The Iso-Stasis Experiment (The Experiments) (36 page)

It was Jake that awakened Cal. Not his voice, not his normal nudge to her backside, but the eeriness that surrounded him. She was still lying against him, holding him, but Jake had stopped trembling. He lay quiet, the pronounced breaths he took almost inaudible. And no longer did she feel the heat of his body against her chest. Frightfully, she brought her hand up his arm, sliding it to his chest. Where was the fever? He no longer felt like he was on fire. Cal’s eyes widened and her heart beat faster. An awesome fear struck her. She feared that perhaps Jake had not made it through the rough night that he had experienced. “Oh, God, no,” she said.

Cal was afraid to move, afraid to call his name, afraid to see if he was still alive. She just let herself lie against him and as she did, she placed her ear to his shoulder blade. Slow long breathing and a no longer rapid heartbeat echoed in his chest. Grateful and relieved, Cal raised her eyes up to the ceiling in a quick prayer. She pressed her lips to his shoulder before sliding out of bed and covering him back up. Jake’s fever had broken.

It had to have been the greatest thing Jake had ever seen. That moment when he opened his eyes everything was still blurry, but it was great. He could see Cal,
see
her. And even though it looked as if he was looking through someone’s very strong eyeglasses, Jake knew he was getting better. He laid there in the bed, his body feeling much heavier than it actually weighed. Cal didn’t even know he was awake. She checked the shotgun while occasionally sipping her coffee.
Morning,
he thought.
Cal looked like she did in the morning. Messy clothes and her hair in that thing Jake hated on the top of her head. Just because he was sick shouldn’t be any reason for her to revert back to wearing a ponytail. Jake knew it was time to try to get out of the bed. He felt weak, but he would only get weaker if he stayed in the bed. Even though he was clueless on how long he’d been out of it, he wasn’t clueless to the fact that he was out of it long enough to have to go to the bathroom so bad his bladder hurt.

Lifting his head would be the first step. He remembered the headache he had before he passed out. That was gone and he didn’t feel quite as cold.
And why is Rickie just walking in this room without knocking?
Jake squinted trying to focus.
No! She’s not. She’s giving him a gun?
That was all the incentive Jake needed to rush his rising. With all his reserve strength, he sat straight up. The rush of blood made him immediately dizzy and he fell back down the other way. “Fuck.”

“Jake!” Giving Rickie the shotgun, Cal raced over to him. “What are you doing? Stay in bed.”

“Don’t.” Jake held his hand up to her to stop her. He placed it on the bed and lifted himself to a sitting position. The room spun in front of him and Jake rolled his eyes. “Don’t give him a rifle.”

With a shriek of excitement, Cal grabbed his face and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re better.” She looked at his eyes which seemed to be bouncing. “Sort of. . . Rickie,” she called to him. “Get him some water.”

“No water.” Jake shook his head and leaned closer to Cal. “Not yet. I have to piss really bad.”

“I’ll help you.” She stood up and braced his arm.

“I can make it,” Jake argued.

“I know, but just let me guide you.”

“OK.” Jake rubbed his eyes and motioned his head to Rickie.

Cal knew what he meant. “Rickie, why don’t you take the roof?”

Jake shivered with fear. “No! He can’t have a gun.”

Holding up the rifle, Rickie showed Jake. “Sarge, I’m cool. I don’t waste bullets.”

“Shells.”

“Whatever. Sarge . . .” Rickie walked to the door. “I’m glad you’re better.”

Jake’s head dropped as he looked at Cal. “I can’t believe you armed that kid.”

“Do you have to use the bathroom, Major Graison, or would you rather bitch?” Cal smiled at him. “Which by the way, I am very glad to hear.”

“Bathroom.” Jake tried to stand on his own and swayed from front to back, then side to side.

Cal braced him, one hand on his back the other on his stomach. “Just don’t try to walk too fast, Jake, or you’ll fall.”

“I’d crush you.”

“You haven’t yet.”

With one hand extended out, Jake counted on Cal to lead him correctly to the bathroom. Once inside he planted his feet, resting his left hand to the wall behind the commode as he leaned in. “I’m good now.”

“OK.” She ran her hand down his back. “I’ll just wait right . . .”

“Cal. When I look down, everything moves.” Jake turned his head to her with a look of embarrassment.

Cal stepped back into the bathroom. She peeked her head under his arm and around to his front. “You’re good. Fire away.”

“Can you . . . This is so humiliating.”

“Oh, stop it, it is not.” Cal assisted as best as she could by providing him with a sense of support as well as guidance, until she heard he was done.

Using the wall as a guide, Jake slid his way over to the sink and turned on the water. He washed his hands and splashed water on his face, lifting it to the mirror. “My lips, what the hell happened to my lips?”

“Fever blisters. Actually they look a lot better than I thought they would.”

“They look a mess. I look a mess.”

“You were really sick, Jake.” Cal rubbed her hand up and down his back as he brushed his teeth. “In fact, you shouldn’t even be out of bed. I won’t be able to take another relapse.”

“I will after I get cleaned up. I’ll feel better if I let the water run on me.”

“I’ll agree to that. Let me take care of you, Major, instead of you always taking care of me.”

“Don’t get too used to it.” Jake rinsed his mouth. “And don’t you ever tell a soul you helped me go to the bathroom.”

“Never.” Cal walked over to the shower stall, opened the door and turned on the water. “Are you ready for our shower, Jake?” She saw his puzzled look. “Unless you think you’ll be able to on your own.”

“You can help me take a shower . . . wait . . . the wolves.”

“The wolves are going to have to attack . . .” Cal looked at her watch, “. . . without me. In fact, they’re late.” She began to undress.

^^^^

Rickie was ready for them, but they didn’t come. His desire to play hero atop the building was thwarted. Seven-thirty passed and they still hadn’t attacked. The wolves acted different this time. They swarmed like bees at the bottom of the hillside, not peering through the trees as usual, waiting to attack, waiting for someone to step out. The wolves wandered around in one small area, almost as if they were planning a new course of attack.

^^^^

Cal stood behind Jake in the shower as he let the water fall on him. He was still wobbly, Cal could see that, whether he chose to admit it or not. “Is the shower helping?”

“Some. I still feel like I’m in a fog. God I hate this.” Jake turned slowly to face her. “I know what you did for me. It may all seem like a dream, but I remember. I’ll never forget it.”

“You’d do the same for me. You have done the same for me.” She handed him the soap.

“I’m sorry . . .” Jake began to feel dizzy and took a moment to let the feeling subside. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that. This is not how I want you to see me.”

“I still saw you as strong, Jake. I think that’s how I’ll always see you.” She placed the shampoo in his free hand. “I thought you were dying. I was scared. Wash your hair.” She raised his arm up to his head.

“Is that why you said you loved me? Or did I dream that?

“No, you didn’t dream it. I said it. I said it because I meant it. Is that why
you
said it? Did you think you were dying?”

“Nah.” Jake tilted his head back slightly letting the water run across his face. He lifted his head weakly wiping the water from his eyes. “I didn’t think I was dying. I said it because I was too sick to worry if you thought I was being a sap.” He reached for her. “It was weird hearing it, Cal.”

“I’m sorry. If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll not say it again.”

“No.” Jake shook his head as his hand slid from her face with less control than he would have liked. “I haven’t heard those words since before my parents died. It felt . . . good.
 
Thank you for that.”

Cal smiled as she held on to his waist reaching behind him to turn off the water. She looked at him as she handed him a towel and thought how sad what Jake just said made her feel. How sad it was for someone to go that many years of their life without anyone telling them something positive about the way they felt about them. That explained to her why he was like he was. Noticing as she wrapped the towel around his waist that he was weakening again, Cal grabbed a towel for herself and opened the shower stall. “Let’s get you back to bed, Jake.”

Though Jake would rather not, he knew his body was telling him otherwise. “OK, just for a little bit.” Jake’s words started to slur as he stepped with Cal from the shower. “I promise I won’t make you deal with me like this much longer.”

“Are you kidding?” Cal escorted him slowly back into her room. “I’m loving it. I’m keeping score, Major Graison, and guess what? We’re now tied.”

^^^^

“You’re right, Rickie.” Cal lowered the binoculars as she stood on the rooftop with everyone but Jake. “They do seem different.” She handed the glasses to Carlos. “Take a look, what do you think?”

Carlos looked through them. “They definitely aren’t as desperate as they seemed before.” He passed them to John.

John shook his head. “They look like a fur rug on the hillside. Are they eating something?”

Cal snatched up the binoculars. “That’s maybe why they aren’t attacking. It looks like, two maybe three deer. Explains why they aren’t coming after . . .” Cal looked up to the sky when she felt the sudden sensation of wetness on her nose. “Damn it.” Soon, almost instantaneously, huge snowflakes began to fall. “It will be nearly impossible to see them if we have a storm.”

Rickie stuck his tongue out trying to eat the flakes. “This is cool. It’s like that song, over the river and through the woods.” He licked his lips. “It’s like perfect.”

All heads turned to him at once.

Cal snickered. “Rickie, why is it perfect?”

Shrugging, Cal returned her gaze to the woods. “I wonder if they will still charge. I mean, if they don’t, we can sleep a lot easier . . . You know what?” Cal picked up the rope that was secured on the roof and handed the rifle to Rickie. “Cover me.”

They all screamed ‘wait’ at her as she went over the side of the building.

Cal blew them off. Climbing down quickly and setting her feet on the ground, she looked up to those who stood on the roof peering down at her. She lifted her hands and shrugged. Nothing happened. She paced back and forth, never straying far from the rope—her lifeline to safety. The stampede never started; perhaps they didn’t see her. She wondered if she should call out, but figuring everyone on the roof already looked like they were about to have a heart attack the way they were pointing and all, Cal decided it was time to go back. She enjoyed her brief moment of freedom on the grass outside the building. She looked up to Rickie, gave him a thumbs up, wiped the snow from her face and reached for the rope.

She heard a growl, heavy breathing and more growling. Slowly, as her hand extended, she turned her head to the sound. There, not three feet from her, stood one of the animals just waiting to attack. His front paws were ready, his mouth open. “Oh, shit.” With a leap she jumped to the rope clenching it seconds before the wolf’s snap took hold of the other end. In a fierce tug of war, Cal verses the wolf, she climbed. “Hold the rope still up there!” Cal yelled as her body whipped back and forth into the metal building. Her climb was slow and painful. It was a fight to get to the top. Yet, in her own way, she found the climb masochistically enjoyable.