Jo Grant grimaced, stopping her half-hearted struggling. The ropes binding her hands behind her back were starting to cut into her wrists again. They were much too tight, but she knew better than to say anything about it to her captors. Her face still stung from the last time she had spoken to them, and she suspected that - if she didn't have a black eye already - she would be sporting one soon enough.
A groan to her left caught her attention, and she quickly glanced over. Sergeant Benton was lying nearby, just as tightly bound as her, if not more. He had yet to wake up from the knock on the head he'd got when they were captured several hours earlier, and she had been beginning to worry. A rush of relief rushed through her when she saw him stirring.
"Sergeant?"
Benton's eyes slowly opened. He blinked once or twice, a confused look on his face before comprehension dawned. He started to sit up, hissing in pain and falling back as the ropes kept him from using his arms to get the leverage he needed.
"Miss Grant?" he asked, a slight tremor of pain in his voice. "Where are we?"
Jo scooted over the best that she could. "In a storage room, I think," she replied, moving behind him. "Put your back against mine and see if you can push yourself up."
Benton didn't reply, and for a moment she thought he was going to ignore her suggestion. Then she felt a tug at her hands as he clumsily grabbed them. She flinched as the ropes rubbed against her already raw wrists, but she didn't say anything. After a few heavy tugs, she felt his back against hers.
"Thank you," Benton said, pulling away from her.
Jo shifted so that she could face him, smiling at him even though she really didn't feel like it.
He closed his eyes, his mouth tight with pain. "How long was I unconscious?"
Jo shrugged; then she realized he wouldn't be able to see her since he hadn't opened his eyes yet. "Three hours or so?" she said, well aware it sounded more like a question than a statement. "Maybe longer. I was out for a little while myself."
Benton's eyes shot open. His gaze drifted over her face, and his expression darkened.
If Jo's hand had been free, she knew it would have flown up to self-consciously touch her eye. As it was, she merely shrugged again. It was already bruised, then. "Oh, no. That was from later."
If anything, he looked even angrier.
"I'm fine," she said, hoping she sounded more certain than she felt.
Benton sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should have-"
"Don't even think about it!" Jo snapped, cutting him off. "It's no more your fault than it is mine. None of us expected them to come back to the arson site, not when they knew the military was involved."
His eyes popped open, a surprised look appearing on his face.
"The Doctor and the Brigadier will come for us any time now," Jo said firmly. "You'll see."
Benton started to say something, but he apparently thought better of it at the last second. Instead, he simply shook his head. "You never lost faith, do you?"
Jo frowned, studying his face. His words had sounded a bit shaky, even to her. "How is your head?" she asked, trying not to let her worry come flooding back.
He leaned back against the wall, and for a moment Jo thought he wasn't going to answer her question. Then he sighed. "I've had worse."
"That's not an answer," Jo muttered, scooting over so that she was sitting beside him. She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Benton stilled for a moment. Then, almost hesitantly, he turned his head enough to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "It doesn't matter," he said, and Jo could tell that he was trying to sound sure of himself for her sake. "As you keep reminding me, we should be rescued any time now."
If Jo's hands had been free, she would have hugged him. As it was, she simply cuddled a little closer to his side. "They're coming," she repeated. "You'll see."
He smiled. "I'm certain they are."