Nemesis Chapter 21

Nemesis Chapter 21

Max leaned back against a nearby tree and closed his eyes, trying desperately to clear his head of the deep worry that gripped him and focusing instead on the sound of the waves and the different species of birds that inhabited the otherwise deserted island.  As he sat there, listening intently, he could hear...

Wait.  Was that a hum?

Max's eyes jerked open and he scrambled to his feet, wincing with pain from having forgotten about his injured ribs for the moment.  He ran to the shoreline, metal in hand, and gazed in the direction of the humming sound.

There, off in the distance, was a small boat - probably just some fishermen, Max mused.  Still, he rotated the chrome until it caught the evening sun's rays and reflected them back at the watercraft.  Momentarily, the craft appeared to gain speed as it headed straight for the island.

Max was overjoyed, though his optimism was guarded.  He couldn't be sure if this boat was equipped for a proper rescue, or if this was some of Garcia's men coming to make sure he and Grant were dead.

As the craft came closer, Max could see that there were only two men on board.  If these were Garcia's men, he surmised, he could probably take them - broken bones and all - and then take their boat and get Grant and himself to safety.

"Hello, there!"  one of the men called out to Max once the white motorboat came within earshot.

"Hello!"  Max called back.

"We saw your signal," the fifty-something man stated.  "Didn't think there was anyone on this island.  Do you need help?"

Max nodded.  "Our chopper crashed," he reported, nodding towards the charred wreckage.

"Are you hurt?"  the second man asked anxiously.

"My buddy has a broken collarbone and a pretty high fever,"  Max replied tensely, deflecting the man's concern from himself.  "He needs a doctor."

"We don't have a radio," the first man said apologetically, "and it's a half hour back to our dock.  But we'd be glad to go back and call an air ambulance for you."

"That would be great," Max replied gratefully.

"I bet you don't have any supplies, either."

"Nope," Max confirmed.  "Everything burned up in the crash."

"You fellas are lucky to be alive," the grizzled man stated.  Then he reached into his boat and pulled out a blanket, two bottles of water, and a bottle of painkillers.

"It's not much," he admitted, "but if you can get your friend to take something, it might cut the edge off the fever.  We'll have that chopper here as soon as we can."

"Thank you so much," said Max gratefully.

The older man nodded his reply, gunned his motor, and sped away.

Max gathered up the supplies as best he could with one good arm and made his way back to where Grant was still sleeping.  His body was shivering again, though it was probably at least eighty-five outside  Max pulled the blanket over his friend, then gently patted his cheek until Grant's eyes opened.

"Hey, buddy," he whispered, digging out two tablets and unscrewing the cap off the bottle of water.  "Think you can take these for me?"  Max knew that it was risky to give painkillers to someone with a head injury before they could be evaluated by a medical professional; however, given how high Grant's fever was, it was a chance he was willing to take.

Grant looked at the tablets in Max's hand like he had no idea what to do with them.  Max's stomach lurched with worry.

"Open up," Max coaxed patiently, and Grant opened his mouth like an obedient child.  Max put the tablets in Grant's mouth, then lifted the water bottle up to his friend's lips.

"Take a drink," he said softly, and again Grant complied.

"Where are we?"  Grant asked, his face a mask of confusion.

"In the middle of nowhere," Max quipped, "but help should be here in the next hour."

As Grant nodded his head and drifted back to sleep, Max's stomach lurched again.  All he could do was pray that help wouldn't come too late.

*****

Previous Chapter:  Nemesis Chapter 20

Next Chapter:  Nemesis Chapter 22

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