Authors: Kimberley Woodhouse
No way to get anything past this kid. "About 14,000 feet."
"So that means we have a long ways to get down." No emotion in her voice, just direct statement. Processing every detail of their situation.
"Yeah." He sighed again. He'd pushed too hard, gone too far.
"Cole, you did the right thing." She had some radar on her. "It's not your fault." A sniffle followed. "I just want to go home."
"I know, Einstein. Me too."
"You know, I think you're the only one I'd allow to call me that. I like it."
"Good." He glanced down at Jenna as the silence descended again. Her eyes were open looking at him.
"Hi."
"Hi back. How're you feeling?"
She slid her arms out of the sleeping bag. "Much better. Headache's gone."
"Do you want to try to sit up and eat with us? If you can keep food down, we should probably try to start hiking down tomorrow."
"Yeah, that'd be nice. I'm hungry. I'd like to
c'eyan.
"
He moved out of the way so she could ease out. "Huh? I couldn't make that sound if I tried."
"Eat, Cole. I'd like to
eat.
"
"Oh. Gotcha. More Athabaskan?" Keep her talking. See if she's really thinking straight again. "How many people speak it?"
"A lot of the native languages are dying off. A few dozen people speak Ahtna fluently, but my grandmother and mother made sure that we used some of it at home. I want to pass that on to Andie as well."
"So, teach me some."
Andie piped up, "Cole, you are a
ciił.
"
"Oka-ay. I hope that's not a cuss word."
Andie smacked his arm. "No, you goof, it means 'man.'
Ciił.
"
"What's that breathy thing you're doing at the end? I can get the
kee
part, but I don't think I can copy that end sound."
Andie shrugged. "You're hopeless. You can't be an expert on your first try. It takes practice."
Jenna sighed and rubbed her stomach.
"You're right, Einstein. But first, I'd better make some broth. Before your mother wastes away." He winked at them. "Then see what else you're hungry for." He reached into the bag for the powdered broth base, and checked the ventilation hole in the cave.
Andie slid out of her space and scooted up to her mom. Jenna reached down and kissed her head, stroking her daughter's hair with her hand.
A beautiful sight.
The water took a while to heat in the thin air and he dissolved a packet to make the steaming chicken broth. At the rate they all devoured it, he knew the warm liquid had done its job.
Jenna spoke up out of the blue. "I'm in the mood for peanut butter."
"Peanut butter?"
Andie laughed. "Your face is priceless, Cole." Much to his surprise, she pulled little containers of peanut butter out of a bag. "Mom loves peanut butter. And it's a good source of protein. You should try her peanut butter mud bars," Andie leaned back, dramatically smacking her lips. "They're to die for."
Cole grabbed the bag. "Let me see what else is in this Mary Poppins bag of yours."
Peanuts, cashews, almonds, beef jerky, granola bars, fruit leather, power bars, trail mix, more powdered broth, packets of powdered hot chocolate, more peanut butter, and microwave popcorn.
He held up a shrink-wrapped package of popcorn. "Now how exactly are you supposed to cook this?"
Jenna gave him a sheepish look. "In a microwave."
Cole shook his head. "Well, that's obvious, but—"
"I know you think it's weird, and Marc always teased me about being overly prepared for everything, but I never really thought I'd be stranded on a mountain. I just made sure there was plenty of food with us that wouldn't perish." She shrugged.
Andie came to sit beside Cole. "We normally have string cheese with us too, but we ate all that on the flight to Anchorage."
The two laughed together as if sharing a private joke.
Another chink in his armor fell.
These two really were amazing. Their relationship, their depth of character, their resilience . . . he could stand to learn a thing or two from them.
Of course, he'd never admit that to them. They'd be impossible to live with.
Not that you're planning to live with them.
He frowned. No. Of course no—
"Cole?"
"Yeah, Squirt?"
"Can we play Phase 10 with Mom?"
"Sure thing. But I need to change your mom's bandage first."
"Yuck. Do I have to help?"
The squeamish look on Andie's face reminded him of the bucket incident. "No, I'll take care of it." Throw-up was one thing, blood and guts were right up his alley.
"Here's the first aid kit." Andie turned away as Jenna scooted toward him.
"Let's get this over with." Jenna gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I'm not too fond of blood myself."
Cole worked on Jenna's leg as she lay back on her sleeping bag. The wound was swelling, the skin all puffy and red. And it still oozed blood. Cole's lips tightened. He'd have to get them off this mountain before infection took over.
"How is it?" Jenna's voice was quiet.
He considered lying, but knew better. She'd see through that in a heartbeat. "Not great, but it has a fresh bandage." Andie's concern showed in her eyes. Time to shift focus. "Hey, why don't we get all the stuff repacked so we're ready to head out in the morning. We'll play a game or two and then get some sleep, okay?"
When they finally crawled into their sleeping bags, Cole lay on his back, staring at the snow ceiling. Here's hoping the weather cooperated come morning. Jenna's leg upped the urgency that needled him.
He had to get them off this mountain.
———
April 10
Sultana, Denali National Park
6:42 a.m.
Movement above his head jolted his mind awake. He jerked himself up, smashing foreheads with Andie. "Ow!" Cole rubbed the collision spot.
She leaned back on her knees as if nothing happened.
"Guess not feeling pain can be a good thing, huh?" He groaned as he slid out of his bag.
"Sure." Andie had a twinkle in her eye. A mischievous one. "Just means I'm tougher than you."
"Or have a harder head."
"Good one, Echo." She bounced on her knees.
"Anxious to get moving?" He laced up his boots.
Another dramatic sigh. "You have
no
idea."
"Oh, I think I have a pretty good inkling." He ruffled her hair with his hand and crawled out the opening.
Looking over his shoulder, he tossed out, "Wake up your mom and you guys get ready to go."
Brilliant blue sky met him as he stood outside their shelter of three nights. The air was crisp and clean, the wind light; there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Perfect.
Within minutes, the girls were beside him, harnesses attached, gear all packed.
"Are you feeling up to this, Jenna?"
"Yeah, not perfect, but all right. The warmth of the saa on my face feels amazing."
"Sun, right?"
Jenna smiled back at him. "Not bad. You learn quick."
"Andie, why don't you check the cave one more time for anything we might have left." After she was out of earshot, he took Jenna by the shoulders. "Are you sure you're okay?"
She tucked her head as if their closeness made her shy. "Yeah. I'm weak, but we've gotta move, right?"
"No crazy stunts, okay?"
She laughed.
He tightened his hold. Then on impulse pulled her into his arms. "Seriously, let me take care of you. Let someone else take the reins for once."
His words must've hit their mark. She pulled back, gaze darting down, around, and then finally met his eyes. She took a deep breath and patted his chest. "That's easier said than done, Cole."
His feet were glued to the spot, his arms tightened their hold again. He licked his lips. "Try."
Her mouth dropped open and then closed as she wiggled in his arms. Not quite pulling away, but clearly skittish, scared. Jenna looked up at him again and stilled, her hands resting on his chest. "O-Okay."
This woman did strange things to his heart. Guiding her head to his shoulder, he drew her to him and hugged her. She felt entirely too good in his arms.
Focus. He needed focus.
Andie returned and they rigged up in silence. Cole took the lead again, with Andie close behind, and then Jenna. The first couple hundred feet down didn't take too long, and Cole was thankful for the crampons and ice axes that helped anchor them.
They ate and drank as they descended, not wanting to waste any time, but after a couple of hours, he noticed Jenna slow down. He found a good spot to rest, and allowed them all a few minutes to catch their breath.
Andie, who had chattered all day in the snow cave, was suspiciously quiet. "Einstein, you haven't said a word since we left this morning. What's up?"
Her eyes shot to her mom and then back to him. "The snow cave was safe. The blizzard kept the bad guys away." She leaned closer and clung to her mom. "Now that we're back out here, it's scary."
Jenna hugged her daughter close.
He had no words to offer. The kid was right. He gave her a simple nod and turned to her mom. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm tired, and my leg aches, but I can do it." Her breaths were short, like she'd just run a marathon.
Patting her shoulder, he turned around, squelching the emotions pounding through him. He couldn't fix this. But he desperately wanted to.
The unmistakable rhythm of chopper blades shattered the quiet of the mountain around them.
Reflexes kicked in. His eyes darted, checking their surroundings, and waited for the helicopter to show itself. The t
hwump-thwump-thwump
still beat a pattern far away, carried by the wind to their place high up on the mountainside. His only hope: that his instincts were correct and they had been expected to stay lower and head down.
They stood like statues. He held his breath—and then the chopper rounded the mountain, thousands of feet below them, performing a slow search back and forth.
Time for action.
Cole grabbed the girls and raced them to some nearby boulders. The drifts were high enough here.
Jenna and Andie looked to him for direction, fear apparent in their eyes. No questions asked this time. Just pure trust.
He pulled their heads toward his so they could hear him. "I'm going to bury you in the snow. I need you to jump into the drifts behind these rocks and cover up as much as you can. I'll bury the gear, and then check to make sure you're covered."
Andie nodded. Jenna yanked off her ski mask and bit her lip.
"What is it, Jenna?"
"I . . . I . . . don't think I can do that . . . be buried, I mean . . . I—"
He grabbed her shoulders. "You don't have a choice. This isn't a game." He didn't temper the sharp edge to his words. This was no time for fear. "Just remember to breathe slowly, and don't move. We
cannot
let them see us."
Andie tugged on his arm. "But what about you, Cole?"
"I'm a little less conspicuous than you two." He pointed to Jenna's red ski jacket and Andie's bright purple one. "Now move! Then stay still."
Within seconds, the girls were digging in and hauling snow on top of themselves. He buried the gear, and then finished covering them, making sure they couldn't be seen.
The sound of the helicopter was still far below them, and he worked fast, hoping they wouldn't spot his movement. The blizzard that had almost taken their lives three days ago had provided the snow that would hopefully save their lives today.
Tucked into his own cocoon of snow, he listened.
And waited.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JENNA
April 10
Sultana, Denali National Park
9:14 a.m.
Cold penetrated Jenna's layers, but that didn't stop her body from sweating.
Fear oozed out of every pore and wiggled its way into her insides, tightening like a vise on her organs.
Breathe. Just breathe.
Now was not the time to panic. The childhood nightmare resurfaced—one where she was buried alive.
No!
She needed to stay calm and quiet to protect her daughter. To protect Cole. It'd been a long time since tight spaces had caused a reaction, mainly because she hadn't been alone in a small space since before Andie was born. The need to protect her daughter had always over-powered her fear.
Until now.
God! Help us! Protect us . . . Please . . .
She prayed for the snow to be deep enough. She prayed for the chopper to not get too close. She prayed for enough air for all of them to breathe.
"'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee . . .'" The words slipped past her lips in a bare whisper.
The roar of the helicopter grew, the mountain beneath her vibrating with the rumble.
It must be right on top of them.
What if it blew all the snow off them? What if they found Andie before Jenna and she never had the chance to tell her daughter good-bye? Just like Marc.
Please, God! Don't let them find my baby.
The roar continued. Was it hovering?
Sweat trickled down her back, sending chills up and down her spine. She tuned her ears in to all the sounds around her.
There! Snow crunched. Steps. Getting closer.
They're coming!
If only she could see. The walls of her snow tomb closed in. Where were they?
The rhythmic sound of the chopper blades faded. But the footsteps surrounded her. How many were searching?
Calm down. Calm down.
They can't see us, we're covered in snow. "'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee . . .'"
Peace flowed through her.
"'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee—'"
"Over there!" The muffled shout reached her ears.
Oh, no! She'd said it out loud!
The crunching drew closer. More muffled shouts.
"'What time I am afraid . . .'" God, now would be a good time to intervene.
"What's that? Rook! Check your nine."
Rapid gunfire resonated through the snowy layers.
Jenna's heart seized so hard pain shot through her. Had they just shot Cole? Andie?
What was happening?