and started on his boots and socks.
Silver brought over the towels and watched him for a second before diving in to help. “Your fingers are too cold. Let me do it.”
The fact that he didn’t argue was really worrying. She eased off his second sock and knelt up to deal with his fleece and T-shirt. The fabric was so wet that it clung to him like a second skin.
“Can you put your arms up?” Silver asked him.
He did as she asked, and using all her strength, she managed to get both items off over his head. His skin felt clammy to the touch, and she rushed to put one of the towels around his shoulders.
“I’ll get the rest.” Ben started on the button of his jeans and eased down the zipper. “Jeez, these things stick like glue.”
“Push them down over your hips, sit on your ass, and I’ll pull them off you,” Silver advised.
“Wow, you’re bossy,” Ben murmured, but he did as he suggested, the exhaustion on his face clearly visible as she tugged and cajoled his jeans off.
“And your boxers,” Silver said.
“I think I’ll keep those on if you don’t mind.”
Silver snapped the elastic. “They’re soaked through. You’ll get a chill. Take them off.” She handed him the second towel. “For your modesty.”
“Thanks.”
He removed the boxers, tied the towel around his waist. and used the other one to vigorously dry the rest of his body and hair.
“What shall I do with all this wet stuff?” Silver asked as she piled it all up by the entrance.
“Except for my hat and boots, put the rest outside.”
She opened the tent momentarily to push everything out and got a blast of cold air that made her hurry up. By the time she turned back, Ben had crawled over to his sleeping bag and had wrapped it around his shoulders.
“I’ll sort out the rest of it when I’ve warmed up.” He shivered convulsively.
“How about you tell me what’s what, and I can sort everything out?” Silver asked. “For a start, you need something warm to drink.”
“Way ahead of you.” He nodded at the smaller of the two containers he’d brought in. “Two containers of hot coffee, two of hot water for food later, and some creamer.”
“How did you manage that?” Silver gaped at him as she opened the icebox that also contained the freeze-dried food packs and protein bars.
“I lit a fire.” He shrugged. “That’s one of the reasons why I was out there so long.”
She gazed at him with new respect.
There was an amused glint in his eye as he looked back at her. “I knew you wouldn’t survive long without your coffee.”
She opened one of the flasks and poured him the first cup, happily inhaling the aroma.
“Thanks.” He held the cup with both hands. “I definitely need this.” He nodded at her. “Don’t forget to help yourself.”
Silver worried her lip. “The thing is... I’m not sure if I should drink anything else because I haven’t peed since last night.”
He sipped his coffee. “Well, you have two choices. One, go outside, or two, use the funnel.”
“The what?”
He pointed at the second container, which was marked with a red cross and an EMERGENCY sticker.
“In there, among other things, you’ll find a funnel and a big plastic jar. If you don’t want to go outside you can use that.”
Fairly certain that he was joking, Silver opened the lid and surveyed the neatly laid out interior.
“This?” She held up the funnel, which was attached to a bottle. “Really?”
“It works,” Ben assured her. “We had a couple of female scientists from MIT out here a few months ago and they came up with the idea. You can do it in the corner behind me. I won’t watch.”
“I think I’d rather go out,” Silver said. “This is bizarre.”
“Up to you.” Ben finished his coffee. He was still shivering, and Silver topped up his cup. “You can use my rain slicker. It’s hanging up right outside.”
* * *
When Silver staggered back in, Ben had put on a clean T-shirt and was sitting with his lower body inside his sleeping bag. He glanced up at her and threw her one of the towels.
“It’s wet out there, isn’t it?”
“Duh.” Silver mopped her face and hair. “The wind blew the hood down at a crucial moment and my hair got soaked.”
“Should’ve used the funnel.”
She balled up the towel and threw it at his head before climbing into her own sleeping bag and setting her pillow in the small of her back.
“It