On Point (Out of Uniform 3)

“What now?” Maddox wished he remembered more about this mission, but his head still swam. They’d need to get out of this ravine, that was for sure.

“Trying to decide whether to get back to the encampment or aim for rendezvous B.” Ben sighed, then winced.

Every mission had a contingency plan, but Maddox would have to rely on Ben to remember it. Being so fucking helpless, not able to trust his own brain, had him hitting the dirt next to him, then flinching as wet black dirt landed on his raw hand.

“Easy now,” Ben soothed. “We’re gonna get out of this jam, I promise.” Amazingly, his headset was still intact, although around his neck. He put it back on, barking a few “Come in” commands, then frowned. “Still dead. I could leave you here, try to hike out, find the others—”

“The hell you could.” Maddox tried to sit up more, despite the pain slicing through him. “You’re in no shape to climb with that arm. Chances are you’d slide right back down.” He looked Ben over closer. His uniform was askew on his torso, a line of red blooming on it. “And you’re bleeding too.”

“Just a surface wound.” Ben’s tone was as clinical as Maddox would have expected. “And might have cracked a few ribs. Hurts like a bitch to breathe deep. But I’m still in better shape than you.”

“I’m still coming with you.”

Ben huffed out a breath. “Hiding you would be the best bet, with possible hostiles still roaming around. Can’t guarantee that your shots connected earlier or that there aren’t more out there. And neither of us have guns.”

Maddox guessed they’d both lost them in the tumble. They were lucky they hadn’t accidentally discharged the weapons in the fall. And it was a sign of how befuddled his head was that he didn’t take umbrage at Ben doubting whether he’d hit his mark. “Guess priority one is finding them if we can.”

“No. Priority one is splinting your leg and getting you hidden. Then I will see if I can find the guns. And a way out. And whatever you do, stay awake. That goose egg on your head has me worried.”

Ben finally stood, lurching around like he was in far more pain than he was letting on. He took the utility knife out of his kit and hacked off two branches of equal size, stripping them of their bright green fern-like leaves. Maddox knew what was coming next, and his whole body tensed as Ben sliced away more of his pant leg, making strips and cursing softly about the state of Maddox’s leg.

“Wouldn’t be so bad if you’d stop hovering,” Maddox complained.

“You want the pain pills in my kit?” Ben ignored him.

Maddox shook his head. “No way. I want what’s left of my wits about me, thank you very much.”

“This is gonna hurt like a bitch,” Ben warned as he lined up the branches. “Fuck, I wish Wizard were here.”

Me too. Maddox would welcome the sight of their friendly medic, but he couldn’t let that on. “I trust you,” he said instead.

“Okay, here we go.” Ben’s usually generous mouth was a thin line and his eyes narrowed before he pulled Maddox’s leg straight.

Maddox tasted blood and panted through the pain, sheer force of will keeping him from shouting. Ben’s hands were capable as he tied the splint in place, and if Maddox noticed a tremor to them, he sure wasn’t mentioning it.

“Now I want to move you over there.” Ben motioned to a dense collection of towering moss-covered trees about the length of his living room away. Might as well have been Australia for all that Maddox felt capable of reaching it, but he nodded.

Ben grabbed a larger branch from the dirt, tested it, then held it out. “This will work as a crutch.”

With Ben’s help, Maddox got semi-upright. Ben’s breath came in ragged puffs, and Maddox could tell by the tension in his grip that this was stressing his injuries more than Ben would ever let on. He tried not to lean too heavily as they made their way to the thicket, one painstaking step at a time. The branch was heavy and abraded his ungloved hand with thick bark.

“LT would so be busting my chops about being slow now. Hell if I can go faster.” His laugh died in his throat as a fresh wave of pain hit him.

“Don’t rush it. We can do it.” Ben hand was strong on Maddox’s back even as his voice was strained.

Together they hobbled to the trees, a journey that felt like it took years, and Maddox collapsed onto the soft earth as soon as he was inside the undergrowth of foliage beneath the soaring trees. Giant ferns mingled with smaller, scrubby plants with rubbery leaves. Everything was such vivid green that the desert hues of California might as well be another planet. Overhead, large blue and orange birds whooped and small monkeys skittered about the vines. “At least there’s no gators.”