one on Harley Street.�
Rutherford and Frenchie looked puzzled. �But that's for indigent women,� Rutherford said.
�Any port in a storm,� Sinclair replied.
It might yet be possible, he thought, to salvage something from this night.
��� CHAPTER NINE
December 1, 11:45 a.m.
THE STORM RAGED for hours, and only let up by late morning the next day. The damaged aloft con had been abandoned and sealed off for the duration of the voyage.
Dr. Barnes had helped the ship's own medic to remove the ice and glass shards from Lieutenant Kathleen Healey's face, but her eyes were still severely compromised and Charlotte thought she should be taken back to civilization�and a first-rate ophthalmologist�as fast as possible.
�She could permanently lose the sight in one or even both of her eyes,� she told the captain in his private cabin. Purcell didn't say anything, but looked down at his shoes, thinking hard, and when he looked up again a few seconds later, he said, �Start packing.�
�Come again?�
�I'd planned to get you closer to Port Ad�lie before launching the chopper, but I think we can make it from here.�
Charlotte really didn't like the sound of that �I think.�
�We'll just have to jettison some of the provisions and supplies,in order to lower the cargo weight. Then we can board you and Mr. Hirsch and Mr. Wilde, with your gear, and take off from here. The chopper should be able to carry just enough fuel to drop you there, and then get back to us while we're already heading back north. Lieutenant Ramsey!� he called out as the officer passed through the corridor outside.
�Sir?�
�Prepare the helicopter. Who are our pilots on this trip?�
�That would be Ensigns Diaz and Jarvis.�
�Order them to fuel it up and be ready to deliver our three passengers to Point Ad�lie ASAP.�
�From here, sir? Won't��
But the captain cut him short, completed his instructions, then dismissed him. Returning his attention to Charlotte, he asked if she'd tell Wilde and Hirsch to get a move on, too.
�How long should I tell them they've got?�
The captain glanced at his watch, then said, �Let's shoot for 1300 hours.�
Charlotte still had to do the quick math�that meant 1 p.m. And that meant she had about fifty-five minutes.
Darryl she knew where to find�he was still lying in his cot, less green than he'd been the night before, but still a color no human being should ever be. When she told him the news, he closed his eyes, clearly willing himself to get up, and did.
�You gonna be all right?� she asked, watching him move, like a sleepwalker, toward his bags.
�Uh-huh,� he said. �Go on, get Michael.�
�You know where?�
�Where else? On deck.�
Charlotte did not have time for a concerted search�she had her own stuff to get together�but she quickly went up on the main deck, looked toward the bow, and saw nothing, then looked aft, where several crewmen were wrestling the dark green tarp off the helicopter fixed to its raised pad. The wind was still strong, and the tarp whipped around like a monstrous cape. Getting a photo of the undertaking was Michael.
�Did you know we're supposed to be on that helicopter,� she said, �in less than an hour?�
�Yep,� he said, still kneeling to get the shot he wanted. �The crew told me. Most of my stuff never came out of my duffel. I'm ready to go in three minutes.�
�Aren't you Mr. Smarty Pants,� she said. �Well, I got things to do. When you go below for your stuff, make sure you bring Darryl with you. That boy still doesn't look all that steady on his feet.�
As Charlotte headed below, Michael finished taking a couple of shots, then hastily stowed his gear. He had finally gotten his sea legs, and could pretty well anticipate�and correct for�the rolling and rocking of the boat. But he
Rutherford and Frenchie looked puzzled. �But that's for indigent women,� Rutherford said.
�Any port in a storm,� Sinclair replied.
It might yet be possible, he thought, to salvage something from this night.
��� CHAPTER NINE
December 1, 11:45 a.m.
THE STORM RAGED for hours, and only let up by late morning the next day. The damaged aloft con had been abandoned and sealed off for the duration of the voyage.
Dr. Barnes had helped the ship's own medic to remove the ice and glass shards from Lieutenant Kathleen Healey's face, but her eyes were still severely compromised and Charlotte thought she should be taken back to civilization�and a first-rate ophthalmologist�as fast as possible.
�She could permanently lose the sight in one or even both of her eyes,� she told the captain in his private cabin. Purcell didn't say anything, but looked down at his shoes, thinking hard, and when he looked up again a few seconds later, he said, �Start packing.�
�Come again?�
�I'd planned to get you closer to Port Ad�lie before launching the chopper, but I think we can make it from here.�
Charlotte really didn't like the sound of that �I think.�
�We'll just have to jettison some of the provisions and supplies,in order to lower the cargo weight. Then we can board you and Mr. Hirsch and Mr. Wilde, with your gear, and take off from here. The chopper should be able to carry just enough fuel to drop you there, and then get back to us while we're already heading back north. Lieutenant Ramsey!� he called out as the officer passed through the corridor outside.
�Sir?�
�Prepare the helicopter. Who are our pilots on this trip?�
�That would be Ensigns Diaz and Jarvis.�
�Order them to fuel it up and be ready to deliver our three passengers to Point Ad�lie ASAP.�
�From here, sir? Won't��
But the captain cut him short, completed his instructions, then dismissed him. Returning his attention to Charlotte, he asked if she'd tell Wilde and Hirsch to get a move on, too.
�How long should I tell them they've got?�
The captain glanced at his watch, then said, �Let's shoot for 1300 hours.�
Charlotte still had to do the quick math�that meant 1 p.m. And that meant she had about fifty-five minutes.
Darryl she knew where to find�he was still lying in his cot, less green than he'd been the night before, but still a color no human being should ever be. When she told him the news, he closed his eyes, clearly willing himself to get up, and did.
�You gonna be all right?� she asked, watching him move, like a sleepwalker, toward his bags.
�Uh-huh,� he said. �Go on, get Michael.�
�You know where?�
�Where else? On deck.�
Charlotte did not have time for a concerted search�she had her own stuff to get together�but she quickly went up on the main deck, looked toward the bow, and saw nothing, then looked aft, where several crewmen were wrestling the dark green tarp off the helicopter fixed to its raised pad. The wind was still strong, and the tarp whipped around like a monstrous cape. Getting a photo of the undertaking was Michael.
�Did you know we're supposed to be on that helicopter,� she said, �in less than an hour?�
�Yep,� he said, still kneeling to get the shot he wanted. �The crew told me. Most of my stuff never came out of my duffel. I'm ready to go in three minutes.�
�Aren't you Mr. Smarty Pants,� she said. �Well, I got things to do. When you go below for your stuff, make sure you bring Darryl with you. That boy still doesn't look all that steady on his feet.�
As Charlotte headed below, Michael finished taking a couple of shots, then hastily stowed his gear. He had finally gotten his sea legs, and could pretty well anticipate�and correct for�the rolling and rocking of the boat. But he
Similar Books
