A Precarious Situation.

A chorus of bird calls gradually inches its way into your consciousness. The next sensation is a throbbing pain in your shoulder. Then a feeling of floating on air, your feet hanging unsupported.

You crack your eyes open. The first thing you see is green...so much green. You groan and open your eyes wider. You hear Caitlin's voice.

"Oh thank goodness. Eddie? Eddie? Are you waking up?"

You struggle to take in your surroundings, your blurry vision eventually sharpening into focus. You are suspended three stories up off of the jungle floor, held there by a tangle of ropes and shredded parachute fabric. The branch above you creaks in protest of your added weight.

More ropes and fabric are wrapped around you and, as you look down, Caitlin as well. You are tangled up together with her by her parachute, her being held tight against your left side. Her naturally curled red haired head resting against your hip, her legs dangling down past yours. It looks like you two must have gotten caught up with each other on the way down.

Your right shoulder is throbbing with a numbing pain, it feels like a dislocation. You are mostly supported by your armpits, forcing your shoulders up around your ears. You try to move but it is excruciating, a burst of intense pain with every effort. You take a deep breath and hold still...that was better. At least staying still kept the pain at a constant level.

You feel Caitlin's soft hair with your left hand, running your fingers through it. "Are you okay?" You ask.

"Yes. You got the worst of it." She replies in a grim tone. "You got knocked out as we left the plane. The engine blew up. I thought...you were dead for a bit there." You hear her voice tremble. "You were out a long time...I was so happy when I realized you were breathing. I really thought you were dead." Her voice now quavering as she holds back tears.

"It's okay." You stroke her head. "I'm okay. I'm okay Caitlin. Hey...how did we get here?"

Caitlin takes a moment before responding. "We were falling together so I grabbed onto you. I pulled both of our chutes at once and we kind of got tangled up. We came down pretty fast, it's probably good the branches caught our chutes." She reaches up with her left hand to take yours. "Thank you for saving me...at the plane...I'm so sorry I froze up."

You squeeze her hand. "Hey...thank you for saving me when we were falling. I think we're even." Only one question was running through your mind. "The others?"

"I don't know. I saw their chutes...but we were spinning so fast. I just don't know. Sorry Edward." She never called you Edward.

"Okay, well. We better get down." You took stock of the situation, it looked pretty hopeless. With your shoulder messed up you were down to one hand and the branch supporting you was way out of arms reach. "Can you climb up?" You ask.

"No." She informs you. "I'm kind of tied to you, my right arm is pinned. Even if I can get out of these ropes I'm...I'm going to fall."

You were about to encourage her until you realize that she was right. She was in as bad a situation as you were. You hang there a long long time trying to think of something...nothing.

Finally you let out a breath in frustration. "There's got to be something we can do. We've got to get out of here. I have to know if the others are okay."

"I'm worried too. Maybe Soo-yin will save us." Caitlin says optimistically. Always a silver lining with her. Soo-yin had been inside the plane when the engine exploded, you weren't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Either way there was a very real chance she was dead. A very real chance they both...Natali! Your head sinks. Though you weren't an overly religious man you pray with all your heart for her safety. Why did you have to drag her along on this foolhardy adventure? What were you thinking bringing her into a dangerous place like this? If anything were to happen to her...

The two of you hang there. The minutes stretch on and on. Both of you quiet, wondering how you were going to get out of this mess and desperately worried for your loved ones. The vibrant sounds and colors of the jungle around you a sharp relief to your dark thoughts.

Caitlin finally breaks the depressing silence between you. "Eddie?"

"Yes Caitlin?"

"Do you want a handy?" She asks sincerely.