she could. Her eyes quavered as much as her voice. Her wound continued to trickle blood with a frequency that concerned Chris. He’d have to wrap it. They’d clean it at the hospital and bandage her up nicely.
“I have to lift you. Just for a second,” he said caressing her forehead with his thumb. It left a muddy print, but he doubted she cared at this point.
She nodded her consent and he lifted her long enough to feel each back pocket and find her phone. The screen was cracked with the damage spider-webbing from a lower corner, but it still worked when he clicked the home button. The rugged case had protected it from the worst of her backside slamming down on it.
The bars at the top weren’t visible. In their place, the screen read “No service.”
“Shit. No. No. No. No,” Chris said holding the phone up hoping against all hope that it would work. He took his own out and found an equally dismal circle with a slash over his blanked out signal bars accompanied by the word “Searching.”
Jess reached out and grabbed his wrist. Her head lolled aimlessly and he wondered if she’d hit her head. He was surprised that he hadn’t cracked his skull during his own landing.
“Babe,” he said putting down both phones. “I have to wrap it.” She moaned and he repeated himself. He pulled off what he could of her shredded pant leg and then tore off a smaller piece to tie it around. It was a poor solution, but the best he could do.
Chris pressed the folded fabric against the cut and then knotted the second piece around. It wasn’t an ideal bandage, but he felt that there wasn’t much choice. Jess lay still even as he tightened the knot.
“You okay?” he asked when the task was completed.
She threw an arm over her face and nodded. She was pale, but he was certain it was from pain and fear, not blood loss.
He laid down on the ground next to her and placed his hand in hers. “We’re going to be okay,” he assured her. He wanted so deeply to believe it.
“I know we will,” she said very quietly. It was a heavily uncertain statement.
Chapter 4
Jess’s eyes fluttered open. The sky above was dark and overcast. A glance at her watch showed it was only afternoon. Her leg throbbed and she could feel her heartbeat in her fingers and under the wrapping Chris had created.
She turned her head toward him and saw him staring into the sky. “Chris?” she asked.
He turned his head toward her. “Are you okay?”
She tried to give her most genuine smile. “Mostly. Did I fall asleep?”
Chris rolled toward her until he was on his side. “I think you just completely blacked out. I said we’d be okay. You said we would, too, and then you were gone. You were just completely gone.”
Jess slowly sat up. She remembered falling and knew she’d cut her leg, but didn’t remember a lot after that. “Do I have a concussion?”
“It’s hard to say. We really need to get to a hospital. We’re both in really bad shape. Even worse, we don’t have any drinking water.”
As soon as he said that, she realized how irresistibly thirsty she was.
“What do we do?” she asked. She picked their phones up off the ground and checked each one again. She even restarted them, but the result was the same.
Chris shook his head. “Survival isn’t really my forte. You’re better at this than me.”
“You say to the person that can’t start a fire without lighter fluid and a hundred newspapers.”
Jess pulled her injured leg in toward her chest and inspected Chris’s handiwork. Her blood had soaked into the rolled up compress and the tie had managed to hold most of it in place, but it felt too restrictive.
The blood had dried dark and crusty everywhere including her hands. The cut was mostly closed with just a little bit of red wetness down the deepest parts. It felt right to give it air and expose it. It was gross and oozing, but she was glad it had stopped gushing.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking this off. It
“I have to lift you. Just for a second,” he said caressing her forehead with his thumb. It left a muddy print, but he doubted she cared at this point.
She nodded her consent and he lifted her long enough to feel each back pocket and find her phone. The screen was cracked with the damage spider-webbing from a lower corner, but it still worked when he clicked the home button. The rugged case had protected it from the worst of her backside slamming down on it.
The bars at the top weren’t visible. In their place, the screen read “No service.”
“Shit. No. No. No. No,” Chris said holding the phone up hoping against all hope that it would work. He took his own out and found an equally dismal circle with a slash over his blanked out signal bars accompanied by the word “Searching.”
Jess reached out and grabbed his wrist. Her head lolled aimlessly and he wondered if she’d hit her head. He was surprised that he hadn’t cracked his skull during his own landing.
“Babe,” he said putting down both phones. “I have to wrap it.” She moaned and he repeated himself. He pulled off what he could of her shredded pant leg and then tore off a smaller piece to tie it around. It was a poor solution, but the best he could do.
Chris pressed the folded fabric against the cut and then knotted the second piece around. It wasn’t an ideal bandage, but he felt that there wasn’t much choice. Jess lay still even as he tightened the knot.
“You okay?” he asked when the task was completed.
She threw an arm over her face and nodded. She was pale, but he was certain it was from pain and fear, not blood loss.
He laid down on the ground next to her and placed his hand in hers. “We’re going to be okay,” he assured her. He wanted so deeply to believe it.
“I know we will,” she said very quietly. It was a heavily uncertain statement.
Chapter 4
Jess’s eyes fluttered open. The sky above was dark and overcast. A glance at her watch showed it was only afternoon. Her leg throbbed and she could feel her heartbeat in her fingers and under the wrapping Chris had created.
She turned her head toward him and saw him staring into the sky. “Chris?” she asked.
He turned his head toward her. “Are you okay?”
She tried to give her most genuine smile. “Mostly. Did I fall asleep?”
Chris rolled toward her until he was on his side. “I think you just completely blacked out. I said we’d be okay. You said we would, too, and then you were gone. You were just completely gone.”
Jess slowly sat up. She remembered falling and knew she’d cut her leg, but didn’t remember a lot after that. “Do I have a concussion?”
“It’s hard to say. We really need to get to a hospital. We’re both in really bad shape. Even worse, we don’t have any drinking water.”
As soon as he said that, she realized how irresistibly thirsty she was.
“What do we do?” she asked. She picked their phones up off the ground and checked each one again. She even restarted them, but the result was the same.
Chris shook his head. “Survival isn’t really my forte. You’re better at this than me.”
“You say to the person that can’t start a fire without lighter fluid and a hundred newspapers.”
Jess pulled her injured leg in toward her chest and inspected Chris’s handiwork. Her blood had soaked into the rolled up compress and the tie had managed to hold most of it in place, but it felt too restrictive.
The blood had dried dark and crusty everywhere including her hands. The cut was mostly closed with just a little bit of red wetness down the deepest parts. It felt right to give it air and expose it. It was gross and oozing, but she was glad it had stopped gushing.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m taking this off. It
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