6 Miles With Courage (18 page)

“When the dog jumped
off I fell into the river but managed to get back onto the raft and cross the river where I hopped up onto the embankment to get my bearings.” It was dead silent.

“I left my G.P.S. unit on the raft because I did not have time to get it before the civil war re-enactor by the name
of Jebediah met me with his rifle.” Their eyes narrowed as they listened intently.

“I must have said something to make him mad because he came across the side of my head with his rifle butt knocking me out cold, that’s where I got this lump
,” he said pointing to the side of his head. He turned his head to the side so they could see it. After leaning in to take a look they sat back waiting, silently, wanting to hear more. Then Ryan continued.

“Jebediah carried me toward Bear Creek where he had Obadiah
his brother and a few other men hostage for being deserters. I guess that was all part of the
game
. He thought I was some kind of a spy, claimed he was going to get some money for me too.” Ryan left off the part about the brothers being “Sykes.”

“That’s when Jebediah’s gun went off and the bullet killed Obadiah. I mean killed him dead!” Ryan exclaimed and all three of them jumped at the word
dead
like he just came to the scary part of a ghost story.

“Then the bear came and attacked and killed Jebediah. I tried to get him to back away but he wouldn’t listen.” Dead silence from everybody.

“I took a bayonet off of Obadiah’s body after setting the other prisoners free, and hacked my way out of the swamp to the uplands where I came across an old homestead.” Ryan paused then decided to close out the story and see the reaction. He had a way out if he needed to use it.

“I
had crept into the cabin and after finding out I was about to disturb a beautiful wedding I high-tailed it out of there. That’s when I ran into a woman dressed like a man who told me I was going the wrong way. So I turned around and headed in the opposite direction and that’s when the ranger found me. Ranger Mike that is, right ranger that’s when you found me, correct?” Ryan stopped talking and looked at the three of them.

Their mouths were gaped open like
caves
. It looked as if bats were about to come flying out of their mouths. And there was silence. Somewhere on some wall the ticking of a clock seemed to echo throughout the ranger station.

Sheriff Bob Mallory never took his eyes off of Ryan as he slowly leaned over and slid Ryan’s knife and fork out
of reach, effectively removing from Ryan’s grasp all sharp objects. Judy’s eyes followed the sheriff’s hands with approval. Mike eased his hand up and over his mouth desperately trying not to laugh. He wasn’t sure what was funnier; Ryan’s story or Bob’s reaction to it, but one thing was for sure, he wanted to laugh. He could not hold it in; a sniggle escaped breaking the silence. Bob’s hand instantly rose up and made the halt sign at Mike which shushed him back to all seriousness. Mike gained his composer and lowered his hand as Bob lowered his.

“Ryan,” Bob said slowly with a sigh, “let me tell you what
I
think happened to you.”

“The plane went down and you
banged
the side of your head, hence the swelling. You most likely have a slight concussion. You kept to a straight line and tied the ribbons thanks to the G.P.S. unit and you did a fine job I’ll grant you that.
But!
You ate something didn’t you Ryan?” Bob asked with the certainty that Ryan would answer yes. This was Ryan’s chance to dodge the bullet for a while and get everybody back into the rescue mode before the boat arrived. It was to be his way-out.

“Why come to think of it
, I did eat something,” Ryan said leading him on.

“
Ah, you ate some
poison
berries and maybe even some
mushrooms
did you not?” 

Ryan
slowly shook his head in the
yes
motion; like he was trying to remember and that it suddenly came back to him. But he was faking it. He did eat berries but he knew they were not poisonous because they didn’t hurt Jebediah.

“You
ate those
blasted psychedelic mushrooms
isn’t that right son?” Bob said shaking his head “yes”.

“Yes! I guess I did sheriff
,” Ryan said with a phony air of discovery.

“You see,” Bob said to the satisfaction of Judy and Mike, “that explains all th
is silly nonsense,” Bob said as he arose out of his chair as did Judy and Mike.

The three of them looked at Ryan with an
“it’s all better now” look. Everybody wanted to leave the awkwardness of the conversation behind and just as well because just then a truck pulled into the view of the window. It was pulling a sheriffs boat—the kind with the blue lights—and it had a raft strapped to the side.
It was the rescue boat!

“Ryan, are you ready to go get your father and bring him home?” The Sherriff asked.

It was the words that Ryan waited to hear and he answered with a hearty, “
yes!”

“Ok listen up
, here is the plan,” Bob said, “We are going to use three radios. I will have one in the chopper, Mike you will have one on the ribbon trail leading to Rob and the wreckage, and Tim here—Bob said pointing to the boat operator—will have one on the boat.”

“We
got it,” they all said in unison.

“Ryan, let’s face it, the ribbon
trail is the lifeline to your father. He knew what he was doing when he told you to tie them,” Bob said, “However it is no good to us if we can’t spot it from the river. This must be our first priority, find the ribbon trail and get you and Mike headed towards your dad. You’re going to give us direction from the ground. You’re going to travel light and fast I will have all the supplies in the chopper with my people and we will make a drop once you guide us over the wreckage” Bob takes a breath.

“After extracting Rob we will bring him up
with the rescue basket and then head for the nearest hospital. Ryan and Mike, you two plan on walking back to the boat.”

“Tim
, after Ryan and Mike launch the raft and make for the trail, take the boat over to the other side of the river and see if you can find the raft Ryan made. I
need
that G.P.S. unit out of his backpack,” stressed Bob.

“If you would
please bring my pack onto the boat, I have some keepsakes in it.” Ryan quickly interjected.

Bob continued, “Tim if you can get m
e the coordinate from the G.P.S. unit of the crash site then I can go ahead of Ryan and take my people down with me in the rescue basket. Then we can get started on freeing Rob.”

“That sounds good
,” Tim said, “Ryan did you secure the raft on the shoreline, or is there a possibility it has floated downstream?”

“I secured it somewhat, but if it did float
downstream it would have had to work its way free of the trees.”

“Tim if it’s not there, then work your way downstream looking for it but look no longer than
forty-five minutes. Ryan and Mike will be very close to the wreckage by that time and they will be able to guide the chopper with the radio.”

“Are there any questions?” asked Bob.

“Ah, yes I have a question,” Judy spoke up, “where do I fit in here? Am I going on the plane or the boat?” she asked Bob.

“Judy
putting you in the boat will not get you to Rob, and putting you in the chopper could be a liability and actually jeopardize the rescue operation. I say you head over to the hospital and be there for Rob when he gets there.”

“You know I think your right and it is a long drive so I better get going.” She turned to Ryan and gave him a hug and a kiss and told him to be strong and to be safe.
Then she turned to Bob.

“You
brought him home three times before. I hope you will make it four.”

She climbed in
to one of the cruisers and as they drove her away Ryan and Bob watched her with admiration. To the both of them she was an extraordinary woman. To one an exceptional mother, to the other a
possible
soul-mate that—up until
now
—looked like it was never to be.

To anyone standing along the banks of the Oklawaha River with its many twisting turns
, it sure had to of looked like an impressive rescue operation. The powerful boat with its flashing blue lights, blazing as it went swooping through the curves, the helicopter slightly behind and just above it. The powerful boat ate up the two mile distance in no time and everyone expected Ryan—who was sitting at the bow—to signal them to stop. But it never happened.

Within minutes they were at the end of the Oklawaha River where it emptied out into the
St. Johns River and both the boat and the chopper spun around in a circle not sure which way to go next.

“What’s happ
ening down there?” radioed Bob.

“Ryan did not spot the ribbon,
we must have been going too fast, we are going to head back slowly along the north shore and we will let you know when we spot it,” replied Mike.

Slowly they crept back westward straining their eyes along the tree
line looking for the pink ribbon that Ryan had tied as Bob with the chopper crew hovered above. Everyone expected to see the ribbon fluttering but there was no breeze. The air was still and the drizzle had picked up again. The rain water had run down the tree trunk and “matted” the ribbon down. There was to be no fluttering of the ribbon.

Then suddenly the down draft from the hovering chopper picked up some ribbon tied to a tree and it began to wave
back and forth.

“Over there,” Ryan said pointing wildly.

“I think we have something here.” Mike radioed up to Bob.

The boat slowly motored into position for Ryan to reach out and inspect the ribbon. He grasped it, looked it over
, then after glancing up towards the bank said, “No it’s not it.”

“It’s not Ryan’s ribbon we are moving along,” Mike radioed up to Bob.

And so they went from ribbon to ribbon moving slowly along the shore when after finding four ribbons the realization sunk in. There were many ribbons tied along the river because there was much surveying activity along the river. Some of the ribbons they had found were Rob’s old ribbons from several months ago. This was going to take longer than anticipated and with fuel now becoming a concern Bob had an idea and radioed a question down to Ryan.

“Ryan I need you to think of a landmark. Was the bank shaped in any certain way where you camped?”

“Yes it was,” he said remembering the sight of the steamboat as it rounded the horseshoe bend. He radioed the information up to Bob who decided that they would not stop for any ribbons that were not on a horseshoe bend. They had motored about a quarter-mile back to the west when a bend came into view. It looked promising to Ryan so he waved for Tim to slow the boat down. Suddenly the chopper blades flushed out a ribbon and set it waving.

“Over there,” Ryan said pointing and scrambling around the front of the boat as he positioned himself to reach out and grab it. As soon as he s
aw the knot he recognized it as his own and looking towards the bank he knew
they had found it!

“This is it,” he said “I’m sure of it!” he added as he went scrambling wildly around in the boat, waving
both arms over his head at the chopper.

“We got it, Ryan says this is it,” Tim notified Bob.

“Great we will hover here while you get the raft in the water and get up on the embankment and let me know that you have found the campsite.”

Mike and Ryan pushed their way through the cypress trees in the rubber dingy until they reached the embankment
. Ryan hopped out and scrambled up the embankment like a monkey using his hands and feet. He had disappeared over the top but was only gone a moment when Mike heard a scream of joy over the deafening sound of the chopper.

“I think it’s safe to say that we found the trail,” Mike radioed above.

“Yes, I see him from up here. Go ahead and tie that dingy up and you and Ryan head down the trail Mike.”

“Tim
you take the boat across and find that backpack!
I want that coordinate!”
Bob said over the radio with a barking tone.

As Tim went looking for the backpack Mike and Ryan started on their way down the flagged path. Every now and then Mike radioed Bob telling him that he was too far to the east or too far to the west and at times, keeping him directly overhead. This is what Bob needed to hear but what he really wanted was the coordinate from Tim so he could break away from the agonizingly slow pace of Ryan and Mike.

As Ryan walked his steps were filled with the utmost sense of accomplishment and pride. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Nothing could even come close to this moment and for it to be on his eighteenth birthday! Well it just made it all the sweeter. He was doing it! He was leading a search party back to his father just like he promised and he was at the front of the charge.

They had crossed no-name creek and
were approaching the spot where Ryan set free the fawn. Ryan and Mike were at the halfway point with only one mile to go. Mike had fresh legs compared to Ryan and he was slowly increasing the distance between them. Ryan was beginning to fall behind now as exhaustion began to take its toll.

T
here came a call over the radio. It was Tim. He had found Ryan’s raft along with the backpack and the G.P.S. unit. After a brief conversation with Ryan to verify the coordinate Bob called down to Mike.

“Tell Ryan we are going ahead and see what we can do for Rob,” Bob paused
. “Good job marking the trail Ryan it would have gotten the job done if we had not found the G.P.S. unit. See you at the wreckage guys,” and that was the last they heard from Sherriff Bob Mallory as the sound of the chopper faded off into the distance.

Ryan began to feel the weight of the rescue
lift off of his shoulders as he increasingly fell behind. And really, why shouldn’t his body begin to suffer from the toll? He had done all that he could. It was after all now in the hands of Sherriff Mallory and the helicopter crew. Ryan did however have mixed feelings about Bob reaching his father before he did. Knowing how Bob felt about his mother he asked himself. Would he
really
do all that he could to save him?

Mike was now in an odd position, he was torn from wanting to pick up the pace and get to the rescue scene
, and the need to slow down so Ryan could keep up. He did not run off but one thing he did do was to stay far enough ahead of Ryan so that he did not hear
everything
that was happening on the radio.

When the chopper swung into position over the
coordinate of the wreckage nothing could be seen through the dense canopy. This did not alarm the chopper crew in fact it was expected. Especially since the heavy drizzle had returned limiting the visibility. Bob radioed Tim and he verified that they were indeed at the correct coordinate.

Without telling a soul,
Bob planned in advance to be lowered down first—
all alone
—to determine the state of Rob’s health. That way if Rob had
passed
he would send Rob’s body up in the basket and then he would stay behind to console Ryan on the long walk out.

It took longer than the pilot would have liked
, but with some patience they found a safe spot to lower Bob down away from the canopy. It was an unusual “bald spot” for such a dense swamp but it was just what they needed and it was only fifty yards from the wreckage. Mike could hear Bob talking to the chopper as he was being lowered. Bob took with him two extra yellow rain coats and that’s all he took for the first time down. His intent (if Rob was alive) was to keep him covered while the medical crew came down. If he had
passed
he would use them to cover the body.

The
chopper tuned their radio to the same frequency as everybody else was to stay in touch with Bob who had just reached the forest floor.

“Take it away,” Mike heard Bob tell the chopper and he knew that Bob would be at the plane within a few moments. He lowered the volume on his radio and put a few more steps between himself and Ryan. If there was bad news he did not want Ryan to have to hear it over the radio.

The chopper raised the basket and began to circle as the pilot waited for the news. Mike stepped up the pace keeping the radio close to his ear. Tim cut the boat engine off and kept the radio close to his ear. Ryan was now a good fifty yards behind and totally unaware that any moment the news would be out if Rob was
dead
or
alive
. It was just the way Mike wanted it for now.

Thirty seconds passed no word.

One minute passed no word.

Two minutes
, then three minutes, still
no word!

Finally after what seemed to be an eternity the chopper pilot broke the silence.

“How about it Bob, what’s the situation?”

But there was n
o answer!

“We have an eye on our fuel gauge up here, time is of the essence sir, please give us your status
.”

B
ut still no answer!

“
Chopper to Mike, Mike do you have a copy?”

“This is Mike go ahead”

“We seem to have lost contact with the Sherriff on the ground, how close are you to the wreckage?”

Mike
had to slow down and let Ryan catch up.

“Ryan how much farther is the wreckage?”

“Why? What’s happening? What have you heard?” Ryan said short of breath.

“Bob is at the wreckage but he won’t answer, there must be something wrong with his radio. How much farther? They need to know
now!
”