Echo-Foxtrot (2 page)

“Fine.” Lou closed her eyes and let him carry her. For an instant she felt safe, but the feeling didn't last long.

Jack carried her back up the beach to the base. He laid her down on the runway. “Right. You stay here while I get this fire going again.”

“Not going anywhere. You didn't bring my crutches, but it doesn't matter. Nice to sit down for a bit.” Lou pushed herself upright, shifting back against one of the crates Jim had found. She shut her eyes, shivering as she wrapped her arms tightly around her middle. She listened as Jack's running steps moved around the runway. Things had gotten so messed up, and she didn't know why.

Jim would say it was her lack of faith, but that was Jim.

She didn't need a God who let bad things happen to good people running her life for her. She was quite capable of running it herself. And if she then trashed it, well, then she had no one to blame but herself.

“Not sleeping, are you?” Jack's voice cut through her thoughts.

She forced open her eyes. “No, I'm not.”

“Good. I don't want you to sleep yet.” Jack draped the blanket he'd found around her shoulders.

“Why not?”

“It's not bedtime yet. When did you last eat or drink?”

Lou thought for a moment. “Yesterday morning-ish. But that was only water. I haven't had anything that isn't water for weeks. There is a distinct tea and coffee shortage here.”

Jack sat beside her, pulling his knees up and resting his wrists on them. “You know, Lou, Nicky…” He paused. “Your mom says I'm like a bear with a sore head without at least three cups of coffee in the morning.”

“Mum?” She tilted her head, confused. Mum's name was Nichola, not Nicky. Only Bill and Di called her Nicky. And anyway, she was thousands of miles away. “You know Mum?”

“Yeah, I do. You're pretty, just like she is.”

“I'm not pretty,” she retorted, pushing the blanket to the ground. “I'm ugly and crippled. And I have a tendency to kill those who get close to me. Or at least hurt them badly. They'll be better off without me.”

“I'm sure they don't think so.”

Lou shivered. “They will do. It's my fault. All of it.”

He wrapped the blanket around her again. “Why's that?”

Lou took a deep breath and looked away. “We went fishing because I drew sharks and stuff all over the logbook. And I saw that Jim was asleep when the autopilot was off. He'd only dozed off for a minute or so, but I could have called or shaken his arm to wake up, but I didn't and the boat sank...”

She shifted a little, trying to get her leg in a position where it didn't ache quite so much. “Deefer dying was my fault too. I knew I should stay on the path, but I saw something and I went to investigate. I was about to step forwards. Deefer rushed me and knocked me over. He ran straight into one of those wild-animal traps the natives use. The trap sprung upwards, the metal teeth dug into him. I couldn't get him out.”

Lou held her hands out in front of her. “I had his blood on my hands. I killed him. If I had stayed on the path, he would still be alive. When I went fishing with Jim, we went to get fish 'cause Jim was tired of not having fresh food. He'd done nothing but mention sharks for days. Didn't matter where we were, he saw sharks. In the Atlantic, Caribbean, and so on. We thought it was an excuse to stop us swimming. I was splashing in the water to annoy Jim. I attracted it. Then I tried to save the catch. If I'd left it, then I could have swum faster.”

Tears blurred her vision and her voice wavered. “I can't go home. I'm dying. Mafuso said so. The others don't need to watch that. And it's not fair on Mum after I've been gone for so long.”

Jack tossed more wood onto the fire. “Who's Mafuso?”

“We stayed in his village after the fire at Christmas. Think that was started by the volcano. Did you know it erupted? Got photos—it was pretty. Mafuso's a good guy. He's the village medic, trained by missionaries apparently. There was nothing he could do to halt the infection. Don't have long. Couple days maybe.” She shrugged. “But it's OK. I can stay here with Deefer.”

Jack put his hand over hers. “You'll be fine once we get you back to base.”

She frowned.
Which part of dying didn't he understand?
“Go talk to Mafuso if you don't believe me. He's a week's walk in that direction.” She pointed to the gate.

“Your mom loves you very much. She wants you back home.”

She couldn't keep up with the way he kept changing the subject. “No, she doesn't.”

“I know for a fact she does. After I met you in Cornwall, I contacted her. I saw you in the paper and realized you had run away.”

“We didn't
run
away,” she corrected. “Staci and I
stowed
away. It's different. We hid on the boat until Jim had left and it was too late for him to do anything about it.”

“Stowed away or ran away, it's the same thing. But I never imagined you'd be silly enough to risk the Atlantic during the hurricane season.”

Lou shrugged. “Didn't have a choice. They'd stopped looking for Bill and Di, so we went to look instead.”

“When the wreckage of your boat was found, your mom was frantic. We've been looking for you for weeks. Your mom has been staying at my place since before Christmas.”

“Mum's here?”

“She's waiting at the base. As are Jim and Staci's parents.”

Lou looked at him for the first time since she'd begun speaking. “They're alive?”

“Yes, they are and all three of them are worried sick about you kids,” he said. “They love you and just want you home safely. It doesn't matter what you've done or think you've done. No one is beyond help, and that includes you.”

Lou shivered, tugging the blanket closer. Why was it so cold all of a sudden? “I told you, it's too late. Can I go sit with Deefer now?”

“In a few minutes. You don't look so good.”

“Don't feel so good.” She lay down on the tarmac and closed her eyes. Maybe she'd sleep for a minute and then go up the path.

“I'm going to set up an IV,” he said. “Get some fluids into you.”

“OK,” she whispered. Nothing really mattered anymore.

Jack worked quickly and she barely felt the needle going into the back of her hand. “All done,” he said. “The chopper will be here in about twenty minutes. There's a surgical team standing by at the base back home. They'll fix your leg, and we'll get you well again.”

“Not possible,” she murmured. “Just tell Mum I'm sorry and I love her.”

“You can tell her yourself, kid.” He pushed her hair back from her face. His touch was strangely comforting. Like her father's had been a long time ago. “You'll see her in a little while.”

“Can I sleep now?”

“Not yet. I'm not going anywhere, OK?”

She nodded. Least this way, she wasn't alone. Because, although she'd gotten used to the idea of dying, suddenly the whole concept scared her.

3

Anderson Air Force Base grew underneath them.

Jim's stomach twisted. He wanted to see his parents desperately, but at the same time he didn't. He knew he was going to be in trouble for leaving in the first place, never mind for not having enough faith in the authorities, and God, to look after his parents and care for them and find them. And then there was taking Staci with him and willingly putting her life in danger.

Ailsa squeezed his hand. “It'll be OK,” she said. “They love you.”

He turned in his seat to look at her. “How did you know what I was thinking?”

“I know you. It hasn't been long, but I know the way you think. Remember my parents were missionaries, too. For some reason they, like pastors, expect way more from their kids than any other parents seem to do.” She smiled at him. “Yes, they'll be mad, but they love you.”

Staci bounced in her seat. For the first time in months, he could see the thirteen-year-old that she once was, shining through again. “We're here. Look, Jim—cars, planes, proper buildings…”

Jim nodded. “Yeah.”

The helicopter circled and landed. Five airmen ran over to it, along with a medical team and three civilians.

His parents, Bill and Di Kirk, and Lou's mum, Nichola Benson.

Staci screamed, jumping up and down in sheer joy. “Look, look, look!”

“Mum and Dad,” Jim said. His heart leapt into his throat. “They're really here.”

Staci leapt out as soon as the door opened, still screaming and crying. “Mummy! Daddy!” She hugged both her parents tightly.

Jim sat still for a moment longer and then jumped out of the chopper, straight into the arms of his parents. He hugged them tightly, tears filling his eyes and unashamedly running down his face. “I thought you were dead…”

“We thought the same of you two,” Dad said, pulling Staci into the group hug. “Running away was an incredibly stupid and thoughtless thing to do. Why did you do it? Why not let the authorities do their job?”

“I'm sorry.” Jim took a deep breath. “You were missing. No one was doing anything, so I thought I'd find you myself. Then the girls stowed away and…”

“Don't get mad at Jim or Lou,” Staci interrupted. “I wasn't going to be left behind.”

“We were worried sick,” Mum told them, her voice wobbling. “When we finally found a working telephone, Nicky told us you were missing—”

His mother took a deep breath. “We've been frantic, wondering where you were. Jack kept in contact, told us he'd found you, but…” She paused. “I am so mad at you.”

“Guess we're grounded,” Jim said quietly.

“For the rest of your lives,” Dad said. “And then some. You of all people should know better, James.”

Jim shifted. “Sorry.”

Dad nodded. “We'll discuss this later.”

Jim turned and looked for Ailsa. She was standing on the edge of the group, looking awkward. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “This is Ailsa. She's a missionary kid, too,” he said. “She saved our lives several times.”

Mum smiled. “Nice to meet you, Ailsa.”

Staci grinned. “He forgot to mention she's his girlfriend.”

Jim elbowed her. “Shh.”

Ailsa blushed as she shook their hands. “Jim has told me so much about you.”

Mum smiled. “I'm looking forward to learning about you.”

Jim looked at Nichola. “I'm sorry.”

Nichola hugged them. “I thought I'd never see you again,” she said. She looked past them. “Where's Lou? Didn't she come back with you?”

The blonde officer looked at her. “Jack stayed behind with her, Mrs. Benson. He said to tell you he'll be back on the next chopper.”

Nichola looked at her and then back at Jim. “Why didn't she come?”

“She's sick and not thinking straight.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Deefer died a couple of days ago and what with her leg being infected again and all…”

“Her leg?” Nichola frowned. “How did her leg get infected?”

“She got attacked by a shark and…” He broke off as Nichola paled.

Dad wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling. “Shark?” he asked.

Jim felt sick. How could his dad always make him feel so guilty with so few words? “We went fishing in September. This shark attacked the dingy and sunk it, and she didn't swim fast enough. I did what I could, but I'm no doctor and we couldn't call for help, as we'd lost the radio and the phone and…”

He broke off. He could feel the anger and disappointment in all the adults and knew it was aimed solely at him. “I'm sorry…”

“September?” Nichola whispered. “But it's January now. That's four months…”

“It's my fault,” Jim said. “The logbook will prove that. If she dies, I'll never be able to forgive myself and I don't expect you to forgive me either.”

Major Corrigan looked at him. “There's a doctor on the flight going out there now. And Colonel Fitzgerald has basic medical training. She's in good hands.”

“I don't understand,” Nichola said.

“It's a life flight,” the officer told her. “They can start treating her as soon as they land.”

A dark-haired woman in a blue uniform with lots of ribbons moved over to them. “I'm General Kaylana Merrick, the commanding officer of Anderson AFB. Welcome to Guam.”

Jim shook the offered hand. “Thank you. I'm Jim Kirk. This is my sister, Staci, and my friend Ailsa Cudby. We found Ailsa on Agrihan. Her parents were missionaries who died there several years ago in a plane crash, and she's been living on the island ever since. She saved our lives and came with us.”

“The other chopper should be arriving on Agrihan any time now. The last report from Colonel Fitzgerald said that Miss Benson is with him and in a stable condition. This is Airman Trant, one of our medics. He'll take you to the infirmary to check you over and then we'll get you settled. You can have a bath, a hot meal, and so on.”

Staci grinned. “A hot bath sounds wonderful. I haven't had one of those in forever. Or a hot meal that wasn't fish or fruit or some kind of weird vegetable. Don't suppose you have chips, do you?”

Dad shook his head. “If you ask for chips, you'll get given crisps. You have to ask for fries.”

Staci frowned. “But I thought the Americans spoke English.”

Dad took hold of her hand. “Not our English. It's a whole different language.”

Jim slid his hand into his mother's, content to let someone else take charge and be the grown-up again.

“Let's get you all inside,” General Merrick said. “And I'll check on the status of the other chopper.”

****

Lou pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders and shivered. The sun still blazed down, so why did she feel like she lay curled up in a freezer?