Mountains Between Us

by Jenny Proctor

  Flip stopped and looked over at Frank. He didn’t want to admit he might have led them astray, but Frank was likely right. He waited while Frank made his way over to where he stood.

  Stay on course.

  Flip heard the voice as clearly as he’d heard Frank call out to him just moments before. Though he’d never experienced a prompting of the Spirit with such crystal clarity, he didn’t doubt this one for even a moment. The peace and assurance that washed over him was confirmation enough. God knew where Amber was, and Flip was close. He knew they had to be close.

  “No.”

  “No, what?” Frank asked.

  “Forgive my being bold, but we can’t change course. She’s close by. I know she is.”

  “You can’t know that.”

  “No, but God can, and He’s the one I’m listening to.”

  Ten minutes later, they found her. She was curled into a ball, leaning against the base of a tree, and appeared to be asleep. She was dirty and a little pale but otherwise looked to be unharmed. Flip knelt beside her.

  “Amber? Amber, can you hear me?”

  Her eyes fluttered open, and she tried to push herself up to a sitting position.

  “She needs water,” Frank said. He passed a canteen over Flip’s shoulder. He took it and held it to Amber’s lips.

  “Here, drink this,” he said.

  Amber took the water and drank. She still hadn’t spoken and had a dazed, frightened look about her.

  “Amber, look at me,” Flip said. “We’ve found you. We’re going to get you out of here. Do you understand?”

  Amber looked into his eyes for several seconds before nodding her head and bursting into tears. A few yards behind Flip, Frank was on the radio, communicating their location to the sheriff’s department. After a moment, Amber reached for Flip’s arm.

  “My ankle.” Her voice was cracked and quiet, almost a whisper. She pulled at the leg of her pants, sliding it up above the top of her hiking boot. The boot was still on her foot, but the laces were loose enough it was easy for Flip to see the mottled blue-and-green bruises extending up her leg.

  “When did this happen?” Flip asked gently.

  “I don’t know,” Amber said. “Yesterday, I think.”

  “Did you walk on it at all?”

  “I tried, but I couldn’t . . .”

  “Frank,” Flip said, “I think her ankle is broken.”

  Frank nodded in acknowledgment. A moment later, he walked back to where Flip still knelt beside Amber.

  “Two miles north, there’s a clearing large enough for them to land a helicopter. If we can get there, they’ll be able to get us out.”

  “All of us?” Flip asked.

  “They said there would be room. We’ll fly straight to the hospital in Rose Creek. Amber needs a doctor.”

  “Let’s move out, then,” Flip said.

  * * *

  Henry moved through the chairs in the hospital waiting room to where Flip sat in the corner. Flip looked exhausted—his legs were stretched in front of him, and his head was leaned against the wall. His eyes were closed, but Henry couldn’t imagine he was actually asleep in such an uncomfortable position.

  “Hey, Flip.”

  Flip opened his eyes and sat up. “Hello, Henry. You’ve missed all the excitement.”

  “I just got back in town. They said you found her?”

  “Who’s they?” Flip asked.

  “I called the school. Is Amber all right?”

  “She’s got a broken ankle, and she’s dehydrated, but other than that, she’s doing fine.”

  Henry was glad to hear that Amber was faring so well. He’d worried about her and was relieved to know she’d been found safe and whole, but he’d also agonized over the anguish her disappearance must have caused Eliza. He hesitated to ask what he really wanted to know, but only for a moment. He’d wasted too much time letting fear dictate his decisions. “How’s Eliza?”

  “I don’t rightly know,” Flip said. “I came to the hospital in the helicopter and haven’t seen her. My guess is she’s on her way down the mountain right now. Have you not been up to Rockbridge at all, then?”

  “I just got back,” Henry said. “I came here first, thinking she . . .” He didn’t finish his sentence, but it didn’t seem to matter. A shadow of understanding passed across Flip’s face. He knew exactly whom Henry had come to the hospital hoping to see.

  “So, Henry,” Flip said, “seeing as how I’ve been scouring the woods for three days and I’m tired, hungry, and desperate for a bath, what do you say you give me a lift back up to the school?”

  In any other circumstance, Henry wouldn’t have hesitated to say yes. Flip, more than anyone, deserved a ride home after all he’d done the past few days. But if Henry took Flip home, he’d likely miss Eliza. Still, it would give him the opportunity to talk with Flip privately, something he knew he needed to do before he told Eliza how he felt. Maybe it was better this way after all.

  “Of course,” Henry finally agreed. “I’d be glad to give you a ride.”

  When they arrived back at Rockbridge, Henry instinctively looked for Eliza’s car, but he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t find it. There was no way she hadn’t gone to the hospital. Once out of the car, Flip said good night and headed toward his apartment.

  “Flip, wait,” Henry called. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  “We were in the same car for thirty minutes, man. We talked the whole time.”

  “I know,” Henry said. “But . . . I need to talk to you about Eliza, about what I told you.”

  “What did you tell me?” Flip stood with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his cargo pants, an expression of wry amusement on his face.

  It confused Henry—it seemed like Flip was in on a joke that Henry still hadn’t figured out.

  “I told you there wasn’t anything going on between us. And there wasn’t then, not really, and well, there might not be now, but—” He ran agitated fingers through his hair. “It’s just that Eliza isn’t supposed to be with you.” He filled his voice with every ounce of conviction he could muster. “She’s supposed to be with me.”

  Flip smiled. Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he took a step toward Henry and put a hand on his shoulder. “Henry, it’s about time you figured it out.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Flip turned toward his apartment once more and shook his head. “Talk to Eliza,” he called over his shoulder. “You should wait up for her. She’ll want to talk to you tonight.”

  Chapter 33

  Eliza sat in a chair at the foot of Amber’s hospital bed and leaned back. It was the first time she had relaxed in three days. When Amber’s family finally left to get something to eat, Eliza was left to keep watch. Now that she and Amber were alone, she wasn’t sure she was ready for a conversation and hoped Amber would sleep a little longer.

  The truth was that Eliza was still so angry she wasn’t sure if she could speak with Amber properly—as a counselor—without losing her head. Running away had been a stupid, stupid thing to do. She could have died. Had Flip not found her, she would have. Eliza was angry with Amber, but she was also angry with herself for misjudging the situation.

  “Hey.”

  Eliza looked up. Amber was awake.

  Ready or not.

  She stood and moved to her bedside. “Hey,” she said. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I need to pee,” Amber said. “I think they’ve got me hydrated again.” She pointed to the IV bag hanging from the pole next to her. “Think they’ll take this thing out now?”

  Eliza smiled. “I’m sure they will as soon as they know you’re good to go.”

  After a nurse came and helped Amber to the bathroom, Eliza pulled her chair close so they were sitting just a few feet away from each other.

  “Amber,” Eliza began, “I owe you an apology.”

  Amber raised her eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
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  “I never should have sent you on excursion. Had I been doing a better job as your counselor, I would have realized it wasn’t the best thing for you. Instead, I put you at risk, and for that, I’m sorry.”

  Amber sniffed and closed her eyes, wiping away newly formed tears with the back of her hand. “No,” she said. “It was me. I was just so mad that you sent me. I figured if I had to go, maybe I could turn it into my chance to get away. I just—” She shook her head. “It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in all my life. I’m so, so sorry.”

  “Where did you think you were going to get away to?”

  “Rose Creek,” Amber said. “I didn’t want to stay gone forever, just for the weekend.”

  Eliza shook her head. Venturing into the mountains alone, with little food and no shelter, thinking she could walk all the way to Rose Creek? It was utter and complete idiocy—a lack of judgment that only a child could have. Eliza reminded herself that Amber was still a child. She hadn’t thought about the harsh conditions of the mountainside. She hadn’t thought anything through at all.

  “You’re lucky to be alive, Amber. Do you realize that?”

  The girl looked at her hands. “Yes,” she said, “but it wasn’t luck.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “After I hurt my ankle, I was out of food and water, and I couldn’t walk anymore. I sat down. I even felt too numb to cry.” She kept her eyes down, her fingers busy picking at the threads of the loose blanket draped across her lap. “But I wasn’t too numb to pray,” she said. “I prayed and prayed for I don’t even know how long, and then suddenly, I knew I was going to be okay. I knew if I stayed where I was that Flip would find me. God told me he would find me.”

  Eliza reached forward and took Amber’s hand in hers.

  “I don’t want to be stupid anymore,” she said, the tears flowing freely. “I want to make good choices and be happy, and even though I really love you, I don’t want to go back to Rockbridge. I want to be with my family. I don’t want to be mad at them anymore.”

  “Oh, Amber,” Eliza said gently. “I think your family would like very much to have you home.”

  Dr. Adler stuck her head around the door of Amber’s hospital room. “Eliza? Can I speak with you for a moment?”

  Eliza got up and joined her boss in the hallway.

  “The doctors want to keep her overnight just to be sure she’s all right, but then they’ll discharge her in the morning.”

  Eliza nodded. “That sounds good. She told me she wants to go home with her family. She says she’s tired of being mad at them and wants to work things out.”

  “Well, that’s good, because her family has already made it perfectly clear that they want to take her home with them.” There was a measure of disappointment in her voice.

  “Dr. Adler, I’m so sorry about all of this. I feel directly responsible. I made a bad call, and I know that.”

  “Eliza, we all made bad calls,” the director said. “I ignored rule after rule, trying to accommodate the desires of an old friend, allowing Amber far more liberty to leave campus than what I would typically allow. We both sent her on excursion. You only made decisions I gave you free rein to make.”

  Eliza breathed an inward sigh of relief. “I won’t be so foolish again,” she said. “I can assure you of that.”

  “No,” she said. “Nor will I.”

  * * *

  Eliza pulled into the parking lot at Rockbridge, weary to the very core. She was looking forward to a good night’s rest, but that hardly mattered when she discovered Henry sitting on the front stoop of her apartment. She stopped in front of him.

  “Henry, it’s so cold out. What are you doing out here?”

  “I didn’t want to miss you,” he said. “I just got back into town.”

  “Do you want to come inside?”

  He nodded. “That would be good, that is, if you’re not too tired. I know it’s been a long three days.”

  “The longest of my life. But no, I’m not too tired. Please come in.”

  Eliza tried to read Henry’s face for clues. What was he doing here? Why was he waiting for her? What was so important that it couldn’t wait?

  “I got your message,” he said a little awkwardly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”

  She unlocked her apartment, and the two of them went inside.

  “No worries,” she said. “I guess all’s well that ends well, right?”

  She could tell Henry was nervous. He took off his jacket but remained standing in the living room, looking quite sheepish.

  “Here.” She motioned for him to sit with her. “Come sit down.”

  “Thank you.” He followed her to the couch. “Did you speak with Amber? How is she?”

  Eliza managed a weak smile. “She’s going to be fine. She’s lucky.”

  “Flip told me how he found her. It’s pretty amazing.”

  “I haven’t talked to Flip,” Eliza said. “What did he say?”

  “Frank kept insisting they go a different way, but Flip said he felt a prompting that told him to stay on course, so he did. And then he found her.”

  Eliza smiled. “Amber tells a similar story.”

  For a moment, neither of them spoke. Something was going on. Eliza could tell there was something Henry wanted or needed to say.

  “So what’s going on with you?” she asked. “What took you out of town so suddenly?”

  Henry took a deep breath. “I went to see Bill Harrison.”

  Eliza’s eyes grew wide. “I can’t believe you went! How did it go?”

  “It was awful,” Henry said. “He died six days before I got there. I met his sister, this puzzling woman who was mean and condescending and treated me as if I was the reason he had died.”

  “Oh. I’m so sorry. That can’t be what you expected.”

  “It wasn’t, but don’t be sorry,” Henry said. “I mean, be sorry he died. I’m sorry he died, but it was sort of amazing anyway. I’ve decided I don’t have to be mad at him anymore. I don’t have to run scared. He had his reasons for doing what he did. I always told myself that, but I actually see it now.”

  “That sounds pretty profound.”

  “It was. It is,” Henry said. “There will always be things I regret, you know? I wish I could have apologized for the way I spoke to him that day. I wish I could tell him I understand the choices he made, and I hate that my own anger kept that from happening. But forgiving him was just as much about me. Carrying around all that bitterness—I don’t want to do it anymore.”

  Henry ran his hands through his hair and leaned back against the couch cushions. “Things have to be different now. I realize I have to try harder with AJ. I have to fight for our relationship and let him see every single day how important he is to me. And then . . .” Something about the way he looked at Eliza made her feel as if the tone of the entire conversation was about to change. His eyes were bright and held an undercurrent of buzzing energy Eliza was certain she’d never seen in Henry before. “There’s also something else I realized while I was away.”

  Eliza’s heart started to pound.

  Henry cleared his throat. “What I’m trying to say is . . . I mean, I know you said . . . and maybe you’ve changed your mind, but . . .” He shifted in his seat, so visibly uncomfortable Eliza almost wanted to laugh. “I just want you to know,” he continued, “that is, if you haven’t changed your mind—”

  “Henry.” Eliza reached for his hand, cutting off his words completely. “You could save yourself a lot of trouble if you would just kiss me.”

  It was all the invitation he needed. He closed the distance between them and, taking her face in his hands, kissed her fully and completely. When their lips parted, Henry remained close, his forehead leaning against hers. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “I’ve been waiting for you to do that for a really long time,” she said.

  “I guess I’ve been a little obtuse.”

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nbsp; Eliza shrugged and smiled. “Maybe a little.”

  “I’m in love with you, Eliza. I don’t want to be scared anymore. I don’t want to hide from anything. I just want . . . you. I want you to be with me. I want you to read my book,” he said, laughing now. “I want you to know AJ, to be a part of his life. I—” He stopped. “I’m saying too much. Am I scaring you?”

  “You’re not scaring me.” She shook her head.

  He leaned in and kissed her again.

  “Henry, I love you too,” she said. “I’ve loved you for so long.”

  “I felt like there were mountains between us—these impassable barriers that were meant to keep us apart. We were too different. My life was too complicated. But I was wrong. All this time I’ve been so very wrong. I realize now there’s not a mountain in this world I wouldn’t climb to get to you.”

  Eliza placed her hand on Henry’s cheek.

  “Thank you for not giving up on me,” he said softly.

  Eliza smiled. “I never will.”

  Chapter 34

  Allison and Robert were married at Christmastime. They sent Henry and Eliza an invitation to the ceremony, but Henry didn’t feel it necessary to go. He did, however, want to pick AJ up afterward. He had something for him—a surprise he was eager to share.

  On the evening of Allison’s reception, he stood anxiously by his car, waiting for Eliza to join him.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming!” she called as she hurried down the steps of her apartment. “I got a late start.”

  “It’s okay.” Henry slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her to him, kissing her softly. “You look lovely.”

  “Thanks,” Eliza said. “So what’s the surprise? The suspense is killing me.”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” Henry said. “Let’s get going. I don’t want AJ to have to wait too long.”

  Henry pulled into the circle drive of Rose Creek’s country club and stopped outside the large double doors. The reception was happening just inside. It was here he was supposed to meet AJ.

  “I’ll just go in and see where he is,” Henry said. “Actually, do you want to come in with me? If I have to crash my ex-wife’s wedding reception, I should at least do it with a beautiful woman on my arm.”