Unlikely Allies

  "Are you saying I'm steaming hot?" he teased, chuckling slightly as I raised my eyebrows. "I'm kidding, but you should put your jacket back on, I'm fine," he repeated.

  "Right, and I'm a graceful ballerina," I said sarcastically.

  "You didn't answer my question," he said weakly.

  "I'm getting things ready so I can save your sorry ass," I teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  "With a wad of raincoat?" he asked puzzled.

  "No, Mr. Negative, with these," I said, holding up several of the strips of raincoat I had torn.

  "You're going to try to fly away with those," he guessed.

  "No," I said, smiling at him this time. "I'm going to use them to mark the path I take," I added triumphantly.

  "I don't think so," he said, all joking gone.

  "Um, last time I checked, you weren't the boss of me. You're burning up with fever, can't move and your leg looks like it belongs in some horror movie."

  "Yeah, well, you sound like a frog, you have a cough that would rival a sixty-year-old chain-smoker, and you just happened to destroy your only means of keeping yourself dry," he said with more energy than he had shown in the last twenty-four hours.

  "Well, the rain is obviously not going to stop, and some stupid cold isn't going to dictate your health," I said, fighting sudden tears. "I'm sick of this whole situation. I miss sleeping in a bed, having cooked meals, hell, I even miss having a bathroom, but most of all, I'm scared you're going to die of some stupid infection. I just want to go home," I added, all fight going out of me as I laid my head on his chest.

  "I know, beach bunny, I know," he said, rubbing my head.

  "I have to go," I said in a muffled voice.

  "I know," he said.

  "I'll leave in the morning and I'll bring help back to you," I promise.

  He didn't answer as he continued to rub my back. Eventually, he fell back to sleep, but I continued to lie on his chest. His heartbeat beneath my ear was reassuring. I was scared to death to leave him, but I knew it was our only chance. It had only been two days since our accident, but it felt like a lifetime.

  I must have dozed for a while since Mason's touch startled me. Glancing out the mouth of the cave, I could see by the faint light that it was late afternoon. My throat felt like razor blades were playing a sick game with my tonsils. I took a small sip of water that only intensified the pain.

  "Here," I said, helping Mason to take a drink before I handed him the last dose of Advil we had left, but he refused to take them.

  "You should take those in the morning," he argued. "They're not doing me any good. It's like using a teaspoon to bail out a flooded boat, but they can make a world of difference tomorrow morning for you."

  I wanted to argue with him, but I knew his logic was sound. Even if they took the edge off my aches and pains for a little while, it would be better than nothing. I slid the pills back into the torn package so they wouldn't get lost and picked up the empty backpack. I placed the bundle of raincoat strips into the pack.

  "You should fill up the two good water bottles tonight so you can take them with you."

  "I'm not taking all the water with me," I chided.

  "What if you run out?"

  "Then I'll open my mouth. I'm pretty sure the rain won't let me run out," I said, touched at his concern.

  "You'll need to be careful on your trek down. It'll get steep in some places, so you'll have to skirt around until you find a shallower route."

  I started to tell him he wasn't telling me anything I didn't know, but I could tell it was stuff he needed to say. He needed to know that he was helping. I patiently listened to his tips as he droned on. Eventually, he ran out of steam and I snuggled up against him.

  The cave had once again become pitch black as another night settled on us.

  "You awake?" I whispered, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping.

  "Yeah," he answered.

  "What's your favorite memory?" I asked, needing to hear his voice.

  He was silent for several minutes after I asked the question. I was beginning to think he had fallen asleep when he finally answered.

  "The time my parents took me to the Grand Canyon."

  "Yeah? Did you ride a donkey?" I joked.

  "Actually, yes," he laughed.

  "Ha, I was just kidding, but you really did?"

  "Yep, I remember being like six or seven and my parents and I taking donkey rides down the canyon. My mom freaked because she was afraid of heights, but she still went anyway."

  "I think I would have been like your mom. Heights scare the bejesus out of me," I admitted.

  "I didn't know that, but you went with me on the hardest trail on the mountain. Why?"

  "Because, I was worried about Alyssa," I said, only answering half truthfully.

  "Was that the only reason?" he asked, sounding disappointed.

  "No," I said, smiling in the dark. "You might've had something to do with it."

  He laughed softly next to me. "Does Rick know you're afraid of heights?"

  "Hell no, I wasn't about to admit that. I'm sure poor Rick freaked out when he picked me up at the airport only to realize I didn't have a lick of his outdoorsiness in me."

  "You might be surprised. Believe me, if I was the jealous type, I'd be green with envy at how much he raves about you."

  "Really?" I asked.

  "Yeah, really. Do you always doubt yourself?"

  "Ha, my doubts stemmed from you, Greeky," I said, snorting on a laugh.

  "Greeky?" he asked, puzzled.

  "Oops, I guess the cat's out of the bag. That's what Amy and I started calling you," I said.

  "Is it some kind of weird slang for geek?" he asked, puzzled.

  "If I tell you, we'd have to deflate your ego before we could get you out of here in order for you to fit," I teased.

  "Ha-ha, you're a laugh a minute. You should start your own comedy club."

  "Okay, okay, keep your panties on," I said as he growled beside me, making me giggle. "I call you Greeky because I thought you looked like some kind of Greek god when I first saw you," I said, thankful for the darkness of the cave to hide my blushing face.

  "Hmmm, Greek god, I like that," he said, tightening his hold on me.

  "Ha, I bet."

  "Well, if I look like a god than you're a goddess," he said seriously.

  "Right, maybe a paint-smudged one," I joked.

  "Come on, it’s nice that you’re not stuck-up or anything, but you’ve got to know you’re hot."

  “Well, thanks,” I answered, not knowing what else to say. We both went silent after that and eventually I began to get drowsy.

  "Mason," I said quietly.

  "Hmm?"

  "I'm in like with you a lot," I said, letting my eyes drift closed.

  He laughed softly. "I'm in like with you a lot too!" he said, placing a light kiss on my head.

  Chapter 14

  The next morning came as a complete surprise. I couldn’t believe I had slept through the night. Slowly untangling myself from Mason's arm, I sat up, startled to find he was awake also.

  "You okay?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer, judging by the look on his face.

  "I've been better," he answered weakly.

  Shining the flashlight over his wound, I could see the infection was clearly spreading, which was why he was in so much discomfort.

  "I'm going to get you help," I said, placing my hand to his head.

  His fever was blazing, and his eyes looked cloudy, when he could even manage to keep them open anyway. I wiped my hand across the beads of sweat that covered his forehead. The thought of leaving him behind scared the hell out of me, but I had to do something.

  He had already fallen back into an uncomfortable slumber as I gathered up my supplies. I placed a water bottle and one of the energy bars by his side, just in case, but I was doubtful he would touch either. I swallowed the Advil I had saved from the night before, praying they would help my p
ounding head and sore throat. Finally, just as I leaned over Mason’s head to give him a soft kiss on his lips, he opened his eyes, scaring the crap out of me.

  “Hey, I'll be back soon," I promised, giving him one more kiss. He watched without saying a word. He looked so out of it, I wasn’t even sure he comprehended what I was saying. Taking one last look around to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything, I crawled out into the ever-present rain.

  At first, the rain actually felt kind of nice on my overheated cheeks, but all that changed after about thirty minutes. Without the protection of a raincoat, I was completely saturated and chilled to the bone. My hands throbbed painfully from being exposed to the elements, but I pushed on, stopping every twenty yards or so to tie another ribbon to a tree.

  Stopping so often made my forward progress annoyingly slow and I began to feel disheartened. "Well, this was a great idea," I muttered to myself as I tied yet another ribbon to a towering pine tree. It has to been done though, came my inner voice of reason.

  I continued forward, marking my path while fighting the urge to sprint down the mountain so I could get Mason the help he needed. Not that running was even a possibility since the ground beneath my feet was a murky mess from the never-ending rain. My foot sank an inch into the soil with every step I took. After tripping for what seemed like the hundredth time, I kept my eyes peeled to the ground, realizing this was as fast as I could go.

  Midmorning snuck up on me quicker than I expected. I stopped for a break in front of a steep decline that was even more intimidating in my tired, soaking-wet condition. I perched myself up on a large rock and tucked my head down into my jacket so I could use my hot breath in between fits of coughing to warm up my ice-cold skin. All this hiking around was playing havoc with my breathing. My coughing had passed beyond painful and slid right into agony as each spasm made me feel like I was losing a lung. Every muscle in my body ached and I was so weary that just sitting became a fight to keep my tired eyes open. I let my eyes close for just a moment and slowly began to sink into a slumber when Mason's face appeared in my head, jerking me awake. I scrambled to a standing position and pulled out the last of the jerky and one of the energy bars. Still standing so my body wouldn't betray me again, I munched on my snack, willing myself to remain focused. Mason was counting on me.

  Getting a little food and water in my stomach had me feeling somewhat better, but the steep decline in front of me was still worrisome. I looked around for a spot that appeared to be easier to descend, but straight down from where I stood looked to be as safe as any other. I tied a ribbon on a tree at the top of the incline and slowly began to walk down. The slanted ground proved to be as difficult to navigate as it looked, plus there was nothing to hold on to. After falling on my butt for the second time, I finally realized that walking sideways with my feet running parallel with the mountain made the trip down easier. Pleased with my success, I was just about to pat myself on the back when I stepped down on a rock that wasn't buried as deep in the dirt as I had anticipated. The rock rolled out from under my foot, making my ankle twist at an odd angle before buckling from under me. The sudden shift threw off my balance and I tumbled head over heels the rest of the way down, until I finally came to a grinding stop. Loose rocks dug into the sensitive skin where I had landed ungracefully at the bottom of the hill with my face firmly planted in the dirt.

  I sat up groaning and coughing with new aches and pains assaulting my body. Something wet trailed down my left cheek and although I hoped for the best when I swiped it away, I can’t say I was too shocked when my hand came away blood-streaked. "Well, that's great," I muttered, struggling to my feet. Pain tore its way through my leg as my ankle buckled again, sending me back to the ground. "Damn it,” I yelled. “Could I please get a fucking break?" I hollered up at the overcast sky. "Not a big one, but just something," I continued to scream as a feeling of despair set in. We were going to die out here.

  The hopelessness of the situation became overwhelming and I broke out in tears. After awhile the sobs turned to coughing as my lungs protested the extra workout the tears were causing. Trying to calm down, I took several deep breaths, letting the oxygen fill my lungs until I slowly began to breathe easier.

  Once I had regained my composure, I pulled up the leg of my pants to check the damage to my ankle. Dark splotches of purple, swelled skin marred the surrounding area of my foot. It looked grotesque, but I was pretty sure it wasn't broken since I didn't hear a snap when it happened. Touching the swelled area lightly with my finger made me cringe. Even if it wasn’t broken, it sure hurt like hell. "Just a bad sprain," I said out loud, trying to reassure myself. "All I need to do is wrap it and I'll be good to go." The only problem was finding something to wrap it with. The torn strips of raincoat were all too short to really do any good.

  The only idea I could think of was to use a piece of my shirt, so I shrugged out of my heavy, wet jacket and pulled off my flannel shirt. The cold rain pelted my bra-clad chest as I hurried back into my jacket, cringing from the wet material clinging to my naked skin. Using a rock to get me started, I tore both sleeves away from the shoulder sections of the shirt. My constant shivering made the job difficult, but I wrapped one of the sleeves snugly around my ankle, tucking the end down into the layers. I then tied the other sleeve in a knot around the wrap to hold it in place.

  The makeshift wrap was bulky, but looked like it would hold, and at least I was able to maneuver my pant leg to cover it. Before I attempted to stand again, I searched the ground for a stick that could work as a crutch. I spotted one about ten feet away and slowly scooted myself closer to reach it. It was a painstaking effort to stand up and although my ankle protested my weight, the wrap seemed to be working. I hobbled back to my backpack and pulled out another strip of raincoat so I could tie it to a tree where I had landed.

  Leaving my latest pitfall behind, I shuffled along, leaning heavily on my bristly crutch. It didn't take long for my hand to blister from rubbing against the wet wood, but I wrapped it with one of the bright yellow strips of raincoat and moved on. I was over this abuse, but I’d be damned if I was going to let the rugged wilderness beat me down.

  It was late afternoon when I reached my next steep decline. Without giving it a second thought, I sat on my bottom and slid down the bumpy path. The rocks bit painfully at my buttocks, but it was better than the alternative. Once I was safely at the bottom and relatively pain free, I allowed myself another small break to drink more water and eat another energy bar. My stomach wasn't exactly feeling up to any food, but I knew I needed any energy source I could get.

  After I finished eating, I sat for a moment, looking at the ragged mess my body had become. I don’t know if there was a spot on my body that didn’t have some kind of scrape, cut or bruise. I was soaking wet, covered in filth, and to top it off, one of the blisters on my hand had popped open. Resisting the urge to swear at the heavens again, I remembered Mason, alone and fighting infection. I stood myself upright and continued forward, limping several feet when finally, the trees opened up, revealing a sight that made my heart stop.

  Stepping forward cautiously, I nearly wept when my feet stepped onto asphalt. I had done it. One way or another, this road led to something. My steps seemed lighter as I shuffled along the smooth surface. I could do this. All I needed now was a car to come by.

  An hour later, I was still walking down the paved road, not a vehicle in sight. My coughing had increased in frequency, pounding my poor head into submission. My steps became more sluggish as I stumbled on, too stubborn to give up. After another hundred yards, or for that matter, it could have been a mile, I was too tired to tell anymore, my body wouldn't allow me to take another step further. Darkness clouded my vision and I sank into oblivion with one thought. Mason. I had failed him.

  A loud rumbling noise jerked me awake. Disoriented, I watched as tires screeched to a stop, inches from where I lay.

  "Are you Kimberly?" a burly policeman asked, kneeling by my head.

/>   I struggled with every last bit of energy I had left to nod.

  I could hear him barking our location into his radio as I faded in and out of consciousness. His radio squawked back and Rick's voice came across the line. "You found her?" I heard him ask before I drifted back out.

  My eyes fluttered open again several minutes later when the kind policeman scooped me up in his arms. "Don't worry, missy, we're going to get you help," he said, laying me gently on the backseat of his cruiser.

  "Mason," I said, fighting my grogginess as he laid a heavy military-style blanket over me.

  "We're going to find him," he said, gently pushing me back down as I struggled to sit up.

  My coughs were traitorous again as I tried to tell him I knew where Mason was. Somehow, in between the fits I managed to describe how I had marked the path.

  "He's in bad shape," I added, fighting to stay awake. "We're not leaving until you find him," I said stubbornly, resting my head on the seat.

  I was in a daze when Rick showed up twenty minutes later with a rescue team. "Kimberly," he said, dragging me into his arms.

  "Mason's hurt bad. His leg is broken and he's blazing with fever," I said as a new wave of coughs erupted out of me.

  "Why haven't you taken her to the hospital?" Rick demanded, turning on the cop.

  "She refused to leave until we rescue your boy," the cop answered, looking uncertain.

  "Get her to the hospital now," he demanded.

  "I want to stay until you bring Mason down," I protested.

  "We'll be right behind you, honey," Rick said, attempting to close my door.

  "Don't let him die. I love him," I mumbled as the darkness finally dragged me in for good.

  ***

  I was awakened by a hand gently smoothing my hair back. Bright light flooded the space around me and I marveled at the absence of rain. I tried to focus, but my eyes were heavy and I drifted back to sleep. I could hear voices, but I was too tired to make out their words.

  The next few days passed in a drug-induced sleep as I drifted in and out of consciousness. I wanted to ask about Mason, but I couldn't manage to stay awake longer than a few minutes at a time.