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with his skinwalker. He shook his head, and a single tear slid down the side of his
weathered face. His voice grew faint and jumbled.  Too soon, too soon. I didn t tell him
enough. He won t understand the path he is destined to walk.
Greg grasped the dark-skinned fingers wrapped tightly around his wrist and held on,
trying to silently reassure the distraught man.  It ll be all right, you re just a little confused
by everything that s happened.
Dark s eyes reluctantly fluttered and closed.
 Rest. Greg stared at Dark, trying to imagine what the man could have seen out there
that would have given him the impression of a werewolf, but rational thought kept
intruding.  He must have seen someone else out there.
 Who would be out there, in the middle of nowhere? Shivering noticeably, Webb
grabbed a blanket from a nearby linen cart and placed it over Dark s chest. She took another
Out There in the Night 39
one and wrapped it around her own shoulders, covering the short sleeves of the thin, scrub
top.
 There is one possibility, Doc. Mitch moved to the end of the bed and watched his
friend drift off to sleep, putting an end to any more answers they were going to get from
him.  There is a small tribe that lives north of Raven Gully, an isolated Dena ina settlement.
They are known for avoiding others outside their tribe. If they had come across the accident,
they would have taken Dr. Jacy there.
 Really? Greg stood up, slowly slipping his hand from Dark s now lax grip. He turned
to face Mitch, happy to have something to latch onto.  I didn t know there was a settlement
that far out.
Greg frowned, then the furrows marking his forehead smoothed out in relief.  But
that s good. At least there s the possibility Connor got help -- that he s not lying out there
frozen to death, or being used as a meal for the scavengers. Greg stood up straighter, his
mouth pressed into a firm line.  He s not dead if someone carried him away.
 Why leave Dark behind? Webb asked.
 Maybe they thought he was dead. Mitch stared down at his counterpart. Dark s chest
rose and fell in a shallow rhythm, and he groaned softly in his sleep.
Webb glanced at the still, ashen-faced man covered in casts and bandages, a chest tube
running from his left side to a container on the floor.  Well, he certainly looked dead when
he got here.
 Maybe. It would make sense. Greg glanced at Dark, then began pacing in the narrow
space between the beds, his pace increasing with each word he spoke.  Doesn t matter now.
He s here and on the mend. And now we have an idea of where to look for Connor. That s
what matters. Finding Connor and making sure he s all right.
Mitch moved to the doorway with the same energy of purpose that had taken over
Greg.  I will make sure the search team is ready.
 Yes. Greg pointed his finger at Mitch and began ticking off items on his fingertips.
 Two medical packs and all the portable drugs, including supplies for transfusions. Extra
blankets, and tell Emily to make sure no sulfa drugs are in the kit. Connor s allergic to them.
I want to leave as soon as it s light enough to see the trail, Mitch. Not one minute later. We
still don t know how badly he s hurt.
Mitch nodded and disappeared down the hallway. Webb followed him out, saying,  I ll
check on the drug packs for you.
Feeling a sudden, unexplainable loss when Mitch left the room, Greg tried to track the
man by his footsteps, but the guide was too light on his feet. Greg suddenly realized how
much he depended on Mitch, counted on him as a guide and as a friend. He had never
thought of Mitch that way before. Actually, he didn t usually think about Mitch very often
at all. Never had to, the man was always there.
40 Laura Baumbach
Greg looked at Dark lying on the bed and allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. He
and Webb had saved Dark s life today. The older man would be able to return to his normal
activities in time. And now they needed time to find the other accident victim.
His thoughts turned immediately to Connor, overwhelmed by the fear the young man
would be in worse shape than Dark. Greg sniffed and wiped at his eyes, forcing the terror of
failure back into the dark place he always kept it, chained under a façade of casual
indifference.
Looking out into the black night through the large window at one end of the room,
Greg spoke out loud, defying anyone or anything that might be listening.
 I m not losing this one, either.
Out There in the Night 41
Chapter Seven
By six o clock the next morning, Mitch joined six local volunteers, two police officers,
and Greg for the search.
The medical pack Greg had packed was so heavy Mitch had trouble lifting it onto the
gurney sled being towed behind his snow machine.
Mitch noted the way conversation among the men was nearly non-existent, the group s
mood somber. Word had traveled about the severity of Dark s injuries. The possibility they
would find the well-liked young doctor in the same shape, or worse, was never far from their
thoughts.
When the first rays of dull sunshine lightened the shroud of snow-filled clouds
overhead, the ten men climbed aboard their machines and set out on the trail. The most
experienced tracker in the group, Mitch naturally took the lead.
Changing his usual role of outspoken leader to quiet follower without complaint, Greg
fell into position by Mitch s side.
Stealing a glance at Greg as the doctor pulled up beside him, Mitch gave him a quick
nod, his eyes silently acknowledging the shift in their roles. Mitch took the moment to
unexpectedly wink at the doctor, startling him. When Greg could only blink back in wide-
eyed surprise, Mitch s lips twitched into a tiny, flirtatious smile, and he roared off, the rest of
the team following close behind.
* * * * *
The pounding in his head made Connor s stomach roll. Behind his eyes, bright lights
stabbed into his brain like a thousand tiny shards of broken glass. His limbs felt as if they
were encased in lead. His body heavy and non-responsive, he felt a rush of panic constrict
his throat.
42 Laura Baumbach
He clenched his fists to help him roll to his side and unexpectedly gripped warm flesh
beneath the fingers of one hand. Muscles twitching, Connor realized someone was holding
his hand and he forced open leaden eyelids. Expecting to see Greg, his heart thundered in his
chest when his blurry eyes saw only a large, dark, shadowy form leaning over him, holding
on to him. It was too large to be Greg.
Disjointed memories flashed through his mind at high speed. The last thing he saw
before passing out had been the glowing eyes and dark fur of some huge, wild animal. In the
flickering, dim light cast by a blazing fire in the hearth on the opposite wall, the hulking
body sitting next to him vaguely seemed to take on the same features. Mind racing and body
resisting all his efforts to calm down, Connor retched and heaved, terror racing through him. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]