A Sister Would Know

by C. J. Carmichael

  Finally, she saw them. She had to wait only a minute or two, but sixty seconds was a long time to do nothing when someone you loved was in danger. She kept holding her breath, imagining Davin doing without oxygen for an equal length of time. They had to get him out!

  When she was sure the men had seen her, she pointed her skis toward the crooked pine tree and flew, tucking her body low to keep her balance. Wind whooshed around her face as she swung over toward Grant. She was alarmed to see him toss the transceiver aside.

  “I’m not picking up any signal. We’ll have to start probing.”

  Amalie swallowed panic and glanced down at her watch. Almost three minutes had passed now. They were losing precious time. “The men are here.”

  “Good. It’s important to be fast, but we also have to be methodical.” Grant had his pack open and was piecing together an aluminum probe.

  Amalie didn’t have any official equipment, but she could use her pole. “I want to look by that tree.”

  Technique forgotten, she tucked over her skis and let gravity take her forward. Several bumps almost threw her, then she fell on her side to stop herself. Here. This was where she’d last seen him. Turning on the flashlight, she searched for any sign at all. A glove, a ski tip…

  Or a ski pole! She caught the black of the protruding handle in the glare of light.

  “Grant! I see a pole! I think it’s Davin’s!”

  In seconds he was there, then Peder and another man from the team. They pulled large shovels from their pack and worked like crazy men.

  “Call for the helicopter ambulance, Amalie,” Grant said between huffs. “When we find him he’ll need immediate medical attention. We’ll have to fly him to Revelstoke.”

  When we find him. Not if we find him. Amalie clung to this hope, refusing to believe the ski pole could belong to anyone but Davin.

  Although the snow had just fallen, it was packed tight. As the pit the men were digging widened and deepened, they began to position their shovels more carefully.

  “You’re going to be okay, Davin.” Grant had been talking the whole time. “We’re digging you out right now. It’ll only be a few minutes.”

  “Hang in there, baby,” Amalie added, praying that her son could hear them. “I love you, Davin. Just another minute, I promise.”

  Another minute. A glance at her watch confirmed that five minutes had passed since Davin had been swallowed up by the mountain’s eruption.

  How was it possible for so much to happen in so little time? Thank God they’d found him swiftly. Yet five minutes was a long time to go without air. Unless he’d been buried with a small pocket of precious oxygen…

  These thoughts and more raced through Amalie’s head. Again she thought of Helena, who hadn’t been fortunate enough to have the avalanche control team on site within moments of her accident.

  “I feel his hat….”

  Shovels were tossed aside. Now the priority was to clear the area around his head. Bare hands were required. Amalie dropped to her knees and pushed and scraped at the snow, too.

  Release him, you damn mountain! Quickly his head was uncovered. Davin was unconscious, his skin blue.

  God, no, they were too late… But Grant was far from giving up. With his fingers he plucked the plugs of snow from Davin’s mouth, his nostrils, and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. It only took a few breaths.

  “He’s breathing!” Grant announced. “But still unconscious, I think. Let’s get him out of there, boys.”

  In a flurry of arms and flying snow, Davin’s entire body was revealed, like a sculpture from a block of ice. The light in Amalie’s hand wavered as a violent case of trembles overtook her.

  Relief. Her boy was alive.

  The thrumming of propellers, the roar of an engine and bright lights from above announced the arrival of the helicopter ambulance. Amalie was barely aware of it. She was completely focused on Davin, watching for any sign that he might be gaining consciousness.

  Cautiously, limbs were tested for fracture.

  “Careful with the left arm,” Grant said. “I think we’ll need a splint.”

  He’d broken his arm. Amalie decided she could live with that. Please, Lord, let that be his only injury….

  The paramedic who had arrived from the helicopter, took Davin’s vital signs, then he helped Grant splint the arm.

  “Not bad, but let’s put him on oxygen to be safe.”

  Within seconds, he was encased in a warm sleeping bag, then laid out on a backboard, a C-collar holding his neck and spine immobile.

  “It’s okay, Amalie. He’s going to be fine.”

  Only then did she realize she was crying. Grant pulled her into his chest, and she could feel that he, too, was shaking. “That was one of the quickest rescue missions I’ve ever seen. Thank God you spotted that ski pole!”

  AMALIE SAT BY DAVIN’S HOSPITAL BED, holding the hand of his unbroken arm, resting her face on the pillow next to his.

  Grant had stayed on the mountain with his men, while she’d flown in the ’copter with Davin to the hospital. A broken arm was Davin’s only injury. Already it was in a cast.

  She supposed she’d been lucky. This was the first time she’d ended up in Emergency with her son, whereas most of her contemporaries were pros at the routine. What Davin lacked in frequency, however, he certainly compensated for with high drama!

  GRANT PAUSED AT THE DOOR to the hospital room.

  Amalie was sleeping, her head next to Davin’s. It was quite a sight. Those two blondies next to each other like that.

  The fear he’d felt on the mountain came back to him, and he pressed his lips together and forced air up through his nostrils.

  If anything had happened to that kid, he’d probably have fallen apart. And he never would’ve been able to face Amalie. She’d trusted him to save her son.

  Thank God they had.

  He took a few steps into the room, still staring at them, barely able to accept that they truly were safe. Hard to believe how much they’d come to mean to him in such a short time. He’d never had a craving for kids, but Davin…Something about the boy made him feel he might have a calling as a father yet.

  As for Amalie, he couldn’t live without her. He’d realized it as he watched her disappear into the sky in the helicopter. The flight hadn’t been without risk. Low-lying clouds, the fading light…Grant had felt helpless as they’d left, aware that they were no longer in his care. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to.

  Nor was loving someone that much. Funny, he’d always thought that the woman he’d want to marry would be more like him, like his mother: sports-minded and adventurous. But those outer qualities weren’t what counted. Amalie had courage, and determination, and a heart that reached out to people. In the end, that was all he wanted.

  He took a few more steps, then sat in the chair next to Amalie’s. He’d move to Ontario, if that would convince her of his love. There were national parks in that province, too. Somehow they’d come to a compromise if being close to her parents was so important to her.

  Gently, he picked up a spare blanket and spread it over her back, then tucked the edge up under her chin. He didn’t want to wake her, but he sure wished he could hold her in his arms for a few minutes.

  AMALIE FELT THE BLANKET settle over her shoulders.

  “Hey, there.” She smiled, then smoothed her hair back from her face.

  “He’s okay?” Grant brushed her cheek with his lips, then pressed a hand to Davin’s forehead.

  “Yes, he’s okay. Thanks to you.” Amalie wondered how she could possibly repay a debt like this. And how a man could continually put his own life on the line for the sake of others, the way Grant did. She had no doubt that if Davin had been a stranger, Grant wouldn’t have acted any differently. It was more than his job. It was him.

  “Well, it was a real team effort, Amalie. And let’s face it. We had luck—or something a little stronger—on our side.”

  She reached out for his
hand and squeezed it. “Have you had a chance to call Heidi and Matthew?”

  “Yes.” He sat in the chair beside hers, not releasing her hand. “They wanted to come to the hospital right away, but I convinced them to wait until morning.”

  “Good.”

  “Amalie?”

  “Yes?”

  “Your sister…I was wrong about her, and I owe you an apology. I blamed her for Ramsey’s death, and that wasn’t right. Maybe she made the decision to ski into that bowl, but he shouldn’t have taken her up there in the first place.”

  “Thank you.” She wasn’t sure why his opinion about Helena mattered, but it did. It always had.

  “I was wrong about her, period, I guess. I was put off from the beginning because I thought there was something artificial about her. And there was—just too bad I never thought to wonder what she was trying so hard to hide from.”

  “Her fear. Grant, she was so alone.”

  “Ramsey was a good man. I feel certain he was trying to help her.”

  Knowing there’d been someone for Helena to talk to, to lean on, was a comfort. If the avalanche hadn’t happened, would she have come off that mountain with the strength to terminate her pregnancy? Would she have gone back to Matthew? Maybe even come home one day, at least for a visit?

  All questions that would never be answered.

  “I’m glad you see her for what she was, Grant. That’s important to me.” More important than he could possibly understand. Even though she’d been apart from Helena for eleven years, she still had a sense of shared identity. She’d never been able to explain it. But it made it impossible for her to believe that anyone who despised her sister could love her, Amalie.

  For all their differences, they still had too much in common.

  Like Davin.

  She reached out her free hand to him with a prayer of thanksgiving in her heart.

  “He’s going to be all right.”

  Grant pulled her in tight, nestling her head against his chest. She closed her eyes and soon fell back asleep. When she awoke the next time, he was leaving, and light was seeping in the windows.

  “I have to go to work,” he said. “But I’ll come by later.”

  “Thank you, Grant.” The words were so small for what she owed him and what she felt for him. Her heart was bursting with a combination of pride, longing, admiration and tenderness.

  And she knew there wasn’t another man in the world who could ever make her feel that way.

  DAVIN AWOKE FEELING REALLY TIRED, and wondered if he was late for school. It was quiet, but everything was so bright.

  Then he remembered they weren’t home. They were in the mountains. But why was he sleeping in a real bed?

  Aunt Amalie was sitting beside him; she seemed to be dozing. There was a window just past her. In the other direction he saw a hallway through the open door.

  “Where am I?” He tried to prop himself up, and that was when he noticed his bandaged arm. He lifted it a few inches. Ow! Then let it drop back on his chest. “What happened?”

  “Davin.” His aunt’s eyes popped open. “You’re awake.”

  She sounded really glad about that for some reason. He felt her cool hand on his forehead, followed by a kiss.

  “You’re in the hospital, Davin, but everything’s okay.”

  “A hospital?”

  “Yes. In Revelstoke. Breakfast is here. Are you hungry?”

  There was a tray that swiveled over his bed. His aunt removed a metal cover and he looked at soggy toast, with little packages of jam beside it. On a plastic plate sat a sectioned grapefruit, and next to it a small glass half filled with milk.

  He wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think so.”

  Amalie dug into the pocket of her coat and pulled out his favorite brand of granola bar.

  “How about this? And I can get you a cold juice from the vending machine.”

  “Yes, please.” He used his good hand to accept the granola bar. Noticing his aunt about to leave, he stopped her with another question.

  “How did I end up here?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  He shook his head, then paused, thinking, thinking…

  In a flood it came back. The carton of cream. Amalie talking about how horrible his birth had been. Running away. Getting a ride from that weird guy with a beard. Then skiing…

  “I think I was in an avalanche.”

  “So you do remember.”

  “A little. I heard you call my name. I was just raising my ski pole to let you know I’d heard, when something hit me from behind.”

  “That was the snow.”

  “Aunty, it felt like a truck—it really did. But I knew what was happening, because Grant had told me it would be hard like that. There wasn’t time to do anything, but I kept my hand up, remembering what Grant said about having something stick up out of the snow.”

  “What a clever kid.” She was stroking his forehead again, the way she did when he was sick. “That was what saved you, you know. I saw the top of your pole. It was a lucky break since you weren’t wearing your transceiver.”

  Knowing that Grant would never have made a mistake like that, Davin hung his head. But he’d been in a hurry, and not really thinking straight. “I’m sorry. I guess I thought there wasn’t any danger. After all, I skied that route with Mrs. Eitelbach last week.”

  “Conditions can change rapidly on the mountains.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t worry, Davin. Thankfully you’re okay. That’s what matters.”

  He was relieved she wasn’t mad. But then, she rarely was. “How did you get me out of the snow? Did Grant have a shovel?”

  “He sure did.” She described what had happened when she saw his ski pole, how quickly the rest of the rescue team arrived and how everyone had worked together. When she got to the part about the helicopter ambulance, he could hardly stand it.

  “I can’t believe I missed the whole thing!”

  His aunt gave him a funny look. “I would have been happy to.”

  He felt bad then, for all the worry he’d caused. He could see those lines in her forehead and knew they were there because of him.

  “I’m real sorry.”

  “I know, honey. I’m just so grateful all you suffered was a broken arm.”

  He looked down at the weight that pressed on his chest. “This is so sweet. I’ve never had a cast before.”

  His aunt raised her eyebrows and gave him that funny look again. “I’ll go get your juice.”

  IN THE HALLWAY, Amalie saw a woman walking toward her, wearing a familiar black-and-pink anorak. Of course it would have to be Denise Carter. Today of all days.

  “Amalie.” Denise ran fingers through hair that didn’t seem to have been brushed yet this morning. “Can I speak with you?”

  Amalie didn’t like to bear a grudge, but right now she was definitely not up to more abuse. “I’ve—”

  “I heard about Davin. I’m so sorry, I won’t keep you but a moment.”

  On the woman’s outstretched hand, Amalie saw the sparkle of her wedding ring. And relented. “What is it, Denise?”

  “Grant stopped by this morning on his way to work. He saw my light was on…I haven’t been able to sleep much this past while.”

  Not to feel sorry for her was impossible. Her face so clearly showed her suffering. Amalie was glad Grant had made time to talk to her. “So he told you about Helena?”

  “About the pregnancy and that she may have been considering terminating? Yes. I guess we’ll never know for sure if that was why Ramsey took her out to the mountains, but in my heart, I feel it’s the most reasonable explanation.”

  “So do I.” Amalie impulsively reached for the other woman’s hand. “From all accounts your husband loved you, Denise.”

  “I know. And I loved him.” Fresh pain outlined new lines on the widow’s face now. But at least this grief was pure, and would ease in time.

  “I’ve got to apologize
for the awful things I’ve said about you and your sister. I know there’s no excuse, but I am sorry. I just couldn’t rest until I told you that.”

  “I understand, Denise. Please don’t worry. We’ve all endured enough as it is.”

  “THANK YOU, GRANT!” Davin looked with delight at the trading cards his hero had brought with him to the hospital.

  Amalie smiled her own thanks, her heart expanding at the sight of Grant’s familiar face.

  “That was quite an escapade, buddy.” Grant brushed the top of Davin’s head with one hand, then bent to kiss Amalie lightly.

  Davin seemed to approve of both gestures. He patted the bed and urged Grant to sit next to him. “Aunt Amalie says I’m to apologize for causing all that trouble, and I am sorry. You trained me better and I know I shouldn’t have been skiing alone, without telling anyone where I was, not even carrying my transceiver.”

  “Buddy, you broke all the rules that night. I guess you must have been awfully upset.”

  Davin nodded. “Yeah, I was.” He glanced at Amalie. “But I still knew better.”

  “I’ve never been so worried.” Amalie couldn’t stop from stroking a finger down her son’s face.

  “Aunty told me about the rescue….” Davin’s body language perked up a little. “It sounded so sweet. I can’t believe I missed all the excitement—the shoveling, and the mouth-to-mouth, and then the ambulance flying in and everything.”

  “Exciting it was, all right.” The smile Grant shared with her had more than a touch of dry humor. “That was good thinking to thrust your ski pole up when the avalanche hit.”

  Davin beamed. “It happened so fast, like a wall falling from behind.”

  “Well, that pole definitely saved your life.”

  “And I remembered to keep my mouth shut,” Davin said. “Plus not to panic. I was pretty scared, though.”

  Amalie just had to hug him. “We all were, Davin. But we kept our heads on straight. We didn’t let that old mountain push us around.”

  She saw Grant look at her strangely. Then he, too, put his arm around Davin. And it was really nice. As if the three of them were a family.