Chapter 2
The next morning, I was cutting up some cardboard while Bradley continued to rest inside the wreckage of the plane we took as shelter. I heard her moaning in pain, I didn't imagine she was trying to get up with an injured and immobile leg. At that moment, I heard something else, a familiar sound. I looked up into the sky and saw a plane passing overhead.
"A PLANE!" I shouted. "GIVE ME THE FLARE. QUICK!"
"Here you go, here."
I rushed to grab the flare and fire a shot into the air, so I didn't stop to listen to what Bradley wanted to tell me. There was no light, there was nothing but the sound of the trigger.
"It's empty."
I turned around and the blonde was ready to throw the flares at me. When she did, I got them in the air. I loaded the gun and this time fired a good shot into the air. To our bad luck, the plane was already far away from us, there was no way I could see the signals or hear Bradley's screams.
"They can't hear you." I was frustrated, I tried not to wear that feeling out against Bradley. Although I really don't know if I was successful at that.
"I know." half of her body, from the waist down, was inside the plane. Her arms rested on the snow. "This is what you're supposed to do."
She knew it wasn't right and wouldn't let me lock into my anger.
"Hey, it's okay. We'll apply the rule of 3. We can go 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 minutes without oxygen. Let me help."
I knew the woman wouldn't stop talking, but I didn't know how stubborn and insistent she was. She endured the pain and stood up.
"You want to help? This way you can help, don't put weight on that leg. That way you'll help you and of course, you'll help me.
Her eyes challenged me, I had no choice but to beg.
"Please."
In the evening, we burned everything that was useless. I had never in my life imagined burning bills. Then Bradley gave me her photographs to throw into the fire, before doing so, I looked at each one. They were children suffering in a country full of war. Heartbreaking images, but at the same time, it was amazing the job Bradley did in taking them.
"I'm sorry you didn't go to your wedding." I said, holding up the piece of paper with the invitation.
"I kept thinking about how he doesn't know I'm alive."
"But you told him we rented a plane, didn't you?"
"No." she replied. "I was going to call when I got to Denver to make him proud of me, for figuring it out. I would have made it. I would have run down the aisle like Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate, though."
"Someone will find us." I tried to make her feel better.
"Did you call someone? Your wife?"
"No." I slipped on my gloves, as a way of dodging conservation.
*****
Bradley woke me up. She needed to go to the bathroom. I offered to help her, but she is stubborn. She likes to do things on her own. Still, I got up and stayed behind, I was sure, she would need me anyway, I just needed a little time to accept it.
"Do you need help with the pants?"
"No." was her first response...but then, "Yes."
"Lift your butt up." I whispered to her.
I slid her jeans down her legs, then did the same with her underwear. After she finished peeing, she handed me the cup. I told her she looked healthy before emptying it into the snow. That woman! God, she is one of a kind. Very stubborn and determined to do as she pleases. She tried to stand up. She had her things in a bag, ready to go.
"What are you doing?"
"It's been three days. There are few almonds left. Gotta move." she was saying all that still feeling the pain in her leg, it was clear she didn't care. She had to get out.
"It's better to stay here," I was reasonable. "We won't get very far with your leg.
"No, Laura. I'm not staying here." she continued to move, even though she ignored the pain coming from her mouth.
"Stop it, Bradley." I tried again in a gruff voice.
"Well then, you go. You go, Laura." she was angry.
"I can't leave," I clarified. "You couldn't survive without me."
"Still...I'm telling you to go." she insisted through gritted teeth.
"How hard is it for you to stay still?"
She started banging on the tin walls, until she convinced me to get up. I peeked out the window and saw that a couple of feet away, not that far...there's a ridge. I'll climb it to see if I can find a path or whatever. I got ready to leave, but then Bradley stopped me.
"Wait, take this with you." she handed me her camera. "You'll be able to see farther."
I took it between my fingers, but she stopped me.
"Look, it doesn't matter if you don't come back."
"What?" I was surprised.
"I got you into this. So..." she looked down. "I'll understand."
I sighed in devastation.
"Bradley, if I wanted to leave, I would have done it three days ago." I adjusted my hat and trudged through the snow covering my ankles.
The walk was hard, harder than I expected. Your feet sink in and it makes you get tired faster. It's like you have weights anchored to your ankles. Everything was more slippery because of the ice. I had to be careful where I placed my feet and hands. I could have had a horrible fall and died.
*****
Bradley.
While Laura was out, I went through her things. I went through her wallet and found a picture of her wife and her together. The woman next to her had tanned skin and highlights in her hair. They looked happy.
"She's pretty." I said with a soft sigh.
Then I found a small tape recorder. I hit the button and heard a woman's voice, I guess it's Laura's wife.
"Hi, Laura. I can't believe you left your tape recorder abandoned. That's so unlike you. I know you like to be in control of things. Maybe that was unfair. I've told you before, but I wanted you to have it forever. I'm glad we spent this time together. No matter how bad it's gotten."
The dog started barking. I hurried to put the recorder back in its place. I figured Laura had returned.
"Laura." I called out her name, but got no response.
Through one of the panes of glass, I saw a tail swishing back and forth. Then it jumped over the roof. The dog was scared, he wouldn't stop barking. I tried to calm it down, but I was more worried about the animal. I wasn't sure what it was. The dog ran after the thing. I covered my ears when I heard the meowing and barking between the two animals. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was like a mountain lion. Suddenly, there was silence. Then that wild animal was walking towards me. It occurred to me to look for the flare, hopefully, that would help me. I fired a shot straight into its face that sent it fleeing.
Laura came running back worried, surely she had heard the sound of the flare being shot.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she sat down next to me.
"It was a mountain lion. It left the dog injured, can you help him?"
Laura took off her gloves. I watched as she tried to calm down, apparently she too had had a rough few hours.
I don't know why, but I enjoyed watching her heal the dog. I liked the way she did things so precisely and meticulously. She seemed to have magic in her fingers. She had helped me and now she was doing the same for the dog. I felt guilty for invading her space, I just wanted to get to know the strange person who was with me at this horrible time.
"What's your wife's name?"
She would take seconds to answer every personal question I asked her. Something wouldn't let her open up completely.
"Alex." She said.
"I look forward to meeting her. She must be very worried about you."
Just imagining that Laura has a family made me sigh in pain. "Do you have children?"
"No." she replied.
Laura followed the blood trails until she found the dead animal. It occurred to her that it could serve as food for us. She cut off the skin and put it to heat a fire she had also made by herself.
"Don't eat so fast. You'll get colic." she warned me.
I moaned as much as I ever had before. The taste of the meat felt so good.
"Maybe this will last us ten days. Which is perfect, since we're stranded here."
"I was thinking." I said with my mouth full. "If we make it down low enough, maybe, your phone will get a signal."
"No." she quickly replied. "Forget the phone, there's no signal. Search and rescue could be here soon."
"But we still can't find each other."
"I know, but they're less likely to find us if we leave. They'll concentrate their search on the beacon."
"Good grief, Laura," I groaned.
"There is a system, Bradley."
"Systems fail all the time. They haven't found us. We've got to move. You wanted to wait, I've waited."
"Bradley, really." she turned to look at me impatiently. "It's too dangerous. I almost fell off a cliff. I almost died. We're safe here."
"I don't want to die up here because you're afraid to take the risk."
"I'm not going to fall off a mountain because you're impulsive and selfish." Her anger level was rising.
"What?"
"You know what, you're right. You got me into this." Laura burst out.
I was speechless. She was partly right, but it wasn't something I meant to do wrong, quite the opposite.
"I tried to help." I rolled my eyes and she shook her head every time I said, "I tried to help."
"No, of course you didn't."
"Right now, I'd be married." I yelled at her. "Had you thought about it? Poor Cory."
"What about my patient, did you think of that? Don't blame me for your stupid problems. Because if it weren't for me, you'd be dead. You're the lucky one." I punched the metal. "Not me. I'm stuck with you. I would have had more hope if I hadn't had you here." She picked up her purse and tossed it to her side to place it on her head. She tried to lay down to sleep.
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply.
*****
By the time the sun came up, I had decided to leave. I took my things, put them in my bag and with the help of a metal pole, I would use it to be able to walk. The dog would go with me.
"We'll find something, just keep walking." that dog had been like a friend to me.
When Laura woke up, I was already gone. I had left only the marks of my feet in the snow. Maybe that had been a good decision. I hadn't left without saying anything either, I left her a note. I was sure she would find it and read it. I also left her the last piece of candy I had decided not to eat because I wanted her to have it.
Laura, if I get downstairs, I will send help. I can't stay here.
P.S. I took the dog with me.
I stopped for a drink of water. Walking hasn't been as easy as you imagine it would be. Sometimes my stubbornness won't let me think straight.
"Don't give up." I kept repeating to myself every moment.
But then, there was a shout. A familiar voice. A voice that made me feel joyful, warm and of course, not at all alone.
"Bradley." she shouted and walked hurriedly toward me. "You could have said goodbye." She caught the breath she'd lost running toward me.
"Well, I left a note. Besides I had to try. I had to try my way."
Suddenly. Her hands grabbed me to her body. It felt so good. She hugged me so tightly, I could feel her words. "I'm glad I found you." Strange how I can find calm when I'm with her.
When my hopes seemed to have faded, Laura was there to lift my spirits. She didn't blame me, on the contrary, she had been supporting my ideas since day one.
"Tell me about your wedding." That was her attempt to keep me distracted from the exhaustion and pain.
"Didn't you hear? I missed it."
That made Laura laugh.
"I can't talk." exhaustion overcomes all my strength. "Tell me something. Tell me what kind of doctor you are?"
"I'm a neurosurgeon."
"Brains, why brains?"
"It's a huge responsibility. Cutting into someone's brain. It's where the perceptions, the intelligence, the emotions are."
"What about the heart?"
Laura was helping me walk by holding my hand. At no point did she let up.
"The heart is just a muscle." In the sun and snow, her face looks like porcelain. Somehow, I wanted to return the warmth she was giving me.
When I was falling, she was there to help me get back on my feet. I didn't see her fade or shake with exhaustion, I think she was trying to be strong for me. For both of us. After long hours, she told me to look for shelter. We found a cave, I was about to collapse on the ground, if Laura had not held me by the waist. With a lot of patience and effort, she led me inside.
Laura likes to be in control, but she makes you feel so protected and special, that you allow her to take whatever she wants from you. You give her the reins, because you know you trust her. Every minute with Laura felt like a gift. She took care of me without me asking her to, maybe even without deserving it.
"It's a little swollen, but it looks better." She was on her knees, very close to me.
"You know what would be funny? If you weren't actually a doctor."
"Why would that be funny?" she raised her eyebrow.
"Because you'd only be doing all this to see my fine lingerie."
Her eyes lowered to my crotch and then she shook her head.
"It's not that fine."
It made me laugh and I thanked her. I watched her rub her hands together, she was cold and hadn't told me. So, I took her soft hands and tucked them inside my coat. I held them for a long time. We spent hours together, but nothing had ever been like this. A warm closeness that felt comforting and deep.
Even at night, she cared for me. Especially when I had nightmares. Laura took a jacket she had extra and tucked me in. Then she snuggled up behind me. I felt the warmth of her body, more than the warmth of the campfire. I waited for her to hug me, but she did not.
Unconsciously, I had woken up with my hand placed on her chest. She didn't push it away, on the contrary, she caressed it and then I pulled away. I didn't want to, but I needed to get up and continue on our way.
"Can I ask you a question?" I said to her as I was on my knees helping myself with the bandage on my leg. She didn't answer, but I still asked my question. "How long have you been married?"
"Why are you asking me that?" she looked up. Even with all those walls and locks, through her eyes you could still navigate the golden sparkles guiding you to the purity of her soul.
"I ask you because you wear a ring, but you don't talk about your wife."
She stood up unwilling to answer my question.
There was a glint of light that I caught a glimpse of from a distance with my camera. We decided that we would head in that direction. We calculated that we should go down another 300 meters. I let go of the dog's leash because he hated it and in doing so, it almost seemed like he knew where to go. The road was hard, not only because of the snow, we encountered every single thing that prevented us from continuing walking straight. There was a river, we had a little argument because I wanted to cross it, but Laura said it was safer to go up and find a way around it.
"I'm scared, okay? Acknowledge that you're scared too. Laura, do you know what it means to be impulsive? It means to abandon safety.
"I know what it means, but now..."
"NOW, WE HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE!" I yelled. "No one knows where we are. All we have is you and me. That's all, Laura."
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" she also shouted.
"Tell me, doctor, from your heart, do you really think we're going to survive?"
I saw her take the time to think and then respond with a, "No." she sighed. "My gut tells me we'll die up here. But we do have a choice. And we're still alive."
We turned around and did what Laura had said at the beginning, looking for a way around the river. We were tired and constantly wondering if we would make it. And as hard as the road had been, we found a moment of calm when we put our foreheads together.
"We have to keep going." the warmth she adopted in the moment, gave me the energy I needed.
"Ok." but I didn't want to pull away just yet, so, my head fell on her chest.
Before nightfall, we found shelter in each other's arms and the warmth of the campfire, was no match for the heat emanating from our bodies. We may have been 600 meters above sea level, but we were together. Laura's phone was running out of batteries and still had no reception.
Sometimes she would look at me. I know, because I was looking at her too. And they weren't looks of friends or concern, they were something else.
The walk felt much lighter as we joked with each other. Because of what's between her and me. Sometimes I would push Laura until she sank into the snow. She couldn't do the same, but she would tease me with some witty comment.
"How about an ice-cold drink?" she brought the ice up to my lips.
"Funny." I smiled. "I'm getting used to the cold now, though. Which is strange."
"Your body is acclimating. Our bodies are always looking for ways to work it out."
We sat for a long while admiring the scenery, then she looked at me and I looked at her.
"I want you to take a picture of me. If I die, I want you to be the one to take a last portrait of me."
Something in me snapped. The pain I had felt in my leg before was nothing compared to this.
"How do I look?"
I wanted to say... beautiful, since I saw you at the airport and until now, I still find you very beautiful. But instead, I dodged the question with the story about one of my trips for work.
"There was a girl I had met back then; she was nice to me. I gave her my lipstick because she had told me how much she liked a boy. Suddenly a bomb was dropped on us and she was badly injured. She asked me to take a picture of her, so I did, but after I did, she died."
"I'm sorry."
"I won't take your picture, because I don't want you to die." I inhaled deeply to keep from crying.
"We won't die. At least not today." she reached over and placed her hand on my knee.
After a few long seconds, something dawned on me....
"Where is the dog? We can't call him because we don't know his name."
"You're going to ask me to go look for him, aren't you?" she narrowed her eyes.
I was amazed at the way she had gotten to know me so well.
"Yes." I smiled at her and watched her walk away through the pine trees.
There was a loud rustling sound. I brushed the snow off my feet and noticed that there was water. The ice where I was sitting began to crack.
*****
Laura.
"Come friend, what are you doing?" I spoke to the dog, "What are you eating, are you hiding it from us?"
As I approached, I noticed that at the end, behind the trees, there is a hidden hut. I ran with all my might. I knocked on the door and knocked, but no one was there. That was our hope. We could survive and find rest. I went back for Bradley, anxious to tell her the good news.
When I heard her screams, I ran faster. I saw the ice break over her feet...until she sank completely into the water.
"Bradley!" I shouted.
I grabbed the metal rod to break more ice. I dipped my arms down to try to reach it. I still had strength, I could still give more. I gave everything I had to pull her out of the water. When I managed to place her on the floor...my fingers trembled, I was afraid I wouldn't feel her pulse. I still had to do it. She was alive. I carried her weight on my shoulders and hurried her to the cabin.
The place was abandoned, a mess. But it would be our shelter and honestly, I wouldn't ask for anything more right now. I laid her down on a mat on the floor near the fireplace. She was breathing, but not waking up. I looked around the cabin for supplies to stock up on, but there was nothing but empty cans and crates. I cut logs for the fireplace and made a fire to keep Bradley warm. I watched her for hours. I didn't want to move for a second.
I realized something, "I'm scared" I hadn't been able to recognize it until now. I am afraid every time Bradley is gone and when she is around...it makes me feel good and that's when I don't let fear invade my mind.
The dog and I were sad. He wouldn't come out from under the table, he watched Bradley from there. And me? well, for the first time in years I prayed to God.
I sat down next to her and took her hands. "I'm scared" I said again, only this time out loud. "If you don't wake up soon..." I held back, I didn't want to name death. I stroked the back of her hand. "I think I warmed you up too quickly. You're severely dehydrated. I found a syringe, it's for snakebites. I emptied it, and set up an IV of saline. Something could go wrong, Bradley. An infection or something. But I'll do it...because I think you would have wanted me to. I know you would. You'd tell me to trust my instincts and that's what I'll do."
I folded the sleeve of her blouse over her elbow. I patted her a couple of times in the area where I would incise the needle. I did it with the utmost care, as if she were my most important patient. And in a way, she is.
I didn't want to move. I sat with my hands hugging my knees up to my chest. I didn't blink, not for a single second. I remembered that a teacher in college had told me that the best thing you can do to a patient who can't wake up is to stimulate their brain. And a couple of nights ago, Bradley had told me how much he loved music. It's been a long time since I've played, maybe, it's not something I'm good at anymore. I blew the dust off the keys of that old piano and my fingers played. The song that came to my mind was, The Police - Every Breath You Take. That's what I played for her.
Every breath you take
And every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
I'll be watching you
On the last note, she let out a tiny sound. She was ready to wake up.