by Rita Hestand
"Good, let's get started." Jessup nodded.
"Well, let me close the place up, first," Joe said and he headed a couple of people out the door as he put up the closed sign.
"Let's go!"
Bob Ketchum had a private plane that would seat four. He agreed to fly Jessup to Bear Creek and then on to Fairbanks.
Jessup was fretting as Bob landed the plane smoothly on a small airstrip outside of Bear Creek.
He called John.
"John, this is Jessup, Cody's Uncle."
"Yes sir, what can I do for you?" John answered promptly.
"Get Sammie Jo and bring her out to the airstrip. Cody's been hurt in an Avalanche, we got to go to Fairbanks. Can you do that for me?" Jessup asked, folding his lips in order to control his emotions.
"Yes sir, my God. I knew he was taking his time getting back here. He was supposed to be at work yesterday. Sammie Jo's been beside herself worrying over him. Yes sir, I'll bring her out there as fast as I can."
"Good, thanks, son," Jessup said and hung up.
~*~
John rushed over to the Nite-N-Gale, since the Sheriff wasn't in. He radioed him in his car though to let him know what was going on.
"Is there anything I can do, John?" The Sheriff asked.
"Not right now, no. But I'll keep you informed."
"Thanks…keep me posted. Where are you headed?"
"I told his Uncle I'd get Sammie Jo. He wanted me to bring her out to the airstrip."
"Is he out there?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, I'll meet you out there."
John pulled up to the Nite-N-Gale. He went inside and found Sammie Jo talking to the Weems and Sal.
"John, you're in here early today. What's going on?" Loretta asked.
"Sammie Jo. I don't want to alarm you, but you gotta come with me." John informed her.
As he was telling her, he was calling Miranda.
"Honey, can you relieve Sammie Jo for a while."
"Sure, what's up?" Miranda asked.
"Tell you later."
"I'll be right over." Miranda hung up.
"What's wrong? Is it Cody?" Sammie Jo's eyes rounded on him.
John nodded. "Yeah…look, his uncle is over at the airstrip, waiting for you. Cody's at Fairbanks hospital."
"Hospital? My God, what happened?"
"I don't know all the particulars. I'm sure he'll tell us. He wanted me to bring you out there."
"Alright…" She glanced around at Loretta and moved like a plastic robot for her purse. She didn't hear anything or see clearly. She was crying.
"What's wrong?" Everyone began asking
"Cody's in the hospital," John announced and everyone gasped and jumped up and tried to console Sammie Jo.
"How bad is he?" Lon asked.
"We don't know yet. His uncle knows more than I do. When I come back, I'll let you know. I've got to get her out to the airstrip. Will you watch things until Miranda gets over here, Loretta?"
"Sure I will."
"We all will…let us know if we can do anything." Lon said.
Sal stood up and stared at John. "It will be alright. Cody is in good shape."
Sammie Jo was shaking.
"Drinks are on me…" Sammie Jo said glancing around at everyone.
"You just go on and don't worry…" Loretta hugged her.
"We better get," John said. "Tell Miranda I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Will do."
Sammie Jo couldn't stop crying. It was as though all the bad that had happened the past year came crashing down on her. Her grandpa dying, her father ill with cancer, her cousin moving away, and now Cody…hurt!
Chapter Nineteen
"Uncle Jessup, what's happened?" Sammie Jo ran into his waiting arms.
"Avalanche!"
"Oh my God. That's what he was worried about. I knew there was something. I didn't want him to go…But he wouldn't talk about what was bothering him."
"Shh…a nurse from the hospital got a hold of me. They had me come to Joe's Gas station and she called to tell to me. She said the avalanche had buried him, he's got broken bones and frostbite and no telling what else. I guess we won't know how bad he is until we talk to a doctor."
John's face screwed up. "Man, I thought he was driving home, not out on the slopes?"
"He was. I don't know how it happened. It just did. And he needs us there. Aside from myself, I figured you would be the most important person for him to see." He looked at Sammie Jo, and she squeezed his hand. "The nurse said his cell phone was smashed during the accident. So he couldn't call you himself. He's probably fretting about it if I know him." Jessup said.
"Thanks for letting us know, Jessup." John shook his hand. "We figured something was wrong."
"Sure. Is everything alright at the saloon?" Jessup looked at Sammie Jo.
She nodded. "I think so."
"Don't you fret over that. Miranda and I will take care of things there. You just go." John looked at Sammie Jo.
"Thanks, tell her I want to talk to her when I get back."
"I'll tell her." John hugged her. "Keep your chin up, for him, okay?"
"Okay…thanks… I'll call you all when we know something for sure." Sammie Jo promised.
"Good."
The Sheriff pulled up and Jessup informed him what happened.
"Cody was antsy all week about going up there. I think that first Avalanche had him worried. But he wanted to make sure you were alright for the winter. He worries about you all the time, you know." The Sheriff looked at Jessup. "Anyway, tell him his job will still be there when he gets out, not to worry."
"I'll tell him, and thanks."
"We all think a lot of Cody." The Sheriff glanced at John. "Thanks for letting me know John. We were pretty sure there was trouble somewhere or Cody would have been back sooner."
Jessup smiled.
"Well, I guess we better get on up there. He needs some support." Jessup said, shaking hands with the Sheriff.
"Anyone call his parents?" John asked.
Jessup shook his head. "Figured we'd do that once we know something."
"Probably a good idea."
On the plane ride, Jessup introduced Sammie Jo to Bob and then they talked about Cody.
"If he was in his truck, was his truck totaled too? Did they have to dig him out of it?" Sammie Jo questioned.
"Honey, I don't know much more than what I told you. I don't know why he was in the line with that avalanche. It happened on the ski slope. The slope runs right by the road, but even though there might be a spill over, I can't see him being hurt like he was on the road. No, there's something missing. I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"I'm going to radio ahead and have a cab take you to the hospital, so you won't have to wait on one," Bob said.
"Thanks, Bob. I owe you a lot." Jessup said.
"No thanks needed. I was called out when the avalanche hit. It's just routine. All pilots in the area are notified. Since it was so close, I went. I didn't want to alarm everyone, but I guess you'll know when you get there anyway. The rangers said Cody was on the ski path, on foot, not in his truck. His truck was parked beside the road. Joe offered to go get his truck and take it to your place. He'd apparently gotten out and was following the kids down the slope to warn them. I don't know how he knew for sure about the avalanche. I do know the rangers had posted no skiing signs everywhere. So that alone is enough to use caution. But either he sensed something coming or he'd seen some sign of it."
"Sounds like Cody…" Jessup said sadly. "He was real edgy when he came up with the supplies. I knew he wanted to get home as soon as possible. He'd stay a couple of days, and I was happy to have him, but something told me he was leery of making the trip home. Not sure what it was, but I felt it, in him."
Sammie Jo nodded. "I felt an urgency about him too. Like he had to get up there and be quick about it. That's why I didn't want him to go."
"Tell me something Bob, did the kids make it?" Jessup asked.<
br />
Bob turned his head and muttered, "No sir, they didn't. All three of them died two boys, one girl. Just out of high school."
"Oh my God…." Sammie Joe cried aloud.
There was a long silence.
"You know it's almost funny how Cody had an arm out at the time it hit him. Otherwise, he might have died too. We might never have spotted him, but someone from the road phoned it in, said they saw something moving after the avalanche. But he was able to scratch and paw his way with an arm so he could breath under there. The rangers said he'd been trained in self-survival though. Good thing, too."
Jessup nodded slowly. "I remember him telling me about the training."
"Where's his parents, are they dead?" Bob asked.
"No….not exactly. It's a long story." Jessup said. "His mother remarried, his father's a doctor."
"And their son's grown and they think he doesn't need them any longer. I get the picture. Well, the whole mountain knows about what he was trying to do, and we are all praying for him. I guess they don't know what kind of son they have."
Jessup shook his head. "No sir, I don't think they do."
Sammie Jo glanced over at Bob, "Thank everyone for us."
"I'll do that. Don't you worry? He'll be fine before you know it."
Sammie Jo nodded. "Yes he will."
Uncle Jessup squeezed her hand.
~*~
At the hospital, Cody was sitting up, his leg in a sling, one of his arms bandaged, and his ribs were wrapped. He looked like a mummy.
"Cody?" Sammie Jo cried out.
"Sammie Jo, what are you doing here?" He asked, a smile filtering across his features.
"We heard about your…accident and came running is what!" Jessup said as he came to stand beside his bed.
Sammie Jo stared at him intently. She wanted to kiss him, and hold him. But she wasn't sure she had that right.
Instead, she stood looking perplexed and uncomfortable.
But Cody remedied that, he pulled her toward him and planted a serious kiss to her lips.
Jessup laughed. "He's not too broken up."
"You look like a mummy." She finally laughed.
"I feel like one too."
"What all did you bust?" Jessup asked.
"A couple of ribs, my leg, and they are working on my arm. They are going to put me in traction tomorrow. Got a little frostbite, but that's about all…" He smiled at them.
"I'd think you'd be in considerable pain?" Sammie Jo looked at him in amazement.
"I probably would be, but they gave me some pretty strong stuff." He laughed.
"Good, at least they are taking good care of you." She chuckled.
"I'm not worried about a thing, except….some of my fingers and toes are frostbit. They are working on that. I may lose them…" He said calmly. "They already warned me of that."
Jessup nodded. "It's my fault. If you hadn't come up there with those supplies, this wouldn't have happened."
"Nobody's fault, Uncle Jessup. These things happen almost every year, and you know it. But…I do wish you'd come stay at my cabin with me."
Jessup looked thoughtfully at him now. "I've been thinking about that. And maybe I will for a while. At least until you are getting around on your own okay."
"Good. Then I won't have to worry about you." Cody smiled.
He looked at Sammie Jo. "Who's minding the saloon?"
"Miranda. John called her when we got the news."
"Sorry, I couldn't call you. I lost my phone…"
"I heard about that too."
"Man, you guys know more than me…" Cody chuckled, then he turned to his Uncle. "So…did they get the kids out?"
His Uncle bowed his head…"Yeah…they didn't make it."
Cody's face drained of color. For all his brave front, this news brought him full circle. He meant to save them.
He hung his head a minute, wiped a tear away and tried to smile.
"How long you gotta stay here?" Jessup asked.
"They want me here for a couple or three days to treat my hands and feet. Said I could go home, but without treatment, I might lose all of them. If I did, I'd lose some of my balance." Cody shrugged. "So I guess I'll stay."
The nurse came in and eyed them. "Well…it's about time you had some visitors. Good to see you."
Sammie Jo smiled shyly.
She took his vitals. "We've got a specialist coming in to treat your hands and feet. He'll be here about two this afternoon."
Cody nodded.
"Have you two had breakfast yet?"
"No, we just got here a few minutes ago," Jessup told her.
"Well, there's a cafeteria downstairs, not the greatest food, but they make a mean meat-loaf." She smiled at Jessup.
The nurse was close to his age and very experienced in her job. But she seemed to get a kick out of Jessup.
"Are you his father?"
Jessup stared at her for a long moment. "Yes, yes I am."
"Good. Will you be around to sign some papers for us?"
"Of course. I'm not going anywhere." Jessup smiled at her and winked.
"Well now, that's good. I'll be back later to check on you. Do you need anything for pain yet?"
"No ma'am, I'm flying pretty high right now." Cody chuckled.
"I see you are. Well, let me know if you need anything." She nodded to Sammie Jo.
"Are all your nurses that nice?" Jessup asked.
"I don't know. When I first got here I was pretty out of it."
"How'd you happen to have that arm out?" Jessup asked.
"I was waving at those kids…" Cody's voice drifted off. "I saw I couldn't do anything from the truck, so I parked and got out, thinking I might out-run them."
"It saved you, you know?" Jessup was saying. "That arm, sticking out of the snow like that.
"Yeah…I guess it did."
"Hey, Cody, how'd you think you were going to help them, you were right in front of it."
"I don't know. At a time like that, you don't consider all the factors. I tried to get in front of them with my truck, but they were picking up speed on their way down. So I thought I might distract them enough to slow them down and pay attention to what was happening. But they never heard me."
"I guess you know this makes you quite a hero."
"I'm no hero. A hero would have saved them."
"Yes you are," Sammie Jo leaned to kiss him again. "And don't you forget it."
He smiled, glad that she felt comfortable enough to kiss him. His uncle winked at him.
And before he knew it, he was asleep again. Another nurse came in and told them he'd had a big pain shot earlier.
"He needs a lot of rest. He'll be in a lot of pain when that pill wears off. His body was pretty stressed when he came in, and with all the broken bones, he's gonna need plenty of it in the coming weeks."
"Don't you fret about that. I'm moving in with him and taking care of him." Jessup said.
"Good." She laid an extra blanket on his good side and left.
"You think he'll be alright?" Sammie Jo asked Jessup.
"I'm sure he will…we'll see to that, won't we?"
She laughed. "Yes…we will."
Chapter Twenty
"So give girl, how is Cody doing?" Miranda asked as Sammie Jo closed the cash register and began to close up for the night.
Sammie Jo looked up at her and sighed. "He's doing great. His Uncle Jessup is staying with him, for as long as he needs him, longer if Cody has a say in the matter. But Cody is getting around on his crutches and his ribs are almost healed. But he still has to have therapy on his hands and feet. Walking will be difficult for a while, the doctors told him. But you know how stubborn he is."
"I'm so glad. When you said frostbite, I feared the worst." Miranda cried.
"I know. I was scared for him. He's been a real trooper, he's determined to get back to work next month. I don't know if he can or not."
"Did he lose any of his toes or fingers?"
<
br /> "Not so far, but some of them are still severely discolored. He has a couple of toes he might lose, but his fingers are better, I think."
"I'm glad he's going to be alright. When I got here that night and they said he had been in the avalanche I feared the worst." Miranda admitted.
"Oh, so did I."
Sammie Jo quickly counted the money from the register and slipped into a money bag. She put it in the old safe in the wall that Tucker had used.
"So…tell me. How are things between you and Cody?"
Sammie Jo smiled. "Good."
"Come on girl, give."
"Very good."
"In other words, you aren't talking about it." Miranda shrugged.
"I don't want to jinx it." Sammie Jo chuckled.
"You know, John and I seem at a crossroads. I mean, I love the guy. I'm crazy about him, but he just won't get the lead out and ask me." Miranda hung her head.
"Well…I have something to ask you. And it might change a lot of things if you say yes." Sammie Joe said.
"What are you talking about?" Miranda cut her a strange look.
"Come on, let's sit down. I want to talk to you."
Miranda followed her to a back booth and now that Sammie Jo had pulled the closed curtain down, she felt they could talk in private.
"Are you going to college?" Sammie Jo asked her, her voice serious, her eyes penetrating.
"College? That wasn't what I thought you'd ask. But now, I'm not. I've got some money saved for it, and my parents would help me out, but I just don't have any particular career picked out. I always thought John and I would get married and settle down, and I would be the best wife on this earth." Miranda cried. "But…that doesn't seem to be happening either. Why do you ask?"
"I've got a proposition for you, Miranda. I don't know if you'd be the least bit interested in it. But you are the only one I would ask." Sammie Jo stared at her for a long moment.
"Gee, you look so serious."
"I am quite serious."
"Okay, what's the proposition?" Miranda turned her head in question.
"First I want to tell you something. Not because I think it will sway your decision, but because I think you have a right to know."
"Go ahead, shoot." Miranda pulled her parka around her.