by Sara Leach
“Thank you,” Tess murmured, and closed her eyes.
Cedar wrapped a fresh bandage around her arm and laid it at her side. He rested his forehead on her mattress.
Tabitha put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get some sleep.”
Cedar pushed himself up. “Yeah.”
Tabitha slept fitfully. Both Tess and Ashley called out during the night. Each time, she woke with her heart pounding and needed to repeat the Fibonacci string to fall back asleep. In the early morning she woke again and lay there listening, trying to figure out what had woken her. Her aunt and Ashley were both quiet. Cedar was breathing deeply.
Then it hit her. The silence had woken her. The rain had stopped. She’d gotten used to the clatter on the roof. Now that it had stopped, the silence rang in her ears. She pressed her face to the window. The sky was brightening, and it appeared that even the fog was lifting.
She crept downstairs.
Her fire had gone out overnight. She decided not to light one right away because the sound might wake the other three. She sat shivering on the bench, her body achy and tired, dreaming of the breakfast she would have when she got home. Pancakes dripping with maple syrup and butter, with blueberries, strawberries and raspberries. And French toast. And maybe an egg on the side. Make that two. If they got home.
Her head jerked up as she realized a noise outside had encroached on her daydream. A low roar. Oh no. The bear was back. The roar grew louder. She relaxed as she realized it was only a helicopter.
A helicopter! She ran to the window. It was coming toward the lake. Their rescue! If it knew they were here. “Wake up! The helicopter’s coming!” she shouted.
She ran out the door in her bare feet and flew down the stairs. The black closed in around her, and she thought she might faint. She flailed her arms, grasping for the handrail, and waited impatiently for the feeling to pass. The world cleared. She took a deep breath and jogged, slower this time, out to the lake. As the helicopter grew closer, she waved her arms frantically. Would they see her? She felt so small against the backdrop of trees and mountains.
What could she do to make them see? She yanked off her fleece and waved it in the air. The helicopter wiggled and flew to the other end of the lake. Her shoulders drooped as it flew away. It hadn’t seen her. They’d be stuck here forever.
But then it changed direction again and came lower. She realized it was heading for a clearing to the left of the hut. They were being rescued!
She turned to run back to the hut. After a few steps she slowed to a fast walk. Cedar was downstairs, yanking on his boots.
“It’s landing!” she called.
He nodded. “I’ll go tell them we need help. You get Ashley and my mom up.”
Tabitha climbed the ladder. She ran to Tess and shook her shoulder. “Wake up! The helicopter’s here!”
Tess’s eyes cracked open. “What?”
“We’re being rescued. You have to get up!”
Recognition slowly dawned in Tess’s eyes. She pushed herself to a seated position. That was as far as she got.
“C’mon, Tess, you can do it.”
Tess nodded. “I just need a rest.”
Tabitha unzipped her aunt’s sleeping bag. “You can rest once we’re out of here. We need to get going.” She pulled Tess’s legs and placed them on the floor. “If we don’t get out of here soon and get you and Ashley to a hospital, one of you might die!”
Tess’s head snapped up. She looked over at Ashley, and her mouth formed an O. She pushed herself out of bed with her good arm and started to walk toward her.
“Cedar’s gone to get the pilot. We’ll get Ashley next. You need to go down the ladder.”
Tess nodded and wobbled toward it.
Tabitha got there first. “I’ll help you from below. Can you use your good arm?”
“I think so.”
Tabitha breathed a sigh of relief that her aunt was talking. Things would be okay. She climbed halfway down the ladder and braced herself. Tess knelt, then flattened onto her stomach and dropped her legs over the edge. Tabitha helped guide them to the rung. As her aunt put her weight on them and reached for the first rung with her hand, Tabitha pushed against her back with one hand to support her weight. They worked their way down the ladder, one rung at a time, until Tess reached the bottom.
Tabitha helped her put on her shoes, then opened the door. “Can you get to the helicopter by yourself?”
“Where is it?”
“About a minute’s walk to the clearing.”
Tess nodded. As Tabitha opened the door, Cedar came up the stairs with the pilot.
“I’m Pete,” he said. “We’re extracting people up and down the valley. We don’t have time to linger, so leave your stuff. You can come back for it later.”
Fat chance of that, thought Tabitha. She’d never be coming back to this place, stuff or no stuff.
“Cedar, help your mom,” Tabitha said. “I’ll get Ashley.”
Cedar nodded and hooked Tess’s arm around his shoulder. The pilot came into the hut.
“You need me?” he asked Tabitha.
“Yeah. This could be tough.” She faced the ladder one last time. Each trip up took more and more effort. “You have any food?”
“I’ve got some caramels in the helicopter.”
Tabitha started salivating at the word caramel. Even the idea of it gave her the strength to climb the ladder.
Ashley lay motionless on her bunk. Tabitha nudged her shoulder. “Hey, Ashley. We’re being rescued. Time to go.”
Ashley opened her eyes and stared blankly at Tabitha. Then her eyes focused on Tabitha’s face, and she drew back.
Pete stepped forward. “Miss, we’re taking you to a hospital.”
Ashley’s face darkened. “Is Max back?”
Tabitha sighed. “No.”
“I’m not leaving without Max.”
“Ashley, you’re sick. You need to leave now, Max or no Max.” Tabitha reached a hand to help Ashley to sit up.
Ashley hit her arm out of the way. “Don’t touch me! I’m not going!”
“You have to come!” Tabitha insisted. “If you stay here, you’ll die.”
Ashley crossed her arms and glowered at them.
Tabitha sized up the pilot. His arm muscles bulged through his T-shirt. “We have to get her out of here,” she said.
He nodded and moved to the head of the bed. Tabitha stood by her feet.
“On three,” Pete said.
“What’re you doing?” Ashley asked.
Tabitha ignored her. “One, two, three!” She wrapped her arms around Ashley’s knees while the pilot scooped her up under her arms. They lifted her off the bed and took a step into the middle of the room.
Ashley began thrashing. “Put me down! Let go!”
Tabitha couldn’t believe how much strength Ashley had for someone so sick. One foot got loose and kicked her in the chest, but Tabitha wrapped her arms around again and held on as tightly as she could. As much as she’d like to let her cousin drop and leave her to fend for herself, she knew she had to get her to safety.
“How are we going to get down the ladder?” Tabitha asked.
“I’ll help!” Cedar called from downstairs. His face appeared at the top of the ladder. “What’s going on?”
“Try and talk to her,” Tabitha said. “She won’t come without Max.”
But there was no talking to Ashley. She’d worked herself into a fit and wouldn’t stop thrashing long enough to recognize that Cedar was there.
“Quick,” said Pete. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold her!”
“Lower her as far as you can, and we’ll catch her at the bottom.” Cedar dropped back to the ground floor.
Pete raised his eyebrows. “You sure? If we drop her, it could damage her face even more.”
“You have a better idea?” Cedar called from below.
Pete and Tabitha shook their heads.
Pete held Ashley under her armpits while Tabitha c
limbed halfway down the ladder, ducking to avoid her cousin’s thrashing feet.
“Don’t miss!” Cedar called.
“I’m going to lean over as far as I can,” Pete said. “She won’t have far to go.” He dangled Ashley’s feet over the edge.
When her hips were over, she started screaming even louder. “Let me go! I’m staying here!”
Cedar reached up and grabbed her legs. “Now!”
Pete let go and Ashley fell into their arms, a kicking, screaming mess. The effort knocked Tabitha to the floor. But they had managed to cushion Ashley’s fall. Pete climbed down the ladder to help Cedar try to control her, while Tabitha scrambled up from the floor and ran to get the door.
Pete threw Ashley over his back in a fireman’s hold and jogged to the helicopter. Tabitha hurried after him, the thought of the promised caramels giving her the energy to move quickly.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The helicopter door stood open. Pete climbed up the steps and dropped Ashley inside. Coming after him, Tabitha saw that he’d managed to strap Ashley into her seat. Tess sat beside her, trying to calm her.
“It’ll be okay,” Tess said.
Ashley sobbed and sobbed, but no tears fell from her eyes. “I don’t want to leave him!”
Tabitha stood for a moment on the threshold of the helicopter. The only two seats left were the one next to Ashley and the passenger seat. She crawled through to the front. Cedar climbed in beside Ashley. Pete was checking the controls.
“Pete,” she said. “Could we have those caramels now?”
“Right, I forgot.” He passed a bag to her. She forced herself to only keep two for herself before passing the bag back. She unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. The sweet, buttery flavor coated her tongue. All too soon, it was over. She ate the second one. Her stomach still felt empty. She’d need to eat the whole bag to satisfy her hunger.
Pete picked up the radio and began talking. “Pete to base station. Please connect me with Squamish hospital.”
Tess gasped. Tabitha spun around. “What’s wrong?”
“The ashes!” She tried to undo her seatbelt, but couldn’t lift her arm to do it.
“Mom, stop!” Cedar yelled. “I’ll go get them!”
Tabitha opened her door. “No, I will. You look after those two.”
“Hey!” called Pete. Tabitha ignored him and ran stumbling back to the hut. She couldn’t believe how out of breath she was from the short run. Up the steps one more time. Into the hut. The ashes sat in their usual place on the shelf.
“Hi, Bruce,” she breathed. “Looks like you’re going back home again. I think you’d be happier up here, but I’m not arguing with Tess.” She screwed up her face and grabbed them off the shelf.
“Wow, Bruce. You weigh a lot.” Running with the heavy box in her hand was awkward. She settled into a fast walk.
“C’mon,” Pete called from the helicopter. “We need to get moving.”
Tabitha climbed the steps to the helicopter once again, and passed the ashes to Tess.
“Thanks,” her aunt said. A tear trickled out of her eye as she stroked the box.
The rotors began to spin and roar. Pete checked to make sure they had their straps fastened, and a moment later they were lifting off the ground. Tabitha’s stomach lurched. In all the ruckus of getting Ashley out of the hut, she’d forgotten to be excited about her first helicopter ride. She pressed her face against the window and watched the ground drop away beneath her. Soon the whole lake was visible. As they made a sharp turn to head for the Squamish Valley, she caught a glimpse of something yellow moving along the trail. She did a double take. Could it be?
She glanced behind her to see if anyone else had noticed, but Cedar and Tess were both gripping Ashley’s hands and talking to her. When she looked out the window again, Max, if it was really him, had disappeared. Had she imagined the whole thing? Maybe she was hallucinating. It would be possible, after everything they’d gone through in the last three days. She shook her head. But wait, there it was again. A yellow spot moving on the path.
Tabitha sucked in her breath. Max was alive. And they were leaving him behind.
The helicopter made a sharp turn to the right. The path—and Max—were no longer visible. She sat back in her seat. Max was really there. She had to come back to get him.
Before she knew it, they were landing at the Squamish hospital. As soon as they touched down, four attendants dressed in pale blue scrubs ran to the helicopter, hunched over to avoid the rotors. Each pushed a wheelchair.
“I can walk,” Tabitha said.
“We’d still like you to ride in this,” said a nurse wearing a nametag that said Patricia. Tabitha sighed and sat. It did feel good to have someone push her around.
As Patricia wheeled her into the building, she saw two familiar figures standing by the door. “Mom! Dad!” She leaped to her feet and ran the rest of the way.
“Tabitha!’ her mom cried as she wrapped her in a hug. The tears that Tabitha had fought to contain over the last few days spilled out as she allowed herself to be engulfed in her parents’ arms.
After a few minutes Patricia gently tugged at her arm. “Tabitha, we’d like to check you out in triage.”
“I’m fine, really,” Tabitha said. “Just hungry.”
“We’ll get you some food as soon as we’ve made sure you’re okay.”
Tabitha sighed and sat back in the wheelchair. Her parents followed closely behind. Tabitha grinned. Were they worried that if they let her out of her sight they wouldn’t see her for another seven days?
She let the nurse take her temperature and blood pressure, and ask her several questions before saying, “Can I have the food now?”
“Yes,” Patricia said. “You’re fine. Eat, and then we’ll release you. And remember to drink lots of water.”
Tabitha’s eyes widened at the feast Patricia wheeled in front of her. Chicken, rice, tomato soup, Jello and a fruit cup. She cut into the chicken, too hungry to enjoy the taste, barely swallowing before she shoveled the next chunk in. Within minutes the whole tray was empty.
“That was impressive,” her dad said.
“Any more?” Tabitha asked.
“You shouldn’t overdo it,” her mom said. “I’ll make you something at home after we check on Tess and Ashley.”
Tabitha pushed herself out of the wheelchair. With a wave to Patricia, they walked out the door. They found Cedar pacing the reception area. Tabitha’s mom and dad gave him a hug, but he stared down the hallway, barely seeming to register their arms around him.
“Did you eat?” Tabitha asked.
Cedar nodded. “Two trays.”
“Where are your mom and Ashley?”
“They’ve both been admitted. They’re in a room down that hallway, but I’m not allowed in until the doctor’s done.” He gripped the back of a chair. “This is harder than anything we did up there.”
Tabitha reached up and pulled lightly on his ponytail. “They’ll be okay. We’re in the hospital now, and they’ll get the medicine they need.”
Cedar tore his eyes off the hallway and smiled at Tabitha. “I hope you’re right.”
Tabitha thought about seeing Max from the helicopter. Should she tell him? No. He didn’t need to worry about anything else.
A young woman with a stethoscope draped around her neck approached their group.
“You can go in now, Cedar.”
“How are they?” Tabitha’s mom asked.
“They’re both asleep. Tess is hooked up to IV antibiotics. I can’t say for sure, but I think we’ve caught the infection early enough. She should be fine.”
“And Ashley?” Cedar asked.
“We’ve pumped her full of fluids. There’s no more worry about dehydration. We ran some X-rays on her cheek. The bone is broken, but I don’t think surgery will be necessary. She’ll be sore for a few weeks though.”
Everybody breathed out in unison. Cedar ran to the door with a quick wave.
>
“I’d like to see my sister,” Tabitha’s mom said.
Tabitha put a hand on her arm. “Why don’t you come back later? Cedar needs some time alone with her.”
Her mom’s eyes opened wide. Then she nodded.
“Let’s go home,” her dad said.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
When they arrived home, Tabitha ran to the bathroom. She was so happy to see the toilet, she almost hugged it. She showered, reveling in the beautiful hot water coursing over her, washing away seven days of muck, fear and anxiety.
She meant to eat another meal, but her bed called out to her and drew her in. She lay on the soft mattress and for a moment did nothing but enjoy the clean, slippery sheets beneath her legs. Then she sighed. Max was still up on the mountain. She had to go back.
Her heart jumped. Back across the river. Up the treacherous muddy trail to face the bear. How would she find Max when she got to the hut? She couldn’t do it alone.
She woke to her mother gently shaking her and a familiar rumbling in her stomach.
“Time for breakfast,” her mom said.
“But it’s the afternoon.”
Her mom smiled. “You slept all night.”
Tabitha sat up and rubbed her eyes, then threw on some clothes and padded into the kitchen. Her dad was buried in a programming magazine. Some things never changed. And that was okay with her.
“Have you heard from the hospital?” She filled a huge bowl with corn flakes and loaded a spoonful of brown sugar on top.
Her mom nodded. “I spent most of the night there. Tess and Ashley are both stable. They’ll probably be discharged in a day or two.” Tabitha chewed her cereal, filled with relief at the news. She wondered if Ashley would feel the same way if the tables were turned. Could her cousin hate her that much? If she brought Max back, maybe Ashley wouldn’t hate her anymore.
She spent the day lying around on the couch, resting, enjoying the small pleasures in taking food out of the fridge and turning on a tap to get water. She tried hard not to think about Max and Ashley.
Her mom woke her again the next morning. “Bus’ll be here in five minutes. Better get moving.”
“Can’t I stay home for one more day?”