by Mark Green
“I’m not sure they’re giving her the best medical treatment,” Angel said to me as we were shown into a corridor.
“It’s not going to improve when I can’t produce any insurance documents,” said Bozzer, stopping us all in our tracks.
“It ran out three weeks ago and it was too expensive to extend. We thought we’d take a chance…” Bozzer said, starting to get upset.
Oh shit.
“You’re going to have to wing it for as long as you can, she needs urgent treatment,” said Angel.
My mind was racing. The senior doctor appeared, getting quite insistent with Bozzer, who was holding his palms out in an I don’t have any gesture.
“What happens if you have no insurance?” asked Angel.
“No US dollars, no medical,” said Pedro.
“How much?” said Angel, beating us all to the inevitable question. Pedro shrugged.
“I have a credit card. There’s probably a couple of thousand left on it, I could get it extended…” I said, but Bozzer sank down onto a chair, shaking his head.
“They want cash or the insurance documents,” said Bozzer, his hands placed over his face, muffling his voice.
“What about our insurance? Madge could become Kate Thornly for a bit…”
Bozzer shook his head.
“They took her passport, they know who she is. Fucking nightmare,” said Bozzer. I found myself looking round the waiting room again, my eyes resting on the young girl who’d lost her mother in the wreckage of the minibus. She was lying on a rusting trolley huddled up in a blood stained blanket. She didn’t have any doctors fussing over her, attending to her injuries. She’d just been left. I looked away from her, back to Bozzer and then Angel.
“Can I talk to you?” I said, leading Angel away. “Have we had a good run, you and me? On our own I mean.”
I watched her frown, trying to figure out what I was getting at, too exhausted to read between the lines.
“On our own? I don’t understand.”
I realised I didn’t have time for the exploratory how do we really feel about each other conversation, the clock was ticking.
It was time for a leap of faith.
“Angel, I have had the most amazing time. I want to finish this trip with you. We’ve done well to stay away from all the hype that has surrounded us because of that bloody eBay advert. It was a blessing because it got us together, but it’s also been a curse. Maybe we can use our ‘celebrity status’ to help Madge and the rest of the victims from the crash. It’ll mean we’ll have to give up our anonymity. They’ll be media attention focussed on us. More than anything I want to be with you, but we can help Madge and these people with just one phone call.”
“What about the baby? It’s not yours and yet you’d be willing to…”
“Yes. Completely. I care about you Angel. You’ve shown me so much, made me see everything so differently…”
I didn’t have to say any more, I was babbling, fatigue making me struggle with my words. Angel was nodding, tears trickling down her face. She held her arms out, I pulled her close, our mouths searching for each other and we kissed tenderly.
“We’re strong enough to cope. Make that call,” she said.
I nodded, kissed her again, then lifted my head just enough to call out.
“Bozzer. You got a mobile phone?” I said, hoping I could still remember Justin’s number.
Forty One
Angel
Things happened very quickly after JC’s phone call to Justin, who contacted Simon. It’s amazing how money can move mountains. Apparently there had been a number of false sightings of us, locals desperate to claim the reward money, which meant Simon and the camera crew had been hanging around La Paz checking the airport and bus station.
The agreement JC struck was simple; unlimited medical treatment for Madge and the Bolivians on board the minibus, together with compensation for their injuries. We were to be checked over at the hospital, before being flown to the Iguazu Falls for three days rest and recuperation in a decent hotel without being pestered by anyone. In exchange, we would sit down for a series of exclusive interviews before finishing the last two weeks of our travels into Brazil with the camera crew in tow. We’d spend Christmas on a beach in Paraty, New Year in Rio, then fly home. Exclusive rights to our story finished the moment we got on the plane home.
* *
During the negotiations, Simon told us we’d have to surrender our passports to him the moment we cleared customs in Brazil. He needed some guarantee that we wouldn’t try escaping again!
“We should take up a new career as criminals, I think we’d be quite good,” I joked with JC as we waited to be checked over.
“Yeah, by all accounts you weren’t much good as an analyst,” said Simon. From the tension in his voice, he wasn’t very happy.
“Funny you should mention that, because I’ve moved on from that old life,” said JC, barely hiding the hostility in his voice.
I smiled to myself, remembering our first meeting in the hotel lobby. How bizarre to end up here, under these circumstances. It was definitely a story to tell the grandchildren. That thought killed my good mood as I instinctively felt my stomach, hoping that everything was okay. I felt JC’s hand cover mine and gently squeeze it reassuringly.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll look after all of us,” he whispered, making me tingle.
JC
Simon had arrived at the hospital with his entourage within an hour of my phone call to Justin. My meeting with Simon had been frosty and it wasn’t showing any signs of thawing out. So long as he kept his end of the bargain and didn’t try any ‘buddy routine’, that was fine by me.
Madge had been in with an American doctor for a while now and I was wondering how it was going. I looked up as Bozzer walked over. He looked shattered, much like the rest of us. He sat down heavily beside me.
“She’s pretty banged up, but she’s gonna be okay. The doc wants to fly her to a private hospital in Argentina. He’s making the arrangements. Thank you, both of you. You saved her life, and mine, her dad would have murdered me.”
We shook hands and Bozzer leaned in to kiss Angel on the cheek, then disappeared outside for a smoke.
“Hope your lot brought their chequebooks,” I said to Simon, as I watched the tall middle-aged doctor walk over, a friendly smile on his face as he offered his hand.
“Good evening sir, ma’am. I’m Doctor Pacer. I’m extremely privileged to meet you both. Jonathan Cork and the Kate Thornly I presume?” he said in an America accent. I grinned and shook his hand.
“The very same,” said Angel.
“After we’re done, would you be kind enough to let me have your autographs? My street cred will go through the roof and my kids will clean their rooms for a week if I come home with proof I’ve met you both. Please follow me and we’ll check you over.”
We followed the good natured doctor into a treatment room, with me leading Angel by the hand as always. The doctor shut the door behind us and smiled reassuringly.
“Now, before we start, are there any medical conditions I should know about?”
Forty Two
Angel
I took a long deep breath and settled back into my seat as the plane accelerated down the runway. I stretched my legs out, exhausted, but so glad to be leaving Bolivia behind. It was a shame to think like that, because up until the jungle we’d had a great time and met some fantastic people. But it was time to move on.
This was going to be a long flight, despite the relatively short distance to the Iguazu Waterfalls, as we had to go via Buenos Aires. The media lot were paying, so there was little to do but rest my eyes and sleep. Thankfully Simon was a few rows back. I didn’t fancy being anywhere near him and I doubted JC did either.
I must have drifted off, because the next thing I remember hearing was JC thanking a stewardess.
“Did you sleep too?” I asked, my head fuzzy but without the throbbing headache I'd had when we
took off.
“Yup, Zonko. Needed to though, do you know how many hours we’d been up for?”
“No, but you being the analyst, I bet you’ve got a pie chart and graph to demonstrate it…”
I yelped as his dug me in the side, making me laugh and cringe as he touched a bruise.
“Got you some orange juice,” he said, guiding my hand onto a plastic glass.
“Cheers. To surviving this long without killing each other…” I said, raising my glass.
“To the three of us,” he said, tapping the plastic against mine.
Oh yes, the three of us. I sipped the sweet juice and let that thought settle. So it wasn’t a dream, I really was pregnant.
The doctor had been surprised, but delighted for us. It was still very early days of course, but he’d run all the checks he could at this stage and confirmed I was definitely still pregnant and congratulated us. We were both still a bit stunned by everything that had happened, but mostly we were just so knackered, nothing would make much sense until we’d had some sleep.
“We probably need to have a chat about that at some stage,” I said, preparing an escape route for him, wondering how he really felt now we were out of the jungle.
“I’m not going anywhere for the next few hours and this is probably as much privacy as we’re going to get for the rest of the trip.”
“Okay. It’s lovely that you’re willing to give us a go, particularly given the circumstances, but I’m wondering if it’s not just a bit of bravado, or misplaced sense of duty. We’ve spent a lot of time together and it’s natural that we’ve grown fond of one another but perhaps that’s all it is…”
“Look, we both know there’ve been a couple of occasions when something was going to happen, but didn’t quite because of other factors. I’ve felt it, and I think you have too.”
I had to hand it to him, it was a brave move baring his soul.
“But how do we know it’s not just the romance of travelling, a result of spending so much time together? Do you really know how you feel? Things have changed now, massively. I have someone else to consider, it’s muddied my thoughts. I don’t know how I feel about us because it isn’t just you and me.”
There was silence for a while as he thought this through.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think you feel the same way about me as I do about you. I guess you need some reassurance, but I know how I feel about you and I’ll prove it right now.”
My heart was starting to race. I was excited at his honesty and the emotion in his voice, but I was also intrigued as to what he was going to do. My mischievous side wanted to call his bluff.
“How?”
Another silence. Was he contemplating backing out, or gathering the courage to continue?
“By making a complete tit of myself. I’m going to prove how much I love you.”
I caught my breath, did he just say how much I love you? I found myself grinning, which must have spurred him on.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
He stood and shuffled out of his seat, into the aisle. I felt for his arm as he left.
“Are you going to get us thrown off the plane?”
“Don’t worry, if we’re jettisoned mid-flight, I’ll fly us home.”
Huh?
I felt him kiss the top of my head, then he was gone.
Forty Three
JC
There comes a time in a man’s life when you have to face your fears, no matter what the consequences. I knew after the crash that I couldn’t imagine being without Angel and having broken out of my comfort zone by coming on the trip in the first place, I never wanted to look back with regret. I was determined that if she ended up being the one that got away, it wouldn’t be through lack of trying on my part.
I walked away from her, past all those strangers’ heads, my heart racing, ignoring the little voice inside that screamed what the hell are you doing? I locked the toilet cubicle door behind me and started taking off my clothes as fast as I could. I was afraid that the longer I took, the less chance there was of going through with my plan. I laughed as the layers came off. This was going to be a very interesting few minutes…
* *
Angel
I sat there grinning and for a while there was just the usual dull background hum of the jet engines and murmuring of quiet conversations. But then, something started. A ripple of gasps, some chuckling, then a burst of applause resonated from the front of the plane. The laughter and cheering grew louder and I found myself going red — the bastard was making me blush, and that never happens! How on earth had he done it? I felt JC plonk himself down in the seat next to me, with passengers still laughing and cheering.
“What have you done?”
“Who me? Oh, just stripped off a few layers, it felt a bit warm in here.”
I gasped, and reached out to touch him…
“Senor. Please, this is not appropriate clothing,” said a voice that must have belonged to an air stewardess.
I frowned as I touched JC’s arm, which wasn’t bare, it was clad in some kind of thin stretchy material.
“Senora, I’m worried about this plane crashing. We’re flying awfully close to Krypton,” said JC.
“You didn’t…” I said as I felt up his arm, across his chest, tracing the outline of a large ‘S.’
I burst out laughing.
“Afraid so. I’ve been wearing this bloody thing since the jeep ride out of the jungle. It was meant to cheer you up when we stopped for a break. I didn’t figure we’d crash - I’ve been wearing it ever since.”
“You brought it with us from Machu Picchu, when we legged it from Simon?” I said, struggling to get the words out.
“Yup. Thought it might come in handy! Thing is, it’s not the only one of Maria’s gifts I brought with us.”
My laughter died away as I racked my brains. What else had Maria stitched us up with? A cold shudder shot up my spine as I recalled the items.
“You haven’t?”
I felt something cold slip around my wrist, heard a ratchet click and the cold metal bracelet touched my skin.
“Senor!” the stewardess said, but now there was a giggle in her voice.
“Even Superman can’t escape Kryptonite handcuffs. It looks like the man of steel quite likes you, Angel. The only problem is, the Clark Kent side of me can be such a clot. I managed to drop the key down the toilet!”
Oh my God, I’ve never laughed like that before. JC was even more crazy than me!
* *
JC
It’s fair to say we caused quite a stir when we landed at Buenos Aires for our connecting flight. Airport security was definitely interesting! Simon followed red-faced behind us, perhaps the television crew was giving him grief for all the attention we were getting. We were supposed to be under wraps until they could interview us properly.
* *
Our flight was delayed whilst the airport staff found someone with a set of bolt croppers. It turned out to be a fireman based on the edge of the runway. We were driven there by a security guard who was chuckling to himself all the way.
“I should have worn one of Maria’s tee shirts, can’t have you getting all the attention!” Angel said, cuddled up next to me in the back of the car. Once freed of the handcuffs we were escorted back to the terminal building and I was made to change out of the Superman costume. I reappeared from the gents’ toilets feeling no less of a superhero; I’d won Angel back, that was all that mattered.
Angel had been right, all those adventures ago when we’d first met. Life is so much easier and so much more fun if you can laugh at yourself.
We were still giggling and making superhero jokes all the way to the Iguaza Falls, an hour’s flight from Buenos Aires. Perhaps being a someone wasn’t so bad after all. The best bit for me was seeing how many people on the plane (and at the airport) had smiled and laughed at Superman handcuffed to a Scottish Lois Lane with bright red hair. For a short time we’d
made a difference and would become the talking point of their day.
* *
Angel
Despite being a dickhead, Simon was as good as his word and the hotel was very grand compared to the cramped places we usually stayed at. It had a cool fresh smell and an airy feel that even I could appreciate.
The place had an outdoor swimming pool, gym and internet access, but by the time we arrived we’d been on the go for almost two days, so the facilities were wasted on us that night. We were tired, hungry and in desperate need of a wash and a fresh set of clothes.
We just about managed to shower but didn’t make dinner as all our spare clothes were soaking wet from the crash. So we collapsed into bed, cuddled up and slept for twelve hours solid.
* *
I woke in the morning to an empty space next to me which was still warm, so I knew JC couldn’t have gone far. I heard him finishing off a conversation on the telephone, then felt the mattress shift as he climbed back into bed.
“I’ve told Simon to find us some new clothes,” he said, lying back down beside me, his warm body just inches from mine.
“Shame, I was getting used to seeing you without any…”
He laughed and turned towards me.
“Me too.”
“I thought you were a gentleman and didn’t look.”
He sniggered and I felt his hand brush my hair off my cheek, making my skin tingle.
This had been a long time coming...
I shuffled onto my side, reached out and touched his arm, running my fingers down towards his elbow, my whole body was waking up, quivering in anticipation. As the gap closed between us, I felt the heat from his body. He ran his hand through my hair, trickling his fingertips down my neck, onto my shoulder, travelling across my collarbone down towards my breasts. They tingled, firming up as I became more aroused. I reached up behind his head and pulled his lips to mine. We kissed urgently, passionately, the bristles of his beard tickling my chin.
Christ I wanted him!
Our bodies locked together, pulling each other tight, tongues connecting, gently probing. I ran my palm down his back, clenching his bottom cheeks in my fingers, his taut muscles exciting me even more as he responded. His hand slipped between us, over my hip, past my rib cage until he cupped my breast. He toyed with my erect nipple, sending pulses of ecstasy through my body. I broke away from his lips for a second to gasp at the sensation as he gently squeezed, making me wriggle and cry out with pleasure. I reached round his stomach, finding him already hard.
