Morning Star
Chapter 13
The small cave was dark and very little light filtered in through the mouth of the cavern. Still, the space was reasonably warm and dry and the partners were relieved to find themselves relatively out of harm's way for the first time in almost twenty-four hours.
Ignoring the almost debilitating pain in his arm Gage set about looking after Syd. He first cut through the ties that bound her arms, and then those that held her legs. She moaned as he brought her limbs out of their restraints and back into a normal position. He set her in a sitting position, her back to the wall of the cave, and fumbled through the backpack trying to locate the medical supplies and water. Sitting back next to Syd he held her lolling head gently and brought a water bottle to her lips.
"Here Syd, drink." Opening her mouth slightly Sydney welcomed the water over her dry lips, into her parched mouth and down her sore throat.
"So thirsty Gage...no water...so long...thought I'd die..." she mumbled to him then suddenly she started coughing and choking on the water, her voice cracking. "I didn't want to die."
"I know, shhh, its okay Syd. I've got you now; you're not going to die. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Gage replied soothingly, stroking her damp, mangled hair from her face.
"You let them take me." her voice came to him as she slumped back against the wall, losing consciousness once again.
Gage was quiet for a moment, his shoulders sagging in defeat. 'I know Syd, I know.' he thought. 'I've been so stupid, I am so sorry."
Pushing his own guilt and grief aside he began to look after Syd's other needs. He bound her still bleeding leg with all the remaining bandages and gently wiped her bruised and dirty face with the damp sleeve of his shirt. He tenderly pulled his favourite sweatshirt over her limp and battered body. Then, satisfied with his ministrations, settled himself back against the wave of the cave, pulled her body into the warm space created between his legs and drew her back against his chest. His arms circled her, keeping her tightly in his grasp, his right hand gripping his gun as he stared out the cavern entrance into the driving rain.
As the storm raged on outside and Syd's shallow breathing returned to a normal rate, Gage's resolve to stay awake began to fade. Exhaustion and pain caught up with him, and kissing Syd lightly on the top of the head and ensuring she was well-sheltered in his arms, he passed out.
When Syd woke up her first thought was that she felt warm and protected. The only person who could make her feel that was Gage and so smiling she opened her eyes and tried to turn around to see him. As she did so the pain of the last day hit her and she cried out as her entire body revolted against her movements.
"Gage?" No response.
Even in the dim light she could see his strong arms wrapped around her, his right hand clutching his gun. She touched his arms and tried to shake him.
"Gage? Wake up. Gage." Still no response.
As she touched his skin Syd noticed that it felt dry and warm, too warm. Painfully turning around in his arms she reached up and touched his face, which was positively hot. She noticed the awkwardly tied bandage on his left arm and could see the stains from blood that had seeped through. Heat radiated from the injury as Syd moved her hand to touch.
Ignoring the pain in her ribs and legs, she tried to wiggle out of Gage's arms. His arms tightened around her and he looked up wildly, his eyes glassy.
"No, you can't take her." He practically shouted. "You can't have her, you can't take my Syd."
"Gage, it's me. It's me, its Syd. Its okay, I'm here – no one is trying to taking me."
"No." he replied, still panicked. "They took her; I let them take her. I need to find her; I need to tell her I love her."
Sydney Cooke's heart swelled at her partner's admission and she wished fleetingly that she could have enjoyed this moment. But Gage was burning up with fever still gripping her and his gun madly; she needed to get through to him.
Reaching around and taking both his cheeks in her hands, she forced him to make eye contact.
"Gage. It's me. Sydney. I'm safe, you found me."
"Syd?" his voice was weak as recognition flickered across his features. "Really? You 'kay?"
"Mmmm, hmmm." She nodded, spellbound by the look of wonder in his eyes.
"Oh Syd, I love you." he declared, openly and without fear.
Choking back a sob, Syd continued to hold his face and stare into his eyes.
"I love you too Gage." The words rushed out of her mouth in one breathe. And then she leaned in, placing her lips to his in a brief kiss that was both possessive and protective.
"Syd?" Gage asked his voice hoarse and sounding like it came from a million miles away, "I don't feel very well."
His arms relaxed and she reached up to brush soft, damp hair from his forehead.
"You're burning up Gage. When did you start feeling this way?"
"I don't know. I was looking for you...I don't remember anything else."
"What happened to your arm?"
"Oh!" Gage looked down at his arm, almost as if in surprise. "I got shot."
"Who shot you? When?" Syd could see she was starting to lose Gage again, his movements were sluggish and his speech was slurred.
"Don't remember...had to find you...ran out of gas...walking in desert...black car...Walker...no more guns...couldn't find you...so scared..." Gage's head rolled onto his chest and his gun clattered to the floor as he finally released his grip on it.
Feeling around the cave she found the backpack and recovered a bottle of water and an energy bar. Drinking a sip of water and eating the energy bar slowly, so as not to make herself ill, Syd removed one of the bandages that Gage had tied around her leg. She moved to the entrance of the cave and holding the cloth in one hand and Gage's gun in the other she drenched it with rain water.
Returning to Gage's side Syd gently laid the blood-stained bandage across her partner's forehead, and settling her weary and battered body against the rocky wall, nudged Gage's body down so that his head was resting in her lap. Stroking his hair with her free hand Syd kept trickling water onto the bandage as the heat from Gage's fever dried the cloth.
On the run from her attackers and intensely worried about Gage, Syd spent the night sitting in that position, holding the gun close and her partner even closer.
Chapter 13
The small cave was dark and very little light filtered in through the mouth of the cavern. Still, the space was reasonably warm and dry and the partners were relieved to find themselves relatively out of harm's way for the first time in almost twenty-four hours.
Ignoring the almost debilitating pain in his arm Gage set about looking after Syd. He first cut through the ties that bound her arms, and then those that held her legs. She moaned as he brought her limbs out of their restraints and back into a normal position. He set her in a sitting position, her back to the wall of the cave, and fumbled through the backpack trying to locate the medical supplies and water. Sitting back next to Syd he held her lolling head gently and brought a water bottle to her lips.
"Here Syd, drink." Opening her mouth slightly Sydney welcomed the water over her dry lips, into her parched mouth and down her sore throat.
"So thirsty Gage...no water...so long...thought I'd die..." she mumbled to him then suddenly she started coughing and choking on the water, her voice cracking. "I didn't want to die."
"I know, shhh, its okay Syd. I've got you now; you're not going to die. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Gage replied soothingly, stroking her damp, mangled hair from her face.
"You let them take me." her voice came to him as she slumped back against the wall, losing consciousness once again.
Gage was quiet for a moment, his shoulders sagging in defeat. 'I know Syd, I know.' he thought. 'I've been so stupid, I am so sorry."
Pushing his own guilt and grief aside he began to look after Syd's other needs. He bound her still bleeding leg with all the remaining bandages and gently wiped her bruised and dirty face with the damp sleeve of his shirt. He tenderly pulled his favourite sweatshirt over her limp and battered body. Then, satisfied with his ministrations, settled himself back against the wave of the cave, pulled her body into the warm space created between his legs and drew her back against his chest. His arms circled her, keeping her tightly in his grasp, his right hand gripping his gun as he stared out the cavern entrance into the driving rain.
As the storm raged on outside and Syd's shallow breathing returned to a normal rate, Gage's resolve to stay awake began to fade. Exhaustion and pain caught up with him, and kissing Syd lightly on the top of the head and ensuring she was well-sheltered in his arms, he passed out.
When Syd woke up her first thought was that she felt warm and protected. The only person who could make her feel that was Gage and so smiling she opened her eyes and tried to turn around to see him. As she did so the pain of the last day hit her and she cried out as her entire body revolted against her movements.
"Gage?" No response.
Even in the dim light she could see his strong arms wrapped around her, his right hand clutching his gun. She touched his arms and tried to shake him.
"Gage? Wake up. Gage." Still no response.
As she touched his skin Syd noticed that it felt dry and warm, too warm. Painfully turning around in his arms she reached up and touched his face, which was positively hot. She noticed the awkwardly tied bandage on his left arm and could see the stains from blood that had seeped through. Heat radiated from the injury as Syd moved her hand to touch.
Ignoring the pain in her ribs and legs, she tried to wiggle out of Gage's arms. His arms tightened around her and he looked up wildly, his eyes glassy.
"No, you can't take her." He practically shouted. "You can't have her, you can't take my Syd."
"Gage, it's me. It's me, its Syd. Its okay, I'm here – no one is trying to taking me."
"No." he replied, still panicked. "They took her; I let them take her. I need to find her; I need to tell her I love her."
Sydney Cooke's heart swelled at her partner's admission and she wished fleetingly that she could have enjoyed this moment. But Gage was burning up with fever still gripping her and his gun madly; she needed to get through to him.
Reaching around and taking both his cheeks in her hands, she forced him to make eye contact.
"Gage. It's me. Sydney. I'm safe, you found me."
"Syd?" his voice was weak as recognition flickered across his features. "Really? You 'kay?"
"Mmmm, hmmm." She nodded, spellbound by the look of wonder in his eyes.
"Oh Syd, I love you." he declared, openly and without fear.
Choking back a sob, Syd continued to hold his face and stare into his eyes.
"I love you too Gage." The words rushed out of her mouth in one breathe. And then she leaned in, placing her lips to his in a brief kiss that was both possessive and protective.
"Syd?" Gage asked his voice hoarse and sounding like it came from a million miles away, "I don't feel very well."
His arms relaxed and she reached up to brush soft, damp hair from his forehead.
"You're burning up Gage. When did you start feeling this way?"
"I don't know. I was looking for you...I don't remember anything else."
"What happened to your arm?"
"Oh!" Gage looked down at his arm, almost as if in surprise. "I got shot."
"Who shot you? When?" Syd could see she was starting to lose Gage again, his movements were sluggish and his speech was slurred.
"Don't remember...had to find you...ran out of gas...walking in desert...black car...Walker...no more guns...couldn't find you...so scared..." Gage's head rolled onto his chest and his gun clattered to the floor as he finally released his grip on it.
Feeling around the cave she found the backpack and recovered a bottle of water and an energy bar. Drinking a sip of water and eating the energy bar slowly, so as not to make herself ill, Syd removed one of the bandages that Gage had tied around her leg. She moved to the entrance of the cave and holding the cloth in one hand and Gage's gun in the other she drenched it with rain water.
Returning to Gage's side Syd gently laid the blood-stained bandage across her partner's forehead, and settling her weary and battered body against the rocky wall, nudged Gage's body down so that his head was resting in her lap. Stroking his hair with her free hand Syd kept trickling water onto the bandage as the heat from Gage's fever dried the cloth.
On the run from her attackers and intensely worried about Gage, Syd spent the night sitting in that position, holding the gun close and her partner even closer.