by J. H. Croix
Fred carried on, his eyes trained on the horizon. As we flew, the fog that had cleared earlier started to thicken again. Within minutes, I knew we were as good as flying blind in this. Amelia came roaring into my thoughts. In the few days at the main camp, I’d been beyond frustrated with the spotty cell reception. Correction—with the zero cell reception. Every so often, I’d get a signal and try to text or call and nothing ever went through. All I’d done was spin in circles worrying about whatever she was worrying about and feeling helpless because I couldn’t talk to her.
Right now, I missed her so hard it hurt. I just wanted to make it to Fairbanks. At least there, I could find my way to Willow Brook no matter the weather. The plane rattled against another strong gust of wind.
Fred spoke into his headset again and then glanced to me. “I’ve got my coordinates to get us there, but that’s it. Hoping for the best,” he said curtly.
I nodded because there wasn’t much else to say. I glanced around the plane behind me. Without a word passing amongst us, it was obvious every single one of my crew knew this was a shitty situation. I faced forward again and took a slow breath. I faced danger so frequently in the backcountry when I was fighting fires. Yet, that was work I knew, so I didn’t experience anxiety or fear because I had my skills and knowledge to fall back on to get me through dicey situations. This though sent a curl of dread through me. We were flying blind over mountains and rivers and not much other than wilderness even where the ground was flat. If anything went wrong, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop it.
I kept looking out the window, as if there were anything to see other than thick, gray fog and rain. The small plane cabin felt heavy with tension, every single man in here well aware of how dicey the situation was. I glanced to Fred. “Any idea how much longer we have?”
“Just under a half hour, but I’m not rushing,” Fred replied, his words terse.
I looked back out the window, yet again realizing how utterly pointless that was. Another gust of wind sent the plane rocking, and there was an abrupt thump to the right side of the plane. The plane spun sideways. Fred swore and tried to right it. Last thing I remembered was a deafening crack.
***
Sharp pain shot through my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes, biting back a groan from the pain. After a beat, I recalled where I was. The plane had crashed. I rolled my head to the side and saw Fred trying to ease his leg out from an odd angle. Okay, so Fred was alive. Check one for thank fucking God. I ignored the pain shooting through my shoulder as I turned in my seat. Everyone but Jesse Franklin had their eyes open. I caught Levi’s eyes where he sat beside Jesse. “He okay?” I asked.
Levi, looking as half out of it as I felt, stared blankly for a moment and then turned to Jesse, reaching to check his pulse. Blood ran down Jesse’s forehead in a trickle. Levi looked back to me. “Pulse is strong.”
I scanned my gaze around. Now that we were on the ground, there was something other than fog to see, although the fog was still thick and I could only see maybe a quarter mile in any direction. We’d landed in a tangle of spruce trees. By the grace of God, nature, or blind luck, we were past the burned part of the forest, so we had the benefit of wide spruce boughs to ease our crash. A glance to my right, I saw the plane’s wing broken and figured that must’ve been the cracking sound I’d heard.
I looked to Fred. “You okay?”
Fred glanced up from where he was maneuvering his calf free from a crushed corner of the plane’s nose. “Leg hurts like hell, but I’m alive.” He muttered a curse when he finally got his leg out. The denim had blood soaking through it. I started to move and swore at another bolt of pain in my shoulder. I finally tried to see what the problem was and discovered the roof above me had crushed against my shoulder. I couldn’t see it, but could feel the warmth of blood seeping and surmised the torn aluminum of the plane’s shell had cut into my shoulder.
I used my free hand to reach above and push against the crushed roof. The broken section of aluminum gave way, and I eased my shoulder out. After a quick glance to ascertain I wasn’t bleeding profusely, I went into action. The rest of the crew was doing the same thing—everyone dealing with their own minor injuries as they gradually got out of the plane. The good part was the engine itself had stayed mostly untouched, so there was no worry about it catching fire. Jesse appeared to be in the worst shape and was still unconscious. Not for the first time, I was beyond relieved to have an entire crew of trained wilderness medics surrounding me. This might be my first plane crash, but I’d faced many mini medical crises when out in the field and had complete faith we could stabilize Jesse until help arrived.
The other major concern was Fred. He’d sustained a nasty, deep gash running from his ankle to his knee. He was mobile, conscious and clearly in severe pain. Levi and Thad focused on stabilizing Jesse, while Jackson helped me get Fred settled in one of the plane’s seats and worked to clean up his wound. The rest of the crew hauled gear out of the plane.
Fred was stubborn and insisted on being in charge of communication through the radio despite the fact he was gritting his teeth with every word. The dispatch in Fairbanks confirmed they would send a medical helicopter out once it was clear to fly. That left the weather as the only remaining concern. As good as the rain and cool weather were for the fire, this weather was prime for hypothermia. It was easy to worry about hypothermia in the dead of winter, but statistically speaking, far more people were subject to its risks in weather like this because it wasn’t considered as risky.
Once I felt good that Fred’s bleeding was under control and Jesse was conscious, I immediately joined the guys getting the gear out, hoping I could find a few dry sleeping bags. I’d completely forgotten about my shoulder until Levi caught me by the arm and a jolt of pain shot through it.
“Fuck, forgot all about that,” I muttered as I looked to Levi.
“Figured you had,” Levi replied. “Let me take a look.”
I hesitated, thinking I didn’t need to bother. Levi rolled his eyes. “Don’t be stupid, man. It’s cold and wet, and you need to get that bleeding stopped. It’s not bad, but your shirt’s wet. Under the best scenario, we’ve got a few hours.”
I grumbled, but I wasn’t stupid, so I consented to Levi peeling my shirt out of the way to clean and bandage the wound on my shoulder. It wasn’t bad, but I could probably use a few stitches. For now, butterfly bandages held it together. Once we had Jesse and Fred squared away with some sleeping bags to keep them warm, we dug out some food while we waited.
It was hours later that the rain let up and we heard the distinct sound of a helicopter approaching. Levi and I set off flares in the misty light and waited as the helicopter settled to the ground beyond the edge of the trees. Amelia was about all I could think about once I knew everyone was okay.
Chapter 33
Amelia
I walked quietly from my cabin out into the adjacent field, tossing cracked corn along the way once I got past the driveway. A flock of sandhill cranes frequented the field every summer. Several pairs nested here as well. I loved that they came back year after year and sweetened it for them by scattering cracked corn every few days. I reached the edge of the small pond and tossed what was left in my small bucket along the edge of the water. A few cranes lingered a short distance away. It was late evening with the sun resting low on the horizon above the trees. The air was chilly with the rain just now letting up. I paused by the pond and took a steadying breath. The air felt washed clean by the rain. Fireweed was starting to bloom towards one side of the field. In another few weeks, every open space nearby would be awash in fuchsia with the wild weed flowering in abundance over most of southcentral Alaska.
The internal peace I’d worked so hard to cultivate after the turmoil when everything blew up before with Cade was difficult to find these days. I felt ridiculous at how easily Shannon had manipulated me again. All she’d done was imply it somehow meant something that she knew Cade was out of town. I d
idn’t like seeing this side of myself again—the side that had driven me to bolt the doors around my heart and mind to anything that might brush against Cade. I didn’t know how to balance loving him the way I did, being vulnerable, and also somehow retaining a sense of internal sanity.
It’ll be better when he’s home. It’s just ‘cause you’re missing him like crazy. Yeah, but his job means he’ll come and go a lot. You have to deal with that. You can’t keep being this crazy about everything.
I sighed, my eyes drawn above to a pair of sandhill cranes flying down to land beside the others. If only humans could mate without so much fuss. Sandhill cranes mated for life, and as far as I could tell, they managed to do it without much drama. I laughed to myself, considering that I had no clue really. There could be tons of crane drama. Drama aside, they faithfully flew to the field every year and nested, taking good care of their baby chicks until it was time to fly south for the winter.
Meanwhile, I felt like an idiot because I couldn’t keep my shit together. The bland, easy-going nature of my relationship with Earl might’ve made my heart ache for what I didn’t have, but there was none of what I felt now. I’d tied myself in mental knots over Shannon’s tiny hint, based on not much of anything. Then, when I’d managed to think straight again, all I did was miss Cade. I’d been working like a maniac since he’d been gone to keep myself from going batshit crazy inside. I’d worked so much, we’d gone from being behind schedule on the latest project to ahead of schedule.
I took a last look around the field and returned to the house. The cranes were pretty tolerant of me walking in and out of the field, but they stayed to the side when I did, so I liked to give them their space. Once I was inside, I kicked off my boots and started peeling off my clothes. Despite the rain, Lucy and I had worked through the day. As such, my jeans were damp, along with everything else. My skin was chilled and clammy. I tossed my clothes in the washer and hopped in the shower.
When I stepped out a few minutes later, finally warm all the way through after turning up the hot water so high it nearly scalded me, my phone was ringing. Not thinking much of it, I dried off and pulled on a pair of fleece pants and a sweatshirt. I needed warm and comfortable tonight. My phone started ringing again. I strode across the living room to snag it off the kitchen counter as I was running a brush through my damp hair. Glancing at the screen, I didn’t recognize the number, so I didn’t bother to answer.
The ringing stopped, only to start again. “What the hell?” I asked aloud, although no one was around to hear.
“Yes?” I asked sharply when I finally gave in and answered.
“Am I speaking with Amelia Haynes?” a man’s voice asked.
“How about we start with who you are?” I countered, prickly and annoyed.
“This is dispatch at Fairbanks Fire & Rescue. We’re calling about your fiancée.”
I felt as if I was falling, my stomach hollow as if I’d dropped from a great height. My heart started pounding rapidly, and I felt sick. My knees gave way and I collapsed onto the back edge of the couch.
“Ms. Haynes? Are you still with me?” the man asked.
I swallowed and gave my head a little shake, trying to clear the buzzing sound in my brain. I felt lightheaded and strange, and I didn’t even know what was going on. One thing I did know: someone calling from Fairbanks Fire & Rescue could only be connected to Cade, and it couldn’t be good.
“Yes, I’m here. Just call me Amelia,” I managed to reply.
“Oh good, thought I lost you there for a minute. I’m calling about your fiancée, Cade Masters. Let me start by letting you know he’s okay. I can guess you might get concerned when I told you where I was calling from,” the man said, his voice calm, clear and reassuring.
Hot tears pressed against the backs of my eyes, and my breath came out in a whoosh. I hadn’t been able to form a thought about anything, but I’d been terrified something bad had happened, so knowing Cade was okay at least made it so I could breathe. “Okay, okay. Thank you for letting me know that,” I said, my words coming out in a shaky rush.
“Of course. I’m Ed, by the way. Feel free to interrupt, okay?”
When he didn’t continue, I realized he was waiting for me. “Okay.”
“Mr. Masters and half of his crew were in a plane crash. Everyone survived, but right now they’re waiting to be medevac’d out.”
My stomach started churning like mad, while my heart kept up its banging rhythm. “How long do they have to wait? Is Cade hurt?”
I managed to hold myself to two questions out of the hundreds I had. It didn’t escape my notice that Ed appeared to believe I was Cade’s fiancée. That odd detail sent a curl of warmth around my heart. I didn’t know who told him that, but I liked it.
“We’ve sent one helicopter out, but they can’t bring the full group back due to weight and the space needed to stabilize two passengers who sustained more serious injuries. Mr. Masters is waiting with the rest of the crew until we can return again.”
Relief washed through me. That meant Cade didn’t have serious injuries. As soon as my mind absorbed that, I jumped ahead.
“How long will that be?”
I heard the panicky edge to my voice and didn’t even care. It was approaching seven in the evening. If he wasn’t flown out soon, I knew that meant he’d be spending the night out there. Rationally, I knew he slept in the wilderness all the time. If there were ever any group equipped to deal with crashing in a plane in the Alaskan wilderness and carrying on without missing a beat, it would be hotshot firefighters. Hell, they could just as easily hike back than wait for help to arrive assuming they were in good enough condition to hike. Those rational thoughts didn’t dent the worry galloping through me.
“We’re hoping tonight, but it may not be until tomorrow. With the fire, all of our medevac helicopters are tied up. There was another emergency out in the fire field as well. We’re also dealing with significant visibility issues due to fog. The crew assured us they were equipped to make it through the night if needed. Mr. Masters passed along your name and insisted we call you since they’re located outside of any cell reception.”
I choked back my tears. It didn’t matter what I told myself intellectually. I was scared to death knowing Cade was out in the middle of nowhere—literally—and might be spending the night in the wet cold.
“Is he injured?”
“As far as I understand, the crew members who remained behind sustained only minor injuries. Unfortunately, I don’t know any more than that. I’ll be calling Mr. Master’s parents next. He asked we call you first and told us to tell you not to worry.”
A sharp laugh escaped—a hurt, worried laugh that couldn’t believe Cade would think I could manage not to worry.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay, ma’am. Mr. Masters can tell you not to worry, but I make these calls like this often. I can imagine you’ll be worried. Our rescue crew did check everyone over, so they considered him stable enough to stay put until they can return if that helps ease your mind at all.”
I could hear the sound of ringing and beeps in the background of his call and realized he likely needed to move on. “I’ll do my best. I’m sure you need to go. Is there a number I can call for follow up if I need to?”
Ed quickly recited a number for me to call before ending the call. My arm dropped slowly. I stood where I was with my hips resting where I’d bumped into the back of the couch. My stomach was knotted with tension, and I felt buzzy and numb all over. All I could think about was Cade. I pictured him somewhere in the damp, cold wilderness. I knew he wasn’t alone, but in my mind he was.
I didn’t know how long I’d been standing there until my phone started ringing in my hand. Without thinking, I tapped the screen and answered.
“Amelia! It’s Georgia. Honey, I’ve called your mother, and she’s coming over to pick you up.”
For a beat, I was confused, and then the gears in my brain started
to move. Leave it to Cade’s mother to swing into motion right away.
“Georgia, you didn’t need to…”
Georgia cut right in. “Honey, you don’t need to be sitting at home alone worrying about Cade. I’m worried too, but he’ll be fine. Rex and I are here, and we figure you might as well come spend the night here. Rex already called into the dispatch up there. I can’t even believe they didn’t call us sooner, but Rex says they probably have no idea Cade’s his son.”
I managed a semi-polite answer and got off the phone right before my mother arrived. Under normal circumstances, I’d have shooed my mother away. I was too abuzz with concern to resist and next thing I knew, my mother had bundled me into the car and driven us over to Rex and Georgia’s place.
I wasn’t thinking about much of anything clearly, but the second I stepped into their kitchen, it hit me. I had somehow managed to avoid coming to this home for the entire seven years Cade and I had been apart. Under the circumstances, that was nothing short of a miracle. Georgia was one of my mother’s best friends. She’d been pretty upset about our breakup, but she’d let me have my space. I hadn’t consciously set out to never come to this home, but somehow I’d pulled it off.
Walking into the sprawling log home tucked into the trees sent a wave of nostalgia crashing over me. I’d spent many an afternoon here in the early days of dating Cade when we were home from college in the summer. It was hot and heavy whenever we weren’t in Willow Brook, but when we were home in the summers, we practically camped out at his parents’ home. It wasn’t that we couldn’t go to my mother’s, but there was more privacy here. In those heady days, all we’d wanted was privacy.
With my heart knocking in my chest, I tried to slow my breathing, but it was an avalanche of memories. So many hours spent here with Cade. My eyes scanned the room. His parents’ home was a modern single story log home. The kitchen and living room had beams crisscrossing the tall ceiling. Georgia loved her plants, as such they were scattered about the area. Windows looked out toward Denali in the distance, but the mountain was shrouded in the falling darkness and fog.
