Chapter Four - part six

    Finally James got high enough on the slope to be able to see over the top. There on the level stretch before you started down a very steep grade into another wash he saw the Doolie. He didn't recognize her, so she wasn't one of the Christians or from a unit close to his own. She was one of those he had seen start early on in the run though. A quick calculation was all it took for him to know she was in real trouble. She should have been another five miles further on at least, maybe even finished, in spite of the pack which looked almost as big as she was. As he came closer he tried to see if she was hurt or just beaten down. This stretch of the run was meant to break those who were too weak. Even James was soaked in sweat and struggling to get his wind after that climb. That was when he noticed her boots.

    Those were new boots! Only a fool would try to wear new boots when facing this run. You needed boots that were well broken in, boots that fit your feet like a glove. As he reached the top he slowed down. Moving closer, he saw even more. Those boots were at least a size too big. She was wearing extra socks and had wrapped her legs where the boots stopped to try to make them fit and prevent them from rubbing. James stopped directly in front of her, only a few steps from the spot where the cadre was standing. He dropped to one knee and tried to put on his best smile. Her head was down and there were tear stains on her cheeks as well as fresh tears. James wasn't sure she would even hear him, but he spoke softly to her anyway.

   "Hi there, you look pretty beat. Can I help you out?" The girl stiffened, but she never raised her head. The cadre reacted much more forcefully. He stepped over and grabbing the pack jerked James to his feet, turning him around as he did. "What the devil do you think you are doing Doolie? You don't have permission to speak! Heck, you don't have permission to think! You get your rear in gear and get down the trail before I report your sorry butt!" James was inches taller than this cadre and was looking straight over his head as he spoke. "Sir, Permission to speak, Sir." The reply was instantaneous and loud. "Permission denied! Start running and I mean NOW!!!" James lowered his eyes enough to look into the eyes of the cadre and spoke again. This time his voice was cold and hard despite being far quieter. "Sir, with respect I can't do that. I see a fellow classmate down and I won't leave them, sir." With that James turned back around and dropped to his knees in front of the Doolie.

   She was looking at him now. She had the deepest brown eyes he had ever seen. She was small, not much over the required height from the look of her and maybe 120 pounds. She didn't give him a chance to say anything before she spoke. "You need to go. This is my problem. You need to go right now." James actually grinned at her as he replied. "No doubt about that. I do need to go, but I can't, well I won't. Now how bad are your feet?" The girl was just staring at him in stunned silence. The cadre was likely doing the same thing, but he wasn't being silent. It took a moment for him to stop cursing, but when he did he wasted no time on her. He focused all of his attention on James.

    "Are you an idiot? I told you to get your sorry butt in gear and start running! If she needs help that is what I am here for! Now you get up and start running or I swear I will have you hauled in from right here!" There was a brief pause but James had no intention of moving or answering. "Cooper, I know who you are and what you are. You are one of those crazy Christian fools that believe some great and all powerful being will save your sorry butts. How stupid can you be? Look at her you fool! Are you that stupid? She is a Muslim for Christ sake!!! She prays to her great Allah three times a day! That bitch would like nothing better than to see all Christians wiped out and you want to help her?!" That last outburst made James glance at her name. Her last name was Farah.

    James slowly stood up and turned to face the cadre. The cadre was beginning to grin at him. He thought James would leave now. No way would a Christian help a Muslim. James spoke very slowly and very clearly.  "Sir, what does her religion, or mine for that matter, have to do with anything? She needs help and I just don't believe you have any intention of even trying to help her. Now you can yell until hell freezes over. You can call them to come and haul me off. Frankly sir, I could care less what you do. I see that she is down and I intend to see that aid is given. And I intend to do it for the sake of Christ. And sir, if you ever call her a bitch in front of me again...I promise you will be able to bring me up on charges for striking a superior. When you come to again that is."

 James turned his back on the stunned cadre and dropped to his knees in front of Farah. He knew he had just given them the break they had been looking for. He had handed them the nails and the hammer too. They probably would nail him on that cross now and certainly would try to get him expelled from the Academy. He tried to put a smile on his face again in spite of all that, because he knew he had done the right thing. James was no longer sure he could actually make a difference in the Academy as a whole, let alone his nation. But he did know one thing with absolute certainty. He couldn't, and wouldn't leave Cadet Farah to face this mess alone. Like it or not he was staying with her to the end of this. Maybe this would see them both put out of the Academy, but if that was what happened then he could live with it. He couldn't live with leaving her behind though, regardless of the cost. The time had come to make another choice about who he would serve first. He was still choosing to serve the Lord first.

    Smiling he reached out for her foot as he spoke. "Now let me help you get these boots off, so we can have a look at your feet." She reacted now by sitting up and grabbing his hands. "NO!" she almost screamed before lowering her voice to continue. "I can't take them off. I will never be able to get them back on. Just go and let me rest a little more. Then I will finish this run. Now go." James shook his head and continued to smile as he spoke. "Look Farah, we both know you can't possibly make another ten miles. Even if you had boots that fit and were broken in, it is too late. I am betting your feet are raw and bleeding. You have to be in pain. Now be still and let me do what I can to help." He gently removed her hands from his and began to unlace her boot as he spoke. "Now my name is Cooper, James Andrew Cooper. I see that your name is Farah. How about you tell me your first name?"

   It was a moment before she spoke. "My name is Aadila and you are a fool James Cooper. Why do you do this? You cannot save me. You will only destroy yourself." She reached out to grasp his hands again. "I thank you, but you must go. I have heard of you. You are a good man, but you must go. You must finish this run and continue at the Academy." James smiled and spoke very softly. "Thank you Aadila. You aren't the first person to call me a fool, so I guess maybe I am, but fool or not... I intend to finish this run and continue at the Academy, if it is the Lord's will. If not, then I will be satisfied with whatever the Lord wants from me." He paused for a moment. "This is going to hurt, but they have to come off." Aadila leaned back and clamped her mouth shut. Then she gave him a nod. He tried to do it as easily as possible, but he still heard her whimpers. He had to turn away for a moment as the boot came off. Her socks were soaked in blood. Even the cadre who had finally become silent turned away. James removed the other boot and then slowly removed her socks. That was worse. They were stuck to her feet and hide peeled off as her tried to get them off. Aadila actually began to cry, but she motioned him to continue.

   She had fallen back and was lying on the ground weeping, but her feet were now exposed. James asked the cadre for fresh water and he actually brought it. James started to gently wash her feet speaking as he did to take her mind off what he was doing. "So Aadila, what does your name mean? My folks named me for one of the disciples, but James actual means the same thing as Jacob. That means cheater or heel." He grinned at her. "I bet your name means something better than that." Aadila actually laughed softly before she spoke. "Aadila means just and honest." James looked up at her to make sure she wasn't kidding and they both laughed. James grinned as he went back to washing her feet. "So, I am a cheating heel and you are just honest." They laughed again. "That sounds about right, the Lord always did have a good sense of humor." He looked up at her and smiled.

    Aadila smiled back briefly, but the smile vanished as she began talking to him. "James you are many things I think, but I do not believe you are either a cheater or a heel. I thank you for all you have done, but now you must go. You can do no more. I will rest a little longer and then try to continue." James just looked at her and shook his head. Finally he stood up and removed his pack for the first time. Taking her pack he began to secure it on his own. That got an immediate reaction. "What are you doing? I have to carry that or I will be put out! Stop that! Stop it right now!" James smiled as she yelled at him, but he began talking while still working on the packs.

  "Aadila you and I both know you can't finish this run, at least not alone." He looked up at her, still smiling. "But we aren't alone. Now be quiet while I get this pack fixed. We have a long way to go and I don't want to waste time messing with a pack that shifts around more than it already does." As he worked Aadila stared at him. The cadre suddenly started to laugh. Then he spoke. "You really are crazy. You can't possibly think that you can carry her pack for her. And even if you could they won't allow that. She has to carry it. Give it up." James just kept working. After a moment he swung the packs around and slipped them on. He stood up and shifted around until he was satisfied before removing the packs again. Then he dropped down in front of Aadila. The cadre had to leave them alone for a while. There were some other runners about to get to the top of the slide. While he was tending to them James dug out some gauze, one of the few useful things in the packs. He began wrapping Aadila's feet with the gauze.

   She managed to talk even as she gritted her teeth and flinched from the pain he was causing. She spoke very softly, so that only he could hear her voice. "You can't be serious. I can't possibly keep up with you. I know I will never finish the run in the allotted time, but I will finish it. Even if I must crawl, I will finish this. You have to go on. You can finish it easy enough. Would you look at me?" James stopped what he was doing and looked at her. He was no longer smiling. He spoke to her just as softly as she had to him. Nobody else could hear them.

    "Aadila, I can see you are determined to finish this run. Well let's finish it together. Let's show them that they can't beat us, that we won't be broken. Maybe I can't carry these packs and you another ten miles, but I will never know if I don't try. Now when I get your feet wrapped I am going to put those packs on and then you are going to have to help me. I can't carry you that far unless you hold on tight and take some of your weight off my arms. You do your part and I will do mine. Together we will finish this run." Aadila was staring at him in shock. She shook her head and whispered. "You are a fool! Those packs alone weigh 150 pounds. I weighed 135 at the starting line. That is 285 pounds!  You can't carry all that weight. You won't even make it a mile!" James just nodded his head as he secured the last wrap of gauze. Then he looked up. "Maybe not, but I intend to try. I won't leave you here alone."

   The cadre and runners had started forward. They were close enough to hear his last words, even in a whisper. Now the cadre spoke. "Listen to me Cooper. I will call in a pickup for her. She won't have to take another step. There is no way they could say she is able to continue, so she won't be put out of the Academy. You win. Now just take your pack and get started." The cadre was actually speaking softly and seemed to mean well by what he said. James stood up and shook his head. Then he spoke. "Sir, I believe you will call for that pickup, but that changes nothing. Even if she does let you do it... well she will still be on probation. One mistake, any mistake, and she will be put out of the Academy. She might as well pack up and go home right now. No sir. I won't leave her." He turned back to Aadila. "We can do this. We aren't alone. I have faith in my God and I have faith in you. You have the heart. Do you have the faith to go along with the courage in your heart?"

   There were tears welling up in her eyes, but she vigorously nodded her head. James gave her a firm nod back and started to put on the packs. One of the other runners spoke up. "Cooper, you can't. Man you will kill yourself. Maybe we are past the worst of the run, but we still have over ten miles left. It is almost as bad and you have to move or you won't make the time. Even if you just walked steadily it would be close for you. You can't possibly carry; what 275 pounds, and make it ten miles in the time left. All you are doing is proving what they say, Christians are fools. Only a fool would believe he could do this. Give it up!" James shook his head as he squatted to take Aadila in his arms. He stood up and turned to start back down the trail. As he started he spoke. "I know I can't do this alone, but I am not alone."