by Dianne Drake
“No time, no money. Got myself as far as my circumstances would allow me, and I’m happy here.” She grabbed the backpack and pulled out a bag of IV solution and tubing to prepare for the procedure. “It’s good work, Jack. Maybe not what I really wanted, but I like what I do.”
“Have you ever considered going on for more?”
“Sometimes. And I might. Or I might not. It depends on where I finally land, I suppose. So, what do we do about getting her to the hospital? Because getting her out of here...I’m not even sure we can do that. Especially now that it’s dark.”
“If she’ll go to the hospital,” he said, turning back to the hall, then disappearing.
“She’s not going to agree to any of this.” Palloton stepped around Carrie on his way back into the bedroom. “She already told me she wasn’t leaving here, that Jack would have to treat her where she is, because she isn’t going down the side of the mountain on a stretcher.”
“Is that the only alternative?”
“Maybe. I’ve been assessing the situation, and we don’t have a lot of options. So, what’s up with the truck? Can we get her that far, then drive her out?”
Carrie shook her head. “Road’s too iced over. It’s off the road, and there’s no traction to get it back on.”
“OK, well, let me see if I can figure out plan B.”
Plan B... Carrie sighed as she joined Jack in the bedroom, where he was already assessing Priscilla’s vital signs.
Carrie immediately went to work inserting an IV, and by the time she was finished, Jack had completed his assessment. “She’s not as bad as she could be,” he said gravely. “But I don’t think we’ve got time to wait until we can get someone up here to help get her out the proper way, which could be sometime tomorrow, after it’s light again. I don’t want to wait that long. I need her back at Sinclair as fast as we can to get her stabilized.”
“Well, Palloton’s working on a plan B.”
“Plan B is never good. Especially since I already know what that’s going to have to be.”
Carrie was afraid she did, too. “Down the side of the mountain?”
“By foot,” Jack confirmed. “Even though my grandmother’s going to refuse it.”
“Can the three of us do that? The snow’s picking up. Not bad yet, but bad enough.”
“As bad as Chicago snow?” he asked, grinning.
“Chicago snow’s flat on the ground. This snow is on the side of a mountain. My preference is for flat, Chicago snow any day.”
Jack chuckled. “Spoken like a true city girl.”
“Yeah, well, tonight you’d better hope city girl can be rugged mountain girl, because that’s who you’ll need to help get your grandmother out of here.” She was praying she could do this. Snow wasn’t the issue. Getting down the mountain in it was.
“I wish we had some kind of screw vehicle for these rescues,” he said, checking his grandmother’s blood pressure again.
“What’s that?” Carrie asked.
Priscilla was the one to tell her. “It’s a vehicle that can take on the ice and snow like nothing you ever saw. Right now I’m wishing you had one, too, ’cause I don’t trust the bunch of you carrying me down on foot. I want to live to tell the tale.”
“A little hike in the woods isn’t going to kill you, old woman,” Jack said affectionately, as he took hold of her hand and held it. “You’ve done worse.”
“Done better, too,” she said, her voice noticeably weakening. Then she nodded at Carrie. “Glad you brought her along. She’s the one I’m counting on to take care of me.”
Jack tightened his squeeze on his grandmother’s hand. “You’re going to be fine,” he reassured her.
“If you don’t drop me over the side of the mountain.” Priscilla closed her eyes and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
Jack looked up at Carrie but didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. She already knew, she’d already seen the worry in his eyes. “I think we need to start back down right away,” she said.
“I know,” he said. “Because her heart rate’s up and her blood pressure’s dropping.”
She stepped up behind him and squeezed his shoulder. “We’re going to get her through this, Jack.”
He stood and whispered in Carrie’s ear, “If she lasts the night.”
The reality of his words hit hard, and for the first time Carrie truly understood what mountain rescue was all about. It wasn’t just the adrenaline rush of the climb and the excitement of going over a cliff to rescue a climber, or two days out on a search. It was about the normal things—the heart attacks, the broken legs, injuries she’d seen as a cop. But this...it scared her, and she was glad she had Jack to rely on. To pull her through it.
Palloton stepped into the doorway. “Tell me what I need to do, Wiwa.”
Jack motioned Palloton and Carrie down the hall before he spoke. “Give me your opinion. Down Larson’s Pass? It’s longer but easier.”
“Unless you want to try going over Monty’s Ridge,” Palloton said, “and down from there. Even with the snow and ice, it could shave off maybe half the time. And we’ll be able to get cell reception quicker, which means we can have an ambulance waiting for us at the trailhead, rather than us having to wait for an ambulance since we can’t call until we reach the flats, which is what’ll happen if we take Larson’s.”
Carrie was impressed with the men’s knowledge of the mountain. Not only of the mountain but all the details that could make or break a rescue. Jack wanted her to eventually lead a team, but could she ever be as good as these two? Or have the same kind of knowledge they did? “If Monty’s is faster, why would you even consider something else?” she asked.
Palloton was the one to answer. “Because Jack’s not sure you’re up to Monty’s. Beginners have no business on it.”
“Can the two of you get us where we need to go in the dark?” she asked.
“We can,” Jack said.
“And you want me to stay in Saka’am and be a team leader at some point?” she asked him.
“I do,” he answered.
“Then, as team leader, I make the decisions. Correct?”
Jack nodded. “But not this time. I know where this is going, and I’ve got to be as responsible for your life as I am for my grandmother’s. You’re not up to Monty’s.”
“Will Priscilla survive it?” she asked.
“She will, because Palloton and I know how to get her down.”
“Then that’s what you do. You get her down, and I’ll get me down. My decision, Jack. We’ll take her down Monty’s. I’m not afraid of it, and I’m not afraid of being left behind, if that’s what you must do. I’m perfectly capable of hunkering down for a night and getting myself back to town in the morning, if that’s what it comes to.” She was good in the snow, she wasn’t afraid of that. Or the dark, or the cold. She’d spent years in far worse than that, and had survived. So this didn’t worry her.
“Or you could stay here, at my grandmother’s, until someone can come get you.”
“What? And miss my first mountain rescue? Not a chance.” If this was what her future life was going to be about, she was not going to be left behind. Even if Jack issued the order. “I’m going down with you, like it or not.”
“And this is where Carrie gets insubordinate,” Jack snapped, then immediately pulled back. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m just worried.”
“Not insubordinate, Jack,” she said, sympathetic to his position. “Confident. I’m really good at trial by fire and this is where I get to prove myself.”
“It’s not about proving yourself, Carrie. It’s about saving our patient. That’s the only thing it’s about.”
“If you don’t force me to stay back, I can do exactly what I’m supposed to.”
“We don’t have time to debate this, Carrie. Going down with
Palloton and me means you follow orders, from either one of us. You don’t go out on your own. You don’t jump the scene. You do as we tell you. Do you understand that? Because I can’t have—I won’t have people on my team who can’t follow the rules.”
He was so...in command in a way she hadn’t seen him before. Of course, she hadn’t been in a situation like this with him before, so this was a new side of him, and she liked it. It filled her with confidence. With Jack in charge, this was going to work. And, in the meantime, she would get to show him some of her skills, even if he wasn’t specifically looking for them. Hopefully she’d even impress him. “Yes, I understand.”
“We could use her, Jack,” Palloton said. “Some of those descents are pretty steep, and having three people going down them will be a big help.”
He regarded her for a minute, and she couldn’t read his expression. “I can help,” she added. “You know I can.”
“I know other things about you, too, Carrie. Which is why I’m hesitating.”
“Well, hesitating isn’t getting your grandmother out of here. So, yes or no. Do I go, do I stay?”
“If I tell you to stay, would you?”
Honestly, probably not. It would be her inclination to simply follow them, make herself ready if they needed extra help. She was sure this was what Jack was thinking. “I don’t know,” she finally said.
“Which leaves me no choice, does it? Look, I know you’re good, and I know you want to be part of this. But don’t do what you typically do, Carrie. OK?”
She nodded. “I’ll do what I need to do.”
“Then get yourself ready. I want to be out of here inside fifteen minutes. Down Monty’s.”
Monty’s. She could do this. And prove to Jack she was the perfect choice to head one of his teams. He’d see that.
* * *
“She’s a good one, Jack,” Palloton said, as Carrie was getting Priscilla dressed for the trip. “Crazy about you. Trying as hard as she can to break through. So, if I were you...”
“It won’t work. If I thought there was any chance it could...” He shook his head. “But there’s not. I don’t have what she needs.”
“I don’t think she sees it that way.”
“She’s in a new situation. She comes from a very difficult background. What she sees in me is a way to get past that. That’s all. I represent something she wants, something she’s never had, and eventually she’ll recognize that she wants what I represent and not who I am.”
“Or maybe she knows what she wants more than you give her credit for. Look, I’ve got the stretcher ready. So as soon as Carrie gets Priscilla squared away...”
Jack nodded. Then went to see his grandmother.
“Carrie said you’re taking me down over Monty’s,” Priscilla said, her voice weak but her smile vibrant. “She’s a nice girl, Jackie. Remember that, in case anything happens. She’s a very nice girl, and I approve.”
“Save your breath, old woman,” he said, as he took hold of her hand. “I know what you’re up to and it’s not going to work. She works for me. That’s all there is.”
Priscilla gave her grandson a wink. “I’m sure,” she said. “And you don’t have to do this, Jackie. I never meant to be a burden to anyone. I can face whatever happens. I’m ready.”
“You’re not a burden,” Jack said tenderly. “A pain in the backside maybe. But not a burden.”
“You’re a good boy, Jackie. Always have been. And all that in the past with Evangeline...”
“Look, Priscilla, you need to save your strength. Getting you out of here isn’t going to be easy, and I don’t want you going into any kind of distress once we get started. So, please, just rest now. Let me do what I have to do, and before you know it you’ll be at Sinclair, in a warm bed, making demands of all the nurses.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to leave me here and let nature finally take her course?” the old woman asked. “I’ve lived a good life, Jackie. No regrets. Maybe it’s time...”
Carrie, who was standing in the doorway, bit her lip to fight back tears, and glanced over at Jack, who looked almost in tears himself. Then she stepped to his side and put a supporting arm around his waist. “No way,” she said, struggling to keep the quiver from her voice. “I need this experience, and I’m not going to let you ruin it for me. Jack’s a strict instructor, and he’d fail me if I simply walked away. So you’re going to have to put up with that bumpy ride, because I’m determined to pass his course.” She tightened her squeeze around his waist. “Besides, Jack needs someone in his corner, and you’re the only one he allows to get close.”
“Seems like he’s let you in, too,” Priscilla said.
Carrie looked at Jack, then shook her head. “Not yet.” Then she pulled away and went to the bureau to look for warm socks.
“You should, Jackie. Like I said, she’s a good one.”
“So I’ve been told,” he said, then exited the room. Those demons were knocking on his door, and now wasn’t the time to face them. But Priscilla was right about one thing. Carrie was a good one. He just hoped that her own demons didn’t take her over on the hike down. This was what he’d feared, though, when he’d accepted her into the program. Now it was time for her to prove herself. He only hoped she could.
* * *
“We’ll have her cross her arms...something I’m sure you already know,” Jack told Carrie. “Then we’ll get her onto the stretcher. You and I will do the carrying at first, because I want to reserve Palloton’s strength for a couple of the areas that are going to be the most difficult to get through. And be very specific about this...I’ll lift her head first, then afterward you’ll lift her feet. Always put your strongest body on the head, because the upper torso is the heaviest. And on the way down I like to count off the steps out loud.”
“Why?” she asked.
“So we can match rhythms. It makes it easier on the person you’re transporting. It keeps you in sync with the other person doing the carrying so there’s less jostling. It also lets them know you’re with them. And because I don’t like idle chatter. It distracts me.”
“Sounds easy enough,” she commented. This was all so easy to him. It was totally about common sense. Once again, she worried that she could never match up to what came so naturally to Jack but she so badly wanted to prove what she could do. All her life she’d had to prove herself one way or another, but this time it mattered more than anything else ever had. She wanted him to see, up close, what she’d told him she was capable of. She wanted to prove herself and while that wasn’t the intent of this rescue, it was always her personal intent. Prove herself, no matter where or what.
Jack actually laughed. “I’ll be daring you to say that after we get her down. Oh, and what you said to my grandmother about leaving her here...”
Carrie shook her head. “No need to say anything. I would never, ever consider leaving a patient behind, in any situation.”
Jack blew out a breath. “I didn’t expect you would. Anyway, let’s get this thing going.”
“Her vitals are holding,” Carrie said. “I checked them again while I was getting her ready to go, and they’re a little off but holding. I’m hoping she doesn’t panic once we actually take her out of here, because that will make things worse.”
“She won’t,” Jack said. “Priscilla knows what this is about. She’s done a few of these rescues in her day, so she’ll be fine. But since she’s right on the borderline between moderate and severe, I went ahead and gave her an anti-arrhythmic, to help keep her stable for now.”
“What about her cats?”
“Maybe I’ll start a rescue organization for stray animals in my spare time, and let Priscilla’s cats be my first.” He smiled. “They’ll be fine. It’s not like I haven’t come up here to take care of them before.”
She knew he would. In his own, standoffish way, Ja
ck took care of everything.
* * *
It had been an hour and the trail was getting increasingly rougher. The night was cold, the wind was blowing, and the trail was slippery. Despite it all, Carrie was still on the foot end of the stretcher, carrying her share of the load without complaint. Palloton brought up the side with the supplies, while he kept the IV bag in position while Priscilla slept, or held so still it seemed like she was.
And Jack was so antsy he wanted to jump out of his skin. He was worried...about Priscilla, about Carrie’s lack of experience in these conditions. About getting off the damned mountain. That was something he always worried about—the details of the rescue. Because one detail skipped over, one missed step in the process... It’s what kept him on the edge. Kept his mind ticking off what needed to be done. Prevented him from becoming distracted by the things over which he had no control. Like now—the ice and snow. The steep incline. The fact that this was his grandmother.
But they were making steady progress, which was good. Priscilla was hanging in there, and he wasn’t discouraged. Unfortunately, the roughest part was still ahead, and getting Carrie through that worried him almost as much as getting his grandmother through it. “I need to stop for a minute,” he said, blowing out an exhausted breath. “We’re about to reach our first real hurdle, and I want to make sure I’m ready to tackle it.”
“Which is where Palloton takes over?” Carrie asked. “Because I’m good for a little while longer, if that’s what we need.” She set her end of the stretcher down very gingerly, then waited until Jack had lowered his before she swooped in to do an assessment of Priscilla. Jack busied himself with the IV, while Palloton made a couple of adjustments to the stretcher.
“It gets narrow in one area, so you’re going to have to bring up the rear, Carrie. I need Palloton’s strength getting through there. And I can’t look back to make sure you’re OK. You need to understand that. If something happens, Palloton and I will keep going, because once we start the steepest part of the descent, there’s no place to stop. This really isn’t the first rescue I’d put a beginner out on, so I’m sorry about this, but this is a good example of what you’ll be getting yourself into once you’re out on your own.”