by Kim O'Cain
It took another two hours to finish the job and just in time. The day had started off warm and sunny, but, now, dark clouds were rolling in fast and the temperature dropped at least ten degrees. Ashlyn dug out her fleece jacket from her pack and put it on. Derek was hot natured and barely wore a jacket even when it dipped to the low thirties at night.
“We better head back fast. Are you up for a race, Babe?” asked Derek, with a wicked smile.
“Of course. You know I’m faster than you are, old man. See my dust, Babe!” and Ashlyn took off running just as cold light rain started to pelt her body.
She knew she had to pace herself for the long four-mile run back. She loved running and knew she could easily win this race. But she wanted to run alongside Derek and then sprint to take the win at the end.
“Hey, you know, we only have a few more days together. I was thinking we could go camping for a few weeks and maybe stay at your parents’ place in the Hamptons before reentering the real world and going our separate ways. And make some plans to see each other before we start school,” piped up Ashlyn.
“Cool. I’d like that. But I can only camp for a week. I’ve gotta be back in Cambridge before August. Family stuff I have to take care of—you know. Where do you wanna camp? Here?” asked Derek, looking straight ahead.
Ashlyn was surprised and disappointed. He hadn’t mentioned anything pressing that required him to get back home so soon. But, once again, she assumed that he was free and would want to spend as much time as possible with her.
“Oh. I didn’t know you needed to get back so soon. I thought we had some time to hang out. Why didn’t you say anything?” asked Ashlyn, slowing down but trying not to get upset.
“It just came up. Besides, I thought you would want to get back to New York and ditch this place as soon as you could. I know I can’t wait to get out of here,” he replied, stopping to wait for her to catch up.
Ashlyn was taken aback. She thought he had come to love this place as much as she had. He was always in a good mood and eager to work or help-out. He never complained about it. She never asked him about it, either. She decided to let it go and just be happy with the time they had together.
“I checked with Chuck yesterday, and the new cabins are opening the day we leave. All we need are some sleeping bags. We can borrow those from camp. I went ahead and booked it just in case. It’s going to be so great to just explore the park on our own terms and time schedule,” replied Ashlyn excitedly.
“Oh. Okay. You really want to camp here? Why not fly to San Francisco for the week? We can go sailing. Enjoy a Giants game. Do some shopping. Aren’t you sick of bad food and horrible beds?” he replied, hoping she would change her mind.
“I don’t know. I kinda wanted to see the park without having to work in it. Yeah, I’m going to miss this place. I know it’s hard to believe, but I guess I turned into a tree hugger. But I’m okay with San Fran. I haven’t been in a while. It’ll be a good transition before I go back to New York,” replied Ashlyn, not fully committed to the idea but trying to appease Derek. Above all else, she wanted to be with him.
“So, what about when we’re both at school? How are we going to make it work? I really want to make it work. I know it will be hard, but we aren’t that far away from each other. Maybe once a month we can visit each other? What do you think?” asked Ashlyn, hoping that he wanted the same thing.
“Yeah, sure. We’ll make it work,” he replied without much emotion, which made Ashlyn slow down again. He didn’t sound as enthusiastic as she did. She felt hurt—again. Had she read him all wrong? Was he not into her? No, she was just creating drama where it didn’t really exist. She knew he wanted to be with her.
“Come on, Babe, you’re gonna lose if you slow down,” he said with a big grin and a wink, instantly making her feel better and giving her the push she needed to pick up her pace.
They ran in comfortable silence for the next few miles. The rain had soaked their clothes and hair, but it felt so good to be running in the woods alone with her man. Ashlyn didn’t want to stop. She could run like this the rest of the day and be absolutely content.
Around a long curve was a hollowed-out redwood tree large enough for a family to camp in it. Derek spotted it first and grabbed Ashlyn, pulling her into the fire encrusted bark. It still amazed her that these burnt-out trees could still be alive. It had just a thin layer of burnt bark and yet stood strong at least one hundred fifty feet tall with green leaves and branches starting some thirty feet off the ground.
Derek pulled her to him and started kissing her neck and throat, holding her hands tightly behind her back. He brusquely kissed her lips, cutting as he bit into them. She was absolutely startled at his roughness. He had always been restrained and cautious. Now he was all brute force and wantonness. It completely unnerved her.
Ashlyn tried to wrangle her hands free and said in an authoritative tone, “Stop it, Derek. I mean it. Let me go now.”
“What? I know you want me just as bad. You basically just asked me to live with you for the summer. Come on. I know you’ve been holding back, too,” replied Derek with a dark leering smile.
He didn’t wait for her to reply and pushed her against the tree bark and pushed her feet apart with his boots while holding her arms tight against her body.
“Stop this now, Derek. I don’t know what you’re thinking but this is NOT what I want. Let me go now!” Ashlyn screamed with spit landing on his check just an inch away from hers.
At this, he dug his nails into her arms and pushed his body into hers nearly taking her breath away. Ashlyn had taken a few self-defense classes and thankfully was able to recall at least a few moves which she promptly tried on Derek. She lifted both arms and at the same time clapped her hands over his ears while she stomped on his foot as hard as she could. Derek reeled back and put his hands over his ears. She quickly moved to the other side of the tree and once she got her equilibrium, she ran.
Her heart was pounding. And her lip hurt. She put her hand on it and felt warm blood. What the hell just happened? Am I crazy or did he just attack me? I can’t believe that jerk. How could I have been so wrong about him, thought Ashlyn as she tried to keep a fast and distant pace from Derek.
“Ashlyn, you’re overreacting! I was just playing with you. I wasn’t going to hurt you. Come on, Ashlyn!” he screamed, as she ran further away.
“Well, the camping trip is off. That family thing I have is really me staying with my girlfriend. Yes, I have a girlfriend. That’s who I was visiting those weekends!” yelled Derek.
Up ahead was a fork in the trail, and Ashlyn quickly decided to take the longer trail back. She knew Derek wouldn’t waste his energy. She nearly regretted her decision as the storm got worse, and heavy rain started pounding her body adding more injury to her bruised soul, lip and arms.
She was sopping wet and trying to breathe. She was a complete mess. Just as she let out a heart wrenching cry, lightning struck a nearby tree, cracking it half way up its trunk. The other half came tumbling down just behind her, sending shards of bark and branches flying in all directions. She kept running and looked back, tripping over a newly fallen branch. She heard a crack and it took a few seconds to realize that wasn’t another tree falling. It was her ankle.
Ashlyn toppled over in pain and grabbed her ankle. It had swollen immediately. Her adrenalin was on full blast, and she quickly got out her first aid pack. She wrapped her leg in a bandage as tightly as possible and began to crawl to find a walking stick she could fashion into a crutch. She had to get out of there fast. Derek, and now the threat of a forest fire, forced her to put her pain and heartache on the back burner. In minutes she was on her healthy foot with a makeshift crutch hobbling as fast as she could.
She kept repeating her new mantra, “I’m as resilient as a redwood and strong as an oak.”
After what seemed like an eternity, she saw a trail sign that read two miles to Goose Trail. She was inching closer. She could think of nothin
g else but taking one careful step and then another. The clouds got darker, and a torrent of blinding rain made its way down through the trees. She was shivering but not giving up.
Back at camp everyone was scrambling for cover.
“Hey, Trish, where’s Ashlyn? She said she would meet me here at 4:30 to go over the notes from the Gathering. It’s not like her to be late,” said Blake worriedly.
Trish replied flippantly, “She’s probably late finishing the foot bridges with Derek. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I just saw Derek heading for his yurt. But Ashlyn wasn’t with him,” replied Blake.
“Go ask him. How would I know?” countered Trish, as she walked past on her way to Birch to get out of the rain.
“Hey, Derek wait up. Derek, wait up!” yelled Blake, as he sprinted in the direction of the Oak yurt.
“Hey, Derek, where’s Ashlyn? I was supposed to meet her at 4:30 and now it’s almost 5:00.” Blake asked.
Derek wouldn’t turn around. “She’s on her way. She said she wanted to meditate in the rain to commune closer to the universe or some such BS. I’m soaked and going to shower. You know Ashlyn. She’s headstrong. I’m sure she’s fine.”
“Look, Derek, I know you and Ashlyn are a thing. But you don’t ever leave your work partner! Ever! Do you understand?” yelled Blake.
At this, Derek turned and saluted Blake, then walked down the hall unapologetically.
By 5:15 Blake was packed and putting on his rain jacket and head lamp. It was getting dark and still no sign of Ashlyn. He headed toward the trail. He didn’t like Derek. He trusted him even less. He couldn’t understand how Ashlyn had fallen for him. Sure, he was in many ways a good fit—rich, good looking, charismatic and smart. But he was so full of himself that he didn’t really care about anyone else. How come she couldn’t see that?
And now he had to go find her after a search of her usual places came up empty. He told some of his teammates to get ready and meet him at the trail and be prepared to call for medical help. He couldn’t imagine Ashlyn ever deciding to stay in the forest during a thunderstorm. He only hoped he could get to her before something really bad happened and hoped that nothing already had.
Ashlyn was at the one-mile marker. Her ankle was burning with what felt like thousands of small knives piercing her skin and muscles. Her underarm was raw and in pain from the rubbing of the make-shift crutch. And yet she kept repeating her mantra with absolute focus on making it back safely.
It was now dark and hard to see even with a headlamp. The storm had knocked down lots of small limbs and she was going even slower, so she wouldn’t trip. It would take her at least another hour to reach camp. Derek would have been back a long time by now. Surely, they will come look for me. Blake would come look for me. Oh no. I was supposed to meet him about the Gathering. Surely, he would send a search party out by now. But they would be on the wrong trail.
And because she wasn’t paying attention, her crutch hit a limb, and she toppled over skimming her already broken ankle over the dense log. White sparks shot through her body, and she passed out.
When Ashlyn was conscious again, she didn’t know how long she’d been out. She was disoriented from the fall and the darkness. Her pain was at a twelve on a scale from one to ten. She began to panic. No one knew where she was, and now she was hurt and unable to walk. She fumbled in her pack for her bright orange whistle and the bear spray just in case.
She blew on the whistle like her life depended on it. And in this case, it did. Blake heard it in the distance and started running down the trail yelling her name. He had gone on the trail without waiting for his team. He knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn’t wait. He needed to find her.
Ashlyn could hear something, but it was muffled by the dense forest and rain. She kept blowing then screaming “I’m on the Goose Trail marker mile one. I’m on the Goose Trail marker mile one. Please help me!”
Blake stopped and turned. The noise was not coming from up ahead but to his left. How was that possible? He was confused and questioning whether he was on the Fire Canyon Trail. Had he taken the Goose Trail instead. No. He remembered seeing the sign. And then he heard a whistle blow three times, then a woman’s voice. It was warbled but certainly coming from the left—from the Goose Trail. Why was she on that trail? Why would Derek lie? What was going on here?
He immediately turned around and ran for the trail head. He was already winded and wet when he reached the start of the Goose Trail, but now he could clearly hear her cries for help and the whistle.
“Ashlyn! Ashlyn! I’m coming on the Goose Trail! Stay where you are! I’m on the Goose Trail!” yelled Blake, as he started the descent down the muddy trail.
Yes, she was going to get out of here. Someone was coming for her. She couldn’t make out the words, but she knew they were closer.
She kept blowing her whistle and yelling for help.
When Blake finally got to her twenty minutes later, she was shivering uncontrollably and wrapped in a thermal blanket, lying down with her foot raised, resting on the limb that had taken her down.
“Ashlyn, what happened?” Blake said with earnest concern.
In a shaky voice, Ashlyn replied, “Blake. Blake. You’re here. Oh my God. Thank you. Please help me. I broke my ankle, and I can’t walk.”
“Why are you on the Goose Trail? Why did you leave Derek? You know better than to leave your work partner. Do you think you can walk on the other leg?” asked Blake.
“I can walk, but not easily. Please get me home. I’m so cold, and it hurts so bad,” she said out of breath.
Blake knew that she was going into shock and needed to get her warm asap. He pulled out another thermal blanket, hat and gloves from his pack and two hand warmers. He bundled her up and with amazing ease, lifted her into his arms and set off for camp.
Ashlyn began to go in and out murmuring incoherently.
“That… jerk.”
“Left me.”
“Nature jail!”
“Karate chopped his...”
“Blue Eyes. Blue Eyes, You’re here. Don’t leave me.”
With a smile and slightly tighter grip, Blake replied, “Yes, Ashlyn I’m here, and you’re safe. I’m taking you home. Just rest. It’s okay now.”
After a few minutes he could see headlights ahead and calls from his team members.
“We’re here. I found her. She’s got a broken ankle and is going into shock. We need to get her to the hospital now!” barked Blake.
By the time the team reached the trail head, an ambulance was waiting. Blake rode to the hospital with her and would not let go of her hand.
Hours later Ashlyn was still asleep in the hospital bed with a cast and bandages covering the wounds from the shards of bark that had embedded themselves into her back and legs as she ran from the falling tree.
“Oh, my head, my back, OH MY ANKLE!” yelled Ashlyn, as she quickly put her hands over her eyes to block the glaring sun from her eyes. “Where am I?”
Blake responded gently, “Hey, you’re alright. You’re in the hospital with a broken ankle. You gave me quite the scare last night.”
“I gave you a scare. I was scared for me, too. Please, can you ask the nurse for some pain meds? This is really bad,” replied Ashlyn.
It was slowly coming back to her, all the events of the day before. She bolted up and flung the covers off her as if she was about to storm out only she couldn’t get her right leg off the bed. It felt like a thousand pounds weighted down with a bright white cast.
“What’s wrong? Ashlyn, what’s wrong?” asked Blake, rising from his chair. He grabbed the nurse call button and asked them to come immediately.
Ashlyn looked terrified and began to shake.
“Ashlyn, you are safe here. Look at me.” Blake said, as he took her hand. She pulled it away without looking at him, and her breathing was erratic. He could see her heart pounding in her chest. His heart broke for the pain and fear she was experiencing. He fel
t completely helpless.
“Ashlyn, tell me what happened. Now.” Blake said firmly.
The nurse entered with a vial of pain meds and quickly shot it into Ashlyn’s arm.
“She’s had a trauma and shock. She’ll be okay. This is morphine and will help her for now. Now just rest, Sweetie. You’re okay. You had a rough day yesterday, but today you are okay. Just relax and rest. Call me if you need me,” the nurse said, soothingly as she checked her vitals and rearranged her legs and pulled up the covers before leaving.
“Ashlyn, please tell me what happened yesterday. I will take care of you. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Please tell me.” Blake begged, grabbing her hand between the bed rail.
“Blake, please, I just want to be alone. I need to think. And I can’t do that with you here.”
“No, I will not leave you alone. You just tried to escape like a bear was charging for you. I will not go until you tell me what happened. Why were you on the Goose Trail? Why didn’t you come back with Derek?”
And as he said Derek’s name, he could see the pupils of her eyes dilate, and absolute fear come over her body. Her palms instantly became sweaty, and she tensed as if she was waiting for an impact.
“What the hell did he do to you, Ashlyn? What?”
“Please, Blake, leave me alone.” And with that she began to sob uncontrollably.
Blake was at a loss as to what to do. He didn’t want to frighten her or push her away because clearly Derek had. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on him. He wouldn’t be able to sit, pee, or eat for a week when he was done with him.
“Ashlyn, I will not leave you alone to face this all by yourself. I will protect you. I’m not leaving you.”
“Please.” And with that Ashlyn passed out. She slept for another three hours, twitching and jerking. It was a restless tortuous sleep which made Blake a ball of tired nerves.
Team members were milling outside in the waiting room, taking shifts to comfort each other and trying to be of help. Derek was nowhere to be found at the hospital. He made himself scarce after dinner the night before and everyone had their suspicions of what had happened. But no one said them out loud.