By the time they came out of the bathroom, Jeff had gotten in bed and turned on the TV to listen to the ten-o’clock news. Gabi made certain Ashley climbed into the rollaway and said her prayers.
“Good night, honey. See you in the morning.”
Ashley kissed her. “Guess what? Nicky’s afraid,” she whispered.
“Afraid? Of what?”
“That Jeff might marry Ranger Davis.”
That Nicky Rossiter had done way too much talking and theorizing. “I’m afraid he worries too much for his own good.”
Suddenly the TV went off. Jeff had gotten out of bed and was headed for the bathroom. “What are you two whispering about?”
Heat invaded Gabi’s entire body. “Girl talk,” she answered, before Ashley could make things worse. “Kind of like your men’s talk in Chief Rossiter’s kitchen.”
“Hey, Ash? Won’t you even give me a little hint?”
“We were talking about Ranger Davis.”
“Ashley!”
He paused by the bed. “Did you meet her at headquarters?”
“Yes.”
“She’s a cool ranger, huh?”
“Yes. But Nicky’s scared you might marry her.”
“It will never happen. You can tell him that for me.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Good night. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”
“Good night. Don’t let the woodpecker peck you.”
The bathroom door closed.
Jeff had overheard their supposedly private conversation. He’d brought all the secrets out in the open for a reason, and had to know Ashley hung on to his every word. Gabi only wished she knew what was going through his mind.
When he finally went back to bed she said in a low aside, “You and I need to have a serious private talk, Jeff.”
“I couldn’t agree more. We could have it now, but I need to concentrate on my performance for tomorrow. Your being here with Ashley makes me want to do my best riding.”
“As if you could do anything else.”
“That’s gratifying to hear.”
She swallowed hard. “The benefit you’re doing is for an incredibly worthy cause. How did you happen to get involved?”
He slanted her a penetrating glance. “Ranger King’s brother was a firefighter. Apparently he and three others were killed in a fire that raged through the forest south of Yosemite. It happened the first year I was transferred to the park. Everyone was devastated and wanted to help the victims’ families. I came up with the idea of doing a benefit stunt show.”
Gabi’s breath caught. “As I’ve told you before, you’re a very remarkable man. Does your father know what you do?”
“Yes, but he’s never liked my love of motorcycles, so stays away when I put on a show.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to be a parent when you love your child so much.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Jeff said in a bleak tone. “After my event is over, we’ll find something to keep Ashley busy while we spend the evening talking.” He reshaped his pillow. “Have I told you how much I’ve loved our outing so far? In case you hadn’t realized it yet, I’m crazy about your daughter. So’s Sergei.”
“She loves him.”
“All the kids do. Cal and Alex will be back on Sunday night. I’m afraid he’s going to see a huge change in his dog. It’ll take weeks to get him back to the place where he wants to track bears again.”
It would probably take a year before Ashley got to the place where she would stop wanting to be with Jeff. As for Gabi… She couldn’t stand to think about it.
“Thank you for being so good to us, Jeff.”
“Even if you’re upset with me?”
After a slight hesitation, she murmured, “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to. Remember one thing. You and Ashley are safe with me while you’re waiting to hear from Mr. Steel. Monday’s court date will be here before we know it. Good night.”
“Good night.”
Chapter Nine
Gabi drove the truck to the parking area near the open-air, open-ended arena outside North Fork where Jeff was going to perform his forty-five minute show.
She and Ashley walked toward the crowded bleachers set on one side. They’d barely found a spot to sit, at the end of the lowest row, when the master of ceremonies started speaking through a microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to our annual benefit for the families who’ve lost firefighters here in Madera County this last year. We’re proud and honored to welcome back for the sixth season former Hollywood motorcycle stunt rider and champion Jeffrey Thompson. He’s a California hero through and through. You’ve all seen him in many action films, but didn’t know who he was.
“For those tourists here for the first time, you wouldn’t be aware he’s now the chief ranger of resources and stewardship at Yosemite Park, our neighbor. This death-defying superwonder gives us his best every year to help raise funds for this worthy cause, donating his time, money and talent.
“He’ll be roaring in here any minute now to do his two-hundred foot jump on the skateboard ramp. Following that he’ll ride through the ring of fire at the end of the pipe, land on the seesaws, bounce across the pointed blocks and finish up on the ramp. You’ll see him do wheelies riding forward and backward while he’s perpendicular to the ground. He’ll end with his hair-raising rolling burnouts!”
The crowd of at least a thousand broke into thunderous clapping. Besides the staff and mechanics who worked with him, Gabi noticed several fire trucks, police cars and ambulances standing by. The sight prevented her from joining in the applause. What Jeff planned to do was death defying.
She shuddered as she looked at the setups. He had to ride in at a certain speed to execute his maneuvers. One error and he could be maimed for life…or worse.
Earlier that morning the three of them had enjoyed the Lions Club pancake breakfast. Afterward they’d wandered around the classic car and bike exhibits. Jeff knew everything about the various models and their histories. He kept Gabi and Ashley fascinated.
From there they moved on to the logging events, followed by lunch and a visit to the Sierra Mono Indian Museum. Jeff left them there while he took off to do a few practice runs at the arena before the show started. Now that the time was here, Gabi had a rock in the pit of her stomach.
“I can hear him coming, Mommy.” Ashley couldn’t sit still and strained to see Jeff as the whine of his motorcycle drew closer. Suddenly he appeared, shooting like a comet up the skateboard ramp. Gabi’s heart plummeted to her toes as he rose high in the air, doing circles before achieving a perfect landing on the descent.
The crowd went crazy, and were on their feet while he rocketed back and forth, doing tricks she didn’t know were possible. Ashley stood up on the bleacher to watch, so mesmerized she couldn’t speak. Neither could Gabi.
Jeff had always been fearless, but never more so than now. He went through one stunt after another with clockwork precision. Every time he started a new maneuver, a hush went out over the audience, then an explosive crack of cheers sounded as each new challenge was met and expertly overcome.
Running side by side with Gabi’s fear was her inexpressible pride in what he’d done with his life, and how his generous, giving nature had been helping so many suffering families over the past five years.
As the show neared the end, Gabi began to relax. Now that he’d done his routine of terrifying aerial stunts, the worst of the danger was over. For the finale he did a series of rolling burnouts that appeared to be one of the biggest crowd pleasers.
He went around in circles, smoking up the place, laying down rubber while his engine screamed. As Ashley put her hands over her ears, Jeff’s body was suddenly thrown through the air, causing the crowd to gasp. At first Gabi thought he’d performed one last stunt to thrill the crowd, until she saw all the rescue workers racing toward him.
“Jeff!” she screamed. Grabbing Ashley’s hand, she jumped
off the end of the bleacher and started running toward the paramedics gathered around him.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the MC said over the loudspeaker, “as you can see, there’s been an unfortunate accident. We don’t know how badly Mr. Thompson has been hurt. Please stay in the bleachers and out of the way while the medical staff takes over.”
Gabi ignored the order and kept moving, but the police had formed a barrier. “Please!” she said, appealing to one of the officers. “I’m here with Jeff. I have to see him!”
“Are you family?”
“No.”
“Then I’m sorry.”
By now Ashley was crying. “Is he going to die, Mommy?”
“Of course not, honey.” She picked her daughter up and hugged her, pressing her head against her shoulder so Ashley couldn’t see anything. “He’s just had an accident. We have to wait here until he gets up.”
Her little body was heaving. “But what if he doesn’t?”
“Jeff used to do this for the movies all the time, and he always walked away.” Though she hadn’t known about his career, it was obvious he’d survived. “He’ll do it today, too,” she said like a mantra. “You wait and see.”
Please, God.
There were too many rescue workers around him to determine what was going on. For Ashley’s sake, Gabi was thankful, but the torment of not knowing his condition was killing her.
“At least tell me if he’s conscious,” she begged the police officer, who could see she and Ashley were in agony.
“Just a minute, ma’am. Wait here.” He disappeared, but came back shortly as sirens blared and she saw one of the ambulances leaving the arena behind a police escort. “All I can tell you is that he’s alive and being transported to the Community Regional Medical Center’s trauma division in Fresno.”
“Thank you.”
It was bad. Stay alive, Jeff. Stay alive, darling.
She had to go to him. “Come on, honey. They’re taking him to the hospital. We’ll go back to the motel and pack up, then drive to Fresno and see him.”
While she and Ashley hurried to the parking area, she could hear the announcer telling the crowd to remain calm until they had news to report. Gabi supposed she was lucky the police officer had told her where they were taking Jeff. If word got out to the crowd, the hospital would be besieged with calls and visitors.
Once they reached the motel, she threw everything into suitcases, then they left North Fork. En route to Fresno she pulled out her cell phone. Since she didn’t have any numbers with her, she called Information to connect her with the park.
When Ranger Davis answered and identified herself, Gabi asked her to get hold of Chief Rossiter and Ranger Jarvis and have them call her back immediately. It was an emergency. She left her number.
Within two minutes Chase phoned, having arranged a conference call with Vance. “What’s happened?”
“It’s Jeff!” She told them about the accident and where he was being taken. “Ashley and I are in his truck now, driving to Fresno, and should be there within forty minutes.”
“We’re on our way and will meet you there.” Chase gave her instructions where to go when she reached the city. “It’s the best hospital for him. Hang on, Gabi.”
That meant they’d be taking a helicopter. Thank heaven. Jeff would need his best friends around. She needed them around.
“Do you think Jeff’s going to be okay?” The tremor in Ashley’s voice broke Gabi’s heart.
“Yes, but what we have to do is keep praying he’ll be fine.”
“Shall we say a prayer right now?”
“Yes, honey. That will help Jeff more than anything.”
“Good, because I love him.”
So do I. So do I.
Though not a long drive, it felt like an eternity before they pulled into one of the parking lots near the E.R. entrance. No sooner did they walk inside the waiting room than Chase and Vance appeared. They’d obviously come straight from work, because both were dressed in uniform.
For them to fly here meant Jeff had formed deep ties at the park. Seeing them did more to lift Gabi’s spirits than anything else could. In a week’s time she felt as if they’d all become good friends.
Vance swept Ashley into his arms. She lifted teary eyes to him. “Does Nicky know Jeff got hurt?”
“Everyone knows, and we’re all praying for him.”
“We prayed in the truck, didn’t we, Mommy?”
Her daughter had given such a touching prayer, it would have melted Jeff’s heart. “Yes.” She looked at Chase. “Have you heard anything yet?”
He shook his head. “They told us it would be a while. For one thing, he’s concussed. They’ll be doing a CAT scan and other things. Why don’t we sit down while we wait? After that drive, combined with what you witnessed, I know you’re drained.”
“Ashley and I are going to get a drink and a treat,” Vance said. “We’ll bring back something for you two. What would you like?”
“A cola?”
“That sounds good to me, too,” Chase said.
As they walked away, Gabi buried her face in her hands. “It was horrible. The show was almost over. He was doing his last burnout when he went flying.”
Chase put an arm around her shoulders. “It’s what he used to do for a living. Every so often he rides his bike through the park on patrol. He’ll be fine. The good news is he’s conscious. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
She lifted her head. “I’m all right. I just wish Ashley hadn’t seen it.”
“We can’t shield our children from everything. I have some pretty hideous scars on my torso and hip from an accident when I was in the Navy. I used to break out in a cold sweat worrying what Roberta would do if she ever saw them.
“One day when I thought she was gone, and I was shaving at the bathroom sink, she walked in. I thought she’d fall apart, but all she said was, “Do they hurt?” When I told her no, she ran over and hugged me. That was the end of it.”
Gabi let out a shaky sigh. “I teach children nine months out of the year and know they are resilient. It’s the adults who have a problem. I was so frightened for Jeff, I left North Fork without even thinking about his motorcycle.”
“Don’t be concerned over that. Vance and I have already talked to the people in charge. By now they’ve probably hauled his bike to a garage for repairs.”
“If there’s anything left of it,” she whispered in agony, as Ashley approached with Vance.
“Here, Mommy.” She handed her the cola and sat down next to her to drink her root beer.
“Thank you, honey.” Gabi thanked Vance with her eyes. “This tastes good.”
“I’m glad. When you’re finished, if you want to go into the E.R. and find out if there’s any news, Chase and I will watch Ashley.”
She took more swallows of her drink. “I’d like that.” She turned to her daughter. “I’ll be right back.”
“Can’t I come and see Jeff?”
“I don’t think he’s even in there, honey, but maybe one of the doctors will tell me how he is. Would that be okay with you?” Ashley gave a solemn nod. “Will you hold my drink?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.” She kissed her cheek before hurrying across the lounge to the double doors.
On the other side, the triage nurse indicated Jeff was still upstairs, but said Gabi could wait in cubicle five. She thanked her and walked around the counter. When she drew the curtain aside, she discovered a striking, thirtyish, dark blonde woman in designer jeans and a blue tank top seated next to the examining table. She was reading a novel.
“Oh!” Gabi blurted quietly. “I didn’t realize anyone was in here. The nurse in Reception told me I could wait in the cubicle, but I’ve obviously come to the wrong one. I’m looking for Jeff Thompson.”
By the puffiness around her eyes, it was clear the other woman had been crying. She stared at Gabi for a moment. “No problem. I’m Fran Thompson, Jeff’s ex-
wife.”
Gabi froze in place. “I—I’m Gabi Rafferty, an old friend of his visiting the park with my daughter.”
“Were you at the motorcycle event for the benefit?”
“Yes. Ashley and I drove to North Fork for the classic car show and saw the accident.”
“So did I.”
“I—I wish I could have spared my daughter.”
“I don’t blame you. It was awful. For years I’ve warned Jeff he’s been dicing with death, but nothing has stopped him.”
Was that the reason their marriage hadn’t lasted? Because she couldn’t stand to see him put himself in constant danger?
“Do you know anything about his condition?”
“I flew in the helicopter with him.”
The police wouldn’t let Gabi even get near. With the woman’s last name being Thompson, she didn’t have any trouble staying right beside Jeff.
“I overheard one of the doctors say he could have a broken clavicle, and was definitely concussed, but not severely, thanks to that crash helmet of his.”
Gabi stifled her moan.
“Depending on how bad the injury is, they may have to operate. In that case he’ll have to stay in the hospital for a few days. He probably will anyway, while they monitor him.”
“Of course.” Thank heaven there weren’t more injuries.
“I always take time off from work to see him ride when he does benefits. My dad’s company contributes to the fund. So do I. Jeff will need nursing at the house for a couple of days, so I told him I’d drive him back to the park after they release him.”
Gabi’s mouth had gone dry. “I—I’m sure he’s happy you’re here.”
“He’s done the same for me. When my dad had a minor heart attack last year, I don’t know how I would have made it through without Jeff. What I’m hoping is that this accident has put an end to his daredevil days. His work being a park ranger is dangerous enough.”
“I can well imagine,” Gabi whispered, feeling so much pain she didn’t know where to go with it.
“When he got shot a few years ago, I almost had a heart attack before I learned it was a flesh wound to his thigh and didn’t kill him.”
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