Page 47 of Ruining His Smirk

Keith gave a sympathetic wince. “I’m not surprised. You inhaled some seawater and spent several minutes coughing your lungs out. Salt water is brutal on the throat. It’ll probably feel raw for a day or two.”

“My brother okay?”

“Yes, everyone is accounted for. The captain is speaking to each crew member individually, but Dexter actually slept through the whole ordeal.” He slipped the stethoscope into his ears and motioned toward Landry. “Sit forward for me.”

Keith listened to Landry’s chest and back before removing the stethoscope. “Your lungs sound clear, and your oxygen saturation is good.”

After running through several more checks over the next few minutes, my friend tucked his instruments away. “You’re both stable. I want you here for another hour while your temperatures come back up, and I’ll get that chest X-ray. Assuming nothing changes, you can both return to your cabins. Come straight back if either of you develops trouble breathing, chest tightness, dizziness, or confusion. Questions?”

Landry cleared his throat. “Ah… I’m a bit hungry.”

Keith laughed. “You must be ravenous. All that shivering and fighting the water burned through a tremendous amount of energy. I’ll have the chef bring in some warm stew and sandwiches for you both. How does that sound?”

“Thank you, sir,” Landry replied quietly, and went back to looking straight at the wall.

Keith gave him a friendly squeeze on the shoulder before moving to the corner of the medical bay to his computer station, leaving us both in the hushed quiet.

The overhead ship-wide comm came to life, and the captain’s voice boomed. “This is the captain. The ship is stable. At 0315hours, the vessel was struck by a displacement wave caused by a major calving event from the iceberg off our port quarter, the same iceberg beside which we have been holding position. A substantial section of its exposed face broke away without warning, displacing a large volume of water against the stern.”

My eyebrows went up. I hadn’t expected such a freak accident to be the cause.

The captain continued. “Most of the wave passed along the hull, but a fast-moving surge crossed the forward deck and carried two people over the rail. Mr. Landry, our guest from Waypoint Research Station, and Nate, our resident whale scientist, were recovered within minutes of going overboard. There are no additional injuries. I want to thank the third watch crew for being alert and initiating rescue operations immediately. Keith, our resident medic and rescue specialist, led the recovery from the Zodiac and is now overseeing both men’s care. He reports that they are stable.”

The announcement ended, and I could almost feel the entire ship exhale around us. Across the room, Keith looked up from his computer. He caught my eye first, then glanced toward Landry, and gave us both a small smile.

“Thanks, Keith,” I said.

“Anytime.”

I shook my head. “Wow, that was the iceberg? The odds of that happening have to be… I don’t know, a million to one?”

Keith nodded. “I know. You two were in exactly the wrong place when the surge reached the bow.”

I looked at Landry. “Lucky us.”

He didn’t reply or turn towards me.

“Not just lucky,” Keith said quietly. “Nate, you did everything correctly, making my task of pulling you guys out that much easier.”

“Yes, he did. I, on the other hand…” Landry’s voice was gruff. I wasn’t entirely sure whether it was only the effect of the seawater or whether I was detecting some powerful emotion underneath. “I apologize for my stupidity and the inconvenience I caused.”

Keith looked taken aback. “You’re mistaken. I was on the bridge when it happened. I saw what you did for my friend. I didn’t include it in my initial report to the captain because I wanted to corroborate it with Nate. I’m writing up my addendum right now—”

“No,” Landry cut him off. “There’s nothing to add.”

Keith opened his mouth, but I shook my head at him. Now was not the time. He hesitated but ultimately let it go.

I went back to staring at my cowboy’s profile. My heart ached for the big guy. He was so far from the research station that had become his home away from home, stuck here with strangers on a ship, and he had just been through probably one of the most harrowing experiences of his life, but he would never admit it.

And how was I supposed to make sense of what he had done? This man, who had been nothing but rude and abrasive towards me, who was clearly uncomfortable in water, had just risked his own life for me. Why?

He didn’t even want it acknowledged.

I had been so sure I knew who he was. But now… I didn’t know anymore.

All I knew for sure was that we had way too many things unresolved between us.

I needed to talk to him.