If I Can Dream (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  With a desperate gasp, she grabbed onto the line, trying to determine her situation. Her hands moved feverishly in the dark until her eyes could become accustomed to the darkness. The one redeeming factor was the bright moon that shone overhead. It provided a little illumination but the high canyon walls cast massive shadows.

  Her mind spun. She thought of Tennessee, he was going to be so worried. He would come to the motel and find her missing. Greg O’Neil had succeeded in destroying their lives once more. As her fingers moved over the line and the harness she wore, her heart plummeted when she found the frayed threads. She pulled her hand back as if the very fibers were red hot, afraid she’d contribute to their tenuous hold. O’Neil had rigged the harness to fail. It didn’t take a lot of imagination for her to connect the dots. He was setting up her demise to mirror the death of her mother and the man he claimed was her father. “Greg! Greg” she called, looking upward. “Are you up there?”

  Molly waited, but she heard nothing “Coward.” He’d taken advantage of her being knocked out and strung her up on the side of this cliff to die. He was probably halfway to South America by now.

  Molly’s next thought was her own child. She slowly moved her hand to cup the mound of her belly. “I’m so sorry, little one.” Trying not to move, she tried to ascertain how far down the canyon wall she hung. Looking up, there was a narrow strip of stars above. So, Molly knew she had to be a couple of hundred yards down the slick wall. There was no way she could figure out what to do in the dark. All she could do was be as still as possible and pray that help would come and the harness would hold long enough for her to be rescued.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind and just be. Far below, she could hear the rush of white water. Molly could remember being told by her grandmother that coursing bodies of water have spirits. She never doubted it. This part of the world was big, wild and empty. There was no telling what forces operated here. Growing up, she had wandered the lonely expanse of canyons, mountains and sand, populated with roadrunners and rattlesnakes like it was her own private playground. And now, she was at its mercy.

  If she were to listen carefully, she’d hear the wind wailing through the Chisos, the Phantom Mountains, the final stronghold of the Apache. It was said their ghosts still roamed free alongside the bears, the mountain lions and the wild horses that inhabited he peaks.

  When she was younger, Molly had loved to explore. The weird shadows on the desert floor cast by the surrounding mountains had been her friends, the breathtaking sunsets had given her something to dream about. She’d learned the plants wildlife, cataloguing them in her mind – the many species of tarantulas, almost a dozen different scorpions and an odd rat who never drinks water. There were countless varieties of cacti so full of thorns, they were given handles like ‘eagle claw’ and ‘horse crippler’. Even what usually gave people pause, the mysterious white clouds of iridescent energy that danced along the mountain paths were familiar to her and gave her a sense of peace.

  Molly tried to draw on those feelings now, so she wouldn’t be so afraid. “Please, please, please,” she prayed, shivering as the temperature began to drop. It would be a long time till morning. Would anyone think to look here? What were the chances? It wasn’t as if O’Neil would tell anyone. It would be his hope that someone would discover her broken body at the bottom of the ravine and inform Tennessee.

  Santa Elena.

  There was nowhere else on earth like it. A fearsome fracture in the earth with sheer cliff walls rising 1500 feet above the serpentine Rio Grande where the horizon doesn’t exist and water appears to flow uphill. Not too far downstream, some of the caves she’d told Philip about were hidden in the rocks, burial chambers of lost conquistadors and long gone soldiers probably still holding swords in their skeletal hands.

  Molly shivered. Her imagination was running wild. Better to think of ghosts and treasure than remember she was dangling by a thread in a giant vault of limestone facing certain death.

  * * *

  Ranger Tommy Ford was on the radio contacting the helicopter pilot while Tennessee gathered the gear he’d need if he had to make a descent. He felt more helpless than he’d ever been in his life. Molly was in the hands of a man bent on revenge and he was just guessing the next move to make to help her. The copter wouldn’t be helpful until first light, so all they could do at this point was drive as close to the canyon as possible and hike in. Based on history and O’Neil’s rantings, they were assuming he’d taken her to Santa Elena, but Big Bend was twelve hundred square miles, an uninhabited wilderness the size of the state of Maryland – she literally could be anywhere. Ten just prayed she was alive and they could find her before it was too late.

  “He’ll be here in a few hours.” The ranger joined him after signing off. “By the time we get into place and know if Molly’s there, he’ll be in the sky. Did you find everything you need?”

  Tennessee nodded. “Yes, I think so. I had to improvise with a few things, but I think I can make do.” He held up ropes, a couple of harnesses and a winch. “Do you have any of those lights to attach to our hats so we can see where we’re going in the dark?” Hiking at night wasn’t recommended for many reasons, from drop-offs to mountain lions, but the thought of Molly out there alone, in danger and pregnant spurred him on. An outpouring of love and fear of loss almost paralyzed Ten. He kept moving out of necessity, hoping to hell that he was thinking clearly. Now he knew why they didn’t allow cops and doctors to work on cases involving loved ones. It was just damned hard to function when you were going out of your mind.

  “Let me go look in the back. Hang on.”

  Checking the clock, he saw it was after two am already. The sun would be high in the sky by the time they reached the ridge. Ten hated how the time was being ate up by circumstances. He’d had to inform the police so they could look for O’Neil, then phone the rangers to get things in gear to even begin the search and rescue. Tennessee had wanted to just strike out on his own, but he knew if he were going to be successful he needed help and the tools to do the job. If Molly wasn’t in the canyon, they’d search elsewhere. He’d do whatever it took to get her back.

  “I’ve got them, Tennessee.” Tommy held up the lights. “Anything else?”

  “No, I’m past ready to get on the road.” With no sleep, Tennessee was running on caffeine and adrenaline.

  The ranger could see his friend was scared, but running off unprepared wouldn’t have done anyone any good. “We’ll leave as soon as the other two rangers get here.”

  “Hell, I wish they’d hurry.” Tennessee went outside and gazed off toward the southwest, knowing Molly was out there somewhere scared and alone. “I’m coming, Molly-girl. Don’t give up.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Molly had thought the rising sun would make her feel better, but a clear view of her predicament didn’t bring comfort. Instead it brought terror. If she looked up, she could see how far out of reach the cliff top was, and worse – she could see the dire state of the ropes by which she hung. O’Neil had devised an inhumane form of torture. He’d shredded the edges of the straps holding the harness so that her weight swaying in the slight wind would continue to break the threads one by one until she fell to a horrible death.

  If she looked down, the view was even worse. A drop of over a thousand feet to sharp rocks below. Molly tried to keep a clear head. Tennessee would have put a search into motion. They were looking for her, she had no doubt of that. Her experience told her they’d come from topside and attempt to either winch her up or use a helicopter to lift her. So her gaze kept finding its way overhead, hoping to see or hear some evidence that Ten had come.

  Snap!

  Molly closed her eyes in abject terror. How long before the harness gave way? When one side broke, it would put undue strain on the other and the opposite straps would break faster. If she were forced to support herself by hanging onto the line itself, she could only do it for a few minutes. Her upper body strength used
to be greater, the weight she’d gained during the pregnancy and her inactivity had taken its toll.

  Her pregnancy. Molly groaned. What chance did she and the baby have? Very little, unless help came soon.

  A noise below caused her to jerk and another snap sounded as loud as a thunderclap in her ears. She froze to see what would happen, and when no more threads gave way she relaxed enough to peer beneath her. “Oh, my God!” A sight so farfetched to her imagination made Molly gasp. A large black bear was climbing up the wall, scaling the cliff by inserting her claws in the tiny clefts and crags of the rocks. In all of her years in the park, Molly had never seen anything even remotely like it. If she hadn’t been in such a precarious position, she would’ve been fascinated. Now in her panicked state of mind, all she could think was that the bear was after her. It took a few minutes of calming herself down and watching the bear’s progress to make her realize that the creature wasn’t after her. She was headed to a narrow pathway about halfway up the cliff that veered off to the right. Molly studied the formation, trying to see if there was any possibility she could find handholds enough to climb down to the path herself.

  But there wasn’t.

  She was experienced enough to know that her only chance of survival was to be rescued before her harness gave way. Staring at the frayed edges of the straps, Molly broke out in a cold sweat. Only a squeal below forced her eyes away from the terrible sight. When she did look down, Molly couldn’t help but smile. Below the large bear, bringing up the rear, was a small cub, doing his best to follow his mother up a more than dangerous path. Holding her breath, Molly watched the little fellow seek a way up the canyon wall. He appeared to be doing well, but she knew one false step and he would plummet to a certain death – just like she would if her harness failed.

  At least the spectacle below her took her mind off of her own condition. For a while, she focused on the bears, her heart almost stopping once when the little bear slipped. When he regained his footing, she could breathe again. The mother found her way to the path and a few minutes later so did the cub and they scampered out of sight.

  Alone again, Molly clung to hope.

  * * *

  “Did you know that astronauts have trained here because the dry rocky terrain simulates the moonscape?”

  “Nope, that’s news to me.” Tennessee knew Tommy was trying to keep his spirits up, but he was too anxious to care. They had suffered a frustrating delay when one of the tires on the jeep they were driving had blown. There was nothing else to do but stop and change it, which ate up precious time. “We’re almost there.” Ten pointed to the summit.

  The four men had been hiking at a frantic pace for almost an hour. The other two rangers, Sonny Roads and Maurice Danforth had finally shown up and Ten had to fight himself to be polite. He knew if this was a normal rescue that he’d been called to help with, his attitude would have mirrored theirs. They were concerned, focused, intent on helping but not consumed with worry like Tennessee. Every step he took, every breath he drew into his lungs, he counted as seconds that could be consuming the valuable time he had to rescue his Molly.

  When he neared the top, Tennessee broke into a run. He’d spent this whole time trying to get into O’Neil’s head and he was convinced Molly would be here.

  “Watch your step, McCoy.” Tommy warned. We don’t want to be attempting two rescues.”

  Just before reaching the edge, Ten couldn’t hold back. “Molly?”

  Down below, Molly jerked. She’d heard a voice. She’d heard Tennessee. So afraid that she was imagining things, Molly almost didn’t answer. Hope and desperation gave her voice. “I’m here, Tennessee.” She was so thirsty, Molly didn’t know if he’d be able to understand.

  Going to the very edge, Ten fell to his knees so he could look over the side. Relief and love made his eyes smart with moisture. But what he saw made him shake with fear. He was going to kill that fuckin’ bastard. “Molly, sweetheart, are you okay?”

  “Yea, but I don’t know how much longer I’ve got.”

  Her voice was weak and Tennessee had to strain to hear. “I’m coming down as quickly as I can, love.”

  The others joined him in assessing the situation. “My, God.” Maurice whistled. “He’s set a damn booby trap for her. Almost any pressure will send her…”

  “Let’s just do it.” Ten ordered. “We don’t have a damn moment to waste.” He knew exactly what the man was going to say. Her harness was barely staying together. She could fall at any moment. O’Neil had recreated his version of what happened to his father. Only this time - the person whose life was at risk was the most important person in the world to Tennessee.

  The three other men took him at his word and began securing the guides and ropes to rocks and trees. “Do you want one of us to go down? We’re fresher and not so…”

  “Hell, no.” Tennessee growled. “I’m going to her. You just take care of things up here.”

  “Be careful, Ten.” She called. “I don’t know if you should try, this is so dangerous for you.”

  The fact that she was thinking about his safety at a time like this made him want to scream. “Just hold on, Molly. There’s nothing in the world that could keep me from coming to you.”

  The men behind him exchanged looks. “We’re ready, but you need to take it slow, McCoy. You’re going to have to get her out of that harness and into another one without…”

  “I know. I know,” Tennessee strapped himself in, affixing the harness and extra line to his belt. “I’m not going to fail. Just be ready to pull her up if the helicopter doesn’t get here in time.”

  “Pulling her up will be easier than pulling you up.” Tommy snorted.

  “The helicopter is on the way,” Maurice added. “I just checked.”

  Tennessee went to the side and looked over. The river winding below looked like he could step over it, but he knew it was a hundred foot wide. There was only a hundred-fifty feet of space for the helicopter to enter the canyon. Ten swore that if this worked, he’d reward these good men well for helping him and Molly. To see her so vulnerable and at the mercy of chance just broke his heart. “I think I should go down on the left side. I can’t risk sending any rocks down on top of her.”

  “I think you’re right.” Sonny pointed out a path. “If you’ll go down at an angle it will be safer.”

  “I agree.” He took a deep breath and looked down again. She was gazing up at him steadily. It was too far away for him to make out her expression, but he knew she had to be terrified. She also trusted him, and this time he swore to God he wouldn’t let her down.

  As he climbed down, he made some vows. If he could dream, their life together would be a long and happy one. If he could dream, his daughter would just be the first of their children. If he could dream…this would all be over and she’d be safe in his arms.

  When Molly saw Tennessee begin to rappel down the side of the canyon wall, she began to cry. How could the hatred of one man come to this? Rita had been guilty, but it was O’Neil’s vehement anger against fate that put their lives in danger. If his blood did run through her veins, she would never claim it. Greg never realized that he’d had nothing to fear from Molly, she wanted nothing from him or his father. The only thing she’d ever wanted was love, and if her father was alive that would’ve been all she could ask for.

  Molly couldn’t take her eyes from Tennessee. She wanted to call out, to bid him be safe, but she didn’t want to distract him. If she could dream, this nightmare would be over. If she could dream, their little girl would be born healthy and happy with a mother and father who loved her. If she could dream, Molly would share her life with the man who was risking his to save hers.

  Snap!

  A small scream slipped from her lips.

  “Molly!”

  “Just be careful, Ten.” She didn’t want him to know that one corner of the harness had broken loose. Molly didn’t know whether to adjust her weight or not. She tried holding her breath, but
what good did that do?

  Tennessee just focused on putting one foot in place, guiding the rope, then placing the next foot. He’d rescued dozens of people, but never before had it been someone precious to him. This was his woman and his child. The situation he found himself in was unthinkable.

  But finally…finally he was even with her. Her beautiful face was pale and he could see that they only had minutes. Trying to alleviate her fear, Ten smiled. “Hey, baby, what you doing down here?”

  A half-laugh/half-sob escaped her lips. “Just hanging out waiting for you.”

  “Sorry it took me so long to get here.” He was talking, but he was also working. Ten decided to just put the new harness on over the old, then release the other one if there was time.

  “I tried not to put my full weight down,” she tried to tease.

  “Yea, you’re so heavy,” he countered, as he made sure the new harness was safely affixed to the line that ran above. “I’m going to slip this on you. So, just hang loose.”

  “Okay.” She agreed in a small voice, moving as he directed.

  Snap!

  Another corner gave way and her body slipped dramatically to one side. Tennessee grabbed for her and his foot slipped. For a few terrifying moments, they swung free in the air until he could catch a handhold. Using his strength, he pulled them both back to the canyon wall. “Put your arms around my neck.” His world was in his hands, he couldn’t afford to fail her a second time. If she went down, he would go with her. Tennessee couldn’t live without her.

  “Ten, I don’t want to endanger…”

  “Do it Molly,” he ordered. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to lose you.”

  “I’m hanging by a thread.”

  “It’s okay, baby.” He assured her. “It’s okay.” Fastening a belt under her arms, he clipped it so if the harness didn’t catch there would be something to hold her till he could try something else. As he worked, he glanced at her sweet face. “You’re so pretty.”