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