Chapter 22
It took ten minutes of slowly pushing a heavy cart till the dirt road led them underneath the cooling shade of the trees. Nathan stopped and let the tongue fall to the ground. He took the canteen buried under the potatoes, collapsed under a tree, and drank till he was out of breath, then raised it in their direction.
Did people totally overreact about germs? Probably. They staggered to the boy’s side. Reece handed the canteen to her brother, but he signaled for her to take the first sip. She unscrewed the cap, frowned at the opening then closed her eyes and drank. Immediately, she stood straighter and felt strength returning to her limbs. Wiping her mouth, Reece handed the canteen to her brother. He didn’t check the opening; he just drank.
Bear looked up at the children with thirsty eyes. Nathan was lying down on his side with his back to them, so Reece quickly cupped her hands, while Sean slowly poured the water. Bear lapped it up and begged for more. Reece checked on Nathan and nodded her head at Sean. He poured a little more water and that seemed to satisfy their dog.
“Don’t worry about the water,” said Nathan. “There’s a stream not far from here. We’ll fill up the canteen there.”
The children froze. How did Nathan know they were giving water to Bear? But, what was far worse was this canteen full of stream water? Could you die from drinking stream water? Didn’t animals do the unthinkable in stream water? They pressed their hands against their stomachs preparing for what had to be a disaster of unspeakable proportions. They sank onto the ground on either side of Bear. Their last thought before closing their eyes was they should have taken some of the Professor’s water purification pills with them before they left.
Nathan shook them awake. “You’ve slept long enough. It’s time to go.”
The children sat up and rubbed their eyes. Sleep? They hadn’t slept. Stretching and yawning, they looked up at Nathan. But, he was already scanning the area looking for men from the enemy encampment. Had he slept? His face wasn’t as red having been under the shade and rested for a while. But, now he looked deathly pale and staggeringly tired as he tripped several times on the way to the front of the cart. The children slowly rose to their feet and reluctantly made their way to the back. Taking a deep breath, they began to push. It was a testimony to just how tired all three were that the cart didn’t move as much as a single inch. All three took an even deeper breath and this time, the wheels of the cart turned over. Within minutes, they felt as though they’d walked for miles. How much farther was it? And, for all Nathan’s constant searching in every direction, they hadn’t run into a single person. All this worry and nerves over nothing.
Nathan’s ragged breathing increased, and his pace slowed down. Finally, he came to a complete stop, and the tongue of the cart slid from his hands and landed with a thud. “I’ve been thinking,” he began as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat dripped from his face as he leaned over the cart and placed his hands on top of the sacks for support.
Reece waited for him to finish the sentence, but it didn’t come. She and Sean exchanged a quick glance. Nathan appeared ready to heave over and then what would they do? “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I can’t make it,” Nathan said softly. “I need help.”
Reece and Sean looked wistfully down the road behind them. Why did Nathan have to ask for help when they needed help?
Reece turned her back on the road and faced Nathan. “What do you want us do?”
“Help me get this cart into the woods, and I’ll tell you.”
Nathan pulled as hard as he could over the uneven ground, while the children pressed their weight into the back of the cart. They’d dragged the cart through the grass and behind a set of brush then stopped. He looked around until he found a small branch with leaves still attached then staggered back to the dirt road. Walking backwards towards them, he fluffed up the grass to cover the wheel marks. “Let’s rest for a minute,” he said as he allowed his body to drop to the ground. His shoulders slid backwards, and he closed his eyes.
Bear licked Nathan’s face, but the boy didn’t respond. The dog looked up at the children and back at the boy. Do something.
Reece and Sean knelt down together on one side of Nathan, while Bear sat on the other with his ears pointing forward; his eyes focused on the boy’s face.
Sean looked at Nathan then at his sister. “He only fainted, right? Don’t you think he just fainted?” he asked softly then leaned closer to the boy. “Are you all right?” When Nathan continued to lie motionless, he turned back to his sister. “You don’t think he’s. . .on his way out, do you?”
Reece’s hands were pressed firmly to each side of her face, but she reached out with one trembling hand and placed it on Nathan’s chest. It moved up and down very slightly, so he was definitely still breathing. She shook his arm. “Wake up,” she said trying to keep her voice steady. When Nathan pulled back the lids to his eyes a fraction, she continued. “Are you sick? What’s wrong?”
“Just tired. . .the heat, I think,” Nathan’s voice was weak and hoarse. “Don’t make any noise. Keep your eyes open.” With that, his eyes slid shut.
The birds had stopped singing, and there were no scurrying animals rustling the leaves. The woods had lost its sense of peace and was strangely quiet.
“Why is he so worried that men are looking for us?” Sean whispered. “Do you think he’s making this up? Or, maybe he’s just sick from the heat.”
Reece felt her brother’s eyes searching her face for reassurance, but the forced smile she’d worn for the past half hour was past its expiration date. “Yes, it’s probably just the heat,” she said, but she refused to return his gaze.
Sean refocused his attention on Nathan. “What should we do?”
Well, she couldn’t sit there and do nothing. “Take his shoes and socks off and roll up his pant legs.” While Sean did that, Reece unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt and pushed his shirt sleeves farther up his arm. “Get the handkerchief from his pocket, Sean.”
It wasn’t easy digging Nathan’s handkerchief out of his pocket, but once Sean had accomplished that, he handed it to his sister.
Reece took the canteen and soaked the handkerchief then wiped down Nathan’s face, neck, and arms. She watched the boy for several seconds then poured more water onto the handkerchief and handed it to Sean. “Wipe his feet and ankles.” When Sean finished that, Reece took the handkerchief and waved it over Nathan’s face creating a breeze. When she tired, she handed it to her brother. He hopped on the other side of Nathan scooting Bear to the side and fanned the boy’s face and neck.
Within a few minutes, Nathan’s eyes began to flutter and he opened them. Reece and Sean leaned over him. But, even though they were in the boy’s direct line of vision, he failed to focus on them.
“Nathan,” said Reece. He frowned slightly, and finally his eyes rested on the two children. “Are you feeling better?”
It took Nathan several seconds for his brain to process what Reece had just asked, and he nodded. “A little.” He took another shallow breath then said. “Thanks.” His eyes drifted beyond them and he stared unseeing at the trees, so the children sat back for a while and watched hoping he’d soon be on his feet ready to leave.
The problem was that Nathan wasn’t recovering. In fact, his eyes had slid shut again. How long was he going to be like this? And, what would the children do if they came under attack by the enemy he kept talking about which had yet to make an appearance. Even though they couldn’t see the dirt road through the brush very well, could anyone passing by see them?
“I’m checking the road,” said Reece. She rose cautiously to her feet and walked rapidly back to the road then turned right towards Nathan’s farm and ran. A few seconds later, she turned around and trotted back keeping her eyes fastened on the spot where the cart was situated. Instead of turning in towards the place where the others were hidden, she picked up the pace and walked rapidly past it, then made an ab
out face checking to see if it was equally invisible coming from this direction. When she rejoined the group, she looked at her brother and nodded her head. “I think we’re ok,” she whispered.
Sean had nervously watched his sister the entire time. He could see her running down the road but not clearly, so he wasn’t surprised at what she said. But, they really needed to know how everything stood, so he leaned forward and gently said. “Nathan?” When Nathan’s eyes slid open, Sean continued. “You said you’d tell us what you wanted us to do once we got the cart hidden.”
Nathan drew his brows together and rolled his head side to side. “Oh, yes,” he began in a low husky voice. “I need you to get word back to the camp. Tell them where I am, and explain about the two enemy encampments. And, one more thing, tell them that men are scouting the area, so be extra careful. I’ve avoided them till now, but. . .”
At that point, Reece and Sean couldn’t even look at each other, because if Nathan were captured, they’d be caught, too.