AN: A big thank you to Orrin Cobb for his help with his namesake character
AN: A big thank you to Orrin Cobb for his help with his namesake character. And a special thank you to Apple and Qohart…without you two ladies this story might never have seen the light of day. Thank you!!
Jim tightened his grip on Artie hoping that would help warm him up. Orrin had gone on ahead to scout the caverns to find the best one, leaving Jim to help him. He knew Artie was beginning to feel the effects of the cold; his shivers had advanced to near earthquake proportions. Jim only hoped a fire would be enough.
"J…Jim." Artie spoke through chattering teeth.
"Yeah Artie?"
"Wh…why are w…we…do…doing this a…again?"
"Because we love our jobs, pal." Jim smiled as Artie groaned.
"S…sure w…we d…do…re…remind me n…next t…time to l…let you f…fall in…into the i…ice."
"Sure, Artie." Jim replied as he helped Artie over a fallen tree.
They looked ahead and saw Orrin heading back toward them. Jim slowed their pace as Orrin approached and allowed Orrin to grab Artie on the other side. Orrin told them he had found a good cavern they could go far enough back into it that a fire shouldn't be seen.
The group entered the cave and after several feet the cave opened into a large cavern, several stalactites hanging from the ceiling. There were large rocks strewn around the floor and Orrin headed to a small cluster of them.
They sat Artemus down on a rock and made fast work of setting up a small camp. Orrin had already lit a fire and Artie was staring at the inviting flames. Artemus was shivering too much and he couldn't get his sopping wet coat off. Jim reached over and unbuttoned his friend's coat and removed it placing it on a branch Orrin had brought in and set up by the fire.
Soon they had Artie stripped down and Jim quickly wrapped him in every blanket they had and Artie sat as close to the fire as he dared. Jim noted the raspy sound to his friend's breathing and kept an eye on him as they prepared some coffee. They didn't have any broth for Artie, but the coffee would help.
Artie sat shivering under his blankets wondering if he would ever be warm again and he gratefully accepted the steaming mug of coffee Jim handed him. He held it in his hands for a long minute savoring the warmth before he took a tentative sip, testing to see if the heat would warm him or scald him. The coffee warmed him as it flowed down his throat and he smiled and breathed in the aroma deeply.
Suddenly Artie's body was wracked with a coughing spasm. He leaned over, gasping for breath. Orrin jumped up and began slapping his back while Jim stood by watching.
"What's going on?" Jim asked.
"It's the water. Mr. Gordon swallowed a lot of that water and some must have gotten into his lungs."
Orrin continued pounding on Artie's back and suddenly he began to spew the brackish substance over the rocks. Jim didn't know anyone could hold that much water as he watched his friend expunge what had to be over a gallon of the thick murky water. Finally Artie stopped heaving and Orrin pulled him upright, frowning when he noticed Artie wipe blood from the corner of his mouth. Artie was sweating in spite of his shivers as Orrin instructed him to lie down on his side in case he wasn't finished getting rid of the offending water.
Artie lay huddled under the blankets waiting for the shivering to stop. He was assaulted by three more similar coughing spasms before the coughing quieted and he finally drifted off to sleep in spite of the incessant shivering. Jim and Orrin sat by the fire planning their next move, Jim noting that Orrin hadn't taken his eyes off Artie. Not able to stand the suspense any longer Jim voiced his puzzlement.
"Orrin, I'm going to ask you something and I don't give a damn what Artie wants…I want you to be honest with me." Jim's harsh look told Orrin he meant business.
"Yes, sir," Orrin replied quietly, glad for the chance to get this off his chest and his conscience.
"Ever since we left Faulkner's cave I get the feeling something's going on behind my back. I've seen the looks you two keep giving each other and I want to know why." Jim regarded him sternly.
"Believe me, Mr. West, it wasn't my idea. I told him to tell you but he refused. You know you two boys are going to be the death of me one day." Orrin flashed him a crooked smile.
"Heh, I doubt that, Orrin. But what exactly is it that he's keeping from me?"
"I'm not exactly sure, sir. He wouldn't let me check him out well enough to find out for sure. But he's been spitting up blood since we left that cave." Orrin told him the guilt showing on his features.
"He WHAT?" Jim lowered his voice when Artie stirred, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to sir, but Mr. Gordon... well he's kind of stubborn. He warned me not to say anything to you. I know I should have ignored him but we needed to get away and I knew we couldn't carry him…not through the marsh." Orrin looked very much like a little boy who had been caught in the cookie jar.
"You did the right thing, Orrin." Jim regarded his friend's sleeping form.
"Sir, I don't think you fully understand." Jim looked to Orrin.
"There's more?"
"Yes, sir, the blood he's been spitting up…it could be from broken ribs or a bruised lung. That we can deal with, it's the other thing that worries me."
"The other thing? Why do I get the feeling I won't like where this is going?" Jim sighed.
"See him shivering? That's his body's way of creating heat." Orrin nodded to the still shaking agent.
"So if that's a good thing what can be wrong?"
"It's when he stops shaking that the problems can start. If he stops shivering before his body has a chance to warm up hypothermia can set in. Out here he doesn't stand a snowballs chance."
"Damn and we still have a good 10 miles to Ruther Glen." Jim grumped.
"Looks like you could use some help." Both Jim and Orrin jumped at the strange voice, their guns drawn.
"Come over here by the fire where we can see you." Jim growled.
The figure put his hands in the air in mock surrender and approached the fire. Jim rolled his eyes and holstered his gun when the figure reached the light. He waved the man toward a rock as Orrin holstered his gun and took his seat again.
"That's a great way to get yourself shot." Jim smiled.
"I trusted your instincts not to." Jeremy replied as he accepted the mug of coffee from Orrin.
"One of these days my instincts might fail." Jim smirked not wanting to let Jeremy off the hook quite so easily.
"Then I'll worry," Jeremy returned the smirk.
The men talked for a long while, Jim and Orrin taking turns checking on Artie and keeping their eye on him. Jim filled Jeremy in on everything that had happened until he joined them. Jeremy looked toward Artemus.
"What would possess Artemus to do something so dangerous as to memorize the list then get rid of it?" Jeremy wondered out loud.
"You know Artie; he probably thought it would save time if he got caught. They don't find the list they let him go." Jim surmised.
"Anyone but Faulkner it might have worked. I did some checking on him, Jim. How that man got to be a Senator I'll never know. He's been under surveillance for some time. Seems someone thinks he's not quite right in the head anymore." Jeremy informed them. A thought occurred to Orrin and he grabbed his jacket and headed back out into the snow.
"How did you get past the Colonel, Jeremy? I would have thought he wouldn't have allowed anyone else to follow us." Jim asked.
"Oh he didn't…not really anyway." Jeremy laughed at Jim's confused look.
"Seems I have this sick aunt and the Colonel suggested I go visit her." Jeremy winked.
"How is old Aunt Maude?" Artie spoke from his spot by the fire as he tried to extricate himself from the pile of blankets.
"Artie, you're awake." Jim said as he put the blankets back on top of his partner.
"Jim…"
"Forget it, Artie. You're a shoo in for hypothermia and you've been in enough trouble lately." Jim kept his gaze fixed on Artie when he didn't argue and just laid back.
"Jeremy were you able to get word to the Colonel?" Jim asked, his eyes still glued to his partner, frowning when he noticed Artie's breathing seemed to be slowing down even though he was still shivering.
"Yes, I took the road to Ruther Glen and telegraphed him from there. He's sending some men but they won't be here until tomorrow afternoon. He said to stay put if we can."
"What about Artie?" Jim wondered.
"Artie will be… just fine." Artie sternly remarked.
Orrin had re-entered the cavern and was shaking the snow off his jacket as he took his place by the fire. Jim took in the sour look on the engineer's face and the tight set of his jaw and sighed.
"That Senator isn't going to give you a choice, sir. I just climbed up on this cave and looked. They should be here in a couple of hours." Orrin sighed; he hated to be the bearer of yet more bad news.
"No way could one of us make a run for it with Mr. Gordon with just one horse. It looks like we'll have to make our stand here."
"This just gets better and better." Jim groused.
"We have an advantage over them this time, Jim. They don't know I'm here and I brought some toys." Jeremy reached over and pulled out the saddlebags he had placed on the ground.
"Jush wh…whaat did yo…you brin wish you Jernemy." Artie spoke causing alarm in Orrin.
"Mr. West, how long has he been slurring his words like that?" Orrin asked hoping his voice sounded calmer than he felt.
"That's the first I've noticed it." Jim said and Jeremy nodded his agreement.
"Mr. Pike did you bring any blankets with you?" Orrin asked as he removed his coat and put it on top of Artie.
"Yeah, I have a couple on my horse, I'll go get them." Jeremy rose and headed for the entrance.
"You better bring your horse in here if you can get him to come in." Jim warned him. "We don't have any horses and Faulkner will know someone's here if he spots it." Jeremy nodded and left.
WWWWWWWWWW
Faulkner waited impatiently for his men to return from scouting ahead following the obvious trail the agents had left. They were closing in on them; he could almost smell it. Even though he had changed into warm and dry clothes he was still angry that he had to come out here in this atrocious weather. That Gordon will pay, and pay dearly, when I get my hands on him! Pulling his jacket tighter, Faulkner waited as he watched the men make their way back.
"What have you to tell me?" Faulkner demanded more than asked.
"Boss, they're holed up in a cave about a mile or so further up. We seen a bit of smoke comin out of the cave and their tracks lead right up to it." One man told him grinning.
"Boss," Bruno dared to speak, "we can't go get 'em tonight. Not enough light left." Faulkner glared at his insolence as he pondered his next move.
"Let's make camp here in these caves. They'll be expecting us to make a move on them before nightfall and when we don't it will unnerve them."
Faulkner dismounted and ordered the men to bring their supplies into a nearby cave. He hated the thought of having to spend the night out in the elements but the image in his mind of the agents having to endure yet another night wondering when their predator would make his move more than made up for one night's discomfort.
