CHAPTER EIGHT
“IT’S WHERE?” KEERA asked, clearly alarmed by the forest fire that was now engulfing one of the surrounding ridges. She and Reid hadn’t had contact for an entire day. In fact, she’d refused to even look at him. But the memories had lingered, made her mellow, caused her to sigh wistfully more times than she wanted to. Nice aftermath with too many warm, leftover sensations. Then this. Life changing too fast, too unpredictably.
“About four miles east of here. I talked to one of the rangers a little while ago, and he wants us to get ready to evacuate. They’re hoping that if weather holds, and everything works in their favor, they’ll get it contained before it makes it all the way down to this valley. But he also advised that we need to get the kids out of here pretty soon.”
“Then that’s what we do,” she said, seeing the worried look on Reid’s face. He had a lot at risk here. Everything he owned, a life’s investment in jeopardy. “So, in spite of trying to look calm, I know you’re not,” she said. “And I think I need to know the worst-case scenario.”
“Other than the obvious problems that I may lose my camp, or the smoke that’s going to make some of these kids sick, I just went down to the highway, and the roads are already congested. People driving crazy, trying to get out of the valley. I don’t want the kids caught up in all that mess.”
“Do you have a back-up plan?”
He nodded. “Already implemented. But I’m worried about the time crunch.”
However it worked out, it was time to disband camp and in doing that leave all kinds of unresolved feelings behind. Couldn’t be helped, though, couldn’t be prevented, couldn’t even be postponed. Because once she walked away from this place, that’s exactly what would happen. Nothing would be resolved, not about her growing feelings for Reid and especially not about what to do with Megan. “How much time do we have?” she asked.
“Not a lot. Maybe an hour, an hour and a half before it starts getting critical. So let me call a staff meeting, get everybody in on this, because we’re going to have some disappointed kids. Today was the day we were going to go horseback riding.”
“Have you called your partner and told him not to come?”
Reid nodded. “He’s my back-up plan. He’s up in the sky right now, looking at the fire, assessing our best options. We do mountain search and rescue, so he’s authorized to be overhead. And he’s ready to come and grab us, depending on the roads.”
“Helicopter?” she asked.
Reid nodded.
“Seriously?” The more she heard about Reid’s medical practice, the more impressed she was.
Reid grinned. “Which was why I got my pilot’s license recently. The chopper is what we make house calls and hospital runs in. Oh, and we go out on horseback for some of the closer house calls. Personally, I prefer my motorcycle over the horse.”
* * *
“You’re a pilot and you have a motorcycle? Let me just say wow to your diversity.” Keera laughed. “I wouldn’t have taken you for a cowboy doctor. But a pilot? I can see that. And I can definitely picture you in leathers. I hope you wear leathers on the motorcycle.”
“That would make me some kind of a bad boy, wouldn’t it?”
“I saw the bad boy in you last night, Reid. Trust me, the leathers would only enhance what’s already there.”
Blushing slightly, Reid cleared his throat. “That’s me, pilot-cowboy-bad-boy-doctor. But today I’m all camp counselor, who’s trying to figure out the most efficient way to get these kids out of here. Which I think will be by air. Also, by taking the kids out in the chopper we can keep them together better until we can make arrangements for their parents to come get them.”
“And they’ll have a blast doing this, as long as we don’t let them know why we’re evacuating. You know, turn it into an adventure rather than an emergency.” She regarded his brooding expression and her heart went out to him. Sure, she’d spent the night with him. And, sure, she admired him for what he did here. But he was struggling, and so distressed, yet he was trying to hold it all together for everyone else. Who held it together for Reid, though? As far as she knew, nobody.
“The kids are going to be fine, Reid. Trust me, everything’s going to turn out OK. They’ll be safe, and that’s all that matters.”
“You’re right. That’s all that matters.” That’s what he said, but it’s not how he’d sounded when he’d said it.
Keera stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Your camp’s going to be safe, isn’t it? I mean, it’s not in any real danger of...”
She couldn’t bring herself to say the words, because she knew how much of Reid’s life was tied up in these few wooded acres, and to even think it was at risk made her gut knot.
“The big danger here is the smoke, right? If the wind shifts?” She was saying that to reassure herself, although nothing on Reid’s face was reassuring about anything, and she knew what he was thinking, what he was dreading.
“Let’s hope so,” he said, responding to her embrace by wrapping his arms around her. “But if it burns...well, what I can say?”
“You can say that you took care of the kids first.”
“That’s right. You’re always practical, aren’t you?”
“Yep. Always practical.” She forced herself out if the embrace. “So now what?”
“Now we get everybody the hell out of Camp Hope.”
“Then I’ll get the staff together while you figure out what we need to do to get this camp shut down.”
“About last night,” he started, then stopped when Emmie came running up to him and latched onto his hand.
“When do we get to go riding?” she asked. “Because I told Molly and Nathan I’d show them how because they’ve never been on a horse before, and I have!”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Reid said. “But we’re going to have to save that for another day. Beau can’t bring the horses right now.”
“But he promised,” she whined.
“And we’ll do it another time.” He looked over at Keera, who was already running in the direction of the dorm. “Today, instead of horseback riding, it’s helicopter rides for everyone. So go tell your friends to get ready, that Doc Beau is going to be here with his chopper in a few minutes.”
“Really?” Emmie cried. “We’re going to fly? You’re not going to say no when it’s my turn? Because you always say no when we’re home.”
“I’m not going to say no. Before long you’re going to be going up and over that mountain,” he said, pointing to a ridge in the opposite direction from the fire.
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart,” he said, crossing his heart as she shooed Emmie back to the other children.
“Everybody’s alerted, and getting ready to get out,” Keera shouted, running up to him minutes later. “And I was thinking, maybe the kids can all come back later this summer and make up their last couple of days. I know if I can get the time off I’d come back and help you.”
He glanced up in the sky, looking for Beau, saw the helicopter off in the distance. “Did you say what I thought you said? That you’d come back?”
“If you needed me to. I mean, I did volunteer for a week, and I’m still good for it.”
“I appreciate that, Keera. You don’t know how much. And I appreciate everything you’ve done here so far, even if I’ve given you a hard time about certain things.”
“They’re your kids, you have the responsibility.”
“And I’m stubborn.”
“As stubborn as I am?” she teased.
“Is anybody as stubborn as you are?” When he saw Beau’s helicopter making its final approach the somberness slid back down over him. “Guess it’s time to get this thing started.”
“You don’t like the idea of these kid
s flying, do you?”
“I don’t like the idea that this might overstress some of the kids, and I won’t be on the other end to take care of them. Because they will hear about the fire. Might even see it from the air.”
“I called the sheriff in Marston Springs, Reid. He’s going to be contacting Beau about where to land then he’s going to get the doctor over there ready to look at the kids once they set down.”
“That’s a good instinct,” Reid said appreciatively, as the camp staff began to gather around him. “Remind me to invite you back to camp some time.”
A minute later all but a couple of people who were busy attending to the kids were huddled around Reid, who was on the phone to the ranger. “Looks like the wind is shifting, and it’s coming this way. Not fast, but we’re going to start airlifting out of here immediately.” He drew in a deep breath.
“You all know the emergency plan. Beau will take charge of getting you on the chopper, Betsy is gathering up the medicines we need to take with us, and Keera has arranged to have the local doc meet us over in Marston Springs. Other than that...” he shrugged “...have a safe trip, and I’ll see you on the other side of the mountain.
“Oh, and anybody who wants to drive out is welcome to try. The highway is congested, but if you know your way through Moores Valley, he suggests using the Moores Valley road and taking the turnoff to Marston Springs from that.”
As it turned out, only Clara opted to drive, and that was because of her basset hound. The other six volunteers agreed to go by chopper and take care of the kids when they arrived at the other end.
“And Megan?” Keera asked Reid.
“We’ll fly her out with the rest of the kids, put her in a chopper with the volunteers to keep them separated. Or you can drive her out. It’s up to you.”
“What about you?”
“Hanging in to the bitter end. I can’t leave until I know everything here is as protected as it can be. And I’m hoping to rescue all the computers. I’ve got the data backed up to the cloud, but the equipment is expensive and I’d like to save it.”
“But you can’t stay here by yourself,” Keera protested. “It’s not safe. What if something happens to you, and you’re the only one here? Who’s going to help you?”
“Nothing’s going to happen to me,” he said, taking hold of Keera’s hand and heading towards the clinic. “I’ll get everybody out, load up what I can, and hang around a day or two to shut the place down if the fire doesn’t get it, maybe let parents back in to pick up their kids’ things, and hope nothing happens.”
“What about your girls?”
“Beau’s going to take them back to Sugar Creek with him, and he and Deanna will look after them.”
“Will they look after one more?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Megan. Will they look after Megan while I stay here with you?”
“You can’t stay! It’s not...”
“Safe?”
“It might not be safe. And you’re not experienced.”
“Does that mean you’re experienced with forest fires?” she asked.
“No. Until a few months ago I was a city boy. Only came to the country to be closer to my camp.”
“Then shut up and quit arguing with me. If it’s safe enough for you to stay behind, it’s safe enough for me. I’m not leaving you here alone, and I’m not going to fight you about it.”
“But Megan needs a familiar face. She’s already gone through enough, and to be put in the arms of strangers again....”
“And she’ll have a familiar face in a day or so. Look, Reid. I’ve already made up my mind, and there’s not a darned thing you can do to stop me, short of tying me up and throwing me on the helicopter.” She smiled. “And I’d like to see you try.”
“Are you sure about this, Keera? Because if the fire accelerates...”
“Then we’ll be in it together.” She shrugged. “No big deal. We’ll take that back road you suggested.”
“It’s a very big deal,” he said, tilting his head down to give her a gentle but oh-so-brief kiss on the lips. “And I appreciate it. Oh, and so you’ll know, you’re not the woman I thought you were.”
“In a good way or a bad way?”
“Tell you later,” he said looking towards the east, as the normal smoke in the mountains, which was actually mist and humidity that lurked just above the treetops, was being engulfed by real and very ominous black smoke. “Because right now I’ve got to go get the kids ready to ride.”
Keera’s first instinct was to run to get Megan ready, and when she got to the infirmary Megan was wide awake, looking much better than she had in days. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after today,” she said to Megan as she relieved Sally of duty and helped dress the little girl in street clothes, “but it’s not going to be an institution. I can promise you that. Even if you have to come and stay with me for a little while until arrangements can be made.”
She glanced wistfully out the window and saw Reid lead a parade of kiddies across the compound. “I’m still not giving up on him, though. I’m just not as optimistic that I have time to convince him to be my solution.”
Once Megan was dressed, Keera did a quick exam to make sure she wasn’t running a temperature or had some other problem going on, then she bundled her into her arms, carried her outside and fell in line with the rest of the people awaiting their turn for a helicopter ride. The adults were waiting with a sense of trepidation while the kids were anxious and excited. But Reid looked more worried than he had earlier. He kept glancing up at the ridge in the distance, watching the smoke get thicker. And closer.
“Maybe we ought to go, too,” she said, sidling up next to him. “Get everybody out of here first then drive out together.”
He took Megan from her arms. “It’s all I have. All I own. This camp. I’ve put everything I have into it. And I have to be here, no matter what happens to it.”
“But you have your girls, Reid, which makes you a lucky man. The rest...” She looked around, saw the man she assumed to be Beau waving her over. “I think it’s time for Megan to fly.”
“She’ll be fine. Sally’s going to hold her, and I’ll let Beau know she’s to go home with them for the time being.”
“By chopper?”
“No. Deanna’s driving over to get the girls because Beau’s going to hang around and join in rescue efforts.”
“But that will expose Emmie to measles.”
“Desperate times, desperate measures. If she gets measles, I’ll get her through it.”
* * *
Something about Beau’s courage brought tears to her eyes. Or maybe it was the smoke beginning to waft in. She didn’t know which it was but she nodded numbly as she watched Reid walk forward to place Megan in Sally’s arms. Suddenly a lump the size of her fist formed in her throat and that, added to her already spilling tears, caused her to run forward and take the child from his arms. “I need to do this,” she said, sniffling as she carried Megan the rest of the way over. “Look, sweetheart, I’ll see you in a little while. I promise. These nice people are going to take you on a ride, and you’re going to go stay at a very nice place where they have horses.”
“Mommy,” she whimpered.
“I know you want her, but Mommy can’t be here, sweetheart.” Megan hadn’t said very much over the past few days—Megan had assumed because of the trauma from her accident combined with being sick—and it was so good to hear her voice. In fact, it caused the lump in her throat to swell a little more. “And we’ll talk about that next time I see you. But right now, promise me you’ll be good. Can you do that for me?”
Megan nodded, and Keera kissed her on the forehead. Then reluctantly handed her over to Sally, who took her immediately to the helicopter. In another minute they
were lifted off the ground and turning away from Camp Hope. And Keera felt so hopeless. Maybe as hopeless as she’d felt all those times when, as a child, her mother had abandoned her. The same way she was sure Megan was feeling right now—abandoned and cast off to strangers.
“They’ll be fine,” Reid said, as he slipped his arm around her waist. “Deanna’s great with kids. So are Brax and Joey...he runs the ranch. They’ll take good care of her. And just so you know, I think she was calling you Mommy. She’s growing attached to you, Keera.”
She swiped at her tears. “I hope not, because life’s about to jump out and bite her in the ugliest possible way, and...”
“You want to keep her, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “I want you to keep her because I can’t. She needs a good family now, and you and the girls are the best one I know. You can give her a life that I can’t, and she deserves that.”
“But it’s still not for you—the whole family thing.”
“You’re right. It’s still not for me.” For the first time in her life she actually regretted the words. “There are things inside people they can’t change, and for me, that’s one of them.”
“Do you think I ever anticipated being the single father of two little girls?”
“Maybe it’s something you didn’t anticipate, but you come from a background that doesn’t limit you in the capacity it takes to be a father. And not just a father but a good father. I’m limited, Reid. More than you can know. More than I want to know.”
“And limits can’t be overcome?”
She laughed. “You’re always the optimist, aren’t you?”
“When it comes to you, yes, I am. Maybe that’s because I don’t see limits, maybe it’s because I see someone fighting hard against so much potential. I still think it’s in you, Keera. I’m not sure how to convince you it’s there, though.”
He couldn’t, because it wasn’t. But it was so nice to hear him tell her she had potential. No one ever had, not for any reason, and not in any endeavor. Too bad she was hearing about a flat-lined potential that couldn’t be shocked back with a defibrillator.
A Child to Heal Their Hearts Page 13