by Lacy Camey
“My family? Oh, I see what’s going on here.” He tilted his head back and looked up at the cave’s ceiling. “You don’t want to kiss me. You find me repulsive.”
“No, no.” I touched his hand. “It’s not that at all. It’s . . . . ” I searched for the words but couldn’t find them.
“It’s fine. Mom’s Italian. Cooks this best lasagna, pasta, parmesan chicken, baked ziti, four cheese ravioli in a white wine sauce, the best tiramisu and homemade biscotti you’ve ever had.” He licked his fingers and said, “Yum.”
“Goodness, you’re making me hungry. And you left all that to eat . . . more great food I guess. But wow, Giada from the Food Network anyone?”
“Yeah, tell me about it. I actually lost weight coming here. Dad’s a hard working fireman who invested wisely at an early age. He also runs a hardware shop in town. He taught me how to shoot the perfect free-throw.
“Christalene is eighteen months younger than me with brains people would kill for or rob a bank to pay for her genes to be injected in their bloodstream. A near perfect score on her SAT type of smarts. She doesn’t even have to study.
“Michael is three years younger than me and just graduated from college and followed into my footsteps and is a coach. Football though. Yet he has an entrepreneur side and takes after our dad.
“Then there’s Chelsea. She married young but always wanted to be a mother, taking after our own mother. She’s the best mom, hence my nephew Trek and niece Madison. She’s the best mother in the world and her husband is not so bad,” he joked. “Actually, I wish I could spend more time with him and get to know him as a brother.”
I stared at him and saw his face literally glow.
“Why are you starting at me like that? Change your mind about that kiss?”
“You should just see your face right now. You love your family, Logan. You miss them. You should go back home.”
He let out a sigh. “No place on earth like God’s country, for sure. The mountains, the trees. The sense of family and community.”
I looked at my pink toes which were lasting their pedicure. Which I was thankful for at that moment.
He looked at them, too.
“That sounds so nice,” I said honestly.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“My family, as you know, or see, or hear in the press, isn’t anything like yours.”
“Yeah, I’d say.”
I shook my head. “No, but it’s not what you think. It’s really lonely, actually. I have no siblings. My nanny was more my mother than my own mother. My father is busy.” I shook my head. “Sorry, don’t want to bore you. I’m fine really. I’ve learned so much about the woman I want to be from now on. This trip already has taught me so much.”
“I think you’d like Montana, Chloe Banks,” he said as if he were so sure.
I thought about it and pictured his idealic family eating on a French wooden table with bowls from Pottery Barn containing yummy Italian food and laughter. They probably even played board games together.
“I know my youngest sister Chelsea would die if she met you. You remind me of her in way. Your natural maternal ways.”
Shocked, never even thinking I was maternal I guess because of my own absentee mother, I felt happy to hear it.
“You think so?”
“I think so.”
We grew silent.
“That’s one thing I do miss, for sure. Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday. The leaves changing colors, the chimney smoke in the air. Hunting season. And everyone gathers around the table for incredible food and football. My type of holiday.”
I laughed.
“You’d hate Thanksgiving at our place.”
“Why’s that?”
“So stuffy, so formal. It’s like . . . truly boring. Norah has come home with me once for Thanksgiving. Said she’d never come again. In a kind way, of course.”
“You know . . . . ” His voice gave way to a blood curling man scream.
“Agghhh!” He immediately fell over on the gravel.
“Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. Logan what’s wrong?”
“S . . . S . . . spider bit me.”
What? I quickly searched the vicinity looking for it and there it was. I recognized it immediately in my own personal research of Venezuelan threats. A Brazilian Wandering Spider crawled away quickly and disappeared under a crevice in the rock. No use tracking it down trying to kill it with practically nothing.
“It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be okay,” I said, frantic.
“I feel so . . . funny. I feel . . . like I can’t breathe. I—”
“Logan, stay with me you are going to be fine. It’s just you’re going into shock is all,” I said as my fear shot through my body like an electrical socket. Without thinking, as I had imagined a thousand times in my daydreams, I quickly maneuvered my watch and activated the panic button.
“Please, God. Let them find me. Let the grid miraculously work.”
“What’s that darling? What are you praying?” he asked, sounding completely loopy. I looked at his leg which already was swelling and changing colors and then looked past the waterfall to our clothes drying in the sun.
I knew I needed to swim back to our clothes and grab my bra to tie around his leg to try and restrict the venom flow, as well as use my shirt to act as cool compress to clean the bite as best as possible.
“Logan, I will be right back. I promise. I have to go and get my . . . my other bra to restrict . . . to help the situation.”
He laid on his side he reached for my arm, as if I were the last arm he would ever reach for in his life. “No, Chloe. Please don’t go. Don’t leave.”
I touched his hand and then touched his cheek. “I promise Logan. You will be fine. They will find us. We’ll get you the proper medical care. You’re just going into shock right now.” His body began shaking as he grabbed his stomach tightly.
“The pain . . . the pain.” He tried to say more but was too weak.
Thinking in my medical trained mindset, I said, “It appears you may be having an allergic reaction. But I promise you, you’ll be fine. But I have got to go back now and get those clothes.” I stood up and ran towards the waterfall and shouted over my shoulder, “I pushed the button!”
As I dove into the water and swam as fast as I could toward the clothes, I heard him moaning in pain.
He will make it.
There was no other option to entertain.
As I ran over the sharp rocks, no doubt gaining a few bloody scrapes along the way on my feet–at least there were no sharks in the water to attract—I grabbed our clothes and the backpack with the stick, just in case we would be there longer past sunset. We would need protection. As I swam back as best as I could holding everything, I looked at Logan beyond the waterfall, doubled over on the rock bed, protected by the natural enclosure of the rocks and the waterfall. I knew God provided the protected shelter and I was reminded of angels and their miracle working power.
With each stroke, as water went into my mouth, I prayed, “God, please . . . send your angels. Please let Steve and Vinny find us as fast as possible. Protect us from the scary jungle animals that would want to harm us.” I kept swimming and almost made it to the waterfall.
“Please let Logan live and give me the strength to know what to do.”
I nearly lost everything in my hands as the water pressure from the fall pushed against my body, but I made it and quickly put everything down. I took my bra and tied it right above the bite on his calf as he threw up. I knew he would need to stay hydrated if he kept throwing up. I was thankful I left the water jug in the backpack. I took the jug out and ran back to the water and filled it up as best as I could.
I ran back to him and poured fresh water over his bite as I took my wet shirt and gently dabbed it, hoping to help cleanse any bacteria around the wound. I repeated the process a few times before I finally placed the shirt over his calf. I left my hand there, lingering as I
prayed once more.
“I didn’t peg you as that much of a prayer . . . .” he said in delirium as he continued to shake. “But . . . but . . . I like it and find it extremely attractive.”
I made my way to his head and lifted it gently and placed it on my thigh. I dabbed his cheeks, forehead and neck with his wet T-shirt. He had a fever. I’d have to try and bring it down the old fashioned way.
He opened and closed his eyes as his body continued to shake.
“You’re the prettiest nurse there is.”
I smiled a small smile.
“Of all my years . . . living in . . . Mont . . . Mont . . . . ”
“You don’t have to talk. It’s okay, just rest.”
“Never been bit.”
“Shhhh . . . . ”
He doubled over and threw up again. It was painful watching him in so much pain. I rubbed his back trying to offer as much soothing as possible.
He rolled back over onto my lap.
“You . . . watch . . . . ” he tried to say.
His head went side to side. I immediately felt his pulse to make sure it was elevated. It was beating very slowly.
“Come on, Logan. You’re going to make it. Stay with me.”
It was clear to me that his body was really fighting the venom. I didn’t want him to pass out.
I gently kept dabbing his forehead. This pattern went on for the next hour or so. My clock read five pm and I knew the sun would be setting within the hour. As I looked past the waterfall again to the rocks, I wondered how anyone would ever see us past the waterfall. We could be seen visibly but I wondered if anyone would think to look past the fall.
I was left with only one choice. I had to swim back out again and leave clues. Not wanting to disturb Logan—who was already going in and out of consciousness—I had to swim as fast as I could back to the rocks and tall grass to leave clues and pray to God once more that he wouldn’t stop breathing while I left. Knowing I would be walking in the grass and would need protection, I laced my Puma shoes quickly.
I made my way back to the rocks and left my aqua scrub pants. I ran as fast but as carefully as I could a few feet away into the tall grass and left the water jug. I then ran to the thick jungle’s edge where we journeyed from and dropped the backpack.
I ran as fast as I could back to the refuge of water, all the while feeling like I used to as a kid. I remembered I used to get scared in our big house. I wouldn’t be able to sleep and would need a glass of milk. Walking back to my room was always scary and I would run as fast as I could to my lit room for safety. This time of course was more serious.
As I dove in and let the soothing water refresh my skin, I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself down.
Logan would make it.
I made my way back to him as he moaned in pain.
“Where . . . you left. I thought I was going to die alone.”
I dabbed his face with cool water and checked his vitals once more. I wanted to make him as comfortable as possible, so I once again placed his head on my leg and brushed my fingers through his hair.
“You’re not going to die, Logan. Just think, it won’t be long until you see your family. They’ll be so happy to see you.”
“Poisonous spider,” he said weakly.
“Yes, but modern medicine will help you.”
He shook his head. I reached for more water and helped him take a few sips. Most of the water poured out of his mouth.
“If I die . . . . ”
“Please stop saying that. You’re a fighter. You’re going to make this.”
“Please . . . tell my mother that I’m sorry I wasn’t there for Mother’s Day. Tell my father I’m sorry I couldn’t help him repair the wooden fence in the backyard.”
“You’re not—”
“Please tell Christalene she was the best red-headed sister a brother could ask for. To keep pursuing that law degree, even if the nights are killing her. Coffee cures everything. To Michael, if you can remember all this—”
I nodded weakly and gulped. I felt fresh, warm tears in my eyes as they poured down my cheeks.
“Tell him I’ve always believed in him and he has what it takes to step out and start that business. The money will come. Tell Chelsea she’s the best mom I’ve ever seen, besides Mom. And that I hid her favorite necklace in the backyard when we were kids. Actually, I let Lassie wear it now that I’m recalling . . . . ”
“Logan, you’re not—”
“It hurts so bad. My body feels so numb,
like . . . . ”
“Come on, Logan. I triple dog dare you to stay with me! I know you can do it. The kids need you at the orphanage. Your family needs to see you again.”
“But do you need me? Would you need a guy like me?”
“What? Of course I would!” I wasn’t sure if he was speaking out of delirium or insecurity but I sincerely meant it. “Of course I would need you. Of course I do need you.”
“So you would marry a guy like me then?”
“Yes, of course I would. Any girl would be lucky too.”
“Then kiss me. At least if I die, I’ll know I’ve been kissed by the most beautiful woman with the biggest heart.”
Like second nature, without even thinking, I leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips. My first kiss.
As I kissed his moist but cracked lips, I hoped that somehow it would magically revive his spirits. But after the kiss, he just lowered his eyelids and tilted his head to the side. Urgently, I checked his pulse in his neck. He was still with me. I was so thankful. I had never felt that sensation before, that connection to another man. I couldn’t explain it but I felt as if destiny had stepped in, opening a wide door with bursting light revealing the way to how to love someone. To really love someone.
Chapter Twelve
I couldn’t deny the fact that he needed immediate medical attention.
I couldn’t fight the warm tears that fell on his cheeks. I closed my eyes once more. “God, please. Please expedite the discovery of—”
And then I couldn’t believe my ears. “Chloe!” I heard Steve’s familiar voice.
“Chloe!” Vinny yelled.
I gently placed Logan’s head on the pebbles and darted to the water’s edge.
“I’m over here! I’m over here!”
But it appeared they couldn’t hear me over the waterfall.
As fast as I could I swam to the middle of the brook. “I’m here! I’m here!”
Steve and Vinny stopped in their tracks at the sight of me.
“You pushed the panic button for a leisurely swim?” Steve yelled.
“No, please come quick! It’s urgent! Logan’s been bit by a poisonous spider!” I yelled at the top of my lungs all the while trying to swim closer. I waved my arms in the air, frantically motioning them to follow me.
“What?”
I saw Steve look at Vinny and say something and they both ran towards the water and jumped in.
“He’s over there!” I shouted.
As they made it to him, I could see their face drain of color. They knew he was in grave condition.
“Chloe, go put your clothes on as fast as possible. We don’t have much time before the sun sets.”
I looked at his leg, embarrassed at my bra on his calf, and was thankful I had opted in today’s dressing to wear two bras. Everything does happen for a reason.
As I gathered my items they had found and then dropped to get to Logan, I watched them carry him and struggle a bit wading in the water. Logan appeared to be unconscious.
They made their way out the water, with their thick boots stomping on the rocks, their jeans dripping from the water.
“Let’s go. Now,” Steve said in anger.
“You should grab that stick,” Vinny said.
I grabbed the stick in case we would need the protection, as well as his backpack.
To say dread filled my heart was an understatement. I felt awful for what had happened.
&nbs
p; “Steve, I’m so sorry. I lost Logan’s compass—”
“I don’t want to hear it. I’ve lost my job. I’ll be blacklisted forever.” His face as cold as steel.
“I’m so sorry.” I pleaded as I trotted behind them. “And Vinny, I’ll work something out for you. I mean, it’s not like you love being a bodyguard. You seem like you would thrive at personal training,” was all I could say.
