The Chronicles of Medic Bob

A Right Pain in the Neck (Pt. 2)

Previously......

He was barely able to make it a few more steps before the disorientation forced him to his knees, the gravel feeling like knives stabbing through his joints as he glanced blearily around at his surroundings - unable to make any sense out of them.

His whole body was swaying in time with his head now, and the edges of his vision were starting to go dark. He tried his hardest to shake it off, but the odd feeling persisted - though he couldn't remember why. All he could remember was that something was wrong, and that he needed help.

Need.....to find......Bob....... was the last thought that went through his mind before the world went black and Dec collapsed in a limp heap onto the gravel.

*****

9pm.....

Bob sat at his desk in his office, going over some paperwork that needed to be completed. He had managed to avoid doing it for most of the day - given that he much preferred to do this sort of work at night - but now that he was forcing himself to sit down and do it, he found that he couldn't concentrate.

His mind kept drifting back to earlier that evening in the canteen, and the conversation that he'd witnessed between Ant and Dec. Something tickled annoyingly at the back of his mind, the thought just out of his reach; all he knew was that something wasn't quite right.

Sighing heavily, Bob tossed the paperwork onto the desk and sat back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly. Checking his watch, he decided that he should probably head off to get some rest of his own soon - but he knew he had to get the paperwork done before he did so. 

He also knew that he wasn't going to get any work done sitting in his chair feeling like he was about to fall asleep at any moment.

Standing up and letting his knees crack with a satisfying pop, Bob stretched his arms up and decided to take a quick walk outside. The fresh air would do him good, he supposed. Pushing open the door, he let out a contented sigh as the cool air brushed gently past his face, almost as if it was inviting him out further.  

Smiling, he was only too happy to oblige, and he put his hands in the pockets of his jacket and began to walk casually up the gravel path.

In the quiet of the night, Bob let his thoughts drift away as he listened to the noises of the jungle around him. The chirping of cicadas, the croaking of tree frogs, the laughter of a lonely kookaburra, the hooting of an owl, and the gentle rustle of the eucalyptus leaves.

He imagined koalas way up in the canopy - munching lazily on gum leaves or napping comfortably on a gum branch. He pictured kangaroos and wombats rummaging through the undergrowth, looking for a tasty treat for dinner. He conjured up images of animals of all shapes and sizes just waking up and going off to find themselves something to eat.

The next image he would have thought of was quickly snatched out of his grasp when he tripped over something dark on the ground.

Righting himself, Bob spun around and tried to find whatever it was that he had tripped over. This part of the path was darker than the rest, and the closest light source was a good few hundred metres back down the path.

When his eyes had adjusted however, he saw the outline of a figure lying motionless in the middle of the path. Bending closer, his heart practically stopped when he recognised them.

"Oh my God, Declan!"

*****

Ant had decided to put his book down for the night and had just closed his eyes in an attempt to tempt his body and mind into rest, when he had heard Bob's voice exclaim nearby.