Apollo's 11

by Anna Collins

  The doctor looked perplexed, "she seems to be stable now. I have added a glucose drip; it will take some time to react on her body. Meanwhile, just keep her warm. If the body temperature drops too low then...then anything can happen."

  "What do you mean by anything can happen?" I panicked.

  He stood up and held my hand, "stay strong, and do whatever it takes to keep her warm. Too much blood loss has made her body extremely cold, she is still shivering," he said, and now his tone sounded a bit sad.

  "I will keep her warm. I won't let anything happen to her," I said rigidly, trying to reassure him and mostly myself.

  I could do nothing but watch as the softly landing snowfalls went more frequent and slowly transformed themselves into a blizzard. Soon the trees covered themselves with a fine drape of silver snow. With each passing minute, the weather was getting colder than ever. But it was so damn unnatural, as this kind of snow could only be seen during Christmas time and now it was not even the mid of October. Even the weather report didn't show any signs of snow. Then where did this bunch of snow come from?

  I was feeling restless and kept walking in the small space from Freya's bed to the window. I was doing it to keep a constant watch on her and the weather as well. But with each passing hour her shivering and the weather both were getting worse. The roads were blocked and the network too. When I thought that things couldn't get any worse, the power went off as well. It totally seemed like someone was conspiring against us. Not us, just Freya. It occurred to me that the snowfall and the power cut, all were some initiatives to make sure that nothing came between Freya and death. Or maybe I was just getting paranoid.

  I was about to go out to get a room heater or something like that, but I had no idea why I didn’t have it in me to leave her alone in that state. I had this strong feeling that if I left her alone, I might never be able to catch a sight of her ever again, and the thought itself was very...umm...heart shattering. I kept my eyes fixed on her; my eyes were not ready to leave her.

  I sighed deeply and rushed to her. This urgency to make her feel better and to remain as close to her as possible was poking me inside my chest. I felt miserable, not for her but for myself.

  "Get a grip dude," I said to myself out loud and shook my head. Then I kneeled beside Freya and took her hand in mine. Her hand was so small compared to mine, her skin so soft as a bundle of cotton wool. As I began rubbing her hand, she wiggled a bit and with my other hand I caressed her forehead. Shit, I was not good at this caring thing. I had never done this before or hadn’t felt the need to do this to anyone before.

  "You are gonna be just fine, just hang in there with me," I whispered softly near her ear. Well, I had no idea how "soft" worked, as "soft" was never my scene before.

  Nah, the rubbing made her palms warm, but the rest of her was as cold as before. I tried calling the doctor, thinking that he might have a solution for this.

  There was no network. Damn it! I clenched my fists in anger while trying out several positions to make the signal bars appear again. What a dark night man! Nothing seemed to be working.

  I tried to move away to think of something else, that's when Freya caught my hand lightly, "no...don't...leave…me...alone." Her words were weak and fragile, yet I could make out that she didn't want me to go away.

  "Freya!" I called out her name, the pain burning inside my heart came out in the tone of my voice.

  "Please," she urged again.

  I leaned close to her face to see if she was back to her senses, but no luck there. She was murmuring all this in her unconscious state.

  Suddenly she stopped talking, and her hand left mine. It made me shudder, the way her hand lost the grip, raised a creepy feeling inside me. What if she…no it can't happen.

  With a heaving chest and crooked forehead, I sat beside her on the bed. "Hey, talk to me...Shit!" I growled and gave her a slight shake. "Wake up!" Her head pulled back, her hair was tossing forward to cover her face as I shook her. A sickening feeling started in my gut, and I pressed my ear to her chest, trying to ignore the feel of her breasts as I searched for her heart beat.

  "Thank heavens," I relaxed a little. It was there, she was still alive.

  I sat up and cupped her face in my hands, shifting her tangled hair aside. "Wake up," I tried patting a cheek as the doctor had done previously. "Now's not the time for a nap, wake up!" Her cheeks felt cold, and it looked as if the color was starting to drain from her face.

  I cursed and shucked off my jacket and T-shirt, trying to keep myself calm. I tugged her up, sitting down on my butt and pulled her into my lap. "Don't get any ideas," I said uneasily as I pulled my jacket around her limp form, thinking that the leather material of my jacket might provide her more warmth than those covers.

  "I'm not trying anything, I’m gonna keep my hands to myself," I told her with the slight hope in my heart that maybe she was listening to me. I pulled her knees up, managing her into a fetal position before I wrapped my arms around her. "It's okay," I said, though to whom I wasn't sure.

  I pulled her closer, her head fitting just right under my chin. I tried to ignore that, too, as I struggled to get her warm. "It's okay," I swallowed hard as I started rubbing my hand up and down her back.

  Freya fit so right against me that it only added to my anxiety that she was unconscious. I pressed my lips to her brow, "I won't lie. If you don't wake up, I might have to cope a feel. If I touch your ass, you'll have to wake up to slap me, right?" I asked. Still, there was no response. I winced but didn't follow through with the threat. I just held on to her, one of my hands was moving up and down the length of her back, and the other was holding her knees close to my chest.

  I pressed my cheek against her hair, "I think after all this you're gonna have to owe me one. It's really hard to behave myself with a pretty girl in my lap." The one-sided conversation offered me only a little bit of comfort. Her hair smelled like roses as I buried my nose into it. "Definitely going to owe me one," I murmured.

  I wasn't sure just how long I had been holding her, struggling to give her some of my warmth. I had grown quiet, lulled by the moment’s peace, even in this dire situation. Maybe it was my having her in my arms. I wasn't sure how I would react if she woke up demanding to be let go. Holding her close was probably the one thing that helped me keeping my head still.

  Until she shifted. It wasn't a tense move, her body still felt lax against mine. If anything, she shifted further into my embrace. Her face was moving upward and pressing against my neck. It was a reaction, though. A good sign! With each breath, she was tickling the skin of my bare chest. I stopped rubbing her back to just take a moment to enjoy the feel of her against me. She shifted again, pressing closer against my chest.

  I quickly looked down at her, and now her fingers were slowly making their way from my waist to my back. A hint of a smile appeared on my face as her weak hands tried to grab me. It was working, she was responding.

  I held her by both of her arms and removed her from my embrace, just a little; I wanted to see her face. Her eyes were still closed. My fingers had caught her blood, so it felt wet. Shit! This was the reason why nothing was making her feel warm. It was the blood, absorbed by her sweater that hadn't dried yet. Without thinking anything, I supported her with one arm and with the help of my other hand I began taking off her sweater; thankfully it was more of a pullover; otherwise, it would have taken me ages to unbutton that. Jeez! The injury must have been real deep. The never-ending trails of blood had made their way to the straps of her dress as well. Some drops even escaped to the frontal region of her dress. I swallowed. "Okay Freya, we need to get rid of this dress too, now wake up and change it, otherwise...I will have no choice but to take it off you myself".

  I looked at her intently, waiting for her to respond. "Come on Freya, at least shake your head in disapproval," I urged again, but there was no response. Damn it! My fingers tugged on her arm tightly, it totally occurred involuntarily. Maybe because I was hell angry on mys
elf for not being able to help her with anything.

  I couldn't remember the time when I felt this kind of um… suffocation before. A part of me was practically yearning to breathe life into her, and the other part of me kept asking me why the hell was I torturing myself for someone who hated me, who thought that my existence was a huge mistake. And the irony of the situation was she was the one who needed me the most!

  My hands were shaking even at the thought of stripping her down. I knew she would never like it; she would create a huge scene out of it. Freya was different, but the situation was different too. I was not keen on taking off her dress for the pleasure of my eyes, I was doing this to save her life.

  "I know it will be difficult for you, but please try and trust me. I will keep my eyes closed, I promise," I whispered this into her ears with all the genuineness in my heart. Then very slowly I began moving my fingers, which were now shaking, to her back and got hold of the zipper almost immediately.

  Her chin was on my left shoulder, and her upper body lay vertically on my chest. Removing her hair aside, I slid my hands to her back.

  It never took me this amount of time to undress a girl. I tossed off their dresses and bras in the blink of an eye, but this one was hell difficult to deal with. She never allowed me to touch her; I bet she rubbed sanitizer even if my shadow fell on her. I never had this repulsive effect on a girl before.

  Ahh finally! I managed to unzip it, and I removed her bra too as I thought that blood might have reached there as well. Still keeping my promise intact, I wrapped her half naked body in the red satin bed sheet.

  With a deep sigh, I opened my eyes. Jeez! It totally felt like I was fighting a battle. When I removed her from my chest and tried to make her lie down on the bed again, I was mesmerized by her beauty. The red satin sheet was clinging like a second skin to her gorgeous body. Her beautiful breasts were only partially covered, and I could make out the outline of her nipples through the clingy material of the sheet. Her skin was looking like melt butter, and I was having a hard time controlling myself because a part of me just wanted to grab her tits and eat them out. Her skin was velvet soft, and her breasts had to taste awesome. I licked my lips as my eyes took in the sight of her beautiful breasts; I mean the part which was visible.

  I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Freya, you have no idea what this sight is doing to me, so you better get up and throw me the hell out of this room."

  Her breathing was returning to normal, and I noticed it by the way her chest was going up and down. "Fine, I will just put you to bed and will go out. Then maybe I will call one of your lady friends to help me out of this situation." Saying this I, very carefully put her back on the bed, but that made me lean on top of her.

  "All done. Now just need to pull the covers back on you. Do you even know how difficult it is to keep my hands to myself? You are so beautiful," I whispered and removed a strand of her hair from her face, in the process my finger brushed lightly against her lips.

  I couldn't control myself and continued touching the softness of her swollen pink lips. My finger trailed down from her lips and reached to her chin. That's when something happened that shocked the hell out of me. I felt the touch of her cold hands, which had slid to my back and was now gripping tightly on my back. And for someone who had lost that amount of blood, her hold was pretty firm.

  "Don't go," I heard her whisper. She kept murmuring in a weak, painful tone and I could barely get what she was saying. It somehow occurred to me that the traumatic attack had scared her. I caressed gently on her cheeks, "I'm right here, Freya".

  The violent storm and log of fire that I lit on the fireplace were adding to the intensity of the situation. Her words, her touch, her beauty and her softness made me crave for her. All I wanted to do was to kiss and suck the softness of her glowing skin. Helplessly, I shifted next to her on the bed and then pulled her into my arms by her waist. I inhaled the scent of her skin as I buried my face in the crook of her neck.

  "Ummm," she moaned, and now her hands were dancing all over my back while her cold lips were pressed against my hard chest.

  It was nice until I heard her murmur, "Robert." It came out as an exhale, barely audible. But with her so close to my body there was no mistake of what I heard. It was like someone dropped a bucket of ice water on me.

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Freya

  The illuminating rays of sunlight shone through the gaps of the curtains. Slowly I opened my eyes; it took me some time to adjust to the bright light. My head felt heavy, and everything in my room seemed to be moving. I blinked my eyes a few times. When my vision cleared a bit, I removed the covers, feeling the urgent need to pee.

  Oh God! Where were my clothes? And why was I wearing this bed sheet? My head started hurting, and I gripped a handful of my hair. There was a bandage around my head. I tried to remember the events of last night. I was stuck in that forest when...when two ghostly figures attacked me and then I saw Robert. No, no he was Zack; he must have saved my life. Did he try to get cozy with me too? I shut my eyes tightly, and a sensation of disgust and shame took over my senses. "He took advantage of my unconscious state. There is no way he would have turned down on an opportunity like this," I said as drops of warm tears rolled over my cheeks. "Ahhhhhh," I cried out loud in both anger and sadness.

  "Hey, you are up," Zack's smiling face peeked in from the door. I quickly pulled the blanket over my body and looked away.

  "How are you feeling now?" He asked in a totally cool and casual way. Nothing mattered to him, sleeping with random girls was one of his daily habits, and now I was one of those random girls whom he had used and...Eeks! I felt so low about myself.

  "Hello Ms. Lawrence, now don't tell me you have lost your voice because you were speaking pretty fine last night," he said.

  I turned to him in a jolt; I opened my mouth to say something, and then stopped. He was wearing a gray full sleeved T-Shirt and black yoga pants. He was totally looking like Robert and his eyes almost had the same concern that I was so used to seeing in Robert's eyes.

  He was coming closer, I held my breath and tried to give myself the much-needed reality check that he was not my Robert.

  "Want me to call the doctor?" He asked in a sweet tone, and for a moment it felt like he was genuinely concerned about my health. I could say that my silent treatment was frustrating him but my mind was completely blank, I was not able to cope with a situation like this.

  Then, as if he had read my mind, "don't get any wrong ideas, nothing happened last night. I mean, um…I think you understood," he swallowed.

  And I felt like I was breathing again. I looked at him nervously, "then why am I wearing this?"

  Now he had his trademark sinister smile on his face, "you thought we did it. Didn't you?" He raised his eyebrows.

  God! Please take me away from here and hide me somewhere. I prayed in my heart while trying to keep the stern expression on my face.

  "I know what you think of me. You think I am a fucking piece of trash who doesn't think twice before having his way with a girl. You think I fuck every girl who crosses my way. Don't you?" He asked and his voice cracked as he said it. Was he hurt or something? Because his face almost looked painful or was I over thinking?

  He continued. "I just changed your clothes because they were drenched in blood and for your information; I had my eyes closed while doing it. I know you will not believe me, but I just thought that you should be aware of it," he stomped and turned back immediately. Might be because he didn't want me to see his face. Then he walked away in speed, slamming the door.

  What had just happened? I shook my head. He told me I had the disease to overthink and overreact to every situation. I wondered what he would tell himself, it was so weird. I didn't even say a word, and he reacted like I was making him dance on fire. Yes, I doubted him, but he could have explained it calmly rather than being a wild cat. Yes, he was that only. A furry black wild cat who was now hitting me with his paws.


  "You didn't even thank him? He saved your life. Come on sis! You are not like this," Rick whined on my head. We were in my room, I was feeling a lot better but the weakness was still there, so I took the day off to relax a bit. It was midday and Rick had come to check up on me. He said he had to go out of station for work purposes and rushed in here as soon as he got my news.

  I was lying on the bed, and he was sitting next to me.

  "But how did Zack get the news that I was stuck in the forest? I never called or texted him," I asked.

  "I was at the airport when I got your text, so I texted Zack to go and help you as he was the nearest contact," Rick answered.

  "Oh," I smirked.

  "Now don't be mean. Go and thank him. He went through a lot to help you. Then we also need to find out about those mysterious people who attacked you," Rick said as he got up and snatched the TV remote from my hands.

  "I'm not in a mood now," I frowned. That wild cat had to be in a bad mood too.

  "Sis!" Rick urged again.

  "Freya darling, I am so sorry to hear about your accident," Shawn made a dramatic entry.

  "I'm fine, stop creating a scene out of everything," I pouted, bringing the white cushion to my chest.

  "Yes, and it's all because of Zack, but some people doesn't have it in them to appreciate the niceness of people," I knew those words were meant for me. And to be honest, he wasn't completely wrong. Zack had saved my life which was a big thing anyway. The least I could do was to thank him. So, I decided to forget the bitterness I had for him.

  "Stop being the mean mother-in-law, I'm going," I announced.

  Rick smiled while Shawn was still clueless about the whole thing.

  I knocked twice on the door. When I got no response and was about to leave, he called out "come in".

  Pushing the door inwards, I stepped into his room, which reminded me of the storeroom where we talked for the first time. Everything in my well decorated, ocean themed guest room looked out of place. I was about to say something insulting but managed to calm my nerves down. Apparently, the morning yoga sessions were working.