The muscles in her arms started to burn a little. It was nothing. She could handle it. A warm hand reached over hers as she counted out loud. ‘Want to swap?’
It was probably only a millisecond. But it seemed like so much more. It was the first time she’d recognised sincerity in Austin Mitchell’s gaze. On every other occasion his confidence had almost seemed to mock her. But this time it was different. This time she saw a glimmer of the man he actually was instead of the person he showed the world.
His gaze seemed to drift downwards, then he gave his head a little shake and met her eyes again.
She glanced down. It was clear from his position that he had a prime-time view straight down the front of her shirt to her cleavage. At least he’d had the decency to avert his eyes. Austin Mitchell wasn’t all face and bravado.
‘I’m fine,’ she said quickly. ‘Just keep going.’
And he did. They worked in unison for the next few minutes. She could hear the voices outside. The other candidates had realised that something was wrong but Blair stood across the doorway and none would dare argue with him. They didn’t need to see Frank like this.
Every compression hurt her arms and made her shoulders ache. But she didn’t care. She was trying not to let the statistics she knew about MI circulate around her brain. Defibrillation was the best bet. Every minute it was delayed reduced Frank’s chances.
There was a shout outside and Adam ran in with the paramedics behind him. He must have filled them in on who she was because they didn’t bombard her with a series of questions. One immediately pulled out the pads for the defibrillator and the other opened the carton of drugs. She ripped open Frank’s shirt and let the paramedic place the pads, watching the monitor and praying for a shockable rhythm.
Someone was listening. VF. Ventricular fibrillation. The automated response from the machine filled the air. ‘Stand clear, shocking.’
She reached for the IV kit, her eyes not leaving the monitor. Frank’s body jerked in response to the shock. The thin green line reappeared, squiggly with no discernible pattern.
‘Stand clear, shocking,’ the machine said again. The room was silent. Frank’s body jerked once again and this time the line was different. It took a few seconds to appear, but this time it was a slow sinus rhythm.
Corrine didn’t stop to think. She turned Frank’s arm over and quickly inserted a cannula for venous access. They’d need it if he arrested again.
Everything moved like clockwork. Austin sat back, allowing the other paramedic to check the airway and slip an oxygen mask in place as they positioned Frank onto the stretcher.
There was no end of volunteers to help take the stretcher out to the waiting ambulance and Corrine gave one of the paramedics a nod. ‘I’ll be coming with you.’
He acknowledged her as they lifted Frank into the back of the ambulance. Marcia came over and grabbed her arm. ‘Call me as soon as you get there. Adam’s already contacting Frank’s daughter. We’ll let you know when we get her.’
Something prickled at the back of her spine. She looked at the crowded, anxious faces staring into the back of the ambulance. One was missing.
‘Give me a sec,’ she shouted to the paramedic as he hooked Frank up to their equipment.
She pushed her way through the crowd. Austin wasn’t anywhere in sight.
It only took a few steps to reach the gents’ again. He was standing quietly, staring at the floor where Frank had lain and rubbing his hands together. She recognised that look.
She’d seen it numerous times throughout her career. Whether it was a student doctor, a new nurse or even an old-timer exposed to a situation they weren’t used to.
She just hadn’t expected it from Mr Confidence.
She walked over quickly and stood right under his nose, reaching over and touching his arm. ‘Austin?’
He blinked and stepped back. He hadn’t even realised she’d entered.
She squeezed his arm. ‘You did good. Thanks for your help.’ It was all she had time for. She had to leave right now. But her knowledge and experience meant she’d never leave a team member without acknowledging their part.
His blue eyes met hers. Zing. It was like a little thunderbolt. ‘Any time,’ he murmured quietly as his gaze drifted down to the floor.
Her stomach flip-flopped. Frank was her priority. Frank was all that mattered right now. She nodded and ran back to the door.
Everything else would have to wait.
CHAPTER THREE
AUSTIN GLANCED AROUND the room. He’d met all the other candidates as they’d arrived over the last two days, but this morning was their first official training day. The room was awash with the signature bright blue flight suits. He’d felt a real surge of pride this morning as he’d put it on.
He’d worked hard for this. Focused hard to finally get to wear the uniform he’d always wanted. He’d snapped a quick pic to send to his mum and dad. That had been around fifteen minutes ago—by now, his mother would have printed out twenty copies to give to all her friends.
All the instructors were standing in front of them. Everyone in the room knew Frank was missing. He’d found a handwritten note from Corrine in his mailbox this morning saying Frank was doing as well as could be expected. His hand slipped into his pocket and he touched the piece of paper. She’d used a purple pen. It had made him smile. Kind of quirky.
Corrine looked tired this morning. She had dark circles under her eyes and he wondered if she’d stayed at the hospital all night with Frank. She was wearing her obligatory dark suit and a pale pink shirt. And because he was sitting in the front row the scent of her perfume was drifting towards him. It was light, but not quite floral, something more vanilla. The kind of scent that made you think something was good enough to eat.
Adam Bailey cleared his throat. ‘Guys, I’ve been where you are. I know how proud you all feel right now and I want you to know that we recognise your achievement of being selected. There were over six thousand applications for the Astronaut Candidate Programme this time around. It’s not an easy process to go through—we all appreciate that. But the time for celebration is over.’
He pressed his finger down on the desk in front of him. ‘Now is the time for hard work.’ He looked around the room. ‘Your Astronaut Candidate Training will include scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, Extravehicular Activity—EVA—robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training, water and wilderness survival training and medical training. If you can’t already do it—you’ll have to learn to speak Russian. And your training will be in a variety of settings. You’ll be in Kazakhstan and in Russia. You’ll be in the Aquarius research station in Key Largo. You’ll be in the desert. You’ll be in the jungle. And you’ll log more hours in the neutral buoyancy lab than you’ll want to.’
He turned towards Corrine and the rest of her team. ‘You’ll already know which doctor has been allocated to you to work with you through your training. These people will get to know you better than you currently know yourself. Use them. Work with them.’ He turned back to the candidates. ‘While I’d love it if you all ended up in space, the simple fact is that some of you won’t. Medical issues can crop up. Life can get in the way. Your focus and commitment is essential to your success in this programme. I expect you all to do your utmost to fulfil your dreams.’
The person next to Austin started clapping. There were a few seconds of a
wkward silence before others joined in. The surge of pride went through him as he looked around. God willing, in a couple of years’ time he could be spending a few months in space with these people.
The ultimate goal.
He looked along the line of instructors. Three of them had been astronauts. Some were doctors. And others were experts in the types of technology they’d use aboard the space station. Every one of them had something to teach him.
So why did his eyes keep going back to the tired blonde on the platform?
CHAPTER FOUR
CORRINE SMILED AS she stood at the side of the training pool. She liked early mornings. It was her favourite time. Sipping her coffee as she watched the sunrise was always her favourite part of the day.
There was something so calming about watching the smudges of orange and yellow emerge from the distance. She lived only a few miles from the base in an old clapboard-style house with its own front porch. She’d even managed to find an old rocker for her porch and drank her coffee there every morning. It grounded her. The last eight years had been hard—all driving towards her goal of working at WSSA. Once qualified she’d worked as an emergency medicine specialist for a few years before studying Aerospace Medicine at Dayton, Ohio for two years. There had been no time for fun, no time for relationships and no time for socialising.
At least that was what she told anyone who asked. It seemed simpler.
She didn’t want pity. Her first experience had been with a guy much older who had treated her badly. She’d learned quickly—the hard way. She’d escaped with a promptly placed bottle to the back of his skull and vowed never to let herself seem vulnerable again. A few years of self-defence classes had taught her everything she needed to know. Everything had to be on her terms. And every relationship after that had been. Trouble was, most guys didn’t like that. And she’d never let herself get truly emotionally involved with any of them.
Now, she had the job of her dreams and the mortgage on a house to match. Who needed a guy? All she needed was a dog.