Hello everyone, here we are my new chapter, I hope you will like it :)
- Don't touch anything, Juliet ordered.
He looked down at the piece of wood that pierced him.
- It keeps you from bleeding to death.
He held back a moan when he wanted to straighten up.
- Magnum!
-You? You're okay? Did he blow?
- Yes I have nothing.
She lifted her shirt to look at the wound.
- We have to get out of there.
- Mmh, he replied.
- Thomas? she called worriedly.
- Mmh, that's fine.
- Ok, I need you Thomas, don't leave me. Did you understand?
- Yes. We have to get out of there, he repeated.
Higgins grabbed his phone.
- I don't have a network and you?
Thomas managed to grab his phone from his left back pocket without much difficulty. He looked at him sadly:
- Broken.
Juliet looked around for this rise without aggravating Magnum's wounds. Juliette rummaged through the bag frantically.
- I have nothing useful in that! Neither for you nor for going out, she complained.
She stood up gently and looked up at the top of the hole.
- I could never ride without help
Magnum tried to move and he couldn't hold back a cry of pain.
- Stop! Juliet screamed Don't move!
He grimaced and tried to catch his breath.
-But... You need help getting back up.
- Yes, but you can't move from here.
- So how do we do it?
- I'll try to climb on my own.
Juliette soared as high as possible but could not reach the ledge. The hole was not very big, Magnum did not lie down. Higgins stood at the other end of the hole to gain momentum she put her foot on the wall to go higher, but it was not enough, she landed heavily on Magnum's folded legs. The vibration of Juliet's body crashing on him, giving him a discharge of pain.
- Higgy, he said, gritting his teeth.
- Sorry.
- You can't do it again. Too risky.
- Except that we have to get you out of there! No one is going to come.
- We don't have too many options. Otherwise you help me with this thing!
He pointed to the piece of wood in him.
- No!
- It will allow you to get out of there and get help.
- Oh yes really?
- Yes
She began to get angry:
- And you meanwhile you will empty yourself of your blood! It took us four hours to get here!
- I can hold on.
- Of course not! It's scientific Thomas! At the moment the blood is contained thanks to this piece, if it is removed. Frankly with your years in the army you should know that!
- I know.
- So why are you proposing this stupid idea?!
He smiled at her.
- Thomas, I will not get out of here at the expense of your life, it was not possible before and now it is unimaginable!
- So what's the solution? I'm not going to last forever.
- The rangers will see that we have not returned! And maybe one of the boys won't pass there, after all it's one of their traps!
- Higgy, you can't count on luck
- We have no other choice!
He closed his eyes for five minutes, and resumed in a weaker voice almost wanting to whisper what he had to say:
- You know, we would never have gotten out of the prison camp if we hadn't relied only on us.
She stared at him:
- I wouldn't put your life in danger any longer.
- So we're stuck here!
- I... Juliet began as she pondered. I can try to make catches in the dirt to climb.
- Mmh, it can work.
Juliet began her laborious work.
Sometime later she stopped, noticing that it was almost dark.
- "Thomas," she called.
She received no answer.
- Thomas! she called louder.
- Mmh, he growled.
Magnum grimaced embarrassed by the sound.
- Open your eyes!
- Mmh, less strong.
- Thomas, open your eyes!
- Too hard, he complained.
- Magnum!
- Okay ok!
His eyes fluttered before opening:
- It's hard
- Thomas? Did you hit your head when you fell?
- Mmh, maybe.
- Magnum!
- Less strong!
She sighed in frustration. Juliette got as close as possible to her boyfriend to examine his head. At one point Magnum had a reaction, he tried to withdraw from his touch while moaning. Juliet withdrew her hand and looked at it, there was some dried blood.
- Thomas you could have told me! Juliet protested.
- Sorry, I didn't really notice.
- Ok, you better stay awake! I'm going to use the flashlight on the phone and get back to it.
- OK.
Higgins tried to solicit him as much as possible, but at one point he did not answer anymore. She went to check, he had just fallen asleep.
- I warn you, I give you an hour.
Juliette was still a few hours of work and she will be able to go out to get help, hopefully she would have gone out at sunrise. She was focused on her task when she heard about it.
- Thomas?
He muttered in his sleep. Juliet squatted down next to him.
- No, stop, he pleaded.
- Hey, everything is fine, I'm here.
Nightmare, he hadn't done much since they slept together. When he did, he woke up with a start and didn't sleep all night. But it was her startled awakening that woke her up, it was the first time she heard it.
- No... he groaned. Not that!
- "Thomas," called Juliet, "wake up!
She gently shook him to get him out of his nightmare. His reaction was immediate, he suddenly opened his eyes, pushed her and tried to move.
- What did you do? He moaned because of the pain.
- Thomas, it's me!
- Water! She's going back! Let me get out of here!
- Stop calm down, it's me.
As soon as she tried to approach, he pushed her away.
- Thomas! Listen to my voice, calm down!
- Juliet?
His eyes fluttered, he was lost in his nightmare.
- What did you do to him?
- I'm here, everything is fine!
His movements were broth, Higgins managed to grab his hands. She pressed them against her and brought her head close to hers. She swam her forehead on hers which calmed her movements.
- Go calm down, she begged him. You're hurting yourself. I'm here, can you hear me? Focus on my voice.
- Higgy?
His breathing calmed down, Magnum tried to keep his eyes open.
- Yes, I'm here.
Juliette was terrified. Thomas looked all around him.
- Where are we?
- Don't you remember?
He frowned looking for the answer. Juliet straightened up
- The hole?
- We fell into it, looking for Mrs. Curl's boys.
He began to remember.
- Excuse me.
- What?
- Sorry about that.
- Never do that to me again, okay?
He looked at him, but his gaze remained elusive.
- Thomas? Can you explain to me what just happened? You were awake but it was like you were...
- Elsewhere, he finishes.
- Yes
- I... I should have told you about it before, I wanted to do it, but...
He looked at her looking sad.
- I never succeeded.
- We've already talked about your nightmares.
- Yes, but this...
- PTSD?
Thomas looked at her, breathless at the mention of the letters.
- How do you know?
Juliet smiled at him and took his hand.
- You know when Robin told me you were coming, I did some research on you. I quickly stopped. But I saw the press conference you gave. With what you had to go through there it was obvious that you were suffering from PTSD. On the other hand, you never let anything show.
He gave her a small smile.
- Is that what it does to you?
- There are only nightmares left. But this kind of delusion, it's been a long time.
- Maybe because of your concussion?
- Mmh, or fever.
Higgins stared at him. He was getting worse and worse, we had to accelerate.
- Keep the conversation going, I have to finish this!
- What do you want to know?
- What was it like at the beginning?
Thomas looked at her hesitantly. Not hearing him answer, Juliet turned to him. Magnum took an inspiration to successfully answer:
- Nightmare every night. Panic attack with some triggering noises. Auditory or visual hallucinations.
- And now it's just nightmares?
- Yes.
- But what happened there when you woke up?
- Sometimes I find it hard to come back from a nightmare.
- You pushed me away, you asked where I was.
- Oh, really?
- Yes.
- I... I don't remember pushing you, he explained embarrassedly. On the other hand I remember my nightmare, and I pushed a Taliban.
- It must have been me this Taliban!
- Excuse me...
He closed his eyes
- Hey, you stay awake!
Suddenly, Juliet stretched her ear up the hole.
- Shhh, she ordered.
- What?
- Magnum, I hear footsteps!