An hour outside of Tondisi, the rain finally lifted and the sun came out, beating down on their backs. The Commander halted her procession of warriors. Lincoln and Indra weren't the only ones injured so their Heda decided to split them up into two convoys to get the able-bodied into position faster. As Lincoln and Indra were regrouped into the slower cavalcade, it gave them a bit of time to recuperate before they started moving again.
Octavia assisted Indra first, helping her remove her armor and checking her wounds and bandages. Lincoln held back, his stomach was cramping with emptiness, the acidity swirling around and making his vision blur. As he waited for it to settle, Octavia came over to his side with a water container.
"How are you feeling?" she asked him as he gulped thirstily, trying to wash away the bitter burn.
"Awful." He wasn't going to lie to her again. "What did Jackson give you?"
"Pre-filled syringes in case you have a seizure."
But nothing for the other symptoms. He wasn't going to make it much longer without everyone noticing he was going through withdrawal again. He concentrated on the tip of Octavia's nose, breathing through the vertigo and trembling, willing it to pass without him losing consciousness or vomiting up the water he just foolishly drank. She took his hand in hers, grounding him and pulling him back from the brink. He let out a shuddery exhale.
"I need to get out of here," he whispered to her. He took another breath along with a tentative step forward. He was still shaky and feeling weak but it was over for now. He walked over to Indra's side.
"You look terrible," Indra said by way of greeting.
"So do you," he replied.
Indra graced him with one of her beautiful, rare smiles.
"I need to go back to my cave to grab my battle gear," he said. It was the best excuse he was able to come up with. "It's on the way and I'll meet back up by the time everyone gathers at the base of Mountain."
"We'll be there by sundown tomorrow," she replied.
Lincoln nodded.
"I expect you want Octavia to go with you."
He did but he wasn't about to ask.
"Octavia," Indra called out. Octavia rushed to her side. "I'm sending you with Lincoln to get his gear."
Octavia nodded a little overeagerly.
"Caris can take over until then," Indra said, nodding to the Sankru Second.
Caris looked up from inspecting her torn knuckles and blistered palms. She grimaced her agreement as she adjusted the sling for her shoulder, having dislocated it in the digging out of survivors.
After saying their farewells to Indra, Lincoln didn't waste time getting them away, the fever and chills already coming back. Once they were far enough from the group, he collapsed against a tree, breathing heavily, red sweating profusely, and feeling as if his red heart were about to explode out of his chest. He bent over at the waist, his vision going red.
Octavia rubbed his back, not saying anything, waiting until his body was under control again.
"Thanks," he whispered as he straightened back up, still leaning against the tree trunk because his legs weren't ready to fully support him yet.
"How come Indra let me go with you?"
He looked away in embarrassment. "Spouses are often given special privileges. It's how we have so many children."
"She considers you my spouse?"
He peeked a glance at her and saw her grinning.
"Well, let's get going then, Husband." She laughed as she took his hand in hers, gently tugging him away from the tree.
"Houmon," he said as they started walking in the direction of his cave. "It means 'spouse.'"
"Houmon," she repeated, testing it out on her tongue. "I like that." She smiled.
They walked for a while in silence, his palm overly warm and moist in her hand but he wasn't letting it go. They reached the top of a hill, the smoggy cloud hovering over Tondisi visible on the horizon.
"I saw more of your village than I ever saw of the Ark and now it's gone," she said mournfully.
"We will rebuild." He brought her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it. "We always do."
"I want to be a part of that."
Lincoln squeezed her hand, unable to speak. He hoped to be a part of it, too.
As they drew nearer to his cave, the more often they had to stop. She had taken to bathing his face with a cool rag while he hunched over, breathing through the riotous departure of the Red from his system. By early afternoon, his muscles were jelly and his temperature was high enough he was slightly delusional. His last proper shower had been back at Camp Jaha and now all he was able to imagine was the cool water of his pond sluicing over his fevered skin. He kept stumbling on, the thought of finally being able to wash the red stink off moving him forward.
He detoured them toward the pond, pausing only long enough to remove his shoes and weapons before wading in, still wearing his shirt and pants. "Ahh!" He sank in up to his neck, his eyes falling closed in relief as his heated skin immediately cooled. He ducked his head under, holding his breath as long as possible, the water caressing his burning cheeks and fiery scalp.
He came back up to find Octavia had joined him, also still dressed in her tank top and pants, a worried look on her face. "You were under for a long time and I was debating whether or not to save you."
He gave a short laugh. "I figured our clothes could use a wash," he said jokingly. His teeth started chattering.
She led him to the shallows and helped him strip off his clothes leaving him in only his undershorts. She set their clothing out to dry just as the fever started back up. He slid down, lying flat as he submerged his body in the shallows, closing his eyes and hating the seesaw he was on, no one to red blame but himself. His eyes opened when she took him into her arms, cradling his head in her lap and pouring water over his flushed cheeks.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, ashamed for making her go through this a second time with him.
She dismissed his apology. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
"Thank you." For not condemning him for his failure, for being there for him, for loving him.
She gently stroked the top of his head, gazing down at him wistfully. "My mom used to tell us that we could survive anything as long as we were together," she said before glancing away and toward the center of the pond where the wind rippled the waters into minuscule waves. "I know what it's like to be all alone during the worst moment of your life." She looked back down at him again, tears in her eyes. "I'm not going to let you feel that way."
She kissed him tenderly and he closed his eyes again, peace settling into his soul as the last of the Red slowly drained away.
