girl for a few days, and I need to keep a close eye on those burns. But with luck, when she’s recovered, you can release her back into the wild.’

  Carol took a deep breath and nodded. ‘What about my other girl?’

  Anna turned her attention to another koala, which was clinging to a piece of tree trunk, blinking at them as it ate some leaves affixed to the trunk with twine.

  ‘She’s ready to go.’

  ‘All right. I won’t take her now, but I’ll drop by with fresh leaf tomorrow and I can take her then. I should be going now.’

  ‘Sure. If you get any more calls about rescue animals, let me know. I’ll be here all night.’ Anna lived in a small, red-brick house behind the clinic. She didn’t really need to say she’d be home all night. She seldom went out.

  Carol said goodbye and got back into her car. It seemed to Anna that she was eager to get away. Maybe she just wanted to be on her own. Anna suspected that today’s encounter with her son had shaken Carol more than she cared to show or admit.

  Anna locked the native animal hospital and as she turned to walk back to the main clinic, pulled her phone from her pocket. She had several news alerts pointing her to a piece of video. ‘Woman runs into fire to rescue koala.’ Curious, she hit play.

  The woman running into the flames was clearly Carol. She was surrounded by fire as she darted deeper into the burning scrub, at times disappearing behind swirling clouds of smoke. The smoke cleared enough to show her throwing a blanket over a koala that was on the ground and obviously injured. The animal wriggled and fought as Carol tried to pick it up. Then a man appeared at her side wearing the distinctive bright yellow protective RFS uniform. He caught Carol around the shoulders as if to help her out of the fire. That must be Justin.

  Anna paused the video and zoomed in, hoping to see more of her friend’s son. He was tall and looked strong and confident. He was wearing a helmet and face shield and Anna found herself wishing she could see his face more clearly.

  She restarted the video and the camera began to move. The person was obviously filming from the back of a car, now being driven away at speed. The two figures were quickly lost in the smoke haze and the video stopped.

  In the few seconds that Anna waited, it replayed. She hit pause when the firefighter appeared. So that was Carol’s son?

  CHAPTER

  3

  The firefighters were scattered around the hall, mostly sitting on the floors and leaning against the wall. Chairs were stacked against the wall, but none of the men and women who’d been fighting the fire had enough energy to lift one down. Certainly Justin didn’t. He lowered himself to the floor and set his helmet down next to him. He started to undo his jacket, but the effort was too much, so he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He could sleep for a week. Not that he was expecting to.

  It had taken three days, but the fire was under control. A cool weather front had helped, but the ground was dry. The grass had been baked to straw by the sun and there were storms about; lightning always brought the threat of bushfires. They had beaten the beast back, but it was never really defeated. There were other fires still burning. The only thing that was going to let him sleep was rain. Lots and lots of cool, wet, fire-dousing rain.

  ‘Hey, big brother.’

  Justin opened his eyes as someone slumped down next to him. It was a bit like looking in a mirror. Ben looked as exhausted as he felt. Justin was the older twin by fifteen minutes, although right now it felt like he was a hundred years old. Every muscle in his body ached. His eyes were still stinging from the smoke.

  ‘Hungry?’ Ben put a plate of biscuits on the floor between them. He was also carrying two mugs of coffee. The rising steam teased at Justin’s nostrils and he reached for a mug.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘The weather guys say there’s a change coming. If we’re lucky, it’ll rain tonight.’

  ‘Not a moment too soon.’

  The conversation was interrupted by the appearance of the team’s leader. ‘Well, Turner, looks like you’re a hero. Famous to boot.’

  ‘Which one?’ Ben asked.

  ‘Which one of you is Justin?’ They’d only worked with this guy for a couple of weeks. Between their identical faces and standard protective gear, he hadn’t yet found a way to tell them apart.

  ‘That would be me,’ Justin said.

  ‘Here. The guys who were there tell me this is you.’ The man held his phone out.

  Before Justin could move, Ben took it. He was by far the more tech savvy and never far from some sort of computer. Not that Justin didn’t know how to use a smart phone, he just wasn’t interested in social media, and that was, he guessed, what this was all about. Ben touched the screen. Justin could hear a voice but not the words. A grin crept over his brother’s face.

  ‘You made the news, big brother.’

  Justin took the phone and played the video again. He recognised the images. Somebody in one of those cars held at the fire line had put their phone to good use. The screen showed the woman running into the fire and him helping her back again, koala and all. The newsreader’s voice did not name either of them. Probably because no one knew.

  ‘What a stupid woman,’ Ben said. ‘She could have gotten herself trapped. Not to mention you. I feel sorry for the koala, but putting her own life at risk …’ His voice trailed off and he reached for another biscuit.

  ‘Thanks, mate.’ Justin handed the phone back and waited for the other firefighter to leave. He hadn’t wanted to raise this now, but if he left it any longer, Ben would probably take what he was about to hear even harder.

  Justin reached for his mug to give himself a few more seconds to collect his thoughts. It was empty. So be it.

  ‘That woman,’ he said. ‘I knew her.’

  ‘Oh?’ Ben frowned. ‘Who was it?’

  Justin braced himself for the explosion. ‘Our mother.’

  ‘What?’

  A couple of heads turned in their direction.

  ‘Take it easy,’ Justin said calmly. ‘Yeah. It was our mother. Rescuing a koala. I didn’t expect it, but it’s probably not all that surprising. She’s been doing this sort of thing since we were kids.’

  ‘And don’t I know it.’ Even after all these years, the bitterness was still strong in Ben’s voice. ‘Does she live around here or something?’

  ‘I have no idea. You saw the video. There wasn’t exactly time to talk.’

  Ben’s reply was a grunt.

  ‘She looked … small,’ Justin said thoughtfully. ‘And old. It’s a long time since we’ve seen her.’

  Ben stared at the coffee in his hands, his mouth fixed in a firm, disapproving line.

  Justin shook his head. ‘Well, aren’t you going to say anything?’

  There was a pause. ‘What do you expect me to say? It has been a long time, and as far as I’m concerned, it could have been a lot longer.’

  ‘Come on, Ben. It’s been fifteen years. In all that time, haven’t you wondered how she is?’

  ‘No.’

  Justin reached for another biscuit, to give himself time to think. They hadn’t had a good mother, but with their father out of the picture, she’d been all they had. Justin examined his own feelings. Time had eased his hurt. He didn’t hate Carol the way Ben seemed to. Ben had the most reason to hate her and time didn’t seem to have lessened that feeling. It should have. They weren’t kids any more.

  ‘I called her a few times. Just after we left.’

  ‘What?’ Ben sounded shocked.

  ‘Don’t get like that. All I wanted was to assure myself she was okay. And let her know we were. I assumed the argument would blow over eventually.’

  ‘Why?’

  Justin shrugged. He didn’t want to say it was because he’d expected Ben would grow up. In this moment, anything he said would only make matters worse.

  ‘She never loved us. And I certainly want nothing more to do with her.’

  That was no surprise. ‘Are you sure? This is the first time in years we’ve had any idea where she is. Maybe it’s time to—’

  ‘Not me. But you go ahead if you want to.’

  Justin knew that tone of voice. Knew that Ben meant exactly the opposite—he would see any attempt by Justin to contact their mother as a betrayal. They never talked about her. His brother was easygoing in everything but this and Justin had learned long ago just to let it go, although he was surprised that, after all this time, Ben hadn’t softened. Not one bit.

  Any further conversation was diverted by a buzz of noise and movement from the other end of the room. The firefighters were getting to their feet as the smell of hot food wafted through the hall. A trestle table was being set up and three people Justin assumed were locals were laying out big dishes of steaming food. That was enough for him to realise he was far more hungry than could be solved by a simple biscuit.

  This small town, Wagtail Ridge, had an RFS station that was usually unmanned and a tanker unit that had been swung into action this week. The size of the fire had drawn Ben and Justin and their team from Tamworth, as well as volunteers from other nearby towns. This hall had been serving as rest station, mess and, when they had the chance, sleeping quarters for them all.

  The brothers left their spot against the wall to check out the bounty.

  ‘I’m Deb. From the pub,’ the older woman introduced herself. ‘And this is Lou. We want to thank you guys for everything. I hope you like lasagne and burgers.’

  ‘Right now, that sounds like a five-star meal. Thank you.’ Ben turned on the charm. ‘I don’t suppose there’s a beer to be had as well? Happy to pay for it.’

  ‘I just checked with your commander,’ Deb replied. ‘He says it’s okay. My husband, Shane, has gone back to get some. Give us a minute.’

  ‘You are a lifesaver!’ Ben took his plate with enthusiasm.

  ‘You’re welcome.’

  Ben went in search of a seat for the two of them. As Justin waited for his food, he had an idea.

  ‘Excuse me,’ he said to Deb. ‘I wonder if you can help me. There was an incident yesterday. A woman and a koala—’

  ‘Were you that firefighter? You’re a bit of a hero,’ Deb said. ‘I’ll slide a bit more of this lasagne onto your plate.’

  ‘Thanks. I’m starving.’ Justin hesitated, but decided there was no harm in asking. ‘I don’t suppose you know the woman?’

  ‘The video was so bad, I couldn’t tell,’ Deb said as she handed over his plate. ‘But I assume it was one of the people from the wildlife rescue group. Probably Carol. It’s the sort of thing she would do. Anyway, you could ask there.’

  ‘How would I find the rescue people?’

  ‘Oh, forget that. What was I thinking? Anna Prentiss, our local vet. They always take injured animals to her. She’ll know who brought the koala in.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Justin made way for Deb’s next customer. As he went to join his brother, he decided not to say anything about the conversation. It was clear that Ben’s anger still ran deep. If Justin decided to go and ask this vet about his mother, he’d do it alone. If … He wasn’t sure he wanted to. Was it better to let sleeping dogs lie? After all these years, there was nothing to be gained by opening old wounds.

  As he slid into the chair next to his brother, the hall suddenly became silent. Heads were tilted and it seemed everyone was holding their breath. A few minutes later, a cheer went up, drowning the welcome sound of raindrops falling on the hall’s tin roof.

  CHAPTER

  4

  Anna was standing outside as the sun peeped over the top of the hills. She loved the sights and sounds of dawn after a night’s rain. She loved the smell of wet earth and grass. And she particularly loved those smells after the smoky air from the bushfires. Mornings like this brought the promise of renewal and recovery. She had felt that way about this place since the moment she’d laid eyes on it. She would be forever grateful to the old uni friend who had drawn her attention to the clinic for sale in Wagtail Ridge. It was a long way from her parents in Adelaide, but it was also a long way from the people who had known her before. People who couldn’t hide their shock and pity, no matter how hard they tried. The town had welcomed her as she was now, and she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

  Her home hadn’t been in the path of this latest fire, but as always, the fire had almost filled her small clinic with its victims. That was the other reason she was up so early. She had injured wildlife to treat here before setting out to visit patients at a local horse stud and the alpaca farm run by her friend Bree. But before that, she wanted a few minutes of peace to listen to the sounds of the bush and enjoy a moment of solitude. She stretched her shoulders, tossed back her sandy hair, closed her eyes and turned her face to the rising sun. The first rays of light fell gently on her face. She stayed that way for almost a minute, before she felt the harsher touch of the summer sun on the sensitive skin of her cheek and chin. The accident that had left those scars had not quite robbed her of this joy. Not quite. She lowered her face, rubbing the puckered skin gently. She frowned and scratched the itching skin on her forehead. The scar there was less visible, but at times, it bothered her most of all. Time to get to work. She pulled a scrunchie from her pocket and caught her hair back in a ponytail.

  Funding from a state-wide charity had allowed her to equip her native animal clinic well. When she walked inside, too many of the cages and pens were occupied. She had been busy in the last twenty-four hours. Despite the ventilation, the room had a rank smell, mostly of singed hair or burned skin. There were still a couple of empty cages, but that might not last long; there could be other fire victims found over the next couple of days. She’d be ready for them.

  ‘Hello, little man.’ She bent over a basket with a juvenile koala curled inside a well-washed baby blanket covered with unicorns. The koala looked back at her, blinking with button-shaped brown eyes. ‘Let’s have a look at that burn.’ She carefully lifted him out of the basket and placed him on the treatment table.

  Anna worked quietly and happily for an hour, talking to each patient as she dressed burns, cut away charred fur and performed general health checks, to make sure each animal would be in good condition when it left her to be returned to the wild.

 

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