He looked at Ranger Jamison. “Let’s get the ropes and rescue gear. We need to go over right near here.” The female ranger laughed nervously. “I’m not so good with heights, you guys,” she said, “but I’ll be right here rooting for you.”
The curly headed blonde ranger named McIntyre, who looked like he should be hefting a surfboard instead of a first aid kit, gave her a thumbs up. “It’s okay, Jill, we got it. You handle topside communications.”
Ranger Jamison and Steve disappeared back the way they had just come and returned a few minutes later carrying nylon gear bags and an aluminum rescue litter made specially for rope rescues. Once again, Kelly felt her heart lurch. Just how badly was Alyssa hurt? Why did she keep fading out when they talked?
“Here Chuck,” Steve said, handing him one of the bags that he and Jill had retrieved. They knelt and began to unpack ropes, small hammers and climbing harnesses. The ranger that Steve called Chuck handed one harness to Steve and began putting on the second harness himself. Unexpectedly, Steve seemed to freeze in place, staring at the harness. His knuckles clutched the strapping so tightly they turned white. Kelly, for the moment distracted from Alyssa’s plight, was puzzled by Steve’s expression at first. Then she realized that he was afraid!
Of course, she remembered. The accident last year – he’d only just returned to Hanging Rock a couple of weeks ago…he’s scared of going over the edge! Chuck completed fastening the straps and turned around. He paused in surprise and took in Steve’s expression. Without missing a beat he reached for the harness and gently took it from Steve’s hands. “No offense, dude,” he told Steve, but I don’t think you should attempt a rope rescue until we’ve had a chance to re-qualify you. Pete and I will handle this one.”
Steve’s eyes were bleak. “Yeah, okay Chuck,” he managed.
Chuck raised his voice. “Pete!” He called out loudly. “Come get into this harness.”
Pete had been communicating with the base at the Visitor’s Center, informing them of what was happening, but when Chuck called to him, he signed off and joined Chuck and Steve. Without a word, Pete took the second harness, and handed the command radio to Steve. He glanced questioningly at Chuck, who simply mouthed “later”. Pete nodded and stepped into the harness.
Steve took a deep shaky breath and let it out slowly. Then he seemed to snap out of the moment, and reached for the aluminum stretcher.. “Jill and I will get this ready for you.”
Minutes later, Pete and Chuck dropped smoothly over the side.
Hoping to keep Alyssa talking and focused, Kelly squeezed the call button. “Alyssa? Two rangers just went over the side. They’re coming down to get you. Do you see them?”
Alyssa called back. She still sounded in weak and in pain, but there was a glint of humor in her voice. “Is one of them Ranger Williams?”
Kelly blushed. She was standing right next to Steve, watching as the other two rangers disappeared over the edge. She didn’t miss the surprised grin of interest on the female ranger’s face, either. Kelly didn’t dare to look up to see Steve’s expression.
“No,” she called back. “But he is here and he is standing right beside me,” she warned her niece.
A few moments later, Alyssa’s voice called back to her Aunt. “So….have you asked him The Question yet?”
“No,” she replied sharply. “But you can ask him yourself in a few minutes. Do you see the rangers yet?”
“Yeah, I see them.”
Suddenly, Chuck's voice cut in on Steve’s radio. “Okay, we’re about even with her. She was a little further to the left than we’d guessed….Wow.”
Steve pressed the talk button. “What does ‘wow’ mean?”
“I mean…dude, I have NO idea how she managed to end up where she is. My winter coat’s got bigger pockets than this ledge!”
“God is good, Chuck,” Steve affirmed. “How does Alyssa look?”
“Give us a sec, amigo, we’re not quite there yet. Adjusting to the right…”
Steve, Kelly and Jill waited impatiently for Chuck and Pete to assess Alyssa’s condition. Finally, Pete’s voice came over the radio. “Chuck’s looking her over now. She’s got lots of contusions, a compound fracture to the left thigh…a broken wrist, and possibly some broken ribs…some tenderness in her belly, Steve…. She’s able to focus though, and she’s looking at Chuck like he’s her hero for all time, and man, is he eating it up. Probably going to swell his head for weeks!” Pete reported in a mock disgusted voice.
“Not once I get done with him,” Jill vowed under her breath.
“Steve, go ahead and lower the litter. I think she’ll do better if we immobilize some of these ouchies.”
“You’ve got it,” Steve replied. Jill dropped the board, which had already been attached to the pins by Steve, over the side, and began lowering it steadily. “Coming your way now,” Steve informed Pete. When it had reached the right level, Jill locked the mechanism in place to keep it from slipping at an angle.
Jill sat back and smiled reassuringly at Kelly. “They practice things like this all the time,” Jill explained to her. “They’ll have your girl snugged down in just a few minutes, then we’ll bring her right up.”
Kelly smile nervously, understanding what was taking so long, but hating the helplessness she felt. She bounced impatiently on the balls of her feet, feeling the late afternoon chill as the sun began to set. Kelly began to wish for something warmer than her tank top and shorts. In fact, she wouldn’t mind a few more minutes of the merciless sunshine that had baked her earlier that afternoon.
“All righty, then,” Pete called up suddenly, startling them all. “She’s ready to travel.”
Steve and Jill slowly raised the litter as Chuck guided it past the snagging branches of the little birch tree.
At last, Kelly knelt next to her headstrong niece with a mixture of fear and relief. She was so grateful to have her safely off the cliff, but it was clear that the fall had done much damage to the girl. And though Alyssa smiled at her Aunt and spoke lucidly, Kelly was under no illusions as to how much pain the child was in.
Moments after Steve and Jill had disconnected the litter from the ropes, the two rangers whisked Alyssa to the truck and slid her in the back. Kelly followed close behind.
“I’ll drive,” Jill volunteered, heading straight for the cab. “They seem to know you, so you should sit with them.”
“Thanks,” Steve acknowledged. He climbed in and then turned to help Kelly scramble in. She was barely seated before Jill had the truck in motion, beeping the horn every so often to warn hikers to clear the path.
Kelly glanced back toward the trees they had just left. She knew that the two rangers who had rescued Alyssa were probably not even out of their harnesses yet. “Aren’t we going to wait for your friends?” She asked, confused.
“They’ll be along,” Steve replied unconcernedly. “They still have to secure the site before they head back, and Pete could use the walk. His fiancé has been fattening him up ever since their engagement.”
Kelly suddenly realized that Steve was opening a first aid kit and was on the phone. Deftly he prepared a saline bag and inserted a needle in to Alyssa’s scratched and bruised forearm. He also took her pulse and blood pressure, reporting the information over the phone.
Kelly sat by Alyssa’s head, talking softly to distract her, and stroking her hair like she was a small child again.
At last, Steve hung up and looked at Kelly. “The ambulance will meet us at the park entrance. They’ll take Alyssa on to the hospital in Winston- Salem.”
“Is it bad?” Kelly mouthed quietly to Steve.
He shrugged. “Hard to tell,” he answered truthfully. We can see the broken bones and the cuts, we can assume a concussion, but we don’t really know what’s happening inside. She’s got more going on than the local trauma unit wants to deal with, though.”
“Aunt Kelly?”
“Yes, darling, I’m right here,” Kelly told her niece soft
ly.
“I’m not feeling very good right now. Am I going to be okay?”
Kelly forced a calm smile. “I think you’ll be fine,” she soothed the girl. “But next year, I think I’ll take you to the beach, instead of the mountains.”
Alyssa moaned involuntarily as Jill bounced the truck up the hill that connected the road to the Visitor’s Center parking lot. Once off the gravel trail, she increased her speed.
“I can’t believe I fell,” Alyssa complained in a tired voice.
“You’re not the first, Alyssa,” Steve consoled her. “Every year someone has to create a little drama and keep us on our toes.” He laughed a little. “Last year it was me.”
There was a brief silence, and then Alyssa said, “That explains it, then.”
“That explains what?” Steve asked, trying to keep her talking.
“Why you weren’t here to sign us in last year. Aunt Kelly said that you must have moved away.”
“No, just fell off a cliff same as you,” Steve said lightly. “Why would you care if I signed you in?” He asked quickly to refocus her attention as her eyes began to close.
“It was the game,” Alyssa’s eyes fluttered open again open. “We were always trying to talk to you, but you were so stiff.” She giggled a little. “We called you the ‘rigid ranger’.
Steve’s eyebrows shot up and he glanced quickly at Kelly, who blushed, suddenly mortified. Alyssa was telling inside jokes.
“Rigid Ranger, huh?”
“Alyssa nodded. “Never smiled.”
Steve checked her eyes and moistened her lips with some Gatorade. “I sound pretty dull, Alyssa,” he said loudly to regain her attention. “I’m surprised you girls ever bothered to give me a nickname.”
Alyssa groaned a little and tried to shift on the rescue litter. She frowned trying to remember what they were talking about. “It was part of the game...”
Kelly broke in. “Alyssa, maybe you should get some rest now, sweetie.”
But Steve had a half serious, half mischievous grin on his face. “No, let Alyssa talk,” He told Kelly. "Go on, Alyssa – what kind of game?”
Steve stared right at Kelly, who thought that it was a good thing that they were going to meet an ambulance, as she was about to die of embarrassment.
“Alyssa! What kind of stories?” Steve prompted her again more loudly. Alyssa’s eyelids kept fluttering shut, and Steve was determined to keep her conscious until the boys on the ambulance had a chance to check her out.
“They were stories about why you were so grumpy. Megan and I… thought you were angry, but Aunt Kelly thought you were really sad. We made up stories and voted….whose was the most romantic.” Alyssa’s eyes closed again.
Steve frowned and gently shook the girl. Don’t fade out yet, we’re almost there!
“Alyssa! Stay with me, sweetie. Tell me about the stories, Alyssa. What was the best story?”
Kelly put a hand over her eyes and groaned in embarrassment.
Steve glanced down the road. They were almost to the park gate. He could make out the red lights of the ambulance flashing at the turnaround just beyond the gate. “Come on, Alyssa,” he encouraged her, “we’re almost to the ambulance. Who told the best story about me?”
“Megan told it.” Alyssa managed to answer after a few moments. “You rescued Aunt Kelly off a mountain and fell madly in love..!” She smiled a little. “We were the maids of honor at your wedding.”
Steve whistled, impressed. He grinned at Kelly’s discomfiture. “That’s some story, but it sounds like I come out pretty well in the end. Do you tell stories about me every year?”
“Mmmm,” she replied. “That’s why we have to ask you The Question every year.”
They were passing the gate now. Jill had slowed down and was about to park the truck. In a moment he would need to pass Alyssa to the team that would be responsible for caring for her until they reached the hospital. It was clear that Kelly was dying of shame as Alyssa rambled on about their childhood obsession, but he had to hear it all. This would be his last chance! “What’s the question, Alyssa?” He prodded her.
“You never remember!” She complained fretfully. The question is “Are you married?”
Steve’s jaw dropped slightly and she stared at the girl. He saw that Alyssa was watching him with eyes that were as green as her aunt’s. Kelly’s eyes. He looked up and saw that Kelly was watching him almost fearfully. So this was ‘The Question..!’ Steve took a deep breath.
“Alyssa? The answer to the question this year is: No, I’m not married, but I think I might like to be.” He smiled as Alyssa’s face registered surprise at his reply. He added, “When I come visit you in the hospital, you’ll have to tell me who makes up the best story this year.”
The ambulance team was waiting to take over. One of the attendants dropped the tailgate on the truck.
“Hey Steve, Who have we got here?”
“Hey, Fred,” Steve acknowledged. “We have a fifteen year old girl, named Alyssa. Made a rapid descent of a cliff face without the benefit of a rope. Broken right wrist, compound fracture, possibly some cracked ribs. Pulse is thready and around 90, there’s some tenderness on the belly and she’s been fading in and out of consciousness all the way down here. The accident occurred somewhere around noon, we think. ”
He nodded toward Kelly. “This beautiful lady is Alyssa’s aunt, Kelly McGuire. She can fill in the blanks.” Fred nodded at Kelly. “You can ride with us, ma’am.” They slid the litter forward and two men carried Alyssa to the waiting ambulance.
Kelly followed, blushing at Steve’s compliment, if it was one. Heaven only knew what she looked like after this afternoon! Awkwardly, she placed a hand on Steve’s arm. “Ranger Williams, please forgive us. We had no right…”
Steve handed an attendant the IV bag, then turned back to face Kelly. She tried to begin again, to somehow beg him not to be offended by their childish game of make believe, even though it had been at his expense. “I’m so sorry you had to hear ….”
But Steve put a finger to his lips. “Hush,” he commanded her.
“But – “ Steve shook his head to silence her again. Then he took her hand and helped her up into the ambulance. “Kelly, so far Megan’s been right on the mark about us. Let’s not mess with a perfectly good story line!”
Kelly’s green eyes widened as Steve’s words sank in. He grinned at the look of surprise on her face. “I’ll pack up the girls and bring them along soon,” he promised. “You just concentrate on Alyssa for now.” He shut the door firmly before she could formulate a reply.
Steve tapped on the side of the ambulance to let the driver know that the door was closed, and climbed into the truck beside Jill. Although he tried he could not wipe the grin from his lips.
Jill stared at him as if she did not know who he was. “What’s happened to you?” She asked in bewilderment.
Steve stared after the ambulance as it disappeared around the sweeping curve of the Park Road. His heart was light, despite the stress of the day. “Twitterpated,” he replied.
Ch 38
Fiona
“There, that should hold you!” Steve declared as he attached the last section of wire to the six foot high fence post. The Irish setter pup paced the enclosure and whined, her soft brown eyes fixed on Steve with a reproachful expression.
“Don’t look at me like that!” Steve blustered, feeling guilty all the same. “If you’d just stay home, I wouldn’t have to do this. You can’t go running around the park without a leash – or without me, for that matter,” he muttered as he packed up his tools.
The pup sat on her haunches and cocked her head to one side, as if trying to understand Steve’s barrage of words. Half irritated and half amused, he picked up the tool box and walked toward the shed. The dog bounced against the fence and yipped, unhappy at being left behind.
Steve sighed. He’d had the dog for two weeks now, and although she was nearly nine months old and already trai
ned in the basic commands, she had turned his life around entirely. Kelly had promised him that the pup would quickly adjust to her new life, but so far, if she wasn’t pacing the floor and whining, she was escaping out the front door and leading him on a merry chase through the campsites. Fortunately, as the weather cooled into late autumn, there weren’t that many campers for the puppy to visit. On top of worrying that she was harassing the campers, the way she tore down the trails when she got a chance left Steve in constant fear that she would overshoot the pathway and dash off a cliff into empty space! Steve had begun to wonder if she would survive long enough to meet Gracie.
Giving up on guilting Steve into letting her out, the pup circled the enclosure, sniffing at the corners of the generous space that Steve had created. After her second circuit, she focused on the picnic table. She hopped up onto the top of the table, and Steve watched her as she eyed the distance from the table to the fence, then jumped down, accepting that the distance was too far from the fence to use the table for a launching pad again.
Before he had even completed attaching the wire to the metal stakes, she had sprung from the table and gracefully leapt the fence, trotting over to watch Steve from the outside as he stretched the wire tight between the posts. Steve had moved the table.
“You’re an inquisitive little lady, I’ll give you that,” he muttered, scratching her behind her silky ears. The dog gave him a quick lick on the cheek, then danced away to chase a gray squirrel that shrieked at the sight of her, sped along the fence wire and zipped high into a maple tree, where it disappeared among the red gold leaves.
Steve sighed. He called “heel”, and the pup obediently returned to his side. “Hope Gracie likes you,” he told her nervously. His daughter would be arriving shortly. It was her first visit since he’d returned to Hanging Rock and he was looking forward to showing her around his world. He would also be introducing her to Kelly, who would be coming up to visit later in the week.
It promised to be a gorgeous fall day. The leaves were past their peak but the remaining foliage was still beautiful. An unexpected warm spell meant that most days were still pleasant and sunny, although the nights were definitely on the chilly side. The Graham’s were driving up to visit Deborah in their RV, and were bringing Gracie along with them. Steve had also invited the Bolton’s to come and enjoy a couple of fall days in the mountains, but he doubted that they would accompany the Grahams. Ever since the scene last summer over David and Beth, their conversations together had been stilted at best. It saddened him, but he didn’t know what else he could do. Some day, the Bolton’s would have to face the facts of David’s violent nature. He supposed that he couldn’t blame them for not wanting to believe the truth, though. David was their only child now, and Steve was learning that the love of a child will push you in directions you never thought to go on your own.
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