Author's Note: This one was suggested by GregsMadHatter and is set right at the beginning of Connor and Abby's time in the Cretaceous. If you enjoy this story, please leave a comment.
The Second Day
The early morning light shone down through the pines, warming the damp earth and sending wisps of fog drifting across the ground. The trees were less dense here, giving way to more open land. In the distance, huge slabs of rock jutted toward the sky. Connor and Abby moved slowly through the area searching for any sign of Danny Quinn. Unfortunately, it had rained last night wiping away whatever tracks might have existed.
Connor's ankle throbbed with every step. It felt like a second heartbeat in his boot. His mind and body had gone to autopilot as a silent mantra repeated in his head: take a step, feel the pain, take a step, feel the pain. He kept a firm grip on his walking stick and tried to remember not to clamp his fingers into the arm of the petite, blonde woman currently keeping him on his feet.
Abby braced him with her shoulder and with one arm around his waist. The fact that he wasn't complaining or whining worried her. There were no jokes or banter either. She knew he was in pain by the rapid way he was breathing and the occasional involuntary wince as he put weight on his bad ankle. Twice, he had gripped her hard, but almost immediately loosened his hold to keep from hurting her.
When she noticed his clenched jaw and the sheen of sweat on his forehead, she couldn't take seeing him in pain anymore, so she said, "Connor, please, can we stop. I'm tired."
A weak, breathless, "O.K." was the only reply she got.
"Look there's no point in going on. We need to find a place to wait for Danny. He'll be searching for us," she reasoned.
Connor leaned against a tree with his eyes closed as he fought against the pain, "You're right. It makes sense to stay in one place for a while and give my ankle a chance to heal a bit."
"Good. So after I've rested, we can walk over toward the rock formations. Maybe we can find a cave or something to stay in."
Finding shelter took much longer than Abby hoped. The rock formations were much further away than they appeared and they had to stop and hide when several parasaurolophus passed by.
She decided that finding a suitable cavern would have to wait. She directed Connor toward the first opening in the rocks that was large enough for them. Abby got him settled against the wall and bent to check his ankle. She carefully unzipped his boot and slowly pulled it off as he hissed in pain.
"It looks awful," she said, "I'm going to have to do something to get the swelling down." She stripped off her jacket and sweater, and turned her back to pull off her tank top.
"Abby, what are you doing?" Connor asked in a worried voice.
"I'm taking off my shirt, what does it look like I'm doing?"
"Taking off your shirt… but why?" he asked as she wiggled back into her sweater and jacket.
"I'm going to soak this in water and wrap it around your ankle," she said showing him the top she had just removed.
"Oh, O.K.," he replied. When the cold, wet material touched his ankle, he jerked and yelped, then sighed in relief. "Feels good."
Abby unpacked the medical kit and handed him 3 tablets. "Swallow those," she commanded. "They'll help with the pain and take the swelling down."
Connor did as he was told while Abby gently elevated his leg onto their backpacks.
She unfolded a blanket and moved to sit very close beside him. "We are going to need to huddle together for warmth."
"Didn't I try that line on you once?" he asked with a weary smirk.
"Connor. This is serious. Let me get up against you. O.K., now put your arm around me," she instructed.
"Really?" he asked in a stunned voice.
"Yes, really." Now help me pull the blanket over both of us. "Is this all right, Connor? I'm not hurting you, am I?"
"Um, no. You're warm and soft. It's very nice," he said with a smile, "but my ankle really hurts."
"The pain pills should help soon. Try to go to sleep."
"Thank you, Abby," he murmured as he closed his eyes. As he dropped into unconsciousness, Abby heard him mumble, "So warm… lovely…"
Abby wondered if Connor was dreaming about the beach she had described to him yesterday or if he was referring to something else.
She got very little sleep during the night. She woke him after five hours to give him more pills, and then settled in next to him again. She decided she would leave in the morning to scout the area and find a better place for them to stay.
At first light, she carefully moved away from Connor then tucked the blanket around him. She took the opportunity to study his face. Locks of dark hair fell across his forehead. His eyelashes were surprisingly long and thick. She had never noticed before because when he was awake, she was always drawn to the expression in his dark brown eyes. Her gaze moved on to his nose, which was rather nice and then on to his mouth. Oh, his mouth! She felt a jolt in her stomach as she remembered how kissing those lips felt; they were velvet soft, yet warm and so perfect against her own lips. Abby turned to go, but on impulse, placed a quick kiss just to the side of his mouth. The corners of his lips quirked up very slightly before relaxing back into sleep.
Connor woke up some time later to find himself alone. Abby probably just stepped outside, he thought. After ten minutes of worrying, he decided to go look for her. He checked his ankle and was happy to see the swelling was down a lot. He wrapped the area in a tension bandage, but couldn't get his boot back on, so he grabbed his walking stick and hopped outside. Abby was nowhere in sight.
He ran his hand through his hair as dozens of horrifying scenarios went through his mind. They all boiled down to the same conclusions; she had gotten eaten, she had gotten lost, or she was hurt. He was about to go in search of her, when she walked into view.
Abby smiled when she saw Connor waiting for her. Her smile faltered as he limped up to her and grabbed her arm.
"What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled. "I thought you had gotten lost, maybe hurt," he shouted while giving her arm a small jerk.
Abby's temper kicked in and she was about to demand he let go when she looked up into his eyes. She froze at the look on his face. She could deal with the anger she saw, but it was the look of terrified anguish in his eyes that made her pause. She suddenly wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go.
He gave her a hurt look as he asked, "How would you feel if you woke up this morning and I was gone?"
Abby thought about it and felt her heart pound in response to the thought of waking up alone with no explanation. "Connor, I'm so sorry. I believed I could get back before you woke up. I didn't think. I won't do it again," she promised.
"Well, you better not. I don't want you out of my sight from now on," he demanded. Then he pulled her to him for a quick hug. "You scared me."
"I really am sorry," she said.
"Let's just forget it," he suggested. "Sorry for yelling," he apologized, feeling very relieved that she was safe.
"That's all right. I would have done the same," she admitted. "Would you like to see the cave I found for us?" she asked with a small smile.
"O.K.," he said, good-naturedly. "Now if you could find a couple of burgers and some chips, we'd be in fine shape," he joked as she gathered up their packs.
"I'll put that on my to-do list," she answered cheekily, as she moved to take her place beside him.
"Seriously, Abby, I don't think we'll need the cave for long. Danny will show up by tomorrow for sure," Connor said.
"Of course he will," she replied in an upbeat tone, "We'll be fine."
The not too distant sounds of creatures screeching made them quicken their pace.
Abby turned her face away from Connor to glance behind them with a worried frown as she repeated softly, "We'll be fine."
