A Mother's Love Ch. 02

***

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

Cole still seemed to be a bit out of it, almost like he was drunk. He wasn't slurring his speech, but he was slow to react to anything I said, like it was taking longer to understand me and formulate a response. We went to bed almost as soon as we had cleaned the dishes. Once in the tent, I turned on a small flashlight to give us a bit of light. It wasn't enough to be seen from outside the tent, but it would allow us to see what we were doing. I noticed that Cole barely even glanced at me as I stripped. When he took his clothes off, I could see that he was completely flaccid. For some reason, that concerned me more than his slow conversation.

I turned out the light and zipped my sleeping bag up half-way. Turning over, I kissed him on the cheek and wished him a good night. He seemed to already be asleep.

It must have been close to midnight when I was woken by Cole unzipping the tent. He had pulled on his long johns and boots, but not much else. Obviously, he had to relieve himself. I saw a couple flashes of light as he moved to the nearest trees, indicating that he had taken the flashlight. The light went out, then I heard the sound of water against the tree. Cole let out a soft moan at the release, which made me smile.

The light came on a few moments after he was done, and I could see it clearly now. It moved up and down a couple times as he moved toward me, then there was a sharp crack, like a pine log spitting in the fire. Our fire was out, though. The flashlight went flying from Cole's hand, and I could see him falling in stop-motion, the spinning light acting like a strobe.

I didn't think, I didn't hesitate for even a second. I just ran out to him, completely naked. At the moment, I wasn't aware that the temperature was dropping. When I got to Cole, he was face-down in the snow, groaning. The light was a couple feet away, reflected light giving just enough illumination for me to see a red stain slowly spreading into the snow from his left thigh. I turned off the light and stuck it between my teeth. Then I pulled Cole to his feet, half-dragging him back to the tent. Once inside, I brushed the snow off him with the first piece of clothing I found, one of our sweaters. I would later realize that it was his. I pushed him down onto his sleeping bag, then put the light on the floor and turned it on, working with the dim illumination reflected from the side of the tent.

I grabbed my first aid kit and got out the scissors. Once his pant leg was gone, I used some dressings to wipe away the blood. There was a small hole on the outside of his thigh, a hole a bit bigger on the inside. I checked, but the bone was not obviously broken. The bullet - that's what it had to be - must have missed his femur by less than in inch. That realization broke through, releasing my emotions.

"You fucking bastard," I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I'm going to rip your cock off with my bare hands and shove it down your throat!"

I was shaking with fury, but I knew I had more to do. Forcing myself to calm down, I pulled more supplies from the first aid kit. My primary goal was to stop the bleeding. It didn't look life-threatening, but out here, that was a very fine line. I realized that we'd have to stay put until I was satisfied that he could move without causing the wound to bleed. Even a small injury like this would piss out blood if he was skiing for four hours. It was crazy how much blood pumped through the thigh muscles when you were exerting yourself.

When I was finally done, I zipped his sleeping bag up and kissed him. This time, it was on the lips. I held him for a bit, finally realizing that I was getting cold. Checking the thermometer on my jacket's zipper pull, I saw that it was minus six. If I'd been dressed, I wouldn't have felt the cold at all. I turned out the light and did some sit-ups to create a bit of body heat. When I was feeling a bit warmer, I slipped back into my sleeping bag. Somehow, I went back to sleep almost immediately.

***

I was awake at first light. I checked on Cole, and he seemed to be fine. He was warm, but not sweaty, and had good colour. I checked his bandages, and was happy to see very little red seeping through. I dressed quickly and went outside to start the fire. I made some coffee for me, and cider for Cole. I didn't want to give him any caffeine for now. As I prepared breakfast, I kept an eye on the woods just across the ice. I couldn't see any motion, but that didn't mean the asshole wasn't there.

I had already eaten my breakfast when Cole called to me.

I stuck my head into the tent. "How are you feeling, honey?"

"Sore. What happened?"

"Our mystery guest thought it was a good idea to shoot you. If I ever get my hands on the son of a bitch..." I stopped myself as my fury threatened to break out again. I had to take a deep breath before continuing. "I've bandaged you up, but we can't move until I'm sure your wound has closed up enough to keep you from bleeding out. I want you to just rest today. No unnecessary movement at all. You've got a bowl next to you if you need to pee."

"Yay," he said, deadpan. "Just like after the crash."

I smiled. "Hey, at least it's not your own fault this time."

He gave me a small grin. "Yeah. That makes it so much better."

I got him his breakfast, piling our packs behind him so he could sit up a bit. I also got him to put on his sweater. It wasn't until he put it on that I saw the bloodstain on it. I would have to see if I could clean it once we got back to Mew Lake.

I knew that the weather would be getting cold even before the sun went down. It was supposed to be -25 C overnight, which was close to the limit of our sleeping bags. We'd be using our fleece liners for sure when we went to bed. But, I wanted a bit more protection - and not just against the weather. I took the hatchet into the edge of the trees, cutting a bunch of pine boughs and dragging them back to the tent. I leaned them against the exposed face, creating an extra layer of insulation. The hole in Cole's leg indicated that our attacker had been using a small calibre gun, probably a twenty-two rifle. The branches might not stop a bullet, but they'd definitely deflect one that small.

Once that was done, I used the sled to collect a bunch of large, flat rocks. I had to dig under the snow to get them, but I eventually had enough. I set up a half-circle of rocks on edge round the firepit, with the open side facing the tent. I had found a few large, thin rocks, which I placed on top of them. The stones would act as both a heat reflector and thermal battery. Our fire would heat them up, and the heat would be radiated back after the fire died down. We'd only get half of the heat that was stored in the rocks, but that was still heat that would otherwise be lost to the night. I'd build up the fire before we went to bed, letting the coals continue heating us at least part-way through the night. All in all, I was confident that we'd tolerate the cold easily enough. I just hoped that the asshole didn't cause us more problems.

***

As I cooked dinner late in the afternoon, I was glad that we had brought extra food. I made sure that Cole had a good meal, although I had to force myself to eat. I was finding that the stress of maintaining a calm façade for him was staring to wear on me. I had different desires warring within me. On the one hand, I wanted to track down our attacker and cause grievous bodily harm. I also wanted to get Cole to medical attention, like, yesterday. Finally, I wanted to pull him into my arms, hold him tight to my breast and damn the consequences. On the bright side, I didn't want to break down in tears any more.

I suggested that we go to sleep early again. I checked Cole's bandages before it got too dark, and would look at them again in the morning before we moved out. There didn't seem to be any more bleeding, and I was sure that he'd be fine for the trip back.

"What about Asshole?" Cole asked after we had zipped ourselves into our sleeping bags.

"I doubt he's even there now. He probably just took a wild shot at you, then hightailed it out of here." I could hear my voice grow cold. "But, if he decides to come back, I'd gladly return his knife, repeatedly."

"Mom, he's bigger than you."

"Yeah, he is. But I'm an angry mother protecting her son and he has a broken arm."

"Would you humour me and get those sticks I fought him with?"

I actually laughed. "You think that I'm too small to fight him, but you can do it with a bullet hole in your leg?"

"My arms are perfectly fine. Besides, it's not likely we'll see him, right? I'd just feel safer, that's all."

I smiled, though he couldn't possibly see it in the dark. I kissed his cheek, then slipped out of the tent to grab the sticks. They were two inches thick and nearly as long as my arm. They looked to be maple, and had enough weight to pack a good wallop. As I handed Cole the sticks, I realized the I felt a bit safer, too.

***

VENGEANCE SERVED COLD

I was shocked awake by a cool, clammy hand covering my mouth. I reacted by biting down on a finger. I felt Cole jerk next to me, but he was silent. Then, I heard the sound of the tent ripping at the door. It was Cole's hand on my mouth, and he had woken me the only way he could without giving away that we were awake. That bastard had intended to have the element of surprise, but Cole had stolen it away from him. I kissed his finger and mouthed 'sorry' before he pulled his hand back. I couldn't hear a thing from him, but I felt the motion as he prepared his sticks. As for myself, I unzipped my bag and closed my hand around the hilt of the hunting knife Cole had been attacked with. As sick as it sounds, I was elated to have the chance to cut the man who had attacked my son.

Cold rushed into the tent as the nylon was pulled back. I momentarily saw a dull glow from the dying embers of the fire and a few stars, but they were quickly blocked by a shadow. There was a rustling sound as he moved into the tent. He seemed to be feeling around for something, then he turned toward Cole. I could hear the sticks swishing through the air, occasionally hitting. Asshole grunted a few times, then something heavy fell on my leg. I grabbed it, realizing it was a large handgun. I let out a scream and launched myself out of my sleeping bag. He had tried to cut Cole, then shot him in the leg. Now, he was back to shoot him again.

I held the knife in an icepick grip, stabbing and slashing at our attacker as I drove him from the tent. He stumbled backward, and I heard his head strike the firepit stones. His movements became sluggish, but I was taking no chances. I pulled up the bottom of his jacket and fed the pistol up so it was pressed into his abdomen, aimed toward his heart.

"Nobody hurts my son, you bastard," I hissed. "You can rot in hell."

When I pulled the trigger, his entire body jerked violently, then he stilled. A puff of ash brushed my face as the bullet exited somewhere in his upper back. The sound was a lot quieter than I had expected; maybe it was because the shot was muffled by the jacket, maybe the fact that the muzzle was embedded in his gut. Driving the knife into his chest, I felt for a pulse at his neck. After half a minute, I was satisfied that he was dead. I turned back to the tent.

"Did he hurt you at all?" I asked.

"No. I made contact a few times, though."

"Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll check the tent when I get back."

I got dressed, making sure that I had a couple layers under my jacket. This was the coldest we had seen since the previous winter. It was at least twenty-five below zero, and there was a stiff breeze picking up. I bundled the body into the sled and grabbed the hatchet and shovel. Donning my skis, I pulled him well out onto the ice. I cleared a spot about four feet across, then cut a roughly circular hole. Between the shovel and small axe, I was able to pry the chunk of ice out of the hole. Before sending him under, I did a quick search of his clothes. The only thing of value he had with him was the leather sheath for that nice hunting knife. I took that, then slid him into the water. The chunk of ice went back in the hole, floating almost even with the surrounding ice. I packed snow into the cracks, and it quickly soaked up water from the lake below. With the current temperatures, this would freeze solid in no time. I spread the disturbed snow out, but made sure to leave the seam uncovered. I knew that snow was actually an effective insulator, and I wanted this to freeze solid. After one good snowfall, there would be no sign that this spot had ever been disturbed. I headed back to the camp with a smile on my face. That was one bastard who would never harm my family again.

***

HEAT TRANSFER

I had pulled the sled over the damaged end of the tent, since there was no way to secure the ripped nylon. Cole was asleep when I got back, so I simply stripped down and got back in my sleeping bag. I slept until the sun was above the horizon. I could already tell that it was going to be a warmer day. I got out of my sleeping bag and stretched.

"Mmm. Should be a nice day on the trail. I think we'll be able to make it back easily. Time to get up, sleepy-head."

Cole turned his head, but didn't respond. His colour seemed off, somehow.

"Are you feeling all right?"

He didn't respond, his eyes dull and not really comprehending. I realized that his lips seemed darker than usual. I knelt beside him and touched his forehead. He felt cold as ice, but wasn't shivering.

"Hand...hot," he whispered.

I pulled down the zipper on his bag, checking his body. He was still dressed in his sweater, which was soaked with sweat. The entire sleeping bag was, actually. And, as the light brightened, I realized that his skin had a blue tint. His fingernails and lips were darker, almost purple.

"Dammit, Cole, you feel like ice. Why didn't you take off your sweater?" I tried pull his sweater off, but I couldn't get it past his shoulders. "I need you to help me, Cole. If we don't warm you up, we're going nowhere."

He still didn't move, so I retrieved the hunting knife and sliced through the sweater. I hated destroying it, but I didn't have much choice. I then did the same thing to his wet long johns and briefs. He was soon naked, but still lying on his wet sleeping bag. I flipped mine open and tried to roll him over onto it. He was just lying there, completely immobile and unable to help. It took some work, but I finally managed to get him moved over, then zipped my sleeping bag up.

"That should help. I'm starting a fire and I'll bring you a hot drink as soon as I can."

I kissed his cold forehead and then got dressed. Hopefully, he'd start feeling better soon.

***

I had to shake him awake when I came back ten minutes later. The wall of stones I had built were doing a great job of reflecting the heat, and the tent was already feeling more comfortable. Unfortunately, he didn't look any better. I lifted Cole's head and placed a cup at his lips.

"Here's some cider. It'll warm you up and give you energy." The drink spilled out the side of his mouth and down his chin. "Come on, Cole. I really need you to drink this."

He just closed his eyes, not even trying to swallow. The dry, warm sleeping bag should have made a difference. He should have started warming up by now. Unless...unless he had cooled down so much that his body was unable to create its own heat.

"No! You can't do this to me. After how I fought to save you, you can't just give up now!"

There was still no response from Cole. I wanted to scream and break things, but knew that wouldn't help my son. I went outside, putting more wood on the fire. There was a chance of melting the nylon tent, but it was already damaged, and I was past caring about it. Heading back in, I stripped off my clothes and got into the sleeping bag with Cole. It was a bit snug, but I was able to pull the zip up most of the way. I knew that most heat loss occurred where blood flow was close to the surface - back of the knee, groin, armpits, neck and head. I was able to reach my sweater and wrapped it around his head. Then, I placed my legs around his thigh, one leg pressed up into his groin. I wrapped my arms around him, placing them in his armpits. I put my head on his shoulder, my neck against his. He felt cold against me, but I would take a bit of discomfort in order to give him the heat he needed. I would do whatever it took to save him. I'd already shown that asshole just how far I would go.

Cole started to shiver violently after ten or fifteen minutes. The shivering faded a few times, but didn't stop until early afternoon. When I was confident that he was completely out of danger, I slipped out of the sleeping bag. He lifted a hand to touch my thigh as I was getting up.

"Sorry, Mom. I guess I screwed up again."

My heart melted at the repentant tone of his voice.

"Cole, darling, don't apologize. You're getting better, and that's what is important. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. But not as cold."

"Can you try to eat something?" He nodded. "Good. I'll bring you some cider, then we'll get some real food."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom."

I leaned down, kissing him on the lips. As I sat up, I realized that his eyes were locked on my chest.

"I love you, Cole. You know that I'd do anything for you, right?"

"Yeah. Me too."

I knelt beside him, gazing into his eyes. He tried to meet mine, but he kept getting distracted. I smiled and kissed him again, then got dressed. I didn't bother turning away, and he watched me the whole time. I brought in the cider immediately, and he was able to sit up and drink it himself. I refilled his cup, then started heating up some food. We were out of eggs, but I still had some bread and lots of bacon. I made a lightly toasted bacon sandwich, with some half-frozen ketchup for a bit of flavour.

Cole forced himself to swallow, but I could tell that he didn't really feel up to eating much. He did, however, drink a couple mugs of hot cider. He suddenly looked exhausted, and I helped him to lie down again. Putting his mug aside, I stripped and slid into the sleeping bag again.

"My heat will help you warm up a bit more," I told him softly. "Besides, your bag is soaked, so we'll have to share tonight. You can sleep now. I'll be here if you need anything."

"I love you, Mom," he said as he pulled me close.

"Yeah, I know. Me too, Cole. Me too."

***

HOT BODIES

I got up a bit later to make us some dinner, heating the last hamburgers we had with us. Breakfast would be peperoni sticks and trail mix. I helped Cole to dress and go out to relieve himself. Although he was feeling better, he was still weak and a little uncoordinated. Once back in the tent, he was able to undress himself. When we slid back into the sleeping bag, I left the zipper partly open. That would allow excess heat and moisture to escape, and I could easily pull it closed if we got chilly.

I turned to face away from him, in part to keep me from running my hands all over his body. The temptation was shameful, but I could not help the attraction. I mean, he looked exactly like his father when we first got together. And, he had definitely been noticing me. When he pressed his chest to my back, he wasn't quite successful in avoiding poking me with his hard cock. Somehow, I managed to avoid pressing back against him.

***

Unsurprisingly, my dreams were more than a little raunchy. I was back in my early twenties, and Nate had taken me camping. We had decided to share a sleeping bag, of course. He started by reaching around and massaging my breasts. His hands were soft and warm, moving over my skin with uncharacteristic gentleness. He was usually a vigorous lover, and I had quickly become addicted to his preferences. But sometimes, it was nice to just be caressed.