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Indecision threatened to paralyze me. I wanted to get as far away from the kidnappers as possible. I couldn't go to the observation point as planned. If the BITES people were all involved, then I'd be walking into a trap. I needed to find Gracie. It was still winter. I didn't think Gracie would be able to make a fire to stay warm. She was in real trouble, if I couldn't find her. Chance crossed my mind. I had to accept the possibility that he had been captured or killed by the BITES people. He wouldn't be coming to my rescue this time.
Trying to make a decision was making my head hurt. I ran until I couldn't take another step. I don't know if I fainted or passed out or sunk into a coma or what, but one minute I was running along the path praying for Gracie Layne's safety as I went, and the next time I opened my eyes, I was looking up at florescent lights in an industrial ceiling.
I turned my head to one side and saw gray cinderblock walls. When I turned to the other side, I saw Chance sitting in a chair asleep. I wondered if we were both locked in a cell somewhere.
"Chance," I said just above a whisper. He didn't move. I didn't want to make too much noise and alert any guards. When I tried to push myself up to a sitting position, the pain reminded me that I'd been shot. I looked at my arm. My scarf was gone replaced by bandages covering most of my arm from the wrist to the elbow. I wasn't in a lot of pain, so someone must have drugged me. I managed to sit up with my legs dangling over the side of the bed. I looked down at my feet. My boots were gone. I only had my woolly hiking socks. I'd have to find some shoes before we made our escape. I'd also have to find a coat.
I eased myself to the floor, holding onto the edge of the bed until I was sure I could stand up. I looked around. The only thing in the room was the bed I'd been lying on and two straight back chairs. There were cabinets and a sink along one wall. I walked behind Chance's chair and put my lips beside his ear. "Chance, are you OK?"
I must have startled him. He reached up and grabbed my injured arm. I screamed. The door flew open and people poured in. "Oh, God, Babe. I'm so sorry. You startled me. Why were you sneaking around? Why didn't you just talk to me." I'd slipped to the floor by Chance's feet, cradling my injured arm in my lap.
"I was trying to be quiet so we could plan our escape," I said.
"Oh. My. God. Everly. Are you OK? Why did you scream?"
"Gracie Layne? How are you?"
"I'm fine. You saved me," she said. “Who are you and what did you do with my formerly wimpy sister?"
"Chance, Gracie. You two can stay," a young man with dark hair wearing a lab coat said, as he shooed the others out of the room. "Let me check on her arm and then you can all talk."
I know I saw some of the BITES people. "Chance, I don't understand."
"That makes two of us," he said. "God, Everly, I'm sorry I hurt you."
"It's OK," I said.
"I'll be the judge of that, Ms. Mason. I'm Dr. Wainwright. Let's get you back up on the bed, so I can check you out." He extended his hand, but Chance, scooped me up and sat me gently on the side of the bed.
"Cassie didn't shoot the kidnappers. What happened? How did I get here?"
"Let Dr. Wainwright examine you. If he says you're OK, we'll get everyone together in the conference room to explain."
"Where are we?"
"This is the BITES lab."
"So, we are prisoners."
"Ms. Mason. I'm not sure why you think we would take you prisoner, but I can assure you, we are not keeping any of you people here against your will. In fact, though we appreciate you freeing us from our captors, all of the lab personnel will be very excited when your invading force moves on, and we can get back to our work."
After checking my vital signs, Dr. Wainwright removed the bandage from my arm, and I could see a row of neat stitches. "You didn't pull any stitches," he said, glaring at Chance. "I removed the bullet. We started you on antibiotics. What was in the poultice you put on the wound?"
I just looked at him. "The poultice, the leaves and plant material you used on the wound."
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about. I wrapped my scarf around the wound to stop the bleeding."
Chance moved closer. “When we found you, the scarf was still wrapped around your arm. Dr. Wainwright unwrapped it when we brought you in. Under the scarf there was a paste of leaves and plant matter."
Dr. Wainwright opened a small fridge and pulled out a sealed container. He brought it over and opened the lid. The odor almost knocked me out. "Fudge, that smells bad. What is it?"
"This is what was on your arm when they brought you in." He closed the container and put it back in the fridge.
"The only thing I put on my arm was my scarf. I don't know what that stuff is, but it stinks." I turned my head away.
"It might smell bad," Dr. Wainwright said, "But it stopped the bleeding and probably sped up your healing. I can’t wait to get an analysis of this. I'm guessing it's all locally available ingredients."
When I turned my attention back to Chance, he was grinning. "What put that Cheshire Cat grin on your face?"
"Think about it. You were passed out in the woods. If you didn't put that stuff on your arm, who did?"
"Maybe one of the kidnappers..."
"It wasn't them," he said.
"Maybe one of the BITES people have wilderness medical training."
"I'm sure they do, but I'm the one who found you."
"So, who put that stuff on my arm?"
"Your big hairy protector." I looked at him. "No. Not me. I said hairy not hunky.”