Title: Fighting Back
Author:![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
pemphredouk
Pairing/Characters: Michael, Sara, Lincoln, LJ,OC, Alex, Sofia Gretchen and Whistler
Rating: Probably NC-17 after the first few chapters
Summary: Michael and Sara discover things, good and bad about themselves as they finally start fighting back. All locations mentioned in the story actually exist and can be found on the google map I've made to accompany this fic. It can be found Google Map of Road Trip here.
Chapter 12:South of Highway 9, East of Hachita New Mexico
Michael let his head fall back against the stony ground, squeezing his eyes closed as he battled the rising panic that was filling his mind. They left no room for any rational thoughts about what he should do next. He counted to ten, attempting to gain some kind of focus, to calm down enough to make sense of the frazzled messages currently zapping through his head. Then he opened his eyes and was immediately struck by the beauty of the night sky above him, he knew he was being distracted, he knew he should be working out how to get back up the slope, back to Sara, but for one moment all he could do was admire the view above him. The small beam of light from his head torch had created a funnel of light around him but darkness gathered at its edges and beyond that he could make out the brightness of the stars. Each one a distinct sparkle of light set against the deep blue black of the night sky.
Some part of him was already trying to make order from the patterns, he’d never really been into astronomy but he could recognise the major systems and for a moment he gave into that part of his brain that wanted to do anything but solve the current problem of a knackered ankle, very little water and thirty miles to travel to relative safety. He was tired of solving problems, tired of running, tired of always being responsible for the fate of others - Linc and Fox River and his date with the chair, Sara and LJ kidnapped whilst he was trapped in Sona, and now he and Sara struggling through the inhospitable no-mans land of the US/Mexican border. So for a few seconds he allowed himself the distraction and counted and grouped and attempted to name the constellations above him…..
He was yanked out of his introspection by another small cry from above.
“Michael are you still thinking?”
Her voice didn’t sound that far away, he was directly underneath the flat stone they had stopped at. She was now probably fifty feet above him and they were separated by the scree-covered slope of treacherous moving soil and stone.
He tentatively moved his foot and was rewarded by excruciating pain in his ankle. He needed to asses his injury and he sat up. His fingers started to feel down his leg until he reached his ankle, the tips gently smoothing over the swollen flesh. He didn’t know if it was broken or just sprained, he knew if it was the latter the swelling would eventually decrease. But how long would that take? They couldn’t afford to be caught out in the open during the day, he knew they were very close to the actual border now, possibly only a few miles and daily helicopter patrols and border patrol guards with high powered binoculars would be able to spot them easily if they stayed this exposed. He was also worried about staying in one place too long during the night, he knew they occasionally flew over with infra red cameras and he was a sitting duck out on this bare slope.
He had to get back up to the trail and Sara, and they had to manage a few more miles, possibly cross the fence into the States and find some decent cover to rest up before they attempted the trek to the highway. His mind suddenly switched back to the problem and he turned his head to shout.
“Sara untie the rope round the other bottles.”
“Will it reach you?” She asked, knowing that there was probably no more than twenty feet of thin rope looped through the handles.
“Not all the way, no, but if you use your torch and climb down that first ten feet or so…. carefully, but don’t come any further…” .He added his concern breaking through into his voice, “It should be ok….. I came that way….. Then tie it up round one of the boulders….”
He stopped, quickly calculating how much of the rope that would use.
“There should just be just about enough to help me up over the scree.”
He sank his head back against the ground, he knew he would have to climb the first ten maybe fifteen feet without the rope and gritting his teeth he turned to face the slope reaching out with his hand to start the slow painful pull back towards the path.
He stopped every couple of minutes, the throbbing ache from his ankle gnawing away at him. His brain was screaming at him to not put any weight or strain on it but he needed to use it to lever him up and within minutes he was sweating with the excruciating jagged pulses of pain that shot through his foot and leg. He felt the ground get steeper under his body and he knew he was now at the bottom of the scree that had caused his fall.
“Sara…” his voice was a mere whisper into the night
There was silence followed by a sound of stones slipping and tumbling down close by then
“Shit”
“Sara?” repeated Michael
“I’m ok I’m ok” she replied, “I can make out the slope just, but I can’t see you Michael.”
“I’m here” he said, “Throw the rope once you’ve tied the other end, I’ll try and watch for it.”
He paused and relaxed against the ground, grateful for the chance to stop punishing his ankle and took several deep breaths.
He could hear the rope hitting the ground above him, and not too far away possibly only four or five feet but he couldn’t see it.
“Sara it needs a weight on it to pull it down the slope when it lands. It will also make it easier for me to hear it and find it.” He explained in short breathy gasps
“One of the empty water bottles might do the trick.” he added
“I’ll go back up.” She replied with no hint in her voice at her fear of repeating the climb down.
Five minutes later Michael heard a hollow thud as the rope, now with empty water bottle attached landed just two feet above his head. He dug his good foot into the loose soil and pushed himself up grabbing at the plastic with undisguised relief.
“I’ve got it!” He shouted out, “I’m coming up!”
It took him over twenty minutes of jaw clenching agony as he climbed and pulled and slithered back up the slope. The rope cut into his hands leaving deep red wields across his palms and at some point the pain from his ankle became so great that the receptors in his brain finally responded by creating a numbness around his whole foot. He knew this meant he could be doing further damage to his ankle but he had no other choice but to continue climbing. His night vision, was playing tricks on him, one moment he could make out the whole side of the hill and the large rocks above him, where he knew Sara was standing, then the darkness would crush in until he could see nothing but the two feet of soil above him so it was with a welcome gasp that he felt a soft hand cover his hand on the rope.
“Michael…” and he dipped his head and sighed when he realised he had reached Sara and the boulder.
Her arms reached down to help pull him off the slope and he twisted to sit with his back against the rock to catch his breath. Her hands were resting on his shoulders and he looked up into her face which was now illuminated in a soft glow by his torch light. She seemed to pause for a second and then taking his face in her hands she leaned forward and planted a large forceful kiss on his lips. She pulled back quickly,
“Do not do that again Scofield ok?”
“Fall down a mountain? I’ll try not to ….” And he smirked.
But Sara was already kneeling by him, her expert fingers pushing up his jeans to feel for his ankle. He caught flashes of her face in the torch light, unable to miss the tension evident in her eyes and tight mouth as she tried to examine him.
“Here hold this.” she said “and point yours down there too” she ordered as she handed him her torch,
She grasped his calf muscle feeling down his leg before lowering his sock and tenderly brushing her fingers over the impressively swollen ankle.
He winced as she applied some pressure, manipulating the joint ever so slightly.
“Can you wiggle your toes Michael?” she asked, and he was suddenly transported back to another time and place and a gurney in the infirmary as she administered to him once more.
“I can’t feel anything Sara, its all thankfully numb now - has been for quite a while.” He added, a worried look creeping across his face as he saw the extent of the swelling.
“Is that bad…no feeling?” his hesitant tone revealing his anxiety. They still had thirty miles at least to travel.
“Hmm” her mouth set in a strange curl. “I don’t want to take your boot off because we may not get it back on.”
“So what now?” he asked,
“Well normally I would prescribe an ice compact on your ankle, keeping it raised for the next few hours and no walking for at least 12 hours…..”
“Ok…well the ice is gonna be a problem…” he replied with a straight face but then catching her eye they both broke into a grin.
“Wow you think so huh?” She responded and leaning forward she snaked her arms around his neck and pressing her head close against his she hugged him.
“So we need a plan B” He murmured into her hair as his hands reached around her waist to hold her.
Plan B turned out to be a long painful walk along the trail, with Sara trying to help Michael by taking his arm over her shoulder and he trying not to let her take his full weight as they hobbled and shuffled and staggered the last few miles down the other side of the hill and towards a rather non descript barbed wire fence barely four feet high.
“This is it, this is the border?” She asked, her hands on her hips as she stared at what looked like just a stock fence to her.
Michael had been rummaging about in the bag and pulled out the GPS unit, tapping through a few buttons, the screen flashed brightly in his face as it booted up.
“I’m just going to check.” he responded but as he did they heard the sound of an engine and he threw himself to the ground, pulling Sara with him. They had luckily been standing in a dip next to the fence several feet below the ground level and he could only hope that they were not visible from the American side. He pulled off his head torch and pushed it under his body, desperate to cut the light streaming from it. The engine noise grew louder and louder and Michael held his breath whilst hugging Sara close to him as the noise rose to a crescendo. He could see a powerful light beam cutting through the darkness above them, highlighting everything in its path with a harsh white glare. Whatever it was didn’t stop, but swept past them probably thirty feet on the other side of the fence and it was only as the receding engine noise revealed it was now moving away quickly did Michael risk putting his head up. He saw the tail lights and a small dust storm kicked up from a sand buggy as it progressed along the narrow track that ran along side the fence. The headlights were skewed to light the track of land on the northern side of the fence.
They waited until they could no longer hear the buggy and then slowly stood up, Michael grunting with the exertion, before dusting off the light sand that had clung to their jeans.
“Border Patrol” he murmured. “Come on lets cross now, I doubt there would be another one along for a while.” He took his jacket off and flung it onto the barbs of the fence next to a post and holding it down as far as it would go helped Sara climb over. Then he dropped the two bags on the other side of the fence before he swung his long legs over, stumbling as his injured one hit the ground and falling down in an ungracious heap. Sara went to him, a creased look of concern on her face but was met with a grinning Michael as he once more tried to stand.
“Ok that wouldn’t have looked great right?”
She started to brush more of the fine sand from him.
“I’ve seen better.” she replied smiling up at him and then turned to look out across the track.
“So we’re home?” She sighed.
“Yeah we’re back.” he replied rather noncommittally, choosing to ignore the significance of being back on American soil, because that actually meant he would soon have to think abut what to do with Sara, and where to go. He once again started rummaging about in the rucksack for the map. After a few moments of checking it against the GPS he folded the first back into his pocket.
“Ok we’re about three miles from a water dump if this map is still accurate. It looks like a major one, the symbols suggests there is water and other supplies left. It’s even got a name ‘Andy’s’. We’re almost out of water and will have to stock up if we stand a chance of reaching the main highway.” He noticed that the first delicate shifts of dawn had started to lighten the sky to the east and he frowned.
“I’m not sure we’re going to make it before daylight. I can’t travel fast on this ankle, I think we should find some cover and dig in for the day. I don’t want to wait too long at Andy’s either because it’s bound to be known to the patrols.”
“Sounds like a plan.” she nodded and they turned to walk across to the track Sara reaching out a helping hand to him as he hopped ungraciously on his one good leg. But within a few steps their feet sunk into a layer of the sand that now seemed to be everywhere. Michael stopped, and with some difficulty he kneeled and picked up some grains of the sand then patted the ground. He adjusted his light and scanned the area.
“Clever….” he murmured into the breeze that had kicked up.
“What is?” she asked puzzled.
“Give me your torch Sara.”
She handed it over and he turned it on and scanned the ground from the fence to the track the buggy had used.
“They’ve cut down or sprayed all the vegetation on this side of the fence. There is a clear twenty feet between it and the track. The sand is perfect at showing the footprints, of anyone crossing it. So all they need to do is drive down the track and the headlights will show if anyone had crossed in the last few hours. Then they can track them across the scrub and pick them up before they reach the road.”
“So what can we do Michael we can’t fly over that?” And she gestured at the sand strip, becoming more and more evident as the sun crept up over the horizon.
“We’ll cross it , and then we’ll cover it.” he replied and taking her hand they carried on through the sand , stopping every couple of seconds to fill in their footprints with handfuls of sand, sprinkling the last few grains across the now flat surface. They reached the track, and looked back to see a pristine surface and no evidence of passage.
They walked for about a mile, Michael struggling with every step but remaining stoic until they found a small thicket of squat trees that afforded them shade and cover from any nosey choppers. Michael was a little concerned when he noticed debris left from other travellers under a few of the other trees. It seemed they were not the only ones to have the same idea… It was now early morning and he had a good view of the flat scrubland that stretched out ahead of them. There was nowhere else to hide. It would be down to bad luck if a patrol decided to check this area out today. He pondered his other options.
They were now in America, they could probably have a go at talking their way out of the situation, he had after all got an American passport on him, although that in itself might raise suspicions, why would he be carrying one in his own country? They could perhaps pretend they were hikers who got very lost and just hope they weren’t recognised? He juggled with these ideas for a few moments and frowned, none were very good.
He sighed, his plans didn’t normally depend on quite so much wishful thinking and he hoped he wasn’t about to pay another involuntary visit to the border control point at Las Cruces…they would certainly recognise him there, he had probably been one of their most famous prisoners briefly.
They rested all day under the patchy shade of the trees. Several times one of them would fall into a fitful sleep, as the other watched the horizon for any sign of the returning border patrol. They talked softly, once again exploring each others pasts tentatively. They had both lost mothers and had absent fathers but Sara’s tales of nannies and chauffeurs who ran her life on a schedule like a military option was far removed from Michael’s sporadic stints in foster care and Lincoln’s haphazard guardianship. They sat for several hours in almost silence, hovering on the edge of sleep, their hands intertwined, and fingers softly caressing each others, Michael creating a steady stroking rhythm with the pad of his thumb on the delicate skin at her wrist marvelling at her creamy almost translucent skin with pale blue veins just visible below the surface.
Later Sara fussed over Michael’s ankle, since the swelling was showing no signs of receding and she tried but failed to hide her concern from him.
“Its not looking good is it “he whispered to her at one point. His eyes seeking a reassurance in hers that she couldn’t deliver.
“It should have gone down a little by now, but if it was broken you’d be experiencing way more pain.” She tried to explain.
He frowned,
“It is painful but you know I have a high threshold for pain”
“I know.”she replied “and an amazing ability to forget how you incurred the injuries too…..if I recall.”
He smiled, “I’m sorry I must have been a real nuisance for you back then.”
“Among other things.” she replied in a low voice and snuggled closer to him as they sat with their backs to one of the larger trees. Several times they heard a plane or chopper go overhead and they waited for the tell tale sign of it returning or of a land vehicle honing in on them but it never happened. A little while later she reached for a bottle of water and realised with a knot of anxiety that it was their last. She took a small sip. Michael who had been watching her, nodded her on to take more.
“Don’t worry we’ll get more at Andy’s drop, take what you need.”
Those words came back to him later that night after they had trudged the last two miles in the dark to reach Andy’s water drop. Their water was all gone and the last hour had been a torture of dry mouths and lips and the creeping signs of dehydration as they both started to suffer exhaustion and throbbing headaches.
Sara almost ran the last few steps towards the large water tank that sat on the desert floor next to a tree. She twisted and turned the tap but couldn’t make it move and screamed at it in frustration through cracked and broken lips. Michael had taken a little longer to reach the tap and sank down onto his knees as Sara crawled away from it and started to fumble with the valve. He turned it in both directions, his long fingers manipulating the valve with such ease but after several tries he slumped back.
“The tap’s working, it’s the tank that’s empty…” and his eyes sought the ground in a weary acceptance of their fate. “There is no water.”
This news broke them both and they crawled towards the tree shedding their bags on the way. They had no water; Michael’s foot was not getting any better, so walking on was no longer an option. It seemed all they could do now was sit and wait for a border patrol to come along and then ….well would it then be a rescue or an arrest and inevitable separation……?
As they sat slumped against the tree, wrapped in the sleeping bag against the harsh coldness of a desert night Michael once again ran through his options. Sara had apparently fallen asleep again, her breaths were heavy and loud in the darkness her broken arm outside the bag a stark reminder of what she had already gone through. Michael couldn’t let anything else happen to her, and he contemplated leaving her now, walking as far as he could until they picked him up. Ensuring he’d put enough distance between him and Sara so she couldn’t be caught up in his arrest. If she was found with him, then she was at risk and he could not let that happen again. He tried to slither out of the bag but her other arm had been pressed tight against his and she responded by reaching for him as he tried to move away.
“I hadn’t got you down as one of those ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em guys’ “ she whispered through the darkness, and he swallowed, his dry throat protesting at the un-lubricated action. He hadn’t realised she had woken up.
“I don’t think I should be here when they find you Sara.” was all he could think to say. Realising that with those words he had admitted his failure to get them to safety, to make everything alright and his head dipped onto his chest.
“And I can’t remember asking you to sacrifice yourself for me Michael so get back inside this bag and you’d better be here when I wake up….” She replied, turning into the heat and firmness of his body and resting her cast on his chest, before closing her eyes once more.
It was another perfect dawn in the desert, the sky unsullied by clouds was slowly shedding the pink and amber brushstrokes of sunrise for the calming pale blue of another sun drenched day. Michael and Sara were asleep in each others arms the top of the sleeping bag just covering their shoulders.
Michael’s eyelids flickered as somewhere even in his unconscious state he heard the low thrumming of an engine. He woke, his eyes fluttering open and after taking a few dislocated seconds to work out where they were he sat up. Glancing over at the still sleeping form of Sara he checked his watch, it was seven am and now the noise that had dredged him from his sleep was unmistakeable in the mid distance.
He nudged Sara gently, and unzipped his side of the bag, half climbing half rolling out of it and standing up testing his ankle. It still hurt like hell…… He held his hand to his forehead to block out the strongest of the suns rays and could see a small vehicle slowly trundling towards them.
“Sara it’s a Patrol I think.” He spoke with a measured weariness, an acceptance of his fate now just minutes away and looked back towards her, his heart already slamming into his chest at the thought of being separated from her once more. Before he could stop himself he had closed the four feet between them and with his large hands splayed out on either side of her face pulled her into the most suffocating of kisses, his lips forceful and possessive. She could sense the desperation even before his tongue demanded entry to her mouth and she curled her good arm around his neck, slowing the kiss, and softening it before pulling it away.
“This is not goodbye Michael, I won’t let it be.” she whispered to him and then taking his hand they both turned to face their future.
It was a large quad bike and sitting astride it was a woman, her shoulder length hair scooped back in a ponytail, a large pair of sunglasses hiding most of her face and she was wearing a rather weathered bucket hat. She was tanned and athletic looking, a pair of shorts exposing most of her bronzed legs and a pale cotton shirt over a camisole top completed the picture.
She didn’t look like border patrol was the first thought of Sara and Michael but they remained silent, still trying to assess who this woman was.
“Hi, sorry am I interrupting something?” She asked with wicked grin on her face, making it obvious she had seen their kiss.
“And you are?” Asked Michael guardedly. Running his tongue across his dry lips before he spoke.
“I guess I’m the water boy.” she replied with a smirk and it was only then did Michael look beyond the bike and see the small trailer and water tank.
“You have water?” Sara gasped out and immediately started to make for the tank.
“Gallons of it, and by the look of you two, not before time.” The last few words were tinged with a tone of sadness that Michael caught, briefly seeing the corresponding flicker in her eyes.
“Some water would be appreciated.” he said and started to limp slowly over, every step a misery, to join Sara.
The woman had climbed off the bike now and taking a metal cup screwed onto a chain attached to the tank she twisted the tap and filled it to the brim, passing it to Sara and watching with hands on hips as she quaffed it back in almost one messy gulp.
“Woah how long have you gone without?” she asked
“About a day.” Michael responded as he now greedily gulped his cup of water down.
“We lost half our water in the hills...an accident.” He added casting a glance over to Sara,
“Then I hurt my ankle so it slowed us down and added another day to the journey.”
“Tough one” she responded.
“Mind if I ask why two Americans are crossing back into the States illegally?”
They both dropped their heads for a moment, then Michael looked at her and in an attempt to shift the initiative said. “Can I ask who you are?”
Andy had been watching them closely, there was something familiar about them, and she couldn’t place it ….yet.
“Sure, I’m Andy,” she said “and this is my water drop you’re putting at risk. So if you don’t mind moving on. You have about another hour before Eric’s patrol is due”
“He can’t” Sara’s voice cut in, “his ankle won’t take much more.”
“I’m ok I can manage.” he almost hissed back
“You’re not ok, face it Michael. You can barely walk at all now.”
Andy watched the interchange between the pair with interest and pursing her lips several times she hesitated before speaking,
“I’ll take you back but if we get stopped you’re both volunteers on the ‘No more deaths campaign’ right?”
They both nodded “Right”
“Although I have no idea what that is.” Added Michael.
“Ok I’ll tell you later, help me swap the tanks and then we can be on our way.”
Minutes later Michael was sitting behind Andy on the bike. Sara and the bags were in the trailer as they bumped through the scrubland,
“Where are we heading?” he shouted to her above the noise of the quad bike,
“The highway, just a little north of it.”
“The highway is fine for us we can hitch from there….” Michael replied determined to keep some control.
“We’re going to my place. No one ever stops, never mind picks up on that Highway.” she responded matter-of-factly, her head twisting around slightly so her voice would carry to Michael.
“Where’s your place then?” He shouted again, wondering why he was trusting this woman.
“The Hotel Baja” she replied “Hold on!“ and the bike bumped across a rough part of the scrub for a few yards jolting the riders and sending Sara crashing against the side of the trailer.
“Where?” He asked thinking he’d misheard her
“Hotel Baja,”
“Is that where you live?” he asked surprised that they had ended up heading for the very place recommended by Bob and Jen.
“It’s my place, my Hotel” she replied and then revving the engine as they finally joined a gravel track she speeded up, the increase in noise putting an end to any more conversation..
Michael strengthened his grip on her waist and looked back to Sara smiling in what he hoped would be a reassuring way. Behind him he could see the small range of hills that had nearly ended their journey, ahead of them ….what?……for one of the very few times in his life….he didn’t actually know.
tbc
Author:
pemphredouk Pairing/Characters: Michael, Sara, Lincoln, LJ,OC, Alex, Sofia Gretchen and Whistler
Rating: Probably NC-17 after the first few chapters
Summary: Michael and Sara discover things, good and bad about themselves as they finally start fighting back. All locations mentioned in the story actually exist and can be found on the google map I've made to accompany this fic. It can be found Google Map of Road Trip here.
Chapter 12:South of Highway 9, East of Hachita New Mexico
Michael let his head fall back against the stony ground, squeezing his eyes closed as he battled the rising panic that was filling his mind. They left no room for any rational thoughts about what he should do next. He counted to ten, attempting to gain some kind of focus, to calm down enough to make sense of the frazzled messages currently zapping through his head. Then he opened his eyes and was immediately struck by the beauty of the night sky above him, he knew he was being distracted, he knew he should be working out how to get back up the slope, back to Sara, but for one moment all he could do was admire the view above him. The small beam of light from his head torch had created a funnel of light around him but darkness gathered at its edges and beyond that he could make out the brightness of the stars. Each one a distinct sparkle of light set against the deep blue black of the night sky.
Some part of him was already trying to make order from the patterns, he’d never really been into astronomy but he could recognise the major systems and for a moment he gave into that part of his brain that wanted to do anything but solve the current problem of a knackered ankle, very little water and thirty miles to travel to relative safety. He was tired of solving problems, tired of running, tired of always being responsible for the fate of others - Linc and Fox River and his date with the chair, Sara and LJ kidnapped whilst he was trapped in Sona, and now he and Sara struggling through the inhospitable no-mans land of the US/Mexican border. So for a few seconds he allowed himself the distraction and counted and grouped and attempted to name the constellations above him…..
He was yanked out of his introspection by another small cry from above.
“Michael are you still thinking?”
Her voice didn’t sound that far away, he was directly underneath the flat stone they had stopped at. She was now probably fifty feet above him and they were separated by the scree-covered slope of treacherous moving soil and stone.
He tentatively moved his foot and was rewarded by excruciating pain in his ankle. He needed to asses his injury and he sat up. His fingers started to feel down his leg until he reached his ankle, the tips gently smoothing over the swollen flesh. He didn’t know if it was broken or just sprained, he knew if it was the latter the swelling would eventually decrease. But how long would that take? They couldn’t afford to be caught out in the open during the day, he knew they were very close to the actual border now, possibly only a few miles and daily helicopter patrols and border patrol guards with high powered binoculars would be able to spot them easily if they stayed this exposed. He was also worried about staying in one place too long during the night, he knew they occasionally flew over with infra red cameras and he was a sitting duck out on this bare slope.
He had to get back up to the trail and Sara, and they had to manage a few more miles, possibly cross the fence into the States and find some decent cover to rest up before they attempted the trek to the highway. His mind suddenly switched back to the problem and he turned his head to shout.
“Sara untie the rope round the other bottles.”
“Will it reach you?” She asked, knowing that there was probably no more than twenty feet of thin rope looped through the handles.
“Not all the way, no, but if you use your torch and climb down that first ten feet or so…. carefully, but don’t come any further…” .He added his concern breaking through into his voice, “It should be ok….. I came that way….. Then tie it up round one of the boulders….”
He stopped, quickly calculating how much of the rope that would use.
“There should just be just about enough to help me up over the scree.”
He sank his head back against the ground, he knew he would have to climb the first ten maybe fifteen feet without the rope and gritting his teeth he turned to face the slope reaching out with his hand to start the slow painful pull back towards the path.
He stopped every couple of minutes, the throbbing ache from his ankle gnawing away at him. His brain was screaming at him to not put any weight or strain on it but he needed to use it to lever him up and within minutes he was sweating with the excruciating jagged pulses of pain that shot through his foot and leg. He felt the ground get steeper under his body and he knew he was now at the bottom of the scree that had caused his fall.
“Sara…” his voice was a mere whisper into the night
There was silence followed by a sound of stones slipping and tumbling down close by then
“Shit”
“Sara?” repeated Michael
“I’m ok I’m ok” she replied, “I can make out the slope just, but I can’t see you Michael.”
“I’m here” he said, “Throw the rope once you’ve tied the other end, I’ll try and watch for it.”
He paused and relaxed against the ground, grateful for the chance to stop punishing his ankle and took several deep breaths.
He could hear the rope hitting the ground above him, and not too far away possibly only four or five feet but he couldn’t see it.
“Sara it needs a weight on it to pull it down the slope when it lands. It will also make it easier for me to hear it and find it.” He explained in short breathy gasps
“One of the empty water bottles might do the trick.” he added
“I’ll go back up.” She replied with no hint in her voice at her fear of repeating the climb down.
Five minutes later Michael heard a hollow thud as the rope, now with empty water bottle attached landed just two feet above his head. He dug his good foot into the loose soil and pushed himself up grabbing at the plastic with undisguised relief.
“I’ve got it!” He shouted out, “I’m coming up!”
It took him over twenty minutes of jaw clenching agony as he climbed and pulled and slithered back up the slope. The rope cut into his hands leaving deep red wields across his palms and at some point the pain from his ankle became so great that the receptors in his brain finally responded by creating a numbness around his whole foot. He knew this meant he could be doing further damage to his ankle but he had no other choice but to continue climbing. His night vision, was playing tricks on him, one moment he could make out the whole side of the hill and the large rocks above him, where he knew Sara was standing, then the darkness would crush in until he could see nothing but the two feet of soil above him so it was with a welcome gasp that he felt a soft hand cover his hand on the rope.
“Michael…” and he dipped his head and sighed when he realised he had reached Sara and the boulder.
Her arms reached down to help pull him off the slope and he twisted to sit with his back against the rock to catch his breath. Her hands were resting on his shoulders and he looked up into her face which was now illuminated in a soft glow by his torch light. She seemed to pause for a second and then taking his face in her hands she leaned forward and planted a large forceful kiss on his lips. She pulled back quickly,
“Do not do that again Scofield ok?”
“Fall down a mountain? I’ll try not to ….” And he smirked.
But Sara was already kneeling by him, her expert fingers pushing up his jeans to feel for his ankle. He caught flashes of her face in the torch light, unable to miss the tension evident in her eyes and tight mouth as she tried to examine him.
“Here hold this.” she said “and point yours down there too” she ordered as she handed him her torch,
She grasped his calf muscle feeling down his leg before lowering his sock and tenderly brushing her fingers over the impressively swollen ankle.
He winced as she applied some pressure, manipulating the joint ever so slightly.
“Can you wiggle your toes Michael?” she asked, and he was suddenly transported back to another time and place and a gurney in the infirmary as she administered to him once more.
“I can’t feel anything Sara, its all thankfully numb now - has been for quite a while.” He added, a worried look creeping across his face as he saw the extent of the swelling.
“Is that bad…no feeling?” his hesitant tone revealing his anxiety. They still had thirty miles at least to travel.
“Hmm” her mouth set in a strange curl. “I don’t want to take your boot off because we may not get it back on.”
“So what now?” he asked,
“Well normally I would prescribe an ice compact on your ankle, keeping it raised for the next few hours and no walking for at least 12 hours…..”
“Ok…well the ice is gonna be a problem…” he replied with a straight face but then catching her eye they both broke into a grin.
“Wow you think so huh?” She responded and leaning forward she snaked her arms around his neck and pressing her head close against his she hugged him.
“So we need a plan B” He murmured into her hair as his hands reached around her waist to hold her.
Plan B turned out to be a long painful walk along the trail, with Sara trying to help Michael by taking his arm over her shoulder and he trying not to let her take his full weight as they hobbled and shuffled and staggered the last few miles down the other side of the hill and towards a rather non descript barbed wire fence barely four feet high.
“This is it, this is the border?” She asked, her hands on her hips as she stared at what looked like just a stock fence to her.
Michael had been rummaging about in the bag and pulled out the GPS unit, tapping through a few buttons, the screen flashed brightly in his face as it booted up.
“I’m just going to check.” he responded but as he did they heard the sound of an engine and he threw himself to the ground, pulling Sara with him. They had luckily been standing in a dip next to the fence several feet below the ground level and he could only hope that they were not visible from the American side. He pulled off his head torch and pushed it under his body, desperate to cut the light streaming from it. The engine noise grew louder and louder and Michael held his breath whilst hugging Sara close to him as the noise rose to a crescendo. He could see a powerful light beam cutting through the darkness above them, highlighting everything in its path with a harsh white glare. Whatever it was didn’t stop, but swept past them probably thirty feet on the other side of the fence and it was only as the receding engine noise revealed it was now moving away quickly did Michael risk putting his head up. He saw the tail lights and a small dust storm kicked up from a sand buggy as it progressed along the narrow track that ran along side the fence. The headlights were skewed to light the track of land on the northern side of the fence.
They waited until they could no longer hear the buggy and then slowly stood up, Michael grunting with the exertion, before dusting off the light sand that had clung to their jeans.
“Border Patrol” he murmured. “Come on lets cross now, I doubt there would be another one along for a while.” He took his jacket off and flung it onto the barbs of the fence next to a post and holding it down as far as it would go helped Sara climb over. Then he dropped the two bags on the other side of the fence before he swung his long legs over, stumbling as his injured one hit the ground and falling down in an ungracious heap. Sara went to him, a creased look of concern on her face but was met with a grinning Michael as he once more tried to stand.
“Ok that wouldn’t have looked great right?”
She started to brush more of the fine sand from him.
“I’ve seen better.” she replied smiling up at him and then turned to look out across the track.
“So we’re home?” She sighed.
“Yeah we’re back.” he replied rather noncommittally, choosing to ignore the significance of being back on American soil, because that actually meant he would soon have to think abut what to do with Sara, and where to go. He once again started rummaging about in the rucksack for the map. After a few moments of checking it against the GPS he folded the first back into his pocket.
“Ok we’re about three miles from a water dump if this map is still accurate. It looks like a major one, the symbols suggests there is water and other supplies left. It’s even got a name ‘Andy’s’. We’re almost out of water and will have to stock up if we stand a chance of reaching the main highway.” He noticed that the first delicate shifts of dawn had started to lighten the sky to the east and he frowned.
“I’m not sure we’re going to make it before daylight. I can’t travel fast on this ankle, I think we should find some cover and dig in for the day. I don’t want to wait too long at Andy’s either because it’s bound to be known to the patrols.”
“Sounds like a plan.” she nodded and they turned to walk across to the track Sara reaching out a helping hand to him as he hopped ungraciously on his one good leg. But within a few steps their feet sunk into a layer of the sand that now seemed to be everywhere. Michael stopped, and with some difficulty he kneeled and picked up some grains of the sand then patted the ground. He adjusted his light and scanned the area.
“Clever….” he murmured into the breeze that had kicked up.
“What is?” she asked puzzled.
“Give me your torch Sara.”
She handed it over and he turned it on and scanned the ground from the fence to the track the buggy had used.
“They’ve cut down or sprayed all the vegetation on this side of the fence. There is a clear twenty feet between it and the track. The sand is perfect at showing the footprints, of anyone crossing it. So all they need to do is drive down the track and the headlights will show if anyone had crossed in the last few hours. Then they can track them across the scrub and pick them up before they reach the road.”
“So what can we do Michael we can’t fly over that?” And she gestured at the sand strip, becoming more and more evident as the sun crept up over the horizon.
“We’ll cross it , and then we’ll cover it.” he replied and taking her hand they carried on through the sand , stopping every couple of seconds to fill in their footprints with handfuls of sand, sprinkling the last few grains across the now flat surface. They reached the track, and looked back to see a pristine surface and no evidence of passage.
They walked for about a mile, Michael struggling with every step but remaining stoic until they found a small thicket of squat trees that afforded them shade and cover from any nosey choppers. Michael was a little concerned when he noticed debris left from other travellers under a few of the other trees. It seemed they were not the only ones to have the same idea… It was now early morning and he had a good view of the flat scrubland that stretched out ahead of them. There was nowhere else to hide. It would be down to bad luck if a patrol decided to check this area out today. He pondered his other options.
They were now in America, they could probably have a go at talking their way out of the situation, he had after all got an American passport on him, although that in itself might raise suspicions, why would he be carrying one in his own country? They could perhaps pretend they were hikers who got very lost and just hope they weren’t recognised? He juggled with these ideas for a few moments and frowned, none were very good.
He sighed, his plans didn’t normally depend on quite so much wishful thinking and he hoped he wasn’t about to pay another involuntary visit to the border control point at Las Cruces…they would certainly recognise him there, he had probably been one of their most famous prisoners briefly.
They rested all day under the patchy shade of the trees. Several times one of them would fall into a fitful sleep, as the other watched the horizon for any sign of the returning border patrol. They talked softly, once again exploring each others pasts tentatively. They had both lost mothers and had absent fathers but Sara’s tales of nannies and chauffeurs who ran her life on a schedule like a military option was far removed from Michael’s sporadic stints in foster care and Lincoln’s haphazard guardianship. They sat for several hours in almost silence, hovering on the edge of sleep, their hands intertwined, and fingers softly caressing each others, Michael creating a steady stroking rhythm with the pad of his thumb on the delicate skin at her wrist marvelling at her creamy almost translucent skin with pale blue veins just visible below the surface.
Later Sara fussed over Michael’s ankle, since the swelling was showing no signs of receding and she tried but failed to hide her concern from him.
“Its not looking good is it “he whispered to her at one point. His eyes seeking a reassurance in hers that she couldn’t deliver.
“It should have gone down a little by now, but if it was broken you’d be experiencing way more pain.” She tried to explain.
He frowned,
“It is painful but you know I have a high threshold for pain”
“I know.”she replied “and an amazing ability to forget how you incurred the injuries too…..if I recall.”
He smiled, “I’m sorry I must have been a real nuisance for you back then.”
“Among other things.” she replied in a low voice and snuggled closer to him as they sat with their backs to one of the larger trees. Several times they heard a plane or chopper go overhead and they waited for the tell tale sign of it returning or of a land vehicle honing in on them but it never happened. A little while later she reached for a bottle of water and realised with a knot of anxiety that it was their last. She took a small sip. Michael who had been watching her, nodded her on to take more.
“Don’t worry we’ll get more at Andy’s drop, take what you need.”
Those words came back to him later that night after they had trudged the last two miles in the dark to reach Andy’s water drop. Their water was all gone and the last hour had been a torture of dry mouths and lips and the creeping signs of dehydration as they both started to suffer exhaustion and throbbing headaches.
Sara almost ran the last few steps towards the large water tank that sat on the desert floor next to a tree. She twisted and turned the tap but couldn’t make it move and screamed at it in frustration through cracked and broken lips. Michael had taken a little longer to reach the tap and sank down onto his knees as Sara crawled away from it and started to fumble with the valve. He turned it in both directions, his long fingers manipulating the valve with such ease but after several tries he slumped back.
“The tap’s working, it’s the tank that’s empty…” and his eyes sought the ground in a weary acceptance of their fate. “There is no water.”
This news broke them both and they crawled towards the tree shedding their bags on the way. They had no water; Michael’s foot was not getting any better, so walking on was no longer an option. It seemed all they could do now was sit and wait for a border patrol to come along and then ….well would it then be a rescue or an arrest and inevitable separation……?
As they sat slumped against the tree, wrapped in the sleeping bag against the harsh coldness of a desert night Michael once again ran through his options. Sara had apparently fallen asleep again, her breaths were heavy and loud in the darkness her broken arm outside the bag a stark reminder of what she had already gone through. Michael couldn’t let anything else happen to her, and he contemplated leaving her now, walking as far as he could until they picked him up. Ensuring he’d put enough distance between him and Sara so she couldn’t be caught up in his arrest. If she was found with him, then she was at risk and he could not let that happen again. He tried to slither out of the bag but her other arm had been pressed tight against his and she responded by reaching for him as he tried to move away.
“I hadn’t got you down as one of those ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em guys’ “ she whispered through the darkness, and he swallowed, his dry throat protesting at the un-lubricated action. He hadn’t realised she had woken up.
“I don’t think I should be here when they find you Sara.” was all he could think to say. Realising that with those words he had admitted his failure to get them to safety, to make everything alright and his head dipped onto his chest.
“And I can’t remember asking you to sacrifice yourself for me Michael so get back inside this bag and you’d better be here when I wake up….” She replied, turning into the heat and firmness of his body and resting her cast on his chest, before closing her eyes once more.
It was another perfect dawn in the desert, the sky unsullied by clouds was slowly shedding the pink and amber brushstrokes of sunrise for the calming pale blue of another sun drenched day. Michael and Sara were asleep in each others arms the top of the sleeping bag just covering their shoulders.
Michael’s eyelids flickered as somewhere even in his unconscious state he heard the low thrumming of an engine. He woke, his eyes fluttering open and after taking a few dislocated seconds to work out where they were he sat up. Glancing over at the still sleeping form of Sara he checked his watch, it was seven am and now the noise that had dredged him from his sleep was unmistakeable in the mid distance.
He nudged Sara gently, and unzipped his side of the bag, half climbing half rolling out of it and standing up testing his ankle. It still hurt like hell…… He held his hand to his forehead to block out the strongest of the suns rays and could see a small vehicle slowly trundling towards them.
“Sara it’s a Patrol I think.” He spoke with a measured weariness, an acceptance of his fate now just minutes away and looked back towards her, his heart already slamming into his chest at the thought of being separated from her once more. Before he could stop himself he had closed the four feet between them and with his large hands splayed out on either side of her face pulled her into the most suffocating of kisses, his lips forceful and possessive. She could sense the desperation even before his tongue demanded entry to her mouth and she curled her good arm around his neck, slowing the kiss, and softening it before pulling it away.
“This is not goodbye Michael, I won’t let it be.” she whispered to him and then taking his hand they both turned to face their future.
It was a large quad bike and sitting astride it was a woman, her shoulder length hair scooped back in a ponytail, a large pair of sunglasses hiding most of her face and she was wearing a rather weathered bucket hat. She was tanned and athletic looking, a pair of shorts exposing most of her bronzed legs and a pale cotton shirt over a camisole top completed the picture.
She didn’t look like border patrol was the first thought of Sara and Michael but they remained silent, still trying to assess who this woman was.
“Hi, sorry am I interrupting something?” She asked with wicked grin on her face, making it obvious she had seen their kiss.
“And you are?” Asked Michael guardedly. Running his tongue across his dry lips before he spoke.
“I guess I’m the water boy.” she replied with a smirk and it was only then did Michael look beyond the bike and see the small trailer and water tank.
“You have water?” Sara gasped out and immediately started to make for the tank.
“Gallons of it, and by the look of you two, not before time.” The last few words were tinged with a tone of sadness that Michael caught, briefly seeing the corresponding flicker in her eyes.
“Some water would be appreciated.” he said and started to limp slowly over, every step a misery, to join Sara.
The woman had climbed off the bike now and taking a metal cup screwed onto a chain attached to the tank she twisted the tap and filled it to the brim, passing it to Sara and watching with hands on hips as she quaffed it back in almost one messy gulp.
“Woah how long have you gone without?” she asked
“About a day.” Michael responded as he now greedily gulped his cup of water down.
“We lost half our water in the hills...an accident.” He added casting a glance over to Sara,
“Then I hurt my ankle so it slowed us down and added another day to the journey.”
“Tough one” she responded.
“Mind if I ask why two Americans are crossing back into the States illegally?”
They both dropped their heads for a moment, then Michael looked at her and in an attempt to shift the initiative said. “Can I ask who you are?”
Andy had been watching them closely, there was something familiar about them, and she couldn’t place it ….yet.
“Sure, I’m Andy,” she said “and this is my water drop you’re putting at risk. So if you don’t mind moving on. You have about another hour before Eric’s patrol is due”
“He can’t” Sara’s voice cut in, “his ankle won’t take much more.”
“I’m ok I can manage.” he almost hissed back
“You’re not ok, face it Michael. You can barely walk at all now.”
Andy watched the interchange between the pair with interest and pursing her lips several times she hesitated before speaking,
“I’ll take you back but if we get stopped you’re both volunteers on the ‘No more deaths campaign’ right?”
They both nodded “Right”
“Although I have no idea what that is.” Added Michael.
“Ok I’ll tell you later, help me swap the tanks and then we can be on our way.”
Minutes later Michael was sitting behind Andy on the bike. Sara and the bags were in the trailer as they bumped through the scrubland,
“Where are we heading?” he shouted to her above the noise of the quad bike,
“The highway, just a little north of it.”
“The highway is fine for us we can hitch from there….” Michael replied determined to keep some control.
“We’re going to my place. No one ever stops, never mind picks up on that Highway.” she responded matter-of-factly, her head twisting around slightly so her voice would carry to Michael.
“Where’s your place then?” He shouted again, wondering why he was trusting this woman.
“The Hotel Baja” she replied “Hold on!“ and the bike bumped across a rough part of the scrub for a few yards jolting the riders and sending Sara crashing against the side of the trailer.
“Where?” He asked thinking he’d misheard her
“Hotel Baja,”
“Is that where you live?” he asked surprised that they had ended up heading for the very place recommended by Bob and Jen.
“It’s my place, my Hotel” she replied and then revving the engine as they finally joined a gravel track she speeded up, the increase in noise putting an end to any more conversation..
Michael strengthened his grip on her waist and looked back to Sara smiling in what he hoped would be a reassuring way. Behind him he could see the small range of hills that had nearly ended their journey, ahead of them ….what?……for one of the very few times in his life….he didn’t actually know.
tbc
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