Free Novels 01 Blue Skies by Fleur McDonald Page A

squatted beside her.
    ‘My head hurts,’ she mumbled.
    ‘We’ve got the ambulance on its way. Just lie still.’ Turning, he called to someone behind him, ‘We need another blanket,’ then he asked, ‘Do you remember what happened? Thanks.’ He reached for the blanket and tucked it around her.
    Amanda took in her surrounds. A shaft of light was coming from the ute’s spotlights, it was still drizzling and she could hear the river. Then she remembered. The sheep, the motorbike sliding out from under her . . .
    ‘I fell off,’ she stuttered. ‘My ewes – dead.’ She felt for the lambs that she’d put in her jacket, but they were gone. They must’ve fallen out. More deaths.
    ‘Don’t worry, love – we’ll get you fixed up.’
    Something he said triggered her memory. ‘Dad? Where’s Dad?’
    ‘We’re not sure, but he’ll be around here somewhere. He rang us after he’d found you and said you were in strife. Looks like he was right. But not to worry, the ambos will be here soon. Ah, here they come now.’
    There were men in yellow jackets with fluoro stripes and wearing white helmets walking up and down the river, their torch light dotting the black night. ‘Who are you?’ she asked, trying to sit up.
    ‘SES, love. Over here, boys,’ he called out and waved his arm. ‘She’s a bit dazed, I think. Don’t know how long she’s been out here, but we got the call from her old man about an hour ago,’ he told the ambos as they jumped from the vehicle.
    ‘What’s her name?’ asked the driver.
    ‘Amanda Greenfield. It’s her old man’s place, Brian Greenfield.’
    Amanda sat up and grabbed at her head.
    ‘Easy does it. Hi, Amanda, I’m Jeff, one of the paramedics. Can you tell me what happened?’
    ‘I came off the bike. Must have hit my head on the ground. It hurts.’
    ‘Yes, I can see the gash. We’ll clean that up. Do you take any medication?’
    ‘No . . .’
    A man in a drizabone and hat appeared out of the darkness and crouched down beside her. To her surprise she recognised Adrian Major.
    ‘Amanda, are you all right?’ He looked anxious.
    ‘I just need to check Amanda out, mate, so if you wouldn’t mind standing back.’
    ‘Of course, sorry. Sorry.’
    ‘Where’s Dad, Mr . . . Adrian? Why isn’t he here? I saw him.’ Her memory flooded back. She could hear his words . . . Love . . . I’m sorry . . . Bastard . . . ‘I saw him on the river’s edge, Adrian.’ Panic filled her voice. ‘He was right there. I saw him. When I looked back he was gone. Where is he? ’
    Adrian stared at her. ‘What do you mean you saw him on the river’s edge, Amanda?’ he asked.
    ‘I saw him standing there. Or at least I think I did. One second he was there and the next he was gone. I can remember he was talking to me . . .’ She broke off as Adrian touched her shoulder.
    ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’ He walked away, pulling a two-way radio from his belt as he went.
    ‘Now, Amanda,’ Jeff said, ‘I need to get you into the back of the van where there’s some light. I’d really like to have a good look at that head wound.’ Jeff gently helped her to her feet, but Amanda pulled away. ‘Not yet, I need to show Adrian where Dad was,’ she said stumbling as she tried to walk towards the river.
    ‘Amanda, you need to come with me,’ said Jeff, his voice insistent. Grasping her arm firmly, he led her towards the ambulance. She staggered forward, looking over her shoulder, desperate for a glimpse of her father.
    ‘We’ll have to look for him, Matthew,’ Adrian was saying to the SES leader as they passed. ‘If she saw him standing near the edge, who’s to say he didn’t fall in?’
    ‘Tell me you’ve found him,’ Amanda begged when Adrian joined her by the ambulance a little while later. Her head had been bandaged and she was feeling much better since the painkillers kicked in.
    Adrian looked grim. ‘Not yet, Mandy,’ he answered gently. ‘But we’re looking.’ He sat