another argument regarding her status. Mike leveled a stare at Erik, its meaning unmistakable. “You two will search the east while I search the west. Clear?” he said flatly.
Sweeping himself off the hood, Erik mumbled agreement, though his words held an uncharacteristic edge. “Whatever you say, Mike.”
The searching was brief as no evidence of Paul’s passing could be found. In fact, an impassable congestion of cars and trucks a quarter mile east all but proved the man and his team had yet to travel along the road. Finally satisfied, Mike ordered a return to the Humvee, and once again the trio set out west. The jarring ride, the pavement riddled with potholes, did little to ease Lisa’s unsettled stomach. Since her near death from starvation and dehydration, her body had rebelled against her efforts to resume some normalcy. She also wondered how much her dread of Paul learning the truth caused her stomach to knot and flip. Every solitary moment, and due to Mike’s strict isolation there were many, her thoughts could not help but turn to how he would receive the news. What’s done is done. He’ll either love me or not, she told herself. Please, God, let him still love me!
Once the sun dipped below the tree line ahead, Mike slowed the armored vehicle to a stop alongside a small rest area. A few picnic tables had once occupied the space, though after years of scavengers seeking firewood, all that remained were some discarded pieces of woodand the nuts and bolts. A fenced off dog run provided the most protection for the night ahead. Even if Tils slipped past the watch, they would surely be heard climbing over the metal gating. Mike refused to allow her to take a watch shift on her own, so he and Erik divided the hours between them. Erik tried to spin the reasoning to her favor, explaining she needed the extra time to rest. Nodding glumly, Lisa slid into the sleeping bag on the ground and tried her best to ignore the various rocks and divots that made finding comfort nearly impossible. Anxiety ensured that her sleep was troubled and sporadic.
* * *
With one hand steadying her against the tree, Lisa stared into the distance, though her eyes were unfocused and saw little. Her mind was too engaged with the implications of the realization to process much else. The morning had started early, and rather normally given the situation. A few moments after finishing a small breakfast, the world seemed to tilt and spin faster than her thoughts could encompass. Both men raised their eyes with concern when she had hurried into the woods without explanation. Even as her stomach contracted, even as she sank to her knees and gave in to the nausea, Lisa fought with the fearful truth.
“You okay?” Mike asked as he stepped into view. She wondered briefly if he had followed out of genuine worry, or fear of her escape. As soon as the question formed, she knew the answer was the latter. Standing as best she could, weak mostly from shock, she ran the back of her hand across her mouth and simply stared at him.
“Lisa, what’s wrong?”
Before she could stop the words, she heard her own voice reply. “I think I’m... I’m pregnant.”
With a significant raise in his eyebrows, Mike’s eyes drifted down to the expelled remnants of her breakfast. For a long stretch neither spoke. She could see the battle waging within him. The hate he held for her was still present, but now it seemed that razor edge had dulled. The unexpected—and undesired—shift in his perception had muted him.
Making significant noise to announce his arrival, Erik looked from one to the other. “Um, what’s going on?”
Snapping back to awareness, Mike stammered in reply. “Nothing. Lisa is... I mean she had to... there was a... something needed...”
“I’m pregnant,” she finished, in part to end his babbling, but also to see if she could bring herself to say the words again without feeling faint.
“You’re pregnant? Like right
Sweeping himself off the hood, Erik mumbled agreement, though his words held an uncharacteristic edge. “Whatever you say, Mike.”
The searching was brief as no evidence of Paul’s passing could be found. In fact, an impassable congestion of cars and trucks a quarter mile east all but proved the man and his team had yet to travel along the road. Finally satisfied, Mike ordered a return to the Humvee, and once again the trio set out west. The jarring ride, the pavement riddled with potholes, did little to ease Lisa’s unsettled stomach. Since her near death from starvation and dehydration, her body had rebelled against her efforts to resume some normalcy. She also wondered how much her dread of Paul learning the truth caused her stomach to knot and flip. Every solitary moment, and due to Mike’s strict isolation there were many, her thoughts could not help but turn to how he would receive the news. What’s done is done. He’ll either love me or not, she told herself. Please, God, let him still love me!
Once the sun dipped below the tree line ahead, Mike slowed the armored vehicle to a stop alongside a small rest area. A few picnic tables had once occupied the space, though after years of scavengers seeking firewood, all that remained were some discarded pieces of woodand the nuts and bolts. A fenced off dog run provided the most protection for the night ahead. Even if Tils slipped past the watch, they would surely be heard climbing over the metal gating. Mike refused to allow her to take a watch shift on her own, so he and Erik divided the hours between them. Erik tried to spin the reasoning to her favor, explaining she needed the extra time to rest. Nodding glumly, Lisa slid into the sleeping bag on the ground and tried her best to ignore the various rocks and divots that made finding comfort nearly impossible. Anxiety ensured that her sleep was troubled and sporadic.
* * *
With one hand steadying her against the tree, Lisa stared into the distance, though her eyes were unfocused and saw little. Her mind was too engaged with the implications of the realization to process much else. The morning had started early, and rather normally given the situation. A few moments after finishing a small breakfast, the world seemed to tilt and spin faster than her thoughts could encompass. Both men raised their eyes with concern when she had hurried into the woods without explanation. Even as her stomach contracted, even as she sank to her knees and gave in to the nausea, Lisa fought with the fearful truth.
“You okay?” Mike asked as he stepped into view. She wondered briefly if he had followed out of genuine worry, or fear of her escape. As soon as the question formed, she knew the answer was the latter. Standing as best she could, weak mostly from shock, she ran the back of her hand across her mouth and simply stared at him.
“Lisa, what’s wrong?”
Before she could stop the words, she heard her own voice reply. “I think I’m... I’m pregnant.”
With a significant raise in his eyebrows, Mike’s eyes drifted down to the expelled remnants of her breakfast. For a long stretch neither spoke. She could see the battle waging within him. The hate he held for her was still present, but now it seemed that razor edge had dulled. The unexpected—and undesired—shift in his perception had muted him.
Making significant noise to announce his arrival, Erik looked from one to the other. “Um, what’s going on?”
Snapping back to awareness, Mike stammered in reply. “Nothing. Lisa is... I mean she had to... there was a... something needed...”
“I’m pregnant,” she finished, in part to end his babbling, but also to see if she could bring herself to say the words again without feeling faint.
“You’re pregnant? Like right
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