"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 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.