Stan Morris - Surviving the Fog

But no , she thought. I’m not dead. This kid, Howard, had found her, and had brought her back to life. Had fed her, and had given her water. Had sheltered her, and had warmed her. A warm feeling of gratitude flowed through her. She smiled at the sleeping boy. What the hell? So, what if he saw me naked?

“You deserved it, Babe,” she whispered. “You saved my life.”

The whisper woke Howard. He opened his sleepy eyes to see the woman smiling at him. Then, to his surprise, she pulled his face close, and she kissed him. She slid her tongue into his mouth, explored him, and then withdrew.

“Hi,” she said cheerfully.

“Uh, hi,” he responded.

“That’s for saving my life,” she explained.

“Oh. You’re welcome,” he said. He was suddenly aware of her semi-nudity, and his body responded. He blushed, as he tried to turn slightly. She laughed softly, once.

“Don’t worry about it, Babe,” she said dreamily. Howard looked at her closely. He put a hand to her forehead.

“You’re burning up!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah, it is hot,” she murmured, and then she complained, “My head hurts.”

A chill went through the boy. She was sick. She was sick, and there was nothing that he could do about it. He got out of the sleeping bag and retrieved his wet shirt. He pressed the shirt to her forehead. He opened the bag, even though she complained, and he let in some air, trying to cool her down.

Slowly, through the day, Jean’s condition worsened. The only thing Howard could do was to bathe her hot body with his wet shirt. That night was the darkest time for Howard, since he had realized that he would never again see the grandparents who had raised him. Jean was not quite delirious, but she was in some kind of dream state, where she alternated between thanking him for saving her life and then complaining that he had. She began to weep at one point, and he found himself begging her to live.

When morning came, Howard decided that they could not stay in the tree another night. He had to get Jean to the others. He hoped if they walked back towards the camp, they might meet the rescue party before sundown.

When Jean woke, he told her his plan. She thought the success of his plan was doubtful, but she told him that she felt better. He rolled up the sleeping bags and tied them to his backpack, but when he examined their clothing he discovered that although his clothes had dried, her clothes were still wet. He debated having her wear them anyway, but then he made her put on his pants and shirt. He had to roll up the shirt sleeves and the cuffs of his pants, but he made it work.

She complained about having to wear his clothes, insisting on wearing her own, but he used rough language with her, telling her that like it or not, she was going to wear his clothes and to shut up. She did, and he was surprised at her passiveness, until he realized that it was a reflection of how sick she was. Walking slowly, he wearing only his briefs and boots, they left the shelter of the redwood tree.

They stopped frequently, but by noon she was exhausted. They crawled into the sleeping bags for two hours, and then he asked her if she could continue. Gamely she stood, and they continued their difficult journey. That afternoon, they had to stop sooner and rest longer. At the end, with two hours to go until sundown, Jean fell down. She could not go any farther.

“Go on, Babe,” she mumbled. “You can come back for me.”

Howard was frantic. He got down on his knees, and he forced her to get onto his back. Stumbling occasionally, he made his way down the trail, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands under her legs.

“You don’t give up, do you, Babe,” she whispered in his ear.

“My grandparents taught me to be stubborn, I mean determined,” he replied. He heard a weak laugh.

“How old are you?” she asked sleepily.

“Eighteen. I had a birthday in August. How old are you?”

“Twenty four. I’ve been a Forest Ranger for two years. Do you think that this Big Chief of yours will let me stay at your camp? I’ll be another mouth to feed.”

“I think so. Of course, he will. What should I tell him about you?”

“Tell Big Chief that I’m your long lost girlfriend. Girlfriends get to vote, huh?” murmured Jean.

Howard was glad to hear her bantering. He took it as a hopeful sign that she wasn’t as sick as he had feared.

“Yes. All right, I’ll tell him you’re my girlfriend,” he retorted. “But I have to warn you. I was raised to be a very traditional man. I’ll expect to be obeyed.”

She let out a soft snort. “Dream on. Tell you what. I’ll obey you one time. Only once, but whatever you tell me, I’ll do it.”

“Yeah, right,” Howard scoffed.

“No, I’m serious. My word is good, and I’m giving you my word. One time. Whenever. Better use it wisely.” Jean slumped on his back, her strength expended.

They made their way down the trail until dark, and then they stopped. Howard was exhausted and defeated. He strained to listen for the sound of voices, but he heard nothing. They found shelter of a sort under an overhanging cliff. As they were unrolling their bags, a light snow began to fall. They zipped their bags together, and then they snuggled close together. Jean had improved during the first part of the day, but as the night continued, she seemed to worsen again. Howard held Jean close and prayed, and then he fell asleep. Slowly, a sprinkle of snow covered the tops of their heads.

They were found by Jacob early the next morning. Urgently, afraid that they were dead, Jacob shook them. They stirred, and the smaller red head opened her bleary eyes and blinked.

“Hi, I’m Howard’s girlfriend,” she said.

Relieved, Jacob paused to consider her words. “You just met him,” he replied.

“Never judge the depth of a relationship by the length of its existence,” she lectured.

She yawned and went back to sleep. Jacob saw that Howard was waking. Howard looked at Jacob and gave a start.

“Jean!” he exclaimed.

“Your girlfriend is okay, I think,” Jacob assured him. “She woke up, but then she went back to sleep. Found them!” This was called out to the rest of the rescue party hurrying up the path.

Howard climbed wearily to his feet, as Ralph, Rasul, Ahmad, and Yuie arrived. Quickly, Ahmad handed a thermos of warmed water to Howard, and he woke Jean and forced her to drink a small amount. Then they placed Jean on a stretcher that Hector had made from tree limbs and a blanket. Howard leaned against Yuie, as the other four boys carried the young forestry officer down the mountain. The sky had cleared during the night. It was still cold, but Mike had thought to send a fresh set of clothes, including two pairs of socks, for Howard.

“Who is she,” Ralph asked, as they plodded along the river.

“Howard’s girlfriend,” Jacob answered.

“Wow, that was quick,” Ralph muttered.

Jean woke the next day in a comfortable bed. By the light streaming in through the high window, she could tell that it was well into the morning. She was bone tired, and her muscles ached as she sat up and saw a short, sandy haired young boy and a slightly taller, black haired Asian girl staring at her.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“This is the Chief’s Headquarters,” the girl said. Jean thought about that, and then her eyes narrowed.

“And is this the Big Chief’s bed?” she asked, her voice sharp.

“Um…. yes,” was the girl’s reply, as she glanced at the boy.

“Listen,” Jean said, her tone becoming very serious. “I want you to tell Big Chief that I already have a boyfriend; Howard.”

She fell back and closed her eyes. The two kids looked at one another. Jean suddenly sat up again.