I joked, “I do have a ‘one of a kind’ singing voice. What is Beaty doing?”
“Beaty is accompanyin’ her with the pipes. Tis a lullaby, but nae putting her tae sleep.”
“And Zach is taking over and trying to bounce her on his forearm, but she misses yours: big and steady. That’s where she wants to sleep.”
I peeled the ice towels off my breasts. I dipped them in the bowl, wrung them out, laid back, and placed them on my breasts again. “What about Archie, what is he doing?"
"He is bein' a courageous prince, guardin' the castle, keepin' his sister safe."
"He's dragging that sword around?"
"Aye, or the hippo pushy stick, tis just as dangerous if ye swing it well."
"He's too sweet a boy to be dangerous, but I'm glad he is protecting his sister. I hope someone is protecting him too."
"Aye, me as well, mo reul-iuil."
"I think I need to sleep.”
We listened to the nothingness outside, snow coming down all around us, muffling sound, enveloping us in quiet, our sleeping bags toasty warm from their heater.
In the morning Magnus held the flap of the door open and looked out. “Och, tis a blanket of snow.”
I sat up, my hair matted and sticking all over the place, to see. “Beautiful, how many inches?”
“Looks tae be three inches of snow, twill be about three more.”
“How do you know that?”
“Anyone can see it if ye look at the clouds.”
I fell back down to the bedding. “I feel weak and hot and ouchy, this is not enough padding under my joints, everything hurts. Mind if I stay inside the tent?”
“Aye, stay and rest, I’m going to go relieve m’self and then explore and watch.” He tossed me the walk-n-talk.
“If you happen to see a Starbucks will you get me a latte?”
After an hour or two, checking in by radio, I got up to use the bathroom and then sat in the door of the tent looking out. He sauntered up.
“I love watching you walk through this landscape, you look like you belong here.”
He looked down at me with a glint in his eye. “Yet I am out of time by centuries, how can this be?”
“It’s the landscape, it’s timeless, like you...”
He crouched and warmed his hands over the fire he started before he left. I had managed to keep it going, although I felt weak and tired.
“I feel verra out of time. I just watched a winter hare hoppin’ around. I might hae hunted him for meat, but thought tae m’self, ‘he is survivin’ in the sixteenth century, without a man killin’ him for food, and I am just visitin’. Tis nae fair for a time traveler tae kill him for meat.’”
I said, “Plus, we have the rations.”
“Aye, but we are low on rations, tomorrow I will need tae hunt the hare.”
“Lady Mairead will come tomorrow, we are not going to run out.”
“Are ye feelin’ better?”
“Yes, a little, I think, tired though. Anybody malicious about?”
“Nae. We can stay here once more, and tis a good thing, the snow is still falling.”
That evening I fell in and out of sleep, a little feverish still, sore, my duties were ‘taking care of myself’ while Magnus ‘made the meal, stoked the fire, got me things, and checked on me.’ And then at night, just before bed, the sleeping bags warmed from their solar-powered heaters, he brought me the bowl of snow so that I could pack the cold compresses around my breasts again. I was not wanting a feverish dream like the night before, that had scared the hell out of me. No adrenaline rush, just sleep, and patience, while we waited for help to arrive.
Forty-three - Kaitlyn
The next morning I woke up and my fever had broken. My breasts felt lighter. I got dressed, put on my parka, and went out with Magnus into the snow. It was a wonderland, snow piled all around the tent.
“Wow! Gorgeous! Pristine!” I yanked up my skirts and relieved myself while joking, “Now here is not pristine anymore.”
I packed a snowball and chased him with it, but he was fast, quick on his feet, and spun and high-stepped through the snow... I had on skirts and had recently been sick — I stopped, arms hanging. “I can’t chase you! Too exhausting!”
He pivoted fast, scooped snow and had it down the back of my dress. Then he picked me up and held me while I squealed, snow melting all down my back. Finally, laughing, he let