Days turned into weeks as they continued to travel, establishing a routine that worked for them both. Mercedes was surprisingly fit and they covered far more ground than Sam expected. As the landscape changed so did the weather, just as she had predicted. The nights gradually grew warmer and they days were starting to get extremely warm. Part of the increased daytime temperature was because they were moving, but there was no denying the definite change in climate. Despite the extended travelling time Mercedes was positive. Her random bouts of silent tears had vanished and she seemed to be becoming more and more enthusiastic and tireless. She explained to him that the change in climate was a good sign because it proved they were travelling in the correct direction. Apparently the weather by the Sea was warm, even in the evenings. All indications were that they were definitely well on their way to reaching the Sea.

The food situation was starting to worry him. Even though their food was ultra-compact, they were still getting through it at a rapid rate. When they entered wooded areas, Mercedes was often able to identify berries and sometimes fruits that were safe for them to eat. They would gorge on those days, happy for a respite from the endless porridge they'd been eating. But it still wasn't enough. Sam was a man who enjoyed his food and the desire to chew on rather than simply slurp each meal with a spoon was getting stronger by the day. And as for the craving for meat- it was something that he found it better to simply not think about.

Often they would follow the course of rivers as they travelled, ensuring they had a constant source of water as well as the opportunity for regular bathing. Mercedes was nervous both of bathing alone and of bathing with him. They had an agreement to bathe at the same time for safety, but to stand back to back. And mostly he honored his promise not to peek. But only mostly. He was human after all, and she was so… so soft…

He only caught glimpses of the length of her back but her dark soft skin fascinated him.

They were both tired, he knew they were, but he was still surprised when she suddenly made a statement one day after breakfast.

"I don't feel like walking today."

Sam looked at her, surprised. "Okay..."

"We've been walking for weeks and I think we should rest for a whole day so that we don't get sick. I'm feeling pretty tired and a little run down and don't want to come down with something."

It was true. Although they'd had some late starts and early stops for extra rest, other than the time it had rained, they had never taken a whole day off. Always in the back of their minds was the desire to put as much distance behind them as possible. And now looking at her face, Sam realized that she did look tired. More tired than usual. She'd spent far longer getting ready in the morning than usual too.

He didn't need much convincing to take a day out to chill but she still seemed to feel that she had to justify her decision. "We're in a good location here. We have shelter, the river and food in the forest. And we can always walk a little further tomorrow to make up for this."

He couldn't help but feel protective. She seemed almost worried about his reaction. "It's fine Mercedes. Really. I'm happy to rest. It's you I'm concerned about. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Me? Yeah I'm fine." Immediately back on the defensive.

"But you said you weren't feeling too great. Are you sick? Do you need to take something?" He reached forward to touch her forehead to see if she had a fever but she jerked away suddenly. Other than when they slept together, she wasn't really a fan of being touched. But this was even worse than usual.

"I'm okay. I just want to go back to sleep for a little bit." She seemed to be experiencing a little discomfort as she stood but was clearly trying to hide it.

Not knowing what else to do, he let her, leaving her to rest while he went to gather some fruit and berries from the forest. There were plenty of things on offer but Mercedes only picked those that she recognized, knowing that there could be highly poisonous foods next to things that were perfectly fine. She instructed him to not even touch things he wasn't sure about because some poisonous plants could be harmful even through the skin. She'd brought medicine for allergies, which he had had occasion to use after accidentally making his way through some poison oak while relieving a night time call of nature but they weren't going to waste it because of having eaten something that they shouldn't. By this point Sam knew some of what he could pick, and decided to get some of the sweet berries to cheer her up. Feeling proud of his collection, together with the plain mushrooms he knew were safe, if tasteless, but which provided a much needed 'bite' to their porridge, he hurried back to the tent.

He quickly regretted hurrying and not paying attention when his foot caught on a tree root that he hadn't seen and he landed heavily on his left knee. "Shit!" His first attempt at standing resulted in the knee buckling and him lying back down on the ground, writhing with pain. A second attempt minutes later was more successful but agonizing. It was a slow and painful hobble back to where they were camped. This was the worst possible thing that could happen and he cursed himself for being less careful with where he stepped.

"What's wrong Sam?" After resting up a little to see if it helped, he'd just limped over to pick something up when he heard her voice behind him.

"It's okay." He wanted to reassure her but her face said she was anything but reassured.

"No it isn't. You're hurt. What happened?"

There was something about Mercedes which made him incapable of lying to her. "I fell. I think I twisted my knee but I'm sure it'll be fine."

She was already feeling his knee through his pants and he winced in pain as she pressed down on it. "How long ago did it happen?"

"A couple of hours ago."

"A couple of hours! And you didn't say anything?"

"I didn't want to bother you."

"You being injured doesn't bother me. But you leaving it untreated for the first couple of hours does!" She glared at him and he felt chastened. "Can you walk on it?"

"Not well."

She looked as if she might curse but she didn't. She never did. As well as being an Angel she was also a fucking saint! Before he had a chance to react she'd already propped his foot up and was rolling up the leg of his pants.

"What are you doing?"

"What you should have done a couple of hours ago."

Sam was shocked to see just how swollen his knee actually was when she uncovered it. She kissed her teeth at the sight. It was actually throbbing and painful but he didn't want to admit to it even though he knew that she could already tell. She sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?"

He grinned back up at her and cast huge puppy dog eyes to lighten the mood. "Keep me?"

"Shut up!" Despite her tone she returned the smile.

Just like she had on the night they met, she unraveled a long piece of cloth from her hair, but this time she used it to bind his knee tightly. "Keep your leg raised and make sure the bandage stays tight. I'll be back in a minute."

After disappearing for a short while she returned with her dinner bowl full of river water and a cloth. Dipping the cloth in the water she then placed it over his knee. It was cold. "Keep doing this to cool down the injury and reduce the swelling. Don't worry about bandages getting wet. It just makes them colder anyway."

He took the items from her and continued with the treatment. She disappeared into the tent and returned with two pills. "Take these for the pain."

Shaking his head he refused. "I'm fine." He wasn't because his knee hurt like hell, but he knew they only had limited medication. She shot him an emphatic look and he compromised. "I'll take them tonight. That way when you kick me in your sleep it won't hurt so much."

She grinned at that. "I don't kick in my sleep!"

Maybe you don't kick, but you do snuggle. And I really like it when you do that.

"But seriously Sam," her face was serious again, "You have to rest your leg. Sit down and keep it elevated. And definitely don't try and walk."

"Yes ma'am!" He gave her a mock salute.

"Yes ma'am indeed…" She rolled her eyes but lost the battle against the smile that played at the corner of her mouth.

"Anyway. You're the one who's not feeling great. Did the extra rest help?"

"I'm fine!" Her angrily snapped reply took him aback. He was only trying to be nice and she was fine until he mentioned it! The change in mood had been instantaneous. Sensing it wasn't worth picking her up on her strange behavior he decided to let it pass. "Well it's a good job this is a rest day for us. And I'm sorry but I'm not sure I'll be up for walking tomorrow either."

She shook her head. "This will set us back three or four days at least!"

"I'm sure I won't need that long!"

"Sam. We're walking all day every day. It makes no sense to strain yourself again when you can heal properly the first time."

He could have kicked himself for being such an idiot and getting himself hurt. "I'm sorry for the time we're losing." He felt bad holding them back because of his own clumsiness.

"It's fine." He watched her face carefully, expecting her to be fighting back her annoyance at the situation but she really did seem to be fine. In fact, he'd even go so far as to say she looked relieved.

Unfortunately she didn't give him the chance to question her on it, instead, quickly leaping up and disappearing into the trees. Minutes later she returned with a big thick stick. "Use this when you have to walk and try not to weight bear too much." Seriously, she thought of everything!

"Thanks Mercedes."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For always taking care of me. I promised your dad I'd take care of you but sometimes I feel like it's the other way round!"

She just shrugged but he could tell she got the meaning of his words. He reached beside him. "I got you these. I was bringing them back for you when I fell. I wanted to cheer you up because you weren't feeling good."

He handed her the pouch of sweet berries and she squealed with delight when she saw them. "Thanks Sam. I love these!"

"I know."

Taking the pouch and a bowl she split the berries into two portions. One she saved for later and the other she put into the other bowl. Sitting next to him with the bowl in her lap she cleaned them one by one. "I'm sorry I've been so snappy Sam. I promise I'll improve."

He opened his mouth to reply but she used the opportunity to shove the first berry into his open mouth, making him laugh. By the time he'd eaten it she was looking away, embarrassed and probably surprised at herself for the overfamiliar action. And he had learned enough about her to understand that she was silently telling him to not take what she had said any further and she was all good with him again.

So he accepted the apology and moved on.

Sam felt like an idiot. It took him two days being camped with a sore knee to work out what was wrong with Mercedes. Now that he realized, the grouchy mood swings, frequent bathing, clothes washing and disappearing acts could only point to one thing. He hadn't spent huge amounts of time with women, but he knew they had certain times of the month which were difficult. Now that they'd been travelling a few weeks it made perfect sense. It also explained why she wanted to stay where they were, where everything was to hand and where she could wash and rest as much as she liked. No wonder she was so relieved they couldn't continue because of his injury.

Luckily, even though he only knew a little, he knew enough to understand that it would be rude of him to mention that he knew what was going on with her, but made sure he was extra considerate just in case.

The time spent in one place gave Mercedes the chance to build a little more confidence going into the forest on her own. Her knowledge rewarded them with a different type of mushroom that she was strangely excited about. They were much larger with darker skins than the small pale ones they'd been eating whenever they reached wooded areas. She chopped these new mushrooms and cooked them gently over the camping stove, watching as they reduced in size and developed crispy golden edges before breaking into the small supply of salt that she was carrying, more for medical disinfecting purposes than seasoning, but as a treat, sprinkling a little on top once the mushrooms had cooked.

Her levels of excitement grew as they cooked and even he felt his mouth watering from the smell. He nearly burned his mouth on the first piece as soon as she handed him his bowl. It was probably one of the most delicious things he'd ever tasted! "Wow!"

She grinned back. "I know! We have these at home. They're nearly as good as meat and we use them during meat fasts. You have to cook them when they're really fresh. Unfortunately they don't keep well so we can't take them with us."

"So we'll stay an extra day!" After weeks of endless porridge, only recently with the addition of plain mushrooms which added little in the way of taste but much desired chewing resistance, this new mushroom meat-like goodness, was sheer bliss for Sam! And not just because it was a break from their usual fare. It was actually genuinely good!

Luckily his knee improved fast but they stayed an extra couple of days just in case, gorging on the mushrooms and packing as much fruit and berries as they could carry. The break left them feeling refreshed and mentally more prepared for the continuation of their journey ahead and whatever it might bring them.