Pathways (9780307822208)

by Bergren, Lisa T.

  “Doc?” Eli asked a moment later.

  “Y-yes?” she said, wiping her face and rising.

  “A Cessna. Heading our way. Wave that slicker, honey. Wave it as hard as you can.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  When the rescue team landed on the tiny mountain lake, Bryn sank to her knees again and gave in to the trembling of hypothermia that she had staved off for hours—like a grad student succumbing to a cold on the day after finals. Soon after they arrived, Bryn dimly recognized a helicopter, a medevac from Anchorage or Willow. She was picked up and placed in a sleeping bag, with heating pads in her armpits and an oxygen mask over her face.

  “Eli,” she moaned. “Eli!”

  “Shh,” said an EMT beside her. “They’re bringing him, too. He’ll be right here beside you in a minute.” The medical technician checked her fingers and toes.

  “Fr-frostbite?” she mumbled.

  “Maybe,” he said grimly. “I’m more worried over your core temperature.”

  “What am I running?”

  “Ninety-one.” A body temp of 89 degrees would bring coma.

  “And Eli?” she asked, as a litter was placed beside her with a rough-and-tumble clatter. Almost immediately she felt the chopper lift into the air and a cold rush of wind through an open doorway. She blacked out before she could hear the EMT’s answer.

  Bryn awakened in a hospital and recognized the warmth of blankets as nurses piled them on her. She was still trembling violently and had been laid on a board attached to chains that were hooked to a ceiling hoist. With a start she realized that they had catheterized her and there were intravenous needles in both arms. The nurses were pumping warm fluids into her, urging her body back to its normal temperature.

  Meanwhile they began to lower her into a warm bath, gradually increasing the heat. After her second dip, her mind cleared enough to think about Eli. Where was he? Was he in worse shape than she? Had he … died? He had been injured far worse than she had, and he’d been so cold for so long. “Please,” she said, grasping a nearby nurse’s arm. “Eli Pierce. He was brought in here with me. Is he all right?”

  The nurse gently pried Bryn’s icy fingers from her forearm and placed her hand back under the warm blankets. “He’s doing all right. He’s next door, in a room identical to this one.”

  Bryn gasped for breath and realized she’d been holding it, waiting for the nurse’s answer. Tears ran down her cheeks. What would she have done had he died? What would her life be like without Eli?

  “Dr. Bailey?” said another nurse in concern over her tears. “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” she said, trying to smile through her chattering teeth. “Nothing at all.” Thank you, Lord, she prayed silently. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  They lowered the platform again, and the nurses pulled away the towels. As the warm waters surrounded Bryn, she knew she had been plucked from the edge of eternity for a reason.

  Eli shook his head, relishing the warm blankets that covered him from chin to toe, but he was unable to quit shaking. His head kept a steady beat on the padded gurney. He chided himself for his weakness and asked the nearest nurse about Bryn.

  “For the seventh time, Dr. Bailey is doing better all the time. Just like you.”

  “When can I see her?”

  “When the doctor says it’s okay.”

  “When Dr. Bailey says it’s okay?”

  “No. When Dr. Albrechtson says it’s okay. Rest. Get warm. Let us assess how you are faring. You’ll see Dr. Bailey soon enough.”

  Eli doubted that. He thought about what they’d just been through. They were alive! And recovering! In a hospital where there was a good chance of saving fingers and toes. “Thank you, Lord,” he whispered. Leon had passed a message to him via a nurse that they were already working on salvaging his Beaver. With any luck, he’d have his girl and his plane both in one piece within the week. Or the month anyway. The month …

  It was August. Bryn’s Housecalls contract ended in a matter of days. Eli had seen Carmine walk past his window, to see Bryn, he presumed. Of course, the Housecalls director hadn’t stopped to check on his volunteer pilot. Ladies first, Eli grinned. Think again, Doc. The lady’s taken.

  As the medical team raised his litter and lowered him into the warm pool, he thought about Bryn and their future together. What could he offer her here? He had built a business, a life, in Talkeetna. Was the crash God’s way of getting his attention, of giving him a wake-up call that all he had built could easily be taken away? Maybe Bryn deserved someone better than him, another doctor, like Carmine Kostas.

  No, that mind garbage didn’t ring true to him even in his sorry state. He was in love with Bryn, and she was in love with him. There had to be a way to be together. There had to be. But if he pressured her to stay here when she didn’t truly want to, it would only lead to trouble later. Perhaps a rift that they couldn’t bridge. He couldn’t bear for that to happen.

  Would she walk away? He wasn’t a fool. He knew she had that Boston job offer on the line. A prestigious position like that would pay off her “mountain of school loans,” as she called it. Did he make enough at Alaska Bush to help shoulder that debt? He sighed heavily. One thing at a time. One thing at a time. There would be plenty of opportunities for fretting, considering, hoping. For now he would simply appreciate the warm liquid that surrounded every inch of his aching body and revel in the fact that he and Bryn were alive at all to fret, consider, and hope for a new day.

  It took them another forty-eight hours to leave the hospital, but both did so on their own two feet. Bryn had a few frostbitten toes that concerned doctors and five Steri-Strip closures on her forehead, but she was otherwise okay. Eli had a broken clavicle, as Bryn had suspected, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken arm. The fingers on that arm were still numb, also a concern, probably due to the lack of circulation and the cold. He and Bryn hoped that with time and prayer all would be okay. “Even if they have to come off, I’m so glad to be alive, I’d call it a small sacrifice,” he said, putting his arm around her. “You can love a one-handed man, can’t you?”

  “If you could love a woman who’s missing three toes,” she said. They kissed and walked outside into the dark night, where Leon had parked his sedan, ready to take them home to Talkeetna. It was icy cold, and they each pulled their warm parkas a bit closer; Eli resolved never to take warm clothing for granted again.

  “There’s a definite nip of winter in the air,” he said, pulling open the car door for Bryn.

  “Winter? It isn’t even fall yet!”

  He shut the door and went around to the other side. “You blink in Alaska, and autumn has rolled on by.”

  “I can’t wait to see the tundra,” Bryn said, staring out her window into the inky darkness. She turned to Eli suddenly, but he couldn’t see much of her face, just a vague outline in the glow of the dashboard’s gauge lights. “I asked Carmine for the rest of the season off. Told him I wanted to spend my last days at Summit.”

  “Oh,” Eli managed. “What’d he say?”

  “He agreed. Asked me to come back next summer.”

  Eli swallowed hard. “What’d you say to that?” he asked, trying desperately to keep his tone light.

  “I said I’d think about it.”

  Eli refused to add anything. He didn’t want to sway her decision. She had to do what was right for her. If they were meant to be, the way would be made clear. Somehow.

  Why didn’t Eli ask her to stay? Did he not love her enough to marry her? Did he not know yet? Because Bryn knew. After nearly losing him in the water, under that tree, to that bear, there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind.

  “You ready to ride in a plane again to Summit tomorrow?” Eli asked.

  She shook her head, trying to focus on what he was saying. “Wh-what? Oh yes. I thought about it a lot in the hospital. Back in the saddle and all that.” She turned back to her dark window, to watch ghostly silhouettes speeding by.

&nb
sp; “Want me to fly you up there?” Leon volunteered, looking up into his rearview mirror as if he could see her.

  “That would be great.” She turned toward Eli, taking a risk. “Can you come too? I don’t want to spend my last days in Alaska without you. But I know you’ve been away from the business an awful lot. I don’t know if Leon—”

  “Yes,” he interrupted her. Tenderly he took her hand in his good one and lifted it to his lips. Against the drone of the car engine, he softly kissed one finger and then the next, and then the next, sending tingles of delight up Bryn’s arm and down her spine. How could she leave this man? Ever?

  When he kissed her on her river cabin doorstep and left, his parting felt like a tear in her flesh, from the inside out. Did he feel this ache, this longing to remain together and never part? His lips were soft and warm, and his breath covered her face for a long moment as she memorized the feel of being in close proximity to Eli Pierce. Would another man ever move her like he did? Could she ever find this connection, this friendship with another?

  “Good night, Doc,” he whispered, kissing one eyebrow and then the other, and then finally giving her a last, soft kiss on the mouth. “Better go in now,” he quipped. “It’s cold out here.”

  She stared into his eyes. “I love you, Eli Pierce.”

  “I love you, Bryn Bailey.”

  “See you in the morning?”

  “Yeah. Say, nine o’clock? Think we both could use a good night’s sleep.”

  “Yeah. See you then.” She gave in to the rending then, the laceration of her heart.

  She placed her hand on the cold pine door as she listened to Leon’s car drive away. “God be with you, love,” she whispered. “God be with me.” She hoped her Savior would draw closer than ever before, that she could let him in, that he would guide her, lead her, teach her. Because Bryn Bailey had some big decisions to make.

  Eli and Bryn flew to Summit Lake the following day. There were some high clouds, but it was mostly sunny. The tundra was alive with autumnal colors—russet and gold and olive. The birch were every shade of ripening squash, from a light green to an orange yellow. And the lake was as pretty as ever, a curvy mass of mercury amid the tundra and trees. Arriving on Summit always felt like a homecoming to Eli. He grinned over at Bryn.

  She had handled the flight well, more quiet than usual, but generally fine. He had held her hand with his good one, content to sit in back with the more limited view in order to be near Bryn. Leon sat alone in the cockpit like a chauffeur in the front of a limo. He made a smooth landing and dropped them both at Bryn’s cabin.

  “Smoke rising at your place,” she said, nodding across the lake.

  “That’s my folks. Back from their travels, I guess. The people at the hospital tried to reach them but had no luck.”

  “I’m glad they’re here.” She disappeared through the doorway. “I’d like to see them. There’s something I’d like to ask them.”

  “What?”

  “You’ll see.”

  “Okay, surprise girl. Why don’t you take an hour to yourself? I’ll go catch up with the folks, and then you can join us for lunch.”

  “That’d be good, Eli. Really good.”

  He leaned down and kissed her, turned, and then shook his head, laughing under his breath. Feeling foolish, he turned back to her. “I don’t have my canoe here, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be much good with one arm.”

  She giggled and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. “Give me half an hour, and we’ll go over together, all right?”

  “Okay,” he said, giving her a rueful smile. “I’m gonna go sit on the porch.”

  “All right. I’ll put on a pot of tea.”

  The two struck out across the lake half an hour later. Eli was eager to see his folks, eager to show off Bryn and see how they would feel about seeing him and Bryn together. His dad’s words of all those years before came back to him—“Like catnip to a tomcat.” He smiled. “Can’t you paddle a little faster?” he teased, throwing the comment over his left shoulder.

  “Can’t you get out and swim?”

  He grinned. Up ahead, his cabin emerged from the trees, and his parents walked onto the porch and then down the steps to meet them.

  “Eli Alexander Pierce,” his mother said in surprise, “What have you done to yourself this time?”

  “And why Leon’s plane? Where’s the de Havilland?” his father put in.

  “Had a little accident. We’ll tell you all about it over lunch. Welcome home, by the way,” he said.

  “I told you we should have gotten that cell phone fixed,” Meryl said to Jedidiah while she reached out to give her son a hug and to greet Bryn. “My, haven’t you turned out lovely! And I hear you’re a full-fledged doctor now. Your parents must be so proud.”

  Bryn smiled shyly and then hugged Eli’s father. “Yes, my dear, you’ve grown up real fine,” Jedidiah said. “Prettier every time I see you. No wonder my boy is head over heels.”

  “Not any more than I am,” she said. Eli grinned back at her.

  “Well, come in, come in,” Meryl said. “I have tomato soup on, and in a few minutes we’ll have cheddar sandwiches to go with it.”

  “Sounds great, Mom,” Eli said.

  Eli spent the next hour telling his folks about their ordeal. His mother could say nothing but “oh my” and kept a hand over her mouth. Jedidiah looked over at them both and said, “Thank God you two are all right. I’m sorry we weren’t within reach.”

  “I’m glad we didn’t know,” Meryl said, rising and clearing the lunch dishes. “Spending a whole day not knowing if you were alive or dead is something a mother doesn’t wish to endure.”

  Eventually the topic of conversation switched to the Pierces’ cross-country trip in the RV. Eli relaxed and sat back, watching his parents interact with Bryn and get to know her again. They had a natural way with each other, like old friends. And Eli noticed that his mother leaned in, as if wanting to be affirming, whenever Bryn spoke.

  When they all finally rose again, Bryn helped his mother wash and dry the lunch dishes, then clean up the kitchen. Eli chatted with his dad, but his eyes were on Bryn. She was so incredible. And she fit so well into his family.

  She and Meryl were obviously discussing something intently, speaking in hushed tones and smiling. His mother wiped tears from her rounded cheeks and then reached up to tenderly embrace the taller girl. What were they talking about?

  When they came out, Meryl handed a sack of cookies to Eli. “Your father brought an outboard motor for the rowboat,” she said. “Why don’t you go fire it up and run these down to Ben?”

  “I’m not sure he’s there, Mom. It looked pretty quiet.”

  “Go and check. I don’t want the cookies to get stale. You know how Ben loves chocolate chip.”

  “All right,” he said slowly. Were they trying to get rid of him? Besides, Eli was more in the mood for a nap than a run down the lake. But the prospect of the outboard motor roused him. If it worked, he’d be able to get to Bryn’s and back without escort.

  “Want to come with me?” he asked Bryn. His mother sat down beside his father and whispered something in his ear.

  “No. Thanks. I think I’ll just stay here and rest. It’s been a big day already.”

  “I know what you mean,” he said, rising as she sat down. He went to her and gave her a quick kiss, conscious of his parents’ approving grins and careful to ignore them. “Dad? You want to come?”

  “Uh, I’ll get you started. A nap sounds good to me, too.”

  Eli looked around at the others. What was cookin’ here exactly? They all stared back at him with innocent expressions.

  “Come on, Son. You’ll be back before you know it. We’ll just stay and chat with your girlfriend a little more, maybe catch a little shut-eye.” He gestured toward the door, and Eli went for his coat, picked up the cookies, and left with a curious smile toward Bryn.

  “So, what do you think?” he asked his father
as they descended the steps toward shore.

  “Of Bryn?”

  “No, Dad. Of the weather.”

  Jedidiah chuckled. “You and Bryn were always meant to be together.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because when I sat there drinking with her father—back during my drinking days in Germany—we were feeling as close as brothers, me and Peter.” He laughed and shook his head, rubbed his neck with one hand and then looked his son in the eye. “Pledged our firstborn to each other. You and Bryn, being our first—and only—children were a matched pair from the beginning. An arranged marriage, we called it.”

  Eli stared at him in disbelief. “But—”

  Jedidiah waved at him and smiled. “We were only kidding, of course. But I’d wager that Peter will be as pleased as a fox in a warm winter den if you two would make it official. I would be.” He bent to lift the small motor and place it on the back of the rowboat.

  “I’m thinkin’ about it, Dad. But I don’t know. I don’t want to push Bryn into anything.”

  “Bryn doesn’t seem like the type of woman that anyone pushes into anything. Not unlike your wonderful mother,” he added with a wink.

  “Yeah,” Eli said with a sigh. “Bryn’s terrific. I’d hate to lose her.”

  “You wait for that moment. It’ll come if this is truly meant to be.”

  “That’s what I figure.” He watched as his dad put gasoline into the engine and got it going with a strong arm. He cranked the throttle, letting it run high for a moment, then climbed out of the boat and past Eli. “Give my best to Ben. Tell him to join us for dinner if he’s available.”

  Eli smiled. “Will do.” He climbed in. “What’s with the engine? I thought you were against anything but canoes up here.”

  “I am. But your mother said she’d come with me to the lake more often if we could go for afternoon rides and she wouldn’t have to paddle.”

  Eli took Bryn home in the rowboat that night after dinner, letting the canoe drift behind them on a rope. It wasn’t as peaceful and idyllic as paddling a canoe, but it was faster.