ci5hq | Pros Novel Read-Along - Painted Angels by Angelfish

Apologies - I'd hoped to post this morning, but I've had a migraine all day, which is only just fading, and I couldn't bear the screen... (If anyone would like to volunteer to help with the introductions sometimes, then that would be great!) But here we are at last!

Painted Angels by Angelfish.
Cover art by

firlefanzine

Chapter Three

Chapter Three
The lads are off on another test, this one apparently to find their way from Point A to Point B in the wilderness, and this time they're working alone. Doyle has reached the end, but instead of the comforting light and warmth and human companionship he's been looking forward to, the clearing is empty - except, he eventually realises, for Bodie peering around in a similar way.

Bodie makes himself known, and seems to be trying to be friendly - but Doyle is wise to this now, and determined not to open himself up to betrayal again. When he heads off to get some water from the river, though, Bodie follows him, and they end up trying to work things out together.

Sure enough, there are further instructions hidden for them in the clearing, and they set off together to find what they hope really is the final end-point. All does not, however, go wrong. Doyle is determined to prove to Bodie that he's equally as capable - which he's already doing with ease - to the point that when Bodie tries to hand him over a rocky outcrop, Doyle refuses his help. Unfortunately Bodie didn't explain why he was trying to give it, and so Doyle lands on a brittle ledge, and plunges them both down the steep hillside into the river below.

Bodie is knocked out by the fall, but Doyle is alert enough to be able to pull him from the river and administer CPR. Bodie revives, Doyle it turns out has four broken ribs and has lost his jacket, and they both limp on as far as they can go - which isn't all the way.

Doyle is becoming dangerously hypothermic, and so Bodie stops them and makes a shelter and a fire so that they can see out the night. They cuddle up close to share body warmth, and Doyle falls asleep. He dreams - and calls out to Gabe, and in his dream they're obviously very close, because Bodie finds himself the subject of sleepy sexuality. Knowing that any response on his part would not be a good idea, Bodie's just about to move them apart when Doyle falls silent and his dream takes a completely different turn - then finally he relaxes into sleep again.

With light comes a searching helicopter, and they hike out a final mile to meet it. Bodie makes the mistake of asking Doyle about Gabe, and Doyle immedately attacks - "Don't you ever... ever even fucking think of saying that name to me again." The lads are rescued - sure they've failed out of CI5 this time - and they're taken back to civilisation. Doyle is hospitalised for a week, although Bodie is passed fit even after his near-escape. Cowley is surprised to find Bodie staying close to the hospital, and in fact to Doyle's bedside. The lads are even more surprised, when Cowley speaks to them, to find that not only have they passed CI5 recruitment - but that it is on the condition that they work together as partners.

So - what do you reckon?! Does this read as our Bodie and Doyle? Is it realistic? What do we think of Bodie's apparent change of heart after the revelation of the last chapter - "Thinks he's made a friend. Spare me." Are you believing in the story?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Migraines are really *not* fun and even after the main attack has lessened you're left feeling pretty rough so thank you very much for posting this. I haven't had a chance to read it yet but I'm looking forward to it.

Looks like you've caught up anyway - I'm only just about to jump into the discussion myself!

And thank you - I hate that I've started having migraines (well, who wouldn't), and even more when they come on the first warm day for ages, when I could have been nipping out between work to enjoy it, Instead I've felt cold all day. How bizarre and unfair!

Sorry, my writing's so misleading! I meant to say that I've read the chapter but hadn't yet read your comments on it, which I have now.

Really depressing about your migraines, especially when you thought they'd improved. I suppose you've tried acupuncture for them? I know that helped a friend of mine.

Oh, okay! *g*

I think my migraines will mostly be helped by avoiding dairy! I use lactase pills so that I can eat dairy sometimes, and I've had a bit of a chocolate-want lately, and suspect that I didn't take enough lactase for something that I ate... *sighs* On another note though, I've heard lots of good things about acupuncture, recently...

Oh, my doctor told me that migraines aren't the result of chocolate. I asked him because I discovered that I have a need for chocolate when I get a migraine and I thought it might be because of the chocolate that I get the migraine. And he said "No, you have theneed for chocolate after the first igns of the migraine starts. It's the need for sugar and energie your body shows to you to fight the migraine." I don't know if he's right, but since I'm not a chocolate-type and the only time I eat chocolate is when Ihave a migraine it seems possible tome.

Now I take some anti-headache/migraine pills when I feel the need for chocolate and it works.

I think my tricker for migraines is the fast weather change from warm to cold to hot to cold in short time. Maybe that's the main reason for you too?

I don't think this is the same kind of migraine - in fact I'm not even sure if I should call them migraines really, but they're definitely more than headaches. They're definitely related to lactose rather than just chocolate too - in fact I can eat lactose-free chocolate with no problem!

For years and years I had headaches and painful sinuses and so on, and I thought it was some kind of chronic sinus infection, but a few years ago I went to stay with my cousin for ten days and when I got home I realised I'd barely had a headache the whole time. The only difference to normal was that she didn't eat dairy, and so I'd barely had any while I was there. So I experimented - and sure enough, if I avoided dairy then I didn't get headaches any more! I looked it up, and apparently it's a less-common version of being lactose intolerant. Most people get funny tummies if they're lactose intolerant, but some of us get severe headaches. The annoying thing is that I think eating dairy must have given me a little immunity back to it, because I had constant headaches but they were relatively low-grade. Now if I accidentally eat lactose without first taking lactase enzyme (which is what deals with the lactose), then I get a massive headache and am maybe even sick with it (like yesterday - blargh!)

Apparently everyone starts off lactose tolerant as babies, but gradually gets less tolerant - except that there was a genetic mutation at some point, and now lots of people remain tolerant of it. But not me, sadly! I try to be careful, but sometimes there's unexpected dairy in something (even when the ingredient list says there isn't). I even found out that there was dairy in wine sometimes, because they use milk to "fine" the wine (make it smoother) - since then I've bought vegan-friendly wine, and now that doesn't give me headaches either!

Oh, that's a nasty version. I only have the known problem with the funny tummy but I can eat a small amount of dairy in the week. I hope my headache and slight migraines last week weren't the result of to much dairy because I had yoghurt every day and I wondered why I had the headache. I'll see if there is a connection between my headache and eating dairy.

And I never knew that they used milk do "fine" the wine. But I buy my wine only directly from a befriended winegrower.

It would be so much easier for us if they didn't use dairy in so much food. Sometimes you have no chance to avoid it.

Pros Novel Read-Along - Painted Angels by Angelfish - Chapter Three

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