Good Medicine by Bobby Hutchinson Page A

instead on the vision, trying to figure out whom or what the bear cub might represent.
    The voice came to him, very faint and far away, and at first Silas thought it was an animal in pain. But then he realized it was human—too distant to tell whether it was a man or woman. He heard the urgency. Whoever was calling was in need.
    He turned in the direction it came from and quickened his pace.
    T HE BLACKNESS HAD BEEN thick and deep, when exhaustion finally claimed her. Jordan had fallen into a kind of stupor, far from sleep, but not really awake, either, when she heard the animal snuffling and grunting. An instant later she smelled it.
    The odor was pungent, and she could smell it growing stronger from where she huddled, trembling and curled into a tight fetal position. Shaking, she could hear herself making tiny whimpering sounds she couldn’t control.
    It seemed an eternity passed while she waited for the thing’s jaws to clamp on her body or claws to rake through her flesh. Her eyes were wide open, straining to see into the thick darkness. Finally, she saw something. Two small bloodred eyes staring down at her.
    Bear.
    She’d witnessed death, at times horrible death, and now she faced her own. She’d often wondered whether she’d find the fortitude to be brave when the time came. Now she knew she wasn’t brave at all.
    The bear’s head was moving from side to side, close enough that Jordan could’ve reached out and touched it. She could smell her own fear as the perspiration trickled down her sides. Surely the animal could smell it, too.
    With one last grunt and snuffle, the bear moved. Jordan caught the full odor of its foul breath and gagged. Bile burned her throat and she shut her eyes tight, knowing it was the end. Time stopped, and she never knew afterward how long it had taken for her to understand that the animal was gone.
    For the first time all night, Jordan had slept, exhausted and drained and dreamless.
    When she woke again, it was beginning to get light, and she propped herself on an elbow and started calling for help.
    She was thirsty and stiff and bone weary. Mosquitoes had bitten her face, neck, wrists and legs.
    Someone had to rescue her soon. It was just a question of time. She fantasized about a mug of steamingstrong coffee, a hot shower, painkillers—a toilet. She had to pee really badly, and she couldn’t figure out how to accomplish it. The pain in her groin had gotten much worse overnight. There was no way she could get her shorts down and squat.
    She let out a long, drawn-out, hopeless moan and closed her eyes.
    â€œHey, Jordan, where are you hurt?”
    â€œSilas?” She opened her eyes and saw where he stood on the walkway, looking down at her. Trying to sit up, she flinched and cried out. “God, Silas, I’m so glad to see you. I’ve pulled a muscle in my groin, I can’t get up.”
    The relief and gratitude she felt was overwhelming.
    â€œOh, Silas, it was so dark, and there was a bear! I know it was a bear. It was so close to me I could smell its breath—it was awful, I really thought it was going to kill me….”
    â€œA bear?” He stood motionless. “Did it speak to you?”
    â€œ Speak to me? Silas, I thought it was going to eat me. It was this huge thing, making a sort of grunting noise.” She shuddered. “And it stank so bad, and it moved its head back and forth, swaying—God, I thought it was going to attack me. But then it walked away.” She waited. And waited. Why wasn’t he hurrying to help her?
    Instead, he just stood there and stared. At last he said in a conversational tone, “How did you manage to get down there, anyhow?”
    And that’s when Jordan began to get irritated.

CHAPTER TEN
    â€œI SLIPPED OFF THE WALKWAY last evening and fell,” she said, doing her best not to snap at him. The man was only trying to understand. And she knew as well as anyone