Chapter 7

Ana inspected the wounds in her hand. She'd been conscious that it hurt, but it had been just another voice in the chorus of pain that throbbed through her body. Bruises were darkening on her arms and shoulders, and from the feel of it on every other part of her body too. Bloody scrapes ran the length of her forearms, and her head throbbed from a knot on her forehead. With everything that had happened she hadn't realized how deep the punctures in her hand were and how much it was bleeding. Now that she was paying attention, though, it hurt like hell. She wondered briefly how she was going to get back down the cliff in this state. Surprisingly she felt no wave of panic at the thought, just a weary resignation. Maybe her fear had finally been purged after all.

"Are you okay?" said Charlie, looking her over as he seemed to notice her injuries for the first time.

"Never been better," said Ana. "Got anything in that bag I could use for a bandage?"

"Oh, uh, let me see," said Charlie, lifting the shoulder strap over his head and setting the bag on the ground. He knelt down and rummaged through it. After a moment he pulled out a rust-colored t-shirt. "How about this? It's...it's clean. I forgot I stuffed it in there last time I did laundry in the--"

"Great," Ana interrupted.

Charlie stood up and handed the shirt to her. She held it awkwardly for a second before saying, "Uh, would you mind..."

"Oh, right!" said Charlie. He snatched it back and, with some difficulty, tore it into strips. He offered her one, but let go before she could grasp it. It dropped to the ground. Ana picked it up and wrapped it several times around her hand.

The guy was losing it. He had been even more freaked out by Ana's close call than she had, if that were possible. She guessed that was it, anyway, since his bizarre behavior had started even before she had kissed him. The kiss made matters worse though. It'd been a mistake. And now he was acting like he was afraid to get too close to her, like she was poisonous.

Ana took a second strip of cloth and finished bandaging her hand, tucking the end in as securely as she could. She could feel Charlie watching her, but when she looked up he was staring into the distance, in the direction of the cliff. "So," she said with a sigh, "time for the climb down, huh?"

Charlie blanched. "No!" he said. "I can't..." His voice cut off and he rubbed his forehead. Ana thought he was sweating far more than was called for in this cool, shady spot. Definitely losing it. "There's another way down," he said.

"Another way?"

"Down the north side of the mountain," said Charlie. "It's a lot longer, but... it's safer."

Ana supressed a sudden urge to pick up a rock and knock Charlie unconscious. "You're telling me this now? I nearly got killed, and all the time you knew there was a safer route?"

"I've made that climb a dozen times, I didn't think..." Charlie stopped. The same pain Ana had seen in his eyes at the top of the cliff reappeared, and now she recognized it for what it was -- guilt. He shook his head and his voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm sorry," he said.

Ana looked away. "Okay, well..." She didn't know what else to say. "Let's go."

Charlie was right, the way was much longer; they walked and climbed in silence for more than an hour. The trail was steep in places, but nothing like the cliffside. Charlie stayed ahead of Ana as if he were trying to assuage his conscience by being ready to catch her if she fell. And sure enough, when she skidded on some gravel he immediately steadied her with an arm around her waist. She couldn't help but notice how quickly he let go once she found her footing again-- he practically pushed her away -- but at least now she understood it was because he felt responsible for what had happened to her on the cliff.

Yes, the timing of the kiss had been a mistake. He wasn't prepared for it because he blamed himself for her fall. But he wanted her, that much she knew. The memory of his passion and his gentle touch made her breath come a little faster. She wasn't going to give up so easily; she'd start again, only this time she'd take it more slowly.

And there was another thing she knew. She had seen the desperate need in his eyes as he held the Virgin Mary statue. She'd had plenty of experience with junkies in her days as a cop, she knew how they operated, and she believed Charlie when he said he wasn't using. But she also knew from the way he looked at that statue that he was in danger of relapsing. He was right on the edge, and Ana made up her mind to do everything in her power to keep him from going over. More than anything now he needed a friend, and it was going to be Ana, whether Charlie liked it or not.