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CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Day Twenty-Eight—Four teams remaining
Lauren
“I think the sun is rising,”I said to Linda, my throat painfully dry as I spoke.
“We made it,” she said. “I didn’t think we would.”
Things had taken one bad turn after another once Archer had left yesterday. I’d thought I was following the correct path on the map, but then we’d stopped for a break so we could both have some water and Linda could change her camera battery. She’d lost her footing, started to fall, and grabbed my arm for support.
It felt like it was happening in slow motion. Linda dropped into a deep ravine we hadn’t even known was there because there were tall weeds and other vegetation blocking the view. And because she was holding onto my arm, I fell too.
I’d rolled down the embankment like a boulder, painfully crashing into rocks and branches on the way. I’d cut the back of my head and feared for a while that I wouldn’t be able to stop the bleeding. Linda had fared worse than me though—her leg was twisted at the knee, pointing in an awkward direction. It was badly broken, and she was in agony. She’d also injured one of her wrists.
All of our supplies, including our drinking water and her satellite phone, were at the top of the steep ravine. Once I’d finally gotten the bleeding on my head to stop, I’d tried to climb up the ravine and retrieve the phone, but I hadn’t made it far before dizziness and weakness made me drop to the ground in defeat.
“We need water,” Linda said, her voice so weak I could hardly make out her words.
We needed a lot of things, but time was running out. When we’d heard people calling our names yesterday, we’d thought we were about to be rescued. Both of us had tried to yell back, but it was hard when Linda was in so much pain and I was so weak from blood loss.
We’d stopped hearing voices calling out for us once around what I would guess was midnight, and that’s when terror had really set in. The jungle was so dark we couldn’t see a thing, and the sounds of unknown animals were loud and way too close for comfort. Some things had gotten close; both of us had cried and held on to each other when we heard and felt something large right next to us. Neither one of us had slept at all.
Archer would come. I knew he was looking for us, but I feared he wasn’t looking in the right place. The ravine we’d fallen into wasn’t on the map, so I knew we’d gotten off course.
“My son and I argued on the phone,” Linda said mournfully. “He scratched the car. But that…doesn’t even matter. I’m going to die with him thinking…”
She sobbed, but there weren’t any tears falling down her cheeks. We were both dehydrated.
“It’s okay,” I said, knowing I should say more, but unable to think of anything.
“Lauren. Lauren, you have to wake up. Please wake up,” a faint voice said.
I lifted my head an inch and opened my eyes. My head was throbbing. I dropped it back down.
“No, stay awake. You have to stay awake.”
The voice was frantic. I had to answer. I swallowed, but my throat was so painfully swollen and dry that it was difficult.
“I’m here,” I murmured.
“Help will come. You have to stay with me until help gets here.”
It was Linda. We were in the jungle, and I’d never been as wrong as I was when I told Archer I was up to this competition. Then I’d made an even bigger mistake when I told him it was okay for us to separate.
There were so many things I wished I’d said to him. So many mistakes I’d made because of my foolish pride. I wouldn’t get that chance now.
“Lauren!” Linda was frantic, grabbing my arm and calling my name over and over.
“Hmm?”
“Thank god.” Her voice cracked. “I heard people calling our names again. You have to stay with me, okay? Don’t go to sleep. I can’t do this without you. Just hang on. Please hang on.”
I wanted to hang on, but I didn’t have the energy to respond.
* * *
“I’m here,Lo. I’m right here. Open your eyes. Please, open your eyes and look at me.”
It was Archer. I was dreaming of him, floating in a place between awake and asleep. I couldn’t see anything in the dream, but I heard his voice, and he sounded upset. Why was he so upset?
Something cold and wet on my mouth made me jump.
“Thank you, God,” Archer said.
I looked up at him. He was so handsome. Jungle Archer was rugged with his dark beard, hollowed cheeks, and bright blue eyes. But he was still so damn good-looking it almost hurt.
“She’s awake!” he yelled, looking up and away from me. “Get a medic down here right fucking now.”
My head was in his lap, and he brought his canteen to my lips.
“I’m here, Lo,” he said. “The paramedics will be here in just a minute, and they’ll come down here and help you. There’s a helicopter waiting to take you to the hospital.”
We’d fallen into a ravine. I remembered that much. But how long had we been here?
“Linda. Help Linda.”
“There’s someone over there with her right now. She’s okay.”
“Don’t leave,” I pleaded, our dark, terrifying night coming back to me.
He took my hand. “I won’t leave. I promise you. I’ll be hanging on to the outside of the helicopter when it takes off if they won’t let me inside with you. I won’t leave you.”
It was okay to go back to sleep. He wouldn’t leave me. I let my eyes slide shut, murmuring the one thing I most regretted not telling him before.
“I still love you, Archer.”
* * *
I couldn’t hearthe crashing waves I woke up to every morning, and the wet, earthy smell of our camp was gone, too. When I opened my eyes, I realized why.
Instead of waking up in our island camp, I was in a hospital bed. When I looked down at my arm, I saw an IV needle embedded in my skin, the tubes hooked up to a machine next to the bed.
And in the corner of the room was Archer. He was sitting in a chair with his legs spread wide, arms spilling over the sides of the chair, and chin resting on his chest as he slept.
The competition. The ravine. Linda. I had so many questions.
“Archer?” I said, my throat still raw and dry.
“Mm?” His chin bobbed up and he popped up from the chair. “Lo?”
His shoulders slumped as he walked over to me, crouching next to the bed.
“You’re finally awake,” he said, tears glistening in his eyes. “They said you were just exhausted and would wake up eventually, but…I needed to see it to believe it.”
“Is Linda okay?”
He nodded. “She’s in another room here. Broken leg, sprained wrist, bruised ribs, and severe dehydration. But she’ll be okay.”
“I should have listened to you. About not doing the competition. I was sick, and I lied about it. I’m so sorry, Archer.”
He ran a hand over my hair. “Hey, don’t cry. It’s okay. You’re okay, and that’s all that matters.”
“I was afraid you wouldn’t find us. I thought I was going to die.”
