A Kiss To Melt Her Heart

To distract himself from thoughts of her dimples, he transferred her bags to her room while she ate, before returning to help settle her into the station. Their first stop on the way to her room was the storeroom.

‘This is our version of a supermarket, and you can help yourself to anything in here that you need,’ he told her as he waited for her to select linen, toiletries and other essentials from the shelves. ‘This floor of the shed is primarily living and rec space. We have a gym, a climbing wall, an activity centre, a library, lounge and a cinema, so there’s plenty to keep you occupied for any downtime. Everything of importance as far as your role is concerned is housed in the red shed. The other sheds are for stores, machinery, that sort of thing, although there is an area set up in one shed for those who like painting or woodwork or photography, etcetera. I’ll show you that another time. The medical centre and your room are down this way.

‘This is your donga,’ he said as he pushed open yet another door, this one leading into a bedroom. ‘And the medical centre is across the corridor.’

Sophie followed Gabe into her room. It was far from spacious. Her bags were taking up most of the free floor space, leaving just enough room for the two of them to stand side by side. The air in the room felt charged and she had a sense of anticipation but she tried to tell herself it was just the circumstances, the excitement of her new surroundings, and had nothing to do with the man standing next to her. But she was aware of how much space he took up, and as there was no room for her to move she stood beside him as she checked out her quarters.

As small as it was, it contained all the essentials. There was a single bed with built-in furniture—a tiny desk, a wardrobe and plenty of shelves and under-bed drawers for storage. It reminded her of boarding school.

‘I know it’s pretty basic but this is actually one of the dongas that has been recently refurbished. And we don’t want to make it too comfortable because we want people to get out of their rooms and socialise—it’s important in this isolated environment—but we realise people do need some privacy. You’ll have internet access for emails, etcetera, but no video calls. The password and log-in details are here on your notice-board,’ he said, as he pointed out a scrap of paper pinned to a board above the desk. ‘All the dongas have single beds. That’s not to say there aren’t South Pole romances, we’re not trying to deliberately make things difficult, but space is at a premium.’

‘I don’t think a single bed will bother me,’ she said, knowing it was of little consequence to her.

‘My room is next to yours. I also want to be close to the action but most of the accommodation is on the upper level. Now that most of the summer staff has left, I can arrange to move you upstairs if you’d prefer.’

‘No.’ Sophie shook her head. ‘It makes sense for me to be close to the medical facilities.’ She was the only doctor at the station so she needed to be close by, but she was also oddly comforted by the thought that Gabe would be close at hand too, especially while she familiarised herself with her strange new surroundings.

‘Good decision. Staying on this floor means you’ll have your own bathroom. Upstairs there are private dongas but shared facilities. You will need to keep your own bathroom clean, though. There’s a roster for Saturday chores—vacuuming, cleaning common areas, shovelling snow, that sort of thing—plus everyone volunteers for a secondary position.’

‘Secondary positions?’

‘We all take on part-time roles in addition to normal duties. Things like librarian, firefighter, medical support team, working in the hydroponics shed or helping Dom in the kitchen. There are enough options so you should be able to choose something that interests you as long as you can do it without any extra training as we won’t have time for that. But you don’t need to worry about it today. I’ll give you a rundown later. If you’re okay, I’ll leave you to get sorted. Dinner is at six and everyone will gather for a drink in the bar beforehand. Do you want me to come back for you or can you find it? It’s right next to the dining hall.’

‘I’ll find it.’

‘One last thing—it’s the final bit of information for now, I promise,’ he added, when Sophie suspected he’d noticed her bewildered expression. Gabe smiled at her and his dark eyes shone, and she wondered if she could think of a few questions for him, something to delay him leaving. She wasn’t sure that she felt like keeping her own company but she was sure he had more important matters to attend to. ‘Water is scarce over winter so we have restrictions in place.’

‘Water restrictions in a place smothered in ice?’ Sophie queried, thinking he had to be kidding.

‘That’s the problem over winter. We have plenty of ice but no water. It doesn’t rain here so until the temperatures rise and the summer melt happens we have to watch our water supply. The restrictions are mainly for showers—two minutes, every second day.’

‘Okay.’ She hadn’t been expecting that but she supposed there would be plenty more unexpected and unusual things over the next few days until she got used to her new surroundings. She closed the door behind him, letting him go. She unpacked one of her bags before deciding to explore the medical centre instead. It was her domain and she was eager to see what was in store for her.

The medical suite consisted of a consulting room, a dental and exam room, a small operating theatre, a lab, a two-bed ward, a storeroom and a bathroom. Sophie was pleasantly surprised to find the clinic so well equipped. She did a quick inventory of equipment and drugs before returning to her room. She had promised to send Luke an email to let him know she arrived safely and she figured he would have expected to hear from her by now.

She booted up her laptop and paused when the screensaver photo appeared on the display. It was a photo of Danny, taken at their wedding. The photographer had snapped it just after they’d exchanged their vows and Danny had just kissed his bride. The picture captured Danny only. He had been smiling at her, the goofy smile she had adored, and his eyes had been full of love, his dimples marking his cheeks. Sophie had loved his dimples and they had laughed about their matching genetic defects. Dimples were an inherited trait and they’d talked about passing them on to their kids. But now that wasn’t to be.

She reached out and ran her fingers over the screen, tracing the angles of Danny’s face, the line of his lips, the dip of his dimples. The photo stirred mixed emotions in her—love and sadness—but she couldn’t bring herself to change the screensaver. She needed to see him still.

She moved her hand over the keyboard and logged onto the station’s WiFi, opening up her email account before she got too maudlin. She sent Luke a quick message and promised to give more details next time when she’d had a chance to get her head around everything and had something more substantial to report or had hopefully had time to explore. It was all so different. She copied the email to the AAP division headquarters in Hobart and to her parents in Queensland to keep them in the loop. At the moment everything was very strange and new and she had no idea how to verbalise her first impressions. In a day or two things might seem less surreal.

She checked the clock and decided she had just enough time to put fresh linen on her bed and change her clothes before making her way to the bar for pre-dinner drinks. She was feeling a little homesick but knew she just needed to keep busy. She closed the laptop. She didn’t need to see Danny’s face right now, she needed to keep a clear head.

She eventually found her way to the bar by following the noise. It was almost full. Most of the expeditioners who hadn’t left today must already be in the room. She swallowed nervously and wiped her clammy hands on her jeans. She never really liked walking into a room full of strangers.

She searched the room for a familiar face and spotted Gabe behind the bar. She headed in his direction. He saw her coming and grinned at her. Sophie returned his smile gratefully, feeling her nervousness about her new surroundings settle as she tried to fight the other butterflies that stirred in her stomach in response to Gabe’s smile. She had never had such a sudden and strong reaction to any man. Danny had been familiar and comfortable. She’d never before met a stranger who could make her go weak at the knees with just a smile and a glance.

‘What will you have?’ he asked.

‘What’s on offer?’

‘Most of the crew drink beer but most of that’s brewed here at the station over summer so it may not be to your liking. Other than that, there’s whatever we’ve shipped in. There’s an allowance of two drinks per day, for all sorts of reasons, but you’re welcome to one of Dr John’s red wines or one of my Tassie beers.’

‘Thanks, but I think I’ll stick with something soft.’ She wasn’t a big drinker and while she wouldn’t have minded a glass of something to relax her she thought it was more important to stay sober and focussed until she felt more at ease. She was already aware that people were looking at her with interest. She hadn’t expected to be the object of dozens of pairs of eyes all at once as she came under the scrutiny of the entire crowd. She knew the number of people on base shrank over winter but there were still far more people here than she had anticipated. ‘I thought most people went home for winter?’

Gabe nodded. ‘They do, but there are still thirty people here for now. Another twelve will be heading home when the supply ship makes its last journey before the winter season. They’ve got some final packing up to do in preparation for winter and then they’ll head off,’ he explained.

Sophie knew the supply ship, the Explorer Australis, was due to dock at Carey in six or seven weeks’ time after visiting the other two Australian Antarctic stations. The original plan had been for Dr John to be on board, in which case she would depart then. Until then, apparently, she would be responsible for the thirty expeditioners who remained on the base.

Gabe poured her a drink and then called the room to attention. ‘Everyone, I’d like you all to welcome, Sophie Thompson, our new doc.’

His introduction was followed by a chorus of ‘G’day, Doc,’ and Sophie suspected that from now on she was going to be known simply as ‘Doc’. She didn’t mind the idea—she was sure that being known as ‘Doc’ was preferable to being known as Danny’s widow.

‘You’ll gradually meet everyone but for now let me introduce you to Finn,’ Gabe said, as a tall, thin man approached the bar. ‘Finn is our watercraft operator and along with me and Alex he’s the third member of your medical support crew.’

Finn shook her hand. ‘We’re the important ones, Gabe, Alex and me,’ he said, his greeting accompanied by a wide smile. ‘We’re the ones you need to know.’

He took her under his wing and proceeded to introduce her to more of the crew throughout dinner. Sophie knew it would take a few days before she would be able to put all the names and faces and their job roles together, but luckily no one seemed to expect too much of her in the way of conversation. She ate quietly, happy to watch the interaction between the expeditioners and get a feeling for the different personalities and listen to their stories. She was surprised to find that the majority of them had family at home. She hadn’t realised so many would be in that situation and she wondered why they would choose to stay for months at a time if that was the case. But it seemed that many had been bitten by the Antarctic bug.

By the time dinner, a three-course affair that was apparently the norm, was finished and their dishes had been returned to the kitchen for the slushies to clean up, Sophie was exhausted. There had been a lot to absorb in the short time since she’d arrived and her eyelids were drooping as everyone made their way back to the bar. She listened to the plans being made around her—some of the guys decided to have a jam session, others were going to watch a movie—but Sophie just wanted to put her head down.

As soon as she thought it was polite to do so, she excused herself and went in search of her bed. Not that she expected to sleep well but it would be wise, she thought, to at least lie down. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since Danny had died and she suspected that her insomnia would be compounded by her new surroundings and a different bed.

Back in her donga she was glad she’d had the foresight to make her bed. She changed into pyjamas and unpacked a soft cashmere blanket that she had carried in her hand luggage. The blanket had once been on the bed she’d shared with Danny and she liked to think it still smelt like him. She knew that was fanciful thinking but it was something that gave her some comfort. But the blanket was as much a practical item as a comforting one. It had seemed to Sophie that she felt the cold more now that she had no one to share her bed.

She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and climbed under the covers. She laid her head on her pillow as she thought about Danny.

She knew this experience would have been right up his alley. He had been an adrenalin junkie—not a risk-taker, any risks he’d taken had been calculated ones—and she knew he would have jumped at a chance to explore Antarctica. The company he and Luke had founded ran adventure tours all around Tasmania, offering everything from white-water rafting on the Franklin River, mountain biking down Mt Wellington, cycling the east coast, hiking on Cradle Mountain, rock-climbing and abseiling to kayaking. His job had taken him away from home, away from her, a lot but they had been planning on reorganising things to allow them to spend more time together as they’d hoped to start a family, but now it was just her and she had to make new plans. Solo plans. And today she had taken the first step on her new path.

‘Doc?’

A voice disturbed Sophie and she rolled over, still half-asleep.

‘Are you awake?’

‘Hmm?’

‘Doc.’ The voice was a little louder this time. A little more insistent. ‘You need to get up. There’s been an accident.’

An accident? Danny?

Sophie’s eyes flew open. There was a man standing beside her bed but he wasn’t fair and clean-shaven, like Danny. He was tall and dark and bearded. He looked familiar but it still took her a moment to work out who it was.

‘Gabe?’

What was he doing in her room?

There could only be one reason. She sat up.

‘What is it?’

CHAPTER THREE

Date: March 8th

Temperature: -10°C

Hours of sunlight: 13.8

‘WHAT’S HAPPENED?’ SOPHIE asked, as she swung her legs out of bed. Gabe was standing right beside her and she tried to ignore the little frisson of excitement as she focussed on what he was saying rather than how close he stood.

‘The Russians have lost a helicopter. We’re sending out S&R and I need you to come with us.’

She mustn’t be properly awake. It sounded as though he’d said ‘Russians’.

‘Russians? What Russians?’

‘There’s a Russian station not far from here. One of their helicopters has gone missing.’

‘And you want me to go out on a search and rescue?’

He was nodding. ‘Time is critical. I need you with me out in the field. We don’t know what the situation is so we need to cover all contingencies—which means sending you out. I’ll meet you in the medical centre. Get dressed, you’ll need all your ECW gear and don’t forget your goggles and gloves.’

She was wide awake now but she didn’t bother asking how you lost a helicopter. Whatever had happened couldn’t be good and the only thing that mattered to her was what would be left for her to deal with. But she hadn’t expected to have to deal with a crisis somewhere out on the ice, not on her first proper day on the job.

She got dressed in a hurry. The Antarctic motto of ‘Hurry up and wait’ didn’t seem to apply to this station, she thought as she pulled on underwear, long thermals, socks, a shirt, pants and a fleece. She had her wedding ring, and Danny’s, strung on a chain around her neck and she lifted the rings to her lips and kissed them, before tucking them inside her shirt.

‘Wish me luck,’ she whispered, as she stuffed a balaclava, goggles, sunglasses and gloves into the pocket of her fleecy jacket, before heading to the medical centre to prepare to venture into the great unknown.

Gabe, Finn and a third man were already in the clinic. She’d met the other man last night but she couldn’t remember his name. So much of yesterday was a blur and she knew she would need time to get things straight in her head. Names, faces and routines would all need time to sink in but she feared she wasn’t going to get that time today. Today she was going to be thrown straight in at the deep end.

Finn was standing beside a sack trolley that Sophie didn’t remember having seen in the clinic before, and Gabe and the other man were gathering equipment. They weren’t waiting for her. They had laid a stretcher on one of the treatment beds and had put a spinal board on top of it.

‘Load anything you think you might need onto the stretcher or the trolley,’ Gabe said to her as soon as she stepped into the room, ‘and Liam, Finn and I will transport it for you.’

Liam, that was his name.

How did she know what to take? What would she need?

Sophie closed her eyes as she tried to focus. How did she know what she might need? How on earth was she supposed to figure that out? She’d been on the ice for less than twenty-four hours and she was terrified to think that perhaps she had taken on more than she could handle. Perhaps she wasn’t ready for this.

‘Are you okay?’ Gabe asked.

She opened her eyes. ‘Yes.’ She might not think she was ready for this but she was all they had. She had to do her job. ‘I admit I was hoping to start my stint down here with an easy emergency—frostbite, concussion, a broken finger, that sort of thing—but I’m okay, just trying to figure out what we’ll need. You don’t have any idea what we might be dealing with?’

Gabe shook his head. ‘It could be anything from concussion to burns to fractures to internal injuries. Bring what you would need if you were waiting for an ambulance to bring in survivors from a train wreck. I imagine it will be similar.’

Oh, God. If she’d been waiting for multiple victims from a train wreck she would want to be in a modern emergency department with a team of nurses and surgeons on hand, a suite of theatres at her disposal, state-of-the-art X-ray facilities and a well-stocked blood bank and pharmacy. But instead she had herself. She was the doctor, the nurse, the radiologist, the anaesthetist and the pharmacist, and she was going to have to work in sub-zero temperatures bundled up like a mummy. It was a nightmare.

She knew she had a medical support team but she had no idea how well trained they were or whether or not they’d had any experience in this type of situation.

But Gabe hadn’t finished. ‘Best-case scenario you will have patients to treat. Worst case—we won’t find them in time.’

It wasn’t just a nightmare, it was her worst nightmare.

But Gabe’s comments jolted her back to reality. She needed to get her act together, she needed to concentrate. She couldn’t afford any mistakes. Time was of the essence. They needed to get out of here. She looked around the clinic and started a mental inventory.

‘How many people on board?’ she asked.

‘Only two.’

Good. She grabbed the emergency kit that she’d gone through yesterday and put it on Finn’s trolley. It had sufficient supplies for two patients but she needed to add some more equipment. She grabbed extra blankets, an oxygen cylinder and bags of saline. She put a stethoscope around her neck and tucked it inside her thermals to keep it warm. It made a metallic chime against her wedding rings. She wrapped her fingers around the rings, squeezing them as she prayed for some luck.

What else would she need? In an ideal world she’d have some bags of blood to add to the pile but there was no blood stored. She knew that the crew would donate blood as needed but she was the only one who could take it. No one at Carey could donate blood if she wasn’t there. She stood in the centre of the room while she tried to figure out what to do. She’d have to get some donors lined up for their return, just in case. She hoped someone at the station was O-negative.

‘We’re here to help. Tell us what you need,’ Gabe said, and she knew he was trying to get her to hurry up but she was out of her depth. What she needed was reassurance.

‘Have you done something like this before?’ she asked.

‘Not exactly,’ he admitted. ‘Major incidents are thankfully few and far between and we have stringent occupational health and safety policies, but we have trained for these situations and we are trained to work in these conditions.’

His confidence was reassuring. Sophie had no idea if he was as confident as he seemed but she chose to believe him. She looked up into his dark brown eyes, drawing strength from him again. She trusted him and she knew that as long as he was with her she’d feel better about the situation.

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