Archer doesn't sleep a wink during the night. After the doctor wraps his hand in a fresh gauze and fits him with a hard cast, Archer remains wide awake inside the tent. Pacing around. Sitting near Maddy. Pacing around. Looking over Maddy. Pacing around. Smoking outside the tent. Pacing around. Pacing around. Pacing around.

Easily, he smokes his way through his entire pack of cigarettes in the first few hours of his restless evening. He smokes his last one slowly and cherishes each puff before flicking the butt outside the tent. He has no idea what time it is, but looking outside into the darkness, he figures it's the dead middle of the night. He taps the face of his watch — which stopped ticking at 3:53 — and sighs inaudibly.

He leaves the tent to sit outside the entrance. He pulls his boots off to let his feet breathe. His socks are damp and their bottoms are dirty and stained dark brown from the sole inside his boots. His upper lip curls with disgust when he gets a draft of the odor inside his boots and he pushes them to the side before pressing the knuckles of his uninjured hand into the arches of his feet.

One knead at a time, he loosens the tendons and muscles of his feet. He peels his socks off and hangs them off his boots before crossing his ankles and leaning back on the heel of his hand. He puts his casted hand in his lap as he drops his head back and closes his eyes. His shoulders lower themselves with calmness and he lets out a slow exhale.

The hot African air has cooled to a comfortable temperature in the relief of the moonlight and Archer relishes in the twilight. He breathes evenly through his nose and listens to the sounds of quiet conversations and footsteps around the camp. A part of him feels at ease knowing he's not the only person still awake. The burden of responsibility isn't weighing down so heavily on his shoulders anymore.

Just as he feels the heaviness of sleep settling behind his eyes, he hears a rustling behind him. He snaps to an upright position before jumping to his feet. He's surprised and worried to see Maddy standing there leaning on a crutch.

"Barefoot?" she flashes a tired smile.

Archer's spine trembles. "You should be asleep, huh," he says, approaching her to put his fingers around the bend in her arm. "Get back inside."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I was just sitting."

Maddy's face breaks into a broad smile. "Just sitting to sit?"

Archer laughs quietly. Maddy sees the corners of his eyes wrinkle and her head swims. Archer moves his hand from her elbow to the side of her shoulder before speaking.

"You should lie back down, Maddy."

"I'm not going back into the tent unless you come too."

Archer nods. He replaces Maddy's crutch with his own body. Maddy curls her arm around his neck as Archer wraps his around her thin mid.

"One step at a time, huh."

She nods.

"I don't want you popping a stitch," Archer says as they enter the tent, step by step.

"I won't."

"If you do, I'll have to hear it from the doctor."

Maddy smirks. "I won't pop a stitch."

Archer nods this time.

"I see your hand is nice and fresh."

Archer looks down at his cast hand. "Ja, the doctor cleaned me up… gave me new stitches and everything."

Maddy winces. "You tore the others?"

Another nod. They approach the bed and Archer lowers Maddy carefully into her cot. He helps her put her leg back up and he adjusts the pillows underneath her calf. He pulls a thin blanket to her waist and then looks at Maddy's face. He can tell she's fighting to keep her eyes open.

"Go to sleep, huh Miss Bowen."

"You too," she says, closing her eyes. "Stay close."

He takes her hand and gives it an assuring squeeze. Maddy reciprocates weakly before falling back to sleep. Archer thinks about his boots outside the tent and considers going to get them before a spider or a scorpion makes them their home, but he decides against it. He pulls a stool over with his foot and sits down beside the cot, all without breaking his contact with Maddy's hand.

Archer sleeps sitting up and rouses the next day when he feels a hand on the back of his shoulder. He snaps awake and turns around. A nurse is smiling down at him with her kind, old face and milky eyes.

"Meesta Achah," she says in her thick accent. "Food."

"Ja, ja," his voice rumbles deeply with sleep. He licks his lips. "I'll get it on my own, huh."

The nurse motioned to Maddy, who was still fast asleep.

"I'm here with her, she's fine."

The nurse nods and shuffles out of the tent just as quietly as she entered. Archer yawns behind his cast and looks down at Maddy. He's surprised to see her big green eyes open and staring up at him. She gives his fingers a squeeze just enough to make Archer smirk.

"When did you wake up?"

"When the doctor came in to check on me earlier," she answers.

She adjusts her head on her pillow. Her beautiful brown hair is scattered behind her head like a dark halo and Archer feels his pulse quicken.

"When was that?"

"About an hour ago."

"You've been awake for an hour?"

She nods. "Why is that so hard for you to believe?"

He raises his shoulders.

"Now that you're awake, though, you can go get something to eat and something to drink."

"The hero can't fend for herself now, huh," Archer grins. He releases her hand slowly to stand up and stretch his shoulders back.

Maddy nods. "Every hero needs a sidekick."

Archer kisses the back of his teeth and shakes his head. "I'm not your sidekick, Miss Bowen."

"What shall I call you then, Archer? The soldier of fortune with a heart of gold?"

Archers turns to head out of the tent. "Ja, ja," he almost laughs. "Leaves a nice taste in your mouth, huh?"