Chapter Four - part nine

    James had no idea if he was running or just walking now. All he knew was that he was moving. Aadila had started to talk to him sometimes now. She no longer kept her head buried on his chest. She watched the trail and told him each time they passed a marker. James felt as if he had been running forever and would have to continue running forever, but at least he no longer hurt. He was just numb. He saw only the trail in front of him and heard only Aadila's soft voice. That voice, so soft and almost musical, it never ceased. When she wasn't talking to him she was praying to Allah. James didn't know why, but those prayers seemed to comfort him. Oh he knew Allah wasn't God. He knew Allah heard no prayers and would answer none, but somehow he felt like God, his God, was hearing those prayers meant for Allah.

   Aadila broke into his thoughts with her words. She had raised her voice and was trying to get him to listen. He grunted and gave a slight nod to indicate he had heard her. She spoke and this time there was something more in her voice. "James, we are almost there. One more mile, just one more mile and we will be done. You can do this. I was wrong. You can make it. Just hang on a little longer. Look, just one more hill and we are there. You have it inside you. You can beat them. You can, I know it. I believe it. You can do this." James managed a small smile and tilted his head to indicate he wanted water again. Aadila shifted and held it for him one last time. The water was still cool and it seemed to refresh him. He looked forward for the first time in miles. He could see it. He could see that last hill. The sun was about to set. He could make it. He could get there and within the allotted time. He began a silent prayer of thanks as he looked forward. Colonel Madison had been right. Faith alone hadn't gotten him this far. God had.

    He wasn't aware of slowing down, but he did when he reached the last hill. Just a little less than a half mile left, but it was almost all up a steep grade. He was walking now. That was all he could manage. As he leaned forward slightly he heard another change. He almost stopped he was so shocked by what he was hearing, but he didn't dare stop. His pain had returned. His whole body felt like it was on fire now. The muscles in his arms felt like jelly and the muscles in his legs were starting to cramp. The muscles in his back and shoulders were quivering visibly enough to make the packs vibrate. It was as he began to doubt that he could make that last half mile that he had heard Aadila began to pray in a much loader and more desperate voice.

    Aadila had seen the impossible. She had seen this stranger carry her in his arms for over ten miles with two full packs on his back. She had seen him fall and get back up. His uniform was torn and he was bleeding, but he still continued on. But now she could feel him weakening. She felt his muscles quivering and cramping. She heard him groan and moan. She heard him gasping for breath and she saw him slowing to a walk. Tears filled her eyes. It didn't matter if she made it or not, but he had to make it. He had come too far, endured too much. He couldn't fall now. He couldn't fail to complete this run. He was an Ironman, he was God's Ironman and she began to pray in earnest. She began to pray to his God.

    "Please hear me! I know I am not one of your people. I know I am not your child, but hear me. Oh Lord, God of Abraham, please I beg you hear me now! Help this man. Give him strength to continue. Oh Lord, he is a good man, a worthy man. If you truly are his God then show him your power. If you are the one God he claims, if you have heard his cry's then answer them. Fill him with your power and strength. Prove that his faith is true. He has never forsaken you. He prays to you even as he moans in pain while he carries me, a heathen to safety. Lord, God of Abraham, show us that you have heard him and seen his sacrifices. Prove yourself to this world and those who doubt your power. Prove yourself to those who doubt you exist." She fell silent for a moment and then James heard her whisper something more. "Prove yourself to me."

    Aadila had just prayed the most sincere, from the heart, prayer he had ever heard. He felt a new strength and a new energy flowing into him. James took a deep breath and lengthened his stride. He knew that God had heard her prayers and his. He knew that they were being answered. The doubts were gone. The pain was gone. He still didn't feel very strong, but he felt strong enough, strong enough to finish this run. Slowly a little with each stride he stretched out until he was running. Not jogging or trotting, but actually running. Every stride was a little longer and a little faster. He quickly left the mass of cadres behind as he sprinted towards the top of that last hill. There was a short flat stretch on top of the hill. It was maybe fifty feet before you actually crossed the finish line.  James suddenly slowed and stopped. He was only a few feet from the line, a couple of more steps and it would be finished. He just stood there looking at the line and the people standing just beyond it who were looking back at him in disbelief. He could hear the cadres running up and stopping behind him. He could hear them gasping for breath after making that sprint uphill in a futile effort to keep up with them. James also heard Aadila moan and begin talking to him rapidly. "NO! OH NO! Don't stop, not now, not this close! Please, please just a couple of more steps. You can do this. I know you can!" James slowly looked down at her. She stopped talking and just looked back up at him.

   James smiled as he slowly shook his head and spoke. "No Aadila. You are wrong. I can't do this. I could never have done this, not alone. But we can do it, you and me, together." Then he looked back up and grinned before looking back at her stunned face. "How do you feel about it? I think God brought us this far. Now I think he wants us to finish this together, side by side. What do you say? Do you have the strength to take a couple of steps on those feet?" Aadila was crying. She bit her lip and nodded her head vigorously. James carefully put her down and winced along with her as she put her weight on those tender feet. He straightened when she was standing on her own and was about to take a step forward when she put a hand on his chest. Now she smiled and spoke softly. "First, I need my pack." James grinned and turned so that she could take it off. He heard her grunt in pain from the added weight, but when he looked after turning around she was still smiling with her pack slung over her shoulder.

    Together they took the few short steps required to cross that finish line. Once across she began to cry again, only now it was tears of joy. She threw her arms around James and buried her face in his chest again. James smiled as he leaned down to plant a brotherly kiss on her hair. As he did all the weakness and pain poured back into him. He began to tremble and his legs began to fold up. The last thing he heard was Aadila's wail for help as he slowly sank down and collapsed. His last thought was a simple prayer, "We finished the run. We finished it and we did it together. Thank you Lord, Thank you." Then everything went black.