Chapter 10

Melanie’s apartment, iSigodi Resort, Lake St Lucia.

As we rushed into the kitchen, Melanie and I were met by a scene of chaos. Flames danced wildly, casting eerie shadows on the log walls while thick smoke billowed, stinging our eyes and choking our lungs. The heat was intense, nearly searing our skin from a distance.

Realising the urgency of the situation, my instincts kicked into high gear. Every second counts in the battle against the inferno threatening to consume everything in its path. I had to stop the flames from reaching the high thatched roof. If they reached the thatch, the whole building would be lost.

I eyed my path towards the fire extinguisher on the log wall to the right, then closed my eyes against the intense heat. With sweat beading on my brow, I moved along that wall and grabbed the fire extinguisher. My fingers fumbled to release the safety pin. It was then that I heard Melanie’s scream above the din of the roaring fire.

Through the dancing heat waves and the choking smoke I saw her fleeing back towards the lounge.

Finally, with a swift motion, I released the safety mechanism and aimed the nozzle towards the heart of the fire. I unleashed a torrent of fire-fighting power. But something was wrong, as the fire on the floor was rolling towards me. Suddenly I felt wet and soaked to the skin. I looked up to where the wetness was coming from and saw to my surprise that the overhead fire suppressant system had kicked in, blasting the kitchen with gallons of water!

WATER OVER A FLAMMABLE LIQUID DOESN’T WORK; it only spreads the fire faster.

With renewed vigour I attacked the base of the flames. I gritted my teeth in steely resolve and continued to unleash burst after burst of fire-fighting power, dousing the flames with the relentless barrage of suppressant.

The fire still roared in protest, fighting back with renewed ferocity. But with each passing moment, the efforts of the overhead water spraying system and my powder suppressant caused the flames to give way, their once menacing inferno dimming to a simple blaze and then finally to smouldering embers.

But my moment of triumph was short-lived. I went out to the lounge and found Melanie clutching her injured feet in anguish.

The sight of her in intense pain pierced through my adrenaline-fuelled haze, grounding me in the stark reality of our situation.

“Mel! I’ve got you,” I soothed and lifted her up in my arms, supporting her back with my left arm and hand, my right arm under her knees. I carried her to the couch and laid her down, so that I could take a look at her injured feet and tend to them.

Her feet bore the brutal aftermath of the fiery chaos. Blood, mingled with shards of glass, painted a macabre tapestry upon her tender skin. Each cut etched a story of agony, reflected in her screwed-up face and closed eyes. The jagged edges of the shattered remnants embedded themselves into the flesh of her tender soles. Crimson rivulets traced intricate paths across her feet. The shards of broken glass, like tiny daggers, pierced her skin with relentless precision, leaving behind a mosaic of pain and despair.

“I have to remove the glass from your feet,” I soothed, then raised her feet to keep them higher than her heart to try to stem the flow of blood.

“How ... how bad is it?” She asked in a soft, pain-laced voice.

“Not too bad...” I lied. “But I need to remove the glass that is still in your feet. It’s going to hurt.”

“I know. Do it!”

“Don’t you have some local anaesthetic cream you doctors use?”

“My bag. It’s in my study ... Bring it here. It’s on my desk, you can’t miss it...” she grimaced, her eyes still closed.

“Okay ... Let me go get it.”

I went to her study and found her vet bag just where she told me it was, retrieved it and returned to the lounge and Melanie.

Just as I got back to the couch, an urgent bashing came from the front door.

“That will be security ... Tell them all is okay, and they can go.”

I didn’t reply to her statement but just placed her vet bag next to the couch and answered the door.

I opened the door to a concerned-looking Sam, three security guards and a dark-haired girl I’ve seen once or twice before. I suppose that was why she looked vaguely familiar.

“What’s happening, Sir?” Sam asked a little out of breath.

“Miss Ková had a small fire in her kitchen and stepped onto some broken glass. Not to worry. I’ll see to it.” I replied, but the dark-haired girl pressed past me and rushed to Melanie on the couch.

“Miss Ková! Are you okay,” She exclaimed, and I detected just a little something in her voice that did not make sense to me.

“I’m okay, Helen,” Mel replied.

“Sir? It doesn’t look like it was a small fire, Sir?”

“Sam, I must tend to Miss Ková. We can sort out the kitchen in the morning.” I replied and went back to Melanie on the couch.

“We need to get that glass out of her feet,” Helen suggested.

“I am about to do it,” I replied, and Melanie spoke up.

“There’s a white and blue tube of cream in my bag inside the left side pocket. It’s dental local anaesthetic cream that dentists use on your gums before they stick a needle in with the full-strength stuff.”

“Okay! Let me get it out.” And I saw the security officers going towards the kitchen.

“STOP! I don’t need anyone in there! It’s a crime scene and I want it undisturbed for a police investigation.”

“How come you say it’s a crime scene, Sir?” Sam questioned.

“Because someone threw a petrol bomb through the window that started the fire.”

“Are you sure, Sir?”

“Sam, where do you think those broken bottle pieces came from that Miss Ková stepped onto?”

“I’m going to make you guys some coffee. I’ll put a shot of brandy in it for each of you,” Helen interjected, and I had a flashback from earlier in the evening when a blond woman tried to poison Mel and me.

“Just coffee, thanks, Helen. She can’t drink any alcohol now. I need to stabilize her and get her to a hospital.” I replied. She hurried out of the apartment.

“Sir, if it is in order with you, I’ll notify the SAPS in Richards Bay about the fire, and tell them that you suspect foul play. In the meantime, Security will safeguard the apartment.”

“Thank you, Sam. Now please, let me attend to Miss Ková.”

“Go ahead, Sir. Don’t mind me.”

I turned back to Melanie and knelt next to her.

“Ty, I have a better solution. Look inside the zipper bag on the right side of my bag. There is a one millilitre ampoule containing fifty milligrams of Pethidine Hydrochloride. Next to it are a few three CC syringes.” She stopped to breathe and then continued; “Take one of the syringes, fit a green coloured needle to it and hand me both the pethidine and the syringe.”

“Okay ... I know Pethidine, it’s a strong pain killing drug. What are you trying to do?”

“I’m going to inject myself intravenously with fifty milligrams of Pethidine. Give me three to four minutes for the drug to take effect and then pull out the glass shards and clean the wounds.”

“Okay, if you say so.”

“Ty, just watch me closely and keep me awake. Bleeding is absolute shock. That means my body is in shock now. One is not supposed to use Pethidine on patients in shock, but I ain’t allergic to anything, I have no disorders, I’m fit and I’m in perfect health. If anything, you will notice that I might get drowsy. Keep me from dozing off and sleeping, and I will be good.”

“How long is that drug going to work for?”

“It will work for about an hour, and the dose is not to be repeated within three hours. It is the same amount they give to women in labour to help alleviate the pain of childbirth, so I’ll be fine, and it will give you plenty of time to tend to the lacerations and remove the glass without me screaming you deaf, or flinching.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. Now hand me the syringe and the ampoule.”

As I handed her the syringe and ampoule of Pethidine, the tension in the lounge was palpable. I watched her closely, my heart pounding with every passing second as she prepared the injection. The ampoule with the clear liquid of Pethidine glinted ominously in the light of the lounge.

As the needle pierced her skin, I held my breath, praying for it to work swiftly.

Four agonizing minutes crawled by, each second feeling like an eternity, until finally a wave of relaxation washed over her features. Relief flooded through me, and I cautiously approached her. My hands trembled as I reached for the shards of glass embedded in her delicate feet. Then I slowed my breathing, calmed myself, and began.

With meticulous care, I started removing the fragments, my ears filled with the sound of my racing heartbeat and Melanie’s nonsensical chatter. Her words, a jumbled mess of incoherence and punctuated by sporadic burst of giggles, echoed in my ears, and sent shivers down my spine.

Time seemed to blur as I worked tirelessly, each cut and wound a testament to the trauma she endured while I was putting out the fire. In spite of the gravity of the situation, Melanie remained blissfully unaware, lost in the haze induced by the powerful drug coursing through her veins. Somewhere along the way, her chatter ceased, and she sat back just staring into space.

Thirty agonizing minutes crawled by, each second dragging on as I painstakingly removed a shard of glass, then cleaned and disinfected that wound. With every drop of antiseptic, I prayed for her swift recovery, my hands trembling with a mixture of fear and resolve.

Finally, I had removed the last shard of glass and cleaned and bandaged each wound. A sense of relief washed over me like a tidal wave. Melanie laid before me, her breathing steady, her features serene in the aftermath of the ordeal.

But as I looked upon her, I couldn’t shake the haunting realization of the fragility of life, and the profound impact of those fleeting moments of chaos and terror. And at that moment, amidst the silence of the room, I vowed to never forget the price of survival, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

“Ty?”

“Yes, Mel?”

“Are you done playing with my feet?”

“Mel, I was...” I started to say but checked myself. Melanie was still deep under the influence of the drug.

“Ty?”

“Yes?”

“Play some more...”

“Mel, I can’t put more anti-inflammatory cream on your feet.”

“Just play a bit longer,” She replied. “You can rub my calves as well...”

It was tempting, but she was still under the influence of the drug.

“Mel, I must get you to medical attention.”

“You did good. It will last till morning...”

“I don’t know if there is still glass in the wounds.”

“I have a... (sigh) X-ray machine in the clinic. We can X-ray my feet tomorrow and see ... if there are still foreign objects in ... them.”

“How much longer is she going to be like this?” Helen asked next to me.

“She said an hour. There is still twenty minutes left.”

“Here, drink some coffee...”

“Thanks, Helen,” I replied and took a mug of coffee from her.

“Ty,”

“Yes, Mel?”

“Never mind...” And she took a deep breath.

“Yes, it’s going to be a while still,” I remarked.

“She can’t stay here tonight,” Helen said, “There are nine suites still open that are not booked. I’ll go and get one ready for her.”

“Helen, in the light of what happened tonight, I would prefer to keep an eye on Melanie. My suite has two rooms and one is empty. I think it is best if she used the second bedroom,” I replied.

“First ... mumble, mumble, run me over ... then ... mumble ... drown me in the lake...” Melanie softly grumbled. “I ... mumble ... sleep here on the couch. There’s mumble ... my bed...”

“Mel...”

“Mumble...”

Sigh... “I think it’s going to take longer than an hour to get her out of that stupor.”

Helen took her mug of coffee and sat down on the chair next to where Melanie was on the couch.

“There’s a cyclone over Madagascar,” She stated. “I hope it doesn’t blow over here like the last one did,” and she took a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah, they tend to fizzle out over in the Mozambique Channel,” I replied. “Only a few do get to the African Mainland and usually only effect Mozambique.”

“Cheddar cheese ... It was ... called Cheddar Cheese Nut ... something...” Melanie murmured and I smiled. I remember Cyclone Chedza. Poor Melanie, she’s not firing on all her cylinders right now.

“Was there a bulletin out, Helen? I might have missed it.”

“Yes, but everyone hope it will fizzle out before it gets over to Mozambique. Hopefully it does, else we might get some rain and high winds.”

“Even here? So far south of Mozambique?”

“Chedza gave us a run for our money, Six months worth of rain in two days and winds up to one hundred and twelve kilometres an hour.” Helen replied, and we all became quiet with our own thoughts.

It took another forty minutes to get Mel out of the clutches of the Pethidine. As the clock ticked relentlessly, each minute felt like an eternity. With each passing minute, the grip of the drug slowly loosened, and I could see signs of the pain in her feet returning etched on her face.

Each nerve screamed in protest, sending waves of anguish cascading through her body. Yet, amidst the turmoil she was unyielding, her resolve shining like a beacon of strength in the darkness.

“What’s this I hear about me sleeping over in your suite, Ty?” She asked, and I knew that she was at full consciousness again.

“Yes, there I can keep an eye on you.”

“Oh! Are you only going to keep an eye on me?” She grimaced, and I knew the pain was excruciating.

“Yes! I know you’ll be safe.”

“Will I be safe...?”

“As safe as a pig in Palestine.”

“Okay ... I take your word for it.”

“You better take my word for it. No trying to walk or run on those feet of yours. Besides, now that the Pethidine has worked out, what else can I give you for pain?”

“Okay, Nurse Van Aswegen, just give me a handful of aspirin, and I’ll come see you in the morning.” Giggle.

“YOU DON’T walk on those feet for a while until we are certain there’s no more glass in the wounds!”

Giggle. “Are you going to carry me the whole time?”

“Yes! If it comes to that.”

“Although in pain, Melanie Ková is BACK!” Helen said. “Let me leave you two, so you can kill one another.”

“I won’t kill him too bad!” Melanie replied.

“I still want to hear the ‘drowning-in-the-lake’ story...”

“You don’t!” Both Melanie and I replied simultaneously.

“Oh well, I tried. Goodnight you two,” Helen sighed, then left.

“Now, to get back to getting you comfortable, what pain and anti-inflammatory medication do you have, besides aspirin?”

“There’s Ibuprofen and Naproxen in my bag,” Melanie replied. “I’ll take some Ibuprofen. If it doesn’t work, I’ll take the Naproxen in the morning.”

“It’s nearly morning...”

“Then you better get me to bed...” Melanie replied, her eyes went wide and she blushed. “Oops ... That did not come out right, did it? I meant to say; you should help me get to bed.”

“I thought that’s what you meant. Must be still the effect of the Pethidine,” I chuckled.

“Beast!”

“First a doofus, then a pervert, and now a beast. You should really make up your mind.”

Giggle.

“Yeah, you’re a woman. Women logic, what’s the use of having a mind, if you can’t change it like the weather.”

“OOo! Kick me while I’m down, will you?”

“No ... I’d rather ... No. Never mind...”

“Say it! I can take it...”

“No, forget it.”

“Ty, thank you for tonight. Now take me where it’s safe.”

“Will you be needing anything from your apartment tonight?”

“No. Only in the morning ... I just need to sleep. Now, bring me my vet bag, please.”

“Okay.”

“I must say, you did a good job of bandaging my feet. It feels a little thick, but I suppose I need the padding.”

As the weight of the harrowing events settled upon us, I knew Melanie needed respite, a sanctuary from the chaos. With security stationed outside her apartment and Sam retreating to his quarters, I gently lifted her into my arms, mindful of her tender feet, still bearing the scars of our recent ordeal.

“You must be tired?” She softly asked. More of a statement from her than a question.

“No, Mel, I’m fine...”

“Don’t give me that! I know you’re not fine.”

“Don’t worry. Let’s get you to go rest up. Tomorrow the sun will shine, and we will see clearly the big picture.”

The journey to my suite felt like a solemn procession, each step heavy with the weight of our shared burden. Melanie leaned against me, her exhaustion palpable, her trust unwavering in my embrace. Somewhere on the trip, she fell asleep and began a gentle snore.

In my cabin, now our sanctuary, I laid her down upon the soft expanse of the bed in the second bedroom. Still, I couldn’t help but notice the lines of fatigue etched upon her face. She was a soldier in her own right, battling against the relentless tide of danger that threatened to engulf her.

Tenderly, I pulled the blanket over her slumbering form, a shield against the nightmares that surely haunted her sleep. The room seemed to exhale a sigh of relief as her breathing deepened, the tension of the day slowly dissipating into the ether.

In the quiet of the night, bathed in the gentle glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains, Melanie found solace in sleep, her respite well-deserved after the trials we had endured together. I stood watch over her, a silent guardian in the darkness, I vowed to protect her, to stand by her side no matter what challenges lay ahead.