Between Darkness and Dawn

10.

It wasn’t very long before Cody’s concern for Carmen had grown exponentially. She had seemed to be sleeping for a while and he had taken the opportunity to tell Fritz why it was so important to get to the camp without any more hitches. The poor kid was so upset he admitted that Carmen was like the big sister he had never had, and his eyes when he saw the wounds on her ankle held an emotion Cody was all too familiar with. Fear. Absolutely, solitary fear. Instead of focusing on that, however, he explained to Fritz everything he was thinking, trying to take his mind off his worry. “I want to get back to the house before nightfall so Alejandro can take a look at her. He was a doctor back home and I’m hoping he can remember enough to make sure Carmen’s okay.” Cody explained, his voice cracking with emotion and exhaustion. He was pretty sure that he was working off pure adrenaline and the fear was helping with that, but his words did little to comfort Fritz. They had the opposite effect.

“But that was five years ago…he’s been working for you ever since and he’s never had anything like this to deal with.” He panicked, remembering fine well every case Alejandro had deal with since he began working for Cody. He had only been fourteen but it was old enough to be his assistant, as Cody protected him from the darker aspects of his life.

“I know kid, but I have faith in him. And I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got right now.” He sighed, trying to show Fritz an encouraging smile. He was a good kid and family, born to a local maid who worked at his uncle’s house. He had no proof, but he fully suspected that Fritz was his uncle’s kid, considering the advantages his uncle had given him. But at least Cody had been able to stop him from growing up the way he had; he had kept him innocent and away from the drugs and women his uncle would have drowned him in. Beautiful women, paid to do anything they wanted, were tempting to a fourteen year old with raging hormones, especially when they wanted to grow up fast and emulate their elders. Cody had fallen into that trap, he wouldn’t allow Fritz to. He was hoping to make the kid the next leader and was about to broach that happier subject with him, when Carmen spoke for the first time since she had told him of her ankle.

“Cody…I don’t feel so good. Maybe we could stop for today?” She asked softly, almost in tears. She had been dozing, on and off, all afternoon, leaning against his shoulder, shivering and muttering to herself as if in the throes of a fever. He was almost relieved to hear her lucid, frightened voice.

“Just a little longer. There’s not far to go.” He lied. He didn’t know if they would get there before nightfall, but he kept everyone going anyway. He wanted to get there as soon as possible. It hadn’t taken the others long to catch up to him, especially since he was going slower on purpose, so as not to upset Carmen too much. She had been suffering a headache all day and again, she reiterated her plea that they stop because she didn’t feel well. But he couldn’t tell her the truth. Not yet. So he gave her something else to think about. “Honey I can’t. Go back to sleep and the next thing you know you’ll be waking up in a nice warm bed.” He smiled, hopeful that he was right.

“Mmm…that would be nice.” She admitted, snuggling into him.

It was over two hours before they reached the house, and Cody was focused on only one task. Fritz held the front door open for him, and he didn’t even thank him, he just walked inside and straight up the stairs, along the corridor to the master bedroom and laid Carmen gently upon his bed. He left Fritz sitting with her, while he had a private word with Alejandro outside the room. The other boys were all dispersing to clean up and get back to work, letting him take care of Carmen however he saw fit. And he was relieved when Alejandro appeared outside his bedroom door a moment later; not only the guy he wanted to look Carmen over and treat her, but the guy he trusted enough to leave in charge of his house and the rest of his team. “I think she’s been bitten. There are two puncture marks on her ankle that were red two hours ago and slowly turning blue, now they’re a really bad shade of purple.” Cody sighed, pushing both hands through his hair as he waited to hear what Alejandro’s verdict would be. But he just hummed and hawed and then asked to see Carmen and the wounds.