Doctor Who_ Rip Tide - Louise Cooper [61]
'Steve?' Adam was perplexed. 'What's up, mate?'
'Get ready to launch.' Again Steve ignored the question. 'Helmet, Nina.' He fastened his own lifejacket as Nina fetched her own and found one for the Doctor from the boat's stowed supplies.
'OK, but —'
'I said, get ready to launch!' Steve repeated ferociously. Adam recoiled, then looked at the others for an explanation. No one responded. The Doctor had laid his burden gently down and was putting the lifejacket on, but though Nina did catch Adam's eye momentarily, her face gave nothing away and she didn't speak. Adam tried to peer at the drysuited casualty, whose head was wrapped in what looked like Steve's sweatshirt, obscuring the face, but Steve snapped, 'No! Just follow orders!' Even in the gloom Adam could see that the helmsman's face was dead white, and his eyes looked sunken with fatigue ... or possibly something else?
The Doctor picked up the muffled figure again; it stirred feebly in his arms but made no sound. Nina was climbing into the lifeboat, taking what she hoped was the right station. Her face was still without expression. Adam hesitated. He looked at Steve one more time. Steve looked back.
Without a word, Adam followed orders.
A formidable reception committee was waiting on the beach when the lifeboat returned. Through the spray that flew around her as Steve steered the boat into the outermost breakers and headed shorewards, Nina could see the Ops Manager and most of the crew, together with the Press Officer, several coastguards and two people in the green uniform of paramedics. An ambulance was parked up on the approach road, and gaggles of holidaymakers and locals were hanging around to see whatever was to be seen.
Nina glanced at her brother, but if he was reacting in any way to the sight he showed no sign of it. His face was still white, taut and expressionless, his lips were clamped shut, and what she saw in his eyes made her look quickly away again. Adam, in the bows, had carried out the necessary radio procedures as they motored back, but now was as silent as everyone else in the boat. All he knew was that they had broken every rule in the book to rescue two people (father and daughter maybe?) and that there was something disturbingly strange about the rescue that no one was willing to explain to him.
The lifeboat surfed in on a set of breakers. Steve cut the engine and shipped the outboard, then he and Adam leaped over the side as three launchers came running. They grabbed the boat, holding her straight for the trailer as the tractor backed it into the sea. Nina too jumped out, then Steve swung round, confronting the Doctor, who still sat in the boat cradling Ruth.
'Give her to me.' He held out his arms. His voice was on a dangerous
knife edge.
The Doctor hesitated, then realised that to climb out of the boat carrying Ruth was not possible. 'Please,' he said, so that only Steve could hear, 'don't let her get wet. It's vital that the water doesn't touch her.'
Steve nodded once, curtly. He took Ruth as though she were made of fragile and precious porcelain and carried her clear of the sea. He kept his gaze averted from her face. The Doctor followed. When they reached dry sand he tried to take Ruth from Steve again; Steve started to resist, but Paul came running with one of the paramedics at his heels.
'There's an ambulance waiting,' Paul said. 'Is she badly injured?'
The Doctor turned a brilliant gaze on him. 'She's absolutely fine,' he said reassuringly. 'No need for ambulances or hospitals; we're both perfectly well.'
'If I can just take a look —' the paramedic began.
'I don't think so.' The Doctor's gaze moved to him, and the paramedic frowned uncertainly.
'I really should —'
'No need, the Doctor repeated. He still stared. The paramedic blinked, shook his head as though confused. Then in a single, smooth movement the Doctor turned, plucked