disconnecting hers and Wayne’s. She felt helpless as the person inside the suit strongly pushed off dragging her back down the line. She gazed back up
“Wayne?” she mumbled seeing him, and the suit was now clear of the sail.
Suddenly a second figure was grabbing at her and she was being pushed into the airlock alone; the door hissed shut. In the seconds before the internal door opened, she heard them call from outside
“We can’t reach him; they’re drifting away.” Then she passed out.
“Georgi?”
The words seemed to come from far away, as if she was being softly called from far down a tunnel.
“Georgi?”
She wanted to speak but her lips felt parched dry and would not move.
“Georgi?”
She knew the voice. They knew her.
“Georgi?”
Why didn’t they understand she was too tired to answer?
“Georgi?”
It was more annoyance than want that made her lips quiver.
“She’s coming round,” called the voice
She didn’t want to ‘come round’ she wanted to sleep, but it was too late, she felt her lips almost crack as they moved and she swept back into reality
“That’s it Georgi: steady; a sip at a time.”
She felt the rim of a beaker touching her bottom lip as a bitter liquid stimulated her taste buds.
“That’s a good girl. A little bit more…”
The cup moved from her lips, and she felt the hand supporting her head let her lay back down on the crisp pillow.
“My head,” she moaned feeling what seemed to be an instant headache.
“Give her another ten mills,” said the voice.
“Wayne?” Georgi blurted; out trying to sit up until the pain in her head felt like her brain would explode, and she sank back down.
“It’s alright Georgi; just rest,” said the voice consolingly.
“What happened… to me?”
“You’ve had an overdose of carbon dioxide.”
“Dioxide... how?”
“We think there was a malfunction with the scrubber. You ran out of breathable air,” There was a hesitation in the voice. “Georgi I have to ask you something?”
“What?” she said weakly.
“The suit: did you see if there… if there was anyone inside?”
Georgi felt tears well up into her eyes. Now she knew; Wayne was gone.
More Stories and Novels by John Stevenson can be found at
www.australianstoryteller.com
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