“Jimmy, let’s get your stuff together, okay?” I said. The boy had his own pack, though it wasn’t as big as the packs the kids in Xander’s group had carried.
“’Kay,” Jimmy said. He gave me another quick hug before rushing over to Xander and began chatting excitedly with him about the adventure he and Jake had had.
“Thank you,” I said as I approached Jake and held out my hand.
“No need to thank me,” he said as he shook it. “He’s a great kid, but he sure moves quick.”
I chuckled at that. “I lost him once on a field trip to the museum, so I know what you mean.”
Jake was a good-looking guy about our age, maybe a little older. He was close to my height, but not quite as lean as I was. His hair was dark brown and a little longer on top than on the sides. He had a little bit of scruff going on, but I wasn’t sure how much of that was normal or just extra growth from being out in the woods. His eyes were a striking shade of gray that reminded me of the storm clouds that had been threatening to open on us all morning long. But it wasn’t just the color that caught my attention.
There was something else there— an almost haunted look.
Which didn’t match the forced smile he was sending me.
“What happened?” Jake asked as he motioned to the bandage on my head.
“Accident while we were crossing a river yesterday,” I said, dismissing the injury away with a wave of my hand.
Jake’s solemn eyes studied me for a moment before he said, “You mind if I take a look?”
The request surprised me. Xander had already patched me up, but since I didn’t want to be rude, I merely nodded. Since I didn’t want Jake to have to stand, I bent over him so he could peel back the bandage. His fingers were gentle as he pressed against the tender skin around the actual cut.
“Do you know what did this?” he asked.
“Not sure… a log maybe.”
“Did you lose consciousness?”
“He did,” Xander cut in. I glanced at him to see him watching me with concern. “But not right away. It happened right after I got him out of the water.”
I could see that Xander was reliving the moment, so I quickly said, “I’m fine, really. Just a little bit of a headache.”
“Could be a concussion,” Jake said as he carefully removed the bandage altogether.
“Xander kept waking me up throughout the night to ask me questions.”
Jake nodded. “That’s good.” To Xander he said, “Can you get me my first aid kit?”
As Jake watched Xander, I watched Jake. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something off about the whole thing. I knew I was probably overreacting, but I couldn’t get past the feeling that there was more happening here between the two men.
“Here,” Xander said as he handed Jake a small bag that was similar to the one Xander carried in his bag. But it looked like Jake’s was a little bigger.
“Thanks,” Jake said softly as he took it.
And that was when I saw it.
It lasted only seconds, but I knew it for what it was as Jake’s eyes stayed on Xander. He inhaled just the tiniest wisp of air when their fingers touched as they exchanged the bag, but whereas Xander turned away to finish packing, Jake’s eyes lingered and followed him as he moved around the small campsite. When his gaze finally shifted back to me, he quickly dropped his eyes.
My stomach dropped out as it dawned on me what I’d seen.
He has feelings for Xander.
“Butterfly bandages might keep the scar from being as noticeable,” Jake said. I was reeling from my discovery so I barely heard him.
Were he and Xander in a relationship? Or had they been? Xander had said he hadn’t been in any relationships, but he’d had hookups. Was Jake one of them?
I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of this good-looking man and Xander together.
“So you swallowed some water when you fell in the river?” Jake asked.
I was numb, but I managed a nod.
“Any coughing since then?”
“What?” I asked.
“Have you been coughing since the accident? Any chest pain or trouble breathing?”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “Why?”
“One of the risks when you breathe in water is secondary drowning.”
“What is that?” Xander asked, his voice laced with concern.
“Water builds up in your lungs after the incident and causes pulmonary edema. It can happen anywhere from an hour later up to even a day later. It’s rare, though.”
I was surprised when Jake pulled a stethoscope from a zippered pocket on the side of the bag. It seemed like an unlikely thing for a wilderness guide to be carrying.
“Would you lift your shirt?” he asked as he climbed to his feet. Xander instantly moved to his side to support him so he wouldn’t have to put too much weight on his injured foot. I did as Jake asked and followed his instructions as he had me take several deep breaths and then listened to my heart. When he was finished, he said, “You should be fine, but it might not hurt to get checked out when we get back.”