Once a Marine (31 page)

Rafi crossed the waist deep creek, slipping on stones as he followed it to the opposite bank. He searched for a place where he could climb the steep bank of the hill.

Pausing at the edge of the cold creek he sluiced water on his face and dampened Chase’s lips. He gasped as handfuls of frigid water he splashed onto the back of his neck felt boiling hot.

At last he found a spot he thought he could navigate while carrying the little boy. Grasping branches he took step after tortuous step to finally reach the flattened top of the hill. Falling to his knees he huffed with pain, thirst, and exhaustion. The last thing he saw was the ground flying toward his face.

The faint sound of yelling and running feet penetrated the fog of his brain. A boy’s voice shouted, “Mister, mister, wake up! He’s hurt, Dad. He’s hurt real bad.”

A strong hand turned Rafi on his side. “Looks like he got mauled by a bear or a cougar. Take this baby. Run. Catch Bill and Jerry before they take off with their fishing gear. Tell them to bring blankets and the first-aid kit.”

Mired in a red fog of agony, Rafi heard Chase whimper and cry. The sound of feet running away troubled him. He didn’t want them to take Chase, but he couldn’t move or speak. A nauseating wave of deep blackness overwhelmed him. He fought to hang on to consciousness, but was too weak to climb from the dark, deep pit. He tightened his grip on the ragged, damp scrap he’d torn from his shirt, Bravo Delta’s pink bikini top.

Chapter Twenty-One

BD accepted the keys to Garth’s pickup truck from Dr. Gillespie. She opened the passenger door and helped Kelly inside.

Gillespie pulled a map from the glove box in his vehicle and thrust it through BD’s open window. “I’m going to the hospital to be with my son. Take his truck and go back to the road we came in on. Make the turn to Wilson and follow that road over the pass. You can’t get lost. It’s well marked all the way to Idaho Falls. The location of the medical center is here.” He pointed to the hospital icon. “It should take about two hours. Garth filled up his gas tank this morning.”

BD grabbed his arm. “Wait. We didn’t bring any money or a phone. Could you—?”

The doctor pulled out his wallet and removed several bills. He handed them to BD along with his cell phone. “Call my home when you know something. The cell will have a strong signal when you get over the pass. My home number and the hospital number are programmed into it.” He thumped the top of the truck and hurried to his SUV. “Good Luck. I’ve got to see to Garth.”

BD pressed her lips together and nodded her thanks. The ambulance was already on the road, flashing lights disappearing around a curve. She started Garth’s truck, briefly studied the dashboard, and located the lights and wipers. Cautious on the gas pedal, she backed out of the parking slot and headed to the main highway.

Stone-faced and mute, Kelly stared ahead. She hadn’t said a word since they reached the bottom of the trail and loaded Jack and Chase into Rafi’s helicopter. She had no reaction to seeing Rafi at the controls.

BD patted her knee. “Kelly? You’ll have to help me find the trauma center when we get into Idaho, OK?”

Kelly turned away from BD and stared out the side window, her hands fisted in her lap above the torn and bloody knees of her jeans. She didn’t speak, she barely appeared to breathe.

BD sighed, overwhelmed with hope and hopelessness in equal measure. Silent tears coursed down her cheeks. She placed a hand on a sore spot on her head and felt a good-size lump. When she pulled her fingers away the tips were sticky with half-dried blood. The injury was a surprise. She had no recollection of it.

Over and over in her mind, she recited like a mantra,
Rafi is with them, Rafi is with them, Rafi will take care of Jack and Chase
.

The narrow twisting road over the mountain beyond Wilson stretched endlessly. How long had she been driving? Minutes? Hours? After they reached the crest and started down, BD needed to find a toilet. Lacking that, she’d pull over when possible and take cover in the bushes.

On her right, after another half hour, she spotted a forest service roadside rest stop and pulled into the lot. “Kelly, come with me. There are toilets here.”

Kelly stared at BD through dazed eyes, but didn’t respond. BD got out of the truck and rounded the front end to the passenger side. Opening the door she gently tugged Kelly’s arm until she finally stepped out. Her arm around Kelly’s shoulders she led her inside to the ladies toilets.

Stepping out of the stall BD looked for a paper towel and found only hot air dryers. She opened another stall door and pulled off a big handful of toilet paper. She went to the sinks and wet it. Back in Kelly’s stall she bent down and carefully wiped dirt and dried tears from her sister-in-law’s ravaged face.

She patted Kelly’s cheek. “Kelly, did you pee?”

Throwing her head back as if she’d been slapped, Kelly’s eyes widened with sheer terror. “BD? Where are we? They’re dead. They’re dead, aren’t they?”

“No! Kelly, no!” BD shook her. “Look at me. They are not dead. Do you hear me? They are not dead.”

Racking sobs ripped through Kelly. Tears dripped on her cheeks and lips. Still sitting, she slumped forward into BD’s arms. “I don’t know what to do.”

Hugging her tight, BD patted Kelly’s back and stroked her long blonde hair. “You’re going to help me find the hospital, Kelly. Chase and Jack are already there. Rafi is there waiting for us. Now, sit up and take care of yourself while I use the next stall, OK?”

Kelly nodded and looked directly into BD’s eyes for the first time. “Yes. OK. Go.” She waved her hand as BD backed away.

The two women splashed water on their faces, wiped them with toilet paper, and dried their hands under the air blowers in the rudimentary rest stop bathroom.

Kelly slowed down as she approached the car. “Do you want me to drive for a while?”

BD took her hand. “Heavens, no, you’re my navigator. Pretty soon we’ll be in the foothills. You can watch the signs and make sure I’m not off wandering the countryside.”

Kelly squeezed BD’s hand. “OK. I can do that. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t been with us.” She shook her head and got back into the truck without BD’s assistance.

They settled in for the next hour. Conversation was sparse. BD spotted a small store and pulled into the gravel lot. “I’ll get some cold drinks and some kind of snack.”

Kelly yanked her door handle. “I can do it.”

BD called out, “Wait.” She opened the glove box pulled out some bills. “Dr. Gillespie gave me this money, so be sure to get a receipt.”

Kelly acknowledged BD’s comment with a distracted wave, and opened the store’s old-fashioned screen door. In less than five minutes she exited carrying a paper bag and sat in the passenger seat.

“Do you want Coke or juice?” Kelly rustled a hand in the bag. “I got both and some bottled water.” She tore open a bag of pretzels. “Put your hand out. Eat some of these. I don’t know when we’ll get our next meal.”

BD glanced at Kelly, and they exchanged quick half smiles. What a relief to see Kelly shake off her despair. She was thinking straight again. “Thanks. I’ll have the juice.”

The landscape flattened, farms and ranches dotted the terrain, with a tractor dealer or farm supply store every few miles. Traffic increased as they drew nearer to the city. Kelly studied the map. Streets veered off in different directions, including a confusing five-point intersection. They took a wrong turn and had to double back to find the streets that led to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

Kelly pointed. “There it is. Over there, do you see it?”

BD changed lanes. “Yes. I think it’s the next turn.” She stopped at a traffic light and waited. “Do you see a sign for the trauma center? Or parking for the trauma center?”

“There!” Kelly grabbed her arm and pointed.

BD had barely turned off the ignition key or set the brake before Kelly was out of the truck, running for the entrance and slamming through the door. She locked the truck and ran after her.

Kelly stood at the receiving desk, bouncing on her toes, waiting for someone to appear. BD caught up to her. “Did you learn anything?”

“There doesn’t seem to be anyone around.” She shifted from foot to foot, looked around, leaned forward over the counter.

BD pointed to a sign. “Ring that bell.”

A harried young man came through swinging doors. “What’s the nature of your emergency?”

Kelly expelled a relieved sigh. “Where did they take Jonathan and Chase James?”

He hesitated for an unnerving moment. “Are you, ah, related?”

Kelly and BD both answered.

“I’m his wife.”

“He’s my brother.”

“I’ll get a supervisor for you. Please wait here.” He retreated through the same doors.

BD’s pulse pounded, heavy dread smothered her. She stepped closer and put a protective arm around Kelly. Clenching her teeth, she prepared herself for awful news. Why else didn’t the attendant give them an answer?

A tall, thin man dressed in scrubs entered the reception area. “Ms. James?” Kelly and BD both nodded. “Please follow me to my office. I’ll give you what information we have.”

Trancelike, the two women followed the doctor. Once inside his small office he introduced himself and asked them to be seated. “I’m sorry to tell you the rescue helicopter went down in the Jedediah Smith wilderness.” He leaped forward when Kelly whimpered and pitched head first from her chair. Between BD and the doctor they prevented her from hitting the edge of his desk.

The rescue helicopter went down? BD wasn’t sure what that meant. Did it land? Did it crash? Were Jack, Chase, and Rafi killed?

The doctor grasped Kelly under her arms and asked BD to help him lay her down on a small couch. “Again, I’m very sorry to have to be the one to give you this bad news.”

Numb, BD assisted in moving Kelly. Unanswered questions shrieked in her head. She was unable to sort through them or put any of them to voice. Once Kelly was down, BD slid to the floor beside the couch, pulled up her knees and dropped her head.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the doctor open the door and ask somebody to bring a blanket and a saline drip setup. She jerked when he knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“There was a clear, strong emergency beacon on the helicopter. The area is being searched both from the air and the ground.”

“They haven’t found them?” BD didn’t recognize her own voice.

“Some fishermen brought us an unidentified, injured man, carrying a small boy. They radioed us then flew them out of a forest service landing strip. We’re treating them now. We don’t know if they were part of the helicopter rescue party or not. Both are unconscious. The man was mauled by a bear and has lost a lot of blood, but the good news is I believe they will both recover.”

She raised her head, a faint flutter of hope in her chest. “A man and a boy? What do they look like? May I see them? Please I have to know if it’s my brother.”

An attendant entered the office carrying the supplies the physician had requested. The doctor gave him instructions to stay with Kelly until he returned.

The physician extended a hand to help BD to her feet. “Come with me. I’ll take you to emergency. Maybe you can identify one or both of them.” He led her through the doors into a long gleaming white corridor. “Down this way. We’ll look in on the boy first.”

BD heard adult voices and a small cry of distress through the door the doctor indicated.

“That’s an encouraging sound,” he said. “The child is waking.”

Chase lay whimpering, tossing his head from side to side as if looking for someone. BD ran to his side. “Chase, baby, it’s Auntie BD.” She buried her face in his neck while holding both of his little hands in hers.

Chase cried out, “No! Mama, I want mama.” He kicked his chubby legs as BD laughed through her tears of relief.

The doctor conferred with an associate. BD overheard bits and pieces of the conversation—vital signs, blood work, but the sounds that gave her joy were Chase’s scared and angry protests.

A nurse holding a clipboard came to stand next to BD. “Are you the child’s mother? We’d like to get as much information as possible. His name, when and how he was injured, whether or not he has allergies to medication.”

A huge smile bloomed on BD’s lips, tears sparkled in her eyelashes. “I’m his aunt. His name is Chase Bryan, with a Y, James. He’s two and a half and not allergic to anything. He was knocked out by a lightning strike in Teton Park at about ten this morning. He was on the rescue helicopter that crashed.”

The nurse scribbled away as BD spoke. “Thank you. This will be a great help to the attending physician.”

BD tugged on the doctor’s sleeve. “He wants his mother. Can you bring her here or take him to her? When can I see the man he was with?”

He gave instructions to one of the attendants to place Kelly in a wheelchair and bring her to her son. “It shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. You stay here with the boy so he won’t become any more agitated. I’ll check on the man before I take you to identify him.”

BD held one of Chase’s hands. He was protesting his confinement and struggling to sit. “Can I pick him up? Maybe that would calm him, if I held him.”

The nurse put down her paperwork. “I don’t see any harm in it. He has no apparent injuries except for small abrasions and singed hair. We administered a saline IV for dehydration. Sit in that chair. I’ll bring him to you.”

BD sat, and the nurse placed Chase on her lap.

He put his arms around his aunt’s neck and held on for all he was worth. He sobbed. “BD, where Mama going? Where Daddy going? Where Wafi going?”

An icy pang stabbed BD’s chest, but at the same time she rejoiced at Chase’s escape from death. “Mama will be here in a minute. We’ll find Daddy and Rafi. Will you give me a kiss? Auntie BD really, really needs one of your sweet kisses.”

True to his word, in less than five minutes the doctor wheeled Kelly into the room. Kelly gasped with happiness at the sight of her sister-in-law holding her son. BD stood and gently placed him on her lap, vicariously experiencing their joyful reunion.