by Cathy Peper
Jesse wondered what a bungee cord was, but didn’t want to interrupt her while she was on a tirade. None of the girls he knew back home had the fire and determination that enveloped Diamond like a second skin. His father had taught him that women should be submissive, and he’d never thought to question his old man until now. He wondered what his father would make of Diamond.
While he daydreamed, she dug into her bag and produced two colorful stretchy ropes with hooks attached to the ends. He’d never seen anything like it, but quickly realized how useful they were.
He wove them around the branches as he had the ropes earlier. They were stretchy, but strong and made of an unfamiliar material.
“We need to keep our packs as dry as possible and once we reach the other side, I’ll need your help to build a fire. Can you do that?”
“I still think we should wait until morning.”
“What if Union soldiers catch us tonight?”
Jesse shrugged. He couldn’t tell her he was afraid. She would think him a yellow-bellied coward.
“I know you’re tired. So am I, but once we get across the lake, we’re scot-free.”
She was so confident he felt in awe of her. No way was he telling her about his fear of water.
She dragged the small raft to the water’s edge, took off her coat, and stuck it in her bag. “Can you add my pack to yours?”
He nodded and strapped her smaller bag just under his bedroll. Its material appeared stronger than that of his haversack, but less abrasive than the canvas of his tent. He wanted to ask her about it, but figured it could wait. His stomach pitched, and he thought he might be sick, but he hadn’t eaten in days. He had nothing to lose but water.
“Get on.”
He took a deep breath and forced himself to kneel on the platform. The water was murky and brown and smelled of decaying vegetation. He forced himself to look away.
“Hold on.” Diamond waded into the water and grabbed one end of the raft, drawing it away from shore. Jesse felt it rock as it left the safety of the ground and began to float. Cold water doused his knees, and he worried about Diamond, submerged now to her waist. They would need that fire when—if—they made it across.
Diamond must have read the apprehension on his face. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
He gave her a smile. He could almost believe that she did.
* * *
Diamond clamped her teeth to keep them from chattering. She’d known the water would be cold, but it took all her strength to force herself into the icy depths all the while keeping up a cheery facade. Jesse might insist he be the one to wade if he knew how miserable and freaked out she really was.
Maybe she should have taken his advice and waited until tomorrow. The day was still warm for early April, but once the sun set temperatures would plummet. But she’d been so angry about Jesse’s passivity and her own indecision she’d needed to act now. How the man ever killed anyone in battle she couldn’t imagine. But that was different, a kill or be killed situation. George had betrayed them and stolen their means of escape, but he hadn’t physically threatened them. Not since he’d threatened to rape her, anyway.
Diamond shuddered at the memory, the frigid water doing nothing to chase away the chill. Diamond had not felt so vulnerable since she’d been a small girl and the soldiers told her and her mother that a roadside bomb had killed her father in Afghanistan. The news destroyed their safe little world and set Diamond on the path to becoming a reporter herself. She, however, planned to play it safe and never put herself in danger. She wanted to honor her father, not replicate his mistakes.
How’s that working out? Diamond plunged forward, towing the raft behind her. The water had not yet risen above her head. The bottom of the lake squished beneath her feet and she was glad of her shoes and pants as she brushed against underwater foliage and who knows what else. A faint scent of decay hovered in the air. She remembered a story she’d heard as a kid. Supposedly an Indian village lurked beneath the surface, wiped out by the surge of water created by the earthquake. She supposed there would be little left of it fifty years later, but thinking about it still gave her the creeps.
Shoving aside thoughts of drowned settlements, Diamond considered how she’d become entrenched in a situation as fraught with danger as anything her father had encountered. She’d refused to be a war correspondent. She considered herself a hard-hitting reporter, but never went after drug dealers or mob bosses. She’d staked out suspected murderers, but either with a partner or her handy vial of pepper spray. Too bad the pepper spray had been in her backpack when she first encountered George.
Despite all her precautions, she was now in a war zone trying to help a wounded man escape from a pursuing army and at the mercy of scumbags like White. After adding in the primitive state of nineteenth-century medicine and lack of women’s’ rights, Diamond was in even more peril than her father. And if she couldn’t locate Bob and Anne, she might never get home.
The water crept higher, reaching her chin. Time to swim. She circled to the other end of the raft, to push instead of pull, kicking with her feet.
“You’re an amazing young woman, Diamond,” Jesse said. He looked pale and was shivering as much as she was despite being relatively dry. “I won’t forget what you’ve done for me and will do whatever it takes to help you find the people you’re looking for.”
“Thanks. I’m counting on you.” She knew he’d keep his word, if possible. If he survived. George’s opinion of his chances haunted her, although she’d downplayed it for Jesse’s benefit. Jesse was very sick, and they were alone in the wilderness without even a nineteenth-century doctor to treat him.
“Is it too hard to push me? I can swim with you.”
“No, you need to keep the packs dry. I’m fine.” A lie. Their speed dropped to a crawl, but at least the vigorous exercise helped keep her warm. If Jesse got wet, it would surely sign his death certificate.
When her feet reached the ground again, she returned to pulling, trying to make up for lost time. Time blurred. She pushed and pulled, constantly straining her muscles which trembled with fatigue and began to seize up in the icy chill. Jesse monitored the sun, trying to guide her straight east, for if she went in circles they would never make it.
At long last they sighted land and Diamond dredged up the last of her strength for the final push. As soon as the raft touched the shore, she crawled out of the water and collapsed. She heard Jesse scramble off the raft and dump his pack, but could no nothing by lie there and shiver.
“We need to get you warm.” He pulled off her sweatshirt, the tee-shirt she wore underneath and even unfastened her bra. Diamond hadn’t the energy to protest. He removed her backpack from his things and paused, puzzled by the zipper closure.
“Pull on the metal tab.”
He did, making a sound of astonishment as the material parted. He refrained from asking questions, merely digging out her coat. “Here.” He held it so she could slip her arms inside the sleeves. “Stay here and I’ll get wood.”
Diamond nodded. He stepped away, a deep cough wracking his body. She wanted to help, but couldn’t stop shaking. Jesse returned with sticks, logs and kindling. She watched as he stacked the wood, piled dried grasses around the base and struck a spark with his flint. He blew on it, nurturing the small flame as he added in twigs and then larger sticks. At last the logs caught, and he leaned back on his heels, relief in his sigh.
They both drew as close to the fire as they could without setting their clothes alight. Jesse’s hands shook, but not as badly as her own. Gradually the heat soaked into her aching muscles.
“I’ll pitch the tent.”
Diamond couldn’t bring herself to leave the fire to search for more supports, but once he returned with suitable branches, she helped him put it up.
“Now that we have a fire, you can fry up the salt pork.”
Diamond wrinkled her nose, but she’d been expending huge amounts of energy on very little food for
the last several days. She needed protein. She sliced off a hunk of the strong-smelling meat, threw it in Jesse’s little frying pan and held it over the fire. It smelled better cooked and tasted better still, but that might just have been hunger talking. Even Jesse ate some, between violent coughing fits, and they both drank their fill of the lake water.
As soon as they finished eating, Jesse added more logs to the fire, and they crawled into the tent. Diamond didn’t even feel awkward as they both stripped out of their wet pants and pulled up the blanket. She ached in every muscle, but was no longer cold or hungry. For the first time in days, she was fairly safe. The Union Army would not suddenly swoop in and take Jesse, her best chance at finding Bob and Anne, from her. In the morning, they would regroup, gain strength, then work on getting her home. She had gotten Jesse out of Union hands. It was his turn to get her to safety.
As she drifted off to sleep, she snuggled closer to Jesse. Share body heat. Survival 101. It meant nothing more than that.
Eight
Chapter 8
Diamond awoke to weight on her chest and a scalding sore throat. Realizing she’d succumbed to whatever virus plagued Jesse, she wanted to pull the blanket over her head and curl into a ball of misery. Instead, she forced herself to sit up and take stock of their situation. She felt horrible and had a new respect for how hard Jesse had pushed himself for the last few days.
“Jesse, I’ve come down with whatever you have.”
He mumbled something incoherent but didn’t wake. His face looked waxen and when she placed her hand on his forehead, he felt warm as an oven. Great. She was sick and he was worse.
The fire had gone out, but the day promised to be mild. She had no appetite but drank from her water bottle and then held it to Jesse’s lips. It took some coaxing, but he took a few sips before falling back into a restless sleep. She didn’t think he knew who she was or where they were.
Shivering, she lay back down. Hopefully, she would feel better in a few hours.
When she awoke the trees cast long shadows, and the sun had already sunk towards the horizon. It would soon be night. If they were to have a fire, she would have to get it going. Though she’d watched Jesse the day before, she wasn’t sure she could duplicate his efforts.
Her pants were nearly dry, so she slipped them on and went to take care of nature’s call. When she returned to camp, she glanced over at Jesse. He’d had very little to drink but probably needed to go, too. She sighed. She had no experience with nursing and no inclination to learn, but she was all he had at the moment.
“Jesse.” She shook his shoulder. “Time to go use the little boy’s room.”
He opened his fever-clouded eyes and blinked at her.
“Come on.” He was too heavy for her to lift and needed him to cooperate. She tugged on his arm. To her relief, he seemed to understand, crawling from the tent and then getting to his feet with her help. She half-carried him a few feet from their campsite, glad they had removed their pants the night before. Instinct took over and soon they were stumbling back to the tent.
Her hope that he could help her with the fire fizzled as Jesse collapsed back onto the blanket, seemingly insensible. She was on her own. The raft lay where they had abandoned it upon reaching shore. She worked her bungee cords loose and tucked them back in her pack before going in search of fuel.
A bee buzzed past her as she gathered wood, grass, and tinder. She created a spark from his tinderbox, but the grass didn’t light. Finally, one of her sparks ignited the grass, but when she added larger sticks, the fire died.
Darkness had fallen by the time she gave up. She ate the bag of M&M’s from her backpack and filled her water bottle from the lake. They had slept without a fire before and would have to again. She gave Jesse some water and tried to get him to eat a bite of Johnnycake. As she recalled how hopeful she had felt the night before, a tear slipped down her cheek. Brushing it aside, she crawled in next to Jesse and allowed exhaustion to pull her under.
Diamond woke the next morning feeling better. Jesse seemed the same. They now had plenty of water, but when she took inventory of their combined supplies, only a small amount of food remained. Jesse had a gun, but she didn’t know how to load it and had never gone hunting. She found a tube of antibiotic ointment and an old pill bottle from when she’d had a sinus infection last year. Doctors told patients to take the whole dose, but she must have forgotten because two pills rattled around in the bottom of the container. Only two, but it might be enough to save Jesse’s life.
She grabbed his canteen and crawled over to where he lay. Cradling his head in her lap, she persuaded him to open his mouth. She placed the pill on the back of his tongue and held the canteen to his lips.
“Come on, Jesse. Swallow for me.”
He swallowed and coughed, but the pill stayed down. Breathing a sigh of relief, she lowered his head to the ground and returned to their packs. Food was her next priority. She found a hook and line in Jesse’s gear. Her dad had taken her fishing when she was a child. After eating her last energy bar and persuading Jesse to take a few more sips of water, she set off to catch a fish.
She grabbed a stick for a pole and, finding a patch of soft ground, dug until she found some worms. She baited the hook, plopped it in the water, sat and waited.
She waited a long time. The sun shone high in the sky, warming muscles which still ached from her trek across the lake. Birds chirped in the trees and flew over the water, diving to catch insects. As she sat there, unmoving, a doe followed by a fawn, came up to the lake and began to drink.
Diamond took a deep breath, not wanting to scare the deer away. She was hungry and hadn’t had a bath in days, unless she counted her dousing in the lake, but for a moment she felt at peace. She still worried about Jesse. Still wondered how she would go about finding Bob and Anne. And she still missed all the conveniences of modern life, but it was beautiful by the lake. Quiet, in a way the twenty-first century could never be with airplanes flying overhead and cars scurrying back and forth. She preferred the twenty-first century, but there were things she could learn from the nineteenth.
A tug on her pole broke her reverie, and she sprung into action. In her excitement, she nearly yanked it out of the water, but then she remembered her dad telling her to go easy, to make sure she really had the fish hooked before trying to reel it in. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the deer leap into the woods, but she focused on the fish, pulling gently on the line, feeling the weight of the fish. Then the fish wiggled free, leaving her with an empty hook.
She muttered a few choice words to the fish, baited her hook once more and threw it in the water. She stayed there for hours, half dozing in the sun, watching ducks paddle by and turtles crawl out of the depths to sunbathe along the bank. By the time she returned to camp, she tallied the score as fish, three, Diamond, two. Even with the losing score, she had two fish to fry up for dinner—if she could figure out how to clean them.
Her dad must have handled the gory part when she was a kid. She hoped Jesse would be coherent enough to talk her through it, but when she returned to their camp, he didn’t appear to have moved. She froze, panic fluttering in her chest. Had he died while she was out fishing? Could she have done something else to save him?
He stirred, as if he sensed her staring at him, and her heart stuttered to a normal rhythm. Not dead. She brushed at her eyes, which had filled with moisture and strode over to him. “Jesse, I caught some fish. Can you help me clean them?”
He opened his eyes. “Diamond?”
He recognized her. That was better than this morning. She held up the two medium-sized fish. “Okay, so they’re nothing to brag about, but I will anyway. I’m feeling like a real mountain man.”
He looked puzzled, but smiled at the fish. “You caught dinner.”
“If you can help me clean them. I don’t have a clue how to go about it.”
“I don’t have a lot of practice, since we usually left it to the servants, but my father m
ade sure I knew how to do it myself.”
Servants? Wow, she hadn’t really thought about Jesse having servants. It sounded like an alien world to her with big houses, fancy cars and designer clothes. But this was the nineteenth century. Lots of ordinary people had servants. Considering Jesse fought for the South, when he said “servants,” he might mean slaves. “My dad didn’t teach me, so I need some help.”
“I can do it. I’m feeling better.”
Diamond thought she should argue, but she was happy enough to pass on the disgusting chore. “You will probably need to build the fire, too. I couldn’t get it to catch last night.”
“Why don’t you give it another go while I take care of the fish?”
“Deal.” Diamond worked steadily on the fire while Jesse went down to the lake, but managed only a smoky flame which smothered under her kindling. “I can’t do this,” she complained when Jesse returned with the fish.
“It takes patience. Try again.”
Heaving a sigh, she pressed dried grass up against her pile of tiny twigs. It took a couple strikes of the flint, but she achieved a spark and blew on it lightly. The grass began to burn.
“Good job.”
“I can get this far, but then it goes out on me.”
He talked her through it, telling her when to add wood and blowing himself when the flame began to sputter. Together they coaxed the fire to light, finally reaching the point where even the big logs caught.
The chores appeared to have drained Jesse of his newfound strength and he sat back against a tree as Diamond tossed some salt pork into the frying pan. Once the grease began to pop, she added the fish. The aroma drifting from the frying pan rivaled that of any five-star restaurant, despite the stench of the pork.
“I don’t normally even like fish,” Diamond confessed after gobbling down her portion. Jesse ate a few bites and some color returned to his face.
