Page 34 of Save Me

His eyes narrowed, and when she began drawing him a picture, a muscle jerked at the side of his jaw.

She waved her spoon in the air, like a conductor leading an orchestra, illustrating every comment. “I will look and smell pretty then. I will have had a bath and brushed my teeth. My hair will be clean and shiny, and I will wear something sheer and sexy just so you can take it off me.”

Hunt’s gaze never left her face. “And I will have showered and shaved off this beard, and you must be prepared for me to peel that sexy whatever off of you with my teeth...if it so pleases you.”

She shivered. “It pleases me.”

“Then it’s on my agenda. However, it will please me now if you finish your food, instead of giving me an itch I can’t scratch.”

“I can do that,” she said, and shoveled another spoonful of food into her mouth.

Once they finished eating, Hunt gave her more meds, then settled her on top of the sleeping bag to rest while he went about packing up camp. After that, he sat down beside her and cradled her head in his lap. They talked about nothing, and everything, and he watched her fall asleep in the middle of a sentence and thought he couldn’t love her more.

About an hour later, he began hearing voices, and then caught a glimpse of men in the distance, moving toward them through the trees.

“Lainie, honey. They’re here.”

She rolled over and sat up. “Now what?”

“They’ll pack you back to the trail and carry you down to wherever the chopper can land.”

“Can you come with me?” she asked.

“Not in the chopper. I’ll go back down with the rescue crew after you’re loaded, then as soon as I get down the mountain, I’ll head straight to whichever hospital they’re taking you.”

“Surely it will be Denver Health, where I work. If you see my parents down at the trailhead, tell them to go home. I don’t want to see them.”

“I’ll find you wherever you are, and I will send them packing, I promise.”

She could see the men now, coming toward them at a jog. “Don’t disappear on me.”

Hunt stood and then picked her up in his arms. “Don’t get lost from me, again.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and started to cry.

“It’s okay, love. It’s okay,” he whispered.

“I know...it’s just scary letting go when we just found each other again.”

“No more hard decisions to make here. We were always attached at the heart, and nothing has changed. I’ll come straight to the hospital. I’ll find you there a hell of a lot easier than finding you here.”

And then the crew arrived, with Ranger Scott Christopher in the lead. They were elated to see their missing hiker, and praised her for her fortitude, but wasted no time. As they were strapping her down on the stretcher, one of the men handed her a park ranger cap.

“To keep the sun out of your eyes while we’re carrying you down,” he said. “If it hurts the wound on your forehead, we can adjust the size.”

“Thank you,” Lainie said. “Much appreciated, and it will be fine.” Then she looked around for Hunt.

He was standing just beyond the stretcher with the magic backpack on his shoulder, his gaze focused on her, and everything they were doing.

“I’m here,” he said. “The path will be narrow, so even if you can’t see me, remember I’ve got your back.”

Then they picked her up and started walking.

Hunt gave the giant brush pile one last glance, thankful it had been a shelter and not a grave, then fell into step.

BOTH SETS OF parents were on the scene, but sitting on opposite sides of the parking lot.

Greg and Tina were still fussing.

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