Simpsational

Rescue!

Kayla

Kayla woke from a fever dream, her shouted name echoing in her mind. Her hand shook as she reached for her pills. She washed them down with the last of her water. She had gone through her water way too fast, and she hadn't peed in a day. She laughed, hearing her name on the wind. Auditory hallucination was probably a really bad sign. At least it sounded like Jace.

The cold had crept in while she slept. Her whole body ached from it. She was also covered in sweat. She had a vague memory of sweat being dangerous in situations like this. She also had a vague memory of about everything else at the moment.

She was exhausted. She would sleep. She was sure her problems would still be waiting when she woke. If she woke.

Jace

Page had nearly talked Jace into splitting up, one of them heading each direction on the highway to look for Kayla, when Hawk found evidence that someone had gone up the trail to the climb. Common sense told Jace that there was no reason she would have gone that direction, but he opted to ignore sense in favor of the feeling of dread pulling him toward the mountain. Outvoted, Page distributed the gear and they set out.

Jace continued to call out as the hiked. The darkness slowed their pace somewhat, but it was still early morning when they arrived at the base below Giuseppe's Jail. He called out again but got no response.

Jace started to climb, but Page stopped him.

"Why would she be up there, Jace? It makes no sense."

"I don't know where else to look, Page." He sounded desperate, even to himself.

"It's too dangerous in the dark. You're just not good enough, yet."

"But you can do it?" She seemed reluctant, so he added, "Please?"

"Fine. Keep the face lit for me."

Jace watched as she transformed into the spider he so admired. She was quickly hanging above the drop into the Jail. "It's so dark. I can't see anything." She let go with one hand, hanging by the other while she redirected her flashlight below her. "Here goes nothing," she said, disappearing behind the shelf as she dropped.

After a few tense moments, she called down, "She's here, Jace." Then, after another moment, he heard her swearing. "I'm going to drop a line. Bring the red bag up with you."

Hawk snapped the line on Jace's harness and handed him the bag. "What's up, Page? Is she ok?"

"She's unconscious and hot to the touch. She's been stung several times." The way Page's voice sounded was scarier than the words she used. Jace could tell that she was shaken.

"You've got this Page. Just work the problem," Hawk said. He opened the satellite phone, calling for an ambulance to meet them by their car.

All Jace could do was swallow. He sinched his way up the cliff until he joined Page on the outcropping next to Kayla. He quickly became her physician's assistant, handing her items out of the trauma kit. Kayla was naked, laying on her side, three angry looking welts on her back.

"Scorpion?" he asked, peeling off his shirt and draping it over Kayla.

"Yeah, but I don't think it was a bark. This is more of an allergic reaction." She nodded at the bottle of Tylenol nearby. "She's been treating the fever, which is the dangerous part, so I think she'll be ok." She got ready to give Kayla a third shot in as many minutes as she spoke. "Hold her down."

Kayla

She came awake with a start. The first rays of dawn gave everything a rosy glow. There were two people there with her. One was a woman she mistook as Emily at first but realized that it was someone else once her thoughts cleared. The other was a simply gorgeous man with rugged face and beard. He'd also taken his shirt off, displaying a torso that should be used to teach anatomy.

"Kayla, I just gave you a shot of adrenaline." The woman was pulling back her lids and hitting her eyes with a flashlight. "How do you feel?"

She already felt a great deal better. "Good," she croaked.

"I believe you're have a severe allergic response to a scorpion sting. Do you have any history of such?" The woman turned and said to the man, "Jace, see if there's any water in the bag."

Kayla looked around, but only saw the other man there. Then she looked harder at his face. "Jace?"

"Hey, Kayla." He gave her a warm smile, a clear look of relief on his face.

"I'm so glad you're here. I thought I was going to die."

"Let's make sure you don't, first," said Page. "You kids can have your big moment later."

Kayla felt really lucky that Jace had brought Page with him. She was calm, in control, and seemed very capable. She sat Kayla up, helping her into Jace's shirt. He reached out and took her hands.

"Where are your clothes?" he asked.

Kayla looked around, the vest she'd made discarded nearby. "That woman took them. Emily." She watched them exchange a look, so went on to tell the whole story. She wasn't surprised to learn that no one named Emily worked with them. She'd thought about how she'd been intercepted without ever going inside. Emily must have been someone who'd met Jace as a customer, not a co-worker. She watched Jace carefully, waiting for the moment when he realized who Emily really was. If he did, his face never showed it. He could be pretty oblivious, though.

"Ok, Jace, zip down and get ready for Kayla. You guys take her straight back."

"You're not coming?" he asked, surprised

"Hawk is stronger than I am, and you really should be there with her. I'm going to pack up the gear and catch up, should get there about the same time you do." She slipped out of the shorts she was wearing and handed them to Kayla. "The guys will be piggybacking you out of here, so you'll need these more than I do."

While Kayla wanted to argue over it, Page spoke with such authority that she just went along. Kayla decided that the twinge of jealousy she felt at the woman's sculpted ass meant she was feeling better. She stole a glance at Jace, sure he was looking at the same thing she was, but he seemed completely unaffected by it. Her eyes narrowed, wondering.