A.N: I wanna say a quick thanks to everybody who reviewed! It's been so
great getting everybody's reviews and hearing what you think about this!
Thanks again so much! I would have never gotten up to Chapter Four if it
wasn't for ya'll!
Unfortunately, I'm not too happy with the layout of this story - I mean, I don't like how it appears on the site. In my writing, I have bigger spaces between paragraphs and bold and italicized words, but I can't manage to get that into the site! PLEASE HELP! I really want this story to look its best as well as be written the best - which means I'll be going back and adding to and changing a lot of things so that you guys can enjoy this as much as possible! Thanks so much!
-Cramp-
Chapter Four: Rodney and the Aftermath
Somewhere in between the waiting, more waiting, and the inevitable waiting that was sure to follow that, Rowe had gotten the ingenious idea to make a homemade I.V. - a plastic I.V. bag left over from who-knows-what, some tape, straws, and a needle. This would be (hopefully) sufficient proof to the Warden that she needed better medical supplies. There wasn't a hospital around for miles.thousands and thousands of dry, dusty land that held no hope of ever becoming a building site for a good hospital.
Squid was stable, but still unconscious with a light fever, but the fear had passed and it was safe to assume that, besides being left very weak and unable to dig holes for a while, he would be perfectly fine.
Caveman had left hours ago, after the rest of D-Tent and some other boys from camp looked in to see how Squid was doing, but Zigzag had remained by her side, sitting in a chair, napping on her cot, and now laying on the floor next to where Rowe sat slumped in her chair. She had long since rolled up the legs of her jeans, and was now savoring the cool breeze that was wafting through the tent flap.
"Why did you come here?" Zigzag said lazily. His eyes were closed, his head propped up on his arms, laying comfortably with his back on the wooden floor and his legs crossed in front of him.
"Hmm?" Rowe tilted her head slightly, still wanting to enjoy the breeze as much as she could - she didn't know when it would come again, if it EVER came again, anyway.
"Why did you come here, to Green Lake?" he asked again, tapping his foot idly. "I'm sure there are better places for you to go."
"Not really," Rowe said, chuckling. "This was the only job I could get."
"Really?" Zigzag said, laughing languidly.
"No, of course not!" Rowe said with a smile. "It was just a chance to get away from my family." She sighed, then said with a grin, "Besides, not many people would hire a seventeen-year-old girl. They didn't think I had enough training. Hell, I even had to convince the Warden to let me come here. Promised her I'd stay out of her way, you know.things like that."
Zigzag opened his eyes widely and looked up and Rowe from his spot on the ground. "Really?"
"No, I just dropped in yesterday and said, 'oh by the way, I'll be your nurse for the next few years. I expect full pay, shelter, and food.hope that isn't a problem!'" She laughed. "Of course I did. People think I'm too young to do anything."
"People suck," Zigzag said, settling his head back into his arms and closing his eyes again.
"Yup," Rowe agreed, and they settled back into a comfortable silence.
The night grew dark around them, and it wasn't long before the cool breeze and dark evening lulled the two teens to sleep. Around them, campers went to dinner, then headed off to shower, or to the wreck room, and a few even turned in early to get ready for the next day's long work.
Rowe was having a particularly good dream, in which she was on a cruise ship surrounded by muscled men in tiny blue skivvies handing her cocktails, when she was shaken awake by a tall man with dark, dark hair and blue, blue eyes. When her eyes had adjusted, saw that he was carrying two trays of some lumpy substance and a slice of bread on each plate.
"Rod?"
Rod, the last-nameless counselor of A-Tent (sneaky little buggers, A-Tent), stood tall at over six and a half feet, rarely spoke, and on that rare occasion that he did, it was never more than a few words said in a deep, husky voice.
"Brought you dinner," he said slowly. Rowe sat up in her chair, blinking.
"What time is it?" She asked, yawning widely.
"Nearly eight," Rod replied. "Slept for a while. Gets dark quick out here, dun'nit."
"Sure does. Who's the other tray for?"
"Zigzag."
"He's still here?"
"Looks that way." Rowe looked down and saw Zigzag asleep on the floor, rolled over on one side so that his right arm flopped down over his face.
"Zig," she called, "Zig, wake up. Come on now, Rod brought us lunch." When he didn't move, Rowe tapped him with the edge of her boot. "Zig! Ricky! Wake up!" She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, and kicked him hard in the stomach.
"OW! Holy mother of god! What the-" Zigzag rubbed his stomach and looked up at Rowe indignantly. "What was that for?!"
"Dinner," Rod said. Zigzag jumped up in surprise, and took the tray gingerly from Rod's outstretched hands.
"Nice work," Rod said, looking at Rowe's homemade I.V.
"Thanks. Think the Warden will spring for some real equipment?"
"Nope."
"That's what I thought. Oh well, it's worth a try, isn't it?"
"Couldn't hurt."
"Unless she puts on that nail polish," Zigzag said, shivering. "She hit Mr. Sir one time.man.Caveman has wicked good luck, I'm tellin' ya." He mopped his bread in the sloppy excuse for food that was his dinner and took a seat on the floor. Rowe pushed aside her plate. "Not hungry," she said, seeing Rod's look.
In the cot, Squid started to stir. Rowe pushed herself out of her seat, cracking her back from being in such an odd position for such a long time, and headed over to her patient's side.
"Squid?" She said, "Squid, can you hear me?" Zigzag put down his plate and pushed himself off the wall to join Rowe by his friend's side.
"Ughn.." Squid groaned and rolled over on the cot, facing the wall.
"What's wrong with him now?" Zigzag asked worriedly.
"Nothing," Rowe whispered. "He's sleeping. We should go - I don't want him to wake up." She turned around to say thank you to Rod, but he had already slipped out of the tent, and was gone.
Rowe let the cold water fall on her head and travel down her body. She was freezing. Not only was the water's temperature below that of icicles, but she had to shower at night so that the boys wouldn't see. Although the Warden had allowed her to use a screen she could prop up to hide from prying eyes, Rowe didn't want wandering boys to see silhouette through the screen, so she was forced to shower before she headed off to bed - when most of the boys were asleep, or in their tents.
She had to wonder if this was some kind of test. Rowe had never seen another counselor shower outside, and she was positive that there was some kind of private shower - maybe, she thought, behind Mr. Sir's office, or perhaps, stationed somewhere else that no one knew about except the counselors. Maybe this was the Warden's idea of a test, an endurance trial of sorts, so she if she would be accepted among the rest of the grown-ups in Green Lake.
The automatic timer shut the water off - and Rowe didn't know whether to be mad or happy about it. She wrapped her fluffy while towel (thank God she had brought it with her!) around her self and dried off quickly, wanting to escape the cool night air hitting her already freezing skin.
Rowe sprinted to her tent and welcomed the warmth it brought. Squid was still sleeping restlessly on the cot, and Rowe tiptoed around and closed the curtain to change. She slipped on a pair of black boxers and a white tank top, and opened the curtain to brush her teeth and hair at the sink.
As she brushed her hair, she thought about the day's events. She could hardly believe it had been just a day - it felt more like two or three days since Squid had been heaved into the back of Mr. Sir's truck and brought to the tent. It was a shame she hadn't seen the Warden.Rowe really needed to talk to her about getting more supplies. If anything happened like today, she knew she wouldn't be able to -
Rowe put down her brush. It was time to sleep, and to stop thinking. Thinking was never good. Thinking brought back memories, and right now she was in a good place with her life.she couldn't afford to think anymore. She didn't want to remember anymore.
Unfortunately, I'm not too happy with the layout of this story - I mean, I don't like how it appears on the site. In my writing, I have bigger spaces between paragraphs and bold and italicized words, but I can't manage to get that into the site! PLEASE HELP! I really want this story to look its best as well as be written the best - which means I'll be going back and adding to and changing a lot of things so that you guys can enjoy this as much as possible! Thanks so much!
-Cramp-
Chapter Four: Rodney and the Aftermath
Somewhere in between the waiting, more waiting, and the inevitable waiting that was sure to follow that, Rowe had gotten the ingenious idea to make a homemade I.V. - a plastic I.V. bag left over from who-knows-what, some tape, straws, and a needle. This would be (hopefully) sufficient proof to the Warden that she needed better medical supplies. There wasn't a hospital around for miles.thousands and thousands of dry, dusty land that held no hope of ever becoming a building site for a good hospital.
Squid was stable, but still unconscious with a light fever, but the fear had passed and it was safe to assume that, besides being left very weak and unable to dig holes for a while, he would be perfectly fine.
Caveman had left hours ago, after the rest of D-Tent and some other boys from camp looked in to see how Squid was doing, but Zigzag had remained by her side, sitting in a chair, napping on her cot, and now laying on the floor next to where Rowe sat slumped in her chair. She had long since rolled up the legs of her jeans, and was now savoring the cool breeze that was wafting through the tent flap.
"Why did you come here?" Zigzag said lazily. His eyes were closed, his head propped up on his arms, laying comfortably with his back on the wooden floor and his legs crossed in front of him.
"Hmm?" Rowe tilted her head slightly, still wanting to enjoy the breeze as much as she could - she didn't know when it would come again, if it EVER came again, anyway.
"Why did you come here, to Green Lake?" he asked again, tapping his foot idly. "I'm sure there are better places for you to go."
"Not really," Rowe said, chuckling. "This was the only job I could get."
"Really?" Zigzag said, laughing languidly.
"No, of course not!" Rowe said with a smile. "It was just a chance to get away from my family." She sighed, then said with a grin, "Besides, not many people would hire a seventeen-year-old girl. They didn't think I had enough training. Hell, I even had to convince the Warden to let me come here. Promised her I'd stay out of her way, you know.things like that."
Zigzag opened his eyes widely and looked up and Rowe from his spot on the ground. "Really?"
"No, I just dropped in yesterday and said, 'oh by the way, I'll be your nurse for the next few years. I expect full pay, shelter, and food.hope that isn't a problem!'" She laughed. "Of course I did. People think I'm too young to do anything."
"People suck," Zigzag said, settling his head back into his arms and closing his eyes again.
"Yup," Rowe agreed, and they settled back into a comfortable silence.
The night grew dark around them, and it wasn't long before the cool breeze and dark evening lulled the two teens to sleep. Around them, campers went to dinner, then headed off to shower, or to the wreck room, and a few even turned in early to get ready for the next day's long work.
Rowe was having a particularly good dream, in which she was on a cruise ship surrounded by muscled men in tiny blue skivvies handing her cocktails, when she was shaken awake by a tall man with dark, dark hair and blue, blue eyes. When her eyes had adjusted, saw that he was carrying two trays of some lumpy substance and a slice of bread on each plate.
"Rod?"
Rod, the last-nameless counselor of A-Tent (sneaky little buggers, A-Tent), stood tall at over six and a half feet, rarely spoke, and on that rare occasion that he did, it was never more than a few words said in a deep, husky voice.
"Brought you dinner," he said slowly. Rowe sat up in her chair, blinking.
"What time is it?" She asked, yawning widely.
"Nearly eight," Rod replied. "Slept for a while. Gets dark quick out here, dun'nit."
"Sure does. Who's the other tray for?"
"Zigzag."
"He's still here?"
"Looks that way." Rowe looked down and saw Zigzag asleep on the floor, rolled over on one side so that his right arm flopped down over his face.
"Zig," she called, "Zig, wake up. Come on now, Rod brought us lunch." When he didn't move, Rowe tapped him with the edge of her boot. "Zig! Ricky! Wake up!" She rolled her eyes exasperatedly, and kicked him hard in the stomach.
"OW! Holy mother of god! What the-" Zigzag rubbed his stomach and looked up at Rowe indignantly. "What was that for?!"
"Dinner," Rod said. Zigzag jumped up in surprise, and took the tray gingerly from Rod's outstretched hands.
"Nice work," Rod said, looking at Rowe's homemade I.V.
"Thanks. Think the Warden will spring for some real equipment?"
"Nope."
"That's what I thought. Oh well, it's worth a try, isn't it?"
"Couldn't hurt."
"Unless she puts on that nail polish," Zigzag said, shivering. "She hit Mr. Sir one time.man.Caveman has wicked good luck, I'm tellin' ya." He mopped his bread in the sloppy excuse for food that was his dinner and took a seat on the floor. Rowe pushed aside her plate. "Not hungry," she said, seeing Rod's look.
In the cot, Squid started to stir. Rowe pushed herself out of her seat, cracking her back from being in such an odd position for such a long time, and headed over to her patient's side.
"Squid?" She said, "Squid, can you hear me?" Zigzag put down his plate and pushed himself off the wall to join Rowe by his friend's side.
"Ughn.." Squid groaned and rolled over on the cot, facing the wall.
"What's wrong with him now?" Zigzag asked worriedly.
"Nothing," Rowe whispered. "He's sleeping. We should go - I don't want him to wake up." She turned around to say thank you to Rod, but he had already slipped out of the tent, and was gone.
Rowe let the cold water fall on her head and travel down her body. She was freezing. Not only was the water's temperature below that of icicles, but she had to shower at night so that the boys wouldn't see. Although the Warden had allowed her to use a screen she could prop up to hide from prying eyes, Rowe didn't want wandering boys to see silhouette through the screen, so she was forced to shower before she headed off to bed - when most of the boys were asleep, or in their tents.
She had to wonder if this was some kind of test. Rowe had never seen another counselor shower outside, and she was positive that there was some kind of private shower - maybe, she thought, behind Mr. Sir's office, or perhaps, stationed somewhere else that no one knew about except the counselors. Maybe this was the Warden's idea of a test, an endurance trial of sorts, so she if she would be accepted among the rest of the grown-ups in Green Lake.
The automatic timer shut the water off - and Rowe didn't know whether to be mad or happy about it. She wrapped her fluffy while towel (thank God she had brought it with her!) around her self and dried off quickly, wanting to escape the cool night air hitting her already freezing skin.
Rowe sprinted to her tent and welcomed the warmth it brought. Squid was still sleeping restlessly on the cot, and Rowe tiptoed around and closed the curtain to change. She slipped on a pair of black boxers and a white tank top, and opened the curtain to brush her teeth and hair at the sink.
As she brushed her hair, she thought about the day's events. She could hardly believe it had been just a day - it felt more like two or three days since Squid had been heaved into the back of Mr. Sir's truck and brought to the tent. It was a shame she hadn't seen the Warden.Rowe really needed to talk to her about getting more supplies. If anything happened like today, she knew she wouldn't be able to -
Rowe put down her brush. It was time to sleep, and to stop thinking. Thinking was never good. Thinking brought back memories, and right now she was in a good place with her life.she couldn't afford to think anymore. She didn't want to remember anymore.