Free Pictures of Lily by Paige Toon Page B

staffroom. He returns after a while with two mugs of tea plus a lactose-free formula mixed from powder for the koala. He explains that koalas are allergic to cow’s milk as he attaches a teat to a syringe and passes it to me to feed her. She’ll switch to using a bottle when she’s a bit older.
    ‘What’s going to happen to her?’ I ask when the syringe is empty and the koala has fallen into a sleepy slumber. I sip my tea.
    ‘I’ll take her to work in the morning, but she’ll probably spend her nights with me for the first week before we relocate her to the hospital room.’
    ‘Hospital room?’
    ‘It’s where the animals are quarantined and handreared.’
    ‘Do you need to call Dave?’
    ‘No. We’re trained for this sort of stuff. Luckily she only has surface wounds. She won’t need to be euthanised.’
    ‘ Put down ?’ My eyes widen and then fill with tears.
    ‘She won’t need to be euthanised,’ he reiterates.
    ‘Would Dave have done that?’
    ‘No, that would have come down to me.’
    ‘That’s awful!’
    ‘It’s part of the job. But yes, it is pretty awful.’
    ‘I feel terrible,’ I murmur. ‘I only saw the mother a split second before the car hit her. I went back for her in case she’d been injured, but I think she’d been killed on impact. I found her baby by accident.’
    ‘Joey.’
    ‘Joey?’
    ‘It’s the correct term for a baby koala – and other infant marsupials like kangaroos and wombats. Were you two out together?’ He’s referring to Josh and me.
    ‘I went to Stirling with him and some of his mates.’
    He sighs with disappointment. ‘I can’t believe you let him drive you home.’
    ‘I wasn’t thinking.’
    ‘Where are Michael and Cindy?’
    ‘They went to Clare for the weekend.’
    ‘Do you want to call them?’
    ‘No. Let’s not bother them. It’s not as if they can do anything, right? Anyway, Mum’s used to leaving me on my own.’
    ‘Did she do that a lot?’
    The corners of my lips turn down. ‘Now and again.’
    ‘Sucks, doesn’t it?’
    I remember what he told me about his nan raising him because his mother was so hopeless. The expression on his face is raw. I look away.
    ‘I suppose you learn to cope,’ I reply.
    He yawns and stretches his arms over his head and I take in my surroundings. Most of the furniture in the living room is made from dark wood and looks old enough to be antique. ‘This was your nan’s house, wasn’t it?’
    ‘Yeah. Still got all her old furniture.’
    ‘It’s nice. I like it,’ I tell him. ‘How many bedrooms?’
    ‘Three.’
    ‘That’s pretty cool. It will do you when you have a couple of kids.’
    He chuckles. ‘Give me a break, I’m only twenty-eight.’
    ‘I thought you country folk got married and sprouted out sprogs before your twenty-first birthdays.’
    ‘Really? Is that what you’re planning on doing?’
    ‘Puh- lease !’
    He laughs and glances down at the koala. I follow his gaze.
    ‘She’s fast asleep,’ I comment.
    ‘That’s good. She’s going to need her rest.’
    ‘Especially when she wakes up and remembers we killed her mummy,’ I add, a lump forming in my throat. ‘I’m so sorry, little one,’ I whisper as my eyes fill up.
    ‘Hey, don’t beat yourself up,’ Ben says softly. ‘Most people would have driven off. She was lucky you found her.’
    I don’t speak for a while.
    ‘Do you want me to take you home?’ he asks eventually.
    ‘Can I stay a bit longer?’
    ‘Of course you can.’
    ‘It’s not like Michael and Mum will be wondering where I am.’ And Josh will be out cold with all the alcohol he’s consumed. I don’t say that part out loud, because I don’t want to make Ben angry again. I feel surprisingly sober, considering how much I drank.
    ‘Have you spoken to your dad recently?’ Ben asks.
    ‘Yeah. It was Olivia’s birthday last week.’
    ‘How’s your stepmum getting on with her pregnancy?’
    ‘Fine, I think. I didn’t speak to her.’
    ‘Do you