"She's alive."Tracy breathed against him, removing her hand from the belt loop and grabbing him around the neck , now that he was in her arms. "She moves every so often. It's a blessing she's not crying."

"She might have gone to sleep," Danny said from behind them and Tracy felt his skinny arms around her neck and his knees on her long hair, painfully. "Danny, you're on my hair," she whispered.

"I'm sleepy too, Momma."

Tracy felt the warm wet slime of her daughter and lifted an arm to cradle her. "It's okay, Mia. Momma's here."

''Mom, I have to make a poopy," Danny said and a soft razzle was heard. "Excuse me." 

Richard choked on a laugh, Tracy could feel his chest bouncing gently against hers. "It 's the wonderful world of children." 

"Momma, Danny made a..." 

There was another razzle and then Danny's embarrassed grunt. "Sorry." 

A large boulder crashed past their hiding place, scraping Richard 's and Tracy's exposed legs at the same time. Pain coursed through their bodies, and they screamed, knowing as they did that it was a near miss. The pain was superficial, a cut, a scrape. The little cave seemed to shake and tremble by itself, and the children screamed.

Richard 's wedged shoulder came loose and the duffel was torn from his body, wrenching him away from the opening. Tracy grabbed him as he began to lift away from them, she twisted over, trying to hang on to his arm, his shirt, his neck, anything. He used both hands to grasp the slippery lip of the roof of the cave. His knees were scraped raw, but that didn't  matter. His legs flew out behind him. Any minute now he would be torn from them ...

He heard her praying, crying out in righteous indignation. No! No... he wouldn't leave her now!

He squeezed his eyes shut and clawed frantically with his legs for any purchase. He banged painfully against the side of the cliff. The wind finally released him and Richard fell limply to the wall of the cave, his feet finally finding the tiny toehold he used to support himself. He felt Tracy's legs wrapped around him once again and the baby trapped between them.

The cave shook. "We're really in a bantha throat," Danny said. "We have to get out before it eats us!"

The twins screamed and Kylie reacted to that, or maybe the wash of unrestricted fresh air, but her thin wails pierced the air.

"Daniel James!"Tracy shrieked, a surprised laugh throttled in her mouth. There was outrage at the thought of him scaring his sisters, but the audacity of quoting a Star Wars scene right at that fateful moment overrode her quivering senses. The incongruity bit her with more force than she'd felt since they'd landed.

"We're not bantha fodder, Luke."Richard said controlling his pain. "Girls," he said sharply. "Stop it! He was just kidding."

"But Richy,  bantha  swallow!" Mia sobbed.

"It's not a bantha." Danny amended, fairly contrite, but pleased with his ploy anyway.

"It's an earthquake,"Tracy said, as the cave once again rolled with menacing trembles.

"It's the twister trying to get us!" Danny added.

Megan burst into tears again at the thought of the giant twister tearing the mountain apart trying to find them in their little cave. Richard was sure her childish mind attributed evil glowing red eyes to the thing. "Too bad you guys watch such lovely shows," he said to Tracy who was still reaching above her head to capture little hands.

"Danny!" Tracy said firmly. "Enough is enough."

Richard lay on top of her, unable to keep his weight off her and the baby. Both of her arms came around him. It seemed to be abating.

Time seemed to swirl. Richard's arms gave out at one point and Tracy's held him with all her might, but she felt like her lungs were crushed beneath the incessant weight of her new husband.

At one point he whispered in her ear. "I wanted to lay with you, but hadn't quite pictured it like this."

"Yeah, well, you 've got me now, buster, enjoy it while you can."

"If I wasn't so scared, I would be enjoying it, immensely." 

Eventually a stupor settled over them and Richard finally allowed his toes to slip and his cramped and bleeding arms to lose their strangle hold on the edges of the cave mouth. Indeed the winds managed to die down, and although there was still a breeze, and an occasional gust, there was light in the misty darkness and Richard knew it was morning.

Anchoring both feet on either side of the crevice they had climbed up between two cliffs, Richard surveyed the scene below them. Tracy ducked out as soon as his weight was lifted from her. She didn't look around, but at her leg, where the force of the wind had driven a three inch spike. Richard didn't notice it at first.

"It's passed us by,"  he said and edged  toward the beach again. "The tide must be out. I can see the plane and almost to the reef."

"You can't see to the reef." Tracy said tiredly. "The tide doesn 't go out that far." She looked up, still running a hand around the painful protrusion.But Richard had been right, the water surrounding the little island seemed to be drawing away at an alarming rate.

Richard's mind swirled with a million possibilities at once, like a computer searching for the right data. He knew what was happening, but it wasn't the tide. lf he could only... "Oh no." He turned eyes on Tracy that seemed immediately fraught with terror.

Tracy stared at him, trying to read his mind. She looked out to sea, then  at Richard, and then her hand came up to cover her mouth. She shook her head. Richard grasped her by the back of the neck and forced her head to his chest. "We've got time I bet. We need to get to higher ground."

Within minutes the exhausted family had reached the top of the crevice and had hoisted themselves to dry ground. From this vantage point, which happened to be the highest point on the island, Richard essayed their options.

The island itself wasn't very big, a mile all the way around if that. The cliffs they now stood on were not only the highest peak, but they covered only the south side of the land mass. They had probably climbed up at the hardest point there was, but judging from the debris left by the storm it had saved their lives.

In the midst of the greenery stood several rock masses, and over the top of one, right in the seemingly center was a spouting geyser, or possibly a blowhole. If the last was the case, then they were likely on a coral atoll, Richard mused. 

"I think over there, for awhile. So we can see."Tracy said pointing to a bare spot on top of the cliffs, slightly sheltered by a large protrusion to the east. There was room to maneuver around, and a clear view of a way down to the north beach.

"You're right." Richard agreed. "And Danny and I can search for jute, or vines or something to lash us to that outcrop of rock."

He hoisted the remaining duffel that hadn't blown away in the storm and took Megan's hand. "Om ... Richard?"Tracy was still sitting. "I can't hike anywhere till I get this thing out of my leg. It hurts too much every time I move it."

Tracy turned to show him the three inch spike embedded in her calf. Richard dropped Megan 's hand and the duffel. Reverently he took her leg in his hand and lifted it. She winced, and he let it lie still, bending close to examine it. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"We all have injuries that need attention, hon , I thought we'd wait till we were more secure, but I can't really walk." She ran a hand over her skin that puckered and bled as they watched. "Then her eyes rose to meet his. "And actually babe..." she smiled wearily. "You look worse."

Richard glanced down. His pants had been torn away above his bloody knees, and he shrugged. Easier to climb, swim, whatever was needed. His lower calves were streaked with bloody cuts and tears by the bits of loose rock and shells that the wind had thrashed around. He bent a little lower searching for any one cut that was worse than the others, deeper or needed immediate attention.

"I may look like the creature from the blue lagoon, but I can still walk." He straightened, assessing the strange sea floor around the island, and the mounting back build of water to the west. The storm still raging to the east. If he let himself stop and think about this situation he was likely to feel panic.

He hunkered down in front of her leg once again. "I'm fine actually," he said and grinned at her through the quickly gathering throat choking emotion.

Tracy looked around. Danny was standing about three feet away from her, holdin g Melia's hand.

He wasn't looking at her, but at the island... and she wondered if he saw this as another great adventure, or the desperate situation that it was. He was wearing one thing that she needed though. The medical kit was in the orange back pack on his back.

"I need that orange backpack."Tracy said, and Richard turned to unhook it from Danny's sturdy shoulders.  Her hands actually shook as she reached for the back pack that she realized held the most precious first aid and medical things they needed. She set the pack down as Megan stuck her thumb in her mouth and twirled her hair.

As she rummaged in the pack she tried to concentrate on her own knowledge, the stuff she'd gleaned from several years of herbal study. She should know this stuff. She retrieved pliers, alcohol, cayenne and bandages.

Richard eyed her appreciatively. "Did you envision us marooned on this deserted island in the middle of the Pacific, my dear? You seem to have everything you need right at your finger tips."

His attempt at humor was just that, an attempt. Tracy eyed him speculatively. "Pathetic." She gave him the pliers and opened the jar of raw powdered cayenne.

"What are you planning to do with that?"

"It will make the blood clot, and prevent shock," she said with a slight tremble in her voice. Shock was probably already setting in,  and adrenaline was all that kept her going under the circumstances. "I'll have to take Kylie off. Can you get her?" she glanced up and Richard was staring at the pliers in distaste, but she could see Danny behind him, looking over the edge of the cliff. "Danny, get away from the ledge." Megan had been toddling over to see what her brother saw. "Danny, bring the girls back over here. After momma does this, we'll get you something to eat, okay? Keep right close to Momma, okay?"

Her voice sounded quavery. She could feel herself shaking , as wave after wave of pain assailed her, and the fear inside tried to take root. She looked up at Richard who had steeled himself and was now looking deeply into her eyes.

''Not one word." He said. 

"What?"

"You are not a jinx, and we are gonna be okay." 

Tracy smiled. She knew he was referring to her dawning comprehension that she was married and was experiencing another life threatening event. It didn't matter, she thought, not when you're going through it. Hindsight is the only way to discuss these things.

He pulled a bandana out of the bag and tied it squarely above the spike on her leg. "Does it hurt?" 

''The stick, or the tourniquet?" she winced.

''The tourniquet?" 

"Yeah, it hurts."

"Good ." He put the pliers between his teeth again to hold them while he examined the spike . He began to reach for the pliers and then suddenly dropped them and laid both hands on Tracy's head. "In the name of Jesus Christ, I bless you to be well." His eyes bored into hers for just one unsure second.

"You can do this." She whispered.

With determination he braced her with one powerful foreann and then grasped the spike and yanked with all his might. The force of his pull sent him sprawling backward and Tracy fainted. Richard scrambled back up, throwing the offending shoot away from him. The children were screaming again.

"Trace! Trace, wake up. Oh God... wake up. Tracy!" he retrieved the alcohol that had fallen from her hand and poured a liberal amount into the gaping wound and then staunched it with the cayenne she was still holding in her other hand. He loosened the tourniquet and hastily plied it with a cloth diaper he'd found in the bag. 

"Danny, hold this." He ordered, searching through the bag for something to revive her with, but as he did, he saw her gag, and he quickly reached to elevate her and turn her on her side. Tracy threw up.

Danny held the diaper to the wound but he kept taking it off to look at it, while Richard helped lift her up. Tracytook two gulping breaths and then threw up again. Her hand raised to her head and then stopped as her eyes opened and she looked down to her leg. Her skin was pale and ghastly, a greenish gray. "What did---?"

"Lay still honey. Let me get the bandage on it, okay?"Richard laid her back. 

"Richard ... I...."

"Don't talk baby. Please, don't talk." He was privately so glad she could talk he was choked up with it. He took the diaper from Danny and found the right bandages to bind the wound . It bled a lot worse than any other wound he'd seen. He had only dealt with very minor emergencies. Even when he'd studied medical procedures for a movie he'd done about an Emergency Room a few years back, and even though he'd spent time researching in an actual hospital, nothing had prepared him for this field treatment and the actuality of shock and blood.