New Happiness, Begins
The Part 55

"Are the Army taught?"

David tilted his head towards Nathan Sanders. They were standing at the back of a crowded, dimly lit media room, but he did not take his gaze off Daniel, who had already placed his hands on the back of Kendall's chair. "Teached what?"

"How to kill an enemy with a hostile gaze."

David frowned and turned to look at Nathan. "Shut your mouth."

"Sttt!" hiss someone from the row of seats in front of them.

A thrilling action movie played on a wide-screen flat TV. He had doubts that the workers would welcome the idea of watching a movie together, but it turned out that most of the people in the room were forced to stand up. Daniel managed to get the best seat.

Next to Kendall.

David's blood is boiling. Obviously Kendall told me she couldn't go home until the car was fixed, so Daniel came to pick me up. Like a bone.

What David wanted.

"What's going on in Atlanta?" whispered Nathan.

"Nothing."

"Because that's why you've been cranky like a woman since you got back?"

"Can you please shut up?"

"We're watching!"

David felt a familiar sting in the ear and from Nathan's groans, he knew that the man was getting the same blow in the ear.

"You two stop blabbering, "" Harry said behind them in a low voice. "and come with me."

David glanced at Kendall and Daniel again, annoyed to see the man had already wrapped his hands around Kendall's body, then turned to follow Harry out of the large room and into the wide corridor.

"What's wrong?" tanyakanya.

Lines of anxiety appeared on Harry's face. "Have you seen Kris lately?"

"No." David looked at Nathan, who also shook his head. "Why?"

Harry nodded to the end of the corridor. Masson Dean, the worker whose hand was injured while building the clinic, sat there with a face frowning in pain. He hugged his arm in a bandage and as David approached, he could see Masson's hand swell up. "This is no good. I'll call Kendall."

Harry clutched his arm. "Masson doesn't want to see Doctor Jenner. He said he only wanted to be treated by Kris, but I couldn't find him."

David approached Masson and leaned on the crutches. "Masson, you should let Doctor Jenner examine your hand. Probably an infection."

Masson. "Kris can treat me."

"Masson, your wounds look bad. You need to see a real doctor."

"No way," Masson refused, his voice rising. "My wife went to the hospital for scraping and came home in a coffin. I don't trust doctors, especially female doctors!"

David clenched his jaw in frustration. But he did not want to call Kendall and found Masson refused his services with an embarrassing scene in front of the doctor's fiancee.

He gritted his teeth. Ex-fiance.

David turned to look at Harry, who raised his hand. "Nobody saw Kris at the barracks these two days."

"I know where Kris would set up his tent if he went to collect plants" David said. "Around Devil's Rock. I'm going up the ATV there to look for him."

"I'll ride the ATV too and go with him." Nathan's dream. "It's safer if we go together and then I can piggyback Kris."

Harry nodded briefly. "Go."

David and Nathan are out. David condemns some men's silly attitudes, superstitions and excessive self-esteem. No wonder Kendall doesn't want to live here.

That and the fact that he's been taking advantage of that woman in Atlanta. He knew Kendall was fragile, thinking about going back to her ex-fiance. But he doesn't care. He just wants Kendall for himself. David stepped on the gas pedal, angry at the circumstances, angry at himself.

Even with bright headlights, their journey is slow and dangerous. There was no road or anything like that, just a winding route through the trees and across the rocks. They had to stop several times to determine the direction. About half an hour later, David saw Kris' white tent through the trees and pointed. "There."

After turning off the machine, they could hear the man's moans.

"Kris?" shouted David.

"Please" came a weak answer.

Nathan arrived first in the tent. David took longer to get through the bush with crutches. When he reached the entrance of the tent, Nathan had already found an electric lantern. Christopher lay in a sleeping bag, sweating and clutching his chest. Nathan leaned over near the man's ear.

"Why is it?" ask David.

Nathan squeals. "There's pain. We need to get him into town soon."

Relying on the crutches, David could not help much to move Kris behind Nathan's ATV, but he led them home very quickly. As they stopped in front of the dormitory, he quickly went in to call Harry to help Nathan, then headed to the back of the large room where the film was still being played.

"Kendall!" it was exciting and everyone was looking. David caught Kendall's hand. "There is an emergency. Others, please stay in place. Let the Doctor's Mom through."

Kendall has risen. To David's surprise, Daniel goes along, but Kendall tells him to go to practice to get a medical bag.

"What's wrong?" ask the doctor to David.

"There are two patients" David replied as he led Kendall into the front room. There, Masson sat down groaning.

As Kendall asked permission to check her hand, Masson shook his head. "I want to see Doc Kris."

Kendall nodded and looked. "Where is Kris?"

Door opens. Harry and Nathan come in, half carrying Kristofer.

"There," said David. "She's sick."

While Kendall acts, telling the two men to lay Kris on the floor, David explains to Masson that Kris is ill and that he must allow Doctor Jenner to examine her hand. But the man just clenched his mouth and mutely.

Daniel returned with Kendall's medical bag and, according to David, was just hanging.

"You can go back and watch the movie until it's over" David suggested.

"It's okay" Daniel said, "Who knows Kendall needs me."

David bit the inside of the cheek.

"Please calm down, everyone" Kendall said, glaring at the two. He knelt down near Kris and examined the man's chest, then asked a question. David can't hear everything, but he gets the impression Kendall is more worried about what Kris has eaten to relieve chest pain than the chest pain itself.

"Laurel mountain," Kendall said as she looked up. "He poisoned himself while trying to treat his pain. He should be transferred to the clinic as soon as possible, maybe in a gurney."

Harry and Nathan went to get the device. David notices that Daniel wants to go help, but seems reluctant to leave Kendall alone.

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