The Sunburnt Country by Fiona Palmer Page B

the fresh air. Ryan’s eyes looked tired, but Jonny swore she saw him recognise her before his head dropped to the side. You bastard, was all she could think. You bloody bastard .
    Grabbing a handful of his shirt and his right arm she dragged him out of the car. Banging his head on the door frame was the least of her worries.
    ‘Oh my God.’ Daniel stood watching her.
    She didn’t care how pale Daniel was or that he looked like he would pass out. ‘Help me, damn it! Get his legs, get his legs,’ she screamed at him. Daniel tried to pick up Ryan’s feet as Jonny dragged his limp body back through the garage door. They got him to a patch of dirt that had once been lawn and lay him down. He was unconscious.
    ‘What do we do?’ Daniel asked.
    Jonny pulled her phone from her back pocket and called the ambulance. As the phone began to ring she shouted at Dan, ‘Turn the car off.’
    She squeezed Ryan’s hand, it was limp and lifeless compared to her own body, which was alive with fear. She gave the details over the phone, puffing with each rushed word. It was only after she had hung up, after she’d done all she could possibly do for now, that she felt the tears come. Clutching Ryan’s face, she brushed his hair back off his forehead and kissed him. Her shoulders began to shake like she was having a coughing fit, but it was just her sobs trying to escape. Back and forth, she rocked on her knees. ‘Damn you, Ryan. You can’t do this. You can’t give up now.’ She kept squeezing his hand, as if pumping life back into him. Jonny sniffed back her tears and wiped her face with the back of her hand.
    ‘He looks burnt.’
    Jonny glanced up at Daniel through the blur of tears. He looked shocked. He looked like he was going to be sick. She didn’t care.
    ‘This is all your fault,’ Jonny screamed at him without thinking. ‘He knew you were coming today! If you’d never come to Bundara, none of this would have happened.’
    Daniel staggered backwards at the force of her words. She didn’t care if she hurt him. She didn’t care for him at all.
    She touched her fingers to Ryan’s lips, and was thankful for the faint breath of air she could feel. ‘I can’t lose you,’ she whispered against his cheek. They’d lived their whole lives together, always there for each other. Losing Ryan would be worse than losing a limb. Lifting up her singlet, she tried to clean her face, dry away her tears so she could be of some use when the ambulance arrived.
    He did look quite pink and it wasn’t sunburn, but if he stayed here in the sun it soon would be. ‘Help me get him into the shade on the verandah,’ Jonny said, glancing up at Daniel. He was frozen, staring at Ryan in horror. ‘Please,’ she asked again.
    Together they settled him in the shade, still unconscious.
    ‘What else can we do for him?’ Daniel asked weakly.
    ‘Maybe a wet flannel or tea towel. Can you get one?’
    Daniel raised his eyebrows. ‘From inside?’
    ‘Yes, dammit. Just find one.’
    While Daniel was gone, Jonny spoke softly to Ryan, hoping he could hear. ‘You know you didn’t have to do this, right? There’s always another way out of a problem, Ryan. Life is never this bad. You have parents who love you, your friends, Bundara. How could you? I should’ve been there for you more. I should’ve realised sooner that you weren’t coping. I wish we could go back and fix everything.’ She smeared the tears on her face. She’d start by fixing that bitch of a wife. Fancy marrying him because she thought he was a rich farmer and then when things got hard, just divorcing him and taking half the farm.
    Daniel reappeared with two wet tea towels, a flannel and a glass of water. ‘Will this do?’ he asked. Finally they heard the wail of a siren in the distance. Thank God Bundara had an ambulance.
    Ken Merritt was the first to reach them, smelling of raw meat. He was an imposing figure in his uniform, tall and confident. He asked Jonelle to relay