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What's more fun than camping with your friends?
(Somehow I'm not liking how this is coming out)


Similarities between characters and events in this story and real people and events are purely coincidental.

EDITED

---

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Mark hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket. He stretched himself, almost hitting Dan in the face with his paw. “Hey! Watch it. Why are you hanging out with Leanna again anyway?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I will admit she’s hard to talk to, but you never know what she’s going to say or do. Keeps things interesting.”
Dan grinned and punched Mark in the arm playfully. “Aw, c’mon, that can’t be the only reason, can it?”
“You’re right. I feel sorry for her. She doesn’t have anyone else to hang out with, so I kinda… feel obligated.”
Dan nodded, his grin widening. “That’s not what I was getting at, but sure, I get it. Pity over pussy. Ow!”
Mark grabbed Dan by the collar of his shirt and shook him. “That was a very disrespectful thing to say. Apologize before I banish you from this couch.”
“No! Not the couch… I’m sorry, ok? Jeez, I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Dan smiled weakly, and Mark pushed him back onto the couch. “Now I’m going to have a nice breakfast with Leanna, and you’re going to do something about this stain on the couch.”
“It’s just mayo! I swear!”

~~~

Leanna watched Mark chew on his eggs, not saying a word. As he chewed, he looked over the morning paper and read out the most interesting bits to Leanna. “Mmmff… ‘Animal rights activists protest outside zoo.’ … Hmm, it looks like they’re gaining a lot of momentum these days.”
Leanna nodded. “I think they’re wrong. You can’t argue with science.”
“Still, you gotta feel sorry for our less evolved cousins. They look so much like us.”
Leanna sipped her hot chocolate. “Our DNA is completely different. We aren’t related.”
“I guess you’re right.”
Leanna poked at her bagel absentmindedly, looking at it as though it was a long lost fossil, and she had just discovered it. Mark knew that look, and he put down the paper. “I know you have something to ask, Leanna.”
She fidgeted with her paws. “Um… D-do you want to…”
She paused and went back to staring at her bagel. Mark said nothing, allowing her time to gather her thoughts. She took a deep breath and looked up again. “I want to go camping. With you and Robert and tail guy.”
Mark’s face lit up. “That’s a great idea! We can go out to my dad’s cabin for the weekend!”
Leanna looked down again, and began spinning her half eaten bagel around her claw. “Y-yeah… hhmm.”
Leanna emitted a strange, high pitched sound, not unlike a dog’s whine. It tugged at Mark’s heart strings more than it should have. “Hey, now. There’s no need to be nervous-”
“No! I-I’m fine, really.”
The table fell into an awkward silence. Mark eventually spoke up again, after a substantial amount of food-watching. “So, what do you want to do? Should we stay at the cabin, or go old fashion tent and bug spray style camping?”
“No cabin.”
Her words were confident enough, and Mark didn’t question them. “Alright, that’s fine. Do you have a tent? I’m pretty sure Mitch has one.”
“Yes. Robert has a tent.”
Mark smiled. He was looking forward to getting away from the city. “Great! The campground west of here is pretty good, and the cabin is a short walk away, in case of emergencies there’s a lot of stuff in there. Hold on a sec, lemmie send the details to your phone…”
After Mark showed Leanna a map and saved it to her phone, he stood and nodded to her. “I’ll talk to Michael, and let you know when we’re free on Friday. I don’t have work then, or on the weekend.”
Leanna smiled. “Good. Robert’s already on board. See you then.”
Mark left a ten on the table and waved. “Till then.”
He strolled out the door and down the street, glancing into the coffee shop window at Leanna, who was grinning ecstatically to herself as she enthusiastically chattered into her phone. Mark chuckled to himself as he took out his own phone. “She must have really been afraid I’d say no.”
He opened Messenger and texted Michael.
-dude im going camping and youre comeing
wat-
no!-
-yes. Leanna wants to go and i cant say no. i thought you liked camping
i dont feel like it-
-cmon! Itll be just the four of us, in the woods, with smors. Ill let ypu do some plinking with my 22
fine-
-great when can you go? were leaving on fiday.
-*Friday
any time. Ill hold you to your word though-
-yeah, yeah. Ill text you later
Seen

~~~

Michael dragged a huge overstuffed backpack down the stairs and yelled to his mother. “Mom! They’ll be here any second! Where’s my jacket?”
“I don’t know, honey. Have you checked the railing?”
“Oh, never mind. I found it!”
There was a honk from outside as Michael grabbed his coat and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Bye mom.”
“Have a good time.”
He lugged the bag down the front steps and waved at the occupants of the car. The trunk popped open and he tossed the bag inside. Opening the front passenger door, he climbed in and greeted Robert. “Hi, I’m Michael, Mark’s friend.”
Robert grinned. “I guessed that from the description.”
“Hi tail guy.”
He looked back, expecting to see Mark, but it was only Leanna sitting there, an empty sort of look on her face. “Hey. Where’s Mark?”
Leanna looked out the window and shrugged. “Guess, ya boob.”
Michael laughed as Robert pulled out of the driveway. “Boob? I don’t know, probably still in his apartment.”
“Ding.” She said, imitating a correct buzzer on your average game show.
Mark was sitting on the steps with a reasonably sized backpack, tapping his paw on the concrete. The car pulled up next to him, and Michael leaned out the window. “Get in! I don’t want to get there too late!”
Mark chuckled and stood up. “Someone’s changed their mind about this trip.”
“Yeah, yeah. I have to admit I have. Been cooped up inside too long, now get in!”
He picked up his bag and threw it in the back with the other three bags and a few coolers full of food, and climbed in the back seat. Leanna smiled as he sat down. “Hi Mark.”
“Hi Leanna. Excited?”
“Camping isn’t thrilling, it’s relaxing.”
Mark strapped himself in and chuckled. “I guess you’re right.”
They started driving out of the city, and into the hills, heading for the wooded area west of the city. Michael took out his phone and started scrolling through his music. “Hey Rob, can I call you Rob?”
“Sure you can, mate.”
“Rob, do you have an aux cable?”
Robert tapped the glove compartment, and Michael opened it, rooting around until he pulled out a green cord. Mark leaned forward and looked at Michael suspiciously. “I hope you’re not going to play any of that old music you like.”
Michael plugged in the cord and ‘Smooth Criminal’ started blasting. “MJ for days yo.”
Mark groaned. “Aw, come on! Play something new!”
Rob and Leanna were grooving to the music, Leanna grinning at Mark. “It’s good though. I prefer the Beatles, but this is good.”
Mark shrugged and started grooving too. They listened to two Michael Jackson albums before the phone ran out of batteries. Mark sighed in relief. “Finally! There’s only so much a man can take before he goes insane.”
Leanna suddenly got a mischievous look on her face as she leaned forward, grabbed a CD holder and flipped through it, taking out a CD with illegible scribbles on it and putting it in the CD player. Mark listened in horror as The Beatles started playing. He looked at Leanna’s amused face and scowled. “You must be joking!”
“Aw, it isn’t that bad, Mark. Feel the subtleties.”
“Yeah! This is a good album!” Robert said, taking an exit off the highway into a wooded area.
Mark sighed and opened his window, sticking his face into the wind and closing his eyes, the wind flattening his ears and blocking out most of the music. Leanna frowned at him disapprovingly, but smiled when she saw the hilarious face he was making. “You look like a speed demon.”
Mark didn’t hear her, but Michael looked back and burst out laughing. “Quick! Take a picture!”
Robert glanced back and laughed too as Leanna took out her phone and started taking pictures. Mark sensed something was amiss, so he pulled his head back inside the car and looked around at the other three. “What?”
Leanna showed him her new phone background. “Speed demon.”
Mark tried to grab it from her, but she was too quick. “Aw, come on! Delete that!”
She stuck out her tongue at him. “Never.”
Mark spent the next ten minutes trying to find out a way to get the pictures deleted, but ultimately failed. The trip only lasted that long and soon they pulled into a gravel parking lot, with a few other cars parked in it. They climbed out and stretched, grabbing a bag and a cooler from the trunk. Mark groaned and he dragged his bag, a cooler and a tent towards a nearby path. He dumped it and looked back, seeing Robert carrying his and Leanna’s bags without any problem. “Showoff!”
Michael looked on in awe at Robert’s sheer strength. “Whoa, you’re jacked!”
Robert smiled modestly. “Oh, I try.”
They caught up to Mark and started making their way to the camp sight. Because the government actually owned most of the land, there were no clearly defined camp sites, however, past campers found good spots and marked them with fireplaces. After walking for a good chunk of time, Mark pointed out a spot by a river. “This spot looks nice. The cabin is just across the river and over a few hills.”
Robert threw down the load he was carrying, which was becoming a burden even to him. “Whew! I thought this strap was going to dig so deep it would cut my fingers off.”
He took out their tent bag and opened it, pulling out a bundle that looked like it wasn’t put back into the bag correctly. “I have a confession to make. I’m not very good at setting these things up.”
Michael pushed him aside. “Allow me…”
He had the tents set up inside of ten minutes, and bowed as the other three clapped. “Impressive.” Leanna said as she climbed inside her and Robert’s tent.
Mark poked his head inside Michael’s tent. “It never fails to amaze me how he does it. I think this is the fastest one you’ve done so far.”
He waved his paw and took out a bundle of firewood from his bag. “Yeah, yeah. Tent savant and all that. Now, let’s get some ‘dogs on the go.”
As the sun dipped low over the trees, the four campers roasted hotdogs and chatted until the fire died out and the sun hid behind a mountain. Mark yawned and began putting away the leftover food. “Well, guys, looks like it’s time to sleep. I’m dead on my feet right now.”
Leanna tugged on his arm. “Oh, come on Mark! I’m dying to know what happened to the drunk elementary school principal!”
“Oh, that story doesn’t actually go anywhere. I’m tired too.” Michael said, grabbing his now half empty backpack and crawling into his tent.
She sighed and stood, brushing off her pants. “Fine.”
Robert followed her into their tent, making sure to get their sleeping bags from his pack. He tossed one to Leanna and shouted to the other two as they got into their tent. “Goodnight!”
“Night!”
“G’night!”
He turned around and tossed a sleeping bag to Leanna, who didn’t bother catching it. She looked up at him as he unrolled a bag on his end of the tent. “Robbie, can I ask you a question?”
He climbed inside and lay back. “Shoot.”
She rolled the bag back and forth. “Have you ever been in love before?”
He raised his eyebrow and smiled. “Yes, I have.”
She leaned forward. “What was it like?”
“Why do you ask?”
Leanna bit her lip. “I’m curious.”
Robert closed his eyes and sighed. “It’s hard to explain, but I’ll do my best. Um… Lemmie think here… When you’re with the person, it’s like… nothing else in the world matters. You feel complete, euphoric, and you get butterflies in your stomach every time you’re together. And when you’re apart, it hurts. Like a piece of your heart is missing. I think that’s the best I can do.”
Leanna nodded, her eyes wide. “Yeah... So who was it?”
“Oh… Her name is Victoria. We work together. I just can’t seem to get up the courage to ask her out. Why do you ask? Are you in love?”
“No.” Leanna said as she climbed into her sleeping bag.
Robert chuckled. “Good luck.”
“Shhh!”

~~~

In Michael and Mark’s tent, the two finally lay down after a brief pillow fight. “I’ll get you next time.”
Mark grinned and snuggled into the warmth of his sleeping bag. “No you won’t.”
“No, I won’t.”
They laughed, and Michael turned on a small reading light and dug a book from his bag. “So Mark, you like Leanna or…?”
“Like her? How do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. Are you into her?”
“Well… not really.”
Michael looked at him in surprise. “Oh, come on! You can tell me!”
“Really, I’m not. She’s too… unpredictable. And hard to talk to. Sometimes I don’t know what I say will set her off. I prefer someone who’s more outgoing and… stable.”
“I see. Yeah, I believe you. And you’re a bastard.”
“What?!”
Michael fixed him with a glare. “Just because she’s a little eccentric doesn’t mean she isn’t worth the effort. You could really help her you know.”
“What do you know? Anyway, I can’t change how I feel, ok?”
“Fine, whatever.”
Mark looked over Michael’s shoulder at what he was reading. “What’s that you’re reading?”
“You mean this? It’s a sci-fi book about some space wolverine. It was written by a sixteen year old, interestingly enough.”
“Really? Is it any good?”
“Meh. Six point five out of ten at best.”
Michael turned the page, unaware of Mark reading over his shoulder. “Wait… There are Humans in this book, aren’t there?”
Michael shut the book and whirled around. “What? No, what would make you think that! Are you saying I’m a fleshy? Ha! Perish the thought!”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Shut up!”

~~~

Mark dragged himself out of the tent and stumbled into the woods to find a portable restroom. Michael rolled out a few seconds after and sat next to the fire, blowing on it and adding firewood. He took out a can of instant coffee and began to boil water over the now rekindled fire. Mark came back from the woods and plopped down next to Michael. “Morning.”
“Yes, it is.”
Mark pushed him lightly. “When’s the coffee going to be done?”
“… Right now.”
He poured the boiling water into cups and added some of the off-smelling powder. They stirred, and simultaneously took a sip. Mark made a face. “God, this tastes like crap!”
“It’s not that bad.”
They finished their coffee as Robert climbed out of the tent. “Something smells like cheap swill. Gimme some.”
Michael passed him the pot of water and a cup with powder in it as Michael started breakfast. Just as he was finishing it, Leanna came out of her tent, looking surprisingly awake. She sat next to Mark and watched the bacon sizzling on the grittle. “Good morning Leanna, you’re looking chipper this morning, even though you slept in.”
“Have you ever had a dream you really wanted to keep having, so you just finish it in your head?”
“Yeah.”
“I was doing that.”
Mark dumped the bacon onto a plate and took out some bread, tomatoes, mayo and lettuce. “Oh, really? What was the dream?”
Leanna kept staring into the fire, her face becoming flushed. “Um… I don’t remember…”
Mark assembled his sandwich and handed the ingredients to Leanna. “Ok… Whatever you say.”
After breakfast, Michael burped and tugged Mark’s arm. “It’s plinking time.”
“Fine. Hey you guys, we’re going to do some plinking, anyone want to come?”
Leanna raised her hand, but Robert shook his head. “You guys go ahead. I’m going to try and catch something in this river…”
He pulled out a fishing rod and began assembling it. “Alright, but I’ll warn you, Michael hates fish.”
Robert waved as they walked into the woods to find a place to cross the river. The woods were bright and full of life, insects flitting around, small mammals running to and fro, and a cool breeze blowing through the trees. Mark looked into the clouds with worry on his face. “It looks like it might rain.”
Michael shrugged. “I don’t mind rain. Besides, we have covers for the tents.”
Leanna shivered. “I hate rain. It gets under my skin.”
“I hear that.” Mark said.
The river was raging in some spots, and calm in others. It wasn’t long until the trio found a massive tree, fallen so it was fording the river. Michael climbed on and waltzed across nimbly, arriving at the opposite bank and waving at the other two. “Come on, slow pokes! We isn’t getting any younger!”
Mark stepped on the log cautiously, then bounced on it a couple times. “Hmm, it’s pretty sturdy. Alright, I’m coming over!”
He made it halfway before he realized Leanna wasn’t following him. He looked back and saw her standing there, staring at the log with uncertainty. “Come on! It’s safe!”
She looked into the raging rapids the log had fallen over and shook her head. Mark sighed and walked back over to the side Leanna was on and landed next to her. “It’s safe, Leanna.”
“… I can’t swim…”
“Oh, you won’t fall in! Take my paw; I’ll lead you to the other side.” He held out his paw.
She looked into the river again, then back at Mark’s outstretched paw. She took it slowly, and stepped onto the log. “See? It’s pretty solid…”
Her paw felt strange to Mark, until the sudden realization made him almost lose his balance. Her paw was heavily scarred as well, the bare pad cracked and lacerated. Leanna seemed to not notice, the perceived danger of drowning taking precedence. Mark led her along the log without saying anything, making sure to help her around branches which protruded from it. They crossed without incident, and arrived at the other side where Michael was faking a yawn. Mark pushed him. “Give it up.”
He laughed. “Alright! Jeez, I get it.”
Leanna bent over and picked up a rock, then threw it into the water and scowled at it. “Dumb water.”
The water did not respond.

~~~

Dan sat on the couch, sharing a drink with Lance. “So, Dan, I’ve been thinking, we should take a trip. Just the two of us.”
Dan grinned and sipped more of his vodka. “Can I bring the couch?”
“No you can’t.”
“Alright. Where should we go?”
“I don’t know. I always wanted to go to Disneyland.” Lance said as he leaned back and put his glass down.
“If you want to go, I want to go with you. Sounds like fun.”
Lance wrapped his arm around Dan and pulled him in. “Aw, thanks. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
A knock on the door interrupted the quiet moment, forcing Dan to peel himself off the couch and answer it. Jill stood outside the door, fidgeting with her shirt. “Oh… Is Mark there?”
“No, he’s out camping.”
Jill looked inside the apartment and waved at Lance. He waved back. “Do you… know when he’ll be back?”
“He’s out all weekend. He’ll probably be back on Monday.”
“I tried to call him, but I guess there’s no cell service out there… Never mind, have a nice day.”
“Wait! You can leave a message if you want… Jill, right?”
“Yeah… Sorry… Um, just tell him to call me when he gets back.”
Dan nodded as Jill hurried back to the elevator. “I will!”
He closed the door, and returned to the couch. “Was that Mark’s girlfriend?”
“I don’t think so.”
Lance shrugged. “If she is… Damn.”
“Yeah. Stacked.”
They giggled.

~~~

The sky grew darker, even though the sun was directly overhead. The trio of campers decided on optimism, and ignored the sky. Soon the cabin loomed in the distance, and Mark sighed in relief. If they got caught in the rain, they could simply dart inside and be dry. “Alright, there’s a range out back, I’ll get a BB gun.”
Michael stamped his footpaw. “What? I thought you said I could use your .22!”
“I’ve decided I’m too paranoid. You’ll shoot someone, I just know it. This way, it won’t be fatal.” Mark went inside without another word.
“Damn.”
Leanna shook her head. “A gun is a gun, tail guy.”
“But-”
“Mark has spoken.”
He sighed and followed the cabin around to it’s rear, where a wall with many, many bullet holes in it protected anything that might be in the woods from missed shots. Mark came out holding a polished wooden rifle, a clear plastic pistol that looked like a cheap kid’s toy, and what looked like a downsized assault rifle. He tossed the pistol and a container of pellets to Michael and set down the other two. Michael looked at the items in his paw and scowled at Mark. “You must be joking. At least give me the M4!”
“That one is for Leanna if she wants to use it. Believe it or not it has the least recoil.”
He turned to Leanna. “Wanna try…?”
His voice trailed off as he saw Leanna had already picked up the M4 BB and was now loading it. “Targets.”
Mark and Michael looked bewildered for a moment, then scrambled for cover as Leanna aimed down the sights at the cans that served as targets.
Ping!
The first can flew off it’s stand.
Ding!
The second can spun around in midair and rolled for a few feet before stopping.
Ping!
The third can didn’t fall, but a hole was raised in it.
Crack!
The forth can was spared it’s life, Leanna’s shot missing by a fraction of an inch.
Ping!
The fifth and final can was hit in such a way it flew over the wall and rolled down the hill. Mark and Michael looked on in awe at the impressive skill of Leanna. They clapped, and Leanna set down the gun, sitting on a nearby lawn chair. “The sights are off.”
“Yeah… A little bit… How did you do that?”
She tapped the side of her head. “Practice.”
Mark, feeling sobered after Leanna’s performance, picked up his .22 and loaded a bullet into it. “Michael, throw a can, will you?”
He picked up a can and looked at Mark skeptically. “I don’t think you can do it.”
“Pull.”
Michael shrugged, and tossed the can in a wide arc. Mark tracked it, and fired, the noise causing Michael to jump. “Jesus! That’s loud… and you missed.”
Leanna sighed. “You’re underestimating the power of that gun. Try aiming lower.”
“Ok… Pull.”
Michael threw another can, and this time Mark hit dead center. “Hey! I got it!”
Leanna clapped slowly. “Good job… uh oh…”
A single drop of water fell, and burst on Leanna’s nose. Mark felt the next drop on his shoulder. “We better get back before-“
Suddenly the intermittent drips transformed into a cascade of water, instantly flattening the fur of the three. “Quick! In the cabin!”
Mark dashed for the awning, which wasn’t enough to keep most of the rain from anyone standing under it. Leanna reluctantly joined him, but did not enter the cabin. Michael ran in circles, jumping around with his mouth open, laughing. “Guys! This is fun! Come on!”
“You’re crazy!”
“Nah! Summer showers are the best!”
Mark glanced at Leanna, who looked miserable. “Go on inside, I’ll join you in a second, hopefully with Michael.”
He then turned back and shouted again. “You’ll catch a cold! Come in!”
“Never!”
Mark clasped the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Alright, I see you like rain too much. Go back to the campsite and help Robert waterproof the tents, I doubt he can do it himself.”
“Oh, shit. You’re right; they’ll be ponds if I don’t hurry! You rain-a-phobes can join me after the rain stops!”
He dashed off through the woods, almost slipping on some mud that had just formed. Mark turned to go inside, and noticed that Leanna was still there, looking a mite thinner now that her fur was flattened against her body. “I thought you didn’t like rain.”
She sneezed. “I don’t know.”
“Come on.”
Mark opened the door and went in. Leanna followed, but only after the rain increased in strength. The inside of the cabin was spacious, the whole thing was one big room, even the sleeping area was out in the open. The only other room was the bathroom and shower. Leanna didn’t go any further, staying in the coatroom, dripping. Mark rushed to the bathroom before he could drip too much on the wood floor. He came out in a minute, after having rung out his clothes and dried himself with a towel. “You might want to dry yourself too… What’s the matter?”
Leanna was nervous for reasons which Mark could not discern. She clasped her paws together and sighed. “Nothing.”
She ran to the bathroom. Mark sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. “Of course… no signal. Cheapskate Dad…”
He turned it off and lay back. “Hey Leanna! I think there’s a deck of cards here if you want to play!”
Leanna was sitting, waiting for her clothes to dry a little before she put them back on. “Maybe!”
She sighed, deciding they would never dry any more than they already had. She threw them on and came out of the bathroom cautiously. Mark couldn’t see her as he was rooting around in a drawer, his back turned. She took a deep breath and looked around, determined. The room was covered in moose antlers, stuffed moose heads and pictures of a large fox, who looked like Mark, posing next to various animals and fish. Her breath shook as she walked up to one such picture, this time the fox was posing with a younger Mark next to a moose, huge grins on their faces. She picked it up. Mark’s father had his paw on Mark’s head, and was in the middle of ruffling his fur. Mark’s arm was rising up to push the paw away. “Where did he put those cards…?”
The photo filled Leanna with rage. It wasn’t fair, how happy they were. Alive and happy. Before anymore tears could fall onto the glass of the frame, she raised it above her head and brought it down hard on the edge of the table. Mark whirled around at the sudden sound of breaking glass and splintering wood. “Leanna!? What…”
She dropped the frame and stood, trembling slightly. Mark sensed this was something that she wasn’t totally responsible for, so he silently returned to the couch instead of getting mad. He watched her for a long time, as she regained her composure. “Leanna, why did you break that picture?”
Mark kept his voice calm. Leanna turned around and joined him on the couch, leaning forward and staring at the wood floor. “… It isn’t fair…”
She shut her eyes to try and stop the new well of tears that suddenly appeared. “It isn’t fair! Why can’t they be alive!? Why…”
She burst into full sobs. “Leanna…”
Mark decided there was only one course of action. He pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. She gasped in surprise, but after a moment she wrapped her arms around Mark and sobbed into his damp shirt. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
She sputtered through her sobs. “I… I just saw the picture… Mum and Dad… We lived like anyone else… I… I… Was playing… And it just burned! I watched.”
Mark couldn’t understand what she said next, so he just stroked her fur and whispered. “I know. I know. Don’t cry…”
It took another few minutes before Leanna could speak again. “It doesn’t mean anything… They didn’t die saving anyone… They didn’t… it was empty… It doesn’t mean anything! … Now it’s only me… and my scars… It’s fucking pathetic. It burns, Mark. Every day. I just… Love them so much… I… Mark…”
Once again she broke down. The rain pattered on the roof as Mark ran his paw over her head in what he hoped was a calming gesture. After a long time she finally stopped crying, but only because Mark’s warmth and petting had lulled her to sleep. He drew a deep breath and looked down into Leanna’s face. It wasn’t a peaceful sleep. She twitched and groaned in pain every once and a while, no doubt being tormented by some terrible image. Mark wiped away a tear of his own and pulled her closer. She seemed to respond in her sleep, smiling slightly and sighing. “…Mark…”
He rested his head on the couch and closed his eyes. “What am I getting into?”