Douglas pulled Carolyn out into the hallway, leaving Arthur to sit and hold Martin's hand.
"Whatever Martin has, it's much more serious than common pneumonia," Douglas whispered urgently.
"What can we do?" Carolyn asked shakily.
Douglas realized his own hands were trembling slightly. He jammed them into his pants pockets.
"We have to drive to a hospital."
"Douglas, you seem to be overlooking the very small detail that we don't have a car."
"We may not have a car, yes, but the owner of this inn has conveniently left his vehicle parked in the lot out front."
"And you want to do what? Break into it and take it on a cross-country joyride in a blizzard?" Carolyn asked in disbelief.
"Not quite so dramatic, I'm afraid. I was actually hoping we could give the innkeeper a ring and ask to borrow it."
"And if he does agree to let us use it, then what? You're going to hot-wire it? Wait, don't answer that. I do not want to know."
"No need for that. If I'm not mistaken, one of the keys hanging on the key hook by the door belongs to that car."
"I see you've thought this through already," Carolyn remarked.
"Well I have had quite a bit of free time lately…" Douglas smirked.
"What about the road conditions? Surely the snow is too high to drive through?"
"We'll manage," Douglas said simply.
"There are too many unknowns…" Carolyn began.
Douglas turned serious, "Carolyn, if we don't do this there is a very strong possibility Martin won't make it to tomorrow night."
Carolyn's expression softened, "Ok, fine. I have faith in your ability to get us all through this alive. And if you ever tell anyone I said that, I'll deny it."
"Yes ma'am," Douglas saluted lazily, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a cross-country joyride to plan."
Luckily for Martin, the innkeeper was very understanding and readily agreed to lend them his car. Although Carolyn suspected Douglas would have used it with or without permission. He also told them that the nearest hospital, in fact the only hospital on the island, was southeast of them and they would run into it if they followed the main highway for about 20 miles. While Carolyn and Arthur packed their things into the car, Douglas prepared a mostly unconscious Martin as best he could by bundling him up in multiple layers of clothes and blankets. When he at last carried Martin downstairs and set him in the back seat of the car, it was nearly dawn. The vehicle was small, and definitely meant to be driven in harsh weather conditions as it didn't even have snow tyres, but it was the best they had. Carolyn had turned up the heating so the interior of the car was warm by the time Douglas slid into the driver's seat. Carolyn was in the passenger seat, and Arthur, who was proudly sporting the flashy tourist cap that he had recovered from the pocket of Martin's now-dry trousers, was in the back with Martin's head resting on his lap. It was clear a snowplow had been through at some point recently, so the snow wasn't too bad on the road. Douglas was more concerned about what it would be like on the highway outside of the village. He put his doubts aside and focused on the road.
They had been driving for a whole five minutes before Arthur piped up, "Yellow car!"
Douglas sighed.
It was slow going. With the high snow and ice on the road, Douglas had to drive at a crawl to avoid losing control of the vehicle. Douglas had lost track of time, but at some point Martin began to stir.
"Douglas I think Skip's waking up," Arthur called from the back.
Douglas eased up on the gas and glanced back. Martin was twisting around, mumbling incoherently. He was growing increasingly agitated.
"Okay Arthur, try to keep him calm. Talk to him." Douglas instructed.
"Ok," Arthur said, "Hey Skip! This trip sure has been an adventure, hasn't it?"
Arthur began to relate the events of the past day to Martin. After a few minutes, Martin seemed to sink back into a deep sleep. Douglas continued to look back periodically. On one such occasion, he looked back up at the road just in time to swerve to avoid an obtrusive snowbank. He felt the tyres begin to slide on the ice as he struggled to regain control of the car. They slid a few yards, then finally the car came to a stop in the middle of the road. There was a loud gasp from the back seat as Martin shot up in his seat. His eyes were wild. Douglas reached back to grab his shoulder.
"Hey, Martin it's alright." For a moment, Douglas was afraid he was going to have a full-blown panic attack, but then the terror on his face turned into a different expression and Martin leapt towards the door and flung himself out of the car. Douglas turned off the car and jumped out after him. He found Martin on his hands and knees, emptying his stomach of its contents, which wasn't much more than water and bile. Douglas crouched next to him and gave his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. When the retching finally stopped, Martin collapsed onto the snow, breathing heavily.
"How are you feeling?" Douglas asked.
Douglas expected a biting response to that question, but Martin only gave him a half-hearted shrug. The thin man was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. A particularly icy wind buffeted them and Martin shivered.
"Alright then, let's get out of the cold," Douglas practically lifted Martin back into the car and shut the door behind him. He climbed back into the driver's seat and turned the key in the ignition to get the heating going. The engine turned over but the car didn't start. Douglas tried again, and again, and again, but to no avail. Douglas cursed vehemently and slapped the steering wheel.
"Um, Douglas? Why's it doing that?" Arthur asked.
"Hell if I know," Douglas groaned from where he'd rested his head against the wheel.
"But you can fix it." Arthur stated with certainty.
"I don't know if this is within Douglas' realm of expertise, Arthur," Carolyn frowned.
Arthur looked baffled by the implication that Douglas' realm of expertise was finite.
"You don't happen to know how to fix this do you?" Carolyn asked Douglas in a low voice.
"Regrettably, automotive mechanical engineering is one of the few fields I have no experience in. If Martin were coherent it's possible he could do something; with that rolling scrap heap he calls a 'van' I'm sure he's done his fair share of tune-ups. Unfortunately he isn't, and so we are faced with a difficult decision."
"And that is?"
"We can wait for help and eventually freeze to death in here, or we can hope that we're close to civilization and start walking and probably freeze to death out there."
Douglas tried again several times to start the shabby car, but was rewarded with not even so much as a splutter. They discussed their options, and between the three of them who were lucid, it was a unanimous decision to take their chances walking.
"But Martin's in no shape to be walking anywhere," Carolyn pointed out.
Douglas had considered this, "Yes. Meaning he will have to stay here, and someone will have to stay with him while someone else brings help back."
"Me!" Arthur immediately volunteered, "Me! I'll go!
"I suppose that means I'm going too," Carolyn sighed resignedly.
Douglas looked slightly uneasy, "Carolyn are you sure?"
"Of course I am," she snapped, "I am not some infirm old fogey in need of coddling. Besides, you're the most suited to keep Martin alive until we get back."
"I suppose so," Douglas conceded, "But you need to leave as soon as possible. The heat trapped in here isn't going to last long."
Douglas did a bit of quick math and estimated they were maybe 15 miles out of Tobermory, meaning they couldn't be more than 5 miles away from the hospital the inn owner had spoken of, and maybe even closer to a house where they could find help. Carolyn and Arthur both put on as many layers of shirts, sweaters, and coats as they had. By the time they were ready to go, the temperature in the confined space had dropped palpably.
Arthur finished pulling on another pair of socks..
"Are you quite finished?" Douglas asked, "I think you're now wearing all of the socks we brought."
"Not yet! One more pair," Arthur corrected, struggling to put on the last pair.
"Right…" Douglas turned to Carolyn, "So the hospital is likely about 5 miles along this road, but you're likely to come across something- a house, or business- before that."
Carolyn nodded grimly, "Don't worry about us, we'll get help. Come along, Arthur."
"Good luck," Douglas said.
Carolyn stepped out into the blizzard and cast a lingering glance at Martin, then looked back to Douglas, "You two hang on."
The temperature in the car was progressively dropping. The cold was crisp, and not yet uncomfortable, but Douglas knew it wouldn't be long before it was unbearable. He moved to the back seat with Martin shortly after Carolyn and Arthur left. Douglas sat with Martin's head resting on his lap and one hand on Martin's chest to assure himself of Martin's continuing respiration. Martin was emanating heat like a radiator, and while his temperature concerned Douglas, he couldn't help but enjoy the small bit of heat he could glean off the smaller man. It wasn't long before Martin woke. He alerted Douglas of his return to consciousness by abruptly sitting up and coughing uncontrollably. Douglas helped keep him upright until he'd finished. Martin sagged back into the car seat.
"Welcome back, Mr. Van Winkle."
Martin groaned and wrapped his arms around himself.
"Cold?"
"Yes," Martin croaked.
Douglas shrugged his jacket off and draped it over the now-shivering Martin.
"Douglas…" Martin protested.
"Nonsense. You need it more than me right now. If you catch hypothermia and die in here, Carolyn will probably get Herc or someone to replace you. Can you imagine spending spending hours on end in a confined space with someone so arrogant and... snide?"
Martin shot him a sideways glance but didn't remark on the obvious irony of Douglas' words. Instead, he asked, "Where are we?"
"That's the question of the day, isn't it?"
Martin simply looked puzzled.
"We're on a highway on our way to a hospital."
Martin paused, seeming to struggle to collect his thoughts, "...but we're not moving."
"Astute observation, Sir," Douglas said. He immediately regretted the biting tone, "The car's gone and broken down."
"Ah," Martin said, then frowned again, " Where's Arthur?
"Gone to get help."
"You sent Arthur for help?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Martin. Carolyn's gone with him."
"Ah." Martin closed his eyes.
They were both silent for a few minutes. Douglas thought Martin had fallen asleep when he spoke.
"Douglas?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think they'll get back in time?"
Douglas felt a pit settle in his stomach. "In time for what, Martin?"
"I know it's worse than you're letting on."
"Alas, Sir makes the mistake of thinking I care enough about Sir's feelings to lie to him," Douglas said, putting as much bravado into his voice as he could muster.
Martin snorted, then coughed roughly. Neither one of them mentioned the scarlet flecks that appeared on the back of Martin's pale hand.
Martin wheezed for a few moments and shivered, "Cold."
Douglas drew him closer, "Alright now. Gotta preserve body heat and all that."
Martin allowed himself to be pulled under Douglas' arm, too tired to care about propriety. Martin rested his head on Douglas' chest and closed his eyes. Douglas sighed and silently willed Carolyn and Arthur to return quickly.
Douglas was jerked awake by the sound of Martin coughing. The coughs were short and ragged. Douglas winced in sympathy at each one. When they subsided, Douglas noticed just how far the temperature in the car had dropped. He realized he must have been asleep for a while. Martin had gone past shivering and was now simply very still. With a jolt of panic, Douglas fumbled at Martin's neck for a pulse. He found it, but it was weak. Douglas observed the sleeping man. He was paler than usual, which was a feat considering he was naturally very white. His ginger curls were plastered to his forehead with sweat, despite the cold. His lips were slightly blue, suggesting oxygen deprivation. Douglas had expected this, but it unnerved him all the same. Douglas was getting more worried with each passing minute. He decided to look at something other than the object of his anxiety. It was still snowing outside.
Big surprise there, Douglas thought grimly.
The cold inside the car was biting. Douglas could see each breath he exhaled. He knew the cold was making him drowsy, but he didn't want to fall asleep lest something happen to Martin while he was out. He tried to keep his mind occupied by thinking up new word games to play, but he found he didn't find any pleasure in them without Martin. Before he knew it he'd fallen asleep.
Martin was used to the cold. As the youngest child in his family, he usually was last in line for everything, and in a house of five people that usually meant the hot water was long gone by the time he got to the shower. His family wasn't wealthy by a long shot, and both of his parents had worked long hours to make ends meet, so he'd been left to walk to school most days, often in rain and snow. Martin never complained, even though his unbelievable bad luck meant many times he'd arrive at school soaking wet and freezing and it would take him all day to warm up. His adult life hadn't been much different so far. His small attic room was drafty, and poorly insulated, but it was the best he could afford on his £0 salary. Between these problematic living conditions and his barely functioning van, one of the only times he didn't feel cold was when he was on board GERTI.
Martin had extensive experience with the cold, but when he woke up in the back of a borrowed vehicle on a strange isle in the middle of a snowstorm, he felt a chill different than any he'd felt before. He awoke pressed up against Douglas. Douglas was warm. Martin tried to move closer to the warmth but he found he couldn't get his limbs to obey his sluggish brain's commands. After further thought, he realized he couldn't feel his body at all. Martin felt an icy tendril of fear claw its way up his throat. He struggled to pull air into his abused lungs but his throat rebelled. He felt a black fuzz pressing in on his consciousness. His last thought before he succumbed was that he hoped Herc and Douglas would get along alright together.