Chapter 12
Rainier hadn't realized it, but he had fallen asleep under the dark shroud of the neck-tie and the sweet smell of it's cologne.
His dreams were empty, something that had begun after that night so long ago in a faraway country.
What woke him was the shivering of his own body. What he thought was an awful fire burning his body inside-out, was really the false impression hypothermia left on it's victims. He was really freezing to death. Not much better than being burned at the steak.
The thick blanket was still covering his trembling body but he knew this was not enough to settle his rattling bones. As if on cue, he felt another blanket engulf him.
"You dumb knuckle-head."
He didn't want to, but he knew he had to open his eyes. In this foreign place, his vision was a valuable asset. When he did, he saw a familiar face staring down at him.
It was that RED scout from earlier...
"You're up!" the scout's face lit up with excitement, "You're gonna be okay as long as ya stick by me, ya got it?"
The scout got a blank stare in return.
"Oh... I guess Beau was right. Ya only know French then, huh?"
What the hell was he talking about?
"I guess... I still can't believe ya saved me."
Oh yes, he almost forgot.
Almost.
He was on a field mission to gather the intelligence that his team knew was going to be shipped to the UK within the month. On this particular attempt of finally infiltrating the RED base, he had crossed paths with this hot-headed rookie; this scout. The other younger man had run blindly at him, his bat swinging wildly. What the rookie did not see, was that his team mate had his sniper set. If Rainier fought to stand his ground, the kid would have been shot. If he allowed himself to take the blow, he would be injured and have fallen into the icy waters that were notorious here at Well... but the kid would dodge the bullet.
He had chosen the icy waters.
He was not sure why though.
"Ya know, when ya fell in, I felt so excited! You were gonna be my first kill out here," the young man, probably barely out of his teens, beamed with pride," but then I spotted your sniper and understood the bullet hole just a few feet away from me..."
The child sat down silently on the edge of Rainier's bed. His welcoming blue eyes met Rainier's icy ones.
"So I jumped in after ya... I was only in for a short amount of time, but you... I couldn't quite pull you up. I had our medic, Jay, help me pull ya up while Derek bugged your sniper. By the time you were fully out..." He shook his head, "but it doesn't matter now 'cause you're fine."
Was he really? If Rainier had learned anything from this ridiculous conversation, it was that both of them were crazy. Why would either of them save the other? Was this kid guilty for him saving his life? He was not sure about this. The kid either had a guilt complex or there was another reason...
Rainier was not sure he liked that thought.