The Storm You Chase (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  “Just three. Pepper, Judah, and the pilot. The last communication Air Traffic Control had with them, there was no indication of a problem. We’re in the air now, we should be at Golden Bear in about five hours.”

  “Hopefully, we’ll know something by then.”

  “Hopefully. Spotter planes should be in the air shortly. Where are you two?”

  Clint looked at Jensen.

  “Tell him we’re about six miles from the supposed crash site, but it’s a hard six miles.”

  Clint passed the message on to Joseph. “We’ll keep you posted. You’ll know something as soon as we know it.”

  After leaving the visitor’s center behind, their eyes needed to adjust once more to the blackness of the night. As it did, they could see the vast mountain range that lay before them. “This trail has some crazy, dangerous spots on it. Some of the ledges have unforgiving exposure with thousands of feet of air below them if one were to stumble and fall from the path.”

  “You’re right. When I was reading about people who’d gone missing in this park, I came across an article about a woman who murdered her newlywed husband of eight days on the Loop. They were arguing and she just pushed him off the side of the mountain.”

  “No kidding?” Jensen asked, unable to imagine such a thing. “Why did she do that?”

  “The man’s name was Cody Johnson and the report said his friends didn’t trust her. Jordan was strange. After she confessed to what she did, Jordan said she’d wanted a wedding, but she didn’t want to be married.”

  “Dang…” Jensen whispered in disbelief. “There has to be an easier way to break off a relationship.”

  Her statement caused them both to go silent. Considering their personal situation, that wasn’t a surprise.

  Both lost in their own thoughts, they kept up the climb, being extra careful as they went. By the time the sun rose, they’d gone through Logan Pass and covered several miles on the other side. According to the topographical map, the elevation increased 331 feet for every mile they traveled.

  “Let’s take a water break,” Jensen suggested. “Now that there’s light, I’d like to check the area with the binoculars.”

  “Good idea.” He fished them from his pack along with their canteens and passed the binoculars to her.

  “I know this is a critical situation, but I can’t help noticing how gorgeous everything is.”

  Clint surveyed the land before them. “The wildflowers grow rampant, don’t they? I guess this is the perfect time of year for them.”

  “There’s so many right through here, the region is known as Floral Park.” She pointed north. “Straight ahead is the Garden Wall, part of the Continental Divide. We need to keep an eye out for the wreckage. We should be able to see something soon.”

  “All right.”

  After drinking some water, they trudged along together, forcing themselves to keep going despite their lack of rest.

  “How are you making it?” Clint asked her, his voice full of concern.

  “I’m okay. How about you?”

  “Oh, I’m great. You aren’t weak or anything?”

  She knew he was asking about the cancer. “No, I feel normal. Tired, but normal.”

  “Are you sore?”

  Jensen frowned. “You’re sure asking a lot of questions for someone who’s no longer concerned about me.”

  “Who said I was no longer concerned?”

  Jensen was about to reply when she saw something glint in the morning sun. “Look.” She pointed and passed the binoculars to him. “There’s something shiny. Zero in between those two boulders about fifty yards away.”

  Clint did as she suggested. “God Almighty. It’s them.”

  When he took off, Jensen fell into step behind him. “Slow down, this is a treacherous stretch,” she cautioned.

  Even with the plane in view, it took them another hour and a half to reach the plane. “Pepper! Judah!” Clint began to call. He could see that one of the wings was broken off and part of the fuselage was torn apart. They could see right into the main compartment of the plane. “This looks bad.”

  Seeing him break into a run, Jensen did the same. She felt an enormous sense of dread not knowing what they might find.

  “Pepper! Judah!” Clint yelled again. He hurried up to the plane and began to pull on the door.

  “Clint?”

  Jensen heard the soft voice from the opening in the cabin wall. “Pepper! This is Jensen Mistretta. I’m here with your cousin, Clint, to help you. Are you hurt?” She ran to the front of the plane. “Clint! Come back here. Pepper’s conscious!”

  “Pepper. Thank God!” He hoisted himself up and inside the plane. In a few moment, he’d opened the door of the plane from the inside so Jensen could join them. “How is everyone?” She pulled her backpack from her shoulder and began to lay out the medical supplies. She could see Pepper was sitting up. There were obvious contusions on her face and arms. A man with long dark hair lay on the floor, he was in obvious pain.

  “I think our pilot has the worst injuries,” Pepper spoke softly. “He was awake for a while, but when I went to give him water a few minutes ago, he was unconscious.” She moved near to Clint to give him a hug. “I’m so glad to see you. Judah’s arm is dislocated. He’s hurting really bad. I don’t know how to help him.”

  “Well, I can fix him right up,” Jensen said gently. “Judah, can you sit up?”

  “Oh, hell yeah. I could put on a concert if I had to.” He grunted and grimaced but inched closer to Jensen. “Before you do anything for me. Go to the cockpit and check on Ollie. He took the worst of it.”

  “All right. I’ll go.” She held out two pills and a bottle of water to Judah. “Take these pain relievers. This will help with the procedure I’ll perform in a moment.” She watched while he swallowed the medicine, then she handed Pepper the bottle of water so Judah could rest. “Clint, I may need your help.”

  “Of course, just let me know.”

  She hurried to the cockpit area to check on the pilot.

  While she was gone, Clint held Pepper gently. “And how about you, Blondie?”

  “Just cuts and bruises.” She buried her face in his neck. “I was so scared. Judah is in so much pain.”

  “I’m good, sweetheart,” Pepper’s husband assured her. “This isn’t going to keep me down.”

  “No, Jensen will fix him right up. She’s a full-fledged doctor, not some SAR wannabe like me.”

  “Go see about Ollie. Please?” Pepper begged and Clint agreed immediately.

  “Sure. Sit tight. I’ll be right back.” When he found Jensen in the cockpit with the pilot, she was cleaning a wound on his head.

  “How is he?”

  “He’s still out. His vitals are good, however. I think he’ll wake up soon. Did you call Ten or Joseph to report we’ve found them?”

  “No. Let me do that now.” He placed the call, then stood up to gaze out of the plane while he talked. Jensen worked to make the pilot comfortable, bathing his forehead and face with a cooling towelette.

  From what she could hear of Clint’s call, the others were jubilant. Once he rang off, he offered Jensen a hand. “They’ll be coming in the rescue helicopters. They’re sending two so we’ll be able to ride out also.”

  “Perfect.” She accepted the help up and they moved to the back of the plane to pop Judah’s arm back into place. “I’ll probably need your help with this.”

  “I’m ready.” He put a guiding hand on her back. “Just tell me what to do.”

  As she approached Judah and Pepper, she explained what she was about to do. “Judah, I’m going to perform what’s called a closed reduction, putting your shoulder back into place. It’s going to hurt like a son-of-a-gun, but you’ll feel immediate relief.”

  “No problem. I’m ready.”

  In a few minutes, the worst was over, and the singer laid back against the wall of the plane, exhausted.

  Lastly, they cleaned and doctored Pepper’
s contusions. “Can you tell me what happened?” Clint asked. “Did the plane have engine trouble?”

  “We ran into a flock of Canadian geese. It was terrible,” she told them. “There was nothing Ollie could do. They flew up from a lake and right into our path.”

  “We survived though,” Judah whispered. “We’ve been through too much to let a little thing like a plane crash defeat us.”

  “That’s right.” Pepper went over to sit next to her husband, curling up at his side. “We’re going to be fine.”

  After seeing to the young couple’s needs, Jensen returned to the pilot and stayed with him until they could hear the drumbeat of approaching helicopters. Tennessee was lowered down first, and he was so relieved to find his sister alive and well that he cried. Joseph came also, as well as several local SAR volunteers. While the injured were raised by cable to safety inside the helicopters, two of the SAR people made sure there were no fuel leaks that would pose a danger to the fragile ecosystem of the park.

  Lastly, Jensen and Clint were ready to be loaded. As luck would have it, they were set to be flown out in different helicopters. The one Clint boarded took off first. Jensen was strapped in and being raised up when the basket started spinning wildly. She held on for dear life, but a clasp snapped, and the basket tilted, throwing her out and to the ground some twelve to fifteen feet below.

  …Meanwhile, Clint packed his things at the lodge. The plane home was due to leave in less than an hour. He kept expecting for Jensen to walk through the door any minute. When he was finished, he went to find one of his cousins. “Hey, Joseph, where’s everybody else?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know, we’re trying to find out.”

  About that time Ten came running in. “Our helicopter had to return to the crash site.”

  “What happened?” Clint asked, his blood pressure spiking at the news. “Is something wrong?”

  “The basket broke. Jensen’s hurt.”

  That was all Clint needed to hear. “I’m going.”

  “Too late. The helicopter’s already left to take her and the pilot to a hospital in Kalispell. We’ll be sending the plane back after them when they’re ready to leave.”

  “Jensen’s hurt? How badly?”

  “Not too bad. She’s just bruised and jarred. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  “Well, why can’t we wait?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m staying with her.” Clint was adamant.

  Ten grabbed Clint’s arm. “No, you need to get back to Texas. You’re needed at home.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s your sister, Bethany. She’s in surgery and your mother is asking for you.”

  “What kind of surgery?” He was already carrying his bags to the front porch.”

  “Gunshot wound to her shoulder. A shooter opened fire at her school. Nine people were killed and fourteen were injured. Three of the dead were children from Bethany’s kindergarten class. She’s devastated.”

  “Oh, my God.” Clint felt sick to his stomach. He was torn to the point of agony, but he needed to go home. “I’m ready to go when the rest of you are.”

  * * *

  Jensen tried to count her blessings. Although she suffered with multiple bruises and sprains, the X-rays showed no breaks. She lay in a hospital bed in the Kalispell clinic, waiting to be released. Her eyes kept going to the door. Surely, Clint would show up at any moment. When the hinges creaked, she tried to sit up. “Clint?”

  But it was someone else. A nurse. “Dr. Mistretta. My name is Bettina. How are you feeling?”

  “Pretty good, considering. When can I get out of here?”

  “I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait and see what the doctor says.”

  “I am a doctor and I know I feel fine.”

  “You may not when those pain killers wear off. You’ve been given a pretty strong dose.”

  Jensen tried to scoot up in bed. “I think I’m a good judge of my condition.”

  Bettina giggled. “I’ve always heard doctors make the worst patients.”

  Knowing the nurse was right, Jensen just groaned and settled back in the bed. “Is there anyone in the waiting room for me?”

  “I don’t believe so.”

  A wave of disappointment hit Jensen.

  “The other patient, Mr. Ollie Boyd, has been admitted. He’s stable and, like you, will fully recover after some bedrest. Although…” Bettina checked Jensen’s chart. “You are scheduled for a couple more tests. An MRI and a full lab workup.”

  “That isn’t necessary.”

  “Mr. Joseph McCoy insists. He wants to make absolutely sure you are okay.” She proceeded to take Jensen’s vitals.

  “Okay. Fine.” She decided it would take too much effort to argue.

  “Mr. McCoy also wanted you to know that the rest of your group has returned to Texas. I believe there was some type of an emergency.”

  “What kind of an emergency?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have that information.”

  “I understand. It could be anything. I’m certain it isn’t serious, or they would’ve told me.” Wouldn’t they?

  “Joseph also said he’d be calling to check on you and not to worry, he would send the plane when you were ready to go home.”

  “Oh. I see. Any other messages – from anyone else?”

  “No.” Bettina smiled brightly. “I think that’s all.”

  Disappointment crashed within her. She closed her eyes and tried to regroup. Why was she surprised? What had she expected?

  “Can I get you anything else, Dr. Mistretta?”

  “My phone. I need my phone.”

  “I’m sorry. There was no phone included in your things when you were brought in.”

  “Damn.” She must’ve dropped it when she fell or lost it somewhere along the trail. “I’ll have to get another one when I get home.”

  “If you need to call someone, I can lend you mine,” Bettina offered. “I have unlimited long distance.”

  “No.” She wasn’t due to be back into the office until the following Monday. Surely, she’d be out of here and home before then. Other than Scott, she didn’t really have anyone she talked to on a regular basis. A sense of desolation settled over her. “Thanks anyway. There’s no one expecting to hear from me.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “Dammit.” Clint snapped the ancient flip phone closed. “Why the hell wasn’t she answering?” He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion setting in. He knew why she wasn’t answering. She didn’t want to talk to him. He’d acted like a total ass.

  “Clint, Bethany wants to see you. She’s awake.”

  Despite his weariness, he jumped up and followed Kyd down the hall. The whole family was gathered, including several of the cousins. Libby and Aron were here, as was Heath and Cato. Some of the others had already come and gone. Gillian was grateful how her family was rallying in their time of need.

  On the plane from Montana, Joseph finally told him the truth. The gunshot and Bethany’s subsequent surgery were life-threatening. In fact, it had been touch-and-go throughout the day. Now, thankfully, she was stable and in recovery. His cousin also promised to let him know when he sent the plane to pick up Jensen. So far he’d heard nothing from Joseph or Jensen. He wasn’t so sure no news was good news in this case.

  As he moved down the hall, he noticed how he could hear each of his footfalls. There was an almost tomblike feeling to the place. The walls and the floors were a muted green, he didn’t like it – he didn’t like it at all. When he came to her door, Kyd motioned for him to go in ahead of him. “She’s in a lot of pain, but she’s been asking for you.”

  Clint swallowed hard and eased into the room. The sight of Bethany almost took him to his knees. She was attached to myriad tubes and monitors. Her complexion was almost as pale as the stark white sheets she was lying on. “Bethany?” he croaked her name. “Sweetheart?” She was so small. So fragile. “I’m here.”

  To his relief, her eye
s blinked open slowly. “There you are. I needed you here with me.” She held up her hand.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Okay.”

  He knew she was lying.

  “Did they stop the shooter?”

  Clint didn’t know the whole story, but he knew they’d caught the young man who’d opened fire on an elementary school. “Yes, he’s in custody.”

  To his dismay, he watched her face crumple. “Three of my babies, Clint. Three of my babies are dead.”

  He knew she referred to her small students as her babies. “I know. I’m so sorry, honey.”

  “I tried to protect them. I gathered them around me, but the shooter came and scared them. They panicked and ran; I couldn’t stop him.”

  “Shhhh.” He kissed her cheek. “You saved so many. You did the best you could.”

  “Will you do something for me?”

  “Of course.”

  “I want to get in contact with the parents of my lost babies. Will you help me? I want to find out if they need anything.”

  “Absolutely. I’ll take care of it.” He’d do anything to take that hopeless look from her face. “Don’t worry a second, little girl. Is there anything else?”

  She teared up. “I want Riley. Can you call her for me?”

  He smiled. “I can do better than that. She’s here. I saw her earlier. I think she’s with Mom and Cassidy. They finally persuaded Mom to go to the cafeteria for a bite to eat.”

  A look of relief passed over her face. “Good. Thank you.” She lifted a hand to touch her shoulder. “How could this happen, Clint? What’s our world coming to?”

  “I don’t know, love. I don’t know.” A hell of a lot of things didn’t make sense – like Jensen having cancer and losing a breast. Killer tornados and shootouts in family restaurants. Now, tiny children were being used as target practice.

  “The shooter…I knew him. I taught his little brother last year. He...was a good kid. What happened to him?”

  Clint shook his head. “I don’t know.” He wished he had answers – but he was fresh out. “You need to rest now, Bets.”

  “Okay. I’ll try. Will you get Mom and Riley for me?”