Page 42 of Lucky Charm

Baxter moved across the already travelled trail with the man slung over his shoulder and stepped carefully into the footprints they’d made coming up.

Hernandez’s voice came over his radio. “We’re at the meet spot. How much longer?”

“We ran into a problem. Cleaning up now. Hold in place.” He waited briefly for the affirmative he expected and got it. “Alpha Four, come to me.”

He observed the short, yet animated conversation between Carter and Doc, then Doc stepped back and leaned on the rock face. He couldn’t see her face but could tell she wasn’t happy. Carter came his direction, meeting himsteps away from Quaid. “Take him to Doc while I help Baxter move the tangos.”

It was a testament to Carter that his attention went to Quaid before noting the two dead boys. Hunt could tell the moment Carter noticed the blood down Quaid’s side because he shifted from soldier to medic in his stance.

“Well, shit.” Carter reached for his bag.

“I said it first,” Quaid groused. “Gives the Doc something to think about instead of the danger.”

“Not a stellar plan, man.” Carter helped him sit. Hunt shifted his weapon aside to help Carter get him on his feet. When he bent and lifted Quaid over his shoulder, the man swore in quiet words. “This was better unconscious. Fuck, this bloody hurts.”

“Sorry man. No choice. Here we go.” Carter took a tentative step to get back up the side of the trail, then followed the path he’d laid coming down.

Hunt watched their progress. The late afternoon was suddenly darkening and significantly chilling. If they didn’t get over the ridge, meet the rest of team, and double time it to the extraction point, they might have to suffer through another cold night. That was not happening. It was warmer now than it had been last night when Cait had succumbed to hypothermia, but it would be a miserable night.

Carter went step-by-step. When he reached Doc, she helped him get the injured man to the ground. She was in her zone, talking in muted tones to Carter.

“Alpha Six, status?”

Senses combined with logic, the longer they hung out here in the open, the more likely they’d be discovered. This area was tramped all to hell anyway. They would know what happened by the blood, but the who would be a mystery.

Baxter’s words settled him some. “Found the spot. Coming back to you. There in three.”

“Copy.”

Baxter popped up at his side minutes later. “It’s about a four-minute hike that way, but it’s a secluded outcropping. They’ll be buried in snow until spring.”

“Alpha Four, we’ll be back.” Hunt glanced at Cait and Carter. The medic waved an arm he’d heard them instead of acknowledging on the radio. Hunt bent to pick up the larger of the boys while Baxter grabbed the other one and slung him over his shoulder.

“Let’s go.” Hunt followed Baxter, taking one quick look at Cait and Carter working on Quaid. Without a doubt, he’d feel better if he stayed here with her as originally planned, but it made more sense to leave Carter who could help her with his medical training in ways Hunt couldn’t.

Being pragmatic when it went against his gut was a pisser.

∞∞∞∞∞

“Dammit, this is going to scar so bad.” Cait studied the row of stitches she was putting in Quaid’s side and tried harder to control her shakingfingers. Carter shifted the light closer and did another round of wiping to remove the blood. They’d done a quick exploratory and gotten the bullet out.

“Nothing we can do about it, Doc.”

“I know. I haven’t sewed this bad since I patched up a doll when I was seven.”

Expecting Carter’s ever positive attitude to shore her up, she took her eyes off her stitching to stare at him.

The man was grinning ear-to-ear. “Sorry, Doc. The image. It got me for a second. I never thought of you as a little girl.”

“Well, I’m not a pod alien doctor for God’s sake. I was a kid once.”

Carter cleared his throat, but the set of his mouth told her he was working hard to control his laughter.

She gave Carter an exasperated stare and turned back to what she needed to accomplish. “What blood type is he?”

“A+. I’m a match. If it comes to that, I can give him a pint. But hopefully we’ll get rescued before that. They can handle it.”

Cait nodded and forced her focus back to the job at hand. “God knows we can never guarantee this is even the slightest bit clean. Infection is a very real possibility.”