Chapter Six Howard and Jean

Howard helps Jean back to the Lodge. The kids start moving into the Lodge.

Chapter Six

 

Howard and Jean

 

Quickly, Howard called the rest of the boys, and they followed Nathan through a thick patch of brush.  Ten minutes later, they came to a clump of small redwood trees.  In the midst of the trees, they saw a human form lying face down on the ground.  The long reddish hair indicated that it was, indeed, a female.

Howard kneeled next to the body and turned it over.  As he did so, it let out a painful groan.  She was a young woman, and howard saw that she was wearing the uniform of a United States Forest Ranger.  Her uniform was filthy and torn, and there was a smell about the Ranger that suggested she had not bathed in a long time, or else she was sick.

One of the redwoods had a partially hollow area at its base.  The boys carefully moved the young woman into the hollow so that she was out of the rain.  There was room for one other person in the hollow, so Howard crept into the space.  He stared at her helplessly, not knowing what to do.

He said to Ahmad, "Give me your canteen."

Ahmad handed the metal container to Howard.  Carefully, Howard pressed the canteen to the woman’s lips, and he let a few drops spill into her mouth to see what would happen.  Seconds later she coughed, swallowed, and then tried to raise her head toward the canteen.  Howard tipped the canteen a little more, and she began to drink thirstily.  She took several swallows, and then she lay back.  Her eyes opened for an unfocused moment, and then they closed.  She fell asleep.  Howard shook her, forcing her to wake up.  He made her drink some more water, and then he allowed her to lie back and sleep.

"What are we going to do with her?" Ahmad asked anxiously.

Howard thought for a moment, and then said, "You three go back to camp.  Tell Mike what happened.  I'm sure he'll send someone to help.  I'm going to stay with her.  Leave me all the food.  Eat the other rabbits tonight.  Try to hurry tomorrow, but be careful.  Nathan, Kevin, I'm putting Ahmad in charge."

"He is in charge?" Nathan questioned Howard, giving Ahmad a dubious glance.  Kevin grimaced.

Howard's eyes flashed.  "Ahmad is a Spear," he said fiercely.  "If you guys give him any trouble, Mike's gonna kick your asses, and you'll never get to go anywhere again."

"Hey, just kidding, Howard," Nathan answered hastily.  "We know the rules."  Kevin nodded.

"Better get moving, Ahmad," Howard said.  "Good luck."

"You too," replied Ahmad.  "And don't worry about Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb.  If they give me any trouble, I’ll blow them up with a flashlight.  Just kidding," he said to the startled twins.  He and the twins quickly vanished back the way they had come.

When they got back to their gear, Ahmad changed the plan slightly.  "I'm going to take some food, water, and two sleeping bags back to Howard," he explained.  "You guys are going to have to share a bag tonight."

"All right," the twins said.  Ahmad hurried back to Howard.

“I brought you two sleeping bags," Ahmad explained, "Yours and Kevin’s.  He and Nathan can share for one night."

"Thanks, man," Howard said gratefully.  He had not thought of that.  Ahmad left the food and water and disappeared through the brush.

Howard turned to the woman.  She was asleep, and she seemed to be breathing normally.  He wondered if she was just extremely fatigued.  She was thoroughly soaked from the rain.  There was not enough room to make a fire in their shelter, and it was raining again outside.  He decided to put her in one of the sleeping bags.

Howard unzipped a sleeping bag, and he positioned it by her feet.  He removed her shoes and socks.  He started to tug the sleeping bag over her legs, but then he stopped.  Her pants were soaked.  Should he remove her pants?  He quailed at the thought.

You have to do it, he told himself sternly.  You can't put her in the bag while she's wet.  He felt his heart start to pound as he unbuckled her belt.  He hesitated, and then he pulled her pants down.  Trying to avoid looking at her, he carefully lifted her feet one by one, and pulled off her pants.  Next, he unbuttoned her shirt and awkwardly pulled her arms out of the sleeves.  He wondered if she would suddenly awaken and beat the crap out of him.  Finally, he had her shirt removed.  She was soaked to the skin.

Now he faced a terrible dilemma.  Should he remove her underwear?  I can't do it, he thought.  It's not right.  She will kill me, or Mike will hang me.  Still, maybe he should.  If only it were dark.  He looked outside.  It would be hours before darkness set in.  He needed to get her warm and dry.

He argued with himself for minutes, before he thought what if it was me?  Would I want her to take off my briefs?  

He finally decided that if their positions were reversed, he would want her to get him dry, however she did it. So, he shut his eyes and removed her underwear.  He had to open them for one minute, as he studied how to unclasp her bra.  Then with his eyes still shut, he hastily pulled the bag up over her legs.  Then he lifted her using one arm under her back, and he pulled the bag over her hips.  Eventually, he got her all the way into the sleeping bag, so that it was up to her neck.

Howard felt exhausted.  He thought he had never worked so hard in his life.  He took off his clothes, climbed into the other bag, and he slept.  When he woke, the sun was low in the sky.  It had stopped raining.  He got out of the bag, and he put on his damp clothes.  Note to Mike, he thought, always take an extra set of clothes on these trips.

Howard crawled out of the tree and stood.  He stretched and walked around for a few minutes.  Then it began to rain again, and he crawled back into the shelter.

The woman began to make waking noises.  As he watched, her eyes fluttered open.  She seemed dazed.  Howard took a piece of bread and held it to her lips.  She bit into the bread and then weakly tried to lunge forward for a larger bite.  He had brought a thermos of powdered drink which he helped her to drink.  That was all the energy she could muster.  She lay back and fell asleep again.

The sun went down, and it got cold.  Howard shivered even after he was in his sleeping bag.  He thought that it was the coldest night of the season, yet.  He used his flashlight to check on the woman.  She was shivering, too.  Howard thought about climbing into the bag with her, but there was not enough room for the two of them.  It was difficult, but he managed to unzip both bags and then zip them together.  He was probably already in a lot of trouble anyway, he decided, so he took off his damp clothes except for his briefs, and he got into the combined bags.  He lay there next to her for a few minutes, but she did not stop shivering.  Now thoroughly alarmed, he pulled her into his arms and held her.  Soon, she stopped shaking, and Howard felt her relax.  Once, she sighed in her sleep.  Gradually, his eyes closed.  He slept, woke up, and then fell asleep again.

When he awoke, there was a dim light in the sky.  He was still holding the woman.  Trying to be quiet, he crept out of the bag.  He looked out of their shelter.  It was still very cold, but he crawled out, so he could stand and stretch for a minute.  His body was sore, and he felt very tired.  He crawled back inside the tree trunk.  He looked at the woman and froze.  Her eyes were open, and she was staring at him.

"Who are you?" Her voice was as icy as he felt.  Another red head, she noted, seeing his long hair.

"I'm Howard."

"I'm naked," she said indignantly.

"I'm really, really sorry about that," Howard answered hastily.  "You were really wet.  I mean really, really soaked.  So I thought that I should..."  He trailed off.

"You thought that you should take my clothes off.  Wasn't that nice of you?"  She scowled at him.

"I'm sorry.  I thought that was what I should do."

"Where are they?"

"What?"

"My clothes!"

"Uh, look over here.  See?  I got a stick, and I hung them on the stick, and I leaned it inside this tree.  I was hoping they would dry.  But they didn't."

"And my underwear?"

"I put them in your pockets."

Howard could see that she was thinking over his words.

"Are there any others with you?”  Her suspicion was like a shield.

"Not now.  I sent the others back to our camp to tell the Chief that we found you.  I'm sure he will send help.  You looked kind of sick, so I stayed with you."

"Hmm..."  She continued to stare at him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.  "I have some food.  What's your name?"

She seemed to relax slightly.  "I'm Jean.  And yes, I’m very hungry."  Howard gave her a sandwich, an apple, and a can of tiny wieners.  She ate them ravenously, and then she drank a bottle of water.

"I've got more," said Howard.  "But maybe you should wait for a little while before you eat again.  Do you have any food?"

"No, I haven’t eaten for three days now, I think.  I managed to get water.  Where did you find me?" Jean asked.

"Right here, outside this tree.  I didn't want to move you, so we put you in here.  Then I sent the other three for help."

"How soon will they be back?" she asked.

"They’ll get back to our camp late today.  I imagine the Chief will send someone tomorrow.  They should be here the day after tomorrow."

Time enough to obtain some information, Jean thought.  There is time enough to decide whether or not I should get the hell away from here. If he is not lying to me about the time it will take them.

"Tell me about your camp," Jean said.

So Howard talked about the camp.  He told her about the Lodge that they were building.  He kept mentioning someone he called, ‘the Chief,’ which she took to be the man in charge.

At one point, she heard Howard mutter, "I hope he doesn't hang me for this."  Her heart raced when she heard that.  She feared the worst.

"You don't mean that, do you?" she asked.  "He wouldn't really hang you, would he?  I mean, it's not like he has actually hanged someone, has he?"

Howard looked at her.  "Yes," he replied seriously.  "He did hang a man.  And I helped him.  But the man killed two of our people, and he raped two of our girls.  But no, I know he won't hang me.  He might be pissed at me though."

Damn it, thought Jean.  What have I got myself into?  "What will he do to you?" she asked.

"I don't know," Howard said darkly.  "Maybe have the Spears smack me around some.  Serves me right, I guess, for taking off your clothes."

Jean was bemused to hear this.  "He might have you smacked around for taking off my clothes?" she asked.

"Maybe.  He's got pretty strict rules where girls are concerned."

"Is he the only one who decides what happens in your camp, or does the majority rule?"

"Oh, he's in charge.  There's no doubt about that.  But he usually asks other people for their opinion.  He's got, like, a Council of people that he always asks.  I'm on it.  Most of us are the Spears.  We vote on lots of things.  And our girlfriends get to vote usually.  And a couple of girls are on the Council, too," Howard related.

"So your girlfriend gets a vote because she's your girlfriend," Jean stated.

"That's right.  Not that I have a girlfriend," Howard added.  And I'll probably never have one after this, he thought gloomily.

Male dominated society, thought Jean.  Typical of what happens when civilization reverts to a more primitive state.  But it doesn't sound too bad.  They seem to have a brute of a man controlling them, but it sounds like it's not a total dictatorship.  At least he asks for varying opinions.  Maybe I can live there until I feel better.  And maybe I can use this kid.

"You know," Jean drawled slowly.  "I don't have to tell the Big Chief that you took off my clothes."

"Really?" Howard perked up.  "You're not mad at me for that?"

"Not really.  It was in a good cause, I suppose," Jean said magnanimously.

"Oh, thank you," responded Howard gratefully.  "You know, I was thinking that I could make a fire and dry out your pan... I mean your underwear.  At least you could wear them."

Jean blinked.  "At least," she agreed.

By noon, Howard had delivered a dry pair of panties and her bra to Jean.

"Uh, they got a little singed," he explained with a sheepish look.

Jean took the pieces of her scorched underwear, examined them, and sighed.  "They'll have to do," she said sadly.  "Could you?" She pointed to the entrance to their shelter.

"Oh, sure," said Howard, and he quickly crawled out of the hollowed space.

Jean pulled on her underwear, glad they were warm from the fire.  She crawled over to her other clothes and examined them.  Too wet, she decided.  Much, too wet.  She thought about it and shrugged, and then she crawled out of the tree.  Howard was standing by the fire.  He glanced at her, and then he looked away.

"It's, okay, Howard," Jean said.  "We're going to be spending the day together, so it's no use trying to avoid looking at me.  So take a good look right now, and get over it.”

Nervously, Howard looked at her, swiftly moving his eyes up and down.  Then he stared into her eyes and exclaimed, "Wow, you're beautiful!"

Jean almost laughed, but she kept her composure and replied politely, "Thank you."

She had no doubt that Howard would think that any woman under the age of thirty would be beautiful, if she were dressed only in her panties and bra.

Howard looked away.  Well, that was dumb, he thought.  She's probably been told a million times that she's beautiful, and by a lot cooler guys than me.

Howard gave Jean more food, and Jean quickly wolfed it down.  She was feeling better than she had felt in a long time, except for a faint but annoying throbbing in her head.

It was warmer, but Jean was feeling chilled, so she crawled into the shelter, and then into the sleeping bag.  Howard followed her into the shelter.  Jean looked around.

"Where's your sleeping bag?" she asked.

Howard looked at her, and he blushed.  Jean's eyes narrowed.  She looked at her bag more carefully.

"This is a double bag," she stated.  "Where did you sleep last night, Howard?"

"You were cold!  You were shivering.  I didn't know what else to do."

"So you thought that it would be a good idea to share bags, huh?  Share body heat?  With a helpless naked woman?"

"You're not going to tell the Chief, are you?" Howard asked, once more feeling doomed.

Jean glared at him. "Were you naked, too?"

"No! I kept my briefs on."

"Your briefs?" Jean thought about that.  "All right.  It's our secret then."

"Thanks, Jean," replied Howard with a sigh of relief, wishing that he wasn’t so tense and nerdy in Jean’s presence.

Jean and Howard talked some more, but eventually her aching head made her want to sleep again.  She closed her eyes, but after a while, she realized that she was not really warm.  How can I get warm, she wondered.  She knew.  She grimaced as she realized that she had no other options.

"Howard," she called.  He was just outside, and he quickly crawled into the shelter.

"Jean, what is it?  Are you okay?"

"Howard, I'm cold."

"Oh.  I’m sorry, but there's no room to make a fire in here."

"Howard."

"Yeah?"

"Get in the bag."

Howard gaped at her for a long minute, as her eyes avoided settling on his.  Then he almost smiled.  For some reason, he didn’t feel quite as dumb now.

"You want me to get in the sleeping bag?” he asked.

"Got it on the first guess."

"With you?"

"Smart man."

"While you're wearing nothing but your underwear?"

"What?  Do you want me to get naked again?" she exclaimed.  "Get in the bag, Howard!"

Howard started to get into the bag.

"Take your clothes off, first," Jean said wearily.

Howard paused, glanced at her, and then he removed all his clothes except for his briefs.  He got in the bag.  They lay stiffly, side by side.

"I'm not warm yet," Jean muttered.

"Lift up," Howard said.

Jean lifted her upper body, and then Howard slid his right arm under her shoulders.  He grasped her shoulder and pulled her onto him, so that her face was lying in the crook of his arm against his chest.  He realized that she was a little shorter than him.  For some reason, he didn't feel doomed any longer.  In fact, he felt good.  He felt damn good.

"Are you warmer?" he asked, after some time had passed.

"Uh huh," she replied drowsily.  She fell asleep.  After a little while, he did too.

Slowly, Jean realized that she was awake. She had trouble remembering where she was until, after lifting her head, she looked into the face of the young man sleeping next to her.  She felt hot, and groggy.  It seemed as if she was in some kind of dreamlike state.  For a moment, she wondered if she was dead, if she had died after she had fallen, tired, worn out from two months of living in the forest, and terribly hungry.  She remembered feeling the rain beating down on her back.  She remembered trying vainly to rise and then slumping for the last time.  After that, she accepted that she would die there beneath the trees.  She went into her head, into a peaceful place.  Her only regret was that she would never know what had happened to the world.

But no, she thought.  She was not dead.  This kid named Howard had found her.  Had brought her back to life.  Had fed her, and had given her water.  Had sheltered her, and had warmed her.  A warm feeling of gratitude flowed through her.  She smiled at the sleeping boy.  What the hell, she thought?  So, what if he had seen her naked?

"You deserved it, Babe," she whispered.  "You saved my life."

The whisper woke Howard.  He opened his sleepy eyes to see the woman smiling at him.  Then, to his surprise, she pulled his face close, and she kissed him.  She slid her tongue into his mouth, explored him, and then withdrew.

"Hi," she said cheerfully.

"Uh, hi," he responded.

"That's for saving my life," she added.

"Oh.  You're welcome," he said.  He was suddenly aware of her semi-nudity, and his body responded.   He blushed, as he tried to turn slightly. She laughed softly, once.

"Don't worry about it, Babe," she said dreamily.  Howard looked at her closely.  He put a hand to her forehead.

"You're burning up!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, it is hot," she murmured, and then she complained, "My head hurts."

A chill went through the boy.  She was sick.  She was sick, and there was nothing that he could do about it.  He got out of the sleeping bag and retrieved his wet shirt.  He pressed the shirt to her forehead.  He opened the bag, even though she complained, and he let in some air, trying to cool her down.

Slowly, through the day, Jean’s condition worsened.  The only thing Howard could do was to bathe her hot body with his wet shirt. That night was the darkest time for Howard, since he had realized that he would never again see the grandparents who had raised him.  Jean was not quite delirious, but she was in some kind of dream state, where she alternated between thanking him for saving her life and then complaining that he had.  She began to weep at one point, and he found himself begging her to live.

When morning came, Howard decided that they could not stay in the tree another night.  He had to get Jean to the others.  He thought that if they walked back towards the camp, they might meet the rescue party before sundown.

When Jean woke, he told her his plan.  She thought the success of his plan was doubtful, but she told him that she felt better.  He rolled up the sleeping bags and tied them to his backpack, but when he examined their clothing he discovered that although his clothes had dried, her clothes were still wet.  He debated having her wear them anyway, but then he made her put on his pants and shirt.  He had to roll up the shirt sleeves and the cuffs of his pants, but he made it work.

She complained about having to wear his clothes, insisting on wearing her own, but he used rough language with her, telling her that like it or not, she was going to wear his clothes and to shut up.  She did, and he was surprised at her passiveness, until he realized that it was a reflection of how sick she was.  Walking slowly, he wearing only his briefs and boots, they left the shelter of the redwood tree.

They stopped frequently, but by noon she was exhausted.  They crawled into the sleeping bags for two hours, and then he asked her if she could continue.  Gamely she stood, and they continued their difficult journey.  That afternoon, they had to stop sooner and rest longer.  At the end, with two hours to go until sundown, Jean fell down.  She could not go any farther.

"Go on, Babe," she mumbled.  "You can come back for me."

Howard was frantic.  He got down on his knees, and he forced her to get onto his back.  Stumbling occasionally, he made his way down the trail, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hands under her legs.

"You don't give up, do you, Babe," she whispered in his ear.

"My grandparents taught me to be stubborn, I mean determined," he replied.  He heard a weak laugh.

"How old are you?" she asked sleepily.

"Eighteen.  I had a birthday in August.  How old are you?"

"Twenty four.  I've been a Forest Ranger for two years.  Do you think that this Big Chief of yours will let me stay at your camp?  I’ll be another mouth to feed."

"I think so.  Of course, he will.  What should I tell him about you?"

"Tell Big Chief that I'm your long lost girlfriend.  Girlfriends get to vote, huh?" murmured Jean.

Howard was glad to hear her bantering.  He took it as a hopeful sign that she wasn’t as sick as he had feared.

"Yes.  All right, I'll tell him you're my girlfriend,” he retorted.  “But I have to warn you.  I was raised to be a very traditional man.  I'll expect to be obeyed."

She let out a soft snort.  "Dream on.  Tell you what.  I'll obey you one time.  Only once, but whatever you tell me, I'll do it."

"Yeah, right," Howard scoffed.

"No, I'm serious.  My word is good, and I'm giving you my word.  One time.  Whenever.  Better use it wisely."  Jean slumped on his back, her strength expended.

They made their way down the trail until dark, and then they stopped.  Howard was exhausted and defeated.  He strained to listen for the sound of voices, but he heard nothing.  They found shelter of a sort under an overhanging cliff.  As they were unrolling their bags, a light snow began to fall.  They zipped their bags together, and then they snuggled close together.  Jean had improved during the first part of the day, but as the night continued, she seemed to worsen again.  Howard held Jean close and prayed, and then he fell asleep.  Slowly, a sprinkle of snow covered the tops of their heads.

They were found by Jacob early the next morning.  Urgently, afraid that they were dead, Jacob shook them.  They stirred, and the smaller red head opened her bleary eyes and blinked.  

"Hi, I'm Howard's girlfriend," she said.

Relieved, Jacob paused to consider her words.  "You just met him," he replied.

"Never judge the depth of a relationship by the length of its existence," she lectured.

She yawned and went back to sleep.  Jacob saw that Howard was waking.  Howard looked at Jacob and gave a start.  

"Jean!" he exclaimed.

"Your girlfriend is okay, I think," Jacob assured him.  “She woke up, but then she went back to sleep.  Found them!"  This was called out to the rest of the rescue party hurrying up the path.

Howard climbed wearily to his feet, as Ralph, Rasul, Ahmad, and Yuie arrived.  Quickly, Ahmad handed a thermos of warmed water to Howard, and he woke Jean and forced her to drink a small amount.  Then they placed Jean on a stretcher that Hector had made from tree limbs and a blanket.  Howard leaned against Yuie, as the other four boys carried the young forestry officer down the mountain.  The sky had cleared during the night.  It was still cold, but Mike had thought to send a fresh set of clothes, including two pairs of socks, for Howard.

"Who is she," Ralph asked, as they plodded along the river.

"Howard's girlfriend," Jacob answered.

“Wow, that was quick,” Ralph muttered.

Jean woke the next day in a comfortable bed.  By the light streaming in through the high window, she could tell that it was well into the morning.  She was bone tired, and her muscles ached as she sat up and saw a short, sandy haired young boy and a slightly taller, black haired Asian girl staring at her.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"This is the Chief’s Headquarters," the girl said.  Jean thought about that, and then her eyes narrowed.

"And is this the Big Chief's bed?" she asked sharply.

"Um.... yes," was the girl’s reply, as she glanced at the boy.

"Listen," Jean said, her tone very serious.  “I want you to tell Big Chief that I already have a boyfriend; Howard."

She fell back and closed her eyes.  The two kids looked at one another.  Jean suddenly sat up again.

"And tell Big Chief that Howard and I have already done it.  Three times."  She lay back down and closed her eyes.

"Um... gee," said the girl to the boy who was scowling.

Jean sat up again.  "And tell Big Chief that I'm probably pregnant."  She lay back down, and presently she began to snore.

The boy motioned for the girl to follow him out of the building.  "Get Howard," he said.

"Now don't be hasty, Chief," the girl said.

"Get. Howard. Now!”

"Yes, sir," the girl muttered, and she fled.

Howard appeared with Yuie a few minutes later.  The young man’s face had a greenish look.

"Did you do it with that woman while she was sick?" Mike snapped.

"Oh, Howard!" Yuie exclaimed sadly.

"What?  No! No, I didn't do anything except take off all her clothes!"

"Oh, Howard!" Yuie repeated.

Howard put his hand on his stomach.  "I think I'm going to be sick," he moaned.  Mike and Yuie sprang away as Howard leaned forward and vomited.

Jean woke three more times that day.  She was feeling much better.  The young boy was usually around.  She wondered if Big Chief had assigned him the role of helping her.  Or maybe he was guarding her.  Was she a prisoner?  Big Chief had not appeared yet, and she was getting anxious.  She slept well that night, and the following morning she woke refreshed.  Mike, she had learned the boy’s name, was sitting at the desk.

"So, I hear that Big Chief is a real tough guy, Mike," she said casually to the boy, trying to probe for some information.

The boy looked at her.  "He's not so bad.  If you don't count the times we have to stand under freezing cold water for punishment.  And, of course, the beatings hurt some, but we're tough.  We can take it."

Jean was shocked at his words, and then things got worse.  She heard a terrible moan from the loft.

"What's that!" she demanded, as the hair stood up on the back of her neck.

There was a look of sympathy on Mike's face.  "Poor guy.  He made Big Chief mad."  Jean heard another pitiful moan.

"Jeez," exclaimed Jean.

I am SOL, she thought.  The next moment, she heard a knock and then a man opened the door and came into the cabin.  He looked directly at Mike.

"Chief, I got the four barrels from Mrs. Brown,” he said.  “She says ‘thanks’ for the venison we sent, and she sent back a truckload of potatoes and some beets.  I guess she had a good crop this year."

Then the man looked at Jean and said, "Hola.  I hear you're Howard's new girlfriend.  I'm Hector."

"Thanks, Hector," said Mike.  "If that idea Eric has for a solar heating system works, it will be a lot nicer in the Lodge during the winter.  I'm sending Jacob back up there to kill another deer for her.  That should fill her freezers."

"Si, that will be nice, amigo," the man replied.  "Chief, Kat has finished the platform for the Porta Pottys.  She already drilled the starting holes, and she’s ready to cut out the spaces for the toilet waste, so I need the jigsaw."

Jean watched as the boy retrieved a jigsaw from a large red tool chest.  The man and the boy talked for a few more minutes, and then the man left.

The boy turned to Jean who was glaring at him.  "Freezing cold water, huh?  Beatings, huh?" she said sarcastically.  "So, you are Big Chief?"

Mike giggled.  "Just, Chief," he replied.  Another moan came wafting down from above.

"Who's that?" Jean asked.

"That's Howard," Mike replied.  "Whatever you had, he caught."

"Damn!" Jean sprang out of bed.

She was wearing a man’s long shirt, so she didn't bother putting on her dry pants before she climbed the ladder.  She found Howard lying on a futon.

"Howard," she asked anxiously, as she knelt by his side.  "Are you okay?"

Howard opened his dull eyes.  "Oh, hi, Baby," he answered.  "I'm fine."  He looked like a sick dog.  "I'm glad you're better."

Jean leaned back on her calves and sighed.  "Yeah, I'm better, thanks to you."  Howard closed his eyes and slept.

Howard was sick for two more days.  Whenever he woke, Jean was usually at his side.  Sometimes Mike shooed her out of the cabin, and whenever he did, Jean explored the camp, marveling at the things these kids and one man had accomplished.  The rough Lodge amazed her.

Everywhere she went, kids would whisper behind her back, "That's Howard's girlfriend."

Some of the girls were not happy about that.  Jean wondered whether she should deny or confirm the rumor.  Once, when she was up in the loft, she referred to their long trek back to the camp.

"I still can't believe you were only wearing a pair of briefs and your boots, Howard," she marveled.  "You must have been freezing."

"It's not like I could fit into your clothes, Jean," he replied.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, and then Jean murmured, "You're something else, kid."

Howard looked up at her.  "I'm not a kid, Jean.  Not anymore."

"Yes, that's true," she acknowledged sadly.  "You're not a kid.  I think that's what pisses me off most about this situation.  You kids should be hanging at the mall, playing computer games, and trying to decide how to ask a girl to the prom."

"Instead of trying to decide how to get you naked again?"  Howard asked with a grin.

"You!" Jean smacked him on the head.

"Owww!" Howard yelped.

"Oh s**t, I'm sorry, Howard.  D****t!"

Gingerly Howard rubbed his head, and then he asked, "So, do you think I will ever get to see you naked again?"

Jean sighed.  "Maybe.  But don't rush me."

"All right."  Howard took her hand.  "I can wait.”

When Howard felt better, he left Chief’s Headquarters.  He was eager to see what had been accomplished in the recent week.  Hector had been busy.  He had walled the narrow spaces between the old cabins and the edges of the cave.  On the west side, he had framed an opening for a door, and then he filled it with the door that had been used to carry Jackie’s body.  Presently, Hector was working on what Eric called a closed solar heating system, whatever that meant.

Howard was slightly unnerved by the sight of nine of their ten Porta Pottys sitting on the two cabin floors that had not been used to build the Lodge.  The mobile outhouses had been moved just west of the Lodge, but they were close enough that they could be reached in seconds from the door of the Lodge.

"How are we going to empty the Porta Pottys in winter?" he asked.  He had helped Hector and some of the other kids empty the Porta Potty tanks into a gulch just above the fog, not long after Hector's arrival at their camp.

"We're not," Kathy replied.  "I removed the tanks and the bottoms from the Porta Pottys and cut holes in the floors under each Porta Potty."

Stunned, Howard stared at Kathy.  "No!" he said.

"Yep, the stuff will go right on the ground under the floor.  That way we should be good for all winter.  It'll be frozen until spring, and then covering it will be a really smelly chore.  I wouldn't break many rules this winter, if I were you."

"Where's the last Porta Potty?" he asked.

"It’s in the bottom room closest to the door.  It's next to the outside wall, and Hector draped some of the cabin canvas to screen it.  It's for night emergencies only.  There's a hole in that floor too, and below it is one of the recycle bins.  Hopefully it will stay frozen for most of the winter.  Don't forget.  Night emergencies only," she advised.  "The rest of that cabin is for washing, since we won't have the showers.  We'll collect snow in buckets, and hope that it melts.  I bet we all stink by March."

The camp got a heavy snowfall a few days later.  It was October now, and it was time to make the last preparations for winter.  The water lines were drained in the dining hall and in Chief’s Headquarters.  Hector attended to the fluids in the machinery.  Jacob killed three more deer.  They kept two and delivered one to Mary Brown's freezer.

The solar heating system was working.  Hector had scraped together every piece of pipe he could find, even scavenging some from the buildings at the logging camp and from the dining hall.

Eric placed the barrels at the entrance to the smaller alcove cave to reduce the size of the entrance to the small grotto.  If it became dangerously cold in the Lodge, the plan was to gather everyone in the small cave.  There would be too many of them in there for the amount of air that could circulate, but it would let them survive for a day, before the carbon dioxide level rose too high.

Mike had one last idea.  He asked Hector to talk to Mrs. Brown, and she agreed to his proposal.  He thought about the various members of their tribe, and then he went to speak to Ralph.  He and Ralph would never be good friends, but after Jackie's death they had reached a modus operendi, so Ralph listened respectfully to Mike's idea.

"You want me to live at Mary Brown’s house this winter?" he asked.

"Yes, and I want you to take four kids with you.  I want them to be the youngest kids.  It'll be less crowded in that house, if you take the smallest kids.  For starters, take the twins," Mike said.

"And which girls?" Ralph asked.

"That's up to you," Mike replied.  "Try to pick two that will get along well with the twins."

"Kylie and Paige then, I guess.  I'll talk to them.  You tell the twins," Ralph responded.

Ralph spoke to the girls.  "Mike wants some of us to spend the winter at Mary Brown's house.  I'm going, and the twins are going.  I would like you to come, too."

"Why us?" Paige asked.  She was a small twelve year old girl, as was Kylie.  They were good friends.  Both were from Tonopah, Nevada.

"Because you get along with the twins so well," Ralph explained.

Kylie wrinkled her nose.  "Not that well," she said.  "They’re both dorks."

"You get along with them better than the other girls," Ralph said.  "And Mrs. Brown will probably let you bake cookies."  Paige looked at Kylie.  That was a good reason.  Both girls liked to bake pastries, and they liked to eat them.

"Okay," they chorused.

Mike talked to the twins, and they were agreeable to the move.  The day they left, he gathered the five and spoke to them.

"You are going to be guests of Mrs. Brown, so do what she says.  And do what Ralph says.  I'll see you guys in the spring."

Suddenly Mike realized that he didn't want them to go.  They were his people!  They belonged with him!  He swallowed the lump in his throat, and he hugged the girls.  He fist bumped with the twins.  Then he turned to Ralph.

"Take care of them," he said.  "Take care of yourself.  Good luck, Ralph."

Ralph shook his hand.  "I will.  Good luck to you too, Chief."

The two former foes laughed, both recognizing the irony of the moment.  The twins climbed into the bed of the pickup, and the girls squeezed into the cab with Hector.  With a last wave to Mike, they were off.

The food, except for the items in the freezer, was moved to the Lodge.  All of their supplies and personal items were moved.  The Chief’s Headquarters was stripped of everything that they could use.  The bed and the desk were brought into the Lodge and put in one of the downstairs rooms.  Mike felt awkward using an entire room, but the consensus of the tribe was that he needed a private room to hold meetings.

Mike was willing to give John and Desi their own room, but he was privately relieved when they told him that they had agreed to share the room with Howard and Jean.  That left five available rooms.  Mike gave the girls all four rooms on the upper level, and he gave the two couples the bottom room farthest from the door.  He took the next room, and left the one next to the cleaning room to six of the remaining nineteen boys.  The other thirteen boys were housed in the small cave.

Mike felt bad about not giving Hector a private room, but Hector assured him that it was not necessary.  He would be the cave room boss, Hector added.  The only one who was really unhappy about the living arrangements was Kathy, who definitely thought that Hector needed his own room.

"Can't you screen off part of the cave, at least?" she asked.

"Why would Hector want to do that?" Mike asked, puzzled at her request.

Kathy glanced sideways at Hector who was frowning at her.

"Well...," she began.

"Chica, I agreed that we could make out," Hector interrupted.  "Don't push it."

"Okay," she replied, pouting.

Everyone had moved into the Lodge, and they hoped they were ready for winter.