Текст книги "Unlikely Allies "

Автор книги: Tiffany King

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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 pounding 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.

Finally, on the third day, I was able to open my eyes long enough to hold a conversation. The room I was in had an antiseptic smell, but I welcomed its presence.

"Sweetie," my mom said, leaning over me.

"Mason?" I croaked.

"Oh, sweetie, we've been so worried. Rick, she's awake," my mom said over her shoulder.

"Mason?" I asked again as Rick crowded my bed on the other side.

Rick's face was telling a story I didn’t want to hear.

"Mason?" I asked, clawing at the oxygen tube in my nose so I could sit up.

My mom’s hands stopped me, gently pushing me back down.

"He's in recovery sweetie. They say you saved his life," she said as tears coursed down her cheeks.

"What aren't you telling me?" I demanded, looking at Rick.

"They couldn't save his leg," Rick said, holding back his own tears.

All fight left me as I sank back against my pillows with tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Honey, he's going to be okay," my mom said, trying to reassure me.

"No, he won't be, Mom, the mountains are his life and he needs his leg. All of it was for nothing," I said, pounding the bed with my hand.

"Kimmie, you're wrong. You saved his life. You're a hero," Rick said, holding my hand lightly in his.

"But I didn't save his leg," I said, choking on a sob.

"But you saved him. The rest we can deal with," he said, smoothing my hair back like my mom had.

"Honey, you walked three miles with pneumonia, a sprained ankle and countless other ailments. I'm so proud of you," my mom added.

I smiled slightly through my tears. "Mason said it would turn into pneumonia," I said before sliding back into the welcome arms of slumber.

Chapter 15

The next few days passed in slow motion as my body recovered from its trauma. I slept more than I ever had before, and my doctors told me that it was the best medicine I could get. The antibiotics helped and soon they were able to remove the oxygen tube, confident my lungs were well on the road to recovery. My ankle and finger would take longer, but they were now wrapped properly.

When I was awake enough to hold a conversation, Rick filled me in on what Mason and I had missed in our absence. I found out Alyssa was hiding out in the boathouse all along, but she was still at the camp since her dad went on a drinking binge before she was picked up. The judge was so upset, he obviously reversed his decision.

"She's really worried about you guys and feels bad about what happened," Rick told me.

"Tell her it's all good," I said, stealing Mason's line. "Who's running the camp right now, anyway?"

"Louise and a couple of friends we have in the area. They plan on remaining there until camp ends so I can be here for you and Mason."

"When can I see Mason?" I asked.

"They want to wait until your pneumonia is completely gone. That way Mason won't be at risk.

I nodded, understanding the reasoning. "How is he?"

"Not bad. He's concerned about you," Rick answered evasively.

"That's not what I mean. How is he?"

"He's suffering from depression over his leg. He's putting on a brave front, but I can tell he's taking it hard."

I nodded, fighting tears. "I wish I could be with him," I mumbled, swiping a tear off my cheek.

"I know, honey, but we want you to get better too," Mom said, entering the room.

"I'm practically back to normal," I whined.

"Yes, well, 'practically' and 'actually' being back to normal are two separate things," she said, smoothing out my blanket.

Sensing an argument, Rick left the room, claiming he was going to check on Mason.

***

By the end of my second week in the hospital, I was done with their excuses. I asked to see Mason every opportunity I got, but Mom kept telling me it could be detrimental to my recovery.

"I want to see him now," I told her as she tried to derail my request once again.

"Kim, you heard the doctor. Your lungs need a chance to recover without risking another infection," she said, sighing heavily at my repeated request.

"I also heard him say I'd be ready for release tomorrow, so there's no reason I can't see Mason. Why are you keeping him from me?" I said, finally seeing through her ploy.

She looked at me critically for a minute before answering. "Do you know you wouldn't leave until you knew they were on their way to rescue Mason? You woke long enough to tell Rick they had to save Mason because you loved him."

I shook my head no. "That day was such a blur, I don't remember much of anything," I admitted. "But what does that have to do with anything?" I added, puzzled.

"I felt you needed a few days to sort out your feelings," she said, fluffing out the pillow behind my head.

"What do you mean, sort out my feelings?" I asked, dragging out my words.

"It just seems a little wishy-washy to be spouting out words of love with someone you hardly know."

"Well, that seems rich coming from you," I said quietly, looking her in the eye.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, avoiding my eyes as she sat on the edge of the chair.

"I think you know exactly what I mean. Not all of us feel the need to hold everything in. Not all of us feel it's right to deny others the truth. Is that why you didn't tell dad about me?" I asked.

She sighed and sat back in the chair. "I'm not sure how I felt about your dad. When I found out I was pregnant with you, we were both still bound and determined to keep our relationship casual. We were both in college and didn't want anything to encroach on our studies. We had fun hanging out together, and he definitely was the funniest person I had ever dated, but I didn’t know if it was love. When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was scared to tell him. He was starting his senior year and had big plans. I was terrified he'd turn his back on me, but I was more terrified he wouldn't. From the moment I found out you were in my belly, I felt you were mine. I know it sounds selfish, and if I could go back in time, I'd tell him, even if it meant I had to share you," she said, swiping at a stray tear.

"Would it have been so bad sharing me?" I asked.

"At the time, it seemed impossible, especially once I held you. You were so tiny and perfect that I couldn't imagine entrusting your safety with someone else. I wanted to protect you."

"And you wanted me to yourself," I said, feeling slightly nauseous.

"Yes, I wanted you to myself. Now, after all that, I'm afraid I finally have lost you to Rick," she said, choking back a sob.

I wanted to argue with her, but her words rang true. Somewhere in my subconscious, I had already decided that I wasn't ready to leave my new life. College was due to start in less than a month, but my dream school no longer held my heart. My heart was somewhere in this hospital.

"I want to go see Mason," I finally said.

She stood up without arguing and retrieved the wheelchair that sat in the corner of my room. She was silent as she rolled me from my room and down the hall. I knew she was in pain at the decisions she somehow sensed I was making, but I knew that to fix it would be denying my own heart.

"I can take it from here," I told her when she paused outside his door.

Pushing the door open with my good foot, I wheeled into the room. My eyes never left Mason's as I wheeled to the far side of his bed.

"Hi," I said, finally coming to a stop.

"Hi yourself, beach bunny," he said, smiling at me through the light beard that covered his face.

"This is new," I said, running my hand down his jaw line.

He captured my hand with his and placed a kiss on the palm.

"Yeah, I haven't had a chance to shave," he tried to joke.

I saw through his disguise. "I'm so sorry I wasn't able to save your leg," I said as a hot tear streaked its way down my cheek.

"You saved my life," he said, cradling my hand against his chest. "They told me the infection would have killed me if you wouldn't have risked your own life going for help."

"It was a piece a cake. A walk in the park," I said, trying to smile through my tears.

"That's not what Rick told me. He said you walked on a sprained ankle with pneumonia and still, you never gave up."

"It was only because I thought I saw a Dairy Queen and I had a real hankering for a Blizzard," I teased.

"I thought so," he said, tugging on my hand until I crawled up on the bed with him.

"Is this allowed?" I asked as he slid his arm around me.

"Do we care?" he asked, dropping a kiss on my lips.

"Um, nope," I answered when we came up for air.

He kissed me on the head and switched on the television.

"CW, please," I said as he channel surfed.

He sighed dramatically, but switched to the channel I requested. We were onto our second show when Rick strolled in with a bag of takeout.

"Well, this looks cozy," he said dryly.

"The CW or us?" I joked as he divided out the food.

He raised his eyebrows at me without answering. "I saw your mom in the hall, she looked upset."

I nodded without answering as I munched on a fry.

"Why's your mom upset? She was fine when she visited me earlier," Mason said, taking a bite of his loaded burger.

"She's not happy about some of the decisions she thinks I'm about to make."

"And what would those be?"

"That I'm not going to UCLA," I said, finally coming to the decision I had been struggling with.

"What?" both Mason and Rick demanded at the same time.

"Sheesh, indoor voices," I said, making a production of cleaning out my ear.

"Why would you drop out of school?" Mason asked in quieter tone.

"I'm not dropping out. I just decided I might want to go to community college somewhere else," I said, feeling a little sick at his tone. What if he didn't want me to move here?

"Why community college?" Rick asked, clearly confused.

"Because, it's too late to enroll in a state college," I said, nibbling on my food. This was not the reaction I had been hoping for.

"Where?" Mason asked.

"I'm thinking Red Rocks."

"You mean you want to move here?" Rick asked.

"Well, I was thinking about it," I said defensively.

"What about art school?"

"I'm sure community college has art classes, but I'm thinking of doing a dual major anyway. I was hoping you two would be a little more excited about my news."

"Believe me, I'm excited about the idea of seeing you more, but I better go check on your mom. I'm sure this has her quite upset," Rick said, heading out the door.

"Well, that was a disaster," I muttered. "I thought you guys would be happier."

"I'm excited, beach bunny, but I just don't want you to change your dreams for me," Mason said, sliding an arm around me.

"I'm not changing them, I'm just adapting them to include you," I said, snuggling into his arms.

He kissed the top of my head, but remained silent. We continued to watch TV and eat, but neither held the same appeal they had just a few minutes prior.

The next few days were busy as the doctors released me to the capable hands of my mom and Rick. They shuttled me back to the hotel they had checked into weeks ago. My mom wanted to take me home to California, but I balked at the idea. I wasn't going anywhere until Mason started physical therapy and was well on the road to recovery.

I expected her to fly home, but she remained in Colorado with me.

On Monday of his third week in the hospital, Mason was due to start physical therapy. The doctors thought it would be best if we let Mason do the first few sessions without an audience, so Rick and I waited until after lunch to visit.

I was anxious to see him. Over the last few days, I noticed a subtle change in him as he started to distance himself from me. I tried to chalk it up as anxiety over physical therapy, but I was worried it was something else.

Mason was already back in his room when we arrived.

"How'd it go, son?" Rick asked, trying to ignore the sour look on Mason's face.

"It was crap," Mason said, sounding bitter.

"What happened?" I asked concerned.

He remained silent, fixated on the TV above our heads.

"It's going to take awhile to build up the appropriate muscles…" Rick replied until Mason cut him off.

"I'm not doing it anymore," Mason bit out angrily.

"What?" Rick and I both said at the same time.

"I'm a cripple now. Going to stupid-ass physical therapy isn't going to change that," he said, looking at his injured leg with disgust.

"Mason, it'll get easier. You're not a cripple," I said, fighting tears as I reached for his hand.

He jerked it away. "Why are you even here? I'm not worth throwing your life away," he said harshly.

"Mason?" I said, shocked at his words.

"I'm going to step out a minute and give you guys a chance to talk," Rick said, already heading for the door.

"I'm not throwing my life away for you," I said, stepping to the side of his bed "But that doesn't mean I can't be here for you when you need me," I added, reaching for his hand.

He reared back like I had slapped him. "I don't need you," he said sternly, not meeting my eyes. "I don't need you to keep saving me," he growled.

My heart dropped to my knees. "I know what you're doing," I said in a shaky voice.

"I'm not doing anything. We sought each other's comfort in a time of need, but we both know we have nothing in common."

"I thought we were falling in like with each other," I said, forcing a smile through a veil of tears.

"Oh, I like you, but that's all I feel," he said, turning away from me.

"I know you're just saying all of this because you're in pain. I'll be waiting for you when you're ready," I said quietly.

"I wouldn't hold my breath," he muttered as I softly closed the door behind me.

Rejection was a cold slap in the face anytime it happened, but coming from him like that was enough to make me want to curl up in a ball. I resisted the urge, holding my head high as I walked down the hall.

"I'm going home," I told a surprised Rick.

"Kimmie," he said, pulling me in for an awkward hug since my crutches got in the way. "He doesn't mean it. He's just frustrated."

"Maybe, but I don't think my staying is doing him any good. He needs to focus on getting better first. I'll be in touch," I said, holding my tears in by a thread.

"I've really enjoyed being with you this summer, despite the mishaps," Rick said, pulling me in for another hug.

"I feel the same," I said as a tear slipped down my cheek. "I'll be back, Dad."

"That sounds nice to hear," he said, acknowledging the fact that I was finally calling him his parental name.

"It feels right," I said, giving him a watery kiss on the cheek. "I'll call," I said, hurrying down the hall as fast as my aluminum crutches would allow before my tears tainted my exit.