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the closest stick, I grab it and hold it close to her leg, praying that the snake will choose to cling to it rather than Ella’s leg.
    If it would just lift its head upwards, I could move it. It’s a risk, but the alternative is just as bad.
    “Just don’t let anything happen to her,” I say softly under my breath, a prayer to any entity that will listen. I know I’ve fallen hard for her. How else could I have misread the signs of hypothermia for something romantic? I know the signs -- taking off clothes, believing she is warm in spite of the dangerous cold. How could I have allowed myself to respond to her body? Because she’s quick-witted, beautiful and right now, she needs me, I thought to myself as that damn rattling sound continued to echo its warning.
    I kept my mind on Ella and off the rattler as I moved closer to it with the stick. I didn’t want to think of what I was attempting. There was no place for my mind to relax. Part of it considered the snake, the other kept nagging me about the fact that Ella is my patient. And not just any patient, but one who I dream of holding from now to eternity...and also the one who is in love with her dead boyfriend. Not the best situation.
    The snake slowly slithers over her leg. The length of it still covers her, but its head is now half-way between Ella and myself. I think that it might actually move away and we’ll be safe. I also think about what safety net Ella clings to...Nate.
    As I held her and kissed her mouth, I didn’t want to believe that she uttered his name with romantic intentions. I’m sure that I heard her say my name as well and the sound shouldn’t have made my heart race, but it did and filled me with hope. Hope that I might not just be playing second fiddle.
    “Ella, it’s going to be okay. I’m here for you.” Just as I whisper these words, she opens her eyes and there’s recognition there. I reach out and touch her cheek and to my enormous relief, there’s warmth emanating from her.
    “Ethan, you’ve stayed with me this whole time? You kept me warm?”
    “Shhh,” I say in warning, my eyes going to the snake that continues to move from our cave-like enclosure towards the shrubbery, but with the very end of it still on her, it is not yet out of striking distance.
    “I’m sorry that I did this,” she says and with her arms she indicates the land around us. “I shouldn’t have come back here alone.”
    I just want to take her in my arms and tell her that I understand the grieving process and she’ll get through it. I’ll help her through it. I glance down and relief comes to me with the sight of just her beautiful legs, no snake in sight.
    “You’re feeling better?”
    “Stupid and cold, but not crazy and freezing,” she smiles. She leans into me and I wrap one arm around her. I drop the stick that I’ve been firmly holding and plant my hand down to shift my weight closer to her. That’s when I feel the searing pain tear through my hand and I hear the ominous sound of a rattle once more...and then the sound of silence.

Part II - Love Found
     
    “My heart might be bruised, but it will recover and become capable of seeing beauty of life once more. It's happened before, it will happen again, I'm sure. When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive--I'll find love again.”
    -- Paulo Coelho, “The Zahir”

Chapter 22 - Nate
     
     
    You can lose a loved one and still go on. It’s a hard lesson that Ella is struggling to learn. But I believe that living in the present is the key to a happy future. Right now, Ethan is directly accountable for her survival. If she is to have that happy future, she must survive the present. I know that they will have to use their wits and strengths to make it through. It’s sure to bind them together, and I have to accept that.
    When Ella was in my arms and then Ethan arrived and took care of her, I wanted to materialize for him, if only to show him that Ella wasn’t crazy. But