Nick snapped back to the present and Karen filled his vision as she stood before him reaching for his glass for a refill.
‘You seem keyed up Nick. I can see something’s troubling you.’ Brian remarked as he joined them on the verandah.
Graham and Nick were the same height, but he lacked Nick’s rugged weathered appearance. Where Nick was thickset and muscular, his skin baked by the ever present sun at sea, Brian was lean, and his lightly tanned skin showed no signs of ageing. He maintained a fitness program of regular morning runs around the mountain roads.
Brian was now CEO of Bill Simpson’s newspaper empire, which was one of the largest in the country thanks to Brian. It was not because Bill was Karen’s uncle, but like Nick, Brian was intelligent but more outgoing, and as a result had climbed the ladder to the top quickly. Unlike his brother he possessed a tough streak, and was good at keeping his true feelings hidden.
‘I’ve got something to tell you, but I need you both to promise you won’t tell anyone else for at least twenty-four hours. I promised someone I’d keep it from you for now, but I can’t, you need to know.’ Nick sloshed his drink around the glass.
‘Sounds serious, but can you trust a journalist to keep a secret?’ Brian grinned.
‘I don’t have a choice. I think you’ll agree it’s necessary when you hear what it is.’
They reluctantly agreed and Nick unfolded his story. The cynical smile faded from Brian’s face as he listened. Nick was accustomed to being questioned in detail, so he was thorough with his explanations. The silence of the bushland surrounding them added to the drama of the moment. There was a hush, the Kookaburras had fled, and the only sounds were the occasional warble from a family of magpies, the long melodious call of a solitary native Butcher Bird in the distance, and the soft swish of the wind rustling in the gum trees.
Brian stood with his arms crossed and Karen reacted to the news as expected, first shock, disbelief, then fear. Nick identified with all of these emotions, he was still experiencing them himself.
‘My God.’ Karen said. ‘What will we do? This’s terrible.’ She thought immediately of her friends and patients at the hospital. ‘So many people could die.’
‘I’ve just come from Canberra where I had a long session with the Minister for Emergency Services. He’s a good bloke. With the military’s help, they’ll be setting up camps in the mountains and stocking them with supplies. He’s setting up emergency meetings right now with all the relevant people in charge of the hospitals, police and other emergency services.’
‘What’d they want from you?’ Brian asked, unfolding his arms.
‘They needed to pick my brains so they’d know what to expect when it happens. Oh, and listen, Graham’s back too, we came home together. He’s flat-out commandeering every privately owned Veto he can lay his hands on.’
‘Jesus Christ Nick. Did they tell you their plans?’
‘Not in detail. Their biggest problem is getting it all organised before the press conference. That’s why I’m not supposed to tell you, you can’t release this yet. They’re calling it operation Star Flight, and only people at top levels know about it right now. There’s a great pool of info available from all the past tsunamis we’ve had thank God, especially round Japan.’
Brian sat and banged his drink on the table. ‘You can’t expect me to sit on something as big as this Nick.’
‘I expect you to honour our agreement. It’s only for twenty-four hours. You’ll have the jump on them Brian, although I don’t know if that’s any use, other than giving you the notoriety of being the first reporter to break the news.’
‘Yeah, well I need that. Bill’s been a bit miffed at me lately. Don’t know what’s getting in his craw.’
Nick glanced at Karen and she shrugged her shoulders. ‘I promise to give you the information everyone will be craving, that should make a difference.’
‘Okay… I guess. How much warning will we get then?’
‘I’m not sure. These things are so unpredictable, but there should be time to get up into the hills if people act straight away, there’ll be warnings sent out by the tsunami detection centres around the Pacific. They’re um, planning to move people up there before the warnings. You’d better get this place locked up tight, there’ll be looters and people looking for shelter anywhere they can get it.’
Karen imagined the chaos they would be facing and her faced darkened, highlighting the smile lines around her eyes. Her hand holding her drink trembled slightly. ‘Are you telling us everything Nick?’ She tilted her chin and narrowed her eyes.
Nick turned away. Should I tell them? He thought. No, things are bad enough. Instead he said, ‘I’ve told you everything I know for certain.’
‘Hmmm. What about all the people in hospitals and nursing homes, and the old people. Who’s going to look after them?’
‘Who’s the bloke in charge at the hospital Karen?’ Nick asked.
‘His name’s Alex Videon.’ She replied glancing at Brian, and Nick did not fail to notice him wince.
‘He’s probably already been notified. What sort of bloke is he?’
Brian jumped from his seat and retreated inside before Karen answered.
‘Karen?’ Nick asked.
Karen stared after Brian and frowned.
‘Karen!’ Nick prompted again.
‘Oh, sorry, you may as well know the story. I was engaged to marry Alex before I met Brian.’
Nick grimaced and he looked directly into Karen’s eyes. ‘I didn’t know that.’
She looked away.
‘It didn’t work out, and he was devastated when I broke it off. He followed me up here, he’s still in love with me and doesn’t try to hide it. Brian and I are always arguing over him, he thinks I still have feelings for Alex.’
Nick’s body tensed, he swallowed hard. He feared the answer but quietly asked. ‘Do you?’
‘Well, yes but not romantic ones. He’s just a good friend, he’s considerate and caring. He’s also a brilliant doctor and I respect him, he’s the best man to handle this situation. Just about everything’s an emergency in a hospital, and ever since the sea started rising it’s been mandatory for hospitals to have flood evacuation plans and regular drills. I never thought it would happen for real.
My hospital was built in 2030 and with rising seas in mind. Our evacuation procedures may be able to cope with getting them all out at once, but some of the other hospitals are old, with narrow corridors and no rooftop Veto pads.’
She paused to sip her drink, thoughts thundered through her head. ‘Good grief! All the equipment will have to be moved too. It’s impossible!’
Nick whistled. ‘Big job, but nothing more than everything else that has to be done. He swished his drink a little too hard, splashing his no fear T-shirt and muttered to himself while wiping the damp spot with his hand.
Karen was no longer listening, as an afterthought she said, ‘I wonder how many people are in hospital around the country, and there’s a lot bedridden in their homes being looked after by the Blue Nurses. How on earth do they think they’re going to get all those people to safety? Some of them are so critical, they probably shouldn’t be moved at all.’
Brian returned with another drink in one hand and a bottle of scotch in the other. ‘Who’s critical?’
‘We’ve been wondering what’s going to happen to all the people bedridden in their homes.’ Karen said. Nick loved the way she titled her chin when she was worried.
‘They’ll evacuate them too of course.’ Brian said. ‘I wouldn’t want to have to organise that. I’ve been thinking, what about power and water?’