Take a Mountain Man Home for Christmas: A Mountain Man Romance Christmas Collection

by Crowne, K. C.

  Fuck.

  “Adam, I need you to calm down, okay, buddy.” He didn’t answer. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” he whimpered.

  “Okay. Be strong for me now,” I told him. “Can you grab your sister?”

  “No, she’s stuck, too.”

  “Dig around her until I can lift her out,” I told him, my voice so calm I amazed myself. Inside, I was in full panic mode.

  I listened to the shovel digging and prodding at the frozen snow. A six-year-old child digging two grown-ups and another child out of an icy hole was a big problem. He was small and scared. I talked to him, soothed him, as he worked.

  “Can you move at all?” I asked Marcy, who was still lodged up against me.

  “No, not yet,” she answered softly. After a moment, she whispered, “Mr. Hunter?”

  “Yes?”

  “Oakley’s not moving at all. I don’t think she’s breathing,” the girl cried.

  No. No. No. This is impossible, I thought. Now what? I could try digging myself out.

  “Hand me the shovel, please, Adam.”

  “Okay, here it is,” he replied, handing it to me carefully.

  “Keep an eye out for help, okay, buddy,” I told him. “Holler as loud as you can if you see other people. Can you do that?”

  “Yes!” With his new job, he sounded more confident.

  I could only move my hands about halfway up my body, but I was able to get the shovel into the hole. I began chipping away at the ice in front of me. It was slow going, but I needed to get myself out of this hole or Oakley didn’t stand a chance. I tried to not scare the kids but chipping away at the icy snow was taking too long and I started to panic. If Oakley wasn’t breathing, I wouldn’t be able to get her out in time.

  I was thinking of another way around the situation. I could send Adam down the mountainside for help. But how could I send a six-year-old down the mountain on his own? Anything could happen. What if he didn’t make it? At least, for now, he was safe. I couldn’t do that to him. That’s it, I thought. It’s over.

  I closed my eyes as a tear fell. I’d failed her, the only woman I’d ever loved. Just as I was about to give up, I heard something. I strained my ears and listened for the sound again. There it was! A dog barking. In the distance, I could hear a dog barking. A deep, throaty bark that only Bella had.

  “Help! Help!” Adam screamed, just as I’d told him. “Mr. Hunter! I see people! I hear the dog!”

  “Adam, are they close?” I asked him.

  “Yes, they’re coming!” he shouted in excitement. I could see his shadow jumping up and down and he was waving his arms. “Over here!” Adam yelled.

  A moment later, I heard my brothers yelling and then footsteps as they approached the hole.

  “Get Oakley out of the hole,” I yelled. “She’s unconscious. I don’t know if she’s breathing!”

  “We’re working on it.” Harley’s face was above mine. I heard several shovels digging through the snow and ice. I closed my eyes and waited.

  Brad was working on digging out Oakley’s side while Cole was working in the middle to free Marcy. I must have closed my eyes from pure exhaustion and drifted off for a second because a moment later, I felt Marcy’s small frame being pulled from my grasp. It startled me back into the horrific situation.

  “Cole,” I called out. His face was the only one I could see at the moment.

  “Dax, buddy, hold on a little bit longer. Brad and Harley are pulling Oakley out now and then I’ll get you out,” he told me.

  I could see the look of alarm on his face as they pulled Oakley free from the hole. “Is she alright?” I yelled up to him.

  “I don’t know,” he replied calmly.

  A moment later, Cole reached down and began to heave me out of the hole. Since everyone else was out, I was able to swing my legs to the side and make a purchase on the snow wall with my feet to help climb out. With one last heave from both Cole and I, I was able to lift myself out of the hole. Oakley was laying on the snow, and I frantically crawled over to her.

  Harley was feeling for a pulse. Her face was blue.

  “Do something!” I cried to my brother. “Please!”

  Harley started CPR. I kneeled over Oakley, watching as Harley breathed into her mouth and pumped her chest in rotations.

  “Come on, Oakley,” I begged her. “Breathe, baby.”

  I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. After an eternity, her chest rose in a big breath. But then it went flat again and hardly moved. Harley stopped the CPR and felt for her pulse once again. I looked up at him, pleading for good news.

  “It’s faint, but she does have a heartbeat,” Harley announced.

  I started to sob. “Oakley.” I begged her to wake up as tears fell from my eyes. I caressed her cheek and brushed the hair from her forehead. “Oakley,” I called to her softly.

  She couldn’t hear me.

  “Her breathing is extremely shallow. She needs to get to a hospital now,” Harley said sadly. “I’m sorry, Dax,” he added, frowning down at her.

  “Where’s the chopper?” Cole asked angrily. “We talked to them half an hour ago!”

  Brad was holding the children, who were both shivering.

  “Are they alright?” I asked him.

  He looked down at me and nodded. The look in his eyes was total despair.

  “There,” Harley yelled, pointing to the sky. “It’s coming. They’ve sent a Medevac.”

  “Can they land here?” I asked. “The ground isn’t stable.”

  “No, but they can lift Oakley, you, and the kids, and take you all to the hospital.”

  I hoped so. I wasn’t worried about myself. Oakley was the one who needed medical attention immediately.

  We watched as the helicopter circled above us. Then, it lowered slowly until it was hovering beside us. A rope ladder lowered and an EMT climbed to the ground. She ran to us and immediately kneeled next to Oakley. A second technician climbed down the rope and took the kids from Brad. He fastened them to his harness and climbed back up the rope with each one.

  The EMT with Oakley was listening to her chest with a stethoscope. “We need to get her on oxygen now,” she said, frowning. “I think it’s a combination of a serious head wound and inhaling too much CO2 while she was underground.”

  The second EMT returned with a long orange stretcher that had been lowered from the helicopter. Unhooking it from its rope, the technicians carried it over to lay beside Oakley and shimmied a backboard underneath her.

  “One, two, three,” the technician counted, and on three, they both lifted Oakley onto the stretcher. They each picked up an end and carried it the short distance to the helicopter, reattached it to the rope, and gave the man in the helicopter a thumbs up. Slowly, the stretcher began to rise into the air. I watched with despair as Oakley was lifted away.

  The female EMT returned to me as the other one followed the stretcher up into the helicopter. My eyes only left the stretcher when it was lifted inside, out of my sight.

  “Mr. Hunter, Come with me,” the EMT said, touching my arm. “I need you to walk to the rope. They’ll send down a harness for you. Can you do that for me?” she asked me, concerned.

  I nodded. I was in a daze and having trouble concentrating.

  “You probably inhaled too much CO2 yourself. We need to get you on oxygen, too,” the technician explained.

  Brad and Cole lifted me to my feet. They each put one of my arms around their shoulder and half carried me to the helicopter. The harness was lowered, and they helped me get into it and secure it to the ladder.

  “Go up the ladder,” Brad told me. “Oakley needs you. Go to the hospital with her. We’ll meet you there.”

  Hearing Oakley’s name brought me out of my daze. “Okay,” I said. “Thank you.” I looked at each of my brothers. They all nodded for me to go.

  I climbed the ladder and the technician helped me inside. He directed me to a seat close to Oakley’s stretcher. The EMTs were ni
ce enough to let me sit close to her so I could hold her hand. They had her on a respirator and an IV. I glanced at the children. They both were wearing oxygen masks.

  “Are you guys okay?” I asked them.

  They nodded, and Adam gave me a thumbs up. Marcy was crying as she gazed at Oakley. I tried to give them a smile. I could tell that they were scared. I squeezed Oakley’s hand, and it felt so small and cold in mine. I watched as the respirator helped her breath. Her chest rose and lowered slowly with the machine. I put my head down by hers and closed my eyes. I was so tired.

  The EMT handed me an oxygen mask with a tube attached to a small tank. “Please, Mr. Hunter, wear the mask.”

  I took the mask from her and slid it over my nose and mouth, then put my head back down beside Oakley’s. I squeezed her hand, hoping she’d squeeze mine.

  But she didn’t.

  Dax

  I didn’t leave Oakley’s side except for when they took her for an examination. The doctors told me she had a severe head injury. That, along with the lack of oxygen, resulted in her being in a coma.

  “Is she going to wake up?” I worriedly asked her doctor. Hailey had arrived and was standing beside me, crying softly.

  “It’s too early to say right now,” the doctor informed me. “The coma could be a result of her body shutting down so it can heal itself. We need to take her up for an EEG to determine her brain activity.”

  “Are you saying that she might be brain dead? Or have brain damage?” Hailey squeaked in my silent horror.

  “I’m not saying anything definitive right now. I don’t believe she’s brain dead since she was breathing on her own before the EMTs put her on the ventilator. Could she have some brain damage?” The doctor shrugged, and I wanted to punch him. “It’s possible. It’s too early to jump to conclusions. I’m sending someone in to take her up now. Wait here and when we come back down, I’ll know more.”

  “Alright,” I agreed.

  “Mr. Hunter. While we’re gone, please let the ER doctor look you over.”

  “Yes, okay,” I nodded.

  “I’ll wait here,” Hailey said.

  The ER doctor examined me and determined I was okay for the most part. I was badly bruised and weak from the experience. She wanted me to stay in a hospital bed for the night, but I refused. No way I was leaving Oakley’s side to go lay in some hospital room down the hall from her. I needed to be wherever she was.

  “Alright,” she said. “Just keep the oxygen tank with you. If you start to feel lightheaded, it’s imperative that you tell a nurse.”

  “I will,” I promised her.

  “Your family is in the waiting room. If you want, I can send them in.”

  “Yes, please send them in.”

  “We need to contact Miss Padin’s family. Do you have phone numbers for her parents? Or any other family members that should be notified?”

  I had no idea about her family except for the little bit she’d told me about her mom being remarried and stuff. “No, but her best friend is Hailey Voortman. She’s in the waiting room too. She knows all the numbers.”

  She nodded. “I’ll go ask if she wants to make the calls or if the hospital should.”

  I was glad that the doctor was gone. I just wanted to be alone, but a moment later, my brothers, mom, and Hailey walked through the door.

  “Dax!” Mom exclaimed, rushing to my side. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be okay. I don’t know about Oakley, though. I think they’re checking her for brain damage.” Tears pricked my eyes, tears I wasn’t the least bit ashamed of.

  Mom wrapped her arms around me. “She’ll be okay, Dax,” she soothed me.

  “You don’t know that.”

  “You just have to stay positive for her,” she whispered. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and stepped away.

  Brad, Cole, and Harley came over one by one and said how sorry they were that Oakley was hurt and to ask how I was feeling. I shrugged them off, telling them I was fine. Hailey stood by the door, a tissue clenched in her hand, looking lost. I understood how she felt.

  “What about the wedding?” I asked Brad. “Everyone’s here.”

  “The Stones are having dinner now. Michel is there to make sure they’ve got everything they need. The bars are still open, as well,” Hailey told me, stepping closer. I nodded. “They understood that we had to leave for a while and said to say thank you to you and Oakley for saving Mrs. Baker and her children. The kids are the Congresswoman’s great niece and nephew.”

  “They aren’t upset?” I asked. I wasn’t too concerned about the Stones being upset, but the press was probably all over the incident. The last thing the resort needed was bad publicity over the whole thing.

  Brad read my mind. “The press is calling you and Oakley heroes. So are the Stones. You saved Mrs. Stone’s niece and grand niece and nephew. It’s all good,” Brad assured me.

  “That’s good,” I replied.

  The sliding door to the room slid opened and a nurse rolled Oakley’s bed inside the room. Everyone stood to the side and waited for the news. Her doctor walked into the room with her chart. He was looking it over and then turned to face us.

  “There is a good amount of brain activity. So that’s good news. She does have a severe head injury, however. She could be out for a few days.” He paused, though it was clear he had more to say.

  “What?” Hailey asked.

  “It’s hard to put a time frame on something like this,” he answered diplomatically.

  “When she wakes up, will she have any lasting brain damage?” I asked.

  “Again, I can’t say right now. We’ll know more when she wakes up” he replied with a sad smile. “I’ll be back in to check on her a little bit later,” he said and left the room.

  I trudged over to the big armchair in the corner of the room and pushed it closer to Oakley’s bed. I planted my ass in the chair and grabbed her hand. She looked so peaceful, as if she was sleeping. They’d bandaged her head wound, the only sign something was off. I leaned over and kissed her temple.

  “Oakley, I’m here,” I whispered in her ear. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Hailey moved to her other side and took her hand, but she didn’t speak. Tears rolled down her face as she stared at her best friend. We made eye contact, and she smiled weakly at me.

  My family said their goodbyes. I wasn’t leaving Oakley’s side, and they knew it. Cole told me he’d be back with some clothes and other things I might need from home.

  Hailey cleared her throat, glancing at my brothers. “If you can wait for me for just a second?”

  “You aren’t staying?” Cole asked.

  “No,” she said, sniffling and smiling a watery smile at Oakley. “She’d get mad at me if she knew I left the Stones to themselves. Wouldn’t matter that she’s injured.”

  I laughed quietly, nodding. “You’re right. She’s nothing if not one hundred percent committed to her business.”

  “Absolutely.”

  “We’ll take you back,” Cole told her, and she nodded. He looked at me as he followed the others out into the hall. “Call if you think of anything you need.”

  I nodded and returned my attention to Oakley. She hadn’t moved.

  “I called her parents and sister,” she told me. “They’ll be here as soon as they can get a flight.”

  “Thanks, Hailey. Hey, I know you’ll want to stay for a while, so you can keep the cabin as long as you need to,” I told her. “I’ll tell Brad. Oakley would want you to be here. We’ll find you a car to use so you can get back and forth.” A second thought hit me. “And her parents can have a cabin as well, or a room at the main resort. Either way. Free of charge, of course. Will you tell them?”

  She nodded, smiling again. “Thanks, Dax. Oakley’s strong, you know. She’s the strongest person I know. She’ll beat this.”

  Tears were falling down her cheeks as she said her goodbyes to Oakley. “I’ll be back tomorrow,” I heard Hailey tell
Oakley. “I’ll make sure the rest of the wedding is perfect. I promise,” she added and kissed Oakley on the cheek.

  Finally, I was alone in the room with my girl. I talked to her for a while in a soft voice. I wondered if she could hear me, and I wanted her to know I was with her. That I’d stay with her for a long as it took for her to wake up.

  Dax

  I spent every waking and sleeping moment with Oakley for the next week. I only left the room when her parents and sister showed up and when Hailey visited every day.

  Brad offered Oakley’s family rooms at the resort when they arrived the next day. Oakley’s mom and stepfather arrived first. Then her sister and her dad came in late the previous night.

  They didn’t understand who I was to Oakley. I didn’t even understand, so how could I tell them. I just introduced myself and left it at that. I was just the guy who never left Oakley’s side. I think Hailey told them some because they stopped giving me strange looks on the second day and began to accept my presence in Oakley’s room. I wasn’t leaving Oakley’s side for anyone. Not even her family.

  An entire week went by and there was no change in Oakley’s condition. She never stirred. They did more tests, but there was nothing different to report. The nurse came in every day to bathe her and change her bandages. I took it upon myself to brush her hair, and Hailey did her nails.

  Oakley’s sister, Alice, seemed the closest to Oakley out of her entire family. She came in with Hailey most days and brought Oakley some things from home. A pillow, her favorite blanket, and a playlist on her phone so we could play Oakley’s favorite music.

  Her mom and stepdad visited briefly every day, and her dad did too, for the first several days, but then he said he had to go back home for work. He couldn’t afford to lose his job, and this was all the time off they would give him. He promised Oakley he'd be back soon.

  After the week went by, Oakley’s mom and stepdad announced they had to leave as well. Her mom asked me if she should move Oakley to a hospital in Utah. She told me they would have to go back because her husband owned a general store and couldn’t stay away any longer.