going, I'm just going to ask you to go on date with me."
She blinked with confusion. Derek smiled and swam back to the ledge where they'd stashed their gear.
"We still have a week here. I doubt we'll be diving." He forced a weary smile, wishing he didn't look so pitiful strapped to a stretcher. "We'll go on a date. Have dinner. Drinks. The two of us. The whole sha-bang."
"You don't look up to that." She gave the men above the sign to pull him up. "But if you think you can handle me, I'll give it a shot."
He twisted his head to see her already swimming toward Derek as he continued to be lifted toward safety. He hated the idea of her going back into those caverns with unstable ground, but knew he couldn't stop either of them—and wouldn't because he'd do the same thing if he could.
He closed his eyes once on the ground, inhaled the rich jungle air, and winced as the men undid his straps.
"Can you sit in the jeep or do we need to keep you on the stretcher?" The same young man from this morning asked.
"I can sit. No neck injury. Broken arm, lots of pain, maybe some rib issues, I don't know." He allowed them to help him up and noticed Matthew in the next jeep. He looked much worse for wear. "You guys should have taken him, left me—"
"The woman, she is scary, would not hear of us doing such a thing."
He laughed then, thinking that, yes, she could definitely intimidate anyone when she chose to do so. "Okay, I get it. Fine. Let's go."
He arranged himself in the back of the jeep, holding his arm to try to keep it as immobilized as possible because any jarring sent pure agony ripping through his body. When the driver asked if he wanted a sandwich, he shook his head 'no.' The idea of food made him want to vomit.
With another glance at their banged up guide laying lifeless in the next jeep, he said a silent prayer for his missing friends that they would all come home. He dropped the back of his head against the seat, gripped his left arm against his chest, and stared at the passing trees, incredibly grateful to be amongst the living and out of that tomb.
* * *
She signaled for Derek to rise up, grateful to have a headlamp again. Although they were in a tunnel, they had enough headroom to rise above the water.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I thought I heard something."
He glanced at the calm water. "Not another tremor, I hope."
"No." She shook her head.
A howling of some kind, almost ghostly in nature, echoed through the cavern.
"What the hell is that?" he whispered, his eyes wide behind his mask. "Do you think a wounded animal fell in here during the quake?"
"God, I hope not. That's all we need—some crazed jaguar. I thought maybe it was a cry for help." Her voice sounded overly loud in the cramped space.
"It's coming from up there," he nodded toward the cavern they had on their list to check out, "Be prepared for anything."
"Isn't that our motto?" She smiled despite fighting off exhaustion. She wanted to be back at the resort, eating a huge meal, and drinking a lot of Mai Tais. No dive had ever taken this much out of her and it still wasn't over.
They submerged and swam side-by-side toward the next open cavern on the map. Although they needed to squeeze over rocks that had obviously tumbled during the quake, the absence of the shaking and fierce current that must have resulted from something breaking upstream, made the dive almost serene.
Derek turned to her when they reached the opening, hand on his knife in case they needed to battle a wounded animal, and motioned for them to surface.
"Oh, give me a home....where the buffalo roam...and the skies are not cloudy all day...." Their three missing divers sang horribly off key while perched on a ledge about five feet above them.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She slapped her hand on the water and startled the men. Anger immediately replaced all the fear and concern she'd had for these three buffoons whose bare feet swung over the ledge. They looked more like
She blinked with confusion. Derek smiled and swam back to the ledge where they'd stashed their gear.
"We still have a week here. I doubt we'll be diving." He forced a weary smile, wishing he didn't look so pitiful strapped to a stretcher. "We'll go on a date. Have dinner. Drinks. The two of us. The whole sha-bang."
"You don't look up to that." She gave the men above the sign to pull him up. "But if you think you can handle me, I'll give it a shot."
He twisted his head to see her already swimming toward Derek as he continued to be lifted toward safety. He hated the idea of her going back into those caverns with unstable ground, but knew he couldn't stop either of them—and wouldn't because he'd do the same thing if he could.
He closed his eyes once on the ground, inhaled the rich jungle air, and winced as the men undid his straps.
"Can you sit in the jeep or do we need to keep you on the stretcher?" The same young man from this morning asked.
"I can sit. No neck injury. Broken arm, lots of pain, maybe some rib issues, I don't know." He allowed them to help him up and noticed Matthew in the next jeep. He looked much worse for wear. "You guys should have taken him, left me—"
"The woman, she is scary, would not hear of us doing such a thing."
He laughed then, thinking that, yes, she could definitely intimidate anyone when she chose to do so. "Okay, I get it. Fine. Let's go."
He arranged himself in the back of the jeep, holding his arm to try to keep it as immobilized as possible because any jarring sent pure agony ripping through his body. When the driver asked if he wanted a sandwich, he shook his head 'no.' The idea of food made him want to vomit.
With another glance at their banged up guide laying lifeless in the next jeep, he said a silent prayer for his missing friends that they would all come home. He dropped the back of his head against the seat, gripped his left arm against his chest, and stared at the passing trees, incredibly grateful to be amongst the living and out of that tomb.
* * *
She signaled for Derek to rise up, grateful to have a headlamp again. Although they were in a tunnel, they had enough headroom to rise above the water.
"What's up?" he asked.
"I thought I heard something."
He glanced at the calm water. "Not another tremor, I hope."
"No." She shook her head.
A howling of some kind, almost ghostly in nature, echoed through the cavern.
"What the hell is that?" he whispered, his eyes wide behind his mask. "Do you think a wounded animal fell in here during the quake?"
"God, I hope not. That's all we need—some crazed jaguar. I thought maybe it was a cry for help." Her voice sounded overly loud in the cramped space.
"It's coming from up there," he nodded toward the cavern they had on their list to check out, "Be prepared for anything."
"Isn't that our motto?" She smiled despite fighting off exhaustion. She wanted to be back at the resort, eating a huge meal, and drinking a lot of Mai Tais. No dive had ever taken this much out of her and it still wasn't over.
They submerged and swam side-by-side toward the next open cavern on the map. Although they needed to squeeze over rocks that had obviously tumbled during the quake, the absence of the shaking and fierce current that must have resulted from something breaking upstream, made the dive almost serene.
Derek turned to her when they reached the opening, hand on his knife in case they needed to battle a wounded animal, and motioned for them to surface.
"Oh, give me a home....where the buffalo roam...and the skies are not cloudy all day...." Their three missing divers sang horribly off key while perched on a ledge about five feet above them.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" She slapped her hand on the water and startled the men. Anger immediately replaced all the fear and concern she'd had for these three buffoons whose bare feet swung over the ledge. They looked more like
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