Chapter 23: John

Chapter 23 – John

Our gear is packed up—tent, bedroll, cooking supplies, food, everything. Well, almost everything. I haven’t packed the satellite phone yet. I’m pretty sure we’re going to need it to call for help. I haven’t saddled the horses and mule, either, as that might be premature.

Gabrielle and I grab some water bottles and sit on the log bench beside our fire pit to watch the shit show unfolding just a hundred yards away. The afternoon is getting on, and we’re going to be late getting back. There’s no way we can leave now, not when all hell’s about to break loose.

As the kid climbs, his buddies stand at the base of the rock and cheer him on—loudly.

Gabrielle watches the kid climb, her expression a mix of confusion and horror. “Why isn’t he using any ropes?” she whispers. “Is he crazy? He could fall so easily.” When he misses a hand hold and scrambles for purchase, she covers her eyes. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

I put my arm around her and pull her close. “Yeah, this isn’t going to end well. He’s in way over his head.”

The kid’s foot slips on the rock, and he flails for a better hold.

“You got this, Kirk!” one of the kids on the ground yells up at his friend. “You got this!”

Gabrielle turns to face me. “I can’t watch this. Seriously, I can’t.”

I stroke my thumb across her cheek, mesmerized by her soft skin.

“Did I ever mention I’m afraid of heights?” she asks.

“You do fine on Odin, and he’s a tall horse.”

“That’s because I’m careful never to look down at the ground. I keep my gaze fixed straight ahead, usually at the back of your head. It’s not so bad then.”

“You flew to Denver. You’re not afraid to fly?”

“Aisle seat. I avoided looking out any windows. I told myself we were sitting on the runway the whole time.”

I laugh. “Did it work?”

She shrugs. “Mostly. Except for when we hit turbulence.”

Chuckling, I lean forward to kiss her lightly. “You are—”

We break apart at the sound of an earth-shattering scream, followed by sheer pandemonium by the two guys standing at the base of the rock.

Well, fuck.

We both stand. Kirk is nowhere to be seen. His buddies are hysterical, racing back and forth frantically, calling up to Kirk—who is still not visible.

But he’s alive. We can hear him screaming a blue streak, his curses punctuated by cries of pain.

I grab the sat phone and power it up as I head over there. Gabrielle follows right behind me.

“Where is he?” I ask the two on the ground.

They both point up to a ledge about twenty feet above the ground.

“He fell on that ledge,” one of them says.

“Kirk!” I yell. “You okay?”

“No, you asshole! My fucking leg is broken!”

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“Yes, I’m sure! The fucking bone is sticking out of my skin.”

Well, shit.

The phone is powered up now and connected to a satellite. I phone the main desk at the lodge and put the call on speaker so everyone can hear.

“McIntyre Wilderness Excursions,” Tammy says with a cheerful voice. “How can I—”

“Tammy, it’s Burke. I need you to put Killian or Hannah on the phone A-SAP.”

“Um, sure. Just a sec. They’re in the office.”

A moment later, Killian comes on the line. “What’s wrong, Burke?”

“We need a med evac up at Pine Lake.”

“What happened? Is it Gabrielle?”

“No, she’s fine. It’s an idiot climber who had no business doin’ what he was doin’. We’ll need climbers, and we’ll need Micah to bring his chopper up here to lift the guy off the ledge and transport him to the hospital. Compound fracture of the leg.”

“All right. I’ll radio Travis and Maya. They’re off duty at the moment. And I’ll call Micah. We’ll get up there as quickly as possible. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks. We’ll be here.”

Kirk is alternately screaming and crying.

“Hang on, kid!” I holler up at him. “Help is on the way.”

The two guys on the ground are having panic attacks.

“Hey,” I tell them. “He’s damn lucky he landed on that ledge. If he’d hit the ground, he’d have more than a broken leg to complain about. It might have killed him.”

One of the kids turns away and throws up.

I glance over at Gabrielle, who’s white as a sheet. “Well, the upside,” I tell her, “is you’ll get to see McIntyre Search and Rescue up close, doing what they do best. They’re on their way.”