“Where am I?” Toni lifted her head. She was wearing a large nightgown and resting on a stack of pillows in a feather bed with real sheets. The room was small and furnished with antiques from the seventies and eighties.
Something at the foot of the bed stirred. She rose up on her good arm to get a better look. It was Cody. He was stretched out, snoring softly on a colorful homemade rag rug.
Toni reached behind her for one of the pillows and tossed it at him. Cody woke with a start. “What the …” He sat up. “Oh, it’s you,” he said crossly. “It’s about time you woke up. We have a lot of ground to cover.”
“What happened? The last thing I remember was walking in the desert. How did we get here?”
The door opened and the stout blond woman from the water tank came in carrying a tray with glasses and sandwiches. “Good. You’re awake.” She set the tray down on the nightstand. “You must hurry now. Orlo will be back soon.”
Toni looked confused. “Who’s Orlo?”
Cody stood up and took one of the sandwiches. “Thank you, Anna. As soon as my sister is ready, we’ll be on our way.”
“That’s good. I’ll just go downstairs and make you something to take with you. Do try and hurry now,” she repeated as she closed the door.
“That was Anna,” Cody said between bites. “Here, have a sandwich.” He held out the tray for her. Toni took one of the larger ones and Cody continued, “You tried to cut out on me back there in the desert. I barely got you here alive. Anna found us in her water tank. After I explained how we broke down out in the desert and had gotten ourselves lost looking for shelter, she was kind enough to help take care of you.”
“How long have we been here?”
“All last night and most of today. Anna put that splint on your arm and doctored your head. But if you feel up to it she wants us to leave as soon as possible. She’s American but her husband, Orlo, runs this satellite outpost for the CCR. She’s expecting him back today.”
Toni pulled back the sheet and tried to stand up. “Ohhh.” She held her forehead.
Cody reached out to steady her. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah, sure. Help me find my clothes.”
“Your flight suit got kinda shredded on the way here. I had to drag you a pretty long way.” He picked up a large plaid shirt and an equally large pair of red shorts. “Anna says you can have these.”
Toni smiled. “I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Wait for me downstairs. I’ll just be a minute.”