The Alaskan Rescue

by Dominique Burton

  “I now have a hand at your foot and at your knee. I’m going to move your lower leg a little.”

  “It’s tender down there.” She whispered through the breaths.

  “Let me just check a little bit more. I think you broke your tibia—shin bone. I’m just going to turn it to the...”

  Sashi screamed in pain. Then passed out.

  * * *

  IT WAS THE FIRST TIME Cole had sat in the office of the hospital’s head psychiatrist. Dr. Daniel Samuelson had been a great help to Cole, especially with patients who suffered from alcoholism or other addictions. He was also a friend.

  “Good to see you, Cole,” Daniel said. Cole eyed his distinguished-looking friend. Even though he’d left New York twenty years ago, Daniel still dressed in a suit, or at least a crisp sport jacket and slacks, when he was in the office, something unusual in Ketchikan. His dark hair had been recently cut, showing off his handsome tanned face. He and his wife, Melissa, both in their mid-fifties, traveled whenever they could.

  “Thanks for agreeing to meet me,” Cole said.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Frankly, I need your help.”

  His friend gave him a wry smile and took a sip of his coffee. “Is this something I need to be charging for by the hour?”

  Cole sat forward. “Possibly.”

  Daniel got comfy in his chair. “Tell me more.”

  “I’ve got a patient. Well, for a variety of reasons she’s more than a patient to me.” He heaved a troubled sigh. “I need you to help me sort out some old issues. But I also need you to help her.”

  Daniel didn’t respond right away. At last, looking at Cole intently, he said, “Just so you know, your hour started five minutes ago.” He began to write on a pad.

  Suddenly Cole felt uncomfortable. This was not the fun guy he usually joked with. This was a different man altogether. “My patient’s name is Sashi Hansen. I met her at Marshall’s three days before she was going to leave and fly back east. I was up at the resort seeing some sick patients when I met her.” Cole looked into the distance.

  “Can you explain a little more?”

  “I fell for her. I know it sounds crazy, and I realize looks have a lot to do with it, but I swear my feelings are about more than that. I’ve heard of love at first sight and never believed in it until that redheaded beauty walked into my life. Now everything’s complicated.”

  “How is it complicated?”

  “I’ve told you about the time I went helicopter skiing with my brother and an avalanche hit. It killed him instantly and left me alone on the mountain with him for a very cold, lonely night.”

  Daniel studied him. “How long ago was this?”

  “Twenty years.”

  “What does your brother’s death have to do with Sashi?”

  Cole put his head in his hands. “Eight days ago I went out on a search-and-rescue mission for two women. They’d been best friends since childhood. One of the women was Sashi Hansen. She survived with serious injuries from a bear attack. Her friend who was ten weeks pregnant was mauled to death. Sashi had put herself in front of the bear to stop it, but her courageous attempt was futile.”

  Daniel continued to write more information down on his pad. “You weren’t kidding about a situation. I heard about it the second I arrived home from Europe. Is Sashi conscious?”

  “No, but we’re hoping she will be soon. Her body had a bad infection that went systemic. It scared the hell out of me. Only Jake knows my feelings for the patient. I plan on remaining professional until she’s healed.”

  One of Daniel’s eyebrows shot up. “That isn’t just your decision to make. Sashi may feel differently. You may risk losing her affection.”

  “Right now I need to get her better. But I need you to be the one who tells her that Kendra is dead.”

  “Why can’t you?” Daniel asked.

  Cole shook his head. “I just can’t. It brings back too much pain. That’s why I’ve come to you for help.”

  “I’ll help you, but I need to know a few things first. Does she have money to stay here in the hospital? And what about a place to stay afterward?”

  Cole shifted restlessly in his chair. “Kendra’s parents, the Knights, are very wealthy and are paying all of Sashi’s health care costs. And yes, she’ll have a place to stay. Sashi’s parents are terribly worried about her.”

  Daniel wrote furiously, then came to a stop. “I’ll agree to help as long as you come to group counseling with Sashi.”

  Cole almost jumped out of his chair. “What?”

  Daniel nodded solemnly. “You heard me. I’ll help you as long as you help her to know she’s not the only person suffering. Group counseling is a wonderful form of therapy that can help you both. You need to forgive yourself, too. Survivors guilt is a terrible weight to walk around with.”

  Cole digested this. “So you’ll tell her about Kendra’s death and help her?”

  “As long as you come to therapy sessions,” Daniel stated firmly.

  “Deal.”

  Cole’s pager went off. He looked at Daniel. “It’s the ICU,” he said. “I’ll have to use my cell to find out if she’s awake now.” He dialed the number. “This is Dr. Stevens. I just got a page from your department.”

  “Dr. Stevens? Dr. Jenkins wanted you to know your patient Ms. Hansen has just awakened and is off the ventilator.”

  “I’ll be right up.” Cole clicked off and looked at his colleague. “Do you have time to come with me? I’ll pay.”

  * * *

  SASHI OPENED HER EYES, but it was hard to focus. She looked around the room and could see she was safe. Where was Cole? He’d promised he wouldn’t leave her. And Kendra—where was she? Sashi tried to talk. How long had she been out?

  “Help.” Her voice came out in a squeak.

  “Help.” It was worse this time. No sound at all. Her vocal cords didn’t seem to want to work. She knew there were buttons to push. She’d seen them on all the shows on TV. There was a red one that should bring somebody. If you needed answers, then who cared if you scared people? At least she was out of that cave.

  That’s when she found the hospital remote. She pushed the button to call for the nurse, but her bandaged arm hurt like hell. “Can someone help me?” At least she’d found her voice. Sort of.

  In just moments it seemed she had a team of doctors and nurses surrounding her. But where was Cole? Where was her family? How come nobody was here? Sure there were flowers. There was even her bedspread from home. Sashi picked it up, wondering how it had got here. Where was her mom?

  “Is my family here? Where is Dr. Stevens?”

  No one listened. They checked her vitals and told her she was fine. How was she fine? She didn’t know them. Oh, that’s right. A miracle had happened. She was alive, she hoped she’d be able to dance again...

  At that moment Cole strode swiftly through the door in green scrubs. He hadn’t forgotten her! He’d saved her and he was still here. He would tell her what was going on.

  “Cole!” she said weakly. The nurses had propped her bed up. She could see the man who’d saved her. He had the build of a god. Wow, he was handsome! Even in a delusional state she could tell that. She was so happy to see him, to see somebody she knew. He hurried to her bed.

  * * *

  COLE CAUGHT HIMSELF. All he wanted to do was kiss the woman senseless and tell her how happy he was that she was alive. But the best thing for her right now was the ca
re of a doctor. Also a friend. That’s what he was going to be.

  He gave her a warm smile. “New York, you’re truly our miracle patient.”

  “I am?”

  He nodded. “You gave us all a scare. You were rushed into surgery for the tibial fracture on your leg and reconstructive surgery on your arm. Those surgeries went well—until you had a pneumothorax emergency.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said, obviously confused. He could tell she wanted more from him, but he refused to show any emotion.

  “It means your lungs were going to collapse.”

  “Oh, dear.”

  “Don’t worry. You’re doing much better.”

  “Can you tell me about my leg? Will I dance again?” Sashi looked at him with hope.

  He turned to glance at Daniel for support, gripping his hands together to keep them from touching her. “Yes. You had one of the more fortunate kinds of leg break. You’ll need to be on crutches for the next eight weeks, but with two to four months of rehab, you should be dancing again.”

  * * *

  SASHI AWOKE AGAIN TO A hospital room filled with flowers. An older man wearing a white doctor’s jacket over a suit stood up and walked over to her. Cole stayed in the background. “Hello, Ms. Hansen. I’m Dr. Samuelson.” He extended his hand and she shook it. He had a very firm handshake.

  “Dr. Stevens and I have worked very hard on your case and we’d been waiting for you to wake up. In fact he had a pager that alerted him the moment you did. That’s how he was able to get here so fast.”

  She smiled at Cole. “Thank you,” she said before turning her attention back to the older doctor. Sashi liked the soothing quality of his voice. It had a familiar ring, too. “I guess you’re from Brooklyn.”

  “No, from Queens, but close,” he said with a laugh. “Not many people in this part of the country can guess my hometown. Where did you live?”

  “In Manhattan at the Joffrey Ballet School, then moved to the Village with six other girls all trying to make it big.”

  “Did you make it big?”

  “Would I be here if I had?”

  “That depends on your conception of making it big. Many girls would give anything just to be accepted to that school. You have to tell me what you consider ‘making it big.’”

  Sashi’s head started to reel. “Can...can you tell me what day it is?”

  “Ah...now you want to start talking about reality.”

  She looked at Cole. “Could you tell me if my mother is around? The blanket from my bedroom is here, but I don’t see her or my friend Kendra. Where is she? Joe said everything would be all right.”

  The two doctors exchanged glances. The silence allowed her to give voice to her fears, the premonition she’d had all along. Tears began to course down her cheeks. “No...no, she can’t be!” Her body became racked with sobs. “How can my best friend be gone?”

  The older man handed her the tissue box that was next to her bed. She grabbed several tissues and hid her face behind them. “I tried to stop the bear, but Kendra took off then climbed a tree. I couldn’t stop the bear.”

  Cole came over and sat down on the bed. He took her hand, clearly trying to comfort her.

  The other doctor sat down in the nearest chair. “Sashi,” he began, “I want to tell you a story.”

  “Why? What story?” Sashi struggled to stop crying.

  “This is a good story. I think it will help you. Early on in my practice a young man brought in a picture of his family—his wife and three beautiful children. He showed me the picture and I agreed he had a lovely family. Then he asked me a question. It was one of the hardest questions I’d ever been asked in all the years I’d practiced psychiatry.”

  Sashi’s heart was pounding. She was terrified of what this doctor had to tell her. “What was the question?”

  “He asked me how come he was still alive when they’re all dead?”

  Sashi reached for Cole’s hand and squeezed it. “How did the family die?”

  “I believe they were all in a car accident. But the real question here is how come he’s still alive?”

  Sashi’s eyes watered. “I don’t know.”

  “I was baffled, too. I went and asked a dear friend and colleague of mine the same question. You know what he said?”

  Sashi just blinked.

  “He said, ‘Ah! The young man hasn’t yet figured out the joy that he’s still alive!’”

  “I get it,” Sashi said, her voice cracking. “You want me to find joy in why I’m alive.”

  “Yes.”

  Sashi couldn’t speak for a moment. At last she asked, “How did Kendra die?”

  “The bear killed her, probably at the very moment you were able to escape into the cave,” Cole answered.

  Sashi couldn’t stop her gut-wrenching cry. She reached out to Cole and his arms drew her into an embrace. She sobbed on his shoulder. He held her tenderly, saying nothing more. He just gave her tissues and rocked her gently.

  When Sashi was finally able to speak again, she didn’t dare move from her cocoon. “How long was I asleep here?”

  Dr. Samuelson answered. “Eight days.”

  “How could I have been out for so long?” she mumbled against Cole’s sleeve.

  “You had a cut on your back that got infected,” Cole replied. “It was touch and go for a while. I blame myself for not checking you out better. I’m sorry I didn’t do a thorough job of taking care of you.” His voice sounded shaky.

  Sashi looked up from his loving embrace and saw his pain. “Why are you apologizing to me? You saved my life. Don’t ever apologize to me again. I don’t think I even recall getting a cut on my back. My leg and arm hurt so badly, I don’t remember feeling pain there.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I should’ve been more meticulous.”

  “Stop it. You saved my life. You were the angel who came and rescued me.” She reached up and touched his face. Their eyes met and she almost kissed him, but Cole started to ease himself away. She felt a little wounded by his retreat.

  “A lot has happened while you’ve been asleep,” he said.

  “Tell me.”

  “Well, the Knights are taking care of all your medical expenses.”

  “That sounds like something they would do.” A sob escaped. “I just can’t believe Kendra’s gone.”

  Dr. Samuelson stepped in. “Sashi, we’re going to leave now. You need rest. And I think it would be a good idea to call your mom. You should talk to her.”

  Cole reached down and handed Sashi the blanket. “Your family sent you this to remind you of home. I’ve heard that they’ve called hourly, just waiting for you to come around. They wanted you to phone them as soon as you did.”

  “I will.” She stared at Cole. “I need to thank the Knights for all their help, but I don’t know how I can talk to them after what’s happened to Kendra.”

  “You have to remember that you lived,” Dr. Samuelson interjected. “You tried to save their daughter. People don’t give their money away freely. They must love you dearly. This is a gift. You need to start seeing your survival as a second chance at life. As soon as you’re well enough I’m going to have you come to group therapy to begin the healing process and deal with your feelings of guilt.”

  “But how...?”

  “One hour, one day at a time.”

  Sashi wondered how she could ever be a whole person again after losing her best friend. And what
did it all mean for her and Cole? Would he ever feel for her the same way? Or was he going to just be a doctor to her now?

  Chapter Five

  Cole eyed her with concern. “Just so you know, my friend Jake, who’s the head ranger, and another buddy of mine, Trace Hunter, the captain of the Alaska State Troopers, tracked the bear and put it down. The cubs have been taken to a zoo in Canada. I hope that will bring you some peace.”

  Sashi shook her head. “Maybe it will bring peace to Kendra’s family. We messed up, Cole. Broke all the rules about safety in the wild. I just wish...” Her words trailed off.

  “No amount of wishing is going to change the situation. You have to learn to be grateful for the life you have.” He could see the confusion on her beautiful face. All he wanted to do was hug and comfort her.

  “So how long am I going to be in here?” Sashi asked, sniffling.

  “Maybe a week or two, and then you’ll have your own little apartment. In a couple of weeks we’ll have you come back here for daily rehab sessions and group therapy with Dr. Samuelson, here.” The best part of all this, Cole thought, was that Sashi would not be returning home so quickly.

  “How will I get around? Is there a bus service?”

  “A couple of times a week, when you’ll be in group therapy with Dr. Samuelson, I’ll bring you to the hospital with me. On the days you don’t have group therapy, you’ll take a cab to the hospital for physical therapy. Your therapist, Mary Brown, will take you home. She’ll also help clean the place and cook dinner. Mary is Joe Running Bear’s daughter.”

  “How is this all possible?” Sashi asked, her brow furrowed. “It doesn’t make sense. I can’t afford it.”

  “No, you can’t,” Daniel replied. “But if you take the help from the Knights, from Mary and from others who are willing to assist you, you’ll get the care and treatment you need and deserve. One day you’ll be able to dance again. If you were to go home now, would you be able to get that kind of care?”