What I Want

Chapter 39: The Doctor

Ben woke up to the sounds of the early morning birds chirping loudly. The sun was just beginning to rise as he laid there and rode out his half-awake, half-asleep high. He slowly opened his eyes as he turned his head to look at Mal, a content look on her face. Her body had been curled up tightly against him the entire night, trying to keep warm. He needed to get up and start on breakfast. However, not wanting to spoil the moment, he laid there and just admired her. Ben started to think about how she was acting yesterday as he looked at her. Never in five years with her had Mal been so moody. At one point during the hike she had snapped at him and another she was making out with him. In the tent, at first she was exhausted, but the next minute she was really needy. Not 30 seconds later she was really upset before snapping at him again. Then she seemed desperate. And one they were done making love, she was out cold after mere minutes. What was with her? He thought about it for quite sometime, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He sighed to himself, his hot breath against Mal's skin making her shudder, but she didn't wake up. Ben figured she was just exhausted. She definitely needed to eat and get her energy up. Carefully, he pushed her arm off of him and pulled away from her before climbing out of the sleeping bag, but not before he put his pillow into her arms to give her something to hold onto.

Ben got dressed quickly, trying to shield his skin from the crisp morning air. His movements were soft and quiet, careful not to startle her with loud noises. Once he was wrapped up in some warm sweat pants, a few t-shirts, and a sweatshirt, he quietly grabbed the box of breakfast supplies and stepped outside. However, he didn't leave without leaving out some warm clothes for Mal, one of which was his Auradon Prep Jacket that she loved to wear. After setting down the box, Ben took a moment to smell the brisk air of the wilderness. It was invigorating and refreshing. They both needed some fresh air, but it looked like they were going to have to cut the trip short. Mal was going to need medical attention, whether she wanted it or not. But first, she needed to eat, and frankly, he did too.

Ben began to rummage through the box and grabbing up a pan and some pancake mix. He then relit the campfire, which was tricky with the wood being so damp, but he got it done. A few minutes later, he had made a heaping pile of warm pancakes for him and Mal to share. Since there was an uneven amount, he gave the one extra one to Mal, figuring she was going to need to keep her strength up for her body to heal. He set the two plates aside and started to search for some fruit when he noticed something odd in the box buried beneath the fruit. Ben reached for it, wondering what it was. Once it was in his hands, he breathed out in relief. It was a satellite phone. He wasn't going to have to worry about carrying her and all the supplies home himself as he could now call for help. Ben immediately phoned his mother and explained to her that Mal had hurt her ankle on the hike. Belle told him that she'd send out a helicopter to retrieve them, as a car wouldn't be able to drive through the thick mud because it would get stuck. However, she wasn't entirely sure where to send it since she didn't know exactly where they were. Ben then told her that she could get the tech department to ping his cell phone and locate the nearest open field, which was only a half a mile away from him. Satisfied, Belle said the helicopter would be there in about an hour or so. It didn't give Ben much time to get ready, so he decided he'd have to come back out another time to retrieve their camping supplies. Plus, there was no way he'd be able to carry both the camping stuff and Mal at the same time, and he certainly wasn't going to let her walk. He thanked his mom and hung up just as he heard Mal yawning.

"Ben," Mal said groggily,"where are you?"

"I'm out here," he replied,"just finishing up making breakfast."

"You didn't have to do that. I could have done it myself."

"I know, but I wanted to. You needed to rest your body so you could heal."