I’ve got some food here. Why don’t you eat this and I bet you’ll feel a lot better.”
“I hate those things,” she wailed with renewed vigor.
“I know, but I think your blood sugar’s dropped too low. You need to have this, at least one of the snacks, even an applesauce. Choke it down and I guarantee in twenty minutes you’ll be feeling a lot better. Here. You’ve got to open it. I can’t do it with one hand.”
She nodded and took it from me, opening it and looking at it in disgust. Finally, she started eating, and I put the water bottle between my knees to hold it while I twisted off the cap. Then I handed it to her and she sat, silently eating and drinking until it was all gone.
Finally, she pushed the hair out of her face, took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked over at me. “Thanks,” she said in a little voice.
I pulled her head down onto my shoulder. “Sure. You feeling better?”
“Yeah. But Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
“Are we going to die here?”
I sucked in a breath. She’d been so tough through all of this. She hadn’t questioned anything I’d done. She’d followed my instructions and stayed hopeful the whole time. I thought this might be the low blood sugar speaking, but it was probably also past due. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to her, the thought had crossed my mind that my unit might not come for us. Maybe they couldn’t find us; maybe they couldn’t get to us.
“I’m not going to lie to you. Running out of food and water is a problem, but we’re a long way from dead and a long way from being out of options. I’ve played it really safe, but we can try some other things if we have to.”
“Like what?” she asked as we lay back down. She snuggled in close to my side, her arm lying across my chest. The whole snuggling thing had its pros and cons, but naked snuggling? I was really enjoying that.
“Well, I can try to get out to the truck and swipe some more stuff from the back. There’s water there and baby formula, which is gross but would give us some nutrition.”
“Every time you poke your head out, they shoot at you, Gabe. I don’t think you should do that.”
“Well, the first time I definitely came out on top if you’ll recall, but yesterday doesn’t count. I mean, the way this canyon echoes, starting up the truck made about as much noise as a convoy passing through. It’s no wonder they shot at me. I can be quiet if I want, you know.”
“Tell me more choices we have,” she said, ignoring my efforts at sounding casual about it all.
“We can try to walk out.”
She leaned up off of me and looked me in the eye. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“How?”
“Well, we’d have to go at night, and we’d have to hike out of here through the rocks, in the dark, with the threat of being shot or running into a Taliban camp.”
She lay back down. “Any other ideas?”
“We’re out of radio range, we’re out of food, and we’re out of water. But we’re not out of ammo, and we’re both still able to walk. In a few more days, we’ll be too dehydrated and hungry to travel on foot.”
“I don’t want to die here like this,” she said softly. “Let’s leave tonight.”
“You sure?”
“As long as you think your arm will be okay.”
“It’s good enough to do this,” I murmured as I rolled her over onto her back and began to kiss down her throat while I slipped my hand in between her legs.
She sighed. “You’re trying to distract me from thinking about bad stuff,” she said. “I’ve noticed you do that a lot.”
“Mmm. You complaining?” I ran my tongue down her silky torso and circled her belly button, spending extra time on the small silver ring there.
She arched into me. “Uh, ah, no complaints. Mmm, do that again. Yeah, that.”
I chuckled.
“But promise me we’ll go tonight.”
“I promise,” I answered as she lifted one knee. My tongue found its way into her warm, sweet wetness, and my heart found
“I hate those things,” she wailed with renewed vigor.
“I know, but I think your blood sugar’s dropped too low. You need to have this, at least one of the snacks, even an applesauce. Choke it down and I guarantee in twenty minutes you’ll be feeling a lot better. Here. You’ve got to open it. I can’t do it with one hand.”
She nodded and took it from me, opening it and looking at it in disgust. Finally, she started eating, and I put the water bottle between my knees to hold it while I twisted off the cap. Then I handed it to her and she sat, silently eating and drinking until it was all gone.
Finally, she pushed the hair out of her face, took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked over at me. “Thanks,” she said in a little voice.
I pulled her head down onto my shoulder. “Sure. You feeling better?”
“Yeah. But Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
“Are we going to die here?”
I sucked in a breath. She’d been so tough through all of this. She hadn’t questioned anything I’d done. She’d followed my instructions and stayed hopeful the whole time. I thought this might be the low blood sugar speaking, but it was probably also past due. As much as I didn’t want to admit it to her, the thought had crossed my mind that my unit might not come for us. Maybe they couldn’t find us; maybe they couldn’t get to us.
“I’m not going to lie to you. Running out of food and water is a problem, but we’re a long way from dead and a long way from being out of options. I’ve played it really safe, but we can try some other things if we have to.”
“Like what?” she asked as we lay back down. She snuggled in close to my side, her arm lying across my chest. The whole snuggling thing had its pros and cons, but naked snuggling? I was really enjoying that.
“Well, I can try to get out to the truck and swipe some more stuff from the back. There’s water there and baby formula, which is gross but would give us some nutrition.”
“Every time you poke your head out, they shoot at you, Gabe. I don’t think you should do that.”
“Well, the first time I definitely came out on top if you’ll recall, but yesterday doesn’t count. I mean, the way this canyon echoes, starting up the truck made about as much noise as a convoy passing through. It’s no wonder they shot at me. I can be quiet if I want, you know.”
“Tell me more choices we have,” she said, ignoring my efforts at sounding casual about it all.
“We can try to walk out.”
She leaned up off of me and looked me in the eye. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“How?”
“Well, we’d have to go at night, and we’d have to hike out of here through the rocks, in the dark, with the threat of being shot or running into a Taliban camp.”
She lay back down. “Any other ideas?”
“We’re out of radio range, we’re out of food, and we’re out of water. But we’re not out of ammo, and we’re both still able to walk. In a few more days, we’ll be too dehydrated and hungry to travel on foot.”
“I don’t want to die here like this,” she said softly. “Let’s leave tonight.”
“You sure?”
“As long as you think your arm will be okay.”
“It’s good enough to do this,” I murmured as I rolled her over onto her back and began to kiss down her throat while I slipped my hand in between her legs.
She sighed. “You’re trying to distract me from thinking about bad stuff,” she said. “I’ve noticed you do that a lot.”
“Mmm. You complaining?” I ran my tongue down her silky torso and circled her belly button, spending extra time on the small silver ring there.
She arched into me. “Uh, ah, no complaints. Mmm, do that again. Yeah, that.”
I chuckled.
“But promise me we’ll go tonight.”
“I promise,” I answered as she lifted one knee. My tongue found its way into her warm, sweet wetness, and my heart found
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