Higher Ground

by Becky Black

  “You lot clearly aren’t trying hard enough.”

  He wanted to hear all about it, but he had to see Zach first. “I’ll be back in a second; don’t go anywhere.”

  “Not this time.”

  He found Zach half awake and a little dopey from the painkiller. Adam knelt by him and took his hand.

  “Barbara’s here, Adam.”

  “I know.” With his other hand, he stroked Zach’s hair out of his eyes. He smiled, gently teasing. “So we have plenty of help to drag your malingering butt up the mountain.”

  “Like Barbara. I was scared of her before.”

  “Scared, huh? I’ll never let you live that one down.” He squeezed Zach’s hand. He didn’t seem too bad. Seemed ready to continue the trip. One of the girls knelt by Zach with a water bottle and helped him drink. Adam left her to it and hurried back to Torres, who was talking to Simon.

  “So I hear you’ve been showing off with my gun,” she said.

  Adam bristled. “Hey, you gave it to me and said to use my judgment. That’s what I did.”

  “He was right too,” Simon said. “We needed the medical kit, and Glyn wasn’t going to give it up. I admit I was a bit shocked.” He looked at Adam. “Even if I’d known he had a gun, I never would have thought of him as someone who’d pull one. But I guess we’ll do anything when the motivation is strong enough.”

  Does he mean love? Loyalty? Duty? Adam wondered. Or all those things? Does he understand because in my position he’d have done the same? He nodded at Simon, then calmed the mild irritation he’d felt at Torres’s words, sensing criticism, wondering if he’d been oversensitive.

  “Didn’t mean to snap at you, Barb. Thanks for giving me the gun. I didn’t want it, and I almost forgot I had it. But when I needed it, it was the first thing I thought of.” He frowned, not sure he liked that. “Glyn’s probably going to get me sent to jail about it, though.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting this Glyn,” Torres said, making Adam stare at her.

  “You are?”

  “Oh yes. I think as a fellow public servant, it would be useful for us to have a long chat about professional ethics.” She looked around, shook her head. “Shit, this place looks like a bomb hit it. I’ll start getting everyone organized for moving on. Give me a hand, Simon?” She looked at Adam. “Okay with you?”

  “What? Oh yes, thanks.” She was taking the burden from him, he realized, knowing he’d want to be with Zach as much as possible while they completed the climb. But while she took the burden, she left him with the authority—she’d asked him for permission. Before she moved away, she stepped closer and offered her hand to him,

  “You did well, Deputy Gray.”

  He laughed, shaking her hand. “Thanks. Can I resign now?”

  “Okay.”

  “Don’t you have to say hereby this time?”

  She shrugged. “Hereby my ass. You’re un-deputized.”

  “So you’d better have this back.” He handed her the gun, and she put it into the empty holster on her belt.

  “Thanks. You go take care of Zach now. We’ll be on the move in five minutes.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  They didn’t make a proper camp when they stopped for the night, just a bivouac. Several people had sacrificed their tents to make the stretcher anyway. A few made improvised lean-tos and windbreaks. Adam and Simon erected a windbreak and a canopy for Zach and kept him close to the fire.

  Zach put on a brave face, but he was weakening by the hour. The fear Zach would die before rescue came entirely consumed Adam. He could barely carry on a conversation with anyone else. Nobody approached him the way they had before, looking for advice or to ask questions. They went instead to Torres or Simon. Adam’s only job was taking care of Zach. He never left his side.

  Not quite true. He did have to answer the call of nature sometimes. He was coming back from doing that, close to midnight, when he found Jones kneeling next to Zach.

  “Hey,” he snapped, hurrying over. “Leave him alone.”

  Jones stared up at him. “Adam, hello, I was just—”

  “Never mind what you were just. Stay away from him.”

  “He was apologizing,” Zach said.

  “Oh.” Adam grimaced at his overreaction. What an idiot. He’d become so jumpy and irritable.

  “Get some rest, then, Dr. Benesh,” Jones said, standing up. He moved a few steps away, making Adam follow him. “I guess I should apologize to you too, Gray.”

  “No need.” He should apologize to the people he’d led into danger. “Accepted, though. Thanks,” he added, making Jones look less anxious.

  “He’s pretty weak,” Jones said, nodding back at Zach.

  Adam stiffened. He’d better not be about to suggest they leave Zach behind.

  “Guess we’d better get moving as soon as it’s light. Will you let me take a turn carrying the stretcher?”

  Adam grinned and almost wanted to laugh with relief. This was a different Jones. A humbled man. He even looked smaller. One day, Adam would have to get Torres to tell him exactly what had happened in Jones’s group when the first quake struck.

  “Of course you can take a turn.” He was a big strong guy. Perfect. “Thanks for the offer. I have to see to Zach now.”

  “Okay, good night.”

  He left, and Adam hurried back over to Zach.

  “Let’s get some water into you.” He held Zach’s head up for him to drink, then gently laid him down again. In a moment, Zach’s eyes closed, and he drifted to sleep. Under the cover of brushing his hair out of his eyes, Adam touched Zach’s forehead to check for signs of him getting hot. No fever. Good. He’d been giving him the antibacterial since they set off hours ago, to keep any infection from taking hold.

  He did another check while he was at it, feeling Zach’s abdomen, which still felt soft. Aside from some horrible bruising and several deep cuts, it appeared the broken leg was the only serious injury he’d sustained.

  But he was weakening, even so. Some of his cuts had bled a lot before Adam could get to him. Or he could be bleeding in his leg. Adam felt utterly helpless and cursed the day he’d put his trust in Glyn. They should have let Howie stay with them. This was the exact situation the doctor had feared. When Adam caught up to Glyn, he intended to kick that weasel’s ass from here to Earth and back.

  Simon brought over a couple of bowls with steam rising from them and spoons resting in them.

  “Last of the stew we made for dinner,” he said, handing one to Adam. “Pretty much just the gravy. Call it soup. Try to get some into him.”

  “Thanks.” Adam took both bowls and sipped from one without using the spoon. Quite hot still. As Simon left again, he put one bowl down to cool for Zach and sat with the other, started to eat it with the spoon. When he was almost done, he realized Zach’s eyes were open, watching him. He smiled.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve got one for you too. Just letting it cool off.”

  “Oh, you go ahead,” Zach said. “I like to see a man eat.” He said the last part in a high falsetto, meant to be Korrie, Adam suspected. He laughed, not only at the joke, but that Zach was compos mentis enough to make one. A good sign.

  “I think we’ll get to the top tomorrow,” Adam said.

  “Even dragging my malingering butt?”

  “Even with that, yes. Having Torres’s group join us has really helped. More people to do everything. More people to carry the stretcher so we don’t get so tired. And our people were badly shaken by your accident and the split. This has put new heart in them.”

  He finished his stew; it had been the gravy, as Simon said, with only a scrap of meat or vegetables here and there. But it was rich and tasty. He got Zach sitting up, using a couple of backpacks to support him. Zach reached for the bowl, but Adam didn’t let him take it. He’d spill it immediately.

  “At least let me hold the bowl for you,” he said, knowing Zach would resist being spoon-fed.

  “Okay,” Zach
said with a sigh. He got hold of the spoon. Once he had a firm grip on it, Adam moved in closer and Zach began to eat. By the time he’d eaten half the bowl and said he’d had enough, he had as much gravy on his chest as he had in his stomach.

  “Honestly,” Adam said, using a cloth to try to get rid of the worst of it, cursing himself for not draping the cloth on Zach in the first place. “I’ll bet Amina makes less mess at mealtimes than this.”

  “We should have asked someone with a baby to leave some bibs behind. I’m going to smell of beef stew for the next two days.”

  “I’ll see if I can get you into a clean shirt. Well, a shirt with less stew on it. I don’t think we have any clean left. Believe me, stew is only one voice in a chorus of what you smell like. What we all do.”

  “True. I think my nose shut down in self-defense several days ago.”

  “And with your nose, that must have been a major operation.”

  “I don’t have to lie here and be insulted,” Zach said with a mock furious expression. “Oh wait, it appears I do. Carry on.”

  Adam laughed and leaned in to kiss him, tasting the gravy on his lips. Zach didn’t raise his arms to put them around Adam. He must be too weak. Tears sprang to Adam’s eyes when he thought Zach might never put his arms around him again. If he died…

  He will not die. He’d be fine. Weak, yes, but that might be from the pain and the drugs as much as from his injuries. He was so fine he was lying here cracking jokes and flirting. The thought made Adam smile again. Zach had come a long way in less than two weeks. And not only up a mountain.

  * * * *

  “Zach,” Adam said. “Wake up. We’re here.”

  Zach opened his eyes, trying to pull himself from the hazy world of pain. The stretcher-bearers did their best to be gentle, and he had the painkillers, but the movements still hurt.

  “Here? Where?”

  Adam looked down at him from where he was carrying the stretcher at the head end. He carried it too much, must be worn out. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles, his face pale and unshaven.

  “We’re at the top,” Adam said. “Or getting there. I thought you’d like to be awake for it.”

  Zach raised his head a little and saw his people climbing the last few meters of the slope. As the first of them stepped onto the narrow strip of fairly level ground at the top of the ridge, a ragged cheer broke out. Ragged, from tired people, with no strength left. Adam joined in. Zach tried, though his came out as more a pained gurgle.

  “Shh,” Adam said. “Don’t tire yourself. But you did this, Zach. They’re here because of you. They should be cheering you.”

  Zach didn’t agree. They all deserved applause for working so hard. For keeping going through the exhaustion and pain and terror, even those who’d turned back for a while. Hell, they’d worked harder than those who’d continued. They’d done part of the climb twice. Torres appeared at the side of the stretcher.

  “How about we stop here for a quick rest?” she said. “Scope things out and decide where to make camp?”

  “Agreed,” Adam said. “I think I see…ah, the other group. Looks like they’ve found a good-sized flat area. Exposed, but that will be good for the ship to spot us.”

  “Then let’s join them,” Torres said with a smirk. “I’m still looking forward to a chat with Glyn.”

  They rested for half an hour. Zach stirred on his stretcher, trying to get into a comfortable position, fearing he’d get sores if he stayed in one place much longer.

  “Hey, enough with the gymnastics,” Adam said, kneeling beside him. He leaned in close. “You need to pee?”

  “I’m okay.” They’d been using a water canteen for that purpose while he’d been laid up. Adam had helped him out without hesitation, as efficient and unembarrassed as a nurse.

  He settled down beside Zach, looking out at the horizon. Zach followed Adam’s gaze to what had once been a basin and was now a ring of mountainous islands. He realized with a shock there were some large gaps. Peaks that should still be visible had gone already. Whole mountains shaken apart and collapsed into the sea.

  “It looks like we chose the right mountain to climb anyway,” he said, making Adam look at him. “At least ours is still here.”

  Adam said nothing, just reached for Zach’s hand and held it while they both looked out over the slowly vanishing remains of their home.

  * * * *

  It took almost two hours to reach the other group—the one everyone carefully avoided calling Glyn’s group—when they set off again. Zach still didn’t know the full details of what had gone on when they split off and went ahead. Someone had told him Adam pointed a pistol at Glyn, which seemed too incredible to be true.

  Even in his doped state, Zach recognized the tension in the air when the two groups reunited. But Torres and Simon made a point of going over and talking to them. Soon women from the two groups were talking, and that brought the men in not long after. Zach sighed with relief. All one again.

  They made camp for the last time. At last they could do nothing but wait for rescue. Wait and hope the mountain didn’t disintegrate under them before the ship arrived.

  Adam came over with his arms full of gear. “I’m going to build you a shelter, in case it starts to rain again, and to try to keep the worst of the wind off you.”

  “Thank you. And, Adam. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for getting me to the top of the mountain. Whatever happens, thank you for that.”

  “You’re welcome. Now you rest. Sleep if you can.”

  He didn’t want to sleep. He wanted to watch Adam working hard on improvising a shelter using hiking poles and tent canvas. Watching him work enthralled Zach, as it had when he’d watched Adam working in the fields on his plants. He dropped some of his outer layers of clothing, despite the strong, cold wind, as he warmed up from his efforts.

  Zach’s cock stirred, just a bit, though he was too weak for it to harden fully. But he enjoyed the warm, fluttery feeling in his groin and belly, which helped take his mind off the pain. Adam glanced at him sometimes, checking him and grinning, perhaps enjoying Zach’s appreciation of the show.

  He’d almost finished the shelter when Torres walked up, a surly Glyn at her side. Zach lost the pleasant feeling in his belly and felt it clench at the sight of the man who he’d thought of as his rival. But the fierce scowls Glyn and Adam exchanged reassured him Glyn was, indeed, “no longer an issue.”

  “Why is he here?” Adam demanded of Torres.

  “I’ve convinced Glyn he needs to do his job and at least check on Zach.”

  “He’s not touching him.”

  “Don’t be a jackass, Adam,” she said.

  “I’m only here because this bitch threatened me,” Glyn half snarled. “I’m going to see every single one of you people in court.”

  “Oh yes,” Adam sneered. “I’m sure a judge and jury will totally take the side of a paramedic who refused to treat a patient because he was more interested in saving his own neck.”

  “Both of you, knock it off,” Torres ordered. “This isn’t about you two. Zach needs a medic. Glyn, do it. Adam, stand aside.”

  Adam glared at Torres, but after a moment, he did as she asked. When Glyn knelt beside Zach, Adam stood right behind him, looking over his shoulder and watching every move he made.

  “Have you had his boot off?” Glyn asked, casting the blanket aside and examining the leg.

  “No. His foot isn’t injured. Why take off his boots?”

  “To check his foot is still warm, you damn fool. If the break or your attempt at setting it”—he sneered those words—“has blocked any blood vessels, his foot won’t get oxygen; it’ll go necrotic, and he’ll lose his leg.”

  Adam was already pale, but at these words, he looked as if he was going to faint. Torres reached down and grabbed Glyn’s collar, pulled him partway to his feet.

  “A little less criticism of the man who did the job you should have been doing would be appreciated.” She le
t him go to flop back down. “Get on with it.”

  Glyn muttered dark threats but got on with the job, undoing the laces of Zach’s left boot. Adam watched, riveted, as Glyn eased the boot off with one hand, holding the leg steady under the ankle with the other. Zach moaned, and his head spun as the movement sent waves of pain up his leg. When Glyn peeled off his sock, Zach’s foot looked normal, pale, and bony, with some rather gross black hairs on top of the big toe. How Adam had been able to bring himself to touch the disgusting things when he gave Zach a foot massage remained a mystery to Zach.

  “Feels warm enough,” Glyn said, running his hand over it in a professional manner very different to the massage. “You can feel this?”

  “Yes, fine.”

  “Wiggle your toes, please.” His cold manner had been replaced by a more businesslike one. Zach wiggled his toes, which gave him some pain in his leg, but his toes did what he wanted them to.

  “His foot’s fine,” Glyn said and muttered something about dumb luck. He ran a few more checks before covering Zach with the blanket again and standing. “I want my med kit back,” he said to Adam. “Especially the drugs.”

  “You seriously think I’d let you take charge of his painkillers?”

  “You’d better, because you’re damn lucky you haven’t put him in a coma so far. Adam, I…” He looked back down at Zach, then back at Adam. “I’m not going to hurt him, for God’s sake.”

  They stood for a moment, gazes locked, and then Adam glanced down at Zach. Asking for permission? Still acknowledging Zach as the leader? When it came to Adam, he didn’t trust Glyn as far as he could throw him, but the overt hostility between them reassured him Glyn must have given up all hopes of anything happening with Adam. He nodded. Go ahead, trust the guy. Give him a chance to redeem himself.

  Adam picked up the med kit and handed it to Glyn.

  After Glyn stalked off, Adam sat and started to put Zach’s sock back on. He took the other boot off and stashed it beside the first one, not saying a word. Did he feel bad he hadn’t checked the foot before? He shouldn’t; he wasn’t to know. He should be mad at Glyn, maybe. But that time was past. No point in it anymore.