Lifting my eyebrows, I asked, “What?”
“I’m grateful for the person who packed that damn first aid kit and had the sense to put so much aspirin and Advil in it.”
With a light chuckle, I looked away. I didn’t have the heart to tell him there were only a few pills left. Between the three of them, we were running low.
Next thing I heard was William yelling. “Holy shit! Holy fucking shit! I’m so stupid. So. Fucking. Stupid.”
Nate sighed. “Damn. I thought for sure Tess would be the first to lose her shit and flip out.”
“Hey!” Tess said smacking the back of Nate’s head. “You asshole.”
The two of them had been at each other’s throats the last two days. It might not have been obvious to them, but I could tell they were attracted to one another.
Standing, I took in a deep breath and quickly forced it out as I worked up the nerve to go see what William was going off about.
“I’ll go see what’s going on.”
Before I could take a step, William came hobbling toward us. “Your cell phone batteries! Has everyone kept their phones off?”
I nodded and then looked at Nate and Tess. “Yep. Mine’s been off the whole time,” Tess answered.
Nate nodded. “Same here.”
The smile that spread across William’s face was the first sign of hope we had had in the last five days.
“I don’t know what in the hell I was thinking trying to mess with the radio. The emergency beacon is what we need to get working.”
Tess jumped up. “Yes!”
“Using our batteries from our phones, I can wire them together in a series to get enough juice to get the beacon going.”
My heart raced. “Are you sure?”
“Well, I’m not a hundred percent certain it will work, but it’s worth a try. Why I didn’t think of it before now is beyond me.”
I turned to Nate and Tess. “Where are your phones?”
Nate reached into the seat pocket and pulled his out. “Here’s mine.”
Tess rushed to where she had her luggage. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out her phone and handed it to me. I could see the hope in both their eyes and I was positive mine reflected the same thing.
“Let’s do this,” I said as I followed William to the little work station he had set up.
After a couple of hours of watching him, I stood up and walked out for some fresh air and to look around. It was beautiful here. Freezing at night, but beautiful.
Closing my eyes, I tried to think positive thoughts. I prayed every night that God would send Taylor some kind of sign that I was still alive. William prayed every night for his wife and unborn daughter. The more he talked about them, the more I had the desire to tell Taylor the second she was in my arms I wanted to have a baby.
When I opened my eyes, I turned to see Tess standing next to me. “He’s driving me crazy. I actually feel like I want to put a pillow over
his head and hold it there.”
Letting out a chuckle, I shook my head. “I think he likes you.”
Her head jerked back as she let out a gruff laugh. “Really? If that’s his idea of liking a woman, I’d hate to see what he’s like when he doesn’t like them.”
“Awe, come on, Tess. Nate’s a good guy. You’re not the least bit attracted to him? I mean, I know you’re married and all, but you did say you filed for a divorce right before our fun little trip to the desert.”
She snarled her lip at me. “No, I am not attracted to him at all.”