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  Ethan checked his altimeter. He’d just pinged past 3,000 feet.

  SHIT!

  17

  He didn’t have time to think about how bad everything was. What he had to do was get the hell out of the deep shit he found himself in. The thought that in saving Kat’s life he could soon be ending his own really pissed him off.

  Get a grip, he told himself. Focus.

  Unable to reach the ripcord for his main canopy, he was now reliant on his reserve. There were two ways to activate that: use his good arm, the one still keeping him stable, to pull the toggle and release the reserve; or do nothing and trust the AAD to do its stuff. If he reached over to pull the toggle, he’d spin and lose control. The spin could cause the lines to twist and that would be it – bounce time. But if he did nothing and the AAD failed, he was dead anyway.

  The altimeter pinged again – he’d just passed 2,000.

  He didn’t like leaving things up to fate and his equipment. He gritted his teeth and went for the toggle. But, as expected, the movement of his good arm spun him violently to the right, straining his neck. He tried again and again, but each time he came within inches of the toggle, then spun again.

  Ethan heard his altimeter ping. He’d zipped past 1,000 feet. Everything was now down to the AAD.

  Ethan closed his eyes . . .

  . . . and felt himself yanked from 120 to 10 mph in seconds. His knackered arm flapped around, then smacked him hard in the face. The sensation stung. He didn’t mind though. It meant he was alive.

  As Ethan glided gently to the ground, in the silence underneath his reserve canopy, he screamed. It was all he could do. He’d saved someone’s life, nearly killed himself in the process, but survived none the less. It was definitely something to scream about.

  When he landed, he was still screaming. The reserve, not being very manoeuvrable, had placed him a few hundred metres away from the DZ, so he just lay there for a few moments, trying to take it all in. He’d never been so close to death. It wasn’t something he ever wanted to experience again. But now that he had, now that he’d been seconds away from oblivion, he felt that something monumental had changed for him. OK, so the skydiving had given him a chance to see what he was capable of, to realize that there was more to life than worrying about exams and his dad. But what he’d just done – saving Kat, saving himself – had made him feel more alive than ever before. In fact, it was as though he’d been asleep his whole life and had only now fully woken up. He took a deep breath, held it, breathed out. He felt absolutely and completely aware of every part of his body, like every single bit of who he was buzzed with life. Everything around him looked clearer, the colours brighter, the air fresher. He knew then that skydiving wasn’t just a part of his life, it was his life.

  Ethan heard a motorbike pulling up close, then someone jogging over.

  ‘I hope you’re not dead, because if you are I’ll have to ride back and get the minibus to shift your sorry carcass.’

  Ethan looked up to see Johnny grinning down at him. ‘Nope,’ he said. ‘Not dead. Not even slightly.’

  ‘Anything broken?’

  Ethan waved his one good arm. ‘This one works fine, the other one doesn’t. I felt it pop when I bumped into Kat.’

  Johnny sat down, helped him to sit up. ‘You saved Kat’s life, Eth.’

  ‘And the AAD saved mine,’ said Ethan. ‘Kat OK?’

  Johnny nodded. ‘Yeah, but she’s gone to the hospital for a check-up. Sam spotted her first. He was watching the plane when she jumped. He knew something was wrong right away.’

  ‘So he saw me jump out after her?’

  ‘It was unbelievable, Eth, just insane . . .’ Johnny paused. ‘You know you could’ve been killed?’

  ‘Wasn’t really thinking about that,’ said Ethan. ‘I saw Kat fall from the plane unconscious; didn’t really have much choice but to go out after her.’

  They heard the rumble of a large engine and turned to see Sam’s Defender come to a standstill a few metres away. Sam got out, leaving the engine running, jogged over, nodded. ‘Ethan.’

  ‘Sam . . .’ Ethan nodded back.

  ‘Can you walk?’

  Ethan nodded again.

  ‘His arm’s shot though,’ said Johnny. ‘Guess he’ll be following Kat to the hospital.’

  ‘Help me get him into the Defender,’ said Sam, looking at Johnny.

  Johnny nodded, unclipped Ethan from his rig, then helped Sam pick him up and walk him round to the passenger side.

  ‘I’ll leave the bike at the café and then get in the back,’ said Johnny.

  Ethan watched as he jumped on his bike, kicked it into life, spun it through 180 degrees, flinging dirt skyward, then sped off back to FreeFall, kicking out a quick wheelie on the way.

  Ethan laughed, even though it hurt.

  ‘He’s a one-off,’ Sam muttered, gesturing at Johnny. ‘Don’t think I’ve ever seen him without a smile on his face.’ Then he clambered into the driver’s seat and looked Ethan dead in the eye. ‘What you did, Ethan, was absolutely bloody idiotic.’

  Ethan opened his mouth, closed it, didn’t know what to say.

  ‘You are extremely lucky that you both survived. I’m not even going to bother listing the number of things that could’ve gone wrong. I’m amazed nothing did. You should, by all accounts, be dead. Both of you.’

  ‘But—’ said Ethan.

  ‘No buts,’ interrupted Sam, his voice hard. ‘You need to understand that it’s as much luck as skill that you got away with it. By jumping out after Kat you put both your lives at risk – I could have been dealing with two dead skydivers.’

  Ethan looked at him. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was Sam really saying he’d have done better to let Kat fall – possibly to her death?

  ‘You shouldn’t have tried to go after her, Ethan. It was very brave and it took a lot of skill, but also, you got lucky. Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it before and I hope I never do again. Understand?’

  Ethan nodded.

  ‘Good,’ said Sam, and put the Defender into first gear. But before he pulled away he turned back to Ethan.

  ‘What?’ snapped Ethan. He was still reeling from the bollocking he’d just been given.

  ‘Well done,’ Sam said, reaching out to rest a heavy hand on Ethan’s good shoulder. ‘Bloody well done.’

  Having picked up Johnny, Sam drove Ethan to the hospital. On the way he asked Ethan, ‘Got a mobile on you?’

  Ethan nodded.

  ‘Good,’ said Sam. ‘Then I suggest you call your parents. They’ll want to know what happened.’

  ‘No chance,’ said Ethan. ‘Mum’s working and would only freak if she knew. She’s got enough to worry about as it is. If she starts thinking skydiving’s dangerous . . .’ His voice faded and he stared out through the windscreen. If his mum found out about this, she’d panic, maybe want him to stop skydiving. He couldn’t let that happen.

  ‘What about your dad?’ asked Sam.

  ‘What about him?’ Ethan countered.

  Sam looked across at him. ‘Like that, is it?’

  Ethan nodded.

  ‘Your call,’ said Sam. ‘If you’re sure.’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  It wasn’t long before Sam pulled into the A&E bay. It seemed that the story of what had happened in the air had already swept through the medical staff like wildfire.

  Ethan was soon sitting with Johnny and Sam as a doctor examined him. The doctor listened quietly while Ethan told him what had happened. Ethan noticed his eyes widen at specific points in the story. But then he did something to Ethan’s shoulder that not only hurt like hell but sounded pretty horrible too. Something slipped into place and Ethan found he could move his arm again, though it felt sore.

  The doctor stood back, adjusted his stethoscope, then turned to look at Ethan. ‘I’m assuming, young man, that I don’t need to tell you just how lucky you are to be not simply alive, but pretty much unscathed.’

/>   Ethan shook his head. Sam had made that fact all too clear.

  ‘Normally,’ explained the doctor, ‘I would expect two people who’d essentially collided in mid-air to be in various bits and pieces in the morgue. However’ – he shook his head wonderingly – ‘it seems that you have come as close to dying as is possible – and lived to tell the tale.’

  Ethan attempted a smile, and the doctor smiled back.

  ‘Your young lady friend, as is to be expected, is somewhat grateful for what you did,’ he said.

  ‘Where is Kat?’ Ethan asked. ‘I’d like to see her.’

  ‘She’s in better shape than you,’ said the doctor. ‘Mild concussion. Doesn’t remember much apart from standing up in the plane and then waking up on the ground. I’ll have a nurse take you to see her.’

  Ethan looked up at this. ‘Really?’

  The doctor nodded. ‘You dislocated your shoulder, that’s all. Mild bruising. However’ – and he looked hard at Ethan at this point – ‘you will need to rest.’

  Sam looked up at the doctor, who returned the stare.

  ‘He’ll be on a course of painkillers and anti-inflammatory tablets,’ he explained. ‘I recommend a minimum of four weeks’ rest, to give the shoulder a chance to mend. I trust you will be able to make sure this adventurous spirit can be otherwise engaged until then?’

  Sam gave him a simple ‘Yes.’

  ‘Good,’ said the doctor, and quickly but carefully put Ethan’s arm in a simple sling. ‘Any questions?’

  Ethan looked at his arm. Four weeks’ rest! Damn.

  ‘Would I be able to see Kat now?’ he asked.

  Kat was lying on a bed, fully clothed. Natalya was with her. When Ethan walked in with Johnny and Sam, it felt like they’d stumbled into a seriously private, hear-any-of-this-and-you’re-dead conversation.

  Kat looked up, pushed her hair out of her face. She attempted a smile but she looked awkward, embarrassed.

  Natalya gave Kat a hug, then came over to Ethan. ‘You are either a brave fool or foolishly brave,’ she told him.

  ‘I think probably a bit of both, don’t you, Ethan?’ said Sam.

  Ethan did a good impression of a goldfish, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say and failed.

  ‘Kat OK?’ asked Johnny.

  ‘More than,’ said Natalya. ‘She survived the whole thing and does not remember any of it.’ She turned back to Ethan. ‘You saved her life, Ethan. That she will not forget.’

  ‘And neither will we,’ put in Sam.

  ‘He’s such a hero, aren’t you, Eth?’ said Johnny. ‘But then he had me to learn from, so how could he be anything else?’

  Natalya looked at Johnny and shook her head with the ghost of a smile. ‘I will leave you with her,’ she said. She glanced at Ethan, nodded, then disappeared through the swing doors.

  ‘She’s so intense,’ said Ethan.

  ‘Exciting, isn’t it?’ Johnny grinned. ‘Makes me feel all tingly.’

  They went over to Kat’s bed. Sam was looking down at her, face stern. Ethan tried to smile but it felt forced, like it was a smile he was wearing, not one he actually meant.

  ‘M’lady,’ said Johnny, ‘we bring you your knight in shining armour.’ He glanced at Ethan. ‘Well, we bring Ethan. Hope that’s good enough. Apparently he saved your life.’

  Ethan smiled, said, ‘Hi,’ but could think of nothing else. Kat looked pretty good, considering what she’d just gone through. Waking up to find you’d been seconds from being killed must be a fair shock, he thought.

  ‘You had me scared up there, young lady,’ Sam told her.

  ‘It was an accident,’ she said. ‘I just slipped and hit the door, I think. Ethan knows more about what happened than I do.’

  ‘That was it really,’ he confirmed. ‘You banged your head.’ He grinned. ‘Pity that shiny new helmet of yours didn’t arrive today.’

  ‘Ironic, isn’t it?’ said Kat. ‘The week I go and order one is the week I have an accident.’

  ‘It’s not irony, it’s fate,’ said Johnny, sitting down on the end of her bed.

  ‘In what way’s that, then?’ asked Kat.

  ‘Don’t know,’ said Johnny. ‘But it sounds good, doesn’t it? All mysterious and stuff. Like me.’

  Sam said, ‘Well, now that I see you’re OK, I’m going to make a phone call. I’ll be back in five.’

  Johnny stood up. ‘I’ll come with you.’ He turned to Ethan and Kat. ‘Body . . . needs . . . chocolate . . . must . . . eat . . .’

  Then Kat and Ethan were alone. Ethan looked at Kat, smiled, looked back at the floor, then out the window, and finally took an exceptional interest in the pattern of the curtains. He could have said a lot about what had happened – what it had been like to see Kat fall from the plane, how every single second seemed to be burned into his brain with such clarity it was like watching a movie in high definition – but he just couldn’t find the words. At last he looked at Kat again.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, breaking the silence. ‘What you did, it was amazing.’

  ‘As Johnny would say – “I know,”’ replied Ethan.

  ‘I mean it. I’m alive because of you. I shouldn’t even be sitting here. I didn’t wake up until after I’d landed, and even then I had no idea what had happened. And now it seems you’re more injured than I am.’

  ‘I’m all right,’ said Ethan. ‘Just got to rest the arm for a few weeks, that’s all.’

  ‘What about skydiving?’

  Ethan shrugged. ‘Don’t know,’ he said. ‘Just have to wait it out, I guess.’

  ‘That sucks,’ said Kat. ‘I’ll be in the air before you. That doesn’t seem right, seeing as it’s my fault you’re injured.’

  ‘Think you’ll be nervous?’

  ‘I’d be more nervous if I could never jump again,’ said Kat.

  Ethan smiled. He wasn’t handling this well, and he knew it. He wasn’t cut out to be the hero. He’d just reacted, that was all; it was instinct.

  ‘I’m really sorry, Ethan,’ said Kat. ‘I was a cow to you before the jump and then I put your life at risk. Unbelievable.’

  ‘It’s OK. To be honest, I’m as stunned as you are by all this,’ said Ethan. And he was. It wasn’t like he’d planned any of it. Kat had fallen, he’d gone after her. At the time he hadn’t really thought about what he was doing. All he’d known was that he had to save Kat. And he’d done that. ‘I just jumped out after you,’ he told her. ‘You’d have done the same. Anyone would.’

  Kat laughed. ‘You really think so?’

  ‘Sure,’ said Ethan. ‘I was just there at the time, that’s all. Anyway, how long do you have to stay here for?’

  Kat shuffled slightly on the bed. ‘To be honest, I don’t actually need to be here at all. There’s not a scratch on me. They’re just keeping me in overnight for observation. I think it’s just because they like coming in to ask me about what happened. No one can really believe it.’

  ‘It’s quite a story, isn’t it?’ said Ethan, grinning. ‘You flying through the air unconscious, me flying in to save you. We’ll be on the front page of the newspapers before we know it.’

  ‘If you were Johnny, I’m pretty sure photographers and reporters would already be here,’ said Kat. ‘You know he’s not going to shut up about this for about a million years, don’t you?’

  ‘It’ll be fun to hear how the story gets exaggerated in the telling,’ said Ethan. ‘By the end of the week you’ll have been jumping without a parachute.’

  They both laughed. Ethan couldn’t help feeling a little proud of what he’d done. Even Johnny hadn’t done anything like that – which was saying something. And as icebreakers went, having your life saved certainly seemed to work: Kat was being more friendly now than she’d ever been. The only bummer in the whole thing was that he wouldn’t be skydiving for a month. Skydiving had completely taken over his life. He lived it and breathed it. He spent every waking moment thinking about it, a
nd at night he dreamed of falling through the sky with a big fat smile on his face. So what would he do with himself for the next four weeks?

  ‘You OK?’

  Ethan looked at Kat. ‘Just thinking about the skydiving,’ he said. ‘Can’t believe I won’t be able to do it for four weeks. Seems like for ever.’

  ‘It’s not that long,’ said Kat. ‘Anyway, that’s not as long as Jake’s got to wait, is it?’

  Ethan looked at her. ‘He’s only been banned from jumping at FreeFall. Sam can’t stop him jumping elsewhere, can he?’

  ‘No,’ said Kat, ‘but what he did can. Word gets round, Eth. And messing with rigs is the sin of all sins in skydiving.’

  ‘So he’s really screwed?’

  Kat nodded. ‘Totally.’ She laughed. ‘Anyway, you’ve got more important things to worry about. Like your addiction.’

  Ethan looked at her.

  ‘Johnny’s right about that. I can see it in your eyes,’ she continued. ‘Skydiving does this to people – takes them over completely. You’re addicted, Ethan. Join the club.’

  Ethan grinned. ‘Nuts really, isn’t it? I’ve only been doing it for a few weeks, and look at me!’

  ‘Don’t knock it,’ said Kat. ‘When you find something that you not only love doing, but do well, it’s a great feeling. You’re lucky.’

  ‘We both are,’ said Ethan.

  18

  ‘You’ve a face on you like a slapped arse,’ said Sam when he next saw Ethan at FreeFall. ‘How’s the shoulder?’

  Ethan was back at work. His shoulder felt fine. All he could think about was the fact that he couldn’t jump. For four weeks. It bugged the hell out of him.

  ‘Fine,’ he replied. ‘Aches a little, that’s all.’ He moved his shoulder as if to prove a point, winced.

  ‘Yes, I can see how everything’s just fine,’ said Sam. ‘So listen.’

  Ethan was struck by the purpose in his voice. It sounded like he had a plan.

  ‘You’re a damned good skydiver, Ethan. Don’t let your impatience ruin it. Give the shoulder enough time to heal and you’ll be back in the air. But if you don’t rest it, you’ll knacker it up completely. Don’t let that happen.’