Frank leaned over and looked in the box. They were her third attempt. The first two had ended up in the trash can. They were uneven and looked a tad lumpy.
He smiled and clicked the lid back on the container. ‘Well, it’s the thought that counts. Thanks, honey. Now get back to the base. You’ve got some astronauts to lick into shape.’
The expression changed on his face at his choice of words, then he tipped back his head and laughed as Corrine got to her feet and headed towards the door.
‘Watch out, Dr Carter,’ he called after her as she scurried down the corridor. ‘One of these guys might be lighting up your world in more ways than one!’
Corrine shook her head. Austin Mitchell was already giving her sleepless nights. She just didn’t want anyone to know that.
And she certainly didn’t need Frank teasing her. Next time she’d make him eat one of her muffins. Or maybe all of them.
CHAPTER FIVE
SHE WAS STARING at the trace on the EKG machine. As well as being special monitor for four of the astronaut candidates she also took her turn in the WSSA health centre. She could see any of the personnel from the site that had a medical query.
She frowned at the monitor and walked over to Bruce, one of the tech guys who had just finished in the gym and had come in because he was a little short of breath.
‘I’m going to draw some blood.’
‘What? Why?’ He sat up and swung his legs off the examination bed.
She pressed her arm against his shoulder. ‘I didn’t say you could get up, did I?’
He frowned and lay back. ‘What do you need blood for?’
She gave him a smile. ‘I think you’re a little unusual.’
The edges of his lips turned upwards. He obviously liked the sound of that.
‘What were you doing exactly?’
He shrugged. ‘I was training with someone. You know, on the treadmill, on the rowing machine, lifting some weights.’
She nodded. ‘When was the last time you ate or drank?’
He frowned and looked at the clock. ‘It was a while ago. Breakfast time, around six, I think.’
She gave a little shake of her head. That was six hours ago. ‘Did you push yourself more than you normally do?’
Sweat was still running down from his forehead and his shorts and gym vest were already saturated. She’d had to wipe him down to attach the electrodes for the EKG.
He gave a half-smile. ‘Sort of. I’ve been training with one of the new guys. We push each other. He’s super fit.’
She frowned. ‘Who is it?’
‘One of the astronaut candidates. Austin Mitchell.’
There it was. The little surge inside her whenever she heard the name. The guy just seemed to be everywhere. She bit her lip. ‘I guess I’ll need to have a word with Lieutenant Commander Mitchell.’
She wrapped a tourniquet around Bruce’s arm and slid a needle into a vein near the crook of his elbow. ‘I suspect that you’re dehydrated. That’s why I’m checking your bloods.’
Bruce wrinkled his nose. ‘But dehydration is nothing. It shouldn’t make me feel like this.’
She finished drawing the blood and pressed a cotton ball against his skin. ‘Dehydration can cause a heart arrhythmia called atrial fibrillation. I think that’s what’s happened to you. It’s an electrical disorder affecting the upper chambers of the heart, which means it’s not pumping as regularly as it should. Did you feel anything strange?’
He gave a slow nod. ‘I felt I had palpitations for a minute or so. But it wasn’t sore. There was no pain.’
She put her hand on his arm and pointed to the monitor. ‘Dehydration can cause atrial fibrillation. There can be a few other things, which we can rule out with some tests. Your heart rate seems to have gone back to normal now, but I’d like to keep an eye on you for another hour or so.’
He gave a little sigh and leaned back against the pillow. ‘Will you let my boss know where I am?’
She gave him a nod and a smile. ‘I will, and, Bruce? I think you need to find another training partner. Austin Mitchell might be a bit too serious for you. I’m just about to give him a new training plan and I don’t think he’ll be happy.’
Bruce leaned back against the pillows and closed his eyes, a smile painted across his face. ‘May the force be with you.’
* * *
‘What?’
Austin stared at the colour-coded programme in front of him. Usually he liked timetables. Usually he liked training plans. This one he didn’t like one bit.
He held up the piece of paper. ‘Is this a joke?’
Dr Carter stared up at him with those big green eyes of hers. She was sitting behind her desk. It was almost as if she were trying to ensure he knew who was in charge here. ‘Why would you think it’s a joke, Lieutenant Commander Mitchell?’
She had that clipped tone in her voice. The one she used when she was being the boss. Sometimes he liked it, but today it was like a red rag to a bull.
She was using his proper title. Other candidates got called by their first names. She’d hardly ever said his first name out loud. It was almost as if she were trying to force a distance between them.
The piece of paper started to crumple in his hand. ‘I have my own training regime.’
‘Not any more.’ She stood up and folded her arms across her chest.
‘Excuse me?’ He was getting irritated now. Irritated because as soon as she’d stood up he’d caught a glimpse of those shapely legs and they were distracting him.
She walked around the desk towards him and took the crumpled paper from his hand. ‘I’m in charge of all candidates’ training plans. Think of it as a prescription.’
He pointed to the plan. ‘But that’s kids’ play.’
He saw the little flicker next to her jaw. She was mad. But right now he didn’t care. He was religious about his exercise regime. He didn’t want anyone interfering with it.
She reached over and prodded his bicep. ‘Your training programme has been specially formulated. We need all our candidates to be fit. We usually recommend one hour of cardio and one hour of resistance training every day. But you have more muscle bulk than the rest of the candidates.’ She stared at him hard. ‘You must realise that muscle wastage is one of the biggest problems for our astronauts.’ For the first time today a smile hinted at her lips. ‘If your muscles are overdeveloped you’ll suffer from more muscle wastage in space. You’ll be up in space, Lieutenant Commander, where will all that lactic acid go?’
Boy, she was cute when she flirted. But he wasn’t going to get distracted.
‘I’m already in top shape. This programme will bring me down. Why would anyone want to do that?’
‘Because this isn’t just about you. If you stay in your current shape your muscles will atrophy quicker than everyone else’s and you’ll feel the effects. It will affect your performance on the team.’
Boy, she was good. She seemed to know exactly what to say to stop him arguing. And she wasn’t finished. ‘You do a lot of weight training, don’t you? And you probably take those protein drinks too? We’ll need to have a look at that to check if that’s really the best for you. This is all about forward planning, you know. Space is the ultimate goal. It’s my job to make sure you’ll be fit enough to take all the effects a no-gravity environment will throw at you.’ She took the crumpled sheet and smoothed it back out on her desk, then pushed it back across to him. ‘So, let me do my job. Follow my instructions.’
She was back to her no-nonsense approach. He stood for a few seconds, letting her aroma of scrubbed-clean soap and light floral perfume drift around him. She was wearing a pale yellow shirt with some kind of print on it. It was tucked tightly into her skirt, but he was imagining it knotted at that slim waist of hers alo
ng with a very hot pair of denim shorts. Now, that would be perfect.
‘Lieutenant?’ She was looking at him suspiciously, as if she’d just guessed exactly what was going through his mind.