Nemesis Chapter 20

Nemesis Chapter 20

When Max woke some time later, the sun was beginning to appear above the horizon in the eastern sky.  He lifted his left arm gingerly and glanced at his watch.  More than three hours had passed since he'd fallen asleep.  Why had Grant not woken him?

He sat up as quickly as his aching ribs would allow and looked around for his friend.  When he spotted him, he instantly got to his feet.  Grant was sitting against a tree, knees up against his chest, his uninjured arm slung around them.

"Grant?"  Max said anxiously, crouching down beside his teammate.

Grant looked up at him, but his eyes were glassy.  Max could see now that his body was trembling slightly.  He laid a hand on Grant's forehead and his fear was confirmed.

"You're burning up," Max muttered, cursing to himself because he had nothing to help his friend - no blanket, no fever reducer.  There was water nearby, but it was salty.  It wouldn't be any help for cooling him down or for dehydration.

"I feel cold," Grant disagreed through chattering teeth, startling Max slightly because he wasn't even sure Grant had heard him speaking.

"It's the fever," Max said softly. "You've got the chills.  We've got to get you out of here, and fast."

"Sure, buddy," replied Grant, his speech slightly slurred, and the resignation in his voice made Max's stomach lurch.

"You hang in there, pal.  I'm going to go grab that metal."  Max was reluctant to leave his friend, but he had to try to find a way out of there.  Grant's condition was worsening by the moment.

"I can help," insisted Grant.

"Stay put," Max ordered, a bit firmly, but Grant complied.

Max hurried over to the wreckage where they had spotted the piece of chrome the night before and used his handkerchief to touch it since it was near a hotspot.  It was snagged against some other pieces of metal.  Max had to tug hard to break it loose, and the movement aggravated his already hurting ribs.  But Max bit his lip against the pain, not wishing for Grant to hear him cry out.

He quickly rushed back to his partner,  laying his hand gently on Grant's shoulder. "I got it," he said, trying to smile but failing somewhat.  His concern was growing by the moment; the fact that Grant's heart was no longer beating slow but racing beneath his touch didn't help.

Grant opened his eyes and smiled back at Max.  "Good work, pal," he said slowly.  "So now what?"

"Now," Max answered, "we watch and wait."

*******

It was an incredibly long day.

Grant spent the hours in virtually the same spot - sometimes lying down, sometimes sitting up.  He was blistery hot every time Max would check, though the chills came and went as the day wore on.  He had also grown less talkative and was sleeping more -  neither of which, Max knew, was a good sign.

Max was a bundle of restless energy and had a hard time sitting still despite his pain.  Occasionally, usually while Grant was sleeping, he would walk around the island, searching the air and water for any sign of life.  Still, he didn't stay gone long.  He was afraid to get too far away from his friend.

Max watched as the sun crossed into the western half of the sky.  It was afternoon, then - they had been here over twenty-four hours without food or water.  He didn't know how much longer it would be before they were rescued - if they were ever rescued.

Max stood on the edge of the island, sighing dejectedly when once again he saw no sign of hope.  He was trudging back toward his sleeping friend when he suddenly heard a soft moan.  He moved swiftly back to Grant's side as his partner began to stir and squint in pain.

"What's wrong, buddy?"  Max asked softly, laying his hand on Grant's shoulder and wincing at the heat radiating from it.

"Headache," Grant replied, his teeth clenched.  He opened his eyes gingerly and looked around.  "Where are we?"

Max's stomach lurched.  "We were in a helicopter crash, partner.  Don't you remember?"

"A helicopter?"  Grant repeated. "What were we doing in a helicopter?"

Max cursed to himself.  Headache.  Confusion.  Grant's fever was dangerously high.  If help didn't come soon...

"It's okay, Grant," Max answered patiently, patting his shoulder comfortingly.  "I'll explain later."

This seemed to appease Grant for the moment.  He closed his eyes and appeared to drift off to sleep again.  Max checked his pulse again, just to make sure, then sighed heavily.  If he were a praying man, now would be the time to start.