by K C West
Rodriguez touched Kim’s arm as she walked past him. “Wait a minute, Doctor Blair. I’d like to check that shoulder of yours. You aren’t moving your left arm very well.”
She waved him off. “It’s nothing much…just a little sore. Why don’t you bandage PJ’s arm? She’s got a nasty cut.”
He focused his attention on my injury and Kim moved on to talk with Sandy and Donny. I tried to follow Kim’s progress, but dust and debris made visibility difficult. Grit burned my eyes and my throat clogged when I tried to talk. Jackson put some drops in my eyes and that helped ease the burning. It took a few minutes before I could see clearly again.
Sandy materialized beside me. “PJ, are you sure you don’t need me to help you and Doc clean up?”
I grabbed his arm, holding on to it for balance. “No, we won’t be much longer. They want us out of here until they can assess the damage and security risks.”
He gave me a hug, resting his chin on the top of my head. “We’ll be okay. We’re all in one piece, that’s what counts.”
“Yes,” I said, “we were very lucky. Kim wants us to clear out and check with our families.”
“I’m going to call Mike when I get to a phone. I want to tell him we’re okay before he hears about this on some news bulletin.”
We broke apart. “My gosh, I forgot all about Mike. He’s still in Denver?”
Sandy nodded. “As far as I know, he’s staying with his old roommate. I have the number. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
I gave his waist a parting squeeze. “Thank you, Sandy. Help Josie and the others, okay? And keep us posted on Mike and his travel plans.”
“Sure thing, PJ.” He stopped to speak with Jackson. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but they used their hands and pointed back down the trail so I assumed Sandy was getting new directions to the trailhead.
Gawd. I hope the vehicles are still in one piece. This is so unbelievable.
Pup nudged my hip. “Easy, boy.” I gave him a pat. “You’re okay now, yes you are.” I looked around. “Where’s Kim?”
He whined and bumped me again. “Can you find her for me?”
He snorted.
“Lead on, then.”
He gave a sharp bark and bounded toward our collapsed main tent. I was right behind him.
Kim was on her knees, pawing through piles of scattered debris.
“Kim!” I called and skidded to a halt beside her.
“Oh, gawd. It’s gone too.” She wiped her hands on her jeans. “Only pieces…so many pieces.”
I dropped to my knees. “Pieces of what, Kim?”
She looked at me, her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, PJ, that beautiful gift…is smashed to bits.” She held up a few tiny shards of the Krater. “This was all I could find.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Really, it is. We can order another one.”
Kim sniffed and wiped her face leaving a smear of dirt across her cheek. “It’s just…oh, hell…the final straw, you know?”
She bowed her head. Her body shivered, giving way to shock now that the initial danger had passed. I sensed it too, a contagious fear. We all had come so close to being killed. I put my arms around her and touched my forehead to hers. Our bodies trembled against each other.
It’s okay, now. We can be frightened together. The whole damn mountain can come down on us, but we’ll manage.
“You need to get off this mountain and rest,” I told her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. I heard her breath catch.
“There’s too much to—”
“Did that hurt you, Kim?”
“What? No, it’s just—”
I gave her a penetrating look. “Don’t give me that crap. It’s your shoulder again, isn’t—”
“PJ, please, not now.”
She pulled away from me and we glared at each other for several seconds. I shook my head, trying not to smile. “Could there be anyone more stubborn on this whole damn mountain?”
Her lips twitched. “Uh huh… and I’m looking at her.”
“Oh, please. There’s no contest.”
“Well, anyway, we have things to do. We have to leave the area.”
I put my arm around her waist and she leaned into me.
This is much better. A gal could get used to this kind of support.
Dewey and James began a systematic search for our gear. Kim and I split up and wandered among the group offering our support and thanking the security guards for their monumental effort to get to us.
I saw Laine and Josie sitting together on the ground talking, their voices so calm it was surreal. Clean, white bandages made a sharp contrast to the dirt and grime on their arms and faces.
“Well, you two could be the cover girls for Disaster Magazine, if such a thing existed.” My teasing earned me weary smiles, as I crouched beside them. “But, I guess you don’t look too bad, considering you’ve been through an earthquake.”
Laine laughed. “Haven’t you heard? Grunge is in.”
“How about you, PJ?” Josie eyed my arm. “That looks pretty nasty.”
Laine gripped my elbow. “You look awfully pale under all that grit. Why don’t you sit down here next to me and put your head down.”
“I’m fine. I don’t plan on fainting any time soon.” I glanced in Kim’s direction. “Doc may have re-injured her shoulder, though. I’d like her to go back to the motor home and rest.”
Sandy joined us in time to overhear my comment. “Good luck getting her to leave if she thinks there’s more to be done here.”
I stood up and he pulled me into another hug. “Thanks, I needed that. We’ve already had a few words on the subject.” He relaxed his embrace, but kept his hand on my back.
I noticed his cheek was cut and his arms were scraped, but otherwise his grin was as comforting as ever.
“How are you holding up?” I asked him.
“I’m fine for now.”
“And the guys?”
“See for yourself.” He motioned them over. “PJ wants to take a good look at you.” He turned back to me. “They’re a filthy bunch of hardheaded bone diggers. But I think you’ll agree that it takes more than a little old earthquake to rattle us.” He made eye contact with all of them, Laine and Josie included. “Am I right?”
“Oh, yeah!” Lewis and Donny nodded.
Dewey put his hands on his hips. “Good to go,” he said.
“We’re cool,” James assured me and the girls gave me a couple of thumbs up.
You guys are amazing. You really are like family to me.
I felt a lump in my throat, but tried to keep smiling. My knees shook and I felt the trembling start again.
“Easy,” Sandy said. The arm at my back stiffened and he and Donny helped me sit back down.
Josie rubbed my back. “Please put your head down, okay, PJ? It’s bad for the troops to watch their leader keel over.”
I nodded and lowered my head. “I’ll try to remember that.”
“We’re all gonna be fine, physically, PJ.” I looked up at Donny. His bloodshot eyes held tears. “It’s just hitting us so hard that we’ve lost the Amazon remains and all.”
I found a tissue in my pocket and blew my nose. Emotion and dust kept my throat tight. “I know, but it could have been so much worse.” I looked at them standing around me, reflecting various stages of grief and shock. We had suffered physical and emotional trauma, yet we were alive and we would survive.
“Please, sit down here a minute.” I indicated a space that we’d just cleared to assemble our gear. Someone handed me a bottle of water and I drank half of it before speaking again.
“Gawd, I am so proud of you.” My eyes filled with tears. “We’ve uh…had a little setback here. But, after we have a chance to regroup, we’re going to search the area and reclaim whatever we can of our notes and our data.”
Kim joined our huddle.
“Hi, Doc,” I said, as she crouched beside me. “I’m telling them all how proud we are of t
he way they’ve handled themselves.”
She nodded and cleared her throat. Her hand slipped into mine and stayed there for the duration of her speech to the crew.
I doubt you realize what you’re doing right now, but I’m not going to object. It’s a great comfort to me.
“Yes, I agree,” Kim said, her voice strong and steady. “I’ve called you the best team I’ve ever had and you’ve demonstrated that today. PJ and I will need to go over our options, and make some plans. Right now, though, I think it would be best if you all took off. The security people told me that you’d find debris on the roads, some power lines down, and buildings damaged. Be prepared for detours. Police will be out there to help you get home. See what needs to be done and contact your loved ones. Give them a phone number or a contact person so they can reach you. You can always use the guard post number or the local police number.”
She took a crumpled up piece of paper out of her pocket. “I wrote that down here. I’ll pass it around and I’d appreciate it if you’d list your most recent phone number and address on that. If you find you have to move, then let me know as soon as possible. My cell phone and home number are on that list.”
I held out my half-filled water bottle. “Drink this. That frog in your throat will soon be dried and petrified.”
“Thanks, PJ.” She drained it and turned back to the group. “So, I guess that’s it for now. Keep me informed of your whereabouts. I’ll be at the motor home, assuming it is still there.”
A few sardonic chuckles greeted her remark.
“What about Mike?” Lewis asked. “He’s missing all the excitement.”
“I’ll contact him,” Sandy said. “Doc can let us know what will happen next.” He looked at her and she nodded. “So, for now, we do what Doc says and take care of business.”
Kim and I collected what we could of our gear and left the camp, pausing at the guard station to talk with Jackson and Rodriguez.
“Thanks again for all your help,” Kim said. “We’re going to return tomorrow, if we can, to make a longer search of the area.”
“Don’t you worry, Doctor Blair,” Jackson assured her, “we’ll keep the place secure.”
“Have you both checked with your families?” she asked them.
Rodriguez nodded. “Just a few minutes ago. Everyone’s fine, so we’ll stay here.”
“Let me know if your relief doesn’t show up and I’ll see what I can do.”
“Okay, Doctor Blair. Thanks.” We said our goodbyes and headed for the parking lot.
“Looks like we lucked out on something.” I pointed to the strip of flat gravel where our vehicles were parked, side-by-side. “I sure didn’t relish the idea of walking all the way to the hotel.”
“Don’t forget to call your father,” Kim admonished me, once we reached our cars. “After you get cleaned up, of course.”
“Will do.” I climbed into the minivan with a wave. “You go home and rest your shoulder. I’ll call you later to see how you’re doing.”
Kim leaned against the Tracker. Her smile was a tired one. “We need to talk, PJ… about a lot of things.”
I returned her smile. “We do…and we will. Right after we deal with all this.”
Kim pulled out of the lot and I followed her as far as the turn off to the Rest-A-While Motor Home Park. I took the right fork, heading west. Apache Trail continued to the highway junction where the Holiday Inn and the Casa Grande were located.
Only, I never got that far. A police cruiser blocked my path a few hundred feet along the road.
What now? Another detour?
A young, well-built deputy approached my window. The nameplate on his neatly pressed, navy blue uniform said: J. T. Collison. He favored me with a tight smile and removed his mirrored sunglasses. “Sorry, miss, you can’t go beyond this point.”
“I have a room at the Casa Grande and I really need to get cleaned up. Is there some sort of detour?”
He acknowledged my disheveled appearance, then his eyes glanced upward behind me. “You’re one of the archaeologists, aren’t you? Did you just come off the mountain?”
I nodded. “Smack dab in the middle of the quake and the landslide…or so it seemed.”
His spotless uniform, clear blue eyes and carefully combed, reddish brown hair only intensified my discomfort.
You haven’t been anywhere near this disaster, Deputy. And right now, you’re all that stands between me and my shower and clean, cool sheets.
“Look, officer-“
“I’d like to see some identification, please.”
“What?”
“You said that you’re staying at the Casa Grande?”
“That’s right.”
“I need to see some identification.”
I exhaled. Stay cool; he’s only doing his job. “Yes, sir.” I fumbled through my daypack, located my wallet, removed my license and handed it to him.
He peered at it. “Massachusetts, huh? You’re a long way from home, Miss Curtis. I’ll just be a minute.” He took it to the patrol car.
“I haven’t broken any laws, you know!” I called after him. “Unless being filthy on an Arizona highway is a crime!”
“No, ma’am. Not that I know of.”
Jesus Christ! He’s unflappable. I can’t even have the satisfaction of insulting him.
He consulted a list and made a call on his radio. I heard plenty of static, but nothing in the way of intelligible human speech. Sweat was trickling down the back of my neck and I could feel the gash on my arm throbbing. Deputy Collison muttered a bunch of gibberish and returned to my car with my license.
“If you’d be kind enough to come with me, Miss Curtis. Someone at the Casa Grande wants to speak with you.”
“Someone at Casa Grande?”
“Yes, a Joel—”
“Joel Weaver?”
The patrolman rubbed his cheek. “I believe so.”
Thank God. Now, we can get this cleared up. “Good,” I told the deputy, “Joel is the assistant manager.”
We walked to his patrol car and he handed the microphone to me.
“This is against regulations, Miss, but under the circumstances—”
“I won’t tell if you won’t.”
“Hold it up to your mouth and push on that tab. That’s right. Now release the tab and listen. Push the tab and hold it to talk. Release it to listen. Got it?”
Why do I feel like a six-year-old child?
“Yes, Deputy Collison, I believe I can do that.”
He caught the sarcasm in my voice and his jaw tightened. I didn’t wait for him to change his mind. “Joel? Come in. This is PJ.” I released the tab and waited.
“Doctor Curtis? Oh, goodness. Is it really you?” Joel’s voice sounded a million miles away.
“Yes, it’s me. What’s the problem there?”
There was a burst of static and then his voice came through clearly. “…. the fire after the quake. And we had to evacuate…” A squeal drowned his next few words. “…and about six more are missing. You were one of the six. I’m really glad to hear from you.”
I clicked the tab. “Wait, Joel. Say again. There was a fire? Anybody hurt?”
“A short in the wiring… on the third floor…. near the roof. …everybody out and try to account for… There were about ten injured, but not seriously.”
“Thank goodness,” I added.
“Yes, thank goodness. But, we still can’t find five people.”
“Oh, I see. That’s terrible. Is the fire out?”
Another squawk… and then static. “… When the roof caved in, we feared the worst.”
“Where? The roof caved in where? On the hotel?”
“… third floor section … where your suite was…smoke and water. Oh, it’s a real mess.”
My mind stalled on the part about the roof over my suite.
Gawd. If I had been in there …or Laine and Josie.
I closed my eyes and sagged against the doorframe
of the patrol car.
Deputy Collison grabbed my elbow. “Sit down. Put your head between your knees.”
I handed him the microphone and complied, feeling better once the dizziness stopped. He pressed a water bottle into my hand. “Take small sips. It will help.”
I looked up and took the bottle from him. “Thanks, I…it just hit me that I could have been killed…twice today.” I uncapped the water and drank. The cold liquid hit my parched throat and I coughed.
“Easy,” the deputy said, patting my shoulder. “You’re fine now. It’s going to be okay.”
I tried to smile. “I think I must have a bull’s-eye painted on my back or something.”
For the first time since we’d met, Deputy Collison relaxed his professional demeanor. A hint of a smile creased his face. “I’ve had a few days like that myself.”
Jesus, you’re right, you must have had terrible days. I’m sorry to have thought otherwise. I’m so damn tired and achy and this day has gone on forever. But, I shouldn’t have taken any of it out on you.
The radio squealed and the deputy took back the microphone.
“Did you have any more information for Miss Curtis?” he asked.
“Call your father,” we heard Joel reply.
“My father? Why—”
Joel continued without hearing my question. “He called us because of an express mail package, but when he heard about the quake and the fire…. well he got a bit frantic.”
Oh Gawd, he probably thinks I started it. Okay. I’ll add it to all the rest of the stuff to do.
I realized that I was homeless for the time being and gave Joel Kim’s phone number for contact purposes. There was little hope of retrieving my things anytime soon, if at all. I promised to call my father as soon as I reached a working phone.
“Are you strong enough to drive now, Miss Curtis?” the deputy asked, when I returned his water bottle.
“Yes, I’ll be fine…and thank you for all your help.” I climbed into the minivan. “I guess I’m going to have to drive clear to Mesa to find another room and get cleaned up.”
“Well, take it easy. To get through, you’ll have to go back that way on Apache Trail, take a right on Tomahawk, then go west on the Superstition Highway.”
“Okay. You be careful, too.” I retraced my route according to his instructions.
