The Price of Friendship Chapter 23
JC anxiously watched the movement going on around him in the small home that he had been brought to the previous evening.
He was still unsure of how much he could actually trust the man called Davis or his family members, but the kindness that had been shown to him last night and this morning was gradually allowing him to push aside the mistrust. He could only hope that the others would be able to push aside their own fears in the same way.
JC�s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft, almost singsong voice in his right ear.
�Have you finish eating, my son?� Imelda asked as she lightly placed a worn hand on JC�s bare shoulder causing him to slightly jump.
JC looked up and saw sadness in the older woman�s eyes as she again spoke to him in hushed tones.
�I sorry to scare you,� she apologized in her broken English.
�Oh�no, ma�am�you didn�t scare me,� JC answered quickly with a small smile, trying not to hurt the woman�s feelings.
�I was just lost in my thoughts and watching everyone,� he said as he gestured at the others in the room.
He smiled wider at Imelda and she returned the smile slowly before once again asking her question as she pointed toward the empty bowl sitting before JC on the table.
�You enough, my son?�
�Oh�yes, ma�am,� JC replied with a smile. �That was the first hot meal that I�ve had since the boat accident. It was very good.� It had reminded him of the thick oatmeal that his grandmother used to make but this had had a flavor he could not place.
Imelda shook her head and quickly picked up the bowl then walked over to the hearth to spoon another small amount of the porridge into it.
�Don�t give him too much Mama,� Thomas warned his mother in their native language as he looked up from his work to see what the older woman was doing.
�He may become ill along the trail.�
Thomas was prepared to care for the American called Joey and didn�t want to have to deal with two sick individuals. Besides that, he was going to need JC to reassure his friends and if he became ill, he would not be able to make the journey to their shelter.
Imelda nodded her head in understanding as she returned to JC�s side then spoke rapidly in her native language to those moving around her.
JC took the offered bowl from the older woman with a smile.
�Thank you.�
Imelda nodded her head at him before grabbing a canvas bag from the floor to fill it with food items and other things that her sons could use to cook a meal for the Americans.
She felt shame at what her sons had put the young men through, but now�now they could make things right. With God�s help her sons would provide safe passage for the young men to their homes far away from this place.
As Imelda and the others worked, JC tentatively ate the food that had been given to him, watching the busy activity going on about him.
Minutes later, Davis knelt down before him and JC placed his spoon in the once again empty bowl.
�We will be leaving soon,� large man quietly explained. �We will be taking a route that will keep us off the trail so that we can avoid detection.�
�I understand,� JC replied with a nod of his head. �How long will it take us to get to my friends?�
�At least two hours of steady walking, but we will take frequent breaks along the way.�
JC was going to protest so that their pace would not slowed, but Davis held up his hand and JC decided not to interrupt the older man.
�We will stop so that you will not tire out before we reach your friends. We will need you to help them understand that we mean them no harm and you will not be able to do that if I am once again forced to carry you because you have collapsed from exhaustion.�
JC nodded his head in agreement.
�I understand. Can we leave soon�I�m ready to get back to my friends.�
�I know that but we must make sure that we have all that we will need. We may need to stay away for sometime,� Davis explained as he stood up.
�Why don�t you go back to the bedroom and rest while we finish what we are doing in here.�
JC nodded his head and slowly stood up. He grasped the edge of the table when the room seemed to tilt crazily, but thankfully Davis had already returned to what he had been doing earlier and no one seemed to have noticed his dizzied steps. He didn�t want to cause any kind of delays�he wanted to get back to everyone�soon�very soon.
With slow steps JC entered the adjoining bedroom then lay down on the low bed. Within minutes, he was oblivious to the activities going on about him.
Back at the cave, Justin, Chris, and Lance were still dealing with Joey and his fever along with their growing exhaustion. Last night had been a night full of night terrors and nightmares, which left each of them, drained both physically and emotionally. Then throughout the previous day and this morning they had been able to get the fever down for several hours by bathing Joey in the pool of water outside the cave for, what seemed, hours on end, but now his temperature was on the rise again.
It seemed that as long as Joey was in the water, he remained virtually free of a high fever, but they couldn�t keep Joey in the cool water for extended periods of time without the fear of his becoming too chilled or their becoming ill themselves. They had no idea why the fever would not break and this frustrated them the most.
They had just brought Joey back into the cave and were contemplating their next moves as they looked down at their friend, who was lying unconscious on the floor before them.
�When was the last time that we tried to give him some water?� Justin asked as he sat down beside Joey�s prone figure.
�About a half an hour ago,� Lance answered after looking at his watch.
�We probably need to give him some more then,� Chris said as he partially filled a water bottle at the cave�s entrance.
Justin watched Chris with apprehension. He had always heard that you weren�t supposed to give an unconscious person anything by mouth, but they were growing desperate in their efforts to keep Joey from becoming dehydrated due to his high fever.
�I�ll be glad when he wakes up long enough to swallow some water on his own, Chris,� Justin said worriedly. �Doing this makes me more than a little nervous.�
�I know J, but since we can�t do an IV or anything like that, we don�t have much of a choice,� Chris answered with a hint of frustration in his voice as he knelt down beside Joey and the others. He didn�t feel anymore comfortable with the idea of pouring water into his unconscious friend�s mouth. He was well aware of how dangerous it was, but he didn�t want Joey to become dehydrated and turn a bad situation into something even worse.
�Here�lift his shoulders up for a minute,� Chris told Lance as he prepared to dribble a capful of water into Joey�s slackened mouth. .
Lance lifted Joey�s upper body up to rest him against his chest and pulled Joey�s head back so that it rested against his right shoulder.
Chris parted Joey�s lips and very slowly emptied the water bottle capful of cool water into Joey�s mouth without his friend even stirring or coughing.
�Want to try a few more?� Lance asked when it was apparent that Joey was not in any kind of distress from what they were doing.
�I mean, this might be helping with the fever...don�t you think?�
�Yeah, Lance�� Chris slowly replied as he refilled the cap and performed the same task several more times without Joey even being aware.
Minutes later, Lance lowered Joey�s body back down to the ground then stood up with Chris and Justin near the fire. He threw a couple of small sticks into the blaze as Justin and Chris quietly discussed what they would do next. After a few minutes discussion, Chris spoke up.
�Who wants to stay here with Joe while the other two goes out looking for food and any signs of�Jace,� Chris said as he hesitated at JC�s name. They all had unspoken fears for their friend�s safety. It was eating them all up inside knowing that during last night�s horrible storm, JC was out there in it alone and now it was well after noon and there had still not been any sign of his returning.
�I�ll stay here with Joey,� Lance answered as he glanced down at the figure on the floor. �You know where the cameras are and how to avoid them.�
Lance realized that he would only be slowing things down if he went with Chris or Justin since he had no idea where any of the cameras were and frankly, he had no desire to find out where they were. He was afraid that his emotions would become too strong if he ever happened to see one.
�Okay,� Chris answered with a nod of his head.
�I took the trail both ways this morning,� Justin said as he added even more wood to the small fire in the cave.
�I guess that means we need to just keep going then in one direction this time,� Chris replied as he stoked up the fire.
�How far?� Lance asked in a hesitant voice. He did not want to be left alone with Joey any longer than he had to but he also realized that it had been dangerous for Justin to go as far as he had down the trail earlier in the day. And, now that he wanted to go even farther, one of them certainly had to go with him�just in case�but that had not stopped his and JC�s attack. Suddenly, Lance�s imagination began to run slightly wild and he did not see the looks of worry passing between Justin and Chris.
Chris and Justin looked at each other then over at their friend and to see that the apprehension written on his face was turning rather rapidly into one of fear. Chris stepped over to Lance�s side and placed an arm around is shoulder and gave him a firm, but gentle squeeze.
�Hey�Lansten�come in, Lansten,� he murmured quietly giving Lance�s shoulder a shake.
Lance blinked hard several times and then sheepishly looked down at the dirt floor beneath his feet when he saw the looks of worry that Justin and Chris were giving him. He also realized that he had to have been totally out of it since he had not even realized when Chris had wrapped his arm around him.
�I�m sorry, guys,� Lance quietly apologized. �I guess I kinda spaced out there for a minute.�
�Hey�that�s okay,� Justin said as he stepped closer to Lance and patted him on the other shoulder.
�Okay�you wanted to know how far,� Chris reminded Lance, trying to keep him focused on the discussion rather than the fearful thoughts inside his head.
�Justin said that he counted to 500 when he went down one of the trails then turned around. This time we�ll count to 1000 then turn around.�
Lance gave Chris a silly grin causing the older man to smile himself knowing what was probably going to come out of his younger friend�s mouth. He had purposely pretty much left himself wide open to any kind of barb they could possibly come up with in the hopes to lighten things up. If they didn�t take the bait, then he would carry out the little joke himself. But before Chris or Lance even had the chance to speak, Justin chimed in.
�Don�t worry Poofu�I�ll do the counting,� Justin said with the beginnings of an evil grin as he puffed out his chest. �Crazy can only count to 20 using his fingers and toes and that won�t get us out of sight of the cave.�
Lance laughed out loud at Justin�s remark then winced in pain when Chris thumped him on the head.
�Ow�I didn�t say that,� he said through his and Justin�s laughter as he rubbed his head in mock hurt. �Justin did.�
�I know that, but I�ll get him back on the trail.�
Chris wiggled his eyebrows at Justin and immediately Justin�s laughter died down as he gave Lance a concerned look that caused both Chris and Lance to start laughing again.
It felt good to laugh, but minutes later it died away and the boys were once again faced with the dilemma of the situation at hand.
�You need to make sure Joey stays cool,� Chris said quietly to Lance as he gave the younger man�s shoulder another gentle squeeze before stepping away from him.
�We�ll take the trail to the left. It took me about an hour to go as far as I did this morning, so I guess maybe it�ll take 2 hours this time,� Justin added as he once again patted Lance on the shoulder.
�You�ll be okay by yourself for two hours?� Chris asked when he saw a fleeting look of apprehension cross Lance�s face at Justin�s information.
Lance swallowed hard, trying not to show his apprehension, then nodded his head before he made his way over to Joey�s side.
�Yeah�don�t worry,� he said to the others, not sure if what he was saying was to reassure them or himself more.
�I�ll just take a short nap while ya�ll are gone to try to catch up from last night, then when you guys get back you can rest and I�ll stay up.�
�Sleep right by him then, okay,� Chris said as he pointed at Joey. �That way you�ll hear him if he needs you.�
Lance picked up one of the life jackets scattered about on the cave floor and put it down beside Joey�s head then laid down against Joey and placed his arm across the older man�s chest without his seeming to be aware.
�Good enough?� Lance asked as he looked up at Justin and Chris who nodded their heads in satisfaction.
�He�ll be okay�I�ll make sure of it,� Lance said quietly before closing his eyes.
�Night, Poofu,� Justin called over his shoulder before following Chris out of the cave.
Russell Johnson looked intently at the monitors before him. Within the static, he could just make out two figures walking slowly down a trail. Unfortunately for him, but just the opposite for Chris and Justin, the reception was bad enough that the scientist was unable to recognize the direction in which the two young men had come from or headed into or even their identities. As far as he knew, these young men could even be natives who had sailed to the island.
What was even more frustrating for the older man was that he no longer even had the ability to tell which cameras were still working since some of the wiring and specialized monitors had also been damaged during the strong storms.
All in all, last night�s storm had pretty well finished off what few remaining operational video cameras and microphones there were that had survived the previous storm earlier in the week.
With a slight growl of frustration, Russell moved away from the screens and sat heavily upon his overstuffed easy chair. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his wife Leigh, accompanied by Marco, enter into the room and another growl escaped his lips.
�I�ve brought Marco for you dear,� Leigh said quietly as she handed her husband a hot cup of coffee but he waved it away.
�I�m sure that Davis is probably still on Topowgo with his family,� Leigh added as she set the cup down on a nearby table and took a sip of her own coffee knowing that being silent would probably be the best thing to do right now.
There were a few moments of silence as Russell quickly contemplated his few options. He could send Marco, along with his cousins, to the nearby island to take all five young men by force and bring them back to him. Or, on the other hand, he could have Marco simply grab just one of the young men and bring him back to his compound�any one of the young men�not just specifically the one called Lance Bass. He was becoming more desperate in his search for the perfect guinea pig to perform his experiment on. He needed to find out if the drug even worked so that he could sell it on the black market in the Middle East or in the East. All of these ideas would work if he only knew the where the group had taken up residence on the island.
�Marco,� Russell Johnson began quietly without looking up. �I want you and your cousins to go to Topowgo and find one or more of the Americans to bring back here.�
Marco nodded his head then crossed the room to a small closet. Inside the enclosure was a supply of equipment that he would need in completing the assignment that Russell had just given him. Marco made quick work of filling several canvas bags with various items. As he finished and closed the door, he was slightly startled to see Johnson reaching into a locked wall safe to bring out three handguns along with a box of ammunition.
�These are to be used for persuasion�not deadly force,� Russell said as he handed the weapons over to Marco.
Marco nodded his head in understanding as he hefted one of the weapons in his hand. The cool metal and weight felt almost natural in the palm of his large hand. A feeling of power washed over Marco and he had to work hard to keep a grin from forming on his face.
�Do you remember how to load and operate the weapons?� Russell asked as he watched Marco eyeing the weapon in his hand.
�Yes,� was Marco�s simple reply as he took the guns as they were handed to him then placed them in an empty bag along with the ammunition.
�Your brothers?�
�Yes.�
�Remember�do not use deadly force with the Americans�but�with Davis and his family�you may, if needed,� Russell said without emotion.
Marco�s gaze met the older man�s and for an instant, Marco was thankful that he was on Russell Johnson�s good side.
With a slight nod of his head, Marco backed out of the video room and quickly retreated down the hallway before stepping through the front door. It would take him some time before he would be able to locate his three cousins, but once that task was finished, they would sail to Topowgo to complete Russell Johnson�s assignment.