Surrogate Pregnancy

Chapter Eleven Part 12

Lydia was feeling so much better, than when she worked in Alice Springs. So she was using the hotels computer, to find a part time job. She found a three day a week job, in a neonatal unit. That she could handle being pregnant. She would be sitting half the time. And she loved the little babies, they were so special. She called them up, and they were thrilled, to get a trained emergency and neonatal nursing sister, just out of the blue. Could she come by tomorrow? Lydia said yes she could, and she could start the day after, if they wanted it. .She felt good about getting a job, workmates and maybe new friends. She could do this.

***

Karl had evidently flown the helicopter back, taken his horse and promptly disappeared. Mimi thought it strange, Lydia seem to have disappeared too. She sent a message on the radio to tell Leon, they could not find Lydia. Leon was back as soon as he could.

"What happened?" He looked at Mimi, who was drying her eyes.

She said, "What we can see is that Lydia has taken her belongings, and disappeared. Karl is also gone; he took his horse and saddlebags." She said with emphasis. "She has not gone away with him."

Leon looked grim. "Of course she has not gone away with him, he could have helped her get away though. That would explain his disappearance. He had been talking about going to his brother's place, so he would probably have left soon anyway." He looked around at all the staff, now gathered. "Has anybody seen, one of my choppers in the air?"

One of the kitchen girls said with a shaking voice. "I thought I saw it coming back to the hanger this afternoon."

Leon looked at her and said, "Thank you; you had no reason to raise an alarm." She blushed, but looked relieved. Leon looked around again. "Anything else happened, out of the ordinary?"

Mimi said. "Not that I know, but I was in the kitchen garden for a couple of hours this morning. I came back to the kitchen and started to prepare a cold lunch, as Lydia had asked me for this morning." The room was silent.

Suddenly one of Ben's little boys said, "I saw the neighbour, she was mad."

Leon took a deep breath, "That would explain it," he mumbled, grabbed his hat, and stalked out of the kitchen. He saw the chopper had been on a long trip. "Darwin," he mumbled.

He arrived at his neighbour's station still fuming. His neighbour and his dad had been very good friends. And he respected the man.......but his daughter? Tom picked him up at the landing strip. He was as always, happy to see him, and greeted him with a big grin. "Good to see you son, it's been a while." They shook hands.

Tom's smile dimmed, "What is wrong? You look very upset?"

Leon hesitated, "Tom, I need to see your daughter."

Tom wrinkled his forehead, "Alicia? She suddenly got a bee in her bonnet, and flew down to Sydney. To see an old friend from university. She left hours ago."

He looked at Leon and said, "Come inside son. Tell me what happened."

Sitting at the kitchen table with a cold beer each Tom said," She has been difficult. Ever since her mother died." He cleared his throat. "She has had the hots for you, since she was a teenager, you have to forgive her if she bothers you."

"She is not bothering me. She has said something to Lydia, My pregnant fiancé that has made her leave me and disappear. It all happened while I was out with my men, repairing a fence line."

"Today!" He paused, and put his head in his hands.

Tom was devastated, "I am so sorry. I worry so much about her. I have a feeling anything can happen." None of them talked, for a little while. Tom got up and found the cognac and two glasses.

Leon told him, he believed Lydia was in Darwin. "Whatever Alicia had said, Lydia must have believed her."

He realised Tom had no idea, where in Sydney Alicia was. He shared a glass with his old friend, and then got up. "Sorry I have to go, much to do."

Leon arrived home to a very sad house, everybody was upset. He told them it was Alicia's doing something wrong, and she was somewhere in Sydney.

"Something Alicia has done to Lydia, you mean?" Mimi looked bamboozled.

Thinking Lydia probably was in Darwin, he had a little dinner and disappeared into his office. He had told them to send a radio message to the men, telling them to finish without him, just take a little longer. Tomorrow he was flying to Darwin in the Cessna. He could not imagine, what Alicia could have said, to get Lydia, a woman who knew her own mind, to leave so fast. He had been thinking of buying an engagement ring. They had to get married, before the little ones came along. That way he was legally their father. Now his whole world was blown apart.

His detective. He suddenly remembered him. He was in Darwin. He would find him, he could be useful, he quickly did and sent an email, telling him he was coming to Darwin, and giving his mobile number. Now he better get some sleep before tomorrow's flight. He slept in her bed. He could smell her on the sheets. He would find her.