The next day Roanna woke at dawn, as she’d promised.
Jack lay at her side, his arms carefully placed at his sides as not to hurt her.
She struggled to sit up by herself, and grimaced.
Beneath the black fabric of her sports bra, the white bandage bloomed red. Roanna guessed that somebody had patched her up, but wasn’t sure where the bandage came from.
The thought nagged at her until she remembered the first aid kit they’d brought, then she nodded to herself.
Resigned, Roanna pulled on her pants and boots, then snagged a shirt before leaving the tent, careful not to wake Jack.
Outside it was almost chilly, but humid all the same.
Mark, Aidan and Brianna sat by the fire, Aidan and Brianna holding each other’s hands, as if they would never let go.
Mildly annoyed by their behavior, even thought it so mirrored hers and Jack’s, Roanna stepped to the fire.
“Who patched me up?” she asked.
Mark raised his hand, and Roanna nodded.
“Do I need to change this?” Roanna asked.
Immediately, Mark stood and walked to her, then knelt in front of her, pulling slightly at the edges of the large white bandages.
“I’ll do it. Come with me,” he said, shoving another handful of rice in his mouth before picking up the first aid box and heading towards a tent.
Shrugging, Roanna followed him to the tent that Brianna and Aidan must’ve shared the night before.
He gestured for her to lay down, which Roanna did grudgingly, before he opened the large white case and began to look over the contents.
Eyes fixed determinedly on his face, Roanna watched him.
“How are you?” she asked as she realized she didn’t ask before.
“Right now I’m pretty damn hopeful,” he murmured.
Roanna chuckled, and he rewarded her with a rueful grin.
“I heard you had some encounters with a cat,” she said.
He grimaced.
“After he’d finished Juan, the leopard thought that we might make a tasty after dinner snack,” he muttered.
“Did you kill it?” she asked curiously.
He looked up at her, shocked.
“No. We just shot a flare towards it. It ran away and didn’t come back,” he said.
“Not that you know of,” Roanna murmured.
He shuddered, then shook it off.
“Brianna has been telling us stories about you,” he informed her.
Roanna shrugged, her usual attitude back in full force.
Upon realizing this, Mark laughed, a hearty laugh that came from the belly.
“I should have expected such. All the stories she’s told describe a woman tough to the bone, with practically no weaknesses. Strong and brave and true,” he said, slightly mocking but very assessing.
“It’s all bullshit,” she reassured him.
Another wry grin on his face, he took the scissors and cut the bandage away from her midriff.
