Page 30 of A Wilderness Within

“You okay?” he asked once it was empty.

“Yeah, how about you? I did my best to patch up the wound.”

Lincoln checked her work. “Not bad.”

More than ever she wished she had actually been a vet rather than an advertising specialist. She would have felt more useful. With the internet gone, her job was obsolete. Her specialty was useless.

“Lincoln.” She studied his face, his piercing eyes and the proud chin covered by his thick beard.

“Yeah?” He looked at her, the light from the small lantern creating shadows on his face, making him look world-weary.

She kept her hand curled around his. “Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re mine, honey, and I protect what’s mine.”

She didn’t argue with him this time. In a way, she did belong to this man. In that same way, he belonged to her. Not as lovers or friends, but something else. She couldn’t quite find the right word. She felt like she understood what ancient men and women felt when they dwelt in the wilderness when those ancient forests were still young and the hills were full of a thousand dangers. Those men and women had formed a bond that kept them together. They’d survived by sharing their strengths and trusting one another.

“I kept your upper body elevated, but I think you can lie down in bed tonight,” she offered.

“That would be nice.” He started to get up, and she threw his good arm over her shoulder and helped. They walked back to the master bedroom, where she removed his boots and his pants. She blushed when she saw his briefs, but he didn’t say anything. Then he collapsed into bed, and she covered him with blankets.

Afterward, she undressed and climbed into bed beside him, tucking herself against him, careful to avoid touching his shoulder. Three days ago she would have fought this moment of intimacy, but now she craved it.

“I’ll handle the bodies tomorrow,” Lincoln said, sighing heavily in the darkness.

“I’ve already handled them,” she replied, listening to his breath.

“You didn’t have to”

“I did. Rest. I’ve taken care of it.”

He chuckled and then cursed. “So you’re giving the orders now, huh?”

“Consider yourself temporarily relieved of duty, Major.”

He snorted a laugh and then winced.

She didn’t like admitting that she felt safer when he was in charge, but it was true. He knew about surviving in the wilderness. She would be glad when he was up and feeling better. Until then…she would take care of him.

9

@CDC: We know people are concerned about the spread of virus Hydra-1. It is important to remember to work with each other. If cooperation among nations and peoples fails, pandemics occur. When we think only of ourselves and not of others, we provide contagions with the opportunity to transmit and spread. Save each other and we save the world.

—Centers for Disease Control Twitter Feed

November 29, 2019

In the weeks that followed, Caroline kept Lincoln in bed as much as possible. It was like trying to soothe an angry bear whenever she insisted he stay in bed. She took over making the meals and tending to the chickens, whom she had named Narcissa and Persephone. Not that Lincoln had found her naming them all that amusing.

“When we eat Narcissa someday, you will regret naming her,” he grumbled.

“Actually, we should focus on finding a rooster so we can breed more chickens.” She had to admit she would have loved some grilled chicken, but she couldn’t look at the two chickens in their nests when that thought strayed across her mind.

“That’s a good idea. Once we settle down again, I’ll find us one.”

Caroline spent her days exploring the house, looking at old photos and papers tucked away in drawers, trying to piece together the lives of the people who had built and lived in the home that now felt like hers. But by the end of the third week, she couldn’t keep Lincoln resting any longer.

“We need to move,” he said over breakfast. “It’s time we headed to Joplin.”

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