Higher Ground by Becky Black (notion reading list txt) 📗

“Be reasonable, sir,” Adam said, “You’re, um, not a young man. The climb’s getting harder.”

“And more dangerous. So if you think I’m letting you go on without a medic, you’ve got another think coming. I’m perfectly fit.”

He was fit, Adam thought, for a man his age, but his age was late sixties. No way could he still have the stamina the younger people had. Zach started arguing, and Howie folded his arms, scowling, not about to budge an inch. Adam looked around helplessly, searching for an ally. Could Korrie persuade him not to insist on staying? Too late—he saw her getting aboard, a young man at the hatchway taking her arm to help her up the steps. The young man must have sensed Adam looking, and he turned and met his eyes.

He smiled, and Adam felt a slight stir in his belly. Nice-looking guy, with chestnut brown hair and large eyes. The short jacket he wore showed off slim hips and a flat stomach and… And this was hardly the time to be ogling guys. He could still taste Zach’s welcome-home kiss. And they had work to do. He turned back to help Zach persuade Dr. Howie not to be a hero. The argument attracted the attention of the transport’s captain, and he came back to join them.

“Having a problem?”

“Yes. Our doctor is a damned stubborn old fool!” Zach snapped, perhaps in an attempt to make Howie angry and get him to tell Zach to go fall down the mountain for all he cared. It didn’t work.

“You need a medic,” Howie insisted again. “That’s why I came on this trip. I didn’t even believe anything was going to happen at the start. I was wrong then, but I’m right now. You still need me.”

“Doctor, you’re too old. You’ll slow us down.” Adam hated being so rude to the guy, but he had to be. “That’s going to put us in more danger than anything else.”

“He’s right there, sir,” Hammond said. “I wouldn’t like the rest of this climb myself.”

“They need a medic.”

“How about a swap?” Everyone looked around. The young man Adam had noticed at the hatch came up to join the group. He smiled. “I’m a medic.”

“A doctor?” Howie asked.

“A paramedic.”

“Perfect,” Adam said. “He’s trained to deal with accidents and emergencies. And he looks fit enough for the climb to me.” The man smiled at him and nodded an acknowledgment of the support.

“Glyn, I can’t ask you to do this,” Hammond said.

“Who’s asking? I’m volunteering.”

Howie looked at him dubiously, Zach with open skepticism, perhaps finding it hard to accept the idea of a stranger replacing someone he’d come to know and trust. But this Glyn had the qualifications.

“I’m happy to do it, Captain,” Glyn said. “You’ll be back for us soon.”

“But…” Zach began and stopped, frowning, looking at Adam, who nodded, seeing no reasonable objection to the idea.

“Is he a good medic?” Howie asked Hammond.

“One of the best in my team.”

“Okay,” Howie said. “As long as you have a medic, I’m happy.”

“I’m not very happy about it,” Hammond admitted. “But if you’re sure, Glyn?”

“Quite sure, sir.”

“Benesh?” Zach still had his arms folded, and his expression had gone from skeptical to positively suspicious. Maybe he thought Glyn wanted to play the big hero, but so what? In Adam’s opinion, actions, not motivations, counted here, as they had with Howie himself, and with Torres, who hadn’t come on the climb because they believed Zach, but who had still been useful to the group. After a moment, Zach nodded.

“All right. I agree.”

“Great.” Glyn grinned with delight, eyes sparkling like a kid who’d persuaded his parents to take him to the beach. “I’ll grab my medical kit.”

“I’ll make you up a pack from the stuff being left behind,” Adam said.

“Thanks, ah…”

“Adam. Adam Gray.” He held out his hand. Glyn took it, a wide smile on his face. Adam shook his hand, unable to resist returning the smile. He had a good feeling about this guy.

“Glyn Sommers. I’ll be right back.” He hurried to the ship.

Dr. Howie shook his head and laughed. “Well, what can I say about being crazy enough to volunteer when that’s what I was trying to do. This is good-bye for a while, then, boys. Adam, good luck.” He shook Adam’s hand, then turned to Zach. “Zach, I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before.”

“You came with us, Doctor, that’s what counts,” Zach said, shaking his hand. Howie left and joined the line of people waiting to board the ship. There weren’t many people left on the ground. Perhaps sixty or seventy, making their good-byes to those who were staying.

Glyn came bounding back out of the ship a few minutes later, carrying a coat and a medical kit in a bulky shoulder bag. He took his leave of Hammond.

“See you in a couple of days, sir.”

“Right. Look after yourself, lad.”

“I will.” He turned to Adam. “I brought my coat. Figured it will get colder higher up.”

“Definitely,” Adam said. “Come on, let’s put a pack together for you.”

“Thanks, Adam.” He nodded to Zach. “Thank you for accepting my offer, Dr. Benesh.”

“We need a medic,” Zach said in a chilly voice. Adam frowned at him. Come on, he wanted to say. The guy’s doing us a favor. Zach might miss Howie, but he couldn’t blame Glyn for replacing him.

“Let’s hurry it up,” Hammond shouted, his voice carrying over the heads of the crowd. “Takeoff in fifteen minutes.”

Chapter Twenty-One

The fifteen minutes passed all too quickly, and the ship lifted off, everyone on the ground waving madly. Zach still felt torn in two directions and began to wonder if he’d ever know his emotions again. He was sad to see his friends leave, yet happy to see the people he’d taken responsibility for flying to safety.

Walking helped keep his mind off it, as Simon and Adam led them to the stream. He couldn’t have asked for a better gift than Professor Korrie’s hiking pole as the slope