As the men returned, Ellie saw the set expression on Alan’s face and she knew whatever Reiling had said had upset him. “Alan?” she asked hesitantly, as he handed her one of the cans he carried.

 

“Trouble…” With that terse word, Alan sat down; popped the top on another can and gulped down the drink. Damn…damn…damn…, he thought angrily. The Costa Ricans could hold them indefinitely if they wanted to and there was not a damn thing they could do about it. He suspected there wasn’t much the US could do either. His anger flared at Hammond, but he knew it was an irrational thought. There was no one to blame but himself for getting them into this mess.

 

Reiling watched Alan as he sat by the kids. Alan was understandably angry, he would have been mad too. He felt sorry for the man.

 

Alan finished his drink and set it aside. He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. As he rubbed his eyes, Ellie massaged his shoulder.

 

“Want to tell me about it?”

 

Alan took a deep breath and glanced at the children, who were talking to Joe. They had obviously taken a liking to the man. “The short version is we’re stuck here for awhile,” he said quietly. “It appears we’re right in the middle of a catfight between the U.S. and Costa Rica.”

 

“But they can’t blame us, we didn’t do anything.”

 

“Ellie, the Costa Ricans will be looking for somebody to blame.”

 

“Oh hell…,” Ellie said. In the back of her mind, she had been worried about something like this happening.

 

“Ellie, I’m sorry I got you into this. I was a fool for putting you in danger,” he said.

 

Ellie saw the guilt and remorse in Alan’s eyes. “Honey, don’t beat yourself up like this,” she said sternly. “You had no idea what was going to happen. Besides, I don’t remember you forcing me to come; this was my decision as much as it was yours.” She caressed his hair. “Remember what you said before; that we will get through this? I still believe that.”

 

God, how he loved and needed this wonderful woman. Tell her now, he thought to himself, tell her that he loved her. It was such a simple thing, those three words, and she deserved to hear them. Go ahead, get on with it, and tell her, his conscious told him.

 

Ellie sat frozen, staring at Alan. His mouth was half-open, he obviously wanted to tell her something; could it be the words she so wanted to hear? She knew in her heart, and she could see it in his eyes that he loved her, but she needed to hear it from him.

 

“Señor Grant?” A voice called out in the waiting room.

 

Ellie saw his jaw abruptly shut. Alan continued to look at Ellie for a few seconds, and then abruptly broke eye contact. Ellie’s heart sank with disappointment.

 

He started to stand up and his back seized up again, he hissed softly with the sudden twinge. Ellie observed his discomfort and she stood up to help him, her previous thoughts forgotten.

 

“Hey, are you okay?”

 

“My back’s a little stiff. I’m fine.”

 

Ellie was skeptical but she didn’t say anything; by his expression, she knew he was in much worse pain than he would admit to.

 

“I’m Grant,” he said to the nurse.

 

“Good afternoon Señor, the doctor is ready to see you and your family now,” she said pleasantly.

 

Alan had to smile at the word family. Strangely, it did feel like they had become a family. Amazing how things happened he thought. “Be back in a bit,” he told Reiling.

 

“I’ll be here.” Reiling picked up a magazine and began to read.

 

The nurse led them to an examining room. “Please wait in here...”

 

As Ellie and the children entered the room, Alan realized he needed to tell the doctor that Tim had quit breathing. Lex knew of course, but he felt Tim didn’t need to know that. “Nurse, can I have a word with you?”

 

“Of, course…”

 

“Ellie, I’ll be there in a minute”

 

“Okay,” Ellie said. She wondered what was so important that Alan had to speak with the nurse.

 

“What can I do for you, Señor Grant?”

 

“Uh…can you tell the doctor something for me? An electric fence electrocuted Tim, this morning, and he quit breathing. After I gave him CPR, he started to breathe again. I don’t want him to know about that part; he’s had enough scary things happen to him this weekend. I’d appreciate it if you could let the doctor know about what happened.”

 

She touched his arm in a reassuring manner. “I understand completely. I’ll be sure to let the doctor know. He’ll be in to see you in a few minutes.”

 

“Thanks a lot.” He opened the door and entered the room.

 

Tim had climbed up on the examining table; the others had found seats. They had more of those blasted plastic chairs, he noted. He had to admit his back was really bothering him now. He gingerly sat down, silently cursing whoever had invented the bloody stuff.

 

Ellie frowned at him. “Just how stiff is your back?”

 

“Pretty stiff,” he reluctantly admitted. “I’m too old to do stuff like this.”

 

Tim grinned. “Me too…”

 

Everyone shared a laugh. Just then, the door opened and a middle-aged man entered. “Good afternoon, Señor Grant, Señora Sattler, my name is Dr. Luenga. He looked at a chart. “You had a boating accident, I see.”

 

Alan glanced at Ellie and they met each other’s eyes. “Yes, we had an accident and got stuck on one of the islands for a few hours,” she said.

 

“Regretfully, that happens more than I like to see.” He looked at Tim. “You must be Tim. I understand you had an argument with an electric fence,” he said, glancing in Alan’s direction.

 

The nurse must have told him, he realized. Bless her heart, he thought in gratitude.

 

Ellie saw the look the doctor gave Alan. They did not keep secrets from each other, and so she wondered what the mystery was.

 

“Yeah, and the fence won,” Tim said, grumbling a bit.

 

The doctor chuckled. He had a gentle manner about him, Alan noted, and he quickly put Tim at ease. “Well, you don’t look too bad. Let’s look at your hands. These are interesting bandages.” He carefully removed the torn bandana pieces from Tim’s hands.

 

“I had to improvise,” Alan said with a shrug.

 

“Ah, I see. Well, the burns don’t look too bad, fortunately. Mostly first degree burns. How much electricity was in the fence?”

 

“About 10,000 volts…” Alan said flatly.

 

Luenga’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I would say you are a very lucky young man, then. These can be easily treated with topical antibiotics and a dressing.”

 

He took out a stethoscope and began to listen to Tim’s heart. He listened thoroughly to Tim’s heart for a few minutes and removed the earpieces.

 

“Tim, have you had any dizziness since the accident?”

 

“A little bit right after it happened, but not since then.”

 

“Okay, good. Let’s test your reflexes.”

 

As the doctor treated Tim, Alan’s thoughts drifted away back to that moment in the waiting room, where time had seemed to stand still. You are a coward; that woman loves you more than life itself, and you can’t even tell her you love her. It was true he was terrified. He had lost the only other woman he had ever loved, along with their unborn child. Emotionally it had almost destroyed him. He did not think he would survive if he lost Ellie.

 

“Tim, do you know when you last had a tetanus shot?”

 

Tim thought for a moment. “I got a bunch of shots when I started school, but I don’t know what they were. Lex, do you know?”

 

“I got some too, but I don’t know what they were,” Lex said with a shrug of her shoulders.

 

“Normally you get them before you go into first grade, but just to be on the safe side, we’ll give you a booster shot.”

 

“Oh great…” Tim murmured.

 

Ellie wondered how he knew about schools in the states. “Doctor, are you from the States.”

 

“No, not originally; I went to medical school at UCLA and I did my internship and residency in Chicago.”

 

“Very impressive, Doctor,” Ellie said.

 

“Thank you, Señora Sattler,” he said with a smile. “Well, Tim, your heart and reflexes are fine; it looks like you haven’t suffered any permanent injuries. Your hands should be healed in a day or too.” He paused to write on the chart. “I’m going to have the nurse put a clean dressing on your hands when I finish with everyone else. Okay, who wants to be next?”

 

“I’ll go next,” Lex said. She and Tim traded places on the examining table.

 

“Okay, Lex, do you have any specific pain locations?” he asked the girl.

 

“No, I’m just kind of sore all over.”

 

“I see. Let me check these abrasions,” he said, looking closely at a scratch on her face. “This just needs some antiseptic and then a bit of antibiotic ointment, and you’ll be as good as new in a couple of days.” The doctor reached for an antiseptic. “This may sting for a minute.”

 

Lex winced but didn’t say anything as the doctor treated several scratches.

 

“Lex, we’d better give you a booster as well,” he said writing on the file.

 

“Wonderful,” she sighed.

 

After he finished he stepped back “Okay, Lex, that takes care of you. Who’s next?”

 

Alan sat there and didn’t say anything. Ellie sighed. “My turn…” She changed places with Lex. “This is the worst one,” pointing to the bruise on her thigh that she had gotten when she had slammed her leg against the tree. It was painful but not serious, she thought.

 

“Are you having any problems putting any weight on it?”

 

“No, it’s just a little stiff and sore.”

 

“You have a pretty deep contusion there. I suggest you put some heat on it tonight, and take some aspirin if you need to. That goes for everyone by the way. That should help with any aches and pains you have. When was your last tetanus booster?”

 

“It was about five years ago.”

 

“That’s good, you don’t need one then.”

 

“Doctor, I normally wear contacts and glasses for close up vision, but other than the pair of contacts I have on, I lost everything else in the accident. I don’t think we’re going to be here long enough to get glasses, but I could use some extra contacts.”

 

“I think we can help with that. Do you have your prescription?”

 

She pulled out her wallet. Luckily, she had put her prescription in there before she left. “I have it,” she said as she handed him the paper.

 

“Excellent. I will have our Ophthalmology department fill these.”

 

 “Thank you so much.”

 

He looked at Alan with a grin on his face. “Your turn, Señor Grant…”

 

“Okay…okay…” Alan grumbled, as he sat down on the examining table.

 

“Let’s start with this,” looking at the scratch on his cheek. “I’m going to put some antiseptic on it. This may sting.”

 

“Señor, when was the last time you received a tetanus booster?”

 

“Uh…It was three years ago.” He remembered he had gotten one before an expedition.

 

“Good, so it looks like we just have to give Lex and Tim a booster then.”

 

“Dr. Grant, I’d like you to take off your shirt.”

 

“Why?” Alan said suspiciously.

 

“You have been in an accident and you are having back pain,” he said patiently. “I need to see if you have any bruises.”

 

He walks three miles on a broken leg, and yet he acts like a baby, Ellie thought, smothering a smile.

 

Alan muttered under his breath, and reluctantly unbuttoned his shirt.

 

Ellie instinctively winced when she saw Alan’s back; he had a good-sized bruise on his lower back. She couldn’t believe he had been carrying Tim around all that time.

 

“I can see why you were in pain. You have a large bruise on your back.” He did not touch what must have been a painful area.

 

“Is the pain localized or spread out?”

 

“It’s spread out.”

 

“Let’s do some tests. Do you have pain when you turn side to side?”

 

Alan twisted back and forth. He didn’t feel much pain.

 

“No, not much...”

 

“When you lean forward?

 

“No, it’s the same.”

 

“So it’s just when you stand up?”

 

“When I stand up and sit down.”

 

 The doctor wrote some notes on a sheet. “Señor Grant, I would suggest we take some x-rays of your spine. You may have done some damage to a vertebra.”

 

Alan’s expression hardened. “Doctor, that won’t be necessary. I’m sure it’s just a bruise. If it doesn’t get better, I’ll call you.”

 

Ellie shook her head in exasperation at his stubbornness. The doctor looked at her and shrugged. He could not force Alan to get x-rays.

 

“Okay, Señor Grant, please do call me if you continue to have pain. You will want to apply heat to your back, and if you have a Jacuzzi tub that would help a lot with the pain, too. In addition I’m going to write you a prescription for some muscle relaxants.”

 

“Okay, it looks like everyone is going to survive. I’m going to have the nurse prepare the tetanus boosters and get Tim’s hands bandaged. I’m also going to send a box of dressings which will need to be changed once a day.”

 

“Can I go swimming?” Tim asked.

 

“Not for a couple of days. If there’s no pain or infection you should be able to swim in two or three days.”

 

“Oh man…” Tim said sadly.

 

“It’s just for a couple of days Tim,” Ellie said.

 

He held up Ellie’s paper. “I’ll have this filled also. The nurse will be here in a minute with the booster shots.”

 

“Thanks for everything Doctor,” Ellie said.

 

“It was my pleasure. Despite what’s happened, I hope you enjoy your stay in Costa Rica.”

 

Ellie came over and stood by Alan. “We will call the doctor if your back doesn’t get better, right?” Alan raised his hand in surrender; he knew he was beaten. “Good,” Ellie said with a smile.