by Zoe Chant
“That’s awful!” David said. The story gave him a cold, heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and he realized that he was clutching his paper plate so tightly it was getting crumpled.
“And the saddest part is that the two of them had a child, but he must have gone to live with some relatives of his father after the accident, because Fran and her husband never found him.”
David found himself tempted to take Lauren’s hand and pull her close, to hold her so tightly that nothing could separate them. He shook it off and starting loading some food onto his plate, when he noticed Mr. Mitchell acting strangely.
The elderly farmer had been helping them with the flood debris all morning. Now David saw him stagger to a chair and sit down, panting and hunching over uncomfortably. Sweat started dripping down the older man’s face. He was having a heart attack. It couldn’t be clearer if he actually stood up and yelled, “I’m having a heart attack!” And no one else seemed to notice.
David dropped his food and grabbed Lauren. “Stay with him and get him to lie down,” he said, pointing to Mr. Mitchell. He had just seen Reverend Parrish a few seconds ago … there he was! David pushed through the crowd and got his attention.
“Do you have a defibrillator in the church?”
“Why yes, we just got a grant–”
“Get it now!” David said, pointing to Mr. Mitchell. He returned to where Lauren had helped him down to the ground. He knelt down beside him and was assaulted by the smell of a body in distress.
“How are you feeling right now, Mr. Mitchell?”
“It doesn’t hurt so much now, but I feel awfully … strange …” the farmer said, trailing off as his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.
David felt for a pulse and watched for any signs of respiration, but the man was totally out. David started CPR immediately.
“Lauren, can you find Pete?” he said between pushes. He had no idea if the portable defibrillator in the church would be adequately charged, but the equipment in the ambulance would be maintained routinely.
“I’m on it,” she said, heading into the crowd.
As he counted the chest thrusts, he could hear Lauren calling out to a few other people with CPR training to come spell him if needed. Before he even got to the first round of rescue breathing, Rev. Parrish was there with the defibrillator.
“Is there someone who can take over while I set this up?” he asked the people circled around him.
“I’m a lifeguard,” said a young woman. She leaned in, putting almost her whole body weight into it to continue the thrusts.
David quickly scanned the instructions on the AED. The indicator light looked like there was enough charge. He pulled out the pads and motioned the lifeguard aside.
He applied the pads and hit the switch. Then he checked for a pulse: it was there, but weak and uneven. What else could they do to stabilize him? Pete would have oxygen on his truck, but he wasn’t sure what other drugs might be standard on a rural ambulance. Would he have nitro? Or clot-busters? And what other complications might Mr. Mitchell have?
“Is there anyone here who knows Mr. Mitchell’s medical history?” he asked the crowd.
“Someone is already driving over to the farm to get Mrs. Mitchell,” said Rev. Parrish.
Then David saw the ambulance edging toward them as people scrambled out of the way. Pete took over and they got Mr. Mitchell settled in with oxygen and a pulse oximeter.
“We could try nitro, but I have no idea if he’s ever had a stroke,” said David.
“I know he has a prescription for nitro. He usually takes the spray with him everywhere, but I’ve got some in the truck.”
They administered the spray and within minutes Mr. Mitchell was awake and breathing more easily.
“There really isn’t anywhere I can take him for further treatment, though,” said Pete. “Officer Kennedy is on the radio trying to set up an airlift for him.”
“He needs a hospital with a cath lab,” David said.
“Remember when I asked yesterday if you had medical training?” Pete said. “I’m thinking the answer is yes.”
David paused and looked around him. For a long, strange moment he didn’t recognize his surroundings. It wasn’t at all what he expected to see. There was an image in his mind; it started fading almost as soon as he noticed it, but it was there long enough for him to recognize a hospital emergency room.
He sagged and sat down, still feeling confused. It was like he could hear their voices echoing: doctors and nurses, sharp but calm and in control, rattling off orders, following routines and procedures that were so well-practiced they had become ingrained.
That’s what had happened here. In an emergency, his reflexes took over and he hadn’t time to wonder or second-guess himself.
Lauren settled down beside him. They sat in silence for a few minutes as the chattering crowd processed what had happened. Pete and Rev. Parrish dealt with all the well-wishers, keeping them from tiring out Mr. Mitchell as they waited for the helicopter.
Then Lauren said, “So you’re remembering things?”
“Just a few flashes. I saw the ER. I could sort of hear the voices of doctors and nurses working together on a busy night.”
“You’re a doctor.”
“Or maybe a nurse,” he pointed out.
Lauren shook her head and laughed a little. “Somewhere on the Upper East Side, my father is smiling and he doesn’t know why,” she muttered.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She paused again. “You seemed like a different person while you were handling that emergency.”
“Different how?”
“Confident. Focused. In command.”
“Is that good different or bad different?”
“Neither. Just different different.”
He held out his hand to her and she took it. He felt calmer and more grounded the instant that they touched. It’s true, he had felt different. It was like for the past day, he had been living with only one part of his heart and mind, and now another part had woken up. But this part loved Lauren, too – he was sure of it.
Someone brought them plates of food, and then other people came up to thank him, and to ask him questions that he still couldn’t answer, and soon they heard the sound of the helicopter approaching.
Chapter 10
Lauren had half been expecting that David would ask to leave with Mr. Mitchell – that once he’d recovered some sense of his place in the world, he’d ditch her and this town as quickly as he could.
But he seemed perfectly content to stay, and so after all the excitement was over, Lauren thought again about something that had been nagging at her all morning.
“Hey David,” she said. “Do you want to go on a hike with me?”
“Sure,” he said, looking a little puzzled. “Where and why?”
“I want to check out some of the higher spots around town, to see if I can get a cell signal from the next valley over.”
“For the emergency planning team, or because you want to make a call?”
“I have to admit, my main goal is to call my parents. I’m sure they are completely flipping out by now.” Lauren couldn’t help but give a resigned sigh.
“Sounds like there’s a story there?”
“I’ll tell you while we hike.”
Lauren stopped at home to grab her backpack with emergency supplies and a topo map, then set out for the trail that ran up the ridge behind the Valentis’ house.
“So, my parents … where to start? They love me and want what’s best for me; I just keep reminding myself of that, and it makes the other stuff a bit easier to take.”
“Like what stuff?”
Lauren sighed again. She sighed a lot when it came to her parents.
“They really don’t understand what the hell I’m doing in the Park Service. My parents care a lot about achievement. And I don’t mean to say they’re shallow, because they’re really not – they just like accomplishments
that are measurable and recognizable, and if they happen to be accomplishments that are rewarded with lots of money, that’s great too. But the money is just, like, a side effect of winning.”
“What do they do?”
“My dad’s an endocrinologist and my mom’s a civil engineer.”
“So they both help people, in a way.”
“Exactly! It’s not like they’re hedge fund managers. But they care a lot about honors and promotions and reputations and all those outward signs of doing something that matters. When I decided to major in environmental education back in college, it broke their brains. What kind of job would I get? What were the opportunities for advancement? Wasn’t there some road to becoming a World-Renowned Expert in the field? Eventually they comforted themselves with the idea that I would someday go get a PhD and become some sort of professor or researcher. Where they got this idea, I don’t know, because I never once suggested it.”
“No grad school plans for you?”
“I might like to get a Masters. But just so that I can get better at what I’m already doing: helping people experience the joy of wilderness. My job makes me happy every day.”
“And that doesn’t make them happy?”
“Mostly it makes them confused. And when they’re confused, they get nervous. They worry about me enough as it is, even without catastrophic floods and power failures.”
“So that little comment about your dad...?”
Lauren could feel herself blushing. She kind of wished she’d kept her mouth shut, but she decided to go ahead and own it.
“If they knew I was dating a doctor? They’d definitely worry less.” She smiled and looked over her shoulder as she said it, checking his reaction. David smiled back, his grin just a little bit suggestive. Lauren paused to let him catch up, then sneaked her arm around his back. He put his arm around her shoulder and they walked on like that.
In for a penny, in for a pound, thought Lauren, and said, “And if it turns out that you’re Jewish, my parents will consider their prayers to be entirely answered.”
“Well, I don’t know that I’m not Jewish …”
“Works for me, either way!” she laughed.
They had made their way through town and down a little alley. Lauren had to poke around through some bushes before she found the trail, little more than a deer track that neighborhood kids sometimes used. Ella said that before the Valentis built their house there, the point overlooking the town had been a favorite teen party spot.
It was a steep scramble up the hill, and although the trees shaded the path, they also blocked the breeze, and the day was hot and humid. Before long she felt the itchy trickle of sweat running down her back. It was such a relief to break out of the trees when they reached the ridge line, Lauren dropped her backpack and flung her arms out wide to let the wind cool her as much as it could. Then she lifted the heavy mass of her curls off her neck.
She opened her eyes to find David standing before her, looking mesmerized and hungry. She glanced down; oops, the pose really highlighted her assets, so to speak. But as David came closer and reverently lifted his hands to her hips, she really didn’t feel too sorry.
She let her hair fall and placed her hands on top of his, then ran her hands slowly up his strong, tanned arms, drinking in the heat of his skin. She shimmied closer and he moved his hands to her ass, cupping and squeezing her and then using his grip to pull her right up to him.
She rose up on tip-toe to kiss him better. There were no gentle kisses this time; her hunger was as fierce as his, and as his tongue thrust against hers, all she could think of was having him inside her again. She rolled her hips against his, feeling the rock-hard proof of his desire.
“Lauren …” he gasped, moving one hand to push her shirt up. His other arm kept her crushed up against him, but he managed to sneak his hand in between them to gently tease her nipples.
Lauren longed to rip off her shirt and sports bra and free herself to the sun and the wind and David’s caresses, but she couldn’t quite let go of the fear that they might be discovered here. But oh, she wanted him so badly … She broke off their kiss for a moment.
“Got any bright ideas?” she said with a breathy chuckle. “I’m not quite brave enough to get naked out here.”
David slowly sank to his knees and looked up at her with a wicked smile. A thrill of want ran through her at the thought of what he might do down there.
He was gentle at first, so gentle he was almost just teasing her. He breathed in her scent and nuzzled her, then nibbled with soft little bites that were almost completely muffled by her shorts and panties. Her hips wiggled impatiently without her even meaning to do it, and David laughed.
He slowly unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts, then slid her panties down in front just enough to expose the few inches of dark, curling hair. He kissed her there, reverently, then set to work with his tongue.
The heat of his mouth was unbelievable. His tongue circled and flicked at her clit, and he slid his hands up her legs, under her clothes, until his thumbs got in on the action, too, kneading and massaging her sensitive flesh.
Her legs felt shaky and she leaned forward a little, knowing that he had the strength to support her. The heat built up and concentrated at her core, and she couldn’t help opening her legs a little wider, wanting to feel him everywhere. Her fingers curled in his hair, and when a strong shock of pleasure shook her unexpectedly, she pulled at his hair harder than she meant to. He groaned against her, and that extra little tingle was the last push she needed.
Her climax rolled through her in waves and she panted hard to catch her breath. She couldn’t wait to kiss him again, so she tugged at him until he was standing. He considerately zipped her back up before embracing her again. He kissed her with soft, gorgeous kisses, and she had never before been so turned on by the thought that she could taste a little of herself in the kisses.
She was in the middle of deciding what she could do in return for him, when a tiny something distracted her. The crackle of leaves and twigs didn’t really register at first, but one loud snap finally got her attention, and David’s too, judging by the way that he jumped back from her, as quickly as she did from him. He turned away from the trail, hiding an all-too-obvious erection, as Lauren tugged her shirt back down.
A young woman emerged from the tangled woods. They had met her at the cook-out last night; her name was Hannah.
Hannah’s embarrassed smile said that she guessed exactly what had been going on up here.
“Sorry guys,” she said, holding up her cell phone. “I was hoping I might be able to get some reception up here. My husband was at a trade show in Hanover when the storm hit.”
Lauren pulled herself together and tried not to wonder whether she was blushing, or whether her clothes were all in place. Instead she tried to set Hannah at ease.
“I came up to check for reception too; my family are a bunch of extreme worriers. Let’s see what we can find.”
The two women paced the ridge-top clearing, turning in all directions, but got nothing. Hannah looked so disappointed.
Lauren said, “There’s a couple other high points we could try. Do you want to come with us?”
“Are you sure?” Hannah said, glancing from Lauren to David.
Lauren turned back to David and found him standing straight and still, looking out over the landscape. He looked down at the town, to the creek and the river banks where the work crews continued clearing debris, then continued to inspect the encircling woods.
“If you two think you’ll be okay without me, I might actually go help some more with the clean-up,” he said, sounding distracted.
“Um, sure, I guess,” Lauren said, holding up her pack. “I’ve got a map and a water bottle. I’m good.”
“What about bears?” David said, oddly serious.
“And pepper spray, did I mention the pepper spray?” she said, shaking her pack again.
“Which way are you headed from here? Back
the way we came?”
“No, the next spot I’m going to try is the clearing on Springer Ridge. We should head this way,” she said, pointing further up the ridge behind them.
“Okay, be careful,” David said, then leaned in and kissed her gently. Then he returned to the trail they’d come from, looking back to meet her eyes one more time before he disappeared into the woods.
Lauren didn’t know what to make of this sudden distraction. Maybe he just sensed that Hannah needed a shoulder to cry on, and he was giving them some time for girl talk. But another, darker possibility came to mind: maybe he had just remembered something new – something that made him want to get away from her as soon as possible.
Chapter 11
David was tracking the bear by scent. As soon as the odor had come to him on the breeze, he knew two things: one, there was a bear in the woods, and two, that he could not tell Lauren about it.
It gave him a strange, queasy feeling in his stomach to think about it. It was nothing like remembering the emergency room. That just felt like a door opening into another room, safe and well-lit. But when he imagined telling Lauren that he could smell a bear, he got a feeling of danger and wrongness.
To keep her safe, he would have to handle this on his own.
He stalked through the woods on the outskirts of town, trying to keep himself between the bear and the ridge where Lauren and Hannah were headed. He hadn’t traveled far from the Valentis’ sprawling mansion before the scent grew stronger, the direction more precise.
He could hear a rustle now, quieter than his own footsteps but still distinct. Pushing through a thicket, he saw her, just ten or fifteen yards away on the deer track: a small female black bear.
And just as he hadn’t hesitated with Mr. Mitchell’s heart attack, he knew exactly what to do now. He growled. As the low, savage rumble registered, the female bear flinched, but didn’t run away. She was scenting the air, too, turning her head about and searching.