The Ice Sings Back by M Jackson

Author:M Jackson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Green Writers Press
Published: 2022-11-15T15:43:10+00:00

10

THE

MEDIC

May sat huddled under someone else’s heavy down jacket, feet dangling off the lowered tailgate of the bush truck. It was late, cold, and the sheer volume of people’s voices, whining generators, vehicle engines, and wind flapping the canopy covers numbed May, chipped away at her already-exhausted body.

She pulled the jacket tighter, smelled the cigarette-mixed-with-lemon-balm aroma of the person who owned the jacket, wondered when they’d come and reclaim it. May could not recall where her own was—she suspected she might have left it up there, by the glacier, by all those bodies.

“Good job today, Young,” a voice called from the dark.

May jerked her head up, saw Baker emerging from the parking lot, headlamp glowing from his forehead like a cyclops. He strolled over, leaned against the tailgate.

“God, not easy,” he continued, arms crossed.

May wasn’t sure what response Baker might want. Right now, she didn’t really feel like talking. Then again, Baker was there, he’d sought her out, so perhaps she should put more effort into interacting with him. She wished he was as easy to talk to as Jamal and Lou. Even though every muscle in her neck screeched, she tilted her head, looked up at Baker. “Yeah,” she managed. Waited to see if he wanted more.

“Whatcha doing sitting out here?” Clearly, he wanted to talk.

She leaned further back against the side of the truck bed. “I’m waiting for Chief,” May explained. “He told me he wanted a debrief, to wait here at the bush truck. So, I’m here.” She kicked her legs a little, tried to get the blood moving in her feet.

“But didn’t I hear you radio in over an hour ago? Have you eaten?” Baker pushed away from the bush truck where he’d been leaning, swung his face two inches from hers. Looked hard into her eyes. “Young, how long you been sitting here?”

She looked down, felt profoundly tired. Worried that the person who owned the jacket would come back and take it. Realized just how cold she was. She pulled an arm from the borrowed jacket, looked at her watch. Wow. She hadn’t realized what time it was. “Just an hour or so,” she murmured. “But Chief is busy.”

“Ah, Young.”

May leaned away from him. She had no idea why he was looking at her like that, but she was too tired to fence, to soothe, to defuse. Couldn’t be bothered to wonder at all. Honestly, all she wanted to do was lay down, go to sleep. She felt just like the first-year interns on Grey’s Anatomy, the ones who knocked out forty-eight-hour shifts and still looked good. She suspected she looked less than good. Tried to shake away her mother’s voice in her head.

“I’ll be right back.” Baker shook his head, turned on his heel, strode away into the sea of vehicles and tents surrounding Command.

May sighed heavily, closed her eyes as she felt unexpected tears gather. Opened them again, looked into her lap. All she wanted to do was just sit right there, wait, keep her big hands warm in the jacket.

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