An Alaskan Christmas

by Jennifer Snow

  Stepping in to perform this surgery was something he’d never normally consider. But he’d done it for her.

  “He’s okay,” he said, and the three women released sighs of relief.

  “Thank God,” Arlene said, hugging Cassie, new tears rimming her tired, stressed-looking eyes.

  “Were there any other injuries?” Erika asked. Now that he’d confirmed Reed was okay, the doctor in her needed the details.

  “No. He was lucky. The broken bones and the damaged spleen was the extent of them. He’s covered in bruises—that tumble down the mountain was no joke.”

  Cassie shook her head. “Mountain life isn’t for the weak.”

  “His skills as a rescuer no doubt saved his life. The quick thinking with the flare and the way he’d obviously protected his head was influential.”

  “Did you remove the spleen?” Erika asked.

  “No. It wasn’t necessary. The injury was a grade two. I was able to stop the internal bleeding and repair the damage without removing the organ.”

  “And his blood pressure and heart rate?” There was always a fear of heart attacks or stroke when the patient was in a situation like Reed’s. She couldn’t relax until she knew everything was okay.

  “All fine.”

  Another sigh of relief.

  Tank had spoken to Cassie and he’d filled her in on the details of the fall. Reed had been lucky that he’d been able to get his flare into the sky before losing consciousness. Otherwise, it could have taken hours for the crew members to locate him. As it was, they’d had to carry him out four miles on treacherous mountain terrain to safety.

  The crew had pulled through for their leader and their friend when he’d needed them most. They were all lucky. Things could have been so much worse.

  She shivered. She wouldn’t think about that now. He was safe. Her father had saved him.

  “He’s stable right now, but risk of infection means we have him on heavy antibiotics and pain meds, so he is going to be out for a while.” He checked his watch.

  It was after 11:00 p.m. She’d been watching the minutes tick by for hours.

  “Can we see him?” Arlene asked.

  “Not yet. Give the antibiotics some time to kick in,” he said. “We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. Once we move him into recovery, I’ll get the attending nurse to come get you one at a time.”

  Her dad was bending the rules by including her. It was normally just family who were permitted to see a patient this soon after surgery.

  She was grateful to him...for so much.

  Arlene nodded, taking his hand. “Of course... Thank you, Alan.”

  Her father looked slightly uncomfortable at the familiarity, or maybe it was her grateful tone and touch. But he surprised Erika by covering Arlene’s hand with his own. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to help.”

  Cassie moved in to hug him and her father flinched slightly but it wouldn’t have been noticeable to anyone but Erika. He wrapped an awkward arm around Cassie and patted her on the back.

  Erika was so proud of him. “Thank you, Dad,” she mouthed when his gaze met hers above Cassie’s head.

  He simply nodded before turning to head back into surgery.

  The three of them sat on the waiting room chairs they’d occupied for hours. Cassie spoke first. “Now if you’d been there, you could have performed this surgery right there on the mountain, saving us all a trip,” she said through a new batch of tears.

  Erika hugged her friend. “From now on, I will be...”

  Cassie pulled back. “What do you mean?” she asked, wiping her tears on her sleeve. Judging by her red off-the-shoulder sweater and black leather pants, she’d abandoned New Year’s Eve plans to be there for her brother.

  “I’ve accepted the surgeon position in Wild River. I’m starting there in two weeks.” Saying it out loud made it that much more real and made her even more confident it was what she wanted.

  Her friend studied her. “You’re doing this for Reed?”

  Erika took a breath. “I’m doing it for me. And to be with Reed...if he’s still willing to have me.”

  Cassie raised an eyebrow. “My brother has been the biggest downer since you broke his heart. His sulking has driven us all insane and Tank was getting ready to fire his ass. Believe me, he’ll have you. Which means he’s going to be extra pissed that this injury has taken him out.”

  Erika laughed, blushing as she glanced at Reed’s mother.

  “He’s told me all about it, honey,” Arlene said, smiling through her tears.

  Reed had told his mother about her? About them? He was really that serious about her? Damn, he’d better recover quickly. She couldn’t wait to tell him she loved him. Couldn’t wait to be in his arms.

  “Well, maybe not all about it,” Arlene said with a wink.

  Erika’s laugh was mixed with her own unshed tears.

  Cassie’s cell phone chimed. “Tank, checking in. I better call him,” she said, standing and heading toward the window for privacy.

  Arlene moved to sit closer to Erika. “I’m so glad Reed found you.” She glanced at Cassie. “Now if we could only get a certain someone else to smarten up.”

  “Agreed.” Maybe living in Wild River, she’d be able to help give Tank the kick in the ass needed to commit to her friend.

  Holding hands, Arlene and Erika sat, lost in their own thoughts as they continued to wait.

  An hour later, Jill, a recovery room nurse, came to see them. “He’s doing great,” she said. “Heartbeat 130 and no sign of complications,” she added with a nod at Erika.

  “Thank you, Jill,” she said.

  “You can all see him now. Maybe two at a time?”

  “You two go ahead,” she told Cassie and Arlene. His mother and sister should get to see him first, and honestly...she needed a minute. How would she react, seeing Reed in recovery? It had to be better than seeing him wheeled into emergency in critical condition, but still...

  “Okay, thank you, darling,” Arlene said, gathering her coat and purse and following Jill to the recovery room.

  “I’ll just stay a minute, then tag you in,” Cassie said.

  “Take your time.” If he woke up, would he even want to see her? He’d said he loved her, but she’d hurt him.

  Standing, she paced the now empty room as the clock inched closer to midnight. In such a short time, her life had changed so much.

  She had changed. Ten hours ago, she’d been confident in her decision and hopeful that Reed would accept her apology. Now, she was terrified. The guy had just had a life-threatening accident. He may see things differently when he woke. See her differently.

  Would he forgive her?

  She refused to give up. If it took her a lifetime of groveling, she’d find a way to prove to him that she loved him.

  Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned in time to see a man turn on his heels and walk back down the hall toward the doors. She squinted. George? Not pausing to consider it, she hurried after him. “George...Mr. Reynolds?” she said as she caught up to him.

  Dressed in a pair of stained jeans, work boots and a black thermal winter coat, he hesitated, looking toward the exit. His eyes were bloodshot and his complexion pale. He looked thin and nervous, running a hand through his long, disheveled hair when she reached him. “Hi...uh...I heard about Reed.”

  “How?” Had Cassie called her dad? Had Arlene? How much did Reed know about his father’s whereabouts? He’d have a lot to deal with when he recovered. She would be there for him. For everything he needed.

  “The Search and Rescue log online,” George said. “Whenever there’s an emergency call, I, uh...like to keep an eye on the reports.”

  All these years, he’d been keeping an eye on Reed from afar.

  He cleared his throat. “Erika, right?
Um, excuse me, Dr. Sheraton now?”

  “Erika,” she said with a nod.

  “Time flies... Last time I saw you...” He shoved his hands into too-baggy faded jeans and rocked back on his heels. “How is he? He going to be okay?”

  “He’s in recovery. A lot of broken bones and bruising. They—my dad—was able to repair the damage done to the spleen.”

  She saw him wince, followed by a look of relief. “Good...good. That’s really good.” He forced several deep breaths.

  She tentatively reached out and touched his shoulder. “Cassie and Arlene are in with him. You can go in once they come out.”

  He shook his head quickly. “No. No. I, uh... He’s okay, that’s all I needed to know.” He looked at the door, ready to flee.

  Let him go or convince him to stay and see his son? Man, she was not good at this. “I’m sure he’d like to see you,” she said. She really wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but Reed had been searching for the man for years, so she chose to believe he would—on some level at least.

  He lowered his head, staring at the floor. “Um... I don’t think I can. Not today. Not yet.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “You see, I’m afraid the memory of me is far better than any reality of who I am now.”

  Her chest constricted at the pain in the man’s voice. All she knew was she’d take seeing her mother again over any memory any day, but her situation was different. And Reed had already been through a lot that day. She wouldn’t force something she really knew nothing about. “I understand.”

  “I am trying to get better,” he said, as though needing her to know. “And then I can come back to him. To all of them.”

  She hated that he seemed to be struggling to convince himself that would ever happen. She nodded. “Whenever that is, I’m sure Reed will welcome you home,” she said as George headed toward the door, knowing enough about the man she loved to know it was true.

  But would he welcome her back into his heart?

  “Take care of them for me, okay?”

  “I will,” she said, waving to him as he left the hospital.

  * * *

  REED’S ENTIRE BODY ACHED, and it took a long minute to realize he was in a hospital room and not still on the side of Canyon Ridge, his body crushed between boulders. The tiled ceiling over his head and the dimmed lights were a welcome sight. While the IV in his arm and breathing tube in his nose weren’t a great sign, he was overcome with relief that whatever injuries he’d suffered were being cared for. His team had found him and saved his life. Pain radiated through his core and his limbs felt slightly numb, heavy when he tried to move.

  He turned his head, trying to focus, but his vision and mind were blurry. Just the slightest movement had waves of nausea washing over him and he forced several deep breaths.

  Whatever drugs they had him on were making him hallucinate, because he was staring at Erika sitting at his bedside. She was the last image he’d seen on the mountain before his world had gone dark and in his distorted reality, he was seeing her now.

  Man, he really had it bad.

  He needed to get better, get out of there to see her for real. If this accident had taught him anything, it was that he needed to fight harder to prove to her that they should be together. If that meant moving to Anchorage, he would. If it meant reevaluating everything in his life, he would.

  For her. Anything for her.

  God, this drug-induced version of her was so freaking beautiful. Her dark green cashmere sweater hugged her beautiful curves, the slight V-neck giving him a teasing glance of the perfect breasts he longed to touch again. Her dark hair pulled into a low ponytail hanging over one shoulder and her mesmerizing eyes, full of concern...and love as they remained locked with his.

  “Hi,” she said, moving closer.

  Damn, she even sounded real. He struggled to stay conscious and as his eyes flitted closed again, he reached out an arm toward the sound of her voice, not wanting it to go away, but he was too weak.

  “Don’t try to move...just rest,” he heard her say, but the sound seemed far away. He wanted to bring it closer, make it real, but he didn’t have the strength.

  “I’ll be here when you wake up...” she said, the sound fading into a deep echo as he fell back into a deep sleep.

  What felt like only seconds later—but must have been hours based on the darkness of the room—his eyes opened again.

  His vision was better and his mind was sharper. He felt less pain and there was only one thought on his mind—Erika. Turning his head slowly, he saw her still sitting there, asleep in the chair and covered by her lab coat. It hadn’t been a dream...she was there.

  Where was here? He’d assumed Wild River Community, but glancing around, he saw the Alaska General Hospital initials on the monitor above his head, still keeping track of his vitals. His breathing tube had been removed, but he still had the IV and he could feel the tightness of bandages wrapped around his midsection, his legs and one arm.

  He’d had surgery. He vaguely remembered the nurse and the doctors wheeling him into recovery.

  He must be in pretty bad shape, but all he felt right now was happiness that Erika was next to him. “Hey, pretty girl,” he whispered.

  Erika stirred, and her eyes opened. Seeing him awake, she tossed the coat aside and stood, straightening her sweater as she came toward him. “Hi again... How do you feel?” She placed a hand against his forehead and her touch was the only thing he focused on. No more pain. No more heartache. She was there.

  He reached for her hand when she went to move it. He gripped it as tight as he could in his weakened state. “Not sure... I’m in Anchorage?”

  She nodded. “You were airlifted here almost ten hours ago.”

  “What’s wrong with me?”

  “A broken wrist, two broken ankles, fractured ribs on both sides and...you ruptured your spleen. My dad fixed it,” she said. The look of concern on her face made him want to reassure her he was fine. Unfortunately, she still knew more about his condition than he did.

  “Shit—that sucks.” That would put him on his ass for a while. But the sight of her made it hard to think about the pain or his injury.

  “You really gave us all a good scare,” she said. “I was terrified we were going to lose you.”

  We. Not her. She’d been there how long? And what did that mean? “You’ve been here the whole time?” He struggled to bring her hand to his lips. He placed a soft kiss there when she nodded. He never wanted to let go of this hand. There was so much he wanted to say to her.

  “Your mom and sister were here, too.” She paused, then continued. “They’re getting some rest in the hotel a few blocks away... I can call them if you want.”

  He shook his head. “I just want you.” He did. So bad. He’d been devastated when she’d pushed him away, but he refused to walk away again without doing everything he could to show her he was more than willing to take her exactly as she was—limited time and all. He didn’t want to interfere with her life or complicate it with guilt, he just wanted to be a part of it.

  “That’s good news, because I want you, too,” she said, squeezing his hand gently and smoothing his hair away from his face.

  He prayed this wasn’t the meds playing tricks on him. That her touch was real, her words were real and the look of love in her eyes was real. He didn’t want her to feel pressured or feel as though she had to be someone different for him. “I’m sorry I asked you for more than you could give...that wasn’t fair.”

  “Shh... You were right to want more from me. I want to give you more.” She paused. “I’ve made the decision to take the job in Wild River.”

  What? She was planning to move to Wild River? Since when—his injury the night before? He couldn’t allow her to make a hasty decision like this that she might regret. Might eventually resent him for
. “But you love your career here...”

  “I love you more,” she said. “And my mind is made up, so there’s no point in trying to talk me out of it.”

  She loved him? He felt nothing but happiness as he grinned. “You love me? After only a few weeks?”

  She slapped his arm ever so gently. “Apparently.”

  “I love you, too. So much, Erika. On the side of that mountain, I thought I was going to die and I needed to hold on long enough to see you,” he said.

  She kissed his lips gently. “You’re here now. You’re okay. We are okay.”

  He wanted to believe that, but asking her to sacrifice everything to be with him wasn’t fair. Not when he’d already decided to give up everything for her. “I can’t let you give up your life here...we can make the long-distance thing work...for now, until I can figure out something else.” He’d apply to the university and pursue a career in EMT like he’d wanted to.

  She was shaking her head no.

  Forever stubborn. “I know we said that before and couldn’t,” he said, “but that’s because I was being a selfish asshole...”

  She put her finger over his lips. “Stop talking. There’s nothing more to figure out. I’m moving to Wild River. To be with you. And because it’s what I want.” She leaned forward and kissed his forehead, his nose, his cheeks and finally his lips again.

  She smelled so good. He couldn’t wait to be out of this hospital bed...and back in his own bed with his arms around her. He touched her face, drawing it toward his lips. Hers were soft, inviting, warm...everything he’d been missing, craving. The familiar taste of her vanilla lip gloss had all the memories of their time together spiraling back until he thought his heart would explode.

  Her kiss was light, easy, as though she was afraid to hurt him. She pulled away slightly, but stayed close as she said, “And I’m applying for a real position on the search and rescue crew, so I can keep your ass safe.”

  He stared into the dark hazel eyes he could stare into forever. “I’ll approve your membership on one condition,” he said, kissing her with as much strength as he had, ignoring the pain, the exhaustion...none of that mattered. The woman he loved was in his arms, telling him he’d not only survived his accident, but he was going to leave that hospital with everything he’d always wanted.