Red is in surgery in Kununurra Hospital. A tropical sun filters through a skylight in the waiting room. Paddy’s stretched out on a lounge, a breeze from a heavy-duty fan sweeping across him at regular intervals. Cyclone weather is not Paddy’s thing, but the fan, a singlet and his King Gees are keeping it from being unbearable.
Paddy sits up, stretches and looks around, rubbing his eyes. On the other side of the room, an almost-empty bag of blood hangs above Mia, a tube delivering the contents into her arm while she sleeps, her short hair and blotchy skin giving the impression of a patient on chemotherapy.
EJ and Ludya sit clustered around Oksy near the head of the bed: Oksy with her hair wrapped in a towel, reading a book; EJ manicuring one of Oksy’s hands and Ludya rubbing cream into Ok
