by Julie Rowe
She had no idea how long they stood there, but gradually a loud static-filled noise pulled her out of the haze of euphoria she floated in.
Willa blinked and looked around. Someone was calling on the clinic radio.
She tried to step out of Liam’s embrace, but he pulled her back and kissed her again.
“I have to answer that call.”
“Ignore them,” he said, sliding his lips down her neck.
“I can’t.” She pushed at his shoulders and he finally let her loose. “This is a clinic, remember.”
He frowned. “You’re closed.”
“Not for emergencies.”
“Damn.” He sighed and his gaze flickered over her face. “You might want to fix your hair before you go anywhere.” He ran a hand through his own hair and tucked his shirt back into his jeans. Had she pulled it out?
Willa hurried to the radio. “This is Med-One, over.”
Jason’s voice crackled to life. “Tundra Air here. There’s been a hunting accident north of town. They’re requesting medical assistance on scene, over.”
“Understood, over.”
“You’re going to need a plane with skis. Can Liam get you to our hangar in five minutes?”
Jason knew Liam was here? Willa looked at him and he nodded. “We’ll be there, Tundra Air, Med-One out,” she said into the radio then rushed to gather up her equipment.
Liam took one of the tackle boxes from her. “Let me help.”
She glared at him but handed it over.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“How did Jason know you were here?”
“I told him. I’m on call twenty-four hours a day, just like you.”
Willa winced then handed him another box. “I forgot about that.”
He cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him as she plucked two more boxes off a shelf. “Make it quick.”
“Let me help you with the medical stuff today?”
She looked at him with one brow sailing high.
“Just pretend I’m another nurse or something,” he blurted out.
“Huh-uh.” She couldn’t help but look him up and down. “You don’t mind taking orders? From a woman?”
He shrugged. “You’re the one in charge. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
“You argued with me the first time, remember?”
“Only about doing up your seat belt.”
She stared at him for a second longer. “I won’t have time to quarrel with you today.”
“You won’t need to.”
She’d better not. “Fine. Grab some of this and let’s go.”
Willa hurried outside with Liam at her side. They threw everything into the back of an ancient four-wheel-drive ambulance she used on the rare occasion she needed it in town.
Liam drove, with the sirens blaring, the five blocks to Tundra Air’s hangar. Just outside sat a Twin Otter, its skis resting on what remained of the winter snow. Both engines were revved up and running, their roar making it difficult to hear anything else.
Jason met them as they jumped out of the ambulance. “Two more days and we wouldn’t have enough snow for takeoff,” he yelled as he grabbed a box of medical equipment and ran toward the plane.
Willa and Liam followed with the rest. “Where are we going?”
“It’s about fifteen minutes straight north,” Jason answered, turning to holler. “A couple of hunters were attacked by a polar bear.”
“A polar bear?” Liam asked from behind her. “Are you serious?”
“That’s what they said.” Jason secured his two boxes in the back of the plane then stepped aside so Willa and Liam could unload.
She ran around back and got into the passenger seat, belting herself in.
Liam settled into the pilot’s chair and picked up the charts Jason left for him.
Jason stuck his head in the door and pointed at the coordinates written on the map. “Here’s where you’re going. The terrain is pretty flat up there, so you’ll have to keep your eyes open. The radio is set to the frequency they’re using, but keep in touch with me. Have a safe flight.” Jason gave them a thumbs-up then closed the door and removed the blocks from around the skis. He waved the all clear and Liam increased the power until they coasted forward.
Seconds later they were in the sky.
Willa plunked a headset on. “Can we talk to those hunters?”
“I’ll try to raise them.”
Liam called on the radio for several minutes before anyone answered.
“Who are you?” A man’s voice blared over the radio without introduction or preamble.
“This is Med-One responding to a medical mayday. Are you one of the hunters who requested help? Over.”
“Yeah. We’re out of ammo and Pete’s hurt pretty bad.”
“We’ll be there in ten minutes, over.”
“Hurry.” There was only silence after that.
“Out of ammunition?” she asked. That couldn’t be good.
“Maybe the bear is still around.”
Willa rubbed her temple. “If it is, it’s going to make our job a lot harder.”
“Won’t the sound of the plane engine scare it off?”
“If the bear thinks we’re after his supper, no. Polar bears can be very aggressive when provoked.” She swallowed. “I don’t suppose you have a rifle?”
“I don’t think so, but look on the back fuselage.”
She glanced behind them. “There’s a rack there, but nothing’s in it.”
“Great.” He gave her an apologetic grin. “We don’t even have bear spray on board.”
“Polar bears are the largest bears in the world. If it’s close enough to use pepper spray, it’s too late.”
“So what do you do to frighten the bear off?”
“Noise and if that doesn’t work, try to distract it with bait.”
“Like what?”
“Bacon. Hunters take it with them to eat since it’s high in calories, but it also has a strong smell. Most of the time, if you throw some bacon, the bear will go after that instead of the people.”
“I’m afraid I’m all out of bacon too.” Liam’s grin turned serious. “So let’s assume the worst case scenario, and the bear is still hanging around. What’s your plan?”
He was actually asking for direction?
“I’ll focus on the injured hunter and do a barebones assessment. I’ll need your help to get him on a backboard and into the plane, then take off as soon as possible.”
“Okay, I’ll handle his buddy and the bear. Yell at me when you’re ready to move the injured guy.”
He sounded way too confident. “Be careful. If they’ve been fighting off a bear, it may be wounded, and a wounded animal might not react the way you expect.”
“Don’t worry, I’m good at watching my back.” Liam checked the map. “We should be coming up on them soon. Have a look out your window and let me know if you see anything.”
Willa scanned the ground beneath them. It was still covered in snow, yet short yellow-and-green grasses peeped out in many places. “Nothing yet,” she reported.
She glanced at Liam. He was dividing his attention between the controls and the window. He seemed to be taking the situation seriously. In fact, she’d never seen him with this particular expression on his face; unsmiling, his eyebrows low, his eyes scanning the controls and the landscape below like a seasoned hunter searching for prey.
But this was a rescue mission. If he didn’t keep his word about following her orders someone could die.
She turned to look out the window and a flash of something reflective caught her eye. “I see something off to t
he northeast. About two o’clock.”
Liam banked the plane right. “I see it too. That has to be them.”
Just then a flare shot into the air, trailing a red wake of smoke.
He grinned at her, showing his teeth. “There’s the distress signal. Good catch.”
Willa watched him for a moment. His smile was intense, with the air of someone who couldn’t wait to dive into a challenge. He was enjoying this. She opened her mouth to caution him when she caught sight of something on the ground.
She could make out a man wearing a pale gray seal-fur coat, called a kuletak by the local people, waving his arms above his head. A few feet away sat a snowmobile, a loaded sled behind it. Someone or something was draped over the steering wheel and a wide trail of blood led away from the machine. A large Husky dog stood in front of it, barking furiously.
Liam piloted the plane down toward them.
“I see the bear,” he yelled. “It’s circling them.”
“They’ve got a dog. It might keep the bear away long enough for us to land and get them out of there.”
Liam banked again and the high-pitched whine of the engine lowered sharply. “I’m going to try and land as close as I can get. Hang on, this might be a bit bumpy.”
Willa grabbed the side of her seat in time for the bottom of her stomach to fall out. She gasped as the ice-covered ground rushed up toward them.
The plane’s nose rose suddenly, pressing her back against the seat. The engine revved higher then with a solid thunk, they were on the ground and sliding toward the hunters. Liam adjusted the massive Twin Otter flaps and the plane turned sharply, skidding to a stop.
She hopped out and yanked open the rear door to grab her scene-assessment kit. She ran around the plane.
Liam had somehow brought them to a stop within five feet of the snowmobile.
He got out and grabbed the backboard while she hurried to the injured man, pulling the hood of his coat away from his face so she could talk to him.
His eyes were closed and blood dripped from several gashes on his head. She looked lower. His right shoulder was soaked with blood and caked with shredded bits of his kuletak. “Sir, can you hear me?”
He groaned but didn’t answer.
“His name’s Pete,” the other man called out.
Willa glanced up. Liam had joined the Inuit man, and the two jumped up and down in front of the snowmobile, waving their arms and hollering at the top of their lungs.
“He threw some meat at the bear,” the man yelled over his shoulder to her. “But the bear ignored it and went for Pete instead.”
“How long ago did that happen?”
“I don’t know, maybe an hour.”
“Pete, can you hear me?” Willa yelled into the unconscious man’s ear. She looked at the blood trail. A large puddle of it congealed near the front of the snowmobile. “He’s lost a lot of blood and isn’t responsive.” She quickly donned latex gloves and ran her hands over him, searching for broken bones. One arm appeared fractured near the wrist, but his clothing was keeping it relatively stable. She probed under Pete’s kuletak trying to see if he had any internal injuries. His abdomen felt normal.
“I think it’s safe to move him. Liam, I need you to help me get him on the backboard.”
“You got it.” He picked up the backboard from where he’d left it on the ground next to Pete.
“You take his torso, I’ll guide his legs and feet,” she ordered. “We’ll flip him over then put him on the board.”
Liam got into position then nodded.
Willa tensed her shoulders and took hold of one of the man’s legs. “One, two, three…lift!”
As one, they rose, turned Pete over, moved him to the side then smoothly laid him down. She pulled at the straps at the bottom of the board and wrapped them over Pete’s feet, then repeated the process over his knees. Liam did the same with the upper body straps.
“Hey,” Liam called at the other man. “You ready to leave?”
“Yep, I’m real homesick all of a sudden.” Though the words were flippant, there was a tension in the man’s voice that caught Willa’s attention.
She looked up. About forty feet away the bear stood on its hind legs, its head down. It released a loud low growl, dropped to all fours and charged.
The hunter’s dog ran at the bear, barking and snarling, its teeth bared.
Fear sunk its claws into her chest. “Lift.” She grabbed the backboard’s handles and hoisted Pete’s body. Liam followed her action as if he’d read her mind and they all but ran the few feet to the plane. They shoved the board in and strapped it in place.
Willa turned to lean out the door and tell the hunter to hurry, but he wasn’t in the same spot as a second ago. She searched the snow-covered landscape. His kuletak blended in so well it took her a moment to find him. He’d moved several feet toward the bear, his legs bent like a linebacker’s, holding a long wooden spear in both hands as if he intended to use it.
The bear had stopped to bat at the dog, who danced around the bigger animal, snapping and nipping at every opportunity.
Willa shouted at Liam, “Get that hunter in here before he gets hurt too.”
“I’m on it,” he said, sliding past her and leaping to the ground. He ran at the hunter. “Come on!”
“I’m not leaving Nanuk,” the man protested.
Liam grabbed him by the arm. “There’s no time.”
“No.” The hunter grabbed Liam by the coat and threw him aside. Willa sucked in a bellyful of icy air as he landed a few feet away on his back and lay there, stunned.
A bellowed roar erupted from the bear. The dog broke off his attack and raced toward the hunter who bent down, grabbed Liam by one arm and dragged him toward the plane. The bear followed in the dog’s wake, accelerating with every lumbering step.
“Liam,” Willa screamed. “Get up. Run.”
Chapter Six
Liam scrambled to his feet and the two men sprinted with the bear gaining ground on them at an exponential rate.
“Hurry,” she yelled. Images of Liam lacerated and bleeding flashed through her mind, making her stomach twist into a painful knot.
The hunter and his dog jumped inside the rear doorway of aircraft with Liam close behind. He slammed the door shut a sparse second before the bear rammed into the side of the plane, denting the door.
The jolt had Willa almost falling over her patient. She reached out and grabbed Liam by the arm. “Are you all right?” The image of the bear chasing him made her desperate to inspect him top to bottom. She patted him down, looking for injuries and blood.
“I’m fine.”
Her hands kept up their search. She had to know.
“Willa,” he said, taking her hands in his, “I’m okay.”
The bear rammed the plane with its shoulder, caving in another section of the fuselage.
“We’ve got to go.” Liam scrambled over the seats into the pilot’s position, revved up the engines and they began to move before she could sit down. The bear shook the airplane with a loud boom and shudder as if he were trying to jar them loose. The aircraft sped up and left the bear behind as they skied across the uneven snow.
As soon as they became airborne, Willa straightened up to check her patient.
He still hadn’t regained consciousness. She pulled open his kuletak to see the full extent of his injuries. Blood coated him from his neck to his knees. She carefully peeled away the shredded layers of his clothing. Multiple deep lacerations and puncture wounds crisscrossed his chest. She checked his head, feeling carefully for any depressions and found a small one on the back of his skull.
“Liam, we need to get this man to Fairbanks as soon as possible. He has a skull fracture and he’s going to need hundreds of stitches.”
“Just as long as we do it fast.”
“I’ll call Jason.” Liam radioed ahead while Willa opened two of her equipment kits. She was going to need all the pressure bandages she could find.
“Is Pete going to be okay?” the hunter asked, his dog whining on his lap.
“It’s too early to tell.” She lifted Pete’s head to put a special donut-shaped bandage around the depression on his skull. “But we’ll do our best.”
“What the hell happened back there?” Liam demanded.
“I couldn’t leave without my dog.”
“Hey, I like dogs as much as the next guy, but that bear was after us for lunch, and the dog is a lot better at defending itself than we are.”
“Sorry,” the hunter said gruffly. “I didn’t mean to throw you around like that.”
“Yeah.” Liam rolled his shoulders back and resettled in his seat. “You’re stronger than you look.”
The hunter barked a laugh, leaned forward and pounded Liam on the shoulder as if he were a brother. “Facing down a bear takes courage. When Pete’s fixed up we’ll have a party.”
“Count me in.” Liam grinned and looked back at Willa. “Jason will have a plane fully fueled and ready for takeoff in Stony Creek by the time we get there, and Fairbanks knows we’re coming.”
“Thanks,” she replied, concentrating on bandaging the wounds on Pete’s chest.
“Is this kind of attack common?” Liam asked the hunter.
“No. A bear will stalk people, but a couple shots off a rifle generally sends them running. This one has been on our heels for three, maybe four days. We used up our ammo hunting and trying to scare it away.”
“Why was it so persistent?”
The hunter shrugged. “Everyone has had a hard time hunting the last couple of months, including the bears. Not enough sea ice,” he explained. “Now they’re coming inland to find prey.”