Page 52 of Fourth Point Of Contact

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

She got to work helping me up, and then we were off, trudging as quickly as possible through the forest. It was painfully slow-moving, and as the sun set, I began to question whether or not we’d get there any time tonight. But just as I was thinking we should call it quits for the night, the cabin came into view under the moonlight.

“Almost there,” she panted, her arms shaking as she helped me hobble along.

“You know, when this is over, I’m gonna buy you the fanciest, most expensive dinner ever,” I panted, seeing spots in my vision. I needed water, too. Fuck, I wasn’t sure I was gonna be able to move after this.

“No thanks. I already dated a man who bought me expensive dinners. That didn’t turn out so well.”

“Right,” I huffed. “A Big Mac, then.”

“How about tacos? Or Chinese food.”

“Let’s not talk about food anymore.”

“Agreed.”

It took us another ten minutes to get to the cabin, but getting inside was just as fucking frustrating as walking up a hill. The steps damn near killed me, and as soon as I saw the couch, I nearly wept for joy. In just a few more steps, I was to the couch and being lowered down on my ass. Piper positioned my leg carefully on the couch and then was off, rummaging around in the kitchen. I was going to ask her what the hell she was doing, but I was already fading out from the massive amount of pain coursing through my body.

“Drink this.”

My eyes fluttered open, staring at the woman sitting on the edge of the couch. Damn, she was beautiful. “Where’d you get that water?”

“The sink. I boiled it first. Thankfully, they have a gas stove.”

How long had I been out that she boiled water? The glass was already cooling, which meant it had been sitting around for at least a few minutes. I was a fucking wreck. After helping me sit up, she grabbed some cushions from another chair and stuffed them behind me so I could lean back on them.

The water coursed down my throat like sandpaper. I never thought I would be so fucking thirsty in all my life. But even when we were by the stream, we didn’t have that much water since the pouch was so small. At least now we could boil more at a time and rehydrate.

“Get some for yourself,” I said, taking another swig of my water.

“I’ve got some. We need to clean up your leg. I found a few supplies, but nothing that will do much good other than to clean the wound.”

“It’s fine,” I muttered as she started to remove the splint. The pain increased with every move she made, but there was nothing that could be done. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists as she quickly worked at pouring water over the wound and dabbing at it with an alcohol swab. When she was done, she wrapped it in gauze and reset the splint. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do.

“Now I need to see what food we have.”

“Don’t fucking poison me with beans that are expired. I don’t think I could handle it after walking all day.”

“I make no promises.”

I watched her get up and move around while I laid there like a useless lump on the couch. It was supposed to be me takingcare of her. I was the protector. I was the man who was supposed to look out for her while we were lost, and instead, she was doing all the damn work.

Having had enough, I sat up and worked my leg to the edge of the couch.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped, rushing over to me.

“Helping you.”

“With what?”

I ground my teeth, annoyed at the anger in her tone. “With whatever needs to be done. I’m not gonna lay on my ass until we’re rescued.”

She huffed out a laugh, her penetrating gaze almost frightening. “Let me tell you something, buddy. I did not hobble through the forest with you, only to have you pass out in a cabin and leave me here all alone to deal with God knows what. You will sit your ass down and do as I say.”

“Is that what they tell you to do in your romance novels?” I snapped.

“No, the men are usually just as pig-headed as you are.”

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