Chapter Thirteen
Alice
By the time we pull up in front of the hotel, my abdominal muscles hurt from so much laughing. We talked about every single shenanigan we pulled as kids, and damn it felt good. Our hotel is conveniently located about fifteen minutes away from the Joshua Tree National Park. It’s four stories, painted in shades of dark orange and warm brown. The temperature is sinfully hot. Not the best for rock climbing, or anything other than lying in the sun.
“Can you have my luggage taken upstairs?” Nate asks the receptionist after we check in. “I’m meeting my team in a few minutes, and I don’t have time to do it.”
“Of course,” she assures him. “Ms. Bennett, we can take your bag to your room as well.”
“Thanks, but it’s small, and I’m heading there anyway.” I try not to think very hard about both our rooms being on the fourth floor.
Turning to me, Nate says, “The hiking tour Daniel planned for my team starts in two hours.”
I nod. “Yeah.” Blake, Summer, and I are going with Daniel on our climbing adventure before. Daniel said he chose one of the shorter routes. Short but exactly what he’s looking for. Nate and his team will meet us there, and Nate will try his hand at climbing before the hike with his team.
“Can’t wait to see you climbing,” he says with a smirk.
“Hey! I am very sporty. I run three times a week.” On straight ground, solid concrete, or the treadmill.
Nate opens his mouth, no doubt with a witty reply, but someone—one of his team members, I presume—calls him from the other end of the lobby. Nate takes off with a wink and I look wistfully after him, wishing he could spend the entire day with us.
Fastening the grip on my suitcase’s handle, I admire the rustic design, heading toward the elevators.
“Alice,” Summer exclaims, stepping out of one of the elevators. My smile turns into a megawatt grin as I hurry toward my sister. With light brown hair and at one head taller than me, she looks nothing like me and more like a younger version of Pippa, but with darker hair. She’s already wearing her climbing gear. I throw my arms around her waist when I reach her, pulling her into a hug.
“I missed you so much,” I tell her unnecessarily.
“Back at you.” Her arms are around my shoulders, and I’m pretty sure we look a little—or a lot—silly, but I don’t care in the least. When we finally pull away, she says, “You should change into climbing gear soon.”
“Where are the boys?”
“Blake’s in his room, and Daniel is meeting us inside the park.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, he went to do some scouting by himself hours ago. Said he’d be back in time.”
“I’ll go change quickly. Wanna join me? I have coconut cookies for you.”
That’s all it takes to convince Summer to go up with me. While I change, she happily munches on the cookies while talking my ear off about Rome.
After I’m done, I look like a pro, which I am definitely not. I love running and working out, but rock climbing is a different beast.
“I almost don’t recognize us,” Summer says, looking at me with fake horror. When she and I get together, our favorite pastime is watching movies and doing each other’s nails. If we’re in the mood to go outdoors, we hit the shops. “The things we do for our brother.”
“Remember the time we bailed him out of that masquerade party?” I elbow her playfully.
“God, don’t remind me. I’m trying to block out the memory.”
“Hey, look at the bright side. This all means we have leverage against him.” Whenever our brothers ask some ungodly favor from us, we hang it over their heads forever because Summer and I are sweet little devils.
We find Blake pacing outside the hotel. He stops, shaking his head as he inspects us.
“You’re gonna make Daniel pay for this, won’t you?” he asks with fake concern.
“We’ve taught you well.” Wiggling my eyebrows, I hook one of my hands around his arm. Summer does the same with his other arm, and together we head in the direction of the park. It’s a glorious day out here, hot and sunny, quite different from the chilly morning in San Francisco. The sky is devoid of any clouds, just blue as far as I can see.
Blake dishes out useful information we can use against Daniel the entire way to the park, which makes the journey seem considerably shorter. It’s remarkable how easily Summer lures out information from my brother. Pippa and I usually have to do some serious legwork to get them to loosen their tongues, but Summer has them wrapped around her little finger. I listen intently to Blake’s stories, filing the information carefully for later use.
When we finally arrive at the visitor center where we’re meeting Daniel, he’s nowhere to be seen. There are several exhibits inside, as well as a shop. It’s buzzing with people, so we wait outside at the picnic tables.
“If he dragged us out to the middle of nowhere just to make us wait,” Blake comments, “I’ll dish even more dirt.”
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Summer says brightly. “But we won’t say no to more blackmail material.”
Ten minutes pass, then fifteen, and there’s no sign of Daniel. Groups of tourists pass by, popping in and out of the center.
I call Daniel a few times, but his phone has no coverage.
“Maybe he’s waiting for us at another visitor center?” Summer suggests.
“Nah, I specifically asked him,” Blake explains.
“He would’ve sent a message anyway,” I add. “Unless his battery is dead.” I hadn’t thought of that before. “I’ll head inside to the information desk. Maybe he left a message for us with them.”
Inside, the man behind the information desk looks like a kind grandpa, down to the round belly and white hair.
“Hello, Tom!” I greet, reading his name tag.
“Hi, miss. What can I do for you?”
“We were supposed to meet my brother here twenty minutes ago. I was wondering if he left a message with you, if he’s expecting us somewhere else, maybe.”
“What’s his name?” he asks good-naturedly.
“Daniel Bennett.”
The smile he had since I walked in fades. A lump settles in my throat, a sense of foreboding creeping up the back of my neck.
“And he’s related to you, you said?”
“Yeah. He’s my brother.”
“Right. Mr. Bennett went on a trail this morning, and we received an alarm that he fell into one of the deeper cracks. A rescue team is already there.”
“A rescue team?” I repeat dumbly. Possibly my brain hasn’t processed the meaning of the sentence.
“Yes.”
“But he’s all right?” I grip the edge of the desk, bracing myself.
“We don’t know yet, miss. We’ll know more once the rescue team arrives and gets a hold of him.”
“Are you not in contact with him?”
“No, the alarm was raised by some travelers who saw him fall.”
“If they saw him, why didn’t they go after him?” I ask angrily.
“It’s dangerous, which is why a rescue team is necessary.”
“Oh my God.” Now the words sink in, and my chest tightens with panic. “Is he…?” I can’t bring myself to ask the words, but I have to. “Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Is he injured?”
“Yes, but I don’t know the extent.”
Gripping the edges of the desk tighter, I swallow hard, attempting to calm my racing pulse. “How can I help? We? Two other siblings of mine are outside. Can we join the search team?”
“No, only trained professionals are part of the rescue team. I suggest you and your siblings wait inside the restaurant. I’ll let you know as soon as we have news.”
“Wait? That’s all we can do?”
“I’m afraid so. Please don’t worry. Our rescue team is very efficient.”
If he thinks that statement calms me down, he’s completely wrong. Realizing there’s nothing more I can do in here, I head back outside. The sight of Summer and Blake sitting at one of the tables and laughing stops me in my tracks. Tension accumulates in my shoulder blades as I consider how to best break the news to them. Briefly I ponder if there is any way I can keep this to myself, avoid worrying them. But before I can come up with any sharp idea, they notice me. My expression must give me away, because both their smiles freeze on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” Blake asks.
Steeling myself, I sit next to Summer and relay the information the man gave me as calmly as possible. The second I’m done, Blake springs to his feet, storming inside the building.
“Poor Daniel,” Summer murmurs, her voice trembling. I hug her tightly, insisting they’ll find him in no time, hoping I sound more confident than I feel.
Blake is livid when he returns. “I can’t believe they don’t have more information.”
“Should we tell the rest of the family?” Summer asks.
“No,” I answer firmly. “Let’s wait a while longer, at least until we know more.”
They reluctantly agree, and we immediately launch into a debate over what could have happened and how all this could play out. I do my best to calm Blake and Summer every time they veer too deeply into negative scenarios, but my bravado begins to fade as no news reaches us.
“We should tell the others,” Blake insists after an hour during which we have no further news.
“I’ll do it in a few minutes.” I massage a spot on my temple where a piercing pain pulses every few seconds.
“We can do it together,” Blake offers. “Each of us call part of the clan.”
“Nah, I’ll do it.”
Next to me, Summer’s eyes are glassy, and by the way she keeps chewing on her lower lip, I can tell she’s really fighting to keep it together. This was her telltale sign when we were kids.
I could tell when she was about to cry by the way her lower lip would move, and I typically had just enough time to distract her with a joke or a change of subject. Now neither of those options will cut it. I don’t have an inkling what would. With an encouraging clasp on her shoulder, I rise from the table, moving farther away from the picnic tables to make the calls.
My fingers tremble over the screen of my phone as I decide whom to call first. In the end, I decide to start with Sebastian.
“What’s taking them so long to find him?” Sebastian exclaims the second I finish telling him everything. “I’ll make some calls to the local mayor and—”
“Sebastian,” I say gently, “their rescue team is already on it.”
“I’ll get on a plane right away.”
“Please don’t. It won’t make a difference. It’s frustrating, but all we’re doing here is waiting. I promise they’ll find him soon.”
“Okay. Please call me as soon as they tell you more.”
“Of course.”
My palms are sweating as I click off, my heart rate more frantic than before. Damn, I’m used to having to calm down my younger siblings, but usually when there’s a crisis, I can count on Logan, Pippa, and Sebastian most of all to be a calming presence. I won’t lie; a part of me was hoping Sebastian would impart some of his usual calmness over the phone, reassuring me that Daniel will be safe. A girl can hope.
I call Logan next, and he’s with Max and Christopher, so he switches to speakerphone and my younger brothers hear the news at the same time. I barely convince them to stay put, their reaction almost identical to Sebastian’s.
Telling Pippa and then my parents almost breaks my heart. They’ve always been the pillars and the glue of the family, keeping everything afloat in crisis situations. I only ever saw my mother look completely lost a few years back, when my father had an accident. While he was in surgery, Mom seemed completely out of it. Pippa stepped up to the plate and calmed Mother down.
Right now, they are both distressed, and schooling my voice to sound reassuring and optimistic becomes more taxing by the second. By the time I head back inside to Summer and Blake, I’m on the verge on tears, but I stubbornly withhold them.
“Drink water,” Blake says the second I return to the picnic tables. “We’ll dehydrate in this heat if we don’t drink.” And I can’t help worrying about Daniel, and if he has enough water.
Sometime later Tom comes out to us. Summer locks her eyes on him, and Blake’s shoulders go rigid. At one point Tom all but begged us not to bust into his office again, assuring us he’d tell us when there is news.
“The rescue team got a hold of him, but his right ankle is blocked between two boulders. They’re working on getting him out.”
“Oh!” Summer drops her head between her hands.
“Is he injured otherwise?” I ask.
“There were no apparent life-threatening injuries at first sight.”
“At first sight,” Blake repeats, his jaw set.
“They have a paramedic with them.”
“How can this take so long?” I bellow, rising to my feet.
“I assure you everyone’s doing their best.” His jaw ticks. His patience is wearing thin, but I couldn’t care less. This is my brother we’re talking about.
I swear loudly after he leaves.
“I’ll call everyone and tell them about the update,” Blake says, and all I can do is give him a grateful smile. I couldn’t make it through another round of calls.
Just as Blake puts his phone to his ear, the sound of my own ringing startles me. Fully expecting the caller to be someone in my family, I steel myself mentally. Glancing at the screen, an unexpected name pops up: Nate. For the first time in hours, a smile tugs at the corners of my lips.
“Hey,” I greet him, placing the phone to my ear, and hurry away from the tables.
“How’s the climb? Did you murder Daniel yet?”
At the sound of my brother’s name, I inhale sharply, the knot in my stomach twisting.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asks at once, his voice devoid of humor.
“How could you tell something is wrong?”
“Don’t know. Something tipped me off. What happened?”
I tell him quickly.
“Shit, I’m sorry, Alice! But I’m sure everything will be okay.”
“Can you please repeat that at least a hundred times?” My voice is pleading, even as the muscles in my body unwind a tad. God, how I needed someone to tell me everything will be okay.
“I’ll do it as soon as I’m there.”
“You’re coming here?”
“Damn right, I am.”
“Oh shit, I forgot you had plans with Daniel afterward. Your team—”
“Will be fine on their own. I need to be with you,” he says simply, and I all but melt.
“I’d really like that. If it’s not too much trouble.”
“I’ll be there right away, baby.”
Despite my general state of anxiety, my stomach flutters at the word baby. He’s never called me that before. As I hang up, the muscles in my body relax a tad at the mere idea of him here.
Nate arrives shortly afterward. “Any news?”
Blake, who is lying on one of the picnic benches, merely groans. Summer shakes her head.
“Not since we spoke on the phone.”
“I’ll go talk to the information desk,” he offers.
“I’m coming with you.” It’s pointless, because Tom would have told us if there was any news, but it gives me an excuse to feel like I’m doing something productive.
The second we’re inside the center, Nate places his hand at the small of my back, which has the surprising effect of liquefying my bones. I lean into his touch, hungry for more. I could really use a bear hug right now, or any kind of hug, really. Together, we step inside the information office.
Tom snaps his head up, smiling at Nate. His smile morphs into a grimace when he notices me. “I don’t have any news, miss. As I said, I’ll pop outside as soon as the rescue team contacts me.”
“When does the center close?” Nate asks.
“In three hours, but I’ll stay here to update you.”
“Thank you,” I say.
Tom disappears into a side room before Nate and I have time to open our mouths again.
“Why did he look terrified when he saw you?” Nate asks once we’re back outside.
“I might have lashed out at him earlier.”
“Of course you did.” His hand is still at the small of my back, moving in a small motion.
“Are you sure you can be here? You said being with your team during this kickoff time is important.”
“Alice,” he says softly, bringing his hand to my chin, his thumb rubbing small circles at one corner of my lips. “This is important. You are important.”
His words travel straight through me, and my heart gives a little squeeze.
“Let’s walk around a bit.” I guide him in the opposite direction from the picnic tables because I need a breather. Putting up the bravado in front of my siblings has completely depleted me.
“Do you need anything?”
I bite the inside of my cheeks, remembering what he said to me this morning on the hood of his car—that if I want him to hold me, all I have to do is ask. So I go out on a limb.
“Can you hold me? Really tight?” Damn, I didn’t mean to sound needy.
By way of answering, Nate pulls me in for a hug. I lose myself in his strong, warm arms, resting my head against his chest, breathing in deeply. It’s the first deep breath—the first real breath—I’ve taken in hours.
“I’m so scared for my baby brother,” I whisper after a while, pulling away. My voice is so low, I’m not sure if Nate heard me at all. “I read online about all the things that can go wrong in a situation like this. It’s awful.”
“Why? Avoid the Internet. It’ll always bring out the worst-case scenarios. Years ago, I made the mistake of looking up my symptoms when I had the flu. I was convinced I was going to die after researching.”
Shrugging, I pull the phone out of my pocket, holding it up. “I wanted to feel productive, so I searched online on my phone.”
Nate snatches the phone, shoving it in his pocket.
“Hey!”
“No more phone for you.”
“But what if my parents call, or any of my siblings?”
“I’ll talk to them.” There’s no room for negotiation in his voice and I don’t argue, grateful there’s someone here to take charge.
Nate wraps his strong arms around me again. “Everything will be all right.”
In this moment, I allow myself to believe it will be.
***
Eventually we return to the picnic tables, and hours pass. After the sun sets, my anxiety skyrockets again. I exchange glances with my siblings and Nate, but none of us speak, which I think helps. I once read that verbalizing a fear increases its power.
I run my palms up and down my thighs, pressing the tongue to the roof of my mouth. On the other side of the table, Blake massages his temples and Summer chews on her lower lip so aggressively I’m afraid she’ll draw blood. Sitting next to me, Nate touches my outer thigh with his knee.
When I can’t stand sitting around waiting anymore, I spring to my feet, intending to head inside to Tom. The door swings open at precisely the same moment, and Tom himself walks to us.
“Good news! I just spoke to the rescue team. Your brother is safe and sound and—”
We erupt in cheering, drowning Tom’s voice. My body feels as light as a feather.
“Since it’s dark and late, and the park is officially closed, he’ll stay at one of the camping stations tonight,” Tom continues, instantly dampening everyone’s mood. I was hoping to see my brother tonight, check for myself that he’s all right.
“Did the paramedics check him?” Summer asks.
“Yes, and they confirmed he’s in good shape. He just needs to rest.”
“Is there any way we can get to him?” I add.
“No, as I said, the park is closed. You’ll see him tomorrow.”
With no other choice, we head back to the hotel, right after Nate returns my phone and I call everyone in the family to share the good news.