Heather's Exquisite Map of Tassie

Noting Heather and Talitha had Javier's situation as under control as it could be, Tim stood and helped the woman providing the sunshade, adding his own jacket to the screen. Talitha and Jason held another whispered conference, while Heather directed the other man to support Javier's head with his own jacket.

After a very brief chat with the other couple present, Jason pulled out a yellow device from the top of his rucksack and spoke to Javier in his deep calm voice. "This is a personal locator beacon. I'm setting it off and a chopper'll come to pick you up in a jiffy. Hang in there and do what the girls say and you'll be right, mate." Javier looked up at them silently, his facial expression grave with sweat pouring from his brow as Jason activated the beacon.

Tim spoke in his calm work voice. "You're in good hands, mate. Heather's a former army medic and Tal's an intensive care doctor."

"And Tim here's an emergency nurse too," Talitha added her calm work voice. "Did you happen to see the snake?"

Javier spoke softly in broken English. "I, saw it. Was tiger snake I think? Like the one, at lake a few days ago. I panicked, and fell, putting my hand on it. My head, pounding, like a hammer."

"Okay, keep calm and still. The helicopter will pick you up soon," Talitha said soothingly. Then she looked up, focusing on the young couple and said in a calm voice, "Don't be alarmed but please be cautious in case it's still around here." The young couple looked around them with worried expressions.

They worked as a team keeping Javier calm and shaded. Heather and Talitha maintained control, checking Javier's vital signs and regularly talking to him, while Tim added his input such as organising the young man who'd supplied the bandage to wet a microfiber towel and apply it to Javier's forehead, keeping the man busy.

Tim recalled his knowledge of snake-bite envenomation, knowing it could potentially cause impairment to blood's ability to clot, or neurotoxic effects like paralysis, or breakdown of muscle fibre and renal failure. Once in a while he'd dealt with snake-bite victims in the emergency ward, where the doctors would give anti-venom, and the outcomes were positive, but that was in the hospital with plenty of resources on hand. Not in remote country a long way from anywhere. He hoped Javier's snake hadn't bitten him too efficiently. But he also knew tiger snakes were deadly.

Several other hikers arrived at their little gathering, one who was also a doctor, and who was informed on events by Talitha. The man declared himself a senior neurosurgeon from Melbourne, and despite speaking with authority, seemingly attempting or hoping to take charge of the situation, Heather and Talitha's obvious competency and curt descriptions caused him to fall in and help any way he could. Which wasn't much. Tim knew the man's type; cocky and confident at their job and used to being in charge of any situation.

It seemed an age, but eventually a distant thumping sound travelled on the wind, increasingly accompanied by a high-pitched whine, and the bright yellow and red helicopter came in fast over the ridge to the south-east, circling the group and putting down on a rock platform nearby. Sticks, dust and water flew up while the pilot brought the engines to idle and two paramedics jumped out, hopping across the rocks with a stretcher between them.

Talitha briefly filled the paramedics in, and they gently moved Javier onto the stretcher, carrying him carefully but efficiently back to the helicopter and once they were safely on board the pilot spooled the twin turbines to an ear-splitting whine, the rotors generating lift and sending another cloud of debris outward as the little helicopter shot into the sky, nosing forward and disappearing back across the ridge to the south-east. Considering the agonising wait for the helicopter to arrive, the extraction took a matter of minutes, and all was silent again on the plateau.

The young couple who'd arrived on the scene first were obviously distressed and Talitha and Jason talked calmly with them. Heather moved aside and Tim walked over to her. She was pumped, adrenaline flowing through her veins, and after being so calm throughout the recent events there was now a wild look on her face. She sucked in a deep breath then exhaled loudly. "I get a rush from situations like this. Sorry."

"That's okay," Tim said, putting his hand on hers. "You were amazing. Javier will be okay, I'm sure."

Heather couldn't stand still, and looked edgy. "The chopper. It sort of reminded me of my time in Timor and Afghanistan. Sorry"

"Why are you sorry?"

She looked at him with a half-confused and half-excited expression. "I'm just pumped, okay."

The little groups began to move on their separate ways, everyone cautiously watching where they put their feet and hands. Talitha and Jason joined Heather and Tim, rucksacks on backs. "You did great, Heather," Talitha said. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm sure Javier is in good hands. I'm having a moment. I'll be right soon."

Heather composed herself and they walked into the valley. Once back at the hut they agreed to divvy Javier's pack load between the four of them and walk out together the following day. Heather assured them, "We'll find him at the hospital and get his stuff back to him."

In the evening Tim kissed Heather lightly, but she didn't seem so interested in sex as he was. "What ya thinkin'?"

"Just thinking."

"About Javier?"

"Sort of. He'll be right, I hope. I'm sure he will. I was thinking about my time in the army."

"Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes. Mostly my mates, but today brought up other memories."

"Want to talk about it?"

Heather sat in the tent opposite him in silence, looking down at her crossed legs. Tim didn't push her to speak but finally she spoke. "I joined in oh-seven, the year after I finished school. After basic at Kapooka I became a medic, and learnt heaps. We were all cocky kids, thinking we were top shit. You know, following in the Anzac spirit. We were confident we could do anything. But when I went to Timor for a bit in oh-nine I realised how much I needed to learn." She paused for a moment before continuing. "This kid was bitten by a snake in a village way out from Dili. A viper or something similar. We flew there in a Blackhawk and I bandaged him, then we flew him back to our base hospital. Later I heard he died. I'd done everything I'd been trained to do and it was the first time I understood I wasn't invincible and even with all my training I couldn't win them all."

Tim sat and watched her, putting his hand on her knee and wanting to say something but felt whatever he said would be inadequate. Heather looked up and saw the concern on his face and gave him a little smile. "It's okay, I'm good most of the time. I'm sure Javier is going to be okay too, but he'll play on my mind till we find out how he is. I'll tell you what, it's funny, when I came back here to Tassie I planned to become a paramedic because it seemed like the natural thing to do, given my training. I love helping people, but I also needed a change. I ran into an old school friend who's a cop and she talked me into joining the police." She took Tim's hand and gently placed it between her breasts. "What do you feel?"

Tim felt her heart thumping in her chest, counting the beats for a moment. "Your heart. It's beating fast."

"It's been racing like this when I think over what happened. I was never like that before. Cool as a cucumber. But now I can't escape the rush from dealing with trauma management or whatnot. And I don't mean rush in a good way either. It's like I'm fully wired in the moment, aware of everything around me, even when I'm trying to focus on the patient. Then I have a big come-down afterwards, worrying if I did all I could, or perhaps I missed something, or if there's something I could have done differently. I know I overthink all the possibilities. It's like a tight ball of worry in my chest."

Removing his hand from her body, he took her hand. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything."

"Do you have PTSD?"

Heather pursed her lips together and exhaled heavily through her nose. "I guess. Self-diagnosed. Maybe I'm too chicken to see a doctor about it. After all, I have mates who've struggled terribly after their deployments and they experienced way worse shit than I ever did outside the wire, and I don't suffer anything like they do, so I don't understand why I'm like this. Like I said, I wasn't like that before. Um, of course I was switched on and focused when doing my job, but not hyper aware of every detail, worrying about it all at once. I've been this way since my last time in Afghanistan I guess. The feeling's a bit overwhelming and I might be a bit worked up till we find out how Javier went." She reached out and they held each other for an age. She rested her head on Tim's shoulder, and he squeezed her firmly. "I don't talk about this with many people, but I feel I can tell you stuff. You're a good bloke, Tim."

He didn't say anything at first, holding her for support. Then he gently spoke, "You're amazing, Heather. You did a great thing today. Even if you didn't feel it at the time you exuded calm and professionalism. I was fully impressed, and Javier was lucky you were there. I know he'll be fine. I'm lucky you're here too. I'm glad I've met you."

She squeezed him back as a million thoughts surged through his mind, some about Javier's wellbeing, wishing him all the best from a distance. But mostly his thoughts were about Heather and what she was going through right now. Then there was the matter of what was going on between them. What started out as potentially a bit of fun was turning into something more. But now was not the time to discuss these things. When would be a good time, he wondered. Maybe tomorrow after we find out if Javier is okay...

THURSDAY

They walked down to Lake St Clair with Talitha and Jason, and opted to take the small ferry service rather than walk the fifteen kilometres or so along the lake's western shore. At the end of the lake they walked to the car park, returning Javier's gear to his rucksack.

"I have a surprise for you," Heather said to Tim. "Remember how you thought we'd take the bus down to Hobart? Follow me." They walked into the carpark and Heather produced a set of car keys, popping the boot of a silver late-model Subaru Impreza hatch. "Uncle Pat and me dropped this off before we came up to pick you up from the airport."

Talitha and Jason loaded their hire car and walked over to Heather and Tim. "I'll debrief with you at work in a few weeks, Tim," Talitha said, giving him and Heather each a quick hug. They shook hands with Jason, who said they'd have a barbecue in the future when all were in Brisbane at the same time.

After their farewells, Tim relaxed while Heather drove along the highway through forests of eucalypt, passing lakes, the road twisting down and up switchbacks through rugged gorges, past rolling farmland with grass golden in the sun, following the River Derwent back to Hobart. They were mostly silent for the journey, and Tim sensed Heather's tenseness, so rested his hand on her thigh with an affectionate rub. She placed her hand on his and squeezed, briefly taking her eyes from the road to give him a warm smile.

They stopped at the hospital, asking for Javier, and found him sitting up in a bed, looking very much alive, if a bit worse for wear. "Hola," he said softly, smiling when they entered the room.

"G'day, good to see you alive and well," Tim replied.

"Hello, Javier, how are you feeling?" Heather said with a smile, the relief flowing through her, lifting the weight of the world from her shoulders.

"I'm okay. The doctors said I was lucky because the snake can be an aggressive one. It only partially bit me. But thank you both so much. I owe you my life."

"Forget about it," Heather said. "I'm truly glad you're here with us. Hey, we've brought your gear. We'll hold onto if you like while you recover and then we'll all catch up. We can pick you up from the hospital, so here's my number. If you need anything, call me." They kept Javier company a while longer before departing. "Right, we need showers. I'm surprised they even let us in the hospital the way we smell!"

"Sounds good to me," Tim said enthusiastically. Then added, "Everything okay now?"

Spontaneously she threw her arms around him in a tight warm hug and whispered in his ear, "Yes, thank you, Tim."

Heather lived across the river, which she called 'The eastern shore'. She'd bought the house using money she'd saved from her time in the army as a deposit, or as she joked with a cheeky smile, "Nine hard years of resisting café breakfasts of lattes and smashed avocado on toast." Her house was located halfway up a small hill with a view from her back deck across the wide blue expanse of the Derwent Estuary. Across the river on the western shore the enormous bulk of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, rising to over a thousand metres, dominated the skyline above Hobart's suburbs, which spread north and south along the shore and up into the foot hills of the great mountain.

Sorting gear and throwing clothes in the wash was the priority, before washing themselves. "Fancy joining me?" Heather said with a little smile.

He was hardly going to say no, and they showered together, washing days of filth off. Her body looked magnificent, shiny and new with water running out of her wet hair and down her skin. Even her extensive sleave tattoos, Hector the python, her Tasmanian tiger and devil, and her fancy back map of Tassie looked rejuvenated under the flow of water. She turned from him so he could soap her back and he traced his finger from the approximate location of Lake St Clair down to Hobart. They washed their hair, then once they were shiny clean she held him tight against her for a long time, letting the warm water run over them.

Afterwards they towelled off, Heather standing perfectly naked in front of the vanity, drying her hair. "The first shower after a week in the field is so friggin' good. I'm glad to have washed our crusty dried cum from my bush!" She gave him a wicked smile. Once dry, Heather pushed Tim onto the soft sheets of her bed and straddled him. She pinned his wrists in a strong grip, and with a cheeky smile and wild eyes, she said, "But now it's time to get dirty again."

He fought back, using his strength to try free himself from her grip, but she grinned and doubled down her effort. Fuck she's strong, Tim thought. And so fucken beautiful. He twisted and threw Heather off, pinning her to the mattress, before she spun him around and wrapped her thighs around his torso. They were panting now and grinning too, and she held him in her grasp, her face close to his, within kissing range. His sudden deep kiss disarmed her, and they fell into each other's arms.

"I love how you fight back," she said with a look of fire in her green eyes. "Some blokes can be such pussies, thinking they're dealing with a delicate flower, and others get way too rough. You fight just right."

"I think you'd kick my arse if I was too rough."

She grinned. "I probably could." She kissed him with passionate vigour. "Which's one reason why I like you. You fight back playfully but I feel you aren't going to take it too far and slam me through a wall. I do like to play."

"I've noticed. Let's play then." He pushed his hard cock past her recently cleaned muff tangle to penetrate her moistness. She gasped and held him tight against her, breasts into chest, stomachs flat against each other, her thighs wrapped around his waist.

They went for it, fucking each other hard with unrelenting passion. Their kisses were desperate, like they were eating each other's mouths, and now in the privacy of her bedroom she allowed herself to make noise, moaning and gasping without restriction. "OOOOHHHH, OOOOHHHH, Tim!"

His cock hit her pleasure spots, and she bit down into his shoulder and clawed at his back, not enough to inflict excruciating pain, but enough for Tim to know she was serious. He thumped into her, harder and harder, their grinding rhythm building at the perfect tempo, and he cried out, "Heather, you gorgeous fantastic woman!"

Her gasps became increasingly shorter. "OOHH, OOHH, OOH, OOH, OH, OH" and their pleasure fast reached a point of release. "OHHHHHH!"

Their eyes remained fixed upon each other's as their bodies shook in orgasmic unison, Heather's twitching and pulsating vaginal passage wrapped tightly around Tim's fat pumping dick, wads of cum blowing from him to her. They kissed again; a kiss of lovers in the throes of passion and not wanting their connection to end. But there was an unspoken question: was this budding relationship going to go anywhere? Their sex was hot, and even now in post-coital comedown they dared not speak or let each other go, lest they lose one another forever.

They lay together for ages, kissing and cuddling, before Heather pulled Tim back into the shower. "We do need to get some food," she said, "And we can't go to the shops like this. You stink of sex again!"

At the supermarket Tim pushed the shopping trolley like a kid, gaining speed and holding himself over the handle bar, feet off the floor, like a gymnast as the trolley rolled down the aisle. Heather laughed at his antics, while she selected mince, mushrooms, onion, corn, lettuce, avocados and a whole bunch of other groceries. Tim was reminded of his time with Abigail, when they'd shop together, enjoying the simple pleasure of domestic life, and now he felt the same simple pleasure with Heather.

He watched her selecting various items, picking up two jars and comparing the ingredients or price, then choosing one and putting the other back on the shelf. Her face sometimes caught in a thoughtful expression with her tongue sticking slightly out of the corner of her mouth, which he found exceptionally cute, making him smile. She turned, catching his smile, not quite sure why he was smiling, so she smiled back and held up a box of taco shells in each hand. "What do you prefer, hard or soft tacos?"

"Hard."

"I also like hard."

"I know you like it hard."

Grinning and giggling like teenagers, they finished shopping and bought a carton of Cascade Draught beer on the way home. Drinks in hand, they made dinner together, Heather cooking while Tim mashed the avocado into guacamole, and they ate the tacos out on the back deck. The city lights were beginning to twinkle below the great mountain across the river, while the setting sun reflected orangey pink off the clouds above the mountain range. The air was cool enough to require long sleeves, but not cold. Tim took a long pull on his beer, and then inspecting the glass stubbie bottle, he said, "Ahh, bloody beautiful."

"You can't buy this one on the mainland," she said with a twinkle in her eye. "We like to keep it all for us."

"I'm learning you have lots of secret attractions down here. The mountains, the bush, the beer, the girls."

"You like the girls down here, do ya?"

"Well, I've only met a small sample of the local ladies, but so far I'm impressed."

"Clearly you're easily impressed," she said coyly.

"Yeah, nah, I'm not actually." He drank some beer before continuing. "But how good is this, sitting on a deck, eating tacos and drinking great beer with a beautiful girl, watching the sun setting over your beautiful river and giant eff-off mountain over there. If only this moment could last forever."

"It could last for as long as you want."

He sat and thought about her proposition. She was special, there was no doubt about it. Not only was she beautiful, she was truly unique. And his feelings grew over the previous week into something strong. But he'd tried the long distance thing with Abi, and it hadn't worked out as planned and he wasn't sure he was ready to commit to trying again with someone new. "We'll see."