Reaching Iquitos was almost an anticlimax. Almost.
Over their last four days in the jungle, the trail they followed became a footpath, the footpath became a rutted track and the rutted track led to a ramshackle boat dock.
"We'll have to follow the river from here on in" Indy said. "Not a lot of overland routes into Iquitos, most traffic is by air or water."
They followed the river north to a small village. Between them, Indy and Ox managed to negotiate for passage to the city on an elderly riverboat.
"What are we gonna use for money?"Mutt wanted to know.
"Well, they sure ain't gonna help us for your mama's pretty blue eyes," Indy growled. "Give me the knife, would you?"
He slipped the knife blade into the bottom of his satchel and withdrew a pouch of Peruvian soles.
"I usually try to keep some local currency stashed under the false bottom" he explained.
A few more soles secured them a hot meal, courtesy of the village headman, a place to sleep and a few gourds of the local aguardiente.
And if Indy and Marion took a gourd and a blanket when they 'went for a walk', neither Mutt nor Ox saw fit to comment.
The trip upriver took the better part of a day. The boatman had been happy to see their weapons, so Indy, Mutt and Marion took turns standing watch. When he was off duty, Indy abandoned any attempt at reserve and openly sought Marion out. He was constantly putting an arm around her, playing with her hair, or wanting her to sit on his knee.
"Geeze, said Mutt under his breath "he's acting like a 17 year old with a crush. It's embarassing"
"I never thought I'd be sorry to say this," replied Ox, "but I am. Henry has been waiting, with uncharacteristic humility, I might add, for some word or sign from your mother that she sees a future with him. I don't believe he's received one. So now, he's steeling himself for the time they must part. This may be their last day of freedom together. Let him take what happiness he can."
Indy was sober and withdrawn when they arrived in Iquitos late that afternoon. He kept hold of Marion's hand as they picked their way to the police station, but the kissing and teasing and nicknames were gone. The prefect of police heard the story of the lost archaeologists and their trek through the jungle and marveled that their party had survived relatively unscathed .
Then the chief sent his duty office to place a trunk call to the American Embassy in Lima.
In a few moments, he beckoned Indiana to his desk and handed him the phone.
"
Ox, Mutt and Marion were ushered into a waiting room as Indy began to speak.
"My name is Henry Jones," he said into the mouthpiece. "Are you the duty officer, Lieutenant? Good. I need to speak to your military attaché. Please. What clearance to you have? Then no can do, I can only debrief with a Secret or Top Secret holder. Yes, Lieutenant, now would be good….
A few minutes later, Indy rejoined his family.
"We're going to stay here for the night. It seems that quite a few people have been looking for us. The Embassy will be scrambling a party to make pickup tomorrow. We'll be taken to Lima where MI5 will become involved, since Ox is a British citizen and Mutt" –he cocked an eyebrow at Marion-"has dual citizenship, yes?"
Marion nodded
They'll make a decision on further debriefing in Lima-for now although we are not in protective custdody, we've been advised to keep a low profile. They have a secure room above the jail
where we'll be spending the night until the cavalry arrives.
He reached out briefly to clasp Marion's hand. "I'd give you the Ritz-Carlton if I could, honey, but this at least has sheets, pillows, and a hot water."
She squeezed his fingers and smiled. "That's plenty, Jones"
A junior police officer arrived to escort Icy Mutt and Ox to the jail's shower. Marion followed the prefect's wife up the stairs. The simply furnished safe room had two beds, a fan, and a side table with rickety chairs. But there was a washstand, a pitcher of steaming water, soap, shampoo and towels. Marion was sure she'd hit the Afterlife when the prefects' wife shyly offered her a clean cotton shift. She closed the door and set to work
Sometime later, men in Marion's life, freshly showed and supplied with clean shirts and underwear, came up the stairs. They were arguing half-heartedly about what to do for dinner. Indy maintained they needed to lay low- Mutt wanted to explore.
"Mom?" Mutt called as they opened the door.
His eyes widened in alarm as he saw his mother sprawled unmoving on one of the beds.
"Mom?" he said again, and touched her shoulder. "Mom?"
Her lips formed a word he couldn't quite make out and she sank back with her eyes closed.
"Ox! Dad!" Something's wrong!"Both men hurried to Marion's bedside.
Oxley leaned over her. "Marion, my dear, it's Ox. Can you hear me? Are you all right?."
Marion opened blank, frightened eyes. "Indy?" she whispered. "Indy?"
Mutt kept tight hold of his mother's hand.
"She wants you."
Indy knelt down and took her other hand. "Babe?" he said softly.
Marion looked at him and didn't respond. Indy put a hand to her forehead "God-she's burning up."
"What's wrong with her?" said Mutt.
"Not sure yet, but I've got my suspicions. Ox, help me."
"OK. I'm going to lift her up, now" he slipped an arm behind her and raised her to a half-sitting position. Marion gave a soft little cry of pain.
"Does it hurt, honey?" Indy asked gently "I'm sorry".
"Ox, check her neck for a rash, please."
Ox peered over Indy's shoulder and nodded. "Hmm...fever, rash, and she seems to be in some pain."
"Yeah- the joint pain's the tipoff." said Indy "Dengue fever, I'll bet my life"
"Dengue fever?" said Mutt quickly, "Can't you die from that?"
"You can die from a lot of things, kid," Indy snapped.
Ox bit back a reproof when he saw the fear hidden in his old friend's eyes." It's possible but not likely, Mutt," he said instead. "Generally dengue is like a bad flu. I've had it, and so has your father. As you can see, we both survived- though I for one wasn't happy while it lasted."
"Amen to that" added Indy.
"Does she need a doctor?" Mutt demanded.
"I'd rather avoid it if we can", said Indy
"WHAT?"
"Look, our side will be making pickup on us tomorrow night at the latest. That means Marion can get the best care available once they get her to Lima. If we can control the fever and keep her hydrated she should be OK. But we still need to lay low. We don't know if the Russkies left a rear guard, if they paid somebody off to give them information, or if someone's here to find out what happened to them. A doctor we don't know could be suborned to lead them straight to us. We're not home free yet. "
Mutt poured his mother a glass of water from the carafe on the bedside table and tried to hold her up to drink. The water promptly spilled as she tossed on her pillow and pushed his hand away. "Dad?" she mumbled, "Indy?"
"I still say we need a doctor-she won't even drink, man!"
"I think I know what will help"
Ox and Mutt looked on, mystified; as Indy rummaged in his satchel for a sliver of soap He crumbled it in his hands, releasing a warm trace of sandalwood. Indy chucked off his boots and laid his satchel and whip on the chair. Without a trace of self consciousness, he turned back the covers, sat down next to his beloved, and lifted her into his lap.
"Awww… poor sweet baby", he said tenderly. "Come to your Indy, sweetheart."
Marion didn't know where she was, barely knew who she was, and couldn't think through the fever that roared through her like a prairie fire Oh, but she knew that voice, and the slow steady heartbeat under her ear. She knew the strong arms that held her and the warm broad chest where she rested her aching head.
She turned her head and breathed him in-sandalwood soap, leather, sweat, and man.
Indy? Yes, her Indy was near. He pulled her in, snug and tight, she nestled even closer and began to relax.
Marion's man breathed a sigh of relief and began to stroke her hair with his free hand. "That's right, honey", he murmured. "Indy's got you-Indy's got you, and you're gonna be OK. Just close your eyes and rest now, and then you can drink some water for me…"
He glanced up at their two worried companions.
"Pull the shade, would you, Ox? The light probably hurts her eyes."
Mutt watched his mother and father, as they settled cozily under the blanket.
"Shit. How did you know to do that?"
Indy smiled. "Not the first time" He shifted his weight and tucked a pillow behind him. "How old was Marion when she had scarlet fever, Ox?"
"Twelve or thirteen-"
"That's right – You and I were both still undergraduates".
Indy looked over at his-their- son, inviting him into the memory. "Abe had gone to a conference and left Marion at home", he explained. "She wasn't by herself, exactly-they had household help-but he asked Ox and me to look in on her while he was gone. So we came to visit one afternoon and found Marion very sick. The housekeeper either didn't notice or didn't feel Abner's little girl was her responsibility."
"Abner, I am sorry to say, was a less than careful father," added Ox. "He should have taken Marion with him when he went away, or made arrangements for some respectable woman to have charge of her. Instead she was all too often left to her own devices."
"Anyway," said Indy, "I'd seen scarlet fever before-my mother and my little sister both died of it. I could tell how bad off Marion was and it scared the hell out of me. I guess I'd lost so much to that damn disease, I wasn't going to let it take my little Freckle Face without a fight."
Ox smiled and continued the story. "He just picked her up and carried her to the parlor, while I rang for the doctor. He sat her with much like that- he gestured toward the bed- talking to her and giving her sips of water, until the doctor came."
He turned to Mutt with a reminiscent smile- "And I'll have you know, laddie, that your father hovered over your mother like a hen with one chick until she was better. I'm sure some of our fellow students thought he'd gone soft. He came to see her every day, brought her little treats, played cards with her, and he'd read to her for hours- though I'm not sure that she really appreciated For Fortune and Glory, Indiana."
"Hey, it was my favorite book when I was a boy" rejoined Indy, who was holding a cup to Marion's lips. "And it least it put her to sleep." He smiled ruefully. "I felt like a dog because The Prisoner of Zenda made her cry. Besides, what she really liked was Ox reading Pride and Prejudice."
Mutt's answering smile didn't reach his troubled eyes.
"If we're going to keep her comfortable, we'll need more water, and maybe the means to boil it, said Indy. "And if we can get salt and sugar, we can mix up a field hydration formula."
"I'll go downstairs and see if our hosts have a spirit lamp that we can use to boil water," said Ox. "And aspirin, if they have it, would not come amiss. When I come back, Mutt and I can go to the market. My 'native dress' should blend in nicely." He gave a resolute nod, closed the door, and went down the stairs.
Mutt picked up is leather jacket, frowned and put it down, "Don't want to look too American." He looked at his mother "Are you sure she'll be all right while I'm gone?"
"Would you rather stay with her and have me make the supply run?" Indy asked gently.
"Nah", said Mutt roughly "You may be worthless, but if you're here at least I know where you are."
Indy's eyes widened at his son's tone and his head jerked up sharply "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"It means," said Mutt through gritted teeth, "that I'm not giving you an excuse to go out and carouse in the nearest bar or whorehouse while my mother gets sicker, Jones."
Indy laid his love down on the pillow. Then, with the cold purpose of the snakes he hated, he slid out from under the covers and rolled to his feet. "You don't ever talk to me like that."
"I talk to you any way I goddamn well please, old man"
"You think so, kid?"
"I know so, asshole. This is your fault, you selfish bastard."
"What?"
"You think I don't get it? I've been south of the border before, which you'd damn well know if you'd been any part of our lives. I know the mosquitoes that spread dengue feed during the day. Now, mostly we've all been covered up enough to keep from getting bitten. T The only time Mom wouldn't have been was when she was 'gathering firewood' with you, Dad."
Indy flushed. "That's none of your goddamn business, you insolent..."
"Oh isn't it?" sneered Mutt "Sorry, pops, you don't get a free pass on the 'human wreckage' thing from me. Haven't you done enough to her? What if she dies because you couldn't keep it in your…"
Crack! Indy's open hand delivered a solid slap to Mutt's face.
Mutt took a step forward with his fist raised. "So you wanna fight, old-timer?"
"Think you can take me, kid?"
"I sure as he-"
Mutt hit the floor with a resounding thump when Indy's foot shot out and swept his knees out from under him.
Undaunted, he bounced up to a modified en garde and the two men circled one another, breathing hard, each looking for an opening.
Just as Indiana's fist shot out, the door was flung open and an icy British voice cracked through the small room like a whip.
"Henry! What in God's name is the meaning of this?"
At the sound of their shared name, both Indy and Mutt turned to see a coldly furious Harold Oxley.
"Drop your hands this moment, both of you!" Oxley's voice rang with command. Despite his mild distracted manner, he'd been an officer, too. There were times when it showed.
Ox shut the door behind him, drew himself up to his full height, and faced down father and son. "Have you two taken leave of your senses? Marion should be your first concern, now. No sooner do I turn my back than I find you in a disgraceful brawl. What were you thinking? Have you no shame?"
Eyes blazing, Ox whirled on the elder Jones. "Henry–Indiana. Our friends at Akator did give you a great gift-one last chance to be a decent man. I suggest you cease making an ass of yourself, and take it. Go to Marion, who needs you."
Whatever answer Indy was on the brink of giving was never spoken as Marion stirred and mumbled. Three long strides took Indy back to her side, and he gathered her up again.
Meanwhile, Ox folded his arms and spoke sternly to a younger member of the family.
"And you, Henry Walton. How dare you behave this way in your mother's presence? To the man who saved all our lives, no less? How would Marion feel to see the two people she loves most in the world coming to fisticuffs? You were raised to know better than this!"
Mutt set his jaw and gave his surrogate father a furious stare. "Goddammit, Ox" he gritted "that's just it-the way I was raised."
He swallowed, hard, and continued. "Don't you see? When I was a kid and I got sick, measles, mumps, chicken pox, you know, Ox- Mom was there every minute. She'd give me Jell-O and ginger ale and read me stories. And even if I puked she'd wipe my face and kiss me and say I wasn't any trouble. And she told me she loved me even when I was probably a cranky little brat."
Mutt's face twisted and he fought to control his voice. "And now Mom's sick and she may die and she doesn't even know who the hell I am! He did this to her-but all she wants is him- the sonovabitch who got us into this mess!"
Ox touched Mutt's shoulder, and gently turned him to face his parents. "Mutt, laddie, I don't know if it's found in any medical books, but it's been my experience that dengue is more…disorienting than most of the other tropical fevers. When I had it I thought I was a boy back in Leeds. Perhaps your mother's mind has returned to the past, when she was a young girl in love with your father."
"You and that code breaker's brain- I think you've nailed it, Ox!" said a- now calmer- voice from the bed. "It makes sense, because she didn't recognize my face either, Mutt. She knew the field khakis, the way my soap smells, the sound of my voice. Those were pretty much the same when I was a young man."
"And perhaps" Ox added gently, "she knows your love. That's much the same, as well."
Indy kissed Marion's hair, and looked over her head at his old friend. "Oh no, it's not," he said softly. "It's much, much more."
"But this is still his fault!" Mutt burst out, pointing an accusing finger at his father.
"It's his fault because…" prompted Ox.
"Don't you dare give me the fucking Socratic Method! And don't you dare say 'Henry-language', either! You know as well as I do what they were getting up to when they'd go off alone. That's how Mom got bitten and that's why she's sick-because of him!"
"Perhaps," said Ox, considering. "But your theory fails to account for your father not falling ill along with your mother. If they were both at the same time under the same…circumstances… one would expect them to contract the same disease. Not the case thus far."
Ox sat on the other bed and steepled his fingers. "Now as best I recall, your mother and I were held at a campsite near a river. Plenty of mosquitoes there. She could have been bitten if she was allowed to go for water, or to wash, during the day."
"But you're not sick either, Ox."
"No- but I've had dengue before and may be somewhat resistant. And the incubation period varies, so I may yet fall ill. Of course this also applies to your father, so it really proves neither theory. Though I suspect that's your father's fear, boy, that he's somehow responsible."
Mutt shot is father a searching look. Indy bit his lip and looked down, but said nothing.
"Now," said Ox, "You two are men with the much the same temperament, and both of you are so afraid for his woman we all love that you don't know what to do with yourselves. One might suggest that focusing on helping her recover is a better course than blame and recriminations. And in the meantime, kindly endeavor to behavelike gentlemen."
Indy's mouth quirked. "Heard that one before."
"Yeah," said Mutt. "Me too."
"Well in that case," Ox prompted, "the gentlemanly thing is to cry 'Pax' and shake hands."
"All right," sighed Indy. "Pax."
Mutt crossed the room to grip his father's outstretched hand. "I'm sorry." he said quietly. "It's like you said that time, you just get one and sometimes not for very long. I guess I'm not ready to lose her."
Indy nodded. "I don't think I ever will be. But we won't lose her. Not this time."
"Is she really gonna be OK?"
"With care, her chances are good-better than good. I've seen people get dengue in the field and pull through just fine, plus we have help on the way. But she'll need that water, son, and sooner rather than later…"
"I'm on it, man."
"Then for God's sake, watch your back. She shouldn't be left, so try to avoid any trouble that would mean I have to."
"You don't have to worry about me"
"Who says I'm worried about you, Junior?" Indy managed a smile. "I'm just scared of what will happen to my sorry ass if your mother finds out you got hurt on my watch."