Harry stared out of the kitchen window while his mother bustled around making breakfasts for the current batch of guests at the family B&B.
“Looks like summer’s given up early this year,” he said surveying the layer of flat grey cloud that covered the sky and the huge raindrops clattering on the window. A lack of visibility meant the mountains and hills of the Lake District, much of the reason tourists came to the area, could not be seen. He bit into his bacon sandwich and licked the corner of his mouth when the fat attempted to escape the bread.
“Don’t you and Rich have a job today?” Lucy Katt asked.
“Yes, Mum. A wasps’ nest in a roof space in Penrith. Rich said he’d knock on when he was ready to go.” Harry yawned.
“Late night?” his mother asked.
Harry grinned. His cat-like tread meant he often got in without his mother hearing. “What can I say? I met some people.”
Harry nodded. “Yes, they were.”
“He’s probably had all the shifters in Cumbria by now.” Oona Katt entered the kitchen carrying used crockery and cutlery on a tray. She placed them in the dishwasher then sat at the table.
“Gran? Really? Is this the sort of language you should be using in front of your grandson?”
Oona shrugged. “Well it’s true, isn’t it?” She turned to her daughter. “The Clarkes are off to the pencil museum. This isn’t the weather for wandering the hills.”
Harry’s phone sang out a tune. “Damn. It’s Mountain Rescue. Please don’t tell me some idiot has gone hiking in trainers, not in this weather.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time, laddie. There’s some bloody barmpots around.” Harry’s grandmother has never lost her Scottish vocabulary. He connected the call.
“Hi, Bez.”
“We need you, Harry. A couple have been reported missing overnight. No one noticed they hadn’t returned until they didn’t show up for breakfast this morning. The hotel owner wasn’t sure what equipment they had with them but said one of the other guests mentioned the pair intended to walk the Fairfield Horseshoe.”
“That route can be tricky even if you’re experienced, and with the weather setting in like it has overnight, it’s high enough to get caught in a cloud.” Harry grabbed his bag.
“Yeah, and as we have no idea how far they got, we’ll need more than one team. And we’ve no idea if either or even both are injured. Phone signal can be dodgy up there, too.”
“Okay, I’ll get ready,” Harry said.
“Great. Malc will swing by with the dogs and pick you up. We’ve got some of their clothes which will help them find a scent.”
Harry grimaced. As a cat shifter, dogs could be problematic, but these animals were well-trained. “It would have been beautiful when they set off yesterday, but people should check the forecasts. Right, son, I’ll see you soon.”
Harry picked up his pre-prepared bag and stashed his phone in his pocket. He’d need waterproofs and his best boots. “Can you let—”
“Rich know?” His mother nodded. “Be careful out there, won’t you?”
Harry kissed his mother’s head. “Of course I will.”
He waited on the doorstep. The rain hadn’t stopped. In fact, if anything, it was coming down harder. Malc arrived fifteen minutes later. Harry stowed his bag on the back seat and climbed in beside the older man. Malc was a legend in Mountain Rescue, having been a volunteer for thirty-five years. He knew every inch of the fells and mountains and still ran them regularly.
“We’re meeting at the car park,” Malc said.
“Makes sense, but it’s still a decent walk from there.” Harry pulled out his phone. “Conditions will be treacherous. It’s not a route for those who aren’t used to walking.”
Malc nodded. “No, it isn’t. Let’s hope these two didn’t set off in T-shirts, shorts, and trainers.”
“Remember the bloke who broke his leg last year—nasty compound fracture. He was lucky we found him when we did.”
At the car park, twenty volunteers were gathered. Harry knew most of them after a year in the service. He noted the stretchers and other equipment. Malc gathered them around and gave out instructions.
“Visibility won’t be good up there, and watch your feet. We don’t want one of you lot adding to our woes. Let’s hope they haven’t done much damage to themselves. It’s a three-to-four-hour trek, and we’ll get no air support in this weather.”
Harry noticed a face he hadn’t seen before in the other group. The man was short and stocky, built like a rugby prop forward, and he had an impressive auburn beard. For a second or two, their eyes met across the space. The man stared then turned away as if he’d seen a ghost. Harry nudged Malc.
“Who’s the bloke over there in the yellow jacket—the one with the beard? I’ve not seen him before.”
Malc turned to look. “His name’s Ted Woodward. He moved into the area a few months ago. He’s a countryside and forest ranger. He worked farther north before with Jacko Grimshaw. Says he’s good but doesn’t talk much. Not one for drinking with the lads, apparently. Right, we’d better get moving.” He blew his whistle and everyone turned to wait for instructions.
The walk proved to be as difficult as expected with all of them slipping on the rocks at some point. No one talked much. Most kept their heads down, checking where they were putting their feet. In this weather, it was unlikely the dogs would pick up anything either. By the time they got to the paths along the tops, Harry wondered if they’d ever find the couple unless the weather improved. It would be so easy to put your foot in the wrong place and slide down the side of the valley. If one of them hit a rock, it would stop their fall but could cause other damage. Along the way, they shouted out names until, finally, they heard a faint reply. Harry’s ears picked up the sound, then there was a sudden burst of light.
“At least they had the sense to bring a flare,” Malc said. The other team appeared out of the mist.
“Right, Harry, get yourself roped up and we’ll let you make your way down to them.”
Known for being good at clambering on all surfaces, Harry secured the ropes and harness. The man he’d spotted before stepped up to hold him.
“Be careful, Harry.” So this bloke, Ted, had taken time to find out his name, and, from his accent, was Scottish. What had brought him here?
Harry glanced up at him and shivered but not with cold—something tingled his senses. He composed himself. “Don’t worry. I always land on my feet.”
Harry and another of the volunteers found the couple in a small tent propped against one of the larger boulders.
“Hello in there. Mountain Rescue here. Are you all right?”
A head poked out. “Thank goodness. We wondered if anyone would find us in this weather. It’s my husband. He slipped from the top of the ridge. I think he’s broken his leg below his knee. The bone isn’t sticking out, but he’s in a lot of pain. I made the best splint I could—I’m a nurse.” The man next to her groaned. She leant back and touched his face.
“It’s all right, darling. People are here.”
Harry and the others organised the stretcher and helped the pair back up the steep slope. It would take around another three hours of walking to get the injured man back to the car park then on to the hospital. All the volunteers munched on energy bars and drank coffee before they started back along the narrow path.
Halfway, carrying a heavy stretcher, Harry wished he hadn’t been out so late and drunk so much the night before. He slipped, jerking his knee painfully.
“You all right there, son?” Malc said. Harry wasn’t and he knew better than to endanger the person they were rescuing through false bravado. He shook his head and Malc nodded.
“Jimmy, take over from Harry, will you?” They exchanged quickly and Harry continued behind the group, limping slightly. He hoped he’d manage to walk it off.
The rain settled into a persistent drizzle that kept every surface wet. As an experienced member of the rescue team, Harry knew he’d need to take care with every step, especially the uneven stone staircase that wove its way down to the town.
Shit! The ground crumbled and slid from underneath him. He tried to grab hold of something but everything slipped through his fingers and he tumbled, rolling over and over down the slope. While trying to protect himself, he attempted to shout and heard various replies then pain shot through his temple. Have I hit rock? Everything turned to black.
For a few seconds he woke, tried to breathe, but only took in water. Not good. He had the vague impression of being manoeuvred and a body above him then everything went black again. Is that someone kissing me? He woke to find himself on his side, spluttering water from his lungs. His head ached.
“That’s it, laddie, cough it up. You’ll be all right, but I reckon you’ve used a few of those nine lives of yours. So much for always landing on your feet.”
Harry tried to put the man’s words together. There was something important he’d said. He wanted to speak but weariness overtook him.
“It’s okay. Lie back but keep breathing. You’ve had a nasty knock.”
The next time Harry opened his eyes, he closed them again quickly—the bright lights almost burnt his eyes. He stretched out a hand and touched sheets and blankets. He was in a bed. He tentatively opened his eyes again then lifted his hand to his head. He found that the area was swathed in bandages. He also had an oxygen tube.
“I fell off the ridge. Someone rescued me,” he said, as much to himself as to anyone else.
A face he recognised appeared in front of him. “You’re awake then?”
“Rich? Am I in hospital?”
“Yes, of course you are, yer idiot. You had a tumble and hit your head on the way to the bottom. You landed in a large puddle face down and swallowed water. Luckily for you, one of the other blokes managed to scramble down and gave you CPR. They had to carry you out on another stretcher.”
Harry turned his head and pain shot through his temple. He groaned. “Hurts.”
“You were lucky. They don’t think you’ve fractured your skull or anything, just a nasty gash and probably concussion. They want to keep you in overnight for observation. Malc said he’d pop in later, and Mum and Gran are outside. I’ll let them know you’re conscious.”
The curtain pulled back and a nurse appeared. “Good, you’re awake.” She pulled in a machine. “I need to do your obs, then we can let your mum and gran in. You gave everyone a scare, young man.”
Harry attempted to smile. The nurse was pretty, but the salmon-pink uniform did nothing for her. “Thanks,” he managed as she wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm and stuck a pulse and oxygen measure on his finger.
“Is the bloke we rescued all right?”
“He’s got a nasty leg break, but he’ll survive. Thankfully it wasn’t too cold out there and they had a shelter.” She shrugged. “I’ve never understood this desire to tramp around mountains and hills in all sorts of weather. Much better to sit with a drink and admire them from afar in my view. There you are. Your oxygen levels have improved and your blood pressure and pulse are almost back to normal. We need to keep an eye on your lungs, so we’ll maintain the oxygen for a while. You inhaled water and that’s not good. Right. The doctor will be along sometime. For now, you need to get some rest.”
His mother and grandmother appeared less than a minute later. “I thought you were supposed to be doing the rescuing,” his gran said. Her smile didn’t reduce the worry in her eyes.
“Sorry, I slipped.”
His mum took hold of his hand. “Take no notice. Malc told me conditions were bad up there. It could have happened to anyone. Thom sends his love from Los Angeles.”
“You didn’t need to bother him. He’s got that audition for the big movie.”
“He would have been mad if we didn’t.”
Harry yawned. His eyelids wanted to close. “Sorry. Tired.”
Lucy Katt leaned over and kissed his cheek. “We’ll leave you to rest and call in the morning to see if they’ll let you out. Do what the medics tell you.”
“Yes, Mum.” He closed his eyes and was asleep before they left the room.
A few hours later, he woke again. Before he opened his eyes, he sensed a presence beside the bed. Slowly, he squinted through one eye.”
“So you’re awake then, laddie.”
Harry searched his brain for a name. “Ted,” he said. “You saved me.” His memory kicked in and he smiled. “You kissed me.”
A blush of red spread across what Harry could see of the man’s face. “Aye, I did, sort of while saving your life. I’m told you landed on your head. You were lucky not to damage anything else. You took a nasty tumble.”
Harry tampered down his desire to tease. This man had saved him, after all. “Thank you. I appreciate it, the rescuing and…” No good. I can’t resist. “…the kissing.”
“Think nothing of it. In fact, forget it ever happened. You’d have done the same for me or anyone out there.”
Harry tried to focus. There was something about the solid, bearded man in the plaid shirt and blue jeans that made him sit up and take notice.
“Well, I’ll be off now. I just wanted to check you were all right and hadn’t done too much damage to your pretty face.”
Confused, Harry found he had no reply.
Ted bent over, nearer to him. “And I’m glad you didn’t use all those nine lives of yours either.”
Harry spluttered attempting to speak. Does he know? Before he could say anything else, Ted had disappeared out of the door, leaving him wondering.
COLLAPSE 
