Colder Than Ice Part 9

Michela squinted as she tried to recall the discussion they'd had that evening. "I never did. We discussed Sarah's s.e.xuality and you asked me questions about what my type was. At no time did you mention gender, not that it's any of your d.a.m.ned business anyway."

Allison threw her hands up and wheeled around the room. "Isn't this a fine state of affairs? Two b.l.o.o.d.y lesbians in the group. I suppose the two of you will have a fine time together, keeping each other warm. I hate to think where that leaves poor Dianne in the sleeping arrangements."

Michela could feel the last of her control slide away. "Didn't you listen to anything I said that night regarding choice? I'm not interested in Sarah and I'm sure as h.e.l.l not interested in Dianne."

Allison closed the distance between them. "Of course you're not, you're more interested in Maddi. It's a shame she's not part of the team."

Michela looked at the ceiling, her teeth and fists clenched in exasperation. Woman, you've walked a fine line long enough and you've just crossed it. She returned Allison's steely gaze. "Just what is it that really bothers you, Dr. Shaunessy? That I had great s.e.x or that it wasn't with you."

Allison slapped Michela and the sting caused Michela to take several steps back in surprise. Allison closed on her. "How dare you! Lady, you certainly have an unrealistically high opinion of yourself and you must be blind as well. I prefer men not women and even if I did prefer women, if I woke up with my arm around you I'd gnaw it off to get away."

"For Christ's sake, what is your problem then?" Michela roared.

The door opened and Sarah's head popped in. "I was pa.s.sing by and thought I heard world war three starting. What's going on in here?"

Allison pushed past Sarah. "Why don't you ask her? She seems to have all the answers."

Sarah stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. She silently watched Michela run her hands through her hair and rub her neck in an attempt to calm her emotions. Michela turned to Sarah, the red mark still evident on her face. "What the h.e.l.l happened to you?"

Michela gingerly touched the mark. "She slapped me."

"She what?" Sarah carefully checked Michela's face for any permanent damage. "I think you need to rea.s.sess her position on the team. If this is the way she responds to authority, then you don't know how she'll act out in the middle of nowhere."

"No, I deserved it. I lost my cool and said something entirely inappropriate. It's a wonder she didn't do any further damage."

Sarah leant against the door. "What did you say?"

"You know there's been tension ever since the incident with Maddi." Sarah nodded. "It came to a head this morning and I asked her what her problem was. Things got a bit out of hand and she started carrying on. I got angry and asked her what her real problem was. I asked her whether it had to do with the fact that I had great s.e.x with another woman or the fact that it wasn't with her."

Sarah cringed. "Ooh, no wonder she tried to deck you. Why did you say such a thing?"

Michela rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand. "I don't know. She drives me crazy sometimes. I managed to control it in Mount Cook, but, lord, she can be so d.a.m.ned painful."

Sarah tilted her head and her eyes lit with understanding. "I don't mean to be rude here, but I'm wondering whether I was right about the s.e.xual tension thing between you and Maddi. Or was Maddi merely a release for something you're feeling for someone else?"

Michela whipped her head around and stared at Sarah, prepared to deny her suggestion. Try as she might, she couldn't. "Aargh! The woman frustrates me to h.e.l.l and back." She rubbed her forehead, closed her eyes and then once again opened them. "But d.a.m.n it all to blazes if I don't like her. And what's worse, she's with that useless piece of c.r.a.p that treats her like a doormat and she's happy to be with him. Look at him. She nurses him through a voyage and as soon as he's better and she needs him, he's too busy wanting to be the first of the team to land on Antarctica. I swear he drives me crazy and she drives me insane because as an intelligent woman she can't see through his facade."

"I'm not going to give you a lecture on the dangers of falling for a straight woman. I'm sure you've heard all those before," Sarah said.

"Thank you," Michela curtly replied. "But it does raise some accommodations problems once we get to the site. Allison made a pa.s.sing comment regarding us sleeping in the same hut. You know I trust you but I don't want to add fuel to the fire."

Sarah snapped her fingers. "d.a.m.n it. There goes my chance to have my way with you." Michela gave her a withering look. "The answer's simple. Obviously Alli and Rick will be in one hut, Ewan and Michael in another. Rob and I are used to close quarters, so we can share. That leaves you with Dianne. Something tells me she's not your type, so Alli should have nothing to worry about. And, besides, Di's clueless to the developing situation here. In fact her mind's been elsewhere through the whole voyage."

Michela nodded. "You're right on all counts. That should solve our long-term arrangements, but can you imagine the look on Alli's face when I explain the tent arrangements for the trip to the site? Females in one tent, males in the other."

Sarah chuckled. "If I were you, I'd have that discussion in a room full of people. Less possibility of damage that way. I better go find Allison before she beats up on anyone else. And you keep your nose clean and stop starting any more fights."

IN A STATION the size of Wills, it didn't take long for Sarah to locate Allison, who had retreated to their temporary accommodations. She closed the door on the prevailing outside wind and walked to the middle of the small room, giving Allison her s.p.a.ce. "Say, slugger, that's a mean right hook you have there."

Allison looked at the offending hand. "I don't know what happened. I've never hit anyone before but she pushed me too far."

"Look, obviously there's some ill feeling between you two, but I don't intend to spend the whole expedition running back and forth dressing your wounds. You two need to learn to work together and sometimes that means biting your tongue."

Allison picked up her jacket and pulled it on. "I can't believe what she did with that other woman."

"She's an adult, she can do what she likes." Allison snorted. "Just hear me out. Regardless of what you may think, she's still a professional."

"Really? Is she?"

Sarah shook her head, silently acknowledging how frustrating Allison could be. "If that's the way you think about Michela, what do you think about me?"

Allison waved away the comment. "That's different."

"No, Alli, it's not different at all. Michela and I are both lesbians. But that doesn't mean for one moment we're less professional than you, Rick, Di, or anyone else on the team for that matter." She watched Allison struggle with the concept. "Look, I'm not telling you what you should and shouldn't think or do. All I'm asking is for you to think about your actions today and the effect they could have on a small group in the middle of nowhere. And before you get on your moral high horse, I've said the same thing to Michela. Besides, I've no doubt that the last thing you want is to return to Australia with nothing to show for your efforts other than a group of splintered people."

"IT'S BEEN HOURS," Rick shouted over the din of the jostling vehicle to Allison. "It was fun when we first left Wills Station and all those old buildings were great to look at. But, b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, how long before we get there?"

Allison leant closer to Rick. "If the weather holds we should be there in about nine days or so." Rick nodded and Allison returned her gaze to the view outside, only to have her arm pulled by Dianne.

"I thought these things went a lot faster than this. They did the other day when we were training," Dianne said.

"We're traveling in convoy, so we only go as fast as the slowest vehicle. The slowest vehicle is BOB, the tractor thing out there."

Looking disgusted, Rick shook his head. "Who made that b.l.o.o.d.y decision? Hang on. Of course, it was Michela. Why can't we cut away and let the d.a.m.ned thing catch up with us? We're wasting time."

"It has to be that way. Things are different out here and people move in groups," Allison said. "It's a lot safer. What's more, the stores we'll need to start the dig are on that tractor. So even if we got there early, there's very little we could do."

Rick shifted in his seat and attempted to get more comfortable. "I don't care. It's a pain in the backside. And what am I supposed to do, stuck in this d.a.m.ned thing for that long? At this rate I won't have an intact bone left."

"I think Michela's decision makes sense," Dianne said. "After all, she's only looking after the good of the team, right Allison?"

Allison nodded. Despite her anger with Michela, she'd not discussed their disagreement with either Rick or Dianne. After all, how do I explain to them that two of their team members are gay? She was certain they knew about Sarah, who'd refused to conceal her s.e.xual preference. But she was sure neither Rick nor Dianne was aware of Michela. She may be the biggest pain in the a.s.s, but that's no reason to discuss her private life. If only she didn't rub me up the wrong way so often.

Seeking some privacy, she returned her gaze to the view outside. It was white as far as the eye could see, with an occasional shift in the flat surface, signaling an ice field that resembled frozen waves, commonly known as sastrugi. Rising to sometimes a meter high, the sastrugi had been the bane of many of the early expeditioners who had been forced to go over them with dogs and sleds in tow. Twice that morning they'd been forced to diverge from their course. The first had been because of sastrugi and the second had been to dodge a creva.s.se field. While they could have gambled and taken the sno-trak across the ice bridges that sometimes formed over a creva.s.se, the risk outweighed the possible gain.

She returned her gaze to the vehicle's interior and closed her eyes as she thought about the sleeping arrangements for the move to the base.

Michela had broken the news before they'd left. As Allison watched Michela make the announcement, she wasn't surprised when Michela looked directly at her. It was as if she was daring me to speak out. For the majority of her adult life, Allison had either slept by herself or with Rick. The sleeping in the dongas still gave her a degree of s.p.a.ce but the compact tent would be cramped with four people and this would certainly be different to what she was used to. This, as well as the animosity between her and Michela, made the arrangements all the more uncomfortable.

Despite the time approaching six at night, it was still broad daylight outside. Summer in Antarctica. Allison sighed. It's certainly going to be strange going to bed and waking up in the light.

MICHELA WATCHED AS Michael breathed a sigh of relief when the vehicle they'd been tossed around in all day finally shut down its engine.

"Thank Christ. That noise is worse than any nagging I've ever had to put up with," Michael said.

Rob laughed as he checked the brake. "I don't know about that, mate. You should reserve your judgment until you've heard Sarah in full voice."

"Are you right there, gob on a stick," Sarah retaliated in mock tones. "I've heard your fair share of whines when we've been stuck together. In fact there're times when you've almost driven me to drink."

Michela attempted to work the cricks out of her back. "Anybody would think you two are husband and wife the way you carry on. Now comes the fun of setting up camp for the night. How are the winds out there, Rob?"

Rob tapped one of the vehicle's panels. "Pretty calm at the moment. She's blowing at about ten mile an hour, with gusts up to fifteen."

"Good. I guess we better get set up," Michela said. "Rob, can you check with the other two drivers to ensure they're okay?" Rob nodded and left the cabin.

"Ewan, can you, Michael, and Rick start setting up the men's tent? Sarah, could you see to the setting up of the blizzard lines between the tents and the vehicles, in case we're hit by a storm? I'll organize Di and Alli to help me put up the women's tent. Cooking tonight will be under tent arrangements, using the small gas stoves we have. Other than that, we'll look at a seven-thirty departure tomorrow morning."

FLAT ON HER rapidly freezing backside, Dianne struggled to hold the canvas in the prevailing wind. "Did you say this was a pretty calm breeze?"

Michela nodded as she centered the main pole. "Yes. This is pretty tame."

Alli battled to control her edge of the tent. "It's a bit different to the one we put up at Mount Cook. At least there was shelter there. This place is flat as a pancake and other than the vehicles, there's not much to protect us from the b.l.o.o.d.y wind."

Michela masked her surprise at Allison's contribution and preoccupied herself with the tie down ropes of the tent. Maybe things have settled down a bit. I really should apologize for what I said the other day, but I think I'll wait until things are a little more private. And who knows, her moods can change so quickly. This might be just a lull in the storm.

"What are you doing?"

Michela looked up from her work. Rob, obviously finished with his discussion with the other drivers, looked ready to kill Rick, Michael, and Ewan. The three were getting ready to throw their belongings into a tent that looked like it could be blown over by the first decent wind to blow their way.

Michela, Allison, and Dianne watched in amus.e.m.e.nt as the four men argued until Rob proved his point by kicking one of the tent anchors. The tent collapsed on cue, and Rob made sure it was erected correctly.

Michela ensured the blizzard rope connected the three tents to the vehicles and a field toileta"for anyone who wanted to brave the colda"was secure. After a makeshift meal of re-hydrated pasta and vegetables, accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate, the respective groups settled for the evening.

ALLISON WOKE FROM a relatively sound, yet cool night's sleep and found a sleeping Michela uncomfortably close to her. At first startled, she realized she must have rolled into the centre of the tent sometime during the night. What now greeted her was Michela's face, snugly encased in the loft of her Antarctic-weight sleeping bag. Careful not to wake her, Allison took a moment to observe Michela.

Sleep softened Michela's face, making her seem even calmer than she usually was. That's one thing that does bug me. Apart from the other day and despite my goading, she always remains calm. How does she do that? What do you hide behind that beautiful mask of yours, Dr. DeGra.s.se?

Allison's eyes widened in surprise. Despite their disagreements, she couldn't help but admit that Michela was attractive, and even more so when she was angry. Michela's exasperated words echoed through her mind: "What is it that really bothers you, Dr. Shaunessy? That I had great s.e.x or that it wasn't with you?" At the time she'd been outraged at the mere suggestion, but as she replayed the scene in her mind, she was unsure that her first reaction was an honest one.

Allison knew they reacted to each other like fire and ice, always fighting for the upper hand. But as she recalled the fleeting moments when they touched, she swore she felt a current pa.s.s between them. Remembering her rescue from the creva.s.se fall, she couldn't help but admit to the comfort she'd experienced in Michela's arms. While the moment had been fleeting, the warmth Michela had generated had stirred something in her, something that had been dormant for so long.

And then there was the incident in the coffeehouse. When I touched her hand I felt something and, by the look in her eyes, I think she felt it too. Allison returned her thoughts to the present. Michela was so close, her hot breath lightly tickled Allison's face. Warmth filled the pit of her stomach.

The shaking of the tent interrupted her thoughts and Rob's concerned tones filtered through the canvas. "Sarah, are you awake in there?"

Michela awoke from an exceptionally erotic dream and found herself mere inches away from Allison. Still half-asleep, Michela reached out to Allison but her hands were trapped in her sleeping bag.

"Sarah, get your sorry a.s.s out here. We've got an emergency!"

Michela unzipped her bag, sat up, and quietly cursed as she pulled her ice-cold boots on. "What's the matter?"

"It's Michael. When I woke up this morning he was complaining of pains in the chest."

Sarah pulled the remainder of her body out of the bag and headed for the door.

Michela put a hand on her arm. "We can't afford two patients. Please put your boots on before you head out."

Cursing, Sarah grabbed her boots. "Did he say how long he'd been suffering the pains?" She drew the laces tight and stuffed them in the top of her snow socks instead of tying them.

"He said he thought he had indigestion for a while, but figured it had something to do with the meal last night. Rick cooked and I swear he takes cooking lessons from you," Rob replied.

Sarah pulled on her beanie and sungla.s.ses and left the tent with Michela. "Rob, under the front pa.s.senger seat of your vehicle is my medical kit. Can you get it? I'll meet you at your tent."

Sarah crawled into the tent and found Rick and Ewan sitting in their sleeping bags. Michael, in obvious pain, was on the other side of the tent.

"It wasn't my fault," Rick declared. "How was I to know that red stuff wasn't tomato but chili sauce."

"I don't think this has anything to do with your cooking. Now if I could please have a little quiet." Sarah barely acknowledged Michela as she pa.s.sed the medical bag to her. "Can you tell me how you feel?"

Michael grimaced. "My chest hurts like all b.u.g.g.e.ry."

Sarah rea.s.suringly rubbed his arm. "Can you describe the pain?"

"I feel as if someone's put a huge concrete block on my chest and I've got a h.e.l.l of a pain down my left arm. d.a.m.n it, if I could just get comfortable, this b.l.o.o.d.y feeling might go away."

Sarah quickly took Michael's pulse and temperature and checked his breathing. She retrieved a small bottle of pills from her bag and spilled one into her palm. "There're a couple of things this might be, so I'm going to try and rule out these as I go. This," she motioned at the pill in her hand, "is glycerol trinitrate and is commonly given to angina patients. If it's going to work, then it will do so in a very short period of time. Now, I'm going to place it under your tongue."

"What if it doesn't work?" he asked before Sarah put the pill under his tongue.

"If it's not successful then you may be having a heart attack. Either way, we're going to have to get you back to Wills Station where they've much better medical facilities to deal with this. Ewan, can you keep an eye on Michael? If there's any change in his condition, can you let me know? Michela, could I have a word with you outside?"

They crawled out of the tent and went to the shelter of the cold, but windproof sno-trak. Sarah closed the door of the vehicle and faced Michela. "Mate, I don't think the angina tablet's going to do any good whatsoever, but it can't do any harm at this stage. In fact it may calm him a bit." Sarah removed her beanie and vigorously scratched her head. "My guess is he's having a heart attack, how serious I'm not sure. But we need to get him back to the station and fast. If he crashes here I've got no hope of saving him."

Michela nodded. "I'll contact Maddi. She mentioned the long range helos they have at the Wills. Let's hope our comms are working."

Sarah snapped the lock of her medicine bag shut. "There're two helos at every station and they always fly in pairs because of the conditions down here. They'll be able to cover the distance. It'll be more an issue of how soon they can get here. I better go and see how Michael's doing."

Michela pulled the satellite phone from where it had been secured for the journey. "While you do that, I'll contact Maddi and let her know what's going on. Can you get Rob to give me a GPS reference so I can relay our location?"

"Sure." Sarah closed the door.

As Michela fiddled with the phone, she felt a blast of air.

Allison climbed in and struggled to close the door. "Rob says Michael's had a heart attack. What are we going to do?"

"Yes, he has, but Sarah's got it under control. In the meantime I'm going to call back to station and get him evacuated to Wills."

Allison nodded as she rubbed her cold hands together. "Is there anything I can do?"

"No. Hang on, yes. You can keep everyone busy by getting the camp ready for travel. Pack everything except the tent Michael's in. In the off chance we can't establish communications we're going to have to return to Wills Station."

"But if he's suffering a heart attack, won't that be too long? Won't he die?" Allison's unease was evident.

Michela looked into Allison's eyes and covered her hand with her own. "He's going to be fine, but I need you to keep everyone else busy. Can you do that for me please?" Allison nodded. "Good. Now I've really got to see if I can get this phone to work."

Alone in the sno-trak, Michela pressed all the necessary b.u.t.tons and flicked all the required switches and then attempted to place a call, only to get static. She silently cursed. What had Maddi said about solar flares? Michela searched her memory. The flares had the capacity to knock out communications for hours or possibly days. Great. We're in the twenty-first century and our technology is still thwarted by something completely beyond our control. She tried the phone again and got the same result. Forcing herself not to scream in frustration, she tried one final time. This time the connection dropped through and Maddi's disjointed tones echoed down the line. Michela wasted no time in explaining the situation.

"So Sarah thinks it's a heart attack?" Maddi asked.