Chapter 19 | Wade
Where Adam was the face of calm, Wade felt as if his world was spiraling away from him. Going off on his own, something he and Adam had done for weeks now, seemed a simple pleasure. Nothing before had given him such a scare as when he took a header down the embankment and caught his ankle in a root.
The fall wrenched his foot pretty badly. It wasn’t broken, thankfully, but it ached like murder and kept Wade awake with worry. As the days progressed, the swelling went down, and Wade was able to move his foot without much issue. Holding his weight for long stretches was another matter. With no shortage of timber, they fashioned something for Wade to lean on so he could get around.
Sitting still, however, Adam insisted Wade keep it propped up.
While it was a relief that the ankle wasn't broken, it scared Wade. Because what would have happened if he'd broken it? Or if Adam hadn't found him that evening? Or worse?
They weren’t equipped to cope with major setbacks. They couldn't set broken bones. Adam did the best he could with any injuries they acquired in the course of surviving every day. Wade appreciated all he did.
How could they survive on the island if something worse happened? It was simply a matter of probability that one of them would sustain a serious injury eventually, if rescue never came.
Questions and worries continually circled in Wade’s head.
Adam mentioned several times he could tell when Wade thought hard about things. Wade wouldn’t complain or even give voice to his fears. The last thing he wanted to do was to upset Adam. So, Wade smiled, hid his fears, and did all he could to reassure Adam.
The worry never left.
Wade only got better at hiding it from Adam. Or Adam grew better at pretending he didn’t notice.
In the end, Wade had to forcefully resolve to let it go and no longer dwell on it. There was no point in worrying about something over which he had no control—Adam’s wise words.
Wade couldn’t control accidents, or whether they were rescued. But he could be ready, keep a watchful eye for possible rescue, and be careful.
They had managed this long; if they were both careful, they would remain free from serious injury.
But for how long? How long must they survive on this island?
The injury took far longer to heal than Wade expected. He could stand, and it would support his weight for a short time before he had to sit down again.
He felt more than a little useless while Adam picked up the slack.
Every so often, Wade hobbled down to the beach to let his ankle soak in the ocean water. The next best thing to a cold compress; it was cool enough. The waves lapping over his foot felt great. He even took things to do while there. A small basket project when Adam trusted him with the straw and rattan or some soft wood Adam picked up while out foraging for food or firewood.
With fishing and foraging, they'd become a proper hunter-gatherer couple.
Wade carved a small block of wood. His knife was getting dull again. The metal wasn’t going to hold out much longer against the rough stone he used to sharpen it. Ever since he found it, Wade was on the constant lookout for an appropriate sharpening stone. He made do with what he could find, but it marred the blade. If he didn’t take care of it, he risked rust settling in.
Fishing pole in hand, Adam had struck off further north up the beach to get some fishing done. That was Adam-speak for his own brand of alone time. He would put the hook in the water and meditate.
There was no way Wade could chastise the tender hearted man for that. Adam tried, he tried so hard, but if it'd been up to Adam and his inability to fish, they would have starved.
They made a good team, each augmenting for what the other couldn’t do. Much like a marriage. Each partner had a part they played in a relationship that brought them together as one.
What would it be like to marry someone like Adam?
Something Wade clearly didn’t need to worry about. If they never got off the island, then the point was rendered moot.
If they got off the island?
Who was Wade kidding? He didn’t believe they would, and he was okay with that. He had nothing he was eager to get back to. Nothing about his old life appealled to him. Nothing at all.
In fact, honestly, he was living the dream right there on a tropical island with the man he loved. They were in love, and they both knew it.
Wanting to stay on the island was selfish, though. Not for himself, but Wade wanted a safer and better life for Adam. Especially since his tumble down the hill.
Carving small slivers of wood away from his block, movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Except for the odd snake, they hadn’t been bothered by wild animals on the island. In fact, Wade didn’t think that predators would ever be a problem for them.
A bird on the horizon, then?
Wade narrowed his gaze and scanned the ocean.
Wait. Not a bird. The path across the water surface was too slow and not erratic enough to be a gull.
Then, a small cloud puff.
Shit.
Holy shit.
A ship.
Still too far out to see what kind, it didn’t matter to Wade. He’d hook up with pirates if it got him and Adam off this island.
Dropping his knife and wood, Wade lurched to his feet and stumbled to their camp. His ankle protested the sudden and vigorous movement.
That was the least of Wade’s worries.
He had to get the torch lit and then get up to the signal fires before the ship disappeared out of sight.
Wade pushed himself as hard as he could back to the cave. He lunged for two torches and shoving them into the fire.
It took an eternity before they caught. He probably should have left them in the fire longer to make sure they stayed lit. Time he didn’t have.
He scrambled up the hill and along the ridge. He threw himself at the first signal pyre, leaving the torch in the pile of bramble and brush while he did the same for the second and third.
And then he held his breath.
The ship continued moving at a decent speed and was about to vanish from sight as it rounded the jetties and headed north, possibly back out to sea.
His heart beat so heavily in his chest, he feared it was a heart attack.
The ship disappeared.
No. No! This was not happening. Not now. Not now!
He sunk to his knees with the overwhelming urge to cry.
Smoothing his face, he strained to watch the horizon.
And there he saw it. The ship had turned around and was heading south again.
Wade shouted with exuberant joy.
He didn’t wait to see if they would dispatch a dinghy to come to shore. Instead, he headed back down to the beach, shouting for Adam.
The small roar of an outboard motor rumbled faintly above the crashing surf.
Oh God, they were getting off the island.
Rescued.
“Adam!” he shouted again. “Adam, a ship!”
As the boat drew closer, Adam appeared through the brush. “Wade! Light the sign—” He broke into a laugh as he looked up at the sky to see it filled with smoke.
Leaping around, waving his arms in the air, Adam's laughter bubbled over all the other sounds. It was a good sound and Wade joined Adam in celebration.
Elation and relief filled Wade. All the stress, all the worry, all the anxiety, they melted away in the face of their new reality.
They were found.
They were going to be okay.
They were going home.
Once in reach, Wade grabbed Adam and pulled him close. He kissed the man breathlessly, joyfully enjoying the press of their bodies, afraid to let Adam go when he started to pull away. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to get our stuff.”
Wade laughed and dragged Adam back into a hug. “Adam, you’re amazing. We don’t need the stuff. We can leave it here because we won’t need it anymore.”
Adam wrapped his arms around Wade’s waist and leaned in heavily. “Wade, I can’t believe this.”
Once the boat was close enough, three men disembarked and slogged through the surf. “You need help?” one of them asked in broken English. Obviously understanding the meaning of the smoke signal.
“Yes. We've been stranded here,” Adam answered. Wade was glad he did because his voice was gone. Emotion choked it off in his throat. “Please. Can you help us?”
“We head for the Port of Nassau. That is good, yes?”
“Yes, anywhere. It’s fine, it’s perfect.” Adam squeezed Wade once more. “I have to go get something,” he said and dashed off into the woods.
The men looked at Wade as if they believed Adam had lost his mind. Wade shrugged. Adam wouldn’t be Adam if he didn't insist on going back for his pack.
Wade’s ankle protested mightily as he limped to the boat, assisted by the men. He settled on the bench, and Adam reappeared only minutes later, his backpack flapping on his back. “I had to put the campfire out, so it didn’t burn the whole island down.”
“Adam” Wade said and started laughing. “You’re amazing.”
One of the men motioned for Adam to get in the boat. “Come,” he said as the other two men turned the boat around and pushed it back into deeper water. “Let’s get you home.”
Home. Wade squeezed his eyes shut.
They were going home.