Monkey Business (27 page)

As soon as I woke on Saturday morning, I called Kate. She told me that Jack had stabilised but was sleeping a lot, which was a good thing. I'd thought about flying to Darwin for the weekend, but she talked me out of it, saying they didn't want him to have visitors. I was a bit miffed. I didn't think I was just a ‘visitor'.

Lucy knocked on my door late morning, still in her uniform from work. She was doing double shifts, making up for lost wages.

‘Here's your credit card,' I said. ‘I'll transfer the money I owe you today.' I actually planned on transferring more than I owed her. How much do you give someone who's saved a life or two?

‘Thanks, hon. And, ta-da!' She produced a big bag. ‘Here's your Tupperware.'

‘Great.' Tupperware. Woo hoo.

Luce emptied the bag on my kitchen bench and we picked through all the colourful items, opening boxes, taking lids on and off things. But I felt sick at the sight of it. It would all be going straight to the Salvos. Or I could give it to my mother to make up for forgetting her order. Or I could save it for Mary for when she comes out of jail.

Lucy said, ‘Jack might be moved to Melbourne this weekend.'

I looked at her, surprised. ‘Really? Isn't he too sick to move?'

‘Darwin needs the beds, and he wants to be here anyway.'

‘Right. Well, that's good, isn't it?'

‘Yes, for him it is. But not for the people who need the beds in Darwin.'

‘What do you mean? What's happened?'

She looked at me like I'd just arrived from Mars. ‘Haven't you heard? There's all this fighting in Saint Sebastian and we've got injured troops.'

On Sunday morning Kate called me to say Jack was coming home. I waited all day, and that evening I got a text from Lucy.

I've got a new patient. He's pretty cute.

I called her. ‘Is he going to be all right?'

‘Of course. I'm looking after him. Listen, I'm going home for some sleep, but I'll be back in the morning. I need to supervise all these salivating nurses. He's already the talk of the hospital.'

‘Can I see him?'

‘Tomorrow, hon. He needs rest.'

I didn't think he looked too bad. But then, I'd seen Jack when he was almost dead, so anything by comparison was pretty good. It had been an agonising day at work, clock-watching until I could leave. I'd raced home, dumped my stuff and sprinted up the road to the hospital.

I said to Lucy, ‘I'm glad he came to the Epworth.'

‘He asked to come here. Clearly my reputation precedes me.' She grinned and gave me a nudge.

He was asleep, so I quietly pulled up a chair next to his bed and waited. I didn't care if I had to wait all night, I was just so happy to watch the rise and fall of his chest. I rested my chin on my crossed arms on the bed. In front of my face was his right hip. I moved my arms forward so they were pressing slightly against him. His right arm lay across his middle. There were no tubes in that one, but I checked to see if anyone was watching before I moved it. I took his hand in both of mine and kissed the back of it. I softly stroked each of his fingers, counting them, then I put my head down again, this time resting on three hands.

Lucy woke me. ‘Go home to bed, hon. You'll need a chiropractor if you stay like that.'

‘How long have I been here?' I stretched my back. Jack was still in the same position, but his hand was across his middle again.

‘Couple of hours. He woke while you were sleeping. Just for a minute.'

‘He did?' And took his hand back.

‘Yeah. I think he was happy to see for himself that you're alive and well.'

‘With funny hair.' I could see my reflection in the window. How did it get so mussed up?

‘Come on, I'll walk you out.'

When I went back the next evening, in the lift to Jack's floor I thought about the fact that exactly two weeks earlier, I'd been packing for my trip to Saint Sebastian. What if I hadn't gone?

I met Lucy at the nurse's station. She said, ‘He's such a tough bastard. Anyone else would have dropped dead.'

We went together to see him. When we walked in, two nurses were rearranging the flowers and fluffing up his pillows. Lucy gave them a look and they scampered. Joe was sitting beside the bed.

Jack smiled at us. Just a small one. Lucy checked his chart and I stood there with a stupid grin that threatened to turn to tears. Floods of them.

Jack held out a hand to Lucy and she took it, standing next to him. I wanted him to hold my hand.

He said to Luce, his voice soft and hoarse, ‘This is the second time you've saved my life.'

‘I know. I'm good, aren't I?'

‘I want to give you something. Anything. Name it.'

‘That's all right. I'm sure you'd do the same for me if I was dying in a disgusting cage in some godawful country.'

‘Let's assume that situation won't arise,' he said. ‘What can I give you?'

‘Well . . . you could cover my lost wages if you want. I was going to earn a bucket last week on night shift.'

Jack turned to Joe. ‘Can you transfer fifty thousand dollars to Lucy's account today?'

In unison, Lucy and I screeched,
‘What?'

‘No worries,' said Joe, smiling.

Lucy continued gaping at Jack, for once unable to speak. Something I'd never seen.

I recovered and said on her behalf, ‘God, Jack, thank you.'

Lucy left, probably to lie down. Joe stood and said, ‘I'll come back later.' He gave me a smile. It was a sad one for some reason. One laced with pity. Or something. Maybe I was imagining it.

I sat beside the bed. Should I give Jack a kiss? He didn't seem to be inviting it. He didn't hold his hand out for me to take either.

We looked at each other.

I said, ‘I worked out who the redhead is. Why I thought I knew him.'

He raised his eyebrows.

‘The PM's nephew.'

Jack nodded.

‘Is that why JD wanted you to take him? As a favour to the PM?'

Jack glanced at the door – I probably needed to be a bit quieter – and didn't respond. Anyway, I no longer cared. What else could we talk about? Should I tell him about my mother's wedding plans? No.

‘Mum thinks you were attacked by a shark saving a lady who looked like her.'

His eyes smiled.

‘I had to tell her something. She thinks we were in Bali.'

He nodded.

‘When will you be able to go home?'

‘Soon, I hope.'

And when Lucy allows it, I thought. ‘So —'

‘I'm really tired, Erica. Sorry.'

‘Oh. Okay. Well, I'll come back tomorrow.' And I didn't feel like I was being invited to give him a kiss or anything like that so I just said, ‘See you later', and left, pushing down the hurt, reminding myself that he'd been at death's door, and I really shouldn't expect too much at this stage.

The next evening, straight from work, as I was about to walk into Jack's room I heard Joe say, ‘I won't be a part of it.' He shut up when he saw me, and looked away.

I looked from one to the other. Jack was sitting up, the blanket pulled back from his wounded leg, which was bandaged. He held eye contact with me.

‘How are you?' I said to Jack.

‘Okay.'

‘Joe? How are you?'

He looked up. ‘Yeah. I'm good. Not bad.'

I said, ‘I'm a bit worried JD's going to take out a contract on me.' It just came out. I hadn't intended to say anything. But I was worried that Joe was being asked to do just that. Sort me out in case I decided to talk.

I watched their reactions. Joe looked at me, startled. Jack frowned. I took a chair and pulled it towards the end of the bed so I could see both their faces clearly. ‘Well?' I said. ‘What do you guys think?'

Jack mumbled, ‘Don't be ridiculous, Erica.'

‘Is it? Is it ridiculous? You tell me.'

They glanced at each other. Joe scoffed slightly. ‘Probably not,' he said, then looked at me all concerned, like he shouldn't have said that.

But I smiled. He smiled back. Not too much smiling though.

Jack said, ‘My guys are keeping an eye on you.'

‘So, you've considered it. The possibility of my being taken out.'

‘We're not in a movie,' he said, annoyed, then glanced at the door behind me. ‘I wish you'd be a bit quieter.'

‘Why? So people don't hear that I know what's planned behind my back?'

Jack pushed himself up so he was sitting straighter. He leaned forward and looked right into my eyes. ‘It won't happen.'

I sat still for a few moments. Held his gaze.

‘Okay. I believe you.'

We all relaxed.

‘The PM said I interfered with your mission.'

We all tensed.

‘PM's a dick.' That was Joe.

We all relaxed.

The relaxed/tense atmosphere was disrupted suddenly by the arrival of a new visitor. I watched Jack's irritation return as he looked past me at the door. I turned and there, grinning at me, was Dwayne from the plane.

‘Well,' he said. ‘Here's my girl, alive and well.'

I found that I'd shot out of my chair and was standing there, gawping. Dwayne put his arm around my shoulders and kissed me full on the mouth. I pushed him, but not hard enough to put any space between us. I didn't look at Jack or Joe, but neither said anything.

Dwayne addressed Jack. ‘Got a few questions for you boys.'

I moved away from Dwayne, stood at the end of the bed. Dwayne held a card out to Jack, who ignored it. Joe leaned in and took the card. Scoffed. Second time today. He flicked the card and it landed on the floor.

Dwayne said, his accent still American but no longer Texan, ‘I need to get a better understanding of your involvement with the black market operation —'

Jack said to Joe, all quiet and threatening, ‘This joker needs to leave.'

Joe stood. Dwayne stopped talking.

I said, ‘What's going on?'

Everyone ignored me.

Dwayne informed the room, ‘CIA, fellas. You don't wanna mess with us.'

Joe took a step towards him.

A nurse bustled in with a clipboard.

Dwayne held up his hands. ‘Okay. See we'll need to do this another time.' He turned to me. ‘I'll see
you
later, chicken. Dinner?'

‘Ah . . .'

He gave me a warm smile – the warmest I'd seen in a long time – tickled me under the chin and left.

I wasn't completely surprised when Dwayne knocked on my door later that evening. In fact, I think I was now impervious to surprise. He held a bunch of red roses. Maybe he was the one with the contract? I peered into the flowers to see if they were hiding a gun.

As Dwayne had left the hospital room earlier, Joe had said loud enough for him to hear, ‘Fucking spook' (Joe's language had deteriorated since Sebastian), and Jack had asked me who he was.

I'd shrugged. ‘Spook, apparently.'

‘How do you know him?'

Jealous, Jack? ‘Why do you want to know?'

He'd stared at me.

‘Well, I'm off,' I'd said while I had the upper hand.

As I left, Jack had called after me, ‘Stay away from him.'

Dwayne pushed the flowers into my chest. ‘Surprised to see me?' He gave me another big smooch on the mouth.

‘Dwayne —'

‘Glen.'

‘What?'

‘Glen Campbell. That's my real name.'

I shook my head. ‘What the hell's going on?'

‘Let's have a drink.' He held up a bottle of red wine.

I discovered in that moment that I no longer drank red wine. The sight of it took me straight back to lunch with Rupert Berringer in the jungle. I swooned. Dwayne put an arm around me and led me down the passageway to my living room. Where was Axle when I needed him?

Dwayne found two wine glasses and poured. He offered me one. I shook my head. He put mine on the coffee table and sat next to me on the sofa.

He said, ‘I realised at Samson's party why you were really there.'

‘What?'

‘I thought you were involved. The Tupperware biz.'

‘No, I —'

‘But you weren't. You were there to rescue your man.'

I nodded.

‘You could do better than him, you know.'

He moved in for a kiss. I sat there, blinking, and slid along the sofa, away from him.

‘Dwayne —'

‘Glen.'

‘Whatever. If you knew why I was really there, why didn't you help me?'

‘Sweet thing, I
did
help you.'

‘How?'

‘There was the small matter of an explosion?'

‘That was you?'

‘Uh-huh.'

I'd thought it was Kitty. So what did that mean? That Kitty
didn't
help me. Bitch.

He said, ‘I came looking for you, but you'd taken off. By the time I reached those cages, there was nothing left but three dead guards and two empty prisons. You kill those guards?'

‘No.'

‘Sure you didn't.'

‘I didn't!'

‘Whatever.'

‘Dw— Glen, what about the Tupperware?'

‘I'm a private investigator. Employed by Tupperware to get to the bottom of the black market operation.'

‘I thought you were a spook. CIA,' I corrected.

‘Ex.'

‘So
did
you get to the bottom of it?'

‘I reckon so. Turns out the whole thing was started by Samson, trying to find the right piece of Tupperware for his wife. He wouldn't give up.'

‘Makes sense, I suppose. What about Rupert Berringer?'

‘Samson gave him protection and cover for his illegal arms movement and terrorist training camp, and in return Berringer provided thieves and protection for the people bringing in the Tupperware.'

‘What will happen to them? People like Phil Collins?'

‘Probably nothing. Too hard to prove and, to be honest, I don't give a shit.'

I shook my head. It was like a dream. A nightmare.

Dwayne gave me an admiring look and I said, ‘Why are you looking at me like that?'

‘You've caused a hell of a ruckus.'

‘What? Where?'

He chuckled. ‘
Where
, she says.' He laughed some more. ‘Sebastian, sweetheart. All the fighting.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘You don't know?'

‘Obviously not,' I snapped, losing patience.

‘You gave Samson the Tupperware he wanted, which meant he no longer needed Berringer's gang of thieves. With Berringer dead anyway, Samson abandoned them. The men Berringer had been training had no leader, nothing to do, so they got bored and starting fighting other gangs.'

My mouth hung open for a long time. With his finger Dwayne/Glen gently closed it and moved closer. He tickled the back of my neck, but I didn't feel much like laughing.

I finally got rid of Glen Campbell, who took substantial convincing, after I let him kiss me again, that Jack really was my boyfriend, which he isn't.

Dwayne said, ‘Why are you letting me kiss you if you love him so much?'

A very good question – maybe something to do with the fact that someone was being nice to me. Anyway, he suggested that
he
could be my boyfriend, even though, I discovered as I pushed him out the door, he was heading back to the US the following day.

I poured the red wine down the sink, sat on the sofa again and Axle gave me dirty looks from the kitchen bench.