TWENTY-ONE
Halfway through the hike, Jean was tempted to quit. The combination of bone-numbing cold and his slightly out of practice legs made walking nothing short of agony. When he got back to the station, Jean swore to hit the gym. He'd been lax lately and it showed. He'd hurt worse during those months of physiotherapy sessions, though, so he just gritted his teeth and got on with it. The crazy Aussies wouldn't let him return to their island unless he showed them he could hike through the snow, dig himself a burrow and survive the night without proper shelter.
He could do all that, or he had been able to before the accident. Now, he just needed a little help, in the shape of some pain pills. Just as soon as he could sneak some out of his pack without anyone seeing. The last thing he
