“You should call your father, you know.” Shoveling a forkful of rations in my mouth, I chewed slowly as I contemplated James’ suggestion. He was right, of course; I should’ve called my dad when I woke up. There was no reason not to, especially when considering my circumstances. Anyone in their right mind would’ve called the police by now.

My gaze flickered to Kiki, and I smiled around my food before swallowing roughly.

“Yeah, later. I don’t want to listen to him rage about my carelessness.” Grumbling absently, I scooped more tasteless mush onto my spork robotically. “He’s an ass when it comes to injuries that could’ve been avoided by not being an idiot.”

“There are definitely worse things that could’ve happened. I’m going to borrow your dog, if that’s okay.”

“Will she listen to you?” The question slipped out before I had a chance to really process what James wanted. Tilting my head to watch him nod firmly, I pursed my lips together tightly as heat suffused my cheeks. “Okay, I guess…”

“Thanks.” Finishing my breakfast in quiet, I let my mind wander to the night before. James had looked so vulnerable, leaning against the refrigerator as if it was the only thing keeping him upright. Whatever had woken him up had done a lot of damage, and my gaze flickered to my camera by my hip. He didn’t even seem to notice that I had taken pictures of him, and that was as surprising as it had been worrying.

“… Listen… about last night- It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but I won’t judge you, James.” Speaking up softly, I looked down at my lap to avoid the intensity in James’ gaze as it ran over my profile. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and I tightened my grip on my ration bag before his gravelly voice reached me.

“There’s no point in telling you.” Desire rose up in my gut to tell him he was wrong, but he beat me to the punch with a condescending chuckle. “And before you tell me it helps to share, it wouldn’t. Not this time. So, just don’t ask again, Caroline.”

“Okay.” Effectively shut down, I nibbled my bottom lip as my chest grew tight. Blinking brought up the image of his tortured expression, but in this moment James radiated closed off animosity. Trying to break through that would only make him mad, and I inhaled softly to hold my breath.

As soon as James was finished eating he got up, and I watched from under my lashes as he stared at Kiki. Pursing my lips into a thin line, I held my breath even as his chest expanded widely beneath his t-shirt.

“What sound do you use for hunting?” Without looking my way he spoke, and my eyes flew to Kiki as her ears perked up. Her intelligence blew me away sometimes; she knew exactly what was going to happen.

“Buzzing- like a bee.” My heat beat hardened, picking up speed when James nodded. Making his way around the couch to the door, he twisted the knob with a jerk before jerking his head. Kiki waited for me, watching, and I tilted my head with a growing lump in my throat. We hadn’t been apart since I adopted her, and it was enough to make my eyes sting. Leisurely standing on strong legs, she sauntered towards the open barrier with her head low and tail stiff.

“We’ll be back. Try to relax.” Grabbing a shotgun I hadn’t noticed, James left with my dog and shut the door behind him. The snitch of the handle was damning, and I let out my breath shakily. Forcing my eyes off the door, I looked around me before noticing the satellite phone sitting where he had just been.

Reaching for the device, I held the cold lump of metal and plastic in my palm as blood rushed in my ears. Slowly extending the antenna, my thumbs hovered over the numbers until I worked up the courage to press them. My gut tied in knots, and I ground my teeth as I brought the receiver to my ear.

The phone rang three times before a soft click told me it’d been answered, and I held my breath in aching lungs as my father’s voice echoed through my skull.

“Hello? Who is this?” Deep and familiar, my dad sounded irritated, and for a second, I was tongue-tied. “Hello?”

“Hey- Dad… it’s me.” My own voice shook slightly, and I cleared my throat harshly before continuing. “Uh, listen. There’s been a bit of a development. So… I kind of… maybe… broke my ankle…”

“… So, does that mean you’re not on your way back like you were supposed to today, CareBear?” Nodding even though he couldn’t see, I smiled at the dumb note in my dad’s voice as it crackled through the speaker.

“Yeah. Kiki got me help. I’m just calling to let you know. I’m going to call an ambulance to get me back, but my truck is still at the campsite.” My loose plan wasn’t going to appease my dad, and he sighed heavily. In my mind’s eye, I could see him raking his hand through his hair with a sour expression painted on his face.

“What about the help? You said that demon dog got you help? Where are you?” The impatient questions made me chuckle, and I leaned back to stare at the ceiling.

“He’s a retired Marine. Kiki seems to like him, so I figured it wouldn’t be a bad idea to surf his couch for a night until I called an ambulance. He fixed up my ankle, but I still need to go to a hospital.” Awkwardness couldn’t even begin to describe what I felt as I described James to my dad, and I reached to rub my chin absently. “I’m, like, five miles from my campsite, but I don’t know which direction. Where are you right now?”

“I’m home. Do you need me to come get you? It’ll be a couple hours, but I can bring Sheila so we can get your truck. What about your camera and everything?” Just from the shortness of his words, I could tell my father was already planning on hopping in his own truck. The line crackled, and I heard the jingle of keys in the background.

“My camera is fine- James went to get it for me after I woke up. I mean, if you want to, you can. If I was in danger or anything, Kiki wouldn’t have gotten him, right? She even went with him just now to get lunch. I feel weird without her.”

“… So, his name is James, huh? Anyway- I’ll come get you tomorrow if you’re so sure you’re safe, CareBear. I’ll let Sheila know so she can do whatever she does. Do you want us to bring anything?” Furrowing my brows sharply, I moistened my lips with my tongue as surprise dried my mouth.

“I thought you’d come tromping through the forest like Tarzan to chew me out about breaking my ankle?”

“I need to make a power point for all of the fucked up stuff you do, Caroline. But you said it yourself- Kiki has no problem with this James character. That’s enough for me. I know how smart that demon dog is, so I’ll come get you tomorrow. Call me if anything happens.” Just like that my father hung up, and I held my phone to my ear as his words buzzed around my skull. Of all the conversations I had anticipation, that one hadn’t made the list. My dad was trusting my dog when he usually had nothing but irritation for her.

Maybe James being a Marine helped a little… I don’t know.

Setting the phone down, my fingers twitched, and my lip upturned in amusement. A breathless laugh flowed from my throat, and I shook my head at the sheer absurdity of it all.