Up Against It by M. J. Locke

Author:M. J. Locke
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Space Opera, General, Science Fiction, Adventure, Life on other planets, Fiction
ISBN: 9780765315151
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates
Published: 2011-03-14T10:00:00+00:00

18

People crammed into the emergency room. They waited in lines, or were strapped to the walls with compresses, bandages, and ice packs, or were moved around on gurneys. The triage medics took one look at Ian, loaded him onto a stretcher, and whisked him away. Amaya, Kam, and Geoff clung to the waiting area ropeworks, silent, while the old man spoke to the doctors and dealt with the paperwork.

In a few moments, Moriarty came over. “These fine folks want to check you over, once things settle down a bit. It’ll be a few moments. In the meantime, why don’t you call your families and check in?” He tossed a link to Geoff. “Communications are still FUBAR, but I have priority access.”

“Thanks,” Geoff said. He clicked the comm link, and punched in his dad’s code. The call went through. It was audio only, and the line had a lot of noise.

His dad’s voice quavered. “Hello?”

“Dad, it’s me.” Geoff’s own voice wobbled a bit, too. “Are you OK? Is Mom there?”

“She’s here. We’re both all right.” Then, before Geoff had even a second to register relief, his father started in. “Where the hell have you been? Why aren’t you calling on your own line?”

“Dad, I’m sorry … the lines are down. But I’m all right.”

“‘All right.’ All right? We’ve been worried sick about you! I’ve been trying to reach you all night! What have you been off doing? Joyriding on that damn bike of yours? All you had to do was call! After what happened to your brother, don’t you think you could show a little consideration? Your mother has been beside herself! I saw the originating number and thought they were calling me to tell me you were dead!”

By this time, his father was screaming at him. Geoff could only hang there and take it. Worse, when they found out Geoff had been fighting machines out in the Hollow, and heard what had happened to Ian, Dad and Mom would have to be scraped off the bulkheads.

Amaya and Kam were looking at him; they couldn’t hear his dad but they could see his expression. He closed his eyes, tuning out his dad’s hateful words. It never mattered what he did; he got shit for it.

“I’m at the hospital,” Geoff said finally, when his dad paused to take a breath. He resisted the impulse to yell, because a machine just pulled my friend’s arm off, you asshole! “They just want to check me over. I’ll be home in about an hour. OK … gotta go … bye.”

He hung up before his dad could reply.

A medic waved him over to be examined. He went with her, even though he knew he was fine. She smiled at him as they floated together down the hospital corridor. “You’re that biker that saved the ice!”

He felt his face heat up. “Yeah.”

He could tell by how she looked at him sidelong that she liked him, and that if he showed interest, he might end up with her digits.

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