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, and 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.’
Ethan nodded.
‘I mean it,’ said Sam. ‘Wind your neck in and deal with it. See this as an opportunity. Get to know the regulars better, read up on skydiving, get a better understanding of everything. Just because you’re not jumping doesn’t mean you have to stop learning. Right?’
‘Yeah,’ said Ethan.
‘And a warning… Don’t think for a single second that I won’t know if you book in for a jump. You may be qualified, and you may not need my permission any more, but nothing gets past me at FreeFall, OK? And if I find out you’ve jumped before your four weeks are up, I’ll ground you for the rest of your life.’
Ethan could see from the look on Sam’s face that he meant it. But then Sam always had that look on his face: hard, unmoving, unwavering.
‘Now that’s sorted,’ said Sam, ‘I’ve arranged for you to meet up with Luke after work. He’ll be waiting for you in the hangar. Head over there as soon as you shut up the shop.’
‘What am I meeting him for?’ asked Ethan.
‘Luke’s offered to help keep your mind off the fact that you won’t be jumping for a while.’ Sam looked at his watch. ‘He’s going to train the hell out of you instead. Now get your arse over to the shop and open up. You’re losing me business.’
As usual, Ethan wasn’t given a chance to reply – Sam was already heading off to his office.
The shop was busy, and with every customer that came in to buy kit, Ethan felt more and more envious. Since completing his AFF, he’d hardly gone a day without a jump. It didn’t seem fair – like he was being punished for saving Kat’s life. He was glad when the time came to shut; he headed off to the hangar, wondering what Luke had planned ‘to keep his mind occupied’, as Sam had put it.
Luke was waiting for him when he arrived. ‘Hi, Ethan,’ he said. ‘Good day?’
‘It was a day,’ replied Ethan. ‘What are we doing?’ He couldn’t be bothered with the small talk. He was grumpy, and he doubted there was much anyone could do about it.
‘Formation drills,’ said Luke. ‘And you need to get this shit absolutely right on the ground before you can even consider doing it in freefall.’ He walked over to the hangar wall and pulled out one of the trolleys Ethan had used during his AFF. ‘Once I’ve shown you the basics, we’ll lie on these,’ Luke explained. ‘As you already know from your AFF, you lie flat on them, as if in freefall, and try to move smoothly between each formation.’