by Robin Gianna
Eventually, he slowed his speed to match hers and they rode side by side, with him turning to tilt his head at her, a questioning look in his eyes, every ten minutes or so. When she’d respond with a thumbs-up, he’d send her a fist pump, sometimes releasing his handlebars for an enthusiastic double pump that made her chuckle.
By the time they got to the field camp, which she was surprised to see was just two tents set up next to one another, Jordan’s arms were stiff and tired. But the exhilarating ride had been worth every ache, and she was glad they’d made good time to see what was going on with their patient.
Zeke stopped his machine, then ran to stop hers, too. He pulled his balaclava down beneath his chin, revealing a wide smile. He moved in close, his thigh pressing against her leg as he leaned in to grasp her thickly gloved hands with his. “You did absolutely great. Feeling okay?”
“Good. Okay, my arms hurt a little and my legs feel slightly numb, but wow. I loved it! Just incredible.”
“I fell in love with Antarctica the first time I came here, and still love it today. You’re a woman after my own heart.”
Her own heart gave a little jerk, then thumped harder at the expression on his face. Sincere and admiring, and the attraction that kept simmering between them, no matter how she felt about it, hung in the cold air. Something that felt alive and electric and oh-so-warm. Her gaze dropped to his lips, mere inches from hers. Would they feel cold against hers? Or had they stayed warm behind that cloth? Maybe sharing one little kiss with him wouldn’t be a big deal...
“Thank God you’re here!”
They both turned to the voice. A man with a thick beard emerged from one of the tents, a deeply worried expression on his face.
Time to forget about all that zing between her and Zeke that she still wasn’t sure how to deal with, and get to work.
She dismounted the snow machine and held out her hand. “I’m Dr. Jordan Flynn. And this is Dr. Zeke Edwards, who’s a marine biologist but also a field medic.”
“Dave Crabtree. Really appreciate you coming out here.”
“I assume the patient is in one of these tents?”
“Yes. He’s been in a lot of pain, and having trouble moving his arms and legs. Then he got sick to his stomach, but kept saying he was sure it was just a bug that would pass. When he started acting confused earlier today and his legs seemed weaker than ever, I knew he needed to be seen by a doc, but also knew there was no way to get him to Fletcher’s hospital without a stretcher here to pull him on.”
“That’s what we’re here for.” She turned to Zeke. “Let’s get the supply bags, then check him out.”
“I’ll get them. You go on in.”
Yet again, Zeke was proving what a great partner he was in these kinds of situations, fine with being her backup instead of wanting to see the patient at the same time she did to offer his opinions. She followed Dave, ducking into the tent behind him. There was barely enough room for the three of them, and it would be even more crowded once Zeke came in, but that couldn’t be helped.
The patient lay inside a sleeping bag, his eyelids flickering open as she came to kneel next to him.
“I’m Dr. Flynn. What’s your name?”
He didn’t respond for a moment, which was alarming. Finally, he replied, “Jim Reynolds. Thanks...for coming.”
“Tell me what’s going on.”
“My muscles feel...strange. Hurt. My arms and legs especially. Can hardly move them. Got sick to my stomach a couple times.”
“When did you first start to feel this way?”
“Uh, I think...yesterday morning.”
“Okay. I’m going to take your vital signs.” She looked up at Zeke, who’d just come inside the tent but already had the field bags open and was handing her a stethoscope. “Can you find the oxygen saturation monitor?”
“Right here.” Zeke clipped it to the patient’s fingertip as Jordan listened to his lungs, then had Jim hold a thermometer under his tongue while she felt his pulse.
“Your heart rate is elevated.” She frowned, because it was surprisingly fast. “Can you get me the blood pressure cuff, please?”
Zeke already had it in his hand and held it out to her. “Want me to put it around his arm and get the reading?”
“Yes, thanks. I’m going to check his pulse again.” Maybe she’d gotten it wrong the first time, but no. Still far faster than it should be.
“Blood pressure is low,” Zeke said, his eyes meeting hers, and she nodded.
“Let me see the thermometer now, Jim,” she said, sliding it from beneath his tongue. Significantly febrile, and she held it up to show Zeke, then the results of the oxygen saturation, which was also elevated.
Their eyes met again. The combination of symptoms and test results weren’t close to giving her a clinical diagnosis. She definitely needed to ask more questions to see if his answers would provide more clues.
“Tell me about your last few days here, Jim. You came by snow machine?”
“Yeah. Got here pretty early. Spent the afternoon climbing up to get some ice core samples until it got dark about ten.”
“That was a damn tiring day,” Dave added. “We both felt wiped out. Then the next day we took the machines to a high glacier farther out, and did some more climbing and core collection.”
“So, a lot of exertion in a pretty short period of time. How long have you been in Antarctica?”
“Got here early this week.”
“Probably on the same boat we did,” Zeke murmured.
Sounded likely. She looked up at Zeke and nodded before turning back to the patient. “Tell me about your stomach pain. Are your bowels working? Does your urine seem normal?”
“Yeah.” Jim’s brows lowered as he seemed to think. “Actually, urine is really dark. Figured I’m a little dehydrated. Thought that might be why my stomach was hurting, too, but when I started throwing up, I realized it must be a bug. Been drinking water to get better hydrated and flush out whatever was making me sick.”
“Have you been drinking alcohol, as well? More than normal?”
“Well, yeah. I have.” His lips twisted. “Been hitting the bourbon to help me sleep. My back’s been hurting like hell, and keeping me awake, and it’s not easy to sleep in these tents, anyway.”
“I see. I think I know what’s probably going on, Jim.” She looked up at Zeke again, a feeling of triumph filling her chest as the likely diagnosis now seemed clear. “Rhabdomyolysis. Extreme exertion compared to what he’s used to doing at home. Dehydration. Excess alcohol contributing.”
“Rhabdo?” Zeke raised his brows, then smiled and gave her a nodding salute. “That’s one quick diagnosis, Doctor, but I bet you’re absolutely right. I never would have figured that out.”
“You might have, with more questions and testing.”
“Nope. My field skills are good when it comes to injuries, heart attack and stroke—but rhabdo? That’s out of my wheelhouse. Congratulations.”
The warmth and admiration in his words put a little glow in her chest, which was ridiculous. As though she deserved credit for coming up with a diagnosis most any other doctor would have been able to figure out. But coming from Zeke, it seemed to mean something more than a simple compliment.
“So, now what?” Dave asked.
“We insert an IV line in to push fluids. Give him some analgesics to help with his pain, then get him to the hospital at Fletcher Station to continue with the fluids and keep him under observation for a couple days.”
“Can’t I just stay here with the IV in for a day or so?”
“Rhabdo is no joke, Jim. It’s not something you can just let ride its course. Liver or kidney damage can occur if you’re not carefully monitored.”
“Here’s the IV,” Zeke said. “I’ll get the bag of fluids ready to go.”
Jordan shov
ed up Jim’s sleeve, cleaned the skin and got the IV placed in his arm. Zeke attached the bag of fluid, placed the analgesic pills on Jim’s tongue and tipped a water bottle into his mouth to help him swallow, then stood.
“Glad you figured out the rhabdo, and we have what we need to push fluids. But we do have a problem,” Zeke said.
She looked up at him, surprised at how serious he looked. “What’s that?”
“No way can we get him back to Fletcher tonight.”
“What? Why not?”
“Sun sets tonight at ten p.m. and it’s now nine. It’s not safe to drive the Ski-Doos when it’s dark, or even in very low light, because you can’t keep an eye out for cracks. We’ll have to stay here for the night, and take him back in the morning.”
Jordan realized her mouth was hanging open as she stared at him, and forced it shut, her heart beating in her throat. “You mean, the four of us cram into these two tents?”
“No Antarctic explorer goes anywhere without a tent and sleeping bags, in case a storm moves in. Or it gets dark. Or some other emergency arises, like this, where we had to come right away even though it was getting late when we left.”
“A tent? As in one?” Her voice came out in a little gasp.
“One tent. A tight squeeze for two people, I admit. But I’m sure you knew life could get tough sometimes working at the south pole.” He stood and his grim expression showed he wasn’t any happier about the situation than she was. “I guess this is one of those times, and we’ll just have to deal with it.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
WITH THE WIND kicking powdery gusts of snow into their faces, Zeke aimed the headlamp attached to his forehead at the tent, trying to get it set up as quickly as possible so Jordan could get out of the cold air. She hadn’t uttered a word of complaint. But what he could see of her face beneath her balaclava, bandanna and hat as she helped him pound stakes into the ice showed her eyes were watering, and she kept slapping her mittens together to warm her hands.
The look of horror on her face when he’d told her they’d have to share this tent would have been almost comical, if he hadn’t shared the same damn concern. The chemistry shimmering between them all day couldn’t be denied. But he didn’t do relationships, and it was pretty clear that she didn’t want to go there, either.
The two of them being in extremely close quarters for the night was going to tax his already shaky self-control, and she probably knew that. But he couldn’t and wouldn’t make love with Jordan, even if she wanted to, because he wasn’t the kind of man she deserved. Being close to someone, caring about someone, wasn’t something he wanted in his life. Not ever.
He had to give her credit, though. Once the initial shock had passed, she’d been completely calm and professional, immediately jumping in to help with their gear and set up the tent. Working together made the process go as fast as possible, even with the low visibility they had to deal with.
“That’s about it,” he said, tying down a corner. “Go ahead and get inside, so you can warm up. I just have a couple little things to finish.”
“Not fair for you to be out here doing the work alone. What’s left?”
He glanced at her pinched face, her nose and cheeks the color of a scarlet sea star, and had to admire the hell out of her. He’d worked with countless people during his many Antarctic expeditions, and plenty—both men and women—had been happy to duck out of cold wind when given the chance.
“I appreciate the offer. But—”
“Zeke!” She pointed behind him and her face lit with wonder. “Is that...? Oh, my gosh, that has to be the aurora australis!”
He turned and, sure enough, the night sky was lit with ribbons of green light, curling to meet luminous, salmon-pink waves, rising like a shimmering wall from the horizon to the stars. “Well, damn. You get to see it, after all, and that one’s a beauty. You must have brought some serious good luck,” he said, so glad she was getting to see this incredible phenomenon that everyone coming down here wanted to experience, but rarely did after September. “Last two times I came in the summer I didn’t get to see it at all. Nothing like it, is there?”
“It’s...unbelievable,” she breathed, her expression rapt as she stared. “I hardly dared to hope I’d get to see it, since it’s going to be twenty-four hours of sun in, what? Three or four days?”
“Something like that.” He finished the last tent tie, then switched off his headlamp. The darkness fell around them as the green and pink ribbons undulated across the sky. He moved to stand behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I always feel like the luckiest guy on Earth when this happens. It’s like being in another universe, don’t you think? Or acting in a movie with special effects, but this is real. Electrons, atoms and molecules colliding with the Earth’s magnetic core. Wonders all around us, creating a spectacle like none other.”
“The photos I’ve seen are beautiful, but this? Actually seeing it? More stunning than I could even imagine.”
The heavenly display seemed to envelop them, wrap around them, making Zeke feel as though they were strangely cocooned together, alone in the universe, and he held her with her back close against his chest. His arms moved to circle her waist, trying to shield her from the biting wind as they watched the colors swirl across the sky, both of them silent for a long time.
Problem was, neither of them were as bundled as they needed to be, since they’d only planned to be out here as long as it took to set up the tent. As minutes passed, the raw, frigid air began to seep through his gloves and layers of clothes, and he knew she had to be feeling it, too.
It struck him that standing beneath this celestial wonder, sharing it with Jordan, was something he’d never forget. He hated for the moment to end, but knew staying out here any longer wasn’t a good idea. Regret weighed in his chest, knowing he’d never experience anything like this again. He lowered his head and pressed his cheek to her temple, and even through the layers felt her warmth.
“I hate to say it, but probably we should go inside and warm up away from this wind. Our bodies will put off more heat than you’d think, and fill the tent space pretty well, but if we get too cold, it’ll be hard to get comfortable again.”
She turned in his arms, and the look of wonder and awe and joy on her face had him holding her a little tighter, feeling beyond blessed that they’d seen the wonder of the lights together. “I appreciate you staying out here with me. For keeping me as warm as you could, so I could soak in that incredible sight. It’s something I’ll never forget. Thank you.”
“No thanks necessary.” The words came out gruff, his throat a little tight that she would thank him for holding her close in the cold Antarctic air. God knew he’d done it both to keep her warm, and because folding her into his arms was something he’d wanted for days, and now had experienced for real. “I feel lucky every time I get to see it. And getting to share it with someone seeing the lights for the first time? That feels...good.”
“The word good is not even close to what I’m feeling right now.”
Something about the way she said it, combined with the way she was looking at him, sent his heart beating a little harder, his breath a little short. He couldn’t help but let his gaze lower to her lips, pink from the cold, wanting to kiss her even more than he’d wanted to earlier, which seemed impossible. Then she leaned into him, grasped his shoulders in her hands, moved them to his cheeks. Tipped her face up to his and had a look in her eyes that told him she was thinking about that first night they met. How it had felt when he’d held her in his arms. All the times since that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, either.
She rose onto her toes, and with a soft groan, he took the invitation. Lowered his mouth to touch hers. Moved across the sweetness of her cold lips. Let his tongue slip inside her warm mouth, tasting and exploring, going deeper, and a gasp of obvious pleasure left her mouth and swirled in
to his.
“Zeke.” She said it in a way that showed him she was feeling every bit as aroused as he was. He could feel the thin string of control he’d tried to maintain snap as he gave in to the desire filling his chest and stirring his body. He held her close, pulling her hard against him, wishing they weren’t both wearing heavy snowsuits and gloves that restricted his ability to feel the curves and heat of her body. He kissed her until he lost all sense of time and place, thinking of nothing but how perfect she felt in his arms. How she tasted even better than he’d imagined, and how he wanted more. And more. And more.
A strong gust of wind blew across them, creating a snow devil that swirled up from the ground, spattering tiny shards of ice against the exposed skin of their faces, finally forcing them to pull apart. Breathing hard, they stared at one another until the snow had them squinting against it, and ducking their heads to protect themselves.
“Let’s get inside,” he said, grasping her arm and leading her to the small round opening in the tent, barely visible through the snow churning in the darkness. “Go in headfirst. I’ll get the sleeping bags, then follow you.”
He switched his headlamp back on, found the gear they needed to sleep comfortably for the night, then squeezed into the tent. “Here’s a flashlight in case you need it,” he said, handing it to her. “Your sleeping bag and an extra blanket.”
“What about my other things?”
He looked up at her as he unrolled his sleeping bag onto the cold tent floor. “What do you need?”
“My eye mask and white-noise machine,” she said with an impish smile.
“Well, damn. Why didn’t I remember those for a wilderness roughing-it trip?” He loved her sense of humor, and had to laugh. Loved spending time with her, period. “Do you really use those all the time?”
“All the time. I told you I lived different places around the world as a kid, going wherever my parents worked. Believe me, those two things help you sleep no matter where you are.”